The annual media golf outing with Clemson's football coach probably doesn't mean much to the rest of the world, but to those of us who do this for a living it usually represents the start of when we actually have to start working for a living again.
It's always a bit of an abrupt change because you suddenly shift from the lazy days of summer to the grind of preseason football. But the juices of excitement do start to flow about this time of year as football talk heats up, and it's part of what makes the job fun.
With Dabo Swinney's golf tournament set to start in a few hours at the beautiful Reserve on Lake Keowee, it's only appropriate to begin the day with a football thought.
And here's mine:
Simplicity on offense can allow this team to overcome a ton of question marks this season, the biggest question mark being quarterback Tajh Boyd.
Coaches did not play Boyd a lot last year, even amid pronounced struggles by Kyle Parker, because they did not think Boyd was ready. They did not think Boyd could mentally handle all the strain and pressure and criticism that comes with running the show. So naturally the question entering 2011 is whether Boyd has made dramatic enough advances that he's now capable of doing the things he wasn't deemed capable of a year ago.
It's hard to imagine Clemson doing anything special if Boyd is bad. But does Boyd have to be great for the Tigers to win, say, nine games? I would submit no.
The beauty of Chad Morris' offense is its simplicity. It throws out all sorts of eye candy in the form of weird formations and all sorts of odd pre- and post-snap movement, but ultimately it's a basic offense that features a physical, between-the-tackles running game.
The passing game isn't all that complicated, either. That fact was in overwhelming abundance last winter during Cam Newton's infamous interview with ESPN guru Jon Gruden.
Here's how it went:
Gruden: “You know, some of this verbiage in the NFL, I don’t know how it was at Auburn, but it’s — it’s long. You’ve got the shifts, the plays, the protections, the snap count, the alert, the check-with-me's. I mean, flip right, double-X, Jet, 36 counter, naked waggle, X-7, X-quarter.
“Call something at Auburn that’s a little verbal. What would be a little verbal? Any recollection on that?"
Newton: “Um.”
Gruden: “Gimme something. What’s an Auburn play sound like?”
Newton: “I mean, you’re putting me on the — on the spot."
Gruden: “You guys don’t get in the huddle much though, right?”
Newton: “We really don’t. And our method is ‘simplistic equals fast.’ It’s so simple as far as, you look to the sideline (and) you see 36 on the board. And that’s a play. And we’re off.”
While everyone across the country was condemning Newton and his NFL chances as a result of this exchange, Clemson fans should've been rejoicing. Their offense is run by a guy (Morris) whose scheme is closely aligned with that of Gus Malzahn and Auburn, and it's abundantly clear that the offense is refreshingly simple for a quarterback.
This is not to say Boyd is incapable of comprehending complicated concepts, or that Boyd will be another Cam Newton.
This is to say that, perhaps, part of the problem with Boyd's comprehension of last year's offense might've been that last year's offense was far too complicated and couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to do.
This is to say that, perhaps, the Tigers will be OK at their biggest question mark of a positively crucial season for Swinney and Co.
And maybe OK at quarterback will be good enough for the Tigers to be ... good enough.
Just a thought.
LW
No comments:
Post a Comment