Step on up and admit it. Who all on here said Chad Morris

[TennesseeGator]

I saw many posts a few years ago saying Dabo sucked and his success was owed to Chad Morris.

Since Morris took the SMU job Clemson lost a heartbreaker in the title game and pulled off the win last night.

I never claim to be an expert on college ball but some on here do. Some of y'all wiffed on this statement about Dabo.

Dude can coach.

 

[Michi-Gator]

I saw many posts a few years ago saying Dabo sucked and his success was owed to Chad Morris.

Since Morris took the SMU job Clemson lost a heartbreaker in the title game and pulled off the win last night.

I never claim to be an expert on college ball but some on here do. Some of y'all wiffed on this statement about Dabo.

Dude can coach.

When he was mentioned to replace Chump most said "Hell no"

 

[TennesseeGator]

When he was mentioned to replace Chump most said "Hell no"

Too bad we didn't offer.

People wanted Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzhan, Charlie Strong, Dan Mullen, Rich Rodriguez, even Chan Galey, Chad Morris and a host of others below Dabo Swinney coaching abilities.

Dabo knows how to coach.

 

[sadgator]

If they had dropped that last TD and that second ticked off...everyone would be calling him a moron today...between that and the pooch kicks, it makes you scratch your head.

 

[Gator Fever]

Who is their OC now? That QB should be the Heisman winner if people weren't casting votes before the season ended.

 

[keyzer soze]

If they had dropped that last TD and that second ticked off...everyone would be calling him a moron today...between that and the pooch kicks, it makes you scratch your head.

Truest words ever spoken on here. Same thing I said before they snapped the ball. Dabo has a certain blissful ignorance about him. I would rather be lucky than smart.....

 

[oozie7]

Probably more accurate to say he does a great job recruiting and identifying talent. He's a moron on the headsets though and showed that time and time again last night with very bad in-game decisions. Either way I'll give him his props because he's evolved. He was one season away from being fired when he hired Morris and he's kept it rolling since then.

 

[MJWilliamson]

Probably more accurate to say he does a great job recruiting and identifying talent.

In the last five years, Clemson has had a top ten ranked class only once. But the guys he does get, they seem to be good.

 

[oozie7]

Wanna see what he does without Watson though, Watson feels like his Vince Young.

 

[oozie7]

In the last five years, Clemson has had a top ten ranked class only once. But the guys he does get, they seem to be good.

It's not just about ranking, it's the impact players he gets. Clemson doesn't get the top to bottom quality as a lot of other teams because they have to rely on recruiting out of state but the guys they get at the top at critical positions like Watson, Cain, Williams, McCloud, Watkins, etc. were all high 4 and 5-star players. Their d-line for example has two 5-star DT's and all the ends were high 4-star players.

Watson? 5-star and one of the top QB's in the country. McCloud, Cain? 5-stars. Scott? High 4-star. Williams? Their players at the top of their classes are elite types, he's been able to pick and choose top line kids from Florida, Georgia, and elsewhere the past few years.

 

[Countygator]

Hopefully he has another watson in the wings

 

[sadgator]

Wanna see what he does without Watson though, Watson feels like his Vince Young.

That dude was something else. He was taking a beating last night and he kept getting up. When he had that helicopter spin hit, sadgator literally gasped. And the funny thing was, it didn't seem like he was playing with his "A" game for a good part of the game.

 

[46885]

Has no one brought up Venables? he was like 25-19 before he came in and saved him

 

[TennesseeGator]

Has no one brought up Venables? he was like 25-19 before he came in and saved him

Goes to show... Sometimes patience pays off. Find all the right pieces with the recruits, assistant coaches, etc.

 

[46885]

LSU has the same thing in place now


too bad we don't

 

[TennesseeGator]

LSU has the same thing in place now


too bad we don't

Too early to tell if LSU has anything in place. The positives from this past season is guys playing hard for the coach they won't...Plus all Miles recruits.

I'll have to have at least two years before judging LSU"s staff as having anything in place.


We could be shaping up to put things in place. You boy Collins is gone...Only need Nussmier to seek employment elsewhere.

 

[bradleygator]

He's probably also a guy who the players like and who the players get fired up to play for. He reminds me of Les Miles a little bit, except he's smart enough to let someone run an offense that will work.

 

[fsu939913]

I saw many posts a few years ago saying Dabo sucked and his success was owed to Chad Morris.

Since Morris took the SMU job Clemson lost a heartbreaker in the title game and pulled off the win last night.

I never claim to be an expert on college ball but some on here do. Some of y'all wiffed on this statement about Dabo.

Dude can coach.

To be honest with u. I didn't think Chad Morris was that good. He was a high school coach. He had a good system but once Clemson had his system they didn't need him anymore. They actually don't even really use a lot of his plays anymore, they don't go as fast either.

 

[Nolec]

I thought that Morris was key to Clemson's offense and that it would regress at his departure. Of course having a Watson at QB could possibly cover up a lot of issues.

 

[fsu939913]

I thought that Morris was key to Clemson's offense and that it would regress at his departure. Of course having a Watson at QB could possibly cover up a lot of issues.

Players matter more than coaches. I mean it goes hand in hand but if you told me I could have the best players with a mediocre staff(Auburn with Cam) or Mediocre players with a great staff(Nick Sabans 1st year at bama), Im ALWAYS taking the players.... without thinking. Watson would be a beast in almost any system

 

[46885]

Too early to tell if LSU has anything in place. The positives from this past season is guys playing hard for the coach they won't...Plus all Miles recruits.

I'll have to have at least two years before judging LSU"s staff as having anything in place.


We could be shaping up to put things in place. You boy Collins is gone...Only need Nussmier to seek employment elsewhere.

LSU has it on paper, they have one of the best DC's in the business along with one of the top guys on offense at OC they brought in.

 

[TennesseeGator]

LSU has it on paper, they have one of the best DC's in the business along with one of the top guys on offense at OC they brought in.

I don't disagree with that one bit. But you never know how it will go down or how long assistant coaches stick around. OC's and DC's get plucked every year usually to be head coaches at Group 5 schools.

 

[TennesseeGator]

It's not just about ranking, it's the impact players he gets. Clemson doesn't get the top to bottom quality as a lot of other teams because they have to rely on recruiting out of state but the guys they get at the top at critical positions like Watson, Cain, Williams, McCloud, Watkins, etc. were all high 4 and 5-star players. Their d-line for example has two 5-star DT's and all the ends were high 4-star players.

Watson? 5-star and one of the top QB's in the country. McCloud, Cain? 5-stars. Scott? High 4-star. Williams? Their players at the top of their classes are elite types, he's been able to pick and choose top line kids from Florida, Georgia, and elsewhere the past few years.

Some of what you said sounds like our coach. I will say he needs depth at both sides of the line plus a good QB. He has some good skill position players. We need a QB to get the ball in the hands of the playmakers and to open up the run game. We have good depth at RB, TE, and WR.

 

[oozie7]

Some of what you said sounds like our coach. I will say he needs depth at both sides of the line plus a good QB. He has some good skill position players. We need a QB to get the ball in the hands of the playmakers and to open up the run game. We have good depth at RB, TE, and WR.

People say that but Watson's don't come along too often. Better QB play would obviously help though. Like I mentioned they don't have the depth of talent as a lot of teams just because they have to go out of state so often so they finish just outside the top 10 most years but at the critical positions for them like QB, WR, DL, etc. it's filled with nothing but the elite high 4-star and 5-star prospects that everybody wanted. When that happens you can fill in the other positions with less heralded prospects, kinda like they do with Renfrow for example. He's a nice niche player in the slot, but he's flanked by two 5-stars and a 4-star that had a 6.0 rating which is like one step below a 5-star. Their LB's are unheralded but they're playing behind a DL with two 5-star tackles and a bunch of 4-star ends and on and on.

That's why I've always said I care more about need than anything. Fill the important positions with elite guys and you don't need a top ranked class. The need part is where we've been so so IMO.

 

[oozie7]

And idk if this is true or not but another interesting thing I read is that only something like 3 coaches from Dabo's original staff is still there including support staff. He was close to being fired before making major changes which kinda drives home the point that you always need to be reevaluating and making changes to get better.

 

[Pepe Nole]

Dabo is a guy who is very easy to underestimate with his Forest Gump demeanor. His own school forced him to hire million dollar coordinators as a condition of offering him the job, and that was back when there were few million dollar coordinators.

He recruits well, but Clemson recruited well under Tommy Bowden. Dabo has taken it to another level. He's got white guys in the NFL at WR!

 

[GvilleNole]

I saw many posts a few years ago saying Dabo sucked and his success was owed to Chad Morris.
Dude can coach.

1. Dabo does not know x and os and does really know football like saban mac and jimbo .. dude are very sharp.
2. Dabo is very sincere .. well liked and can recruit
3. he has picked great assistants .. and stayed out of their way. Clemson has been willing to pay bama money for assistants on offense and defense.

Dabo does not have a near the understanding of offense or defense that saban mac and jimbo have .. no head coach would ever consider making him a OC or DC .. frickin to stupid ..not smart enough. Clemson has a better staff than FSU and UF.

 

[TennesseeGator]

1. Dabo does not know x and os and does really know football like saban mac and jimbo .. dude are very sharp.
2. Dabo is very sincere .. well liked and can recruit
3. he has picked great assistants .. and stayed out of their way. Clemson has been willing to pay bama money for assistants on offense and defense.

Dabo does not have a near the understanding of offense or defense that saban mac and jimbo have .. no head coach would ever consider making him a OC or DC .. frickin to stupid ..not smart enough. Clemson has a better staff than FSU and UF.

You bring up a valid point. Checking his resume he was never an OC until 2008, which turned him into the interim HC. He was a position coach, mostly at his Alma Mater and then Clemson.

He is doing something that works...And it wasn't all Chad Morris like many said two years ago.

 

[Uniformed_ReRe]

I'd take a good recruiter/talent developer/motivator HC over an x's and o's HC any day.

Over time, the game inevitably changes. The tricks that worked for you gradually become old hat as newer coaches start to pass you by. It's difficult to be on top of the tactical stuff forever. But people/leadership skills have a longer shelf life.

 

[alaskanseminole]

If they had dropped that last TD and that second ticked off...everyone would be calling him a moron today...between that and the pooch kicks, it makes you scratch your head.

Amen.

I was yelling kick the darn field goal, Dabo!

 

[oozie7]

You bring up a valid point. Checking his resume he was never an OC until 2008, which turned him into the interim HC. He was a position coach, mostly at his Alma Mater and then Clemson.

He is doing something that works...And it wasn't all Chad Morris like many said two years ago.

I don't think that's a valid way to look at it though. He was coming off a losing season and was one more mediocre year away from being fired until he brought in Morris. The entire program turned around from that point forward, then they had a couple 10 win seasons and then got a transcendent QB in Watson over the last three seasons. The ball has kept rolling because of Watson and then bringing in another million dollar coordinator in Venables. If Dabo is so good why do they keep hiding him with million dollar coordinators? I think he's solid but lets see what he does the next few years with no Watson. He might just be Mack Brown.

 

[Pepe Nole]

I don't think that's a valid way to look at it though. He was coming off a losing season and was one more mediocre year away from being fired until he brought in Morris. The entire program turned around from that point forward, then they had a couple 10 win seasons and then got a transcendent QB in Watson over the last three seasons. The ball has kept rolling because of Watson and then bringing in another million dollar coordinator in Venables. If Dabo is so good why do they keep hiding him with million dollar coordinators? I think he's solid but lets see what he does the next few years with no Watson. He might just be Mack Brown.

If Mac had Deshaun Watson, Gators could win the East and the West.

That's why you need to lock him up with an extension. It won't be long before a school like Auburn, SC, or UCF come calling.

 

[oozie7]

LOL trolling.

 

[TennesseeGator]

I don't think that's a valid way to look at it though. He was coming off a losing season and was one more mediocre year away from being fired until he brought in Morris. The entire program turned around from that point forward, then they had a couple 10 win seasons and then got a transcendent QB in Watson over the last three seasons. The ball has kept rolling because of Watson and then bringing in another million dollar coordinator in Venables. If Dabo is so good why do they keep hiding him with million dollar coordinators? I think he's solid but lets see what he does the next few years with no Watson. He might just be Mack Brown.

We can credit Morris for helping turn it around but why is it hard for crediting Dabo with building a foundation and finally finishing up the house? Sure, yes he has help with top notch coordinators but this day in age who don't? I mean look at Saban, his coordinators are now head coaches at UF, FAU, and UGA respectively. Meyers old UF coordinators are/were head coaches at Mississippi State, Texas, and Boston College. Then his best Ohio State coordinator was the hottest coach on the market taking Houston to great heights. What they are/were paid really shouldn't be factored in as much as some do.

Why are Saban/Meyer credited for being geniuses but somebody like Dabo (and others) are disregarded are being "hid" by coordinators? I mean Saban/Meyer have old assistant coaches all over the country. UGA, FAU, Marshall, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Utah, Florida State, Florida, NFL, etc etc..

 

[46885]

Because you see enough of a sample size to know the difference between guys like Dabo and Meyer, Dabo is in the perfect situation to succeed and with the conference he's in. They have plenty of money and have always recruited well, other programs can't afford to keep hiring basically head coaches as assistants and the money they have to pay them. Dabo is almost in a situation like a Bama QB, just don't be retarded and wreck the bus.

 

[TennesseeGator]

Because you see enough of a sample size to know the difference between guys like Dabo and Meyer, Dabo is in the perfect situation to succeed and with the conference he's in. They have plenty of money and have always recruited well, other programs can't afford to keep hiring basically head coaches as assistants and the money they have to pay them. Dabo is almost in a situation like a Bama QB, just don't be retarded and wreck the bus.

You seriously telling me Bama (who recently hired two past USC head coaches) and Ohio State can't afford to hire head coaches as assistant's? We are talking about a school who hasn't won a title since 1981. I mean I do understand your point but winning a title at Clemson isn't a simple task. You witnessed the only Clemson title in your lifetime.

 

[TennesseeGator]

I know they aren't NFL talent but being a good QB at Bama is underrated. Ask Jalen Hurts and Blake Sims how easy it is to win a title. But yes they won one with Coker so I do get that point of the argument.

 

[46885]

You seriously telling me Bama (who recently hired two past USC head coaches) and Ohio State can't afford to hire head coaches as assistant's? We are talking about a school who hasn't won a title since 1981. I mean I do understand your point but winning a title at Clemson isn't a simple task. You witnessed the only Clemson title in your lifetime.

No, those coaches don't HAVE to have big time assistants to win, they have proven that many times by recycling all of them and making new big star names, there's a reason most of those guys get high stock from the Saban names and flop as coaches as you are seeing when they are on their own. Clemson wins in spite of him, the hires of Morris and Venables, so far, prove that. He was 25-19 before Venables was hired, was almost canned on the hot seat and without morris first would have already been an assistant for Bama probably as we speak. Along with those hires came in his vince young to save the day rounding off his christmas list. Dabo is a dumb coach and has his much more talented teams in games that shouldn't be close year after year which got his school dubbing the term "clemsoning".. That's a term for coaches under utilizing their talent and losing to teams they shouldn't.. Do you remember a few years back when Clemson started out like 7-0 beating down many good teams then got HOUSED by a dreadfully mediocre obrien NC State team? He's been sort of like jimbo, and switching off between the two of them as game day coaches in the same conference.

 

[46885]

and Bama didn't win both times because those Qb's are just that bad/average. The ones that have were just average college QB's at best

look at Mcelroy in the Championship game against Texas stats, and everyone in the nation thought mccarron was literally the worst QB in the nation making fun of him after that LSU loss, until everyone found out a month later it was actually Jordan Jefferson. Another team that should have NEVER lost to any college team that year with just a decent QB. That team was much better than Alabama that year and their defense was elite as well and had more weapons on offense. Bad coaching is the worst in football, there has to be more bad football coaches in this sport than any other combined, and somehow many of them get the head gigs at the biggest schools because of how long they have been around the chain of command. Which is why you see the trend of hiring younger and younger coaches that have changed the face of the game offensively with their styles. This is exactly what Michi gets so irritated about all the time about us

 

[oozie7]

We can credit Morris for helping turn it around but why is it hard for crediting Dabo with building a foundation and finally finishing up the house? Sure, yes he has help with top notch coordinators but this day in age who don't? I mean look at Saban, his coordinators are now head coaches at UF, FAU, and UGA respectively. Meyers old UF coordinators are/were head coaches at Mississippi State, Texas, and Boston College. Then his best Ohio State coordinator was the hottest coach on the market taking Houston to great heights. What they are/were paid really shouldn't be factored in as much as some do.

Why are Saban/Meyer credited for being geniuses but somebody like Dabo (and others) are disregarded are being "hid" by coordinators? I mean Saban/Meyer have old assistant coaches all over the country. UGA, FAU, Marshall, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Utah, Florida State, Florida, NFL, etc etc..

Because all those guys won before those coordinators and continue to win without them and with different players. For example during the game they said Saban had won his 5 championships with 5 different OC's. Dabo only started winning big once Morris came in and then added Venables and Watson. And Watson went to Clemson almost solely because of Morris. That's the difference. If he maintains this success he'll deserve all the credit. But I can't say he built a solid foundation when he was 6-7 the year before Morris came and sparked the program. He was headed towards the unemployment line.