Friday March 26, 2010
Friday E-Mail Bag
Friday E-Mail Bag
Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.
Mickey,
I agree that fans always want to do better. I also think that internet forums give an audience to the more vocal and perhaps most negative fans (or rival fans). Outside of the internet, these same chronic complainers can be ignored or avoided. A forum gives the ranters a place to be heard and an audience. Ranting/bashing is part of the internet and the only way to deal with it is to ignore it. I truly believe some complainers are only happy when unhappy.
Bigatiger
Bigatiger,
The message boards have changed sports and its fans because of the anonymity. It is easy to criticize coaches and players when you have to put your real name out there. I think it is OK to criticize when it is deserved but some people always seem to be negative all of the time.
Mickey,
I don’t follow pro football much, but as a Clemson fan, I was happy to see the Seattle Seahawks sign former Tiger QB, Charlie Whitehurst, to a 2-year $8M+ deal (with a better chance to earn a starting job). I hope he does well at Seattle, beats out the 34-year-old Matt Hasselback, and becomes an NFL legend. (And it would be fun to see him play with CJ Spiller, per several mock drafts.) But I don't understand what Seattle sees in the 27-year-old Whitehurst that would warrant Seattle paying $8M+, trading a 40th draft pick for the 60th pick, and assigning their 2011 3rd round pick to San Diego. After all, Whitehurst was a $450k/yr, 3rd round, 3rd stringer at San Diego (behind Philip Rivers & Billy Volek) and Whitehurst hasn’t thrown a pass in a game since 2005 when he was still a Tiger. Although I thought he was a good QB at Clemson, I don’t remember him as being a starting-NFL-caliber talent (unlike NCSU’s Philip Rivers, who impressed the heck out of me). Then again, I don’t know much about pro football. Can you make a case for the Whitehurst trade? If you had to handicap it for Las Vegas, what are the odds that Whitehurst will earn a starting job within the next two years and prove himself to be worth the price that Seattle paid?
RazzMaTazz
RazzMaTazz,
The Whitehurst deal has been met with met with a lot of criticism. It is obvious that Seattle thinks he is the future or else they would not have invested this much in Whitehurst. There have been a lot of examples of quarterbacks that have not progressed under certain coaches or certain schemes but prospered in a different environment. Seattle thinks he will but others have their doubts. I do think he will get his chance fairly soon and I hope he is ultra-successful there. I always liked Charlie and his dad and hope the best for him.
Hey Mickey...Love the show and listen each morning.
I have to disagree with you on people questioning Oliver Purnell. Oliver Purnell has been fantastic for Clemson and no one in their right mind would call for him to be fired at this point. However, his first round losses in the ACC tourney and the NCAA are very suspect. His opponents are not top level teams. In fact, his opponents were mediocre to bad. Excluding the 1 year in which he got to the championship game, he's been playing lower seeds (aka weaker teams). If he were getting beat by Kansas, KY, UNC, & Duke, then no one would have a right to complain. However, his losses are to very bad GT, FSU, NCST, MI, Mizz, & Villanova teams. At the time, none of these teams were very good and seeded lower than Clemson. This consistent losing to teams that are weaker than Clemson is the reason Clemson fans are disappointed. No one is asking for a national title yet, but it is not unreasonable to expect a win or 2 against teams that are worse than us.
Clemson is now respectable and that is good, but the reputation for being a choker in the tourney will destroy recruiting and take you right back to where Clemson basketball used to be. You mentioned about the recruiting misses in your blog. The best players will go to a team on the verge of breaking through. They'll pass on a "choker" that can't even beat the lower seeds.
Mark
Mark,
I would disagree that those were bad teams. In fact, I think every one of those teams you mentioned were more talented than Clemson. I think you have to give Purnell credit for getting Clemson a higher seed despite not having as much talent as those teams. BTW-How many players has Clemson has had in the NBA under Purnell? The answer is ZERO. I think there is this misconception that Purnell has all of this talent. GT, FSU, Villanova, Michigan and NC State have all had NBA players in the last seven years and Clemson has had zero. I would give Purnell credit for having better records than those teams than had better players. Also I don’t think Clemson choked in any of those games. I think most Clemson fans need a history lesson. Please go back and look at where this program has been the last 100 years. If we all understood that then there might be less criticism.
Mickey,
This email was sent out making fun of Clemson where I work. What is the Wonderlic test?
Apparently C.J. Spiller, who attended Clemson University - that fine academic institution, scored a 10 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test given to all players taking part in the NFL draft. By the way, that was the third lowest score this year.
Most of us fans don't want Oliver Purnell fired, but we have just come to our senses that he is an average coach and not a great coach. After 7 years we can't pretend anymore.
David
David,
The Wonderlic test is a mental/psychological test that NFL teams use to help evaluate prospects. Players answer fifty questions in 12 minutes. Also I would call Purnell anything but average. I wonder what the average coach would have done here the last seven years? My guess is that an average coach would not have achieved what Purnell has.
Mickey,
It seems to me you backed off of your concerns for the basketball program when you stated, "...think the program is on a solid foundation for the future." I don't follow that reasoning at all because you had just stated that we lost big name players to other programs and that half of our 2009 and 2010 classes had not worked out. It seems to me that the foundation of a program like basketball, that is limited to a small number of athletes on scholarship, hinges entirely on recruiting. If Oliver Purnell cannot overcome that obstacle, then Clemson basketball is doomed to mediocrity and post season failure.
Kirk
Kirk,
I don’t consider going to the NCAA tournament three consecutive seasons as mediocrity. Purnell has accomplished this despite not getting five-star players. I trust Purnell enough to think this program will continue to play at a high level. He has a terribly difficult job but he is perfect for the job here. I do have concerns but I trust Purnell enough to think those concerns will be negated.
Mickey,
Most times I enjoy your blog, and much of what you share with us is appreciated. However, I could not disagree with you more about Oliver Purnell being the greatest coach in Clemson history because basketball is a post season tournament, and after 7 years at Clemson he has not won one single game in the only tournament that really matters. Thinking that I'm not going to convince you otherwise and that you are going to continually defend him, here are my questions.
1. After how many years should we expect Coach Purnell to win one NCAA tournament game?
2. Since you said recently that Trevor Booker was our only talented player after we lost to a less talented poorly coached N.C. State team, should we expect a very poor year next year? (Side note: I don't think that N.C. State is poorly coached, but you said earlier in the year that Sidney Lowe is a poor coach.)
3. In each of the last 3 years, has the Clemson basketball team gotten better as the year progressed or have they gotten worse?
Thanks for your blog and for answering these questions.
4. Do you think that at some point that Coach Purnell needs to evaluate what they are doing and possibly be willing to change tactics and be more flexible about their approach to coaching games and developing players?
David
David,
Thanks for the e-mail. I will disagree because I do think he is the best we have ever had. To answer each question:
1. I would have thought he would have won one by now. I think it is OK to want to win. But I am also glad he has been successful enough to get to the tournament. I cannot ignore the fact that Clemson is not a power in this league but he consistently finishes in the top half of the league.
2. I think Clemson might face some rebuilding after losing Booker. Next year’s team will be different and have to win in a different way but I do expect a slight decline next season. Also, look at the players NC State has had and look at Sidney Lowe’s record. How can you say they are not poorly coached. Please compare Lowe’s record to Purnell’s.
3. Clemson’s season ended three years ago with the ACC Championship game for just the second time in over 50 years in the league. I would say that team got better. Last year’s ending was worse. This year they won five of their seven regular season games. Look, no one is happy about losing in the ACC and NCAA tournament but this program is so much better under Purnell than under any coach in school history.
4. I think every coach at this level continues to evaluate every aspect of his program. I think Syracuse is doing that. I think Kansas is doing that. I think UNC will do that. I know Purnell will evaluate every aspect of his program in the off-season.
Mickey,
Please do not make anymore excuses for Oliver Purnell. He consistently gets outcoached and the teams we play are far more motivated than any team OP can put on the court! OP must begin to answer for his failures! Everybody has figured out his press and I guess he doesn't realize that offense is part of the game. CALL A PLAY AT SOME POINT!!! Say what you want running off your best shooter and toughest player was where this season was lost. If Trevor Booker had the fire of TO, John Schyer(I HATE HIM) or Hansborough(DITTO) he would be great. The last 5 games, other than senior night, he was reduced to a pouting whiner! I hate to say it but OP has reached his top level! The only thing I am grateful for is that he is not Darrin Horne. But when OP begins not get recruits his act will get old! I am sorry to say but I am not down with OP.
Jay
Jay,
I am sorry to hear that. Please tell me what “plays” other coaches call and outcoach Purnell. He did not run Oglesby off. Oglesby quit.
Mickey,
I've noticed defensive players, especially defensive backs, on all teams, hitting the ball carrier, especially receivers, but not wrapping up. Is that good tackling form? Are they taught to do that to try to cause a fumble or a dropped pass? They do it often enough that I think it might be proper technique or else they would get pulled from the game for making so many poor tackles. If it's not proper technique, how do the coaches let them do it time after time? It should be easy to correct.
I hope Ryan continues to progress!
NJTiger
NJTiger,
I have noticed bad tackling form at all levels of football because some defensive backs go for the knock out hit instead of form tackling. I see more missed tackles today than I can remember. I know they are taught better form but often times players don’t execute the fundamentals that they are taught. I do think that so much emphasis is put on creating turnovers and tackling sometimes is less of a priority.
Dear Sir,
I got your e-mail address from a friend who is a Clemson fan and I wanted to send you some information that may be beneficial for your blog. I am not a Clemson fan but I have followed the Tigers in men’s and women’s basketball for years. I am involved in intercollegiate athletics by profession but don’t work for any one school. I work with coaches all over the country in several sports.
I am writing to give you some information on your coaching search in your women’s basketball program. Some in the industry are puzzled by the search so far. I know a big time head coach at a major conference that has had their team ranked in the top 15 all season and I know this coach is interested. In fact, I am very confident this coach would take the job.
I also hear that a current WNBA head coach has interest. But word is that Clemson may hire someone with much less experience.
The Clemson program is in bad shape. It needs a complete overhaul. It needs someone with experience in rebuilding programs. It does not need someone without any head coaching experience. The program has dipped to new lows and the next coach is a crucial hire. If you guys hire the wrong coach it could get even worse.
I don’t know if this can help but I was told you could publish this and it may reach the hiring powers at your school. Hope it helps. Hope you guys hire an experienced coach. Really hope you guys hire this top-10 coach that wants it. That would send the message that Clemson is serious about women’s basketball again. A bad hire would send the opposite message.
Thanks for your time,
Jack
Jack,
Thanks for your e-mail. I don’t have your expertise in the field of women’s basketball but I will forward your thoughts to the athletic department. I do agree that this is a crucial hire. I agree that this is program is lost and needs to find itself and I agree that this hire will say a lot about how serious Clemson is about women’s basketball.
The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency
Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list
Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Mike Kingsmore,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, Steve Cato, the Nicolopulos family, Cason Palmer, Candace Fallaw, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle familty, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee.
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