Swinney bringing new attitude to Clemson practices

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, March 16, 2009  |  Comments( 3 )

Clemson Tigers
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Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney was on borrowed time after he took over for Tommy Bowden midseason. No one knew if he would get past the interim stages when he stepped in after Bowden got the ax. Now, with the real job in hand, we’re beginning to see what he’s all about. Such was the case at spring practice this past week when Swinney decided to unleash some “Oklahoma” drills with the team.

"Oklahoma" drills are 3-on-3 matchups between offense and defensive linemen, and a tailback lines up behind the O-line. The runner's job is to try to get 10 yards on three plays behind the line. Word is that there was some hitting going on.

Right or not, former head coach Tommy Bowden didn't subscribe to such drills. But they sure do instill toughness, which is something that Swinney clearly wants to do.

Beyond that, there appears to be a new speed to the practices. Many years ago, former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh -- the architect of the West Coast offense -- used to have Joe Montana and the gang move through practices at light speed. His apparent belief was that the amount of time practicing didn’t matter as much as the effort and urgency that the players put into practice. At first glance, it appears that Swinney has a similar opinion on the matter.

“Our practices are much shorter, and there is a much faster tempo,” Clemson starting quarterback candidate Willy Korn recently said. “It’s all about getting a lot more repetitions in. One of the key things in to try and make the practice shorter. You get more work done, get on and off the filed. You’re not standing around so much. This is fun.”

Swinney is clearly beginning to infuse his team with a dose of who he is and what he wants them to be about. Face it, Clemson football simply hasn’t lived up to the expectations that were being set for it over the past few years. So, change can’t be a bad thing.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or...
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