• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Dave Clawson Credibility Watch

We should send the entire OL to take dancing lessons. Looks like we are teaching them to dance (not effectively) instead of actually moving people off the ball. I'm really hoping that the same 5 plays we've been running for 2+ years, and did again last night are just a ruse to hide our game plan from Duke. Do the coaches really think those slow assed hand-offs are going to eventually work?
 
On the broadcast last night the comment was made that having our o-line in 2pt stance does not allow them to fire off of the snap, and does not position them to have success. Also they have Wolford doing 3 step drop and it appears the defense is in his face almost immediately. Why not a deeper drop?
 
Pazdadeac said:
We should send the entire OL to take dancing lessons. Looks like we are teaching them to dance (not effectively) instead of actually moving people off the ball. I'm really hoping that the same 5 plays we've been running for 2+ years, and did again last night are just a ruse to hide our game plan from Duke. Do the coaches really think those slow assed hand-offs are going to eventually work?
Click to expand...

+1
 
PhDeac said:
Right and lack of improvement this year would play into the fear that Clawson only succeeded at other stops because he was eventually able to outrecruit the competition.
Click to expand...

Please cite me next time you repeat by 11 month old statement.

K Thnx
 
BillBrasky said:
Please cite me next time you repeat by 11 month old statement.

K Thnx
Click to expand...

LOL. People have been worried about that since he was hired.
 
Boston College had an excellent line a couple years ago, full of RS seniors if I remember correctly. No reason we can't develop that. I'm confused why we can get quality skill position guys but not linemen.
 
Maybe our skill position players are not quite as quality as some think. They seem to get a pass because our line is so bad.
 
Tobacco Road said:
Maybe our skill position players are not quite as quality as some think. They seem to get a pass because our line is so bad.
Click to expand...

With that thought, it bothered me that our receivers could get no separation from what was reportedly a weak defensive backfield.
 
wakelaw13 said:
Boston College had an excellent line a couple years ago, full of RS seniors if I remember correctly. No reason we can't develop that. I'm confused why we can get quality skill position guys but not linemen.
Click to expand...

If we train our linemen poorly, they will play poorly. The culture problem of the OL didn't start with Clawson. A few years back, a 5th year senior (Whit Barnes) was beat out for the center spot by a guy who wasn't on campus yet (Cory Helms). What was Barnes doing for his first four years? This blocking style doesn't help to build confidence in our young linemen. We need road graders, not pussy pushers.
 
Take one look at Dabo over at Clemson. When he got the job he wasn't even a coordinator, just a position coach. However he was smart enough to bring in the correct guys do to what he wanted since he had to know deep down inside that he is not an offensive genius. Sweeney has turned out to be a good facilitator as a coach in getting the right folks to do what he wants. His main job is closing the recruiting (hell of a recruiter) and being the face of the program.

There is no reason Clawson cannot do the same here, but it may involve cutting ties with the current OC and longtime friend. If he is reluctant to do this, his climb up the coaching ladder will end in the Dash.
 
DeacWatcher said:
Take one look at Dabo over at Clemson. When he got the job he wasn't even a coordinator, just a position coach. However he was smart enough to bring in the correct guys do to what he wanted since he had to know deep down inside that he is not an offensive genius. Sweeney has turned out to be a good facilitator as a coach in getting the right folks to do what he wants. His main job is closing the recruiting (hell of a recruiter) and being the face of the program.

There is no reason Clawson cannot do the same here, but it may involve cutting ties with the current OC and longtime friend. If he is reluctant to do this, his climb up the coaching ladder will end in the Dash.
Click to expand...

Great post. Identical principles in any business and what helped sink Grobe at Wake. Never did step back, look at things objectively and replace a very poor-performing employee. You absolutely MUST have your first loyalties be to the people / company writing your paycheck. You just do. Doesn't mean throw people under the bus. But it does mean you and your buddies don't get to ride the gravy train until the higher-ups figure out you don't know what the hell you're doing.

I'm still hopeful Clawson makes the correct off-season moves to effect the changes required. If he refuses and this shit-show continues on offense, he should be shown the door.
 
The beginning of Year Three is WAY too soon to be calling for a coaching change in football (basketball is a whole other story, but that's not my topic).

Four reasons to give Clawson more time. One general, three specific to Clawson and Wake:

1. NO major college football program can be built in three years. Recruiting just does not work that way. The first year of any coach, with the possible exception of the obvious football powers such as Alabama and Southern Cal, is never going to be a major recruiting success because high school seniors made commitments long before the new head coach got to his new job. The new coach's first true recruiting class is only in his second year on the job, and that's still just a work in progress. Relationships with high school coaches take years to build. So recruiting success cannot start to pay off until at least the fourth and even fifth year of a head coach. Clawson is trying to rebuild recruiting from scratch. See #2.

2. Jim Grobe left a talent-free zone, even by Wake standards. Grobe was mailing it in the last several years, and everybody knows it. ANY head coach would need more than two recruiting classes to rebuild an entire program. See #1.

3. Clawson has a proven track record of building winning programs at small and private schools (unlike He Who Shall Not Be Named, who had NO record of program building). Because Clawson has proven three times at three programs that he can build winning programs, you give Clawson more time to do it again.

4. As we all know, Wake is the toughest head football coaching job in the Power 5, for all the reasons that have been stated repeatedly on this board and elsewhere. Yes, we are LOWF, and that's just reality. A previous poster even questioned whether we belong in today's ACC, and that's a valid question. Whether you answer 'yes we do' or 'no we don't,' there should be no debate about the magnitude of the challenge to win at Wake in the modern ACC. So you give Clawson, a proven program builder, at least five years to show progress.
 
I am by no means calling for an axe job or even a warm seat. I just think he may have to adjust some personnel as things are different at a P5 job vs MAC and Bowling Green. I don't expect to beat Noles or Tigers but I do expect to compete at some point.
 
FreeStateDeac said:
The beginning of Year Three is WAY too soon to be calling for a coaching change in football (basketball is a whole other story, but that's not my topic).

Four reasons to give Clawson more time. One general, three specific to Clawson and Wake:

1. NO major college football program can be built in three years. Recruiting just does not work that way. The first year of any coach, with the possible exception of the obvious football powers such as Alabama and Southern Cal, is never going to be a major recruiting success because high school seniors made commitments long before the new head coach got to his new job. The new coach's first true recruiting class is only in his second year on the job, and that's still just a work in progress. Relationships with high school coaches take years to build. So recruiting success cannot start to pay off until at least the fourth and even fifth year of a head coach. Clawson is trying to rebuild recruiting from scratch. See #2.

2. Jim Grobe left a talent-free zone, even by Wake standards. Grobe was mailing it in the last several years, and everybody knows it. ANY head coach would need more than two recruiting classes to rebuild an entire program. See #1.

3. Clawson has a proven track record of building winning programs at small and private schools (unlike He Who Shall Not Be Named, who had NO record of program building). Because Clawson has proven three times at three programs that he can build winning programs, you give Clawson more time to do it again.

4. As we all know, Wake is the toughest head football coaching job in the Power 5, for all the reasons that have been stated repeatedly on this board and elsewhere. Yes, we are LOWF, and that's just reality. A previous poster even questioned whether we belong in today's ACC, and that's a valid question. Whether you answer 'yes we do' or 'no we don't,' there should be no debate about the magnitude of the challenge to win at Wake in the modern ACC. So you give Clawson, a proven program builder, at least five years to show progress.
Click to expand...

No, we should be seeing some progress on offense by now. No one was expecting an offense that averages 500 yards and 40 points, but if you think what we saw on offense Thursday night was acceptable then I don't know what to say. Not calling for his firing after this year necessarily, but if what we saw against Tulane is the norm this season then it's just not acceptable.
 
bobknightfan said:
WF is always going to have a lack of talent as long as it continues to try to compete in a P-5 conference. What Jim Grobe did during 2006 thru 2008 was a once-in-a-lifetime miracle. It had never happened before, and it's never going to happen again. The only time in the 65-year history of the ACC that WF has had three straight winning seasons. To put that 11-9-8 win streak in perspective, no other WF team in ACC history has ever won more than 8 games in a season...and 8 wins has only happened two other times during those 65 years (1979 & 1992).

The real problem is that we are playing in the wrong conference.....probably even at the wrong division level. Clawson isn't going to turn anything around. For starters, he isn't going to beat Duke next week....it won't even be close....and Delaware is no longer a lock.

On the bright side, Jim Grobe's Baylor Bears exploded out of the gate with a 55-7 win tonight.
Click to expand...

Wrong for the 100th time. We did not have the 85 scholarship limit for 65 years. We did not have access to TV for 65 years. We did not have equal facilities for 65 years. There are zero excuses to not field a competitive football team. None.
 
macktheknife said:
Wrong for the 100th time. We did not have the 85 scholarship limit for 65 years. We did not have access to TV for 65 years. We did not have equal facilities for 65 years. There are zero excuses to not field a competitive football team. None.
Click to expand...

Life is much more stressful when one chooses to ignore reality and live in a fantasy world.

Tell ya what. I'll send you $100 free of charge the next time WF has three straight winning seasons in football while playing in the ACC.
 
Is our OL any better then last November? Why not?
 
liveanddiedeac said:
No, we should be seeing some progress on offense by now. No one was expecting an offense that averages 500 yards and 40 points, but if you think what we saw on offense Thursday night was acceptable then I don't know what to say. Not calling for his firing after this year necessarily, but if what we saw against Tulane is the norm this season then it's just not acceptable.
Click to expand...

I am not calling for Clawson to be fired but the noted similarities between him and Grobe are fair. Grab failed to change OC when he needed to do so. Elko is fine on Defense, if not very good.

Wake needs to get creative on offense and I simply do not see any signs of intelligent life in the booth. I am willing to see how the season transpires, but the play calling has to improve. This is not all on the offensive players shoulders. There is more than enough talent on the bench to produce 300-350 ypg.
 
DeacWatcher said:
Take one look at Dabo over at Clemson. When he got the job he wasn't even a coordinator, just a position coach. However he was smart enough to bring in the correct guys do to what he wanted since he had to know deep down inside that he is not an offensive genius. Sweeney has turned out to be a good facilitator as a coach in getting the right folks to do what he wants. His main job is closing the recruiting (hell of a recruiter) and being the face of the program.

There is no reason Clawson cannot do the same here, but it may involve cutting ties with the current OC and longtime friend. If he is reluctant to do this, his climb up the coaching ladder will end in the Dash.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. If the current OL coach and OC can do no better than we saw Thur. they should be shown the door. Failure to do so will cost Clawson his job!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top