FRIDAY PRACTICE NUGGETS - Part 1
By: Larry Williams
The media were allowed to watch the early portion of today's practice.
A few of the more notable items:
-- Boy, the difference between Brent Venables and his successor is starkly different.
Not that anyone should reasonably expect Wes Goodwin or anyone to replicate Venables' almost maniacal attention to detail.
But the dramatic decrease in volume was what stood out to us most in watching how Goodwin goes about his business as the co-coordinator with Mickey Conn.
Goodwin is of course in charge of linebackers, and today we made a point to observe that position group when they broke off to perform drills.
Let's just say Goodwin fit the profile we've spent the past two weeks sketching: Cerebral and not at all in-your-face.
New Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin is shown here Friday in the Jervey practice facility. (Tigerillustrated.com)
Venables' style sort of took up all the air in the room, so to speak, and one thing we found interesting today was player-development staffer Daniel Boyd speaking up to offer some instruction on technique (Boyd and Kavell Conner are assigned to the linebackers).
There's so much newness to this as Goodwin handles this dramatically elevated profile and responsibility. Two days ago he went before the cameras during Clemson's online signing-day special as voice of the Tigers Don Munson basically introduced him to Clemson fans.
We're not here to judge the move one way or the other; in our minds Dabo Swinney has built more than enough credibility and trust based on results, and the glowing reviews of Goodwin from some decorated college and NFL coaches tell you he's greatly respected even if he's not widely known.
But it's hard for us to think of a precedent for this, at Clemson or anywhere. This is not just an off-the-field guy being promoted to a coordinator role. It's an off-the-field guy being promoted to fill the shoes of arguably the top coordinator in college football, a force-of-nature figure who was almost larger than life based on a decade of immense success.
In the immediate aftermath of such an outside-the-box move, it's going to be impossible to avoid comparisons between Venables and the guy now stepping into his void.
Nobody's going to be just like Venables, that's for sure. But if we're going off of volume and frequency of fire-breathing reinforcement of the tiniest details, the new guy comes off as the polar opposite.
And we're not framing that as a negative. It's just reality.
-- DJ Uiagalelei was still wearing a brace on his knee today, reinforcing that a full return to health won't come until the offseason.
Clemson veteran wideout Joe Ngata, shown here today, has again been in and out of the lineup in 2021. (Tigerillustrated.com)
-- Joseph Ngata was in green, and just a reminder that Swinney said earlier this week he's not particularly optimistic Ngata plays in the bowl game.
-- The time off since the South Carolina game seems like a big deal for the running backs. Will Shipley, Kobe Pace and Phil Mafah were quite banged up late in the year and you have to think they'll be fresher and more explosive against Iowa State.
Then again, 265 rushing yards on 43 carries the last time out isn't too shabby.
-- Goodwin, Conn and new OC Brandon Streeter will conduct media interviews after tomorrow's practice.
Tigerillustrated.com will release another update from on-campus bowl practices later today.
From THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Happy Holidays! More marked down officially-licensed Clemson apparel and gear! Visit The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
By: Larry Williams
The media were allowed to watch the early portion of today's practice.
A few of the more notable items:
-- Boy, the difference between Brent Venables and his successor is starkly different.
Not that anyone should reasonably expect Wes Goodwin or anyone to replicate Venables' almost maniacal attention to detail.
But the dramatic decrease in volume was what stood out to us most in watching how Goodwin goes about his business as the co-coordinator with Mickey Conn.
Goodwin is of course in charge of linebackers, and today we made a point to observe that position group when they broke off to perform drills.
Let's just say Goodwin fit the profile we've spent the past two weeks sketching: Cerebral and not at all in-your-face.
New Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin is shown here Friday in the Jervey practice facility. (Tigerillustrated.com)
Venables' style sort of took up all the air in the room, so to speak, and one thing we found interesting today was player-development staffer Daniel Boyd speaking up to offer some instruction on technique (Boyd and Kavell Conner are assigned to the linebackers).
There's so much newness to this as Goodwin handles this dramatically elevated profile and responsibility. Two days ago he went before the cameras during Clemson's online signing-day special as voice of the Tigers Don Munson basically introduced him to Clemson fans.
We're not here to judge the move one way or the other; in our minds Dabo Swinney has built more than enough credibility and trust based on results, and the glowing reviews of Goodwin from some decorated college and NFL coaches tell you he's greatly respected even if he's not widely known.
But it's hard for us to think of a precedent for this, at Clemson or anywhere. This is not just an off-the-field guy being promoted to a coordinator role. It's an off-the-field guy being promoted to fill the shoes of arguably the top coordinator in college football, a force-of-nature figure who was almost larger than life based on a decade of immense success.
In the immediate aftermath of such an outside-the-box move, it's going to be impossible to avoid comparisons between Venables and the guy now stepping into his void.
Nobody's going to be just like Venables, that's for sure. But if we're going off of volume and frequency of fire-breathing reinforcement of the tiniest details, the new guy comes off as the polar opposite.
And we're not framing that as a negative. It's just reality.
-- DJ Uiagalelei was still wearing a brace on his knee today, reinforcing that a full return to health won't come until the offseason.
Clemson veteran wideout Joe Ngata, shown here today, has again been in and out of the lineup in 2021. (Tigerillustrated.com)
-- Joseph Ngata was in green, and just a reminder that Swinney said earlier this week he's not particularly optimistic Ngata plays in the bowl game.
-- The time off since the South Carolina game seems like a big deal for the running backs. Will Shipley, Kobe Pace and Phil Mafah were quite banged up late in the year and you have to think they'll be fresher and more explosive against Iowa State.
Then again, 265 rushing yards on 43 carries the last time out isn't too shabby.
-- Goodwin, Conn and new OC Brandon Streeter will conduct media interviews after tomorrow's practice.
Tigerillustrated.com will release another update from on-campus bowl practices later today.
From THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Happy Holidays! More marked down officially-licensed Clemson apparel and gear! Visit The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
