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Can Clawson Ever Have a Quality D?

80deacon said:
After 8 years and success, why can't we recruit such lineman that CAN move the line.....like Pitt, NCSU, FSU, Miami, N.D.....?! The slow mesh will not work forever. It sure didn't in the most important game of last season, the ACC title.
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The O-line guys currently playing were recruited 5-7 years ago. They were the guys Wake could get who fit the style of play Ruggiero and Clawson were developing. It wasn't clear back then that linemen could make the NFL playing in the funky Wake slow mesh offense. Seven years later, with a few NFL starters, that question has been answered.

The O-line young guys should be a step up. And the O-line recruits may be another step up. However, they need to be seasoned before they will be really ready to play.
 
Once the offense really started humming it created a huge challenge for the D. With a proficient offense that can go down the field so fast the D was going in and out of the game so rapidly that I think we all knew some time was going to be needed to firm things up.

What I think is frustrating is the talk about the D still needing time to grow. I think it's fair to expect them to show out every week by now.

Even more frustrating is that we know our D can really smash some high performing offenses. Our D gave UVA all they could take last year.

This game might be the D's most important chance to prove it can rise to the occasion for this team. If I was betting, I say they either come out torqued up and dominate or they blow up - no in between. If it's another blow up then my Wake football doomsday clock will have officially gone from six to midnight during our bowl streak.
 
it has to be asked. ha
is this the biggest wake football game ever?
 
Not sure, but if we win this one, next week’s game at FSU is the biggest WF game ever.
 
WakeForest Fan said:
it has to be asked. ha
is this the biggest wake football game ever?
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As far as changing the national perception of Wake football? Absolutely it is. Also, agree, that makes the FSU game the most important. First-world problems.
 
Deaconblue said:
The O-line guys currently playing were recruited 5-7 years ago. They were the guys Wake could get who fit the style of play Ruggiero and Clawson were developing. It wasn't clear back then that linemen could make the NFL playing in the funky Wake slow mesh offense. Seven years later, with a few NFL starters, that question has been answered.

The O-line young guys should be a step up. And the O-line recruits may be another step up. However, they need to be seasoned before they will be really ready to play.
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The issue also isn't "just" talent. We've clearly had some legit talent on the OL throughout the Clawson era. Frankly it's probably been the most talent-rich room we've ever had in the history of the program with multiple guys in the League spanning the entire Clawson era. The issue is depth. Even though he's undersized, if you could have 10 Zach Toms on your unit, you're probably not losing too many battles in the trenches.

It's also unfortunate that the ACC has had some really outstanding DLs over the same time period.
 
I agree that an OL made up of 10 future NFL draft picks would be sufficient.
 
We can ride the D all we want in this thread, but it doesn't change the fact it needs to be rock solid this weekend or we're gonna get pounded.
 
Agreed....but after all this time don't you think better linemen and some variation in O and an average D could take us to the next level?

Grobe did a great job with the orbit until teams learned to stop it. When he left we were back in the hole again.

I'd just like to see Clawson build a little more on what he's accomplished. No team stays stagnant and stays ranked. Alabama throws so much Bear is turning over in his grave. Clemson regularly runs new or trick plays.

That's really my point. Love Dave for what he's done, but don't want him to leave like Grobe.
 
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80deacon said:
Agreed....but after all this time don't you think better linemen and some variation in O and an average D could take us to the next level?

Grobe did a great job with the orbit until teams learned to stop it. When he left we were back in the hole again.

I'd just like to see Clawson build a little more on what he's accomplished. No team says stagnant and stays ranked. Alabama throws so much Bear is turning over in his grave. Clemson regularly runs new or trick plays.

That's really my point. Love Dave for what he's done, but don't want him to leave like Grobe.
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Does Clawson strike you as someone who stays stagnant?

God damn this is a miserable post. We won 11 games last year, we are the 2nd best team in the ACC over the last 6 years, and you are worried about our coach becoming late career Grobe. Get a fucking grip.
 
I'm just going by watching all our games and the plays we run....
 
Clawson does seem more and more exasperated after games these days. Hope he's still enjoying what he does as much (or more) than ever.
 
80deacon said:
Agreed....but after all this time don't you think better linemen and some variation in O and an average D could take us to the next level?

Grobe did a great job with the orbit until teams learned to stop it. When he left we were back in the hole again.

I'd just like to see Clawson build a little more on what he's accomplished. No team says stagnant and stays ranked. Alabama throws so much Bear is turning over in his grave. Clemson regularly runs new or trick plays.

That's really my point. Love Dave for what he's done, but don't want him to leave like Grobe.
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Not sure what you mean about leaving like Grobe?

Grobe didn't leave for another school. He had consistently bad results and recruiting at the end or his tenure. He resigned, and did not join another program until three years later after the Baylor scandal, and that was just a one-year situation to help them stay above water.

Love Grobe for the Orange Bowl and ACC championship. The program tanked his last 5 years, he left it in really poor shape.
 
PaddyWF said:
Not sure what you mean about leaving like Grobe?

Grobe didn't leave for another school. He had consistently bad results and recruiting at the end or his tenure. He resigned, and did not join another program until three years later after the Baylor scandal, and that was just a one-year situation to help them stay above water.

Love Grobe for the Orange Bowl and ACC championship. The program tanked his last 5 years, he left it in really poor shape.
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Pretty sure that's what he means.

After 8 years, Clawson was 51-48. Grobe was 54-44.

This is Clawson's 9th year at Wake. Grobe's 9th year was 5-7 after starting 4-2. Game 6 was that lackluster finish at Maryland followed by a 5 game losing streak. Grobe was 58-46 after that Maryland game and 19-36 afterward.
 
At a certain point, though, if Clawson can't get the D up for games like this one we aren't going to be able to perform at that next level.
 
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