Clemson’s football program is nothing if not image-conscious. That’s not to say everything Dabo Swinney and company do is driven by external perception, but it is definitely important for people to see the program in a certain way.
The message is controlled. The access for outsiders is limited. The school bombards the information highway with rah-rah content, and it does an outstanding job of it, I might add.
None of those things is bad. In fact, they are good ideas for any executive trying to cultivate a certain culture within an organization. Cultures collapse when opposition comes openly from within the ranks, so guarding against that by limiting which messengers are representing the program is a smart failsafe.
The downside of this strategy is that interview sessions can often be fairly boring and monotonous. Players know the right things to say, and they generally say them. There’s often no point in asking tough questions, which lends itself to some softball questions that make interview sessions a touchy-feely affair.
That might sound like I’m judging, but I’m not. I get it, from all angles, perhaps as well as anyone else present at these sessions. I don’t mind any part of it at all.
But there are some days, like Monday, when things get a little bit interesting.
Clemson’s players were particularly chatty about Notre Dame on Monday, and not necessarily in a good or flattering way. A stream of players offered a collective eye-roll toward the Fighting Irish program and lamented the fact that the Tigers still don’t get the benefit of the doubt, in spite of the strides the program has made in the past half-decade.
It might have been due to the extra-long layoff. It might have been due to the sentiment expressed in the national media that Clemson must do such-and-such just to stay on the field with Notre Dame. It might have been due to dropping in the polls as an idle team.
Whatever the reason, a real annoyance with the attention paid to Notre Dame permeated the West Zone on Monday. It wasn’t just one guy, either. It was one after another after another.
Take quarterback Deshaun “Coachspeak” Watson, for instance.
“I have been around Clemson probably since my (high school) freshman year and from what I’ve been seeing, we’ve kind of never had that respect and for some reason gotten over that hump.”
Linebacker Ben Boulware, who generally has fun things to say to the cameras, seemed tired of hearing about little old Clemson going up against a national power.
“We played Ohio State, beat them, we played Oklahoma, beat them. LSU, beat them. I’m not saying we’re going to beat the crap out of Notre Dame, but we’ve played big name opponents and it hasn’t really affected us at all.
“I don’t think the name Notre Dame is going to affect us. The way we prepared for Wofford is the same way we are preparing for Notre Dame.”
Even defensive end Kevin Dodd—one of the quietest members of the team—said mostly nondescript things behind a smile that suggested he had more to say, but wouldn’t.
The highlight was safety Jayron Kearse admitting he favorited a tweet from Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller saying the game with Clemson was going to be “#savage”—not exactly a ringing endorsement of the Tigers’ secondary. Kearse’s response was straight from the bulletin board.
“After the kickoff, we’ll see if he still has that same mindset.”
Kearse kept going, though, saying he hoped “the ref lets us play football” and put the Irish on notice.
“This is going to be a chippy game. I’m definitely going to be chippy. They can definitely expect that from me. They can expect some trash talking, they can expect all of that. I’m ready to go up against Will Fuller.”
He wasn’t done.
“They’re talking a lot. Obviously they don’t know what we do down here in Death Valley. I’m looking forward to this. I’m looking forward to meeting the running back in the hole, catching Will Fuller on the post, whatever it takes, man. I’m just ready for it.”
Say what? Remember, this is a program that goes out of its way to keep from poking and prodding opposing teams. Tweets like Fuller’s are primarily why Clemson doesn’t allow its players on social media during the season.
Having one player say something inflammatory is rare enough. Having multiple guys come in succession and communicate the same sentiment is like seeing the Easter Bunny hop across the end zone.
In the moment, it seemed staged, as if these guys were being sent in on purpose to get those ideas in front of cameras. As crazy as that sounds, interview sessions have turned into a regurgitation of Dabo Swinney’s favorite quotes more than once. What he says to the team, the team says to us. That’s how it works on many occasions.
It stands to reason Swinney has spent each of the past dozen or so days reminding his team how disrespected it is in the eyes of the nation. Stagnation in the polls only further entrenches that narrative into the minds of Clemson’s players.
Plus, the buildup to this game probably feels a bit like a marathon car ride that’s nearing its conclusion. We’re at the point when everyone in the car is tired of each other and every mile seems longer than the last.
Who knows whether or not any of these comments will make it to South Bend? I’d be willing to bet good money they already have. It seems reckless to say such things, particularly for a program that goes out of its way to say nothing.
With Swinney, there’s always a plan. This might be his latest one.
God Bless!
WQ