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Orange Blooded [3558]
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Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 12:43 AM
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I want you to be honest
Do you personally think Dabo’s best years are behind him? Or do you see a return to the same level soon?
This isn’t Friday Night Lights Dabo. Cade Klubnik isn’t Matt Saracen, and Dabo isn’t Coach Taylor. It’s not a storybook ending 100% of the time because you think you deserve a storybook ending.
There are things about the cold hard truth that you must realize.
I absolutely positively guarantee you that Saban and other coaches have very similar views and beliefs compared to Dabo. But they adjusted because they knew what was best for the team and the players. The players want success when they come to play college ball. Give them the keys to success.
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All-In [46574]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 12:46 AM
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I think he’s a better coach now than he has ever been, how that plays out with the tampering & NIL changes I don’t know.
I do think we will win another National Championship even with the expansion of the playoffs.
The refs will be pushing the SEC & BIG teams!
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All-TigerNet [10360]
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That's all up to Dabo....
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Dec 13, 2023, 6:57 AM
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a lot has changed in the College Football world the last 3 years w/ NIL/portal (not for the better imo). A lot will likely change in the coming years, starting with the 12-team playoff.
How/if he chooses to adapt will tell us if the 2015-2019 years are achievable again.
The last 3 years haven't been good vs "2015-2019" results & elite talent standards.
The great ones continue to adapt and innovate to stay ahead of the curve, just like the business world...........Time will tell.
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Hall of Famer [24226]
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LOL
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:09 AM
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All-Pro [663]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 19, 2023, 3:41 PM
[ in reply to Re: Time to be brutally honest ] |
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It's going to be hard to win another National Championship without finishing in the top 12 first.
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All-American [593]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 12:46 AM
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I think he's still got it! He's doing what needs to be done to make us better. We'll be back and better. He's still got the fire!🔥
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Head Coach [788]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 1:17 AM
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No
Yes
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110%er [7535]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 1:47 AM
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If you are coming out of the closet, there are better places than here!
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All-In [25393]
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A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim
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Dec 13, 2023, 5:40 AM
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Nick Saban's best years were behind him. Now, I wouldn't be surprised to see him win another title this year.
I'm willing to continue riding the Dabo Swinney train. He may need to readjust some thinking, but any great coach (or business leader, for that matter) has to do the same constantly.
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Orange Blooded [3901]
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Re: A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim
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Dec 13, 2023, 6:19 AM
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Poor coaching hires,recruiting misses,refusal to use the portal,and way too many walk ons. These reasons are why Clemson regressed. You don't see Alabama make these mistakes.
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Orange Blooded [4459]
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Re: A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim
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Dec 13, 2023, 6:53 PM
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First coaching replacements turned out to be big mistakes. That got us behind in recruiting and evaluating players. I believe after Dabo’s two Natties he felt he could stay up there forever. The hires set us back along with others paying millions for players that used to come to us. No telling what Florida is paying the QB we are at last second trying to get. In the past he would have been ours. Now he and his family are taking the money behind the Florida door.
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Freshman [1]
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Re: A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim
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Dec 16, 2023, 10:03 AM
[ in reply to Re: A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim ] |
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I don’t think you are correct in what you have said about Alabama and Saban. There were a few of Alabama’s teams who Saban thought would never do well, just look at this year. Alabama is granted leeway because of their earlier years in the BCS and his reputation of constantly putting out sustainably fair to good teams. Look at how many coaches has gone through there. Every school goes through good and bad times its how you bring yourself out is the key.
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Orange Blooded [3558]
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Re: A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim
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Dec 13, 2023, 11:56 AM
[ in reply to A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim ] |
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Well Saban hasn’t gone 8-4 and lost to 4 stupid ACC teams. Saban just missed the national championship for a few years which is why all the talk was heavy about him.
I just see more of a regression in recruiting, development, enthusiasm within the program, etc.
You have guys like Mukuba who you figure out hated being there. I don’t think any player hated being there between 2015-2019.
It just seems very hard to pick up enough steam to catch all the way back up to these other schools who now know exactly how to control the portal and NIL. While Clemson has gotten 2 total transfers in compared to however many out (a lot).
It’s Dabo’s way of committing to his own kids that is special. No one wants to take that from a coach.
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Orange Blooded [2890]
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Re: A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim
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Dec 16, 2023, 10:45 AM
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Bama would welcome you as a fan with open arms. There is no reason for you to maintain your allegiance to a team on such a downward spiral.
Leave now, thank us later.
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Orange Blooded [2248]
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CU Guru [1025]
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All-TigerNet [10640]
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Re: A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim
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Dec 17, 2023, 10:29 AM
[ in reply to Re: A lot of pundits were foaming at the mouths, trying to claim ] |
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Quote: "You have guys like Mukuba who you figure out hated being there. I don’t think any player hated being there between 2015-2019."
Now you are making stuff up and that makes you lose credibility. Show me any evidence that Mukuba "hated being there".
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110%er [5225]
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I honestly don't know but I think his eyes are wide open now.
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Dec 13, 2023, 6:47 AM
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He is no longer ignoring the reality of NIL and the portal. He just needs to learn to use them as tools like all other coaches in football. Also, keep looking outside the program to find the best available assistant coaches. He seems to be doing better at that lately. Just my $.02.
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All-In [31315]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 6:53 AM
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All about the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s. If he can recruit top level and keep good people around him then he has many years left imo.
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All-In [48348]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:51 AM
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Exactly, Always about the jimmy and joes. The big thing imo is can we recruit at a top 5 level. We haven't recruited well offensively the last several cycles. Defensive recruiting has kept us above water.
Last decade teams could rely on development. That's becoming a rarity anymore. Uga, Bama, osu continues because they're in the top 5 recruiting yeyo. And they selectively use the portal.
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CU Guru [1432]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 9:23 AM
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look at our recruiting rankings the 4 years before played for our first two nattys under Dabo.
Top 5 class isn't necessary when you evaluate and develop players properly.
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Orange Blooded [3961]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 19, 2023, 1:46 PM
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True but we were doing well at bringing in quality offensive play makers. That’s what’s missing. This class finally has two WR that look the part. Let’s see if they pan out.
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All-In [30460]
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I think it depends on Clemsons ability to compete in NL
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:01 AM
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Then it does any changes in Dabo
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Hall of Famer [24226]
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Tell 'em coot. No one knows losing better than you.
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:09 AM
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5-7 16-7 82-71 no bowl
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All-American [552]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:15 AM
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Think Dabo will adjust and will be fine. The scary thing is college football is over as we once knew. Sad but now a big business
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CU Guru [1754]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:40 AM
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Best days behind him? No.
Return to being a top 2 team every year with Alabama being the other? No. That's the thing that has changed the most with the transfer portal and NIL. Parity. For some of those years it was literally Alabama and Clemson on one tier and then everyone else. There's so much parity now, I doubt we see back to back National Champions for a long time. It's exactly like the NFL now and each team practically starts from scratch each year after the free agents have 'committed' to their new teams.
Return to a National Championship and deep run in the playoffs?: Hellz yeah
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All-In [38124]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:42 AM
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I hope his best is yet to come. We'll see over the next few years.
Go Tigers!!! Beat Kentucky!!!
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Orange Blooded [3110]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:44 AM
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I think we are about to go on another ride like the 2015-2019 seasons. I can’t say enough how much these two hires lately will help us. When someone is new at their job, 99 times out of 100 they are more hesitant than someone with experience in the same job. With the first time coaches, I think they lacked the intensity that these veteran coaches have, because they don’t have proof that the way they coach produces the results they want. Luke/Rumph know exactly what to do, and that will increase intensity throughout the entire team. It will resonate.
Buckle up, this fittin to be fun
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All-TigerNet [10345]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 16, 2023, 1:01 PM
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Let the nut cuttin' commence.
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Legend [17781]
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I never believed The Best is Yet to Come.
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Dec 13, 2023, 7:58 AM
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We had won two out of three invitationals with two generational QBs and had hit in some spectacular skill positions.
We weren’t going to best that if we are looking at a winning the invitational as the goal.
That being said, I think Dabo has gotten better as a coach and still has the energy.
As far as CU goes, we will continue to be a player. We will still make the expanded invitational on a regular basis and if the stars align - we will snag another invitational championship. I think the NIL and portal have evened out the playing field and introduced too much uncertainty year to year to hope for anymore than that.
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Starter [376]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 8:10 AM
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Not by a longshot. For sure the game is changing and they keep shuffling the deck. but look at it this way. He's 54. Saban is 72! Does Dabo have +/- 20 years left in him? Absolutely.
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All-TigerNet [13530]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 8:14 AM
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He is a winner and a competitor. If no one thinks he can, he will do everything to prove them wrong. I don’t think he leaves here with less than four.
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Heisman Winner [140586]
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How do we know 2023 wasn't his best coaching job yet?
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Dec 13, 2023, 8:16 AM
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Are you strictly looking at wins/losses, or are you looking at coaching performance?
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Asst Coach [712]
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Re: How do we know 2023 wasn't his best coaching job yet?
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Dec 13, 2023, 8:29 AM
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I think he’s talking about how the program went from elite to top 20. I believe he was asking if he thinks Dabo can return Clemson to the status of elite again. I think really he was asking do we think Dabo is going to be able to swallow his pride and adapt enough to the Portal/NIL to get his program back.
My answer to his question is yes he can, but he hasn’t shown yet that he’s willing to do what it takes. 2023 was a good coaching job the last 4 games to adjust to an overall severe lack of taken on offense to win out and finish with 8 wins.
Now fans have to wait and see if he has what it takes to fix this offense. 3 lineman have been offered. Missed on one. He needs WRs. If Cade Klubnick goes down, what then? I hope he fixes it.
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Heisman Winner [140586]
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What does it take to win in 2023?***
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Dec 13, 2023, 8:33 AM
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Oculus Spirit [77011]
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I don't think it knows answers.***
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Dec 13, 2023, 9:29 AM
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110%er [7148]
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Best are yet to come.***
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Dec 13, 2023, 8:30 AM
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Orange Blooded [2031]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 13, 2023, 8:31 AM
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His best players are behind him.
The portal and NIL will prevent him from getting there again.
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All-TigerNet [13530]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 9:17 AM
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Love it. Heap the hate on him. That is when he responds the best...
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All-TigerNet [13038]
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Just from a simple probability perspective
Dec 13, 2023, 8:42 AM
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its pretty unlikely that Dabo wins 2 more titles or makes 5 more semifinals. If he does he would be no lower than 5th all time in titles behind just Saban, Bear, Hayes, and Bierman (Minn coach from the 30s), and ahead of alot of legendary coaches. This is also in an era where there's only 1 title awarded per year rather than 2 or 3 or even 4 being claimed in a year - sometimes retroactively.
Also, amazingly, 2023 was Dabos 15th full season at Clemson. How many more years do we get?
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All-TigerNet [13530]
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Re: Just from a simple probability perspective
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Dec 13, 2023, 9:19 AM
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The man is a young 54. I think he still has a good dozen years left if he wants them.
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110%er [6474]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 13, 2023, 8:54 AM
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Dabo can be great. Will he evolve or remain idealistic? Time will tell.
Not wanting a $700k receiver is IMO a sign he is hanging onto idealism.
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110%er [8000]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 9:12 AM
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I am not sure we will ever see another period like 2014 to 2019. I do think think we will be in the 12 team playoffs more years than not and win it all at least one more time.
Looking at the pro sports teams for inspiration. The teams with the most money are not always the most successful. Often small market teams do a better job of managing their money to work a specific plan. I see Clemson in that light.
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Orange Blooded [3615]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 9:15 AM
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Return to the same level in 2025.
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Hall of Famer [23112]
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LOL, it's OBVIOUS, Dabo's gearing up for his 2nd run
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Dec 13, 2023, 9:23 AM
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This time he plan's to do it with an OL as good as any other team. Something that he didn't have the 1st time around
He may or MAY NOT rely on the Portal, as some self annointed Keyboarders think he should. If he takes any, it'll be a couple.
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110%er [6982]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 13, 2023, 9:30 AM
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Dabo is making moves to get back to greatness. Because of NIL, I’m not sure if we’ll win any more national championships, but I do see some ACC championships coming our way, and being in the mix for the national title. As long as you’re in the hunt, anything can happen.
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All-TigerNet [13957]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 13, 2023, 10:01 AM
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Biggest miss: Hiring Austin as OL coach
Second biggest miss: Hiring Streeter as OC
Dabo has corrected those mistakes.
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Orange Blooded [2459]
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Dabo is the man - the game is changing for ALL and the ability to be
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Dec 13, 2023, 10:06 AM
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a consistent program is a crap shoot in part based on the revolving door policy or lack of policy and it is not even the ones you lose as much as where they (ALL PORTAL) end up - so many teams change so much from season to season, who can win year to year is a crap shoot to a large degree.
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110%er [6397]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 13, 2023, 10:10 AM
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He has to be a better coach than he was before. I just don't know how well it translates to the game today. Garrett Riley and Nick Eason last year, Matt Luke and Chris Rumph this year... All of them were major hires. This could be the best overall staff that we've had under Dabo. I expect us to be a lot better next year as a result.
But players matter. And I'm still skeptical on Clemson's ability to win a national title without signing starting caliber players through the portal. 2-3 would make a significant difference.
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All-In [44054]
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I think it will be hard for Dabo to get us back to being an elite program.
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Dec 13, 2023, 11:50 AM
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By that I mean a top 3-4 team each year with a legitimate shot to win multiple national championships.
There aren't many Deshaun Watsons and Trevor Lawrences out there. Likewise, there aren't many Brent Venableses out there either. Chad Morris's offense played a huge role in our program's ascent as well.
These generational talents coming together at the same time propelled our program significantly. Can it happen again? Absolutely, but it's going to be tough. It's a tough expectation to meet, after all.
Another key element to our success was that we had was the fun aspect. We had a fun offense, a fun coaching staff, and incredible facilities with stuff like mini golf, nap rooms, and a slide. We were very innovative in these ways, and that helped us get the kinds of recruits that helped change the program.
As we know, the coaching staff as a whole isn't nearly what it was during our elite years. It seems that Dabo is working hard to fix it, but our struggle to recruit and develop talent has held us back a lot - and will continue to if it isn't addressed.
The perception is that we've gone from being known as the fun program that plays an innovative style, has awesome facilities, and has a coach that dances, to a program that plays a boring style of offense, who doesn't develop players as well, and whose coach spends more time complaining about NIL and the transfer portal. Those critiques aren't necessarily accurate, but as they say, perception is reality.
I would like to see us put the innovative and fun back into what we do. We still have great facilities. Our coaching staff is improving. Now is the time to reinvent the program, so to speak. Rebrand it. Let recruits know that we are once again THE place to be, that we run a fun, fast-paced offense, that we have an aggressive defense, that we can help them play on the biggest stage, and ultimately help them get to the NFL.
Thankfully, we aren't starting over, but we also can't continue to use the same tired blueprint that worked last time because the strategy has to be a bit different now.
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Orange Blooded [3558]
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Re: I think it will be hard for Dabo to get us back to being an elite program.
Dec 17, 2023, 10:01 AM
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What I hope isn’t happening is what happened to Tennessee, and Auburn, and FSU, etc.
Some dominant years, the best years of our football program, and I hope we just don’t fall like they did.
What I know is Dabo has stamped a brand forever. There’s fun and swag with the players regardless of if we lost a few games. Of course it won’t always be the playoffs, but you know what the expectation is at Clemson. We don’t accept 8-4 seasons. Meanwhile tons of other programs would be overly satisfied with that.
I really think it boils down to recruiting. And all we need to do is flip some players and hit on another generational talent that can continue the brand and for that to keep happening.
I don’t really think you can say Brandon Streeter developed Lawrence and Watson. In fact, I personally believe Trevor was held back as he progressed through his career at Clemson. Deshaun and Trevor were just so great that it was like a Cam Newton situation.
It’s about the players we got on the field making plays. Yes coaching is extremely important, but sometimes these players just need to make plays. The coaches can only do so much from the sidelines. I just don’t think Streeter has a job anywhere without Deshaun and Trevor. So therefore, mainly try to catch back up in recruiting.
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All-TigerNet [12547]
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It would be hard for anyone, or school, to perform at the level we were
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Dec 13, 2023, 11:54 AM
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performing during the six year playoff run. Having said that, I do think he might have another natty in him, or perhaps a couple of final fours, with the expanded playoff. Having said that, Dabo is a Hall of Fame coach and one of the three most accomplished coaches in the country. He will go down as one of the greatest college coaches of all time. However, he made a huge mistake in avoiding the portal to the extent that he did, and thinking that it would not have an large adverse effect on his program. The portal and the hiring of unproven, former players, are mistakes he has had to learn from and is trying to correct. Had he not done those two things, he had a defense that could have perhaps gotten him another natty by now. One other issue I think he will learn from is if a recruit is not panning out, particularly quarterback, you can not waste two years on that player. You must go and find a replacement that can get the job done. I am obviously referring to the DJU situation. A replacement for DJU in 2021 or 2022 could have gotten us very close to another title game appearance. He should have seen that DJ was not up for the job in spring practices in 2021 and 2022.
It was surprising Dabo couldn't see what many of us could see right off the bat with portal policy and former players as coaches. I do believe Dabo will make a few more expanded playoffs, and perhaps a semifinal of title game appearance now that he has changed some policy decisions, but if he never makes another title game appearance, he is the greatest Clemson coach of all time.
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Orange Blooded [4365]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 13, 2023, 6:26 PM
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I think it is too early to tell. Dabo has made some adjustments in the coaching staff that I hope will lead us back up the mountain, but he hasn't really shown a response to the big changes in the game (NIL & portal). Those may be the larger issues.
I believe that we will be back, but let's try a little hypothetical. Let's say that 5 years from now Clemson has fallen back to where we were before Dabo. What would that descent look like over a 8-year span ? It is very possible it would like just like what we have seen the past 3 years. And, of course, fans would deny the decline every step of the way - until the reality of the situation could no longer be denied.
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All-Conference [406]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 13, 2023, 6:42 PM
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Dabo’s best is still ahead. Even Walt Deptula thinks CU will win more Natty’s under Dabo. As for what’s best for players yep winning is important to the whole team but it’s important to the individual players that the effort & sacrifice they put forth THEIR ENTIRE LIVES to be elite players and to be selected by an elite program pays off. And that’s not gonna happen with programs selling out to the TP. Replacing a talented young 4-5* who basically just needs reps with a TP merc is not going to reinforce your “player development” narrative. So those talented HS players are gonna look elsewhere.
If I were recruiting HS talent for scholarship players at any level that’s what I’d be pushing, cause 3-4 yrs down the road you’re gonna have an awesome team AND a band of brothers
I’m happy if CU is the “elsewhere”
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All-TigerNet [13530]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 16, 2023, 10:12 AM
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Next year will be a good indicator of potential things to come. We will have another championship defense so it is mostly going to come down to offense and how well they prepare in the offseason. Cade needs to take a massive step up in performance and execution next season, as does the OL and WRs.
I like the new coaches we just hired and think they will really help, especially Luke with the OL, but Riley has to get Cade and the WRs playing at a much higher level if this team wants to reach its goals next season.
If we see this play out then I think you can be more optimistic about the future. If it turns out to be more of the same then we've got some massive issues to deal with and some hard decisions to make.
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110%er [5466]
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Well to be really brutally honest...
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Dec 16, 2023, 10:19 AM
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...Dabo is here until Dabo don't want to be here.
I want him here so I support him and the team. That's my only job as a Clemson alumni, fan, and supporter. It's a pretty easy job and there is no point trying to complicate it.
The Tylers of the world need to get a life.
Now back to my paying job.
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Legend [17614]
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The easy answer is No based on high level achievements to date, and Yet ...
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Dec 16, 2023, 1:22 PM
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If anyone can shape-shift the Clemson Tiger football program back into a national championship contender it's Dabo Swinney. He's crafty like a fox. And the recent Luke & Rumph hires show Dabo is in rebuilding mode and still in the game.
IMHO Dabo relaxed for a micro second after the 2018 championship, and recruiting talent, coaching hires and team motivation were impacted. Team is rebuilding. I love the 2023 freshmen class talent and am hopeful 2024 recruits and new coaches will contribute early in 2024. Build that OL! Go Tigers!
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CU Guru [1682]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 16, 2023, 1:52 PM
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You must mean, time to be brutally STUPID is more like it. Who would you replace Dabo with, idiot! Maybe we could get an up and comer like say, "Shane Beamer". You get a million points, for the dumbest post ever!!
I want you to be honest
Do you personally think Dabo’s best years are behind him? Or do you see a return to the same level soon?
This isn’t Friday Night Lights Dabo. Cade Klubnik isn’t Matt Saracen, and Dabo isn’t Coach Taylor. It’s not a storybook ending 100% of the time because you think you deserve a storybook ending.
There are things about the cold hard truth that you must realize.
I absolutely positively guarantee you that Saban and other coaches have very similar views and beliefs compared to Dabo. But they adjusted because they knew what was best for the team and the players. The players want success when they come to play college ball. Give them the keys to success.
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Orange Blooded [2861]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 17, 2023, 9:47 AM
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Best years by a record perspective could be behind us. Dabo is still and will always be a great leader and recruiter if there was a level playing field.
How this turns out with the tampering and NIL who knows? What I do know is that if something is not done it will get worse and I for one will not be watching a game that I have been obsessed with and have loved for 40 years.
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110%er [7238]
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HERE'S WHAT I BELIEVE WILL HAPPEN
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Dec 17, 2023, 10:12 AM
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Coach Swinney will continue to build a program that produces results on a consistent basis. Whenever you win the ACC Championship, I'd dare to say that those were not down seasons even if Clemson didn't go to the playoff.
The six best recruiters in the nation are now part of Dabo's staff.
1. Dabo - The magical golf cart ride with Coach Swinney is the closer for any recruit seeking a wonderful experience in their collegiate football career.
2. Matt Luke - Recruited well everywhere else he has coached. In particular, he draws offensive line talent which has been a weakness of Clemson football for a very long time.
3. Chris Rumph - has been known to recruit an amazing defensive line in his day. Just ask Alabama, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. He recruited well at each of those programs and there was results on the defensive line at those programs.
4. Garret Riley - Who doesn't like this guy? Many talented recruits know and understand his offensive play calling style and actually prefer it. Expect to have many great QBs, WRs, and TEs during his tenure at Clemson.
5. Nick Eason - His name is a well-known name among defensive linemen everywhere. Whenever you receive a call from Nick Eason, you know that it's getting serious.
6. Mike Reed - He can recruit Safeties and Corners like nobody's business. I mean, this Defensive Back unit speaks for itself.
NIL tampering is about to be a thing of the past because too many well-known coaches are filing complaints with the NCAA. Soon the days of entering the transfer portal as a starter to ###### up a NIL deal will be long gone. Once the NCAA incorporates regulations on NIL deals, you'll see the portal become quieter save a few talented players looking for more playing time. Once this happens, the effects of NIL / Transfer Portal will be of little concern for a solid program like Clemson. I'm almost willing to bet that the NCAA will only allow NIL deals for Senior Players whenever the dust settles in the end. You will have a lot more players returning for their senior year as an incentive whenever this happens. Another factor that benefits Clemson.
Say whatever you will, but Clemson is here to stay despite having a down season. GO TIGERS!
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Athletic Dir [884]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 17, 2023, 10:21 AM
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Saban has something Dabo doesn't, another 25 years of experience. Some of the hardest lessons in life have to be learned on your own. Saban spent a lot of his career working in the NFL with some of the greatest coaches the game has seen. Dabo might be slow to adapt in our eyes but it really is hard to argue with his hiring decisions on the whole. Every time he gets dinged for Austin or Grisham or Spiller, remember he handed the keys to Tony Elliot and Jeff Scott. Before then, he brought in a guy that was known as a high school coach after 1 season in Tulsa, Chad Morris.
Dabo isn't going to change his stripes but you better believe he is one competitive sombeech. He believes in opportunity b/c that is how his life has unfolded. That doesn't mean he's going to wallow in poor results from granting those opportunities. He moved on from Streeter and Austin. If Grisham and Spiller don't get better results next season, he'll move on from them, too.
As for the portal and how Clemson uses NIL as a recruiting tool, as long as education/going to class is a requirement for college athletics, Dabo and the staff are going to push degrees, not NIL. As much as Christianity is a core belief in his matrix, education is, too. If it bothers you that he pushes both of those things in recruiting, he's not your guy. You may want to move your fanhood. The portal is two fold. Opportunity and development are also part of Dabo's core. He's going to lean on those. His idea of a little spice and sprinkle to the roster from the portal are much different than mine. Until either the roster is packed at all positions and championship production returns or he goes out and brings in a difference maker to shore up a spot, I will remain frustrated with the use/non-use of the portal. If that's the only gripe I have with roster management, it'll be OK.
I don't know if this version of Dabo's Way will bring another championship or 2 or 6. I don't think his best days are behind him. I think it's a race between how college athletics evolves and how quickly and Dabo's desire to remain a part of it. Personally, I don't think he has any desire to be a part of NFL-lite. I think if that happens and Clemson chooses to be part of it, he'll leave and land at a school in a division of college athletics that doesn't pay athletes directly and at least has some guard rails around player movement, if that exists.
Sorry for so much honesty but that's what you asked.
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All-TigerNet [10640]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 17, 2023, 10:52 AM
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Way too many people here think there is just one formula for winning a national championship or sustaining a top level program. Some here have touted our two elite quarterbacks as the main reason we won two nattys. Certainly that is one formula, but have you forgotten that Saban won several championships with "game managers" ....... uhhhh Jake Coker, Greg McElroy, to name two. Has anyone here noticed that Saban is constantly replacing coaches with new ones, for all kinds of reasons. Did he not hire Billy Napier after Dabo fired him? I contend that Bama had better players up and down the roster every year that we beat them. Yes, we had some generational players, like our D-line, but Bama has those same type players every year. So does Ohio State and Michigan. Honestly, I don't think we are ever going to win another natty based on the fact that our Jimmys and Joes are better top to bottom than some other programs. So Dabo has to be more creative ........ and I think he will be.
The vast majority here will probably disagree, but I am pleased that we have not indulged in a wholesale use of the portal. I am glad that Dabo has kept his word to our players that have committed to Clemson and has given them the chance to develop. If we can't recruit and develop our own players, quite frankly, I am not going to worry about teams that have bought a championship via the portal. Good for them, but I don't care. I am not opposed to a few players coming in to fill some shoes that have portaled out, but I want players coming here, staying here, and developing here.
Is this what we want?
https://x.com/bluebloodsbias/status/1736119504630153521?s=46
Message was edited by: TigerLinks®
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Trainer [42]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 19, 2023, 1:13 PM
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Just as the team makes halftime adjustments during every game, Ole Dabo will have to make some too. It is the way of the game.
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Associate AD [816]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 19, 2023, 1:17 PM
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Yes, the best came and went
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Hall of Famer [21614]
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I think we will get to the playoffs, but I don't see another natty for a while.
Dec 19, 2023, 1:32 PM
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Our run was insane. It was truly historic and incredible. The fact we ever got that is amazing. We punched WAY above our weight class. And we did it the right way. I won't let it make me spoiled and irrational.
Those are my thoughts.
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All-In [36410]
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Your Posts Aren't Rising to Championship Level Either***
Dec 19, 2023, 3:58 PM
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Athletic Dir [858]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
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Dec 19, 2023, 4:07 PM
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Brutally honest...none of you know one way or the other whether Dabo's best days are behind him.
The cold hard truth is you don't know and your opinion has nothing to do with truth. It is a truth that is only knowable after the fact. Sure all the blind squirrels making claims stumble into a right guess once in a while....I knew it! I knew it! Go back and look at my TNet post on September the 20th 2021 where I said...fill in the blank. Of course, none of the people go back and point out the 99 times they were wrong. It's like the geniuses that have lucky numbers in the PowerBall...yet they have never won the PowerBall either, but that lucky number sure is gonna hit this time.
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Orange Blooded [3558]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 19, 2023, 4:20 PM
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Yeah this post was about you being brutally honest about what you think.
Whether that’s saying yes or no, it’s honesty about what you think.
I don’t really even think I have my opinion in the OP.
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Orange Blooded [2418]
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Re: Time to be brutally honest
Dec 19, 2023, 4:23 PM
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I think Dabo recruits players that he thinks will be good players and good men.
Sometimes that means 3-star guys... sometimes that will be 5 star guys.
I dont think we will ever be bad but the elite years will come and go... it got harder with NIL and TP but I think he has some other good runs in him.
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