Anyone else still in awe of where our program is?

Jan 18, 2019, 3:31 PM

I was a bit too young to appreciate the 80’s. And by the last years of the Bowden era I was ready to puke any time someone mentioned Danny Ford. It was obvious Tommy lacked “it” to get this team over the top.

Turns out “it” was belief in Clemson, and the enthusiasm to get the job done. I admit I disapproved if Dabo’s hiring. I thought he was a cheap option considering we had to pay Tommy to go on a permanent vacation. Even after consecutive 11-2 seasons I wasn’t convinced.

May I remind you we got whipped in consecutive years by FSU and UofSuck. So the bowl wins seemed shallow. I thought 2014 would be the year we crashed down to earth- back to 8-4 or 7-5 and a no name bowl the week of Christmas. No Tajh. No Sammy. And when Deshaun Watson went down vs Louisville I thought “6-6 here we come.”

I’ve never been more grateful to be so wrong. The 2014 team won 9 of its last 10 games. Beat South Carolina and throughly thumped Oklahoma in a Bowl. That season proved more to me than any before it. I finally started to believe Dabo Swinney knew something about being a leader.

The 2015 season was magic from start to painful finish. I appreciated every moment because it was the first time in my adult life Clemson was a serious contender that played like a serious contender every week: ND in the rain, finally beating FSU, and throttling OU...again. Then we lost a heart breaker to Bama- a game WE gave away. (That’s right. We should have three over them.)

I think most people thought Clemson would have its run with Deshaun Watson and then scurry back into our hole. What they missed was Dabo wasn’t just trying to win, he was building a program. It’s a #### machine mang.

I’m still in disbelief, like is this real life? Did we just slaughter the mighty Bama? Apparently so. And!! The wheels aren’t coming off any time soon. Championships are hard to come by and odds are still stacked against us(as they are every team) but dang man.

One day, a day none of us will mark because it will seem like an ordinary day, this current streak will end. And that’s ok I’m gonna enjoy every moment as long as it last.

To any/every player, coach, or staff member who has been or is currently part of this program thank you. You make us proud beyond words, and give us what we cannot have for ourselves.

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My thoughts are very similar to yours, and it sounds like we're around the same age because I was also too young to enjoy the 80s, and in fact I was born after the title in 81. So by the time I got into football it felt good to me for us to play FSU close, and making a bowl game was something to be proud of.

I was also afraid that we'd come back down to earth after losing the group of guys after the 2013 season, although I was excited to see what Watson could do. I was so excited about our 2015 season, but I was extra heartbroken over the NC loss because I wasn't sure if that was going to be as close as we'd get in my life. Don't get me wrong, I went into the 2016 season as hopeful as anyone else based on the team we returned, but I was so used to being disappointed during my time as a fan.

Last season I believe we started the season ranked #5, and I'll admit to thinking I'd be thrilled if we finished the season #5 because I honestly saw us finishing somewhere between 10-20 based on what we lost. Dabo has done plenty to increase my faith since then, and don't get me wrong, it's not as if I doubted Dabo before, it's just that I'm not used to things going so right.

I used to be nervous for every single game except teams like Furman and SC State, but I truly found myself not being nervous about any game this season except Bama. Obviously I became worried late in the A&M game, and during the Syracuse games, but I wasn't going into them. Even when games have been close over the last few years, I usually don't find myself nervous unless they're still close at the very end. I've found that my mindset has changed, and realize that I have this calm confidence in us each week now, and it's still a weird feeling.

To think under Dabo we've now won the ACC with 4 different quarterbacks, and reached the ACC title game with 5 different ones. We've reached the CFP with 3 different quarterbacks, and won a NC with 2. That's not even to mention obviously the turnover at all the other positions.

Anyone else still in awe of where our program is?

Yes, coaches/fans in Athens, Columbia, Columbus..........

I'm in awe of our program daily

Re: Anyone else still in awe of where our program is?

Re: Anyone else still in awe of where our program is?

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