Tuesday, November 10, 2009

4 Out of 5 Ain't Bad, Plus a Bonus

Before I get to blogging today, I need to pass on a couple of administrative notes:

1. I'm a family man now, and even though she doesn't possess the ability, I won't be publishing comments that I wouldn't want my daughter to read.

2. I won't publish comments left anonymously. Now onto the good stuff.





I will be the first to admit that I was not thrilled with the idea of Assistant Coach Swinney becoming Head Coach Swinney, and 5 games into the season, I felt like my reservations were justified. But Coach Swinney appears well on his way to shutting me, and a lot of others (Philip), up. Nine games into the season, four of the five major team goals are still alive. That's winning the Atlantic division, winning the ACC, winning a BCS bowl game, and winning the Heisman Trophy for CJ Spiller. I consider that last one a team goal, because, despite Spiller's individual talents, no player can win it without the support of his teammates on the field. That's pretty dang good for a 39 year old with very little coaching experience. Not only has Coach Swinney changed the mindset of the players, but he has changed the mindset of the fans as well. We believe that Coach Swinney can lead us back to our glory days. This morning (11-11-09), right here, I am proud to announce that, for the first time, I am 100% All In.


I'm not sitting here saying that Clemson will achieve all, or even most, of the afore-mentioned goals, but I am saying that the team and the fans finally believe that Clemson can achieve all those goals. Yes We Can! And, unlike our fowl friends down the road, it isn't gonna be next year. Speaking of those guys........Rejoice!! Clemson fans, we just got some more good news last night. Steve Spurrier announced that he planned to stay in Columbia for at least 3-4 more years. If you've been paying attention, that news should excite you.

Now MOAG.

On Switching Conferences:

- If we swapped schedules right now, Clemson would go 6-6, or 7-5, Carolina would go 7-5 or 8-4, and Carolina would beat Clemson 75% of the time. In other words, they would swap places. If Clemson fans, who follow a perennial 8-4 team in the ACC, dont think they would start losing to Carolina if they played Bama, Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee, and we played Wake, NC State and Virginia leading up to our game, then you are in total denial.

- The reality is, you would be limping into your rivalry game just as we do every year, because we are similar programs and you play cupcakes for 4 weeks prior and we play some of the best teams in the country. And you usually win.

- Clemson would fare no better in the SEC than USC, and there's a good chance they'd fare worse...

- usc wouldnt have any trouble with florida"no defense" state and most of the others with clemsons schedule we would go 10-2 or 9-3

- How many CU victories over SC SHOULD be attributed to a demoralizing defeat at the hands of UF the game prior?

The Florida Game:

- SC beats UF on Saturday...............watch and see. SOS knows how to beat these guys.

- I predicted this about two weeks ago...I'm sticking by my prediction.

- WE CAN BEAT THE GATORS! I am starting to get excited about the game. We can make history with this win and IT IS POSSIBLE. If everyone would get behind this team and get fired up it would motivate the players. We have talent! We are capable of playing good football. Who is in???? GOOO GAMECOCKS!!

- with the refs it's going to be nearly impossible.

- I have been predicting the Gamecocks will beat UF this week all season, I think they will overlook our boys and I also think the crowd will be a big difference. I do not see UF's offense being as strong as it was last year and I have a strong feeling the Gamecock D will be up to the challenge!

- Not many of you give our guys a chance this weekend, and some of you think the Clemson game is more important anyway...I may be one of only a very few that is very optimistic about this weekend.

On Spurrier's Future:

- Spurrier ain't going no where but to atlanta in the next year or 2.then he will keep going back a few times before he retires for good.

- Even if Clemsux were to win again, they dont want to seeDarth Visor on our sidelines for 2,3,4 or even 5 more years.

On SEC/ACC Power Poll:

- why the HELL are we behind so many acc teams clemson is probably their best team and we gunna kick their butt in two weeks

- BS we are supposed to believe that out of the 24 teams in the SEC and the ACC that we are only better than 11 programs,what a joke.

On the Bye Week Before Clemson (which they begged for 5 years ago):

- I think the bye wek hurts us right before the Clemson game. While Clemson is focusing on there next opponent, we are already preparing for the Taters. We may be to ready to play this game and emotion last for maybe 4or 5 plays and them reality sets in. That may not be the case but for some reason, Clemson always comes out, plays harder, hits harder and has a better game plan.

18 comments:

jeff e said...

glad to see the site back up. nothing like starting my morning with a good laugh. sometimes i wonder if you make these gamecock quotes up. then again, i'm from columbia and i've heard them my whole life. hopefully, we'll win out and the chickens will go 6-6 and we will get to hear some really good excuses, again...
nice work jlg.

Joseph 80 said...

You and jlg must be in love...how sweet. You guys may win one out of your next three. We'll win out and then we'll see who has excuses. Watch how the sec plays ball this weekend. We will destroy you!
-Joseph 80

jeff e said...

wow, thanks for calling me out joseph 80. those are pretty strong words considering everything the cocks go through every year (fill in the blank here, but i'm mainly talking about the second-half of the season collapse that you've become all too familiar with). maybe we should talk after we both play this weekend. i'll give you til monday so that you can have your excuses and predictions for our respective seasons ready to go. you guys make it so easy and so pleasant to hate you. good luck with uf this weekend. see you in a few weeks.

Joseph 80 said...

Facts: USC is better than Clemson; Spurrier is a better coach than Dabo; USC's defense is better than Clemson's; USC's recruiting is better than Clemson's; Garcia is better than Parker; our OC is better than Napier; our stadium is better than yours; our fans are better than yours, and obviously our conference is better than yours.
Any questions?
-Joseph 80

jeff e said...

seriously? i've already given you too much of my time today but i'll leave you with this...please explain/find excuses for:

65-37-4
and
10 out of the last 12

doesn't look like much of a rivalry on paper now does it? can't wait to hear how you spin those numbers.

Joseph 80 said...

Your numbers don't mean anything to me. We dominate you in every way. Take off your orange glasses jeff e! Want some, get some!!!!

jeff e said...

i don't mean to speak for jlg, but its people like you who make this blog possible. thanks for the material and i look forward to beating you (again) in a couple weeks.

sick_dunk_oglesby said...

jeff e ... Joseph 80's numbers (prima facia evidence of your flawed argument) don't mean anything? USC dominates Clemson in every way? I have a challenge for you: prove it. convince me that you are right. And, I'll even let you use those numbers that don't mean anything. One rule: you can't use the SEC conference dominance argument. The SEC is the better conference, but that argument means nothing when your team is the road trash of the conference. That is like Clemson claiming basketball superiority simply because UNC and Duke consistently wipe the floor with them. So, please, enlighten us.

By the way jlg, I'm so happy this is back.

Joseph 80 said...

sick_dunk_oglesby,
I don't have to prove anything to you. Don't come on here with your lawyer talk e.g. prima facia and expect anyone to respect you more. Those numbers don't mean anything to me b/c I am living in the present. We will dominate the taters this year. By your name, I take it you too are a Clemson fan. Good luck with that... At least jeff e wasn't a d-bag about it - you definitely take that award. Thanks for writing...
-J 80

Greg H said...

Joseph 80
FACTS:
1)Clemson is AP#24, USC - Unranked, no votes
Clemson is also 6-3, USC is 6-4. How are you better?
2)Spurrier is 0-1 against Dabo.
3)Total Defense - Clemson #13, USC #19. How is your defense better?
4)Current recruiting: Clemson #23, USC #29. How is your recruiting better?
5)Yes, Garcia is better than Parker right now.
6)Steve Spurrier Jr. is 0-1 against Billy Napier. Clemson (#26) - 31.9 ppg, USC (#98!!) - 21.3 ppg. Your OC's offense doesn't even compare!
7)As far as best stadium, there is no factual evidence to sway this argument in either direction. I would say Death Valley wins, simply because even your own fans don't like Willy-Brice. They leave that dump at halftime like it's their job.
8)Again, no evidence about fan support but see #7.
9)The SEC is better than the ACC. But they slap you around anyway so what does that have to do with us? It just makes you look worse.

You, Joseph 80, are a moron for all of the "facts" you posted earlier, and I just proved it. USC has been Clemson's whipping boy for over 100 years now. That will never change.

Find another sport to follow. It would be better for your health.

Joseph 80 said...

Greg H,
1-Yes, Clemson is ranked higher than USC presently. I invite you to look at our schedule, particularly the last few games (with exception to the Clemson game). I don't think anyone in the country would switch places with us. You guys play cupcakes!
2-Tune in next Saturday to watch Spurrier be 1-1 vs. the insurance salesman.
3-See comment 1. Look who we play and look who you play. I hope you watched the USC - UF game this weekend. Thats how good our defense is.
4-Recruiting ends in early February. Don't go counting your chickens just yet...when we kill you in a couple of weeks, any fence-sitters who we are after will certainly fall our way. That said, we aren't recruiting most of your players as we try not to sign two and three star players. Rest assured, we will have another top 10 recruiting class.
5-Yes, Garcia is better than Parker.
6-Take off your orange glasses here son. Napier will be completely shut down against us and our offense will flourish against your soft defense. Good luck stopping Maddux, Jeffery, Gurlie, Saunders, and whole host of other legit receivers.
7-Again, I guess we'll see who's leaving at halftime in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I hope you are there to see W-B rockin when 2001 is played at the beginning of the onslaught.
8-No question, our fanbase is better than yours. Two weeks ago, you guys were melting down ready to fire the entire staff.
9-We are consistently in the middle of the best football conference in the country. See comment 1.
All in all, thanks for playing Greg H, but if you can take off your orange glasses and take a sip of reality, you will see that we are going to walk the dog on you in a couple weeks. So, go ahead and play/beat a weak Virginia team before getting beat badly by USC and then a mediocre Ga Tech team.
"you proved it" nothing. You haven't said anything "factual" either. Please be sure to tune in after our game so we can discuss the aforementioned bullet points. Until then, quit crying about the Maryland loss and keep riding CJ to the weak ass ACCCG.
Go Cocks!

Joseph 80 said...

I can't hear you, Greg H. Did you say something?

Joseph 80 said...

Is anyone reading this blog anymore? Can't get a dialogue started with anyone...owner? You used to have witty comments. I guess that kid of yours really changed you. jeff e? Greg H? Where you at???

Lenny said...

Okay Joseph80, I'll step up, although it is obvious you aren't going to listen.
1: the question was 'how are you better' your response was you played a harder schedule, but you lost the last 3 games of that hard schedule, so how does losing games make you better than a team that is winning games?
2: So your response is to tune in and watch...so you haven't won yet, and spurrier is 1-3 vs. Clemson. What makes us think that will change? The hard schedule you play (which you play every year and lose to us, so why would this year be different?)
3:I watched the game. I watched spurrier lose. what does that prove. I watched a team that ran the ball when down by 10 nearing the end of the game. What does that loss prove? That you can not beat someone?
4: Yeah, y'all have had a lot of great recruiting classes. That has miraculously made you, once again, a mediocre team. Just like every other high ranking class. It will eventually pay off, just like it has the last 10 years.
5: Shocking, you agreed with something that went your way. We can tell you are going to see both sides of the story.
6: I don't think there was one rational argument in that statement.
7: So your fanbase is better than ours, because you accept two coaches who became famous with other teams then proceeded to continue .500 gamecock football, yeah, thats impressive.
We made a coaching change because we weren't going to the ACC championship...looks like we will this year. And in your mind we're the losers here? seriously?
8:Consistently in the middle of the best football conference...so that makes you better than us because...umm....I don't get that one.
Through the years, you have been able to be at the bottom of the conference, and now are at the middle. One thing you haven't been is at the top...ever.

You know, the gamecocks were in the ACC one time and did win an ACC championship...once...in 1969.
Lets look back at another reason why Clemson fans believe we'll win. One reason is that we've only lost in Columbia twice since 1979. 14-2 since 1979. But that is all going to change, right, just like it did the last time we played there and last year.
Spurrier is 1-3 against Clemson, but that is going to change this year, just like the last two years, right?
When history and no real facts are on your side (other than...c'mon, look at us, we're good) you don't have an argument, and losing to good teams is not an argument. The French fought a lot of good competition as well.
I didn't find one factual thing in your rant either.
So, we'll go and listen to the PA system blaring 2001 when the spurriers run out through fire extinguishers like many other teams in the country. And that chicken in the cage and the frat-boy mascot will be really pumped. Then, just like 14 of the last 16 times in your home stadium, we'll walk away winners and you'll blame injuries because of the hard schedule, or that the week off hurt you, or that you just don't care about the game or whatever new one you come up with in the next two weeks. It doesn't change anything.
-Lenny

Joseph 80 said...

Lenny,
Welcome to the beatdown. If I can't talk about the future, then you can't talk about the past. Are you still living in the past? Take away the names on the front and back of the jerseys and lets just look on paper at our teams. By that paper, I would definitely choose our offensive line and quarterback and wide receivers. Yes, Spiller is a beast and you would have to be downright crazy not to want that guy on your team. Offensively, that's it - one guy. Defensively, you guys have a solid D-line, but so do we. On paper, I would say that they are about even. There is no way I would trade our D-ends for yours or our D-tackles. I would definitely want D McDaniel on our team, and would offer C Culliver in exchange. I think Culliver is faster but McDaniel is one hell of an athlete. Again, defensively, thats it - one player! I think if you were to choose, from that paper, you would want more of our players than we want of yours. Is this outlandishly hypothetical? YES! Speculation at best...but I think it would prove a point that we are better than you are giving us credit for. Are we mediocre in the SEC? YES! But wouldn't you at least admit that being mediocre in the best conference means something? I would argue that it would. I think we have the better team this year. I think our team is more focused and has more on the line to win this football game than your tigers do. From what I hear, the players are treating this like their bowl game b/c they want to go to the Outback bowl rather than the Music City bowl. Either way, I will be in WB on Saturday watching the Cocks beat your tigers. I wonder if your excuse will be that you are going to the ACCCG and it didn't matter - b/c we both know this game matters. IF you are able to stop our offense and score on our defense more than we are on you, I will eat crow. Only time will tell. Don't ever bring up the "French" with me again. That's a laughable comparison. Oh yeah, I thought of another few aspects of USC that make it better than clemson. Tailgating and hot women. Yes, you have both, but ours are better. If you've ever been to five points or the vista you know this to be true.
-Joseph 80

Lenny said...

Was that the beatdown you welcomed me to?
First off, I want to see this paper that you have that says your D-ends are better than ours, because most papers I talk about deal with stats and provable things, not "ours is better than your's" although we have only played one common opponent. But again, it is all hypothetical, and you admit it too.
It will only matter when it comes to the game.
My point about the history is that things in the past are facts, things in the future are only speculations. And every year when I hear the same argument "we'll win and we're better than you because...well, because we play in the SEC and we're just better". That argument rarely pans out to a victory for you, so I have to doubt it now.
With few exceptions, neither team would trade players. If it comes down to it, and you have time, we can list the starting line-up for both teams and determine who would take who, and I can bet we would only agree on a few (you'd want spiller, we'd want Norwood), so it is a pointless argument.

I think the top SEC teams are the best in the country, and that is what makes it the best conference, and there are few push-overs, but then again some the push-overs in the ACC have won some games (NCState gave Pitt their only loss, Wake beat Stanford, Duke beat Vandy last year, Maryland beat JMU in OT...okay, bad example). But middle of the pack is still middle of the pack, I'd say the middle of the pack ACC team is UNC or Miami (5th best). They aren't that bad, but I'm sure you think you would kill them.
So you 'think' you have the better team, and you 'hear that they are more focused'. But once again, that is said many other years as well, and are not provable arguments. Its good you think that, it is what makes you a fan.
I think we are better and I think we are determined to beat you so we can go to a better bowl. Does that make either of our arguments better?

gamecocks smell like frenchmen and spurrier's son is shorter than Napoleon.

There are a ton of hot women in Columbia, but that is also a numbers game.
I would completely disagree with the tailgating. First, you don't tailgate at five points or the vista, but maybe you were talking about the women. You can't tailgate there, because you would be shot, or beat up by a gamecock player. Clemson has trees, a lake and rolling hills. Clemson is not 95 degrees in November. Clemson's stadium is on campus. The downtown is a safe, and short walk. There is space.
Now if you are still at the point where you want to do a bunch of drugs and drink till blake mitchell fights you, then yes, five points and pavlov's is the place to be, but I'll take the scenery and being able to be happy after the game.
Hey, I'll give your team some credit, they are a decent team, I think they would be competitive in the ACC, but I don't think they would win it (nor would we win the SEC). I think there are some good players, and i think they will put up a fight, but couldn't you have said this many years in the past? Wasn't the game an even spread when we won 63-17 and wasn't carolina favored the next year with the big fight. Hasn't the game been pretty even 'on paper' many of the last 30 years? But the record is 21-7-1 those years, in favor of Clemson. That is a fact.
Let me give you another example. If it is 50/50 odds to flip a coin and get heads or tails (as you say the odds of beating Clemson are 50/50 if we are evenly matched) and you put 100 dollars on each toss. If after thirty tosses 21 of them are heads, would you keep betting on tails? That is why I bring up history. Yes these are different teams, but still relatively evenly matched like many other years, so why shouldn't I think we are going to win, or think we are better, just like those other years? Maybe they are 'evenly matched' before the game because people give carolina too much credit for being in the SEC.
But pull out the magical paper that says carolina is so much better and once again, give me a 'beatdown' with unfounded arguments.
-Lenny

some jackass with internet access said...

"We are consistently in the middle of the best football conference in the country."

Now there is something to be proud of...

=[ said...

So, how's all this working out for ya?

Awesome.