Possible Site Changes

As we close in on another great college football season, I wanted to gauge your interest on things I could do to improve the website. We currently push Clemson news 24 hours a day, seven days a week on our twitter feed. However, I don’t get the number of site hits that I would like.

What ideas would you have for improving the site? Our site is very dynamic and changes throughout the day. Every podcast that is posted is updated on our site instantly. I hope you find that to be a nice feature.

Please let me know your ideas and I will see if we ca make things even better around here.

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Morris Situation

I will open by saying that I can’t give you anymore insight than most of us already know. At this point I still think that Chad Morris stays with his commitment to Clemson.

I could understand taking the job at Tulsa, but I see this as a lateral move for a guy who has a chance to make a name for himself in a major conference. Sure, being a head coach is important to Morris furthering his career, but If his system works well at Clemson bigger jobs than Tulsa will be calling.

I would guess the last hold up would be his family. If they are happy in Oklahoma then I expect them to play a big role in his decision. However, it sounded like his children were excited about being Tigers. That might be a bigger deal than some might think.

I’ll guess he stays with Clemson, but it will be a tough decision for Coach Morris.

The Waiting Game

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for Dabo Swinney to secure the new coaching staff. I might be reading into the situation too much, but the longer these spots are open the harder they will be to fill. All the while, I think fans, coaches and recruits are growing more and more concerned about the direction of Clemson’s program.

At Clemson, I think trying to hire a coach is sort of like trying to sell someone a used car. They might be looking for a good deal, but they are a bit skeptical about how long they will get with their investment. Let’s face it, we are not selling a new Porsche, we are selling a used Camry.

When you look at the Marion Hobby situation, it’s clear that is what he is thinking. Being secure at Duke is a lot more comfortable than possibly searching for another job next season. Losing his job is possible at Duke in a year, it’s likely at Clemson if things don’t turn around. Talk about having your football program not selling itself.

At this point, Monday couldn’t get here sooner for me. I think all the decisions will be in. I’m crossing my fingers on that. I’m past being concerned about who the hire is going to be, it’s the waiting and worrying about our image. Not that 6-7 seasons cast a brilliant light, but not filling these spots in a timely manner is beginning to look like a mess.

 

So far it’s been like a soap opera trying to follow the news. A coach is coming! No he isn’t. No wait, maybe he is. Now there is a new target. He is in town meeting with Dabo. Breaking news comes and goes each hour, but no one knows for sure. Personally, I think it hurts our image. Clemson looks lost and desperate.

It just seems that with all of the different reports out there, Clemson’s football program comes across as being unappealing to potential coaches. Eventually that will trickle down to our recruits and with signing day around the corner the heat will be on. I’m hoping our recruits don’t begin to see it the same way. The last thing we can afford is for this class to fall apart.

I’m not being naive, I understand that a head coach can’t win for losing. If Coach Swinney had hired Chad Morris quickly, many or us, (probably me included) would have accused of not evaluating all of  his options. Coach Swinney has to make some great hires to secure himself more time at Clemson. It’s an important decision.

I just gather that our rivals are laughing at how the whole situation is being handled. Not just by the staff, but how it’s played out so far on websites and in forums. Maybe that doesn’t matter to you, but I think we are digging a deeper hole right now. It’s getting even harder for me to envision Clemson with Dabo Swinney as the head coach in 2012.

 

Risky Business

I’m still getting my mind around all of the recent changes for the Clemson coaching staff. I can’t say I was caught off guard by Billy Napier or Andre Powell being excused from his position. While some of the offensive issues were exasperated by the loss of Andre Ellington it was becoming clear that we had little to no offensive identity and that fell on Napier.

As for Powell, I hate to say it, but I didn’t think he fit in. He always seemed a bit cross at reporters and almost unhappy. I might be reading into it too much, but that was always my impression. It sometimes seemed like an almost, “You are questioning me?” attitude.

As for the Napier situation, it may have come down to the tug-of-war match that went on between both Coach Swinney. I have it on good account that we never truly saw Napier’s system because Coach Swinney would make his adjustments during the games. Napier’s hands were tied. Ultimately, both guys were at fault in my opinion. They should have put their differences aside and found the best scheme for Clemson.

With Chris Rumph heading to Alabama, which was a surprise to me, how can you argue with that move? He doubles his pay and ends up with one of the best coaches on one of the best teams in college football. It might even be enough to carry the #1 recruit in the country to the Crimson Tide. Put yourself in Rumph’s shoes. Now remove the orange colored glasses. Yep, your leaving for Alabama in a hurry.

As far as the decision that Coach Swinney makes in his hiring of these positions, one thing is clear, it is now do or die for this entire staff. I don’t see anything short of 8 wins and possibly an ACC Championship birth giving this staff another year. The bowl attendance was a huge wake up call for the athletic department and the administration. I would expect donations to IPTAY to follow suit.

We have even more holes to fill on the coaching staff and ultimately a great recruiting class could end up falling flat. We haven’t seen a mass exodus from the recruits, but no one can say for sure. Add to that the fact that these coaches are not going to come to Clemson on the cheap or with short contracts. They know the writing is on the wall and they will take advantage of that.

I always knew year three for Coach Swinney would be the key year. I’ve been supportive of him having a chance to prove his worth at Clemson. I am a fan of an emotional coach and I like how fired up Dabo is before, during, and after games. I don’t think he holds any punches, even if it upsets some of the fan base.  I like when he gets on fans for being down about the program. I don’t want a coach who hides behind a curtain. I want my coach to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

I would venture to guess that on today’s date next year I will be writing about a new head coach at Clemson. However, I will give 100% to Coach Swinney and this team for the upcoming year. I think that the offensive coordinator will be Chad Morris and it’s a risky choice. Compare him all you want to Gus Malzahn, but I don’t know if I’m buying it. I just don’t think what works at school X will always work at school Y.

There are no sure bets, but Dabo appears to be going all in with a pair of fives. It’s going to be tough to win this hand.

TigerNet Talk: Podcast Sponsorships / Advertisements

This year TigerNet Talk will have sponsors. These sponsors can have a 30 sec spot or a live read during the show. You can chose between 4 week or full season packages.

Your sponsorship will also include links to your company and logo in the show notes and post on TigerNet. Plus, your company will also have a link added on the front page of www.clemsonpodcasts.com for the duration of your sponsorship. We really appreciate you supporting our program.

Those of you who are interested can email clemson81@gmail.com for pricing and other questions.

The first episode of this season will be released on Thursday, August 26th. Thank you for your consideration.

Go Tigers!!

At Least They Get Paid

As I walked through downtown Clemson this weekend, the number 28 was everywhere.
On jerseys, hats, posters, pictures, and anything else that a Clemson football fan could
want. No name was attached to the number, but I think it’s safe to say that CJ Spiller,
the now Clemson legend and Buffalo Bills running back was the inspiration for its
marketing.

Recently, Alabama’s Nick Saban compared agents to pimps and seemed to be genuinely
ticked at these agents, but I think he forgot that he makes about 4 million a year and
coaches kids that do not get paid.

The NCAA has been taking a stand against agents and illegal contacts with players, but
the more they stand on their moral high horse, the more the NCAA is exposed as being
hypocritical. The SEC just signed a huge ESPN contract, teams are switching conferences
based on TV market size, and college football is quickly becoming the number 2 sport in
the country behind the NFL. While Nick Saban is cashing his 4 million dollar paycheck,
Mark Ingram is getting a free education. Between the 5am workouts, “voluntary” summer
workouts, and everything that goes into being a college athlete, it is debatable how free
that education really is.

Now I am not proposing for players to get paid, because I see no fair way to do this
because you would have to pay all athletes on all teams. You can’t pay the football
players, but then tell the members of the rowing team that their time is not as valuable,
but CJ Spiller can be paid for the thousands of kids walking around with his jersey. If
players were allowed to receive a cut of the merchandise that they are selling, it would
be a much more fair system. Now Spiller does not have to worry about money, as he was
high draft pick, but let’s take a look at Clemson’s other most popular athlete this century:
Woody Dantzler. His number 1 was everywhere, even being worn by Lil Bow Wow
in a rap video, but he never collected a dime for it. Now Dantzler is playing in the IFL
probably making $250 per game.

As long as the NCAA is expanding like the Roman empire and using these kids as their
laborers, I think it is time for them to take a look at fairly compensating the athletes that
are building their empire. Nick Saban thinks the problem is the agents, but at least they
are helping the kids pay their bills. He calls the agents pimps, which would make the
players prostitutes, but in the real world, at least they get paid.

Follow Stevie_Ballgame on Twitter.

Paws and Reflect Episode #2

In this week’s episode we take a look at the new NCAA 2011 game by EA Sports. This year the game includes team entrances into their stadiums. This has been an area that Clemson fans have wanted added for years. That’s right Tiger fans, you get to see the team run down the hill.

I thought the game play was slightly improved over last years game. Fortunately, Clemson was selected to be a featured team on the demo. Check out the attached video for an exclusive look at the Tiger’s entrance.

USA vs England Lego Treatment

Some things just have to be shared. Even though this isn’t really Clemson related, I thought many of you would enjoy it. I wouldn’t mind seeing some C.J. Spiller plays in Lego form. I guess these guys have plenty of time on their hands.

Paws and Reflect Episode #1

Conference expansion is at a peak right now. It appears we are only moments from the fallout of Colorado leaving the Big 12 for the PAC-10. I am guessing this thing is about to take off. It sort of feels like Christmas as we wait for the dominoes to fall. It will be very interesting to say the least.

Low Country Recruit Headed To Clemson

Evan McKelvey

Berkeley High School

Height: 6-1 Weight: 185

Senior Season: 5 INT, 142 Tackles, 8 PBU

40 Yard Dash: 4.52 – Top 5 in state in 110 hurdles

Tall, rangy kid that covers the field sideline to sideline. Biggest plus is he plays very downhill. While he covers the entire field passing – wise, his ability to support the run is what separates him from the rest. He has a unique, natural ability to make tackles. He is definitely not afraid of contact. He has great insticts and football knowledge. I can see him fitting in well at free safety down the road.

Even though he weighs 185lbs, he may be too thin to make an early impact. He has some maturing to do physically, and once he gets on a workout program and meal plan, he will gain the necessary weight. In my opinion, he will need a red shirt year to add the needed weight to play at this level.

He is the third brother that will play at the collegiate level and has tremendous potential. McKelvey will most likely enroll in August, but could have to enroll later. At this point, McKelvey could end up being a nice late acquisition for the Clemson Tigers. I will update you later once everything is finalized.