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Dabo and Clemson


LTtxfan

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32 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I do seriously believe that Swinney still really wants to win. The reality is, he's just not that intelligent and he's too narcissistic to be introspective enough to consider material change. He had enormous success doing things a certain way. Why change, right? Successful people run into this trap quite often.

The problem here is that the space in which Swinney has been successful has now fundamentally changed. It's systemic. There is no going back.

Paying players openly and with massive war chests, that's not just a Swinney problem, that's a Clemson problem, same as for Bama, LSU, and various other former bag game winners with poorer fanbases. I have seen the numbers. They're stunning. You need numerous big backers plus the many mid-level supporters plus the crowdfunding and then a bunch of corporate. That isn't the base for many places and these guys hate it. They don't see what they did as being wrong and they now think what's going on is absolutely wrong. It's hypocrisy at its finest, and it is glorious.

Beyond that, the portal is simply another issue of player empowerment and guys who don't just preach "family", but believe that that's what is working for them, are going to always fucking hate the portal. They're hypocrites on that issue too. Swinney is now the gold standard for the wrong way to approach the new world of CFB. We are going to continue to see their slide back into a rightful background in this landscape and it's going to be a tough fucking climb out of that spot due to the nature of the new world. 

He definitely still wants to win, but you're right, Clemson can't compete in this new environment. So he's leaning into developing and building his recruits. NIL money goes to players who committed out of high school and have stayed committed. Those players can also reasonably expect not to get undercut by a high profile transfer. Will that plan work? No. Is it the worst idea, considering the resources Clemson has? I guess not. 

The problem is this year Clemson has a team that could compete for a national championship, but for two spots. A QB and a DE. If they would have addressed those positions in the portal, they would be in the conversation. They didn't, and now the ceiling is getting blown out by Georgia to start the year, and winning the ACC with a likely first round ass kicking in the playoffs. 

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The weak conference is an easy path to the playoffs. Whether they pop in the first round or not, the Dabo cronies can find enough leverage that Captain Virtue's plan is sound. 

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25 minutes ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

He definitely still wants to win, but you're right, Clemson can't compete in this new environment. So he's leaning into developing and building his recruits. NIL money goes to players who committed out of high school and have stayed committed. Those players can also reasonably expect not to get undercut by a high profile transfer. Will that plan work? No. Is it the worst idea, considering the resources Clemson has? I guess not. 

The problem is this year Clemson has a team that could compete for a national championship, but for two spots. A QB and a DE. If they would have addressed those positions in the portal, they would be in the conversation. They didn't, and now the ceiling is getting blown out by Georgia to start the year, and winning the ACC with a likely first round ass kicking in the playoffs. 

You're a good and rational poster, but I do think you're being a little kennel blind regarding what you bring back. 

I think you're right regarding QB and I plan on enjoying another summer of seeing media folks talk themselves into believing that Klubnik is still some sort of burgeoning 5 star phenom. My criticisms of him haven't changed since he was a HS recruit at Westlake. He's a long stepper with a big windup, he hears footsteps, he was a system QB, and he takes too long in his reads. 

You must have a lot of faith in Matt Luke as the OL coach. Clemson has never had an elite OL and losing the 6th year C isn't probably going to help anything. Right side of the OL should be good. 

TE is a strength. TB should be above league average. WRs still scare no one. Maybe Moore comes in and changes that. Bringing back a bunch of production isn't always a good thing, and Clemson's offense may well illustrate that this season.

Offense considered, the Clemson defense has carried the team for awhile. 2024 is that going to be the case? I don't see it. They lost a ton of production, including their best players. Wiggins, Trotter Jr, Orhorhororororo, Davis, Thomas - that's a lot. They also basically lost 4 out of 5 in the secondary and a key back-up. That's a problem. 

I know Woods, Mickens and Carter are good, but how good are the other 8? How good is Goodwin, also? Not sure I'm a believer. Also, has Clemson solved its PK issues? 

Schedule-wise, it seems tougher than usual if the preseason thoughts about the ACC being on the upswing have any validity. UGA is a tough opener. App State will play you tough. NC State should be good. They should crush Stanford, Virginia, WF, and The Citadel. I like Norvell, but FSU lost a ton. Virginia Tech will be a trendy top 25 pick and Drones is good. Are Pitt, SCar and Louisville decent? I'm skeptical but just one of them being good adds a challenge. Missing UNC, Miami and Notre Dame doesn't hurt. 

I'll be surprised by anything better than 9-4 given the QB, defensive losses and schedule. 

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1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

You're a good and rational poster, but I do think you're being a little kennel blind regarding what you bring back. 

I think you're right regarding QB and I plan on enjoying another summer of seeing media folks talk themselves into believing that Klubnik is still some sort of burgeoning 5 star phenom. My criticisms of him haven't changed since he was a HS recruit at Westlake. He's a long stepper with a big windup, he hears footsteps, he was a system QB, and he takes too long in his reads. 

You must have a lot of faith in Matt Luke as the OL coach. Clemson has never had an elite OL and losing the 6th year C isn't probably going to help anything. Right side of the OL should be good. 

TE is a strength. TB should be above league average. WRs still scare no one. Maybe Moore comes in and changes that. Bringing back a bunch of production isn't always a good thing, and Clemson's offense may well illustrate that this season.

Offense considered, the Clemson defense has carried the team for awhile. 2024 is that going to be the case? I don't see it. They lost a ton of production, including their best players. Wiggins, Trotter Jr, Orhorhororororo, Davis, Thomas - that's a lot. They also basically lost 4 out of 5 in the secondary and a key back-up. That's a problem. 

I know Woods, Mickens and Carter are good, but how good are the other 8? How good is Goodwin, also? Not sure I'm a believer. Also, has Clemson solved its PK issues? 

Schedule-wise, it seems tougher than usual if the preseason thoughts about the ACC being on the upswing have any validity. UGA is a tough opener. App State will play you tough. NC State should be good. They should crush Stanford, Virginia, WF, and The Citadel. I like Norvell, but FSU lost a ton. Virginia Tech will be a trendy top 25 pick and Drones is good. Are Pitt, SCar and Louisville decent? I'm skeptical but just one of them being good adds a challenge. Missing UNC, Miami and Notre Dame doesn't hurt. 

I'll be surprised by anything better than 9-4 given the QB, defensive losses and schedule. 

I could be over-valuing some of the positions. I'm not too worried about the defense. I think the starters across the board are good enough, the young secondary needs to avoid a step back, and they need to find a DE opposite Parker, but as usual the big issue is there's not a lot of depth. 

It's really the offense that I think makes or breaks the season. And really it's one person. The WR room is as good as Clemson has had since the WRU days. The OL is as good as it's been in a long time as well, assuming someone steps up at Center. 

I am a firm believer that both of those units, AND Garrett Riley, look way worse than they are because Cade fucking Klubnik makes them look shitty. I have zero faith he improves this year, which is awesome that Clemson didn't get help at QB.

Even with shitty Klubnik, I think the team is good enough to win the ACC, but but, 9-4 would mean more of Dabo's friends and family get replaced with guys like Matt Luke and Chris Rumph. 

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