Trying to uncover the truth from Clemson fall camp
Fall camp is awful.
Even though it’s a necessary evil, it really is bad.
Guys spend countless hours in insufferable heat. They hear coaches say the same thing over and over again. All day is nothing but football, football, football, without any of it actually counting on the scoreboard.
And that’s just what the media has to go through.
In all seriousness, it’s not much fun for the players, who have the real physical and mental exhaustion, either. Reporters just stand around after practice and wait to ask a few harmless questions to keep the August football machine churning.
We do, however, eventually have to uncover issues and concerns that pop up during the grueling two-and-a-half weeks of constant practice and team meetings.
Some are right in front of us. We look at the roster before camp even begins and know what to ask. Other predicaments are created by circumstances like injuries and guys randomly leaving the team.
Coaches and most players, by nature, are generally cautious when it comes to divulging information. Schools aren’t going to give out too many scrimmage stats and only point out the standouts — not the ones who struggled mightily.
It’s up to the rest of us to read between the lines and decipher coachspeak to figure out what are real concerns or just myths.
With fall camp over, it’s a good time to try to uncover some truth:
Will quarterback Deshaun Watson be slowed by last year's knee injury?: It’s impossible to declare any football player “100 percent.” This is a physical game, and he’s been on that knee a lot the last three weeks. But nearly nine months after knee surgery, Watson’s mobility doesn’t seem to be a problem and the knee has improved greatly since the summer began. The real test, however, won’t come until he can be hit in a live game. That’s when he’ll have to use acceleration to get away from a defender and keep a play alive, but he seems confident that won’t be an issue.
Verdict: Myth.
Is lack of depth at linebacker a problem?: At the end of spring ball, defensive coordinator Brent Venables said the LB corps was an injury away from depth being a liability. Nobody expected Korie Rogers to give up football last week, and losing nickel/SAM Korrin Wiggins to a knee injury was unfortunate. Clemson should be fine at the hybrid spot, but the depth chart behind starters Ben Boulware at WILL and B.J. Goodson at MIKE is a mess. Rogers would’ve been one of the first guys off the bench, and Kendall Joseph, a redshirt freshman Dabo Swinney expects to make an impact, can’t stay on the practice field because of injuries. Regardless, whenever those two starters need a break in a real game, the Tigers get really green.
Verdict: Real concern.
Does the offensive line’s rough start to camp mean bad days ahead?: In practices the media was allowed to view, the D-line had the upper hand — by a large margin. But that was the first few days of camp, and it sounds like a group replacing four starters has settled down to build some continuity. No one will know for sure until the football starts flying for real, but nobody at Clemson has shown real concern about this unit all summer.
Verdict: Myth.
Opposing offenses will pick on the cornerback spot opposite Mackensie Alexander?: Cordrea Tankersley and Ryan Carter have had a competitive battle there, and Tankersley will likely get the first shot, but the entire secondary is deep and talented. If the front four, led by defensive end Shaq Lawson, gets enough pressure on the QB, it might not matter.
Verdict: Myth.
Will not having an experienced kicker haunt the Tigers?: The leg to replace suspended senior Ammon Lakip in the first three games seemed to change every day for a while, until Greg Huegel won the job. Lakip will be out three weeks. Clemson can get by the first two weeks without him, but going to Louisville or hosting Notre Dame spurs a great more doubt about this situation being “fine,” as Swinney described it.
Verdict: Jury is still out.
This story was originally published August 23, 2015 at 9:34 PM.