May 19, 2013

2013 Returning Experience: Defensive Backs

February 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Travis Blanks

The bad news is Clemson loses about 6,800 snaps in the defensive backfield. If you ask a lot of Tiger fans the good news is Clemson loses 6,800 snaps in the defensive backfield.

Gone are Rashard Hall, Xavier Brewer and Jonathan Meeks, who all individually or collectively were the focal points of the fans ire when long plays, bad angles and poor tackling plagued the secondary.


2012 Defensive Backs Experience Final –

Not all is lost though as the Tigers return 4 players with between 366 and 700 career snaps.

The question is will it be a matter of addition by subtraction or will the defensive backfield suffer through another tough season.

Travis Blanks played about as well as you could expect a true freshman and has a bright future. The other three have all had ups and downs in their time at Clemson and questions remain about the skill level of this group.

Not listed above are redshirt Ronald Geohaghan and Hargrave Military placement Cordrea Tankersley.

This is a group that should be updated immediately assuming current commitments sign LOIs on National Signing Day (today).

Still, this is post is about returning experience and depending on true freshmen to play in the defensive backfield is a dicey proposition at best.

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2013 Returning Experience: Linebacker

February 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Spencer Shuey

The Tigers lost over 3,000 snaps of experience at linebacker as the 2012 season came to an end. That total is not as bad as it seems because while Corico Wright saw 1,737 of those snaps during his career, only 163 came in 2012.

In 2013 the Tigers return 3 experienced linebackers, 3 with less experience (1 coming off redshirt due to injury) and a redshirt transfer (Kellen Jones) that will be eligible after sitting out a year.

Spencer Shuey blasted out of obscurity to take the middle linebacker job away from Stephone Anthony. If that continues, it’ll be interesting to see how the coaches handle Anthony – will he be moved to another LB position to get him on the field or will he remain as Shuey’s backup?

Quandon Christian is the most experienced linebacker returning, but the reality is that Christian is on the field about 50% of the plays due to the nature of play calls against the Tigers.

Tony Steward’s two years on campus have netted only 109 snaps, placing him in danger of becoming the next Rendrick Taylor.

After seeing 90 snaps over his first two years Justin Parker sat out 2012 with an injury, but should be fully healed.

This is a critical area of need and the Tigers are hopeful that it will be addressed tomorrow (National Signing Day) as the  multiple players are verbally committed that could provide depth at this position as true freshmen.

For me this group is the great unknown for the Clemson defense. Shuey is solid, if unspectacular, while Anthony has underachieved to this point.


2012 Linebacker Experience Final –

What happens to Anthony assuming Shuey continues to start? Will Steward finally see the field for extended periods of time when the game is in doubt? Will one of the true freshmen committed to Clemson provide depth, or perhaps even play on a regular basis? After Jones drew rave reviews from the coaching staff in 2012 where does he fit in?

There are more questions than answers for this group at this point, but the clouds will hopefully begin to clear in the spring.

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2013 Returning Experience: Defensive Line

February 4, 2013 by 1 Comment
Vic Beasley

Clemson fans won’t have Malliciah Goodman to kick around anymore.  Of course, Goodman teased the entire Clemson nation with what could have been with his performance in the Chic-Fil-A Bowl against LSU.

Goodman’s loss is significant, if for no other reason than the experience factor.  But Goodman is the only loss along a defensive line that contains 7 players who saw at least 236 snaps in 2012 and developed nicely as the season wore on.

2012 sophomores Corey Crawford and Vic Beasley have the potential to be solid ends, with Beasley needing to add some weight hopefully without sacrificing speed.

In the interior sophomores Grady Jarrett, Josh Watson, DeShawn Williams, Tavaris Barnes and true freshman D.J. Reader all gained valuable experience as the season rolled along.


2012 Defensive Line Experience Final –

True freshman Carlos Watkins saw less action, only 113 snaps, but that’s more than 4 of those mentioned above saw in their freshman year.

The pipleine is not empty either.  Not listed above are 2012 signees Martin Aiken and Shaq Lawson and multiple players that have pledged (but not yet signed) in the 2013 class.

This is a group that I expect significant improvement from in 2013 with 8 of 9 players that are expected to contribute returning, two 2012 signees and hopefully a couple of 2013 signees avoiding a redshirt.

As with the offensive line, injuries are going to happen.  It’s not a question of if, but when and depth is critical.

A position that was seen as thin and weak in 2012, turns into an experienced and deep group in 2013, with just enough fresh blood to push the incumbents.

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2013 Returning Experience: Tight End

February 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Cooper and Ford

Previously Posted Positions: Quarterback Offensive Line Running Back Wide Receiver

Tight end is a position the Tigers haven’t had to worry about for several years. From Michael Palmer to Dewayne Allen to Brandon Ford, Clemson has been blessed with athletic and skilled players at the position. The first two are in the NFL and Ford has an opportunity to make it three in a row.

On the surface things look like they may not be as rosy this year.

Sam Cooper gained valuable experience in 2012 and enters 2013 as the veteran of the group. Cooper is solid, if unspectacular, but doesn’t possess the athleticism of his immediate predecessors.

Stanton Seckinger has packages designed to highlight his skill set and performed admirably in limited snaps (88) in 2012 and I think he’ll be a solid contributor when called upon.


2012 Tight End Experience Final –

Eric Mac Clain is cross-training along the offensive line and at some point will no longer be listed with the tight ends.

Not listed above is redshirt freshman Jay Jay McCullough.

There is some concern on my part that this position will not be as strong in 2013 as it has been in the last 4 years.

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2013 Returning Experience: Wide Receiver

January 31, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Sammy Watkins

Previously Posted Positions: Quarterback Offensive Line Running Back

Prior to the dawn of the 2012 season I pegged Clemson’s wide receiver corps as one of the top 5 groups in the nation and I wasn’t disappointed.

On top of that talent the only projected loss was steady, dependable veteran Jaron Brown. A loss, but yet not one that would dramatically alter the talent level.

Few if any (myself included) expected DeAndre Hopkins breakout year and subsequent decision to enter the NFL draft.

Hopkins and Brown combine to account for 56.7% of the snaps at the wide receiver position at the end of the 2012 season.

The early departure of Hopkins, exhaustion of Brown’s eligibility and questions surrounding Sammy Watkins health have suddenly turned a position of strength into one with multiple questions.


2012 Wide Receivers Experience Final –

In addition to the questions surrounding Watkins, big play threat Martavis Bryant (injuries and academics) and Charone Peake, who has been used almost exclusively in the short passing game, have development questions surrounding them.

Can/will one of these two develop into a solid, dependable receiver?

Adam Humphries has great hands, is tough and quick, but the majority of his receptions are behind or near the line of scrimmage, too. The Tigers need another dependable deep threat in addition to Watkins.

Of those not listed above, the most likely to contribute is redshirt freshman Germone Hopper, who was very impressive last spring. I expect Hopper to play early and semi-often next fall and perhaps be the breakout player of the year on offense.

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2013 Returning Experience: Running Back

January 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Rod McDowell

Previously Posted Positions: Quarterback Offensive Line

Perhaps no skill position has more questions surrounding it than running back.

Andre Ellington departs after two + year’s worth of starts and over 1,800 career snaps leaving Rod McDowell as the Tigers most experienced back.

Entering his senior season McDowell has been a career backup, but an outstanding 2012 season in a reserve role has some Clemson fans rethinking McDowell’s value. Whether that translates to a satisfactory starting running back remains to be seen.

D.J. Howard suffered through an injury plagued sophomore season and has only seen 268 snaps over two seasons. Howard is more of a bruiser/pounder and not a breakaway threat on the level of Ellington or even McDowell.

2012 Running Back Experience Final –

At times in 2012 Zac Brooks look over his skis, even against marginal competition, at other times Brooks acquitted himself well. By all accounts Brooks should have redshirted last season, but that was prevented by depth issues at the position. Not everyone agrees with my luke-warm assessment and I’m certainly no football talent scout, but I wonder if Brooks will ever contribute as more than a backup.

One side of this argument is that Brooks was only a true freshman, and I certainly get that angle. Spiller and Davis played as freshmen, Ellington, McDowell and Howard did not. It’s unfair to compare Brooks to the first two and it remains to be seen how he will ultimately compare to the other three.

McDowell’s sudden emergence as a redshirt junior should serve as a cautionary tale – players develop at different rates and Brooks may be a different player when August rolls around.

Not listed above are two 2013 commits that have yet to officially sign with Clemson. Neither are of the Davis/Spiller caliber and potentially face a redshirt in 2013 though depth may save one or both from that fate.

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2013 Returning Experience: Offensive Line

January 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Ryan Norton

Previously Posted Positions: Quarterback

Clemson is scheduled to return 4 of 5 starters on the offensive line in 2013, but the one loss is a major one.

Dalton Freeman takes his 3,361 career snaps (38% of the team’s OL experience) and looks forward to the NFL, leaving Brandon Thomas as the dean of the offensive line with 1,900 career snaps.

Tyler Shatley, Giff Timothy and David Beasley were all first year starters in 2012 and acquitted themselves fairly well over the course of the season.

Ryan Norton (277 snaps as a freshman) is the heir apparent to Freeman and the coaches rave about his play. The question is, will the coaches still rave about Norton’s play if he’s starting at center in 2013?


2012 Offensive Line Experience Final –

Some depth was built during the 2012 season with Shaq Anthony and Isaiah Battle, both freshmen, showing the potential to develop into solid offensive linemen.

The ability of the rest of the group that played in 2012 to contribute is more questionable, suspect or not expected, depending on the player.

Not listed here are 2012 redshirts Patrick Destefano and Jay Guillermo.

Also, tight end Eric Mac Clain is cross training and eventually the plan is for Mac Clain to add depth along the offensive line.

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2013 Returning Experience: Quarterback

January 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Tajh Boyd Passing

With the return of Tajh Boyd the only major question at quarterback in 2013 is who will back Boyd up.

Junior Cole Stoudt will participate in his third spring game in April and has two full seasons and 171 mostly meaningless snaps under his belt.

Not listed is redshirt Chad Kelly, who many expect to beat out Stoudt for the backup job and seems to be more suited to the Chad Morris offense than the tall, lanky Stoudt.

This will be an interesting story line to follow during the spring, summer and into the fall to see whether the staff opts to continue to prepare and develop Stoudt or begin the process of initiating Kelly to assume the starting position in 2014.


2012 Quarterback Experience Final -

The backup battle also may have long-term consequences on whomever loses the battle. After two years at second team, how would Stoudt take being demoted to 3rd team and face being a backup throughout his career? Not having used his redshirt year to date, there are multiple options available to Stoudt if this scenario developed.

On the other hand, one would suspect that Kelly didn’t come to Clemson to be a third string quarterback and assuming he doesn’t see significant time in 2013 how would Kelly feel about going into 2014 competing with Stoudt and any other quarterbacks in camp? By that time it would be more than 2 years since Kelly saw meaningful snaps in a game and 20 year olds are rarely known for their patience.

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Adam Eargle & Seldom Used Reserve to Collaborate on Infographics

January 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
TB2012

Ever tire of our color-coded spreadesheets? They aren’t for everyone to be sure. Wish you could get that same information in a different way? 

Spreadsheets aren’t for everyone. For example, our recent story on Rod McDowell being the unsung hero of the Chic-Fil-A Bowl contained minimal stats and no spreadsheet, but included a 7 second video that received over 400 views on it’s first day has been one of our most popular stories.

In short, people want to receive information via different avenues. Spreadsheets are great, but only tell part of the story and at times eyes glaze over at stats on spreadsheets.

In an effort to make this site more visually attractive and user-friendly we will be collaborating with Adam Eargle on infographics - eye-catching graphical representations of the stats we’ve been providing via spreadsheets.

Remember our widely read (and not-so-pretty) color-coded spreadsheet on Tajh Boyd by Distance and Area of Field?  Below is what Adam was able to turn that into.

TB2012

Moving forward the plan is to incorporate these graphics into posts as time permits and where it makes sense.

Adam is a Clemson graduate and professional graphic artist who does all the artwork for this site, our Facebook page and our Twitter account.  You can also find Adam’s professionally done work at adameargle.com.

If your business or employer (or you) has a need for professional  artwork I humbly suggest that you contact Adam at adam.eargle@gmail.com and find out if he can be of assistance.

We appreciate all the time and effort Adam has spent making this site visually attractive and look forward to seeing his creations on Seldom Used Reserve.

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Rod McDowell – Unsung Hero

January 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
McDowell

Rod McDowell hadn’t made much of an impact in his first three years on campus. McDowell was part of Dabo Swinney’s first recruiting class, the tiny 2009 group that numbered just 12 individuals.

After redshirting that first year, McDowell played sparingly in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, seeing mostly mop up duty behind Andre Ellington, Mike Bellamy and D.J. Howard. McDowell rushed for only 224 yards combined in those first two years.

Through hard work, preserverance, injury and attrition 2012 has been a good year for McDowell. Bellamy transferred, Howard has been nicked up and Zac Brooks continues to be a work in progress.

With no reliable and experienced backup to Ellington the Tigers seemed a tad thin at running back. Seemed is the operative word. McDowell stepped up game after game and including the Chic-fil-A Bowl ended the season with 83 carries for 460 yards (5.5 per carry) and 5 touchdowns.

But more than mere statistics, McDowell did what was needed. Not only did McDowell take part of the load off Ellington, he did it with energy, passion and drive. In short, McDowell ran hard on every carry and played hard when he didn’t carry the ball.

One of the times McDowell didn’t carry the ball was on 4th and 16 with 1:32 to go last Monday night versus LSU.

As Tajh Boyd dropped back, Lamin Barrow, all 6’2, 232 lbs. of him, blitzed and was blowing by Clemson right guard Tyler Shatley. McDowell, started the play looking as if he intended to help right tackle Brandon Thomas, but appeared to see the streaking Barrow headed unimpeded towards Boyd and the end of the game.

McDowell

Barrow is not just a guy (JAG). He had 12 total tackles, including 2 for loss in this game. McDowell quickly veered left and cut Barrow just enough to give Boyd the time to get rid of the ball.

We all know what happened after that.

If McDowell doesn’t make that block, Boyd doesn’t make that pass, Nuk Hopkins doesn’t make that catch, Chandler Catanzaro doesn’t make that field goal and Clemson doesn’t win.

This is a stat focused site, sometimes too much so per my regular readers. Well, I’m here to tell you that no play and no stats accumulated by Rod McDowell in his first 3 years was bigger than that single block, a play for which his statistics were non-existent other than participation.

Lost in the beautiful spiral placed perfectly by Boyd and the sliding catch by Hopkins was the block of a lifetime by a 5’9, 195 lb. reserve running back that was just as important because without it the others never would have happened.

Sometimes I get lost in the statistics and miss the finer points of the game. I watched that play about 10 times before I noticed McDowell’s block.

Shame on me because it was a thing of beauty, just as pretty as a 40 yard spiral and a sliding catch on 4th and 16.

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