Clemson is loaded at every position on the team. Have red him on the QB situation and he seems to think any of the four competing for the starter position should be able to make the offense very potent even with the loss of a guy named Watson. The receivers are nine deep and all can spell the likes of Williams, Scott and Legette. He claims the O line is the best ever with veterans like Morris Maverick providing valuable veteran back up experience, a guy who has maybe played four downs in three years, of course the defensive front is billed as the best in the country, he talks about a couple of five star linebackers being all world no matter they haven't played hardly a down yet, the defensive backs are three deep and Venables can just roll them in and out. Hardly no mention about special teams and the kicking game but with all the above arsenal of power maybe they aren't needed.
Sure is a lot of big talking in Pickens pre season. If they lose five this year it might defuse the euphoria somewhat but I doubt it.
Total panic will set in if Auburn rolls into the land of Orange balloons and sliding boards and hangs a big arse cuttin on the Taters.
Ahhh, it's August again and Manafold's shrill predictions of double digit USC wins and Clemson's imminent collapse are showing up right on time. Fortunately, he sited the author of the article he summarized, or I wouldn't have known what the hell he was talking about. We all know what August is like right? Everyone is undefeated and the possibilities of greatness are there for everyone if there are a few bounces that simply go "our" way. I think you could look at every rivals site (including this one) and see some of this pre season optimism.
Anyway, let's look at Manafold's post and interject some reality into what he's spouting.
Clemson is loaded at every position.
Nope. Clemson has a LOT of talent on the roster, no doubt. Recruiting has been really good the past few years and from a simple "star" perspective can trot out a top 10 or 15 team. But there are serious questions at DB, Safety, RB, TE, and of course QB. So Clemson fans THINK we have answers here, but no one will KNOW until the season starts.
Have red him on the QB situation and he seems to think any of the four competing for the starter position should be able to make the offense very potent even with the loss of a guy named Watson.
Anyone who thinks any of these guys is going to fill Watson's shoes is crazy. That's not going to happen. However, there's a 5-star and 3 4-star guys competing for a shot. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect ONE of these guys to step up and do a good job.
The receivers are nine deep and all can spell the likes of Williams, Scott and Legette.
Yep, he said that. And FWIW, I agree. Clemson will be playing 3 deep guys at all 3 WR positions. The only guy who isn't a 4-star or higher is Renfrow. The only question is can Clemson get them the ball?
He claims the O line is the best ever
Well, the best since 2006 anyway and with some actual depth. Yep.
Of course the defensive front is billed as the best in the country
Yep, he said that. Don't know if I agree, but they should be REALLY good.
He talks about a couple of five star linebackers being all world no matter they haven't played hardly a down yet
Not sure what he's talking about here. Lamar is starting at MLB and he was a 5-star guy. But he had over 120 snaps last year (behind BB). He's had a good fall camp and Clemson feels like he's going to be a good one. Our other LB started for us last year and was a 3-star out of high school. The only other 5-star LB is Shaq Smith and he's coming off a RS season and is currently competing with Chad Smith for 2nd/3rd team reps.
The defensive backs are three deep and Venables can just roll them in and out.
Have NO IDEA what he's talking about here. I suspect it was a bad day for Manafold to stop sniffing glue. Clemson has SERIOUS questions at CB (especially at boundary). So much so that a couple of the WRs have been taking snaps there.
So like most talented teams w/o an established QB, Clemson feels fairly good about the season. QB is the most important spot on the field. If things go well here, the sky is the limit. If not, 4 losses is not a bad prediction.