How Clemson, Alabama will handle Bourbon Street, New Orleans nightlife

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney knows firsthand what it is like to step onto Bourbon Street in New Orleans and take in the scene.

“I’m a little concerned about the culture shock of Bourbon Street for some of these guys, having been there, so we’ll have a little chat about that,” Swinney said minutes after the Tigers arrived in Louisiana on Wednesday.

There are plenty of distractions in New Orleans, a city known for its nightlife and restaurants, but Swinney is confident that he has a mature team that will be ready to handle all of the potential hurdles leading to the Sugar Bowl against Alabama on New Year’s Day.

“I kind of defer to the leadership of the team. I mean, if I’ve got to worry about that right now, we can get our butts kicked and go on home. I’m not here to babysit them,” Swinney said. “These are grown men, and I treat them that way. I defer to the leadership of our team.”

Tigers quarterback Kelly Bryant, one of Clemson’s main leaders, described the trip to New Orleans as a “business trip.”

Bryant wants his teammates to enjoy this week but still plans to talk with players who have not been on a bowl trip before about how much focus is required leading up to the game in order to play well.

“Just make sure that everybody’s where they need to be. But you don’t want to feel like you’re just controlling the young guys,” Bryant said. “You want them to have the experience, because you never know when we’ll get back here next time. We’re just going to manage it the best way possible with the older guys looking out for the younger guys as well.”

Clemson has had players get in trouble during a bowl trip recently as the Tigers sent home three players from the Orange Bowl two years ago, including receiver Deon Cain.

Swinney said he will be stricter as far as curfew the closer to game day, and if any players do cross the line they will have to deal with the consequences.

“They’ll have a little more time tonight, and then we’ll kind of tighten down as we go. But I just really count on them to do what they’re supposed to do and really handle their business and hold each other accountable,” Swinney said. “If something comes to me, they know that I’m going to deal with it. They all know there’s consequences for your actions, so I just think everybody’s got to make the right decisions. It’s really a choice each and every day. You’re either going to be committed to being the best you can be or you’re not.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban has a similar policy as far as letting the leaders on the team police everyone else.

He doesn’t expect focus to be an issue throughout the week.

“Our players make the decisions about curfew and what they do and how they do it. I give the leadership on the team the opportunity to do that. Each passing year, they have been more serious about the game and less interested in the bowl experience,” Saban said. “They have experienced consequences in the game, good consequences and bad consequences … The fun of it all is winning the game, and no matter what you do, you do not remember all the things that you did but you always remember whether you won or lost the game.”

This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 7:40 PM with the headline "How Clemson, Alabama will handle Bourbon Street, New Orleans nightlife."