Re: TNET: More pain, more questions for Clemson football after loss at NC State

RC1985

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So what now?

Oct 30, 2023, 10:33 AM

Dabo is one of the highest paid coaches in college football. The staff total payroll, is among the highest in college football.

We are still recruiting big name talent and our facilities are at the very least top-15 in the country.

So what now?

It doesn't matter how you spin it, 4-4 is unacceptable. It doesn't matter how the four losses happened, they happened regardless.

Yes, ball security is a problem. Turnovers have been a dagger.

Yes, the wide receivers have looked dismal, outside of a couple of players in a couple of games.

Yes, injuries have hurt us. Continuity is a group is key but every team goes through this.

Yes, QB play has been lackluster and the decision making poor. Cade was highly recruited and coveted. Is our QB depth this bad?

Yes, "Riley's" play calling has been suspect. The talent, aside from QB, is much better than what he had at TCU.

Yes, the defense has looked great and awful at times. We had the 2nd best (if not best) LB duo in the country. A top-10 defensive line, and a secondary that seems a bit better than the previous 2 years.

So again I ask, what now?

I am far from doomsday scenario. We don't need to reinvent the wheel again, but what now?

My questions are to Dabo. Where is the byog? Where is the passion and fire? Where is the inspiration? Where is the motivation? Best will always be the standard, you said so yourself. So how do we get the best out of the next 4 games? Where is the creativity? Where is the player development?

I still believe in you man but c'mon, you got to show us something. Coming out and saying that 98.5% of fans are worthy, then be worthy of those 98.5%.

This is as much a business as it is a game or a life for those athletes.

If I had employees who oversold and underperformed on a weekly basis and kept things status quo, I would go out of business. All I am asking is that the Dabo of old come back to Clemson today and light that fire.

Bring back the hope. Bring back the joy. Losing is inevitable, but losing in the fashion that we have is absolutely unacceptable. We don't want to be told how close we are, show us. We don't want to hear that there are many wins ahead, show us.

Come to Clemson today fired up. Come to Clemson today ready to work. Come to Clemson today and make it happen. For all the fans, we need you to be the Dabo that made us believe.

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I do not know Coach Swinney, but I think a rebuild will be in different ways as difficult for him as was rising to the top of the collegiate heap. He will have to remake himself to a degree in the process, because he does not come naturally to the style adopted by so many of his contemporaries. He likes how he has done things, and of course he has had unbelievable success, making critical self-appraisal and attitude alteration far more difficult.

He also will be dealing with negativity thrown at the Clemson program and at him personally by a few in national media. I have more than once heard talking heads on ESPN radio speak in dismissive terms about him, sort of Paul Finebuamesque except a bit more personal, never any specifics associated with it, and probably is a bit of envy in that mix. (It is so much easier to grade the papers than to take the exam). Such critical comments can easily reach the ears of football players in high school and already in college. There is also the perception that the program has lost its way in a major fashion, and that will not make recruiting easier in seeking top quality high school recruits. A diminution in overall recruit quality early in the rebuild would not surprise me at all.

All of the above will present challenges, and on the other side of the ledger are many Clemson and Swinney positives. I am not suggesting getting back closer to the top is Mission Impossible. I just think the fanbase, starting with me, needs to be patient, because Coach may not go full speed ahead on the portal or other changes as was done at FSU. The portal is theoretically the quickest way out of our mess, but I am guessing he will move slowly into it instead of seeking wholesale transfers a la FSU, where 15 starters are portal arrivals. Our coach has old fashion virtues and values, so I expect changes will come in all aspects of the program, including staffing, and progress will be evident, but only slowly.

The program slid into problems over 2-3 seasons, and our resurrection could be equally gradual.

TNET: More pain, more questions for Clemson football after loss at NC State