Joe21
03-24-2009, 07:17 PM
I was looking thru some of my files recently and discovered I was once a hater. :D This is the letter I wrote to our AD Bobby Robinson, Jr. on Nov. 19, 1985. Some of you younger guys and gals may not remember but some of us fans in the days of Danny Ford thought we knew it all, so here goes----
Dear Mr. Robinson:
I have supported Clemson athletics for many years, suffering with fellow Tigers during the lean years and basking in glory during our successful ones. I have never enjoyed losing but can better accept defeat when that defeat has been inflicted by an opponent with obviously better personnel and skills. It is difficult for me to accept defeat when we fail to provide our athletes with every opportunity to win. This includes a coaching philosophy and a coaching staff capable of making correct decisions on the practice field and on the sidelines during a game. I am aware that our team is young and inexperienced, however, we possess some outstanding talent with tremendous potential. We must utilize this talent in a manner which will permit them to achieve this potential.
Arm-chair quarterbacks, such as myself, may not be aware of all the intricacies of coaching but I believe we possess sufficient knowledge of the game to recognize glaring problems. The most glaring problem is our defensive philosophy which utilizes a prevent defense. It's so obvious that I don't believe it requires my comments. During the recent Clemson - North Carolina telecast, the announcers alluded to our defensive scheme on several occasions.
Both our offensive and defensive schemes are sterotyped, thus simplifying our opponent's defensive and offensive strategies.
Since the first of the year we have added some variety to our offense but we fail to utilize the element of surprise in our attack. If we fans in the stands can predict with a high degree of accuracy our next offensive play or our defensive alignment, certainly we should expect our opponent's coaching staff to do equally as well or better.
Even though this letter is critical, I shall continuie to support my Tigers. Never will I "boo" our playerrs on the field because of mistakes. Their efforts and dedication are to be admired.
Sincerely,
Signed by "Me"
(Do these remarks sound similar to those we have noted during the past several years?)
Dear Mr. Robinson:
I have supported Clemson athletics for many years, suffering with fellow Tigers during the lean years and basking in glory during our successful ones. I have never enjoyed losing but can better accept defeat when that defeat has been inflicted by an opponent with obviously better personnel and skills. It is difficult for me to accept defeat when we fail to provide our athletes with every opportunity to win. This includes a coaching philosophy and a coaching staff capable of making correct decisions on the practice field and on the sidelines during a game. I am aware that our team is young and inexperienced, however, we possess some outstanding talent with tremendous potential. We must utilize this talent in a manner which will permit them to achieve this potential.
Arm-chair quarterbacks, such as myself, may not be aware of all the intricacies of coaching but I believe we possess sufficient knowledge of the game to recognize glaring problems. The most glaring problem is our defensive philosophy which utilizes a prevent defense. It's so obvious that I don't believe it requires my comments. During the recent Clemson - North Carolina telecast, the announcers alluded to our defensive scheme on several occasions.
Both our offensive and defensive schemes are sterotyped, thus simplifying our opponent's defensive and offensive strategies.
Since the first of the year we have added some variety to our offense but we fail to utilize the element of surprise in our attack. If we fans in the stands can predict with a high degree of accuracy our next offensive play or our defensive alignment, certainly we should expect our opponent's coaching staff to do equally as well or better.
Even though this letter is critical, I shall continuie to support my Tigers. Never will I "boo" our playerrs on the field because of mistakes. Their efforts and dedication are to be admired.
Sincerely,
Signed by "Me"
(Do these remarks sound similar to those we have noted during the past several years?)