Swinney: 'I'm going to fight for this program'
CLEMSON -- Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney met with members of the media Tuesday, less than 24 hours after his epic Monday night rant on Tiger Calls.
BECOME A SUBSCRIBER AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!
The Tigers (4-4, 2-4) are off to their worst start since 2010 and host No.12 Notre Dame (7-2) on Saturday.
ALSO SEE: LISTEN: Dabo Swinney's Monday night epic rant | Tuesday Clemson Football Insider | Monday Insider | Here's the deal with Clemson's offensive line
The following is an abbreviated transcript of Tuesday's presser.
OPENING STATEMENTS: "Happy Halloween to everybody.
"I'm thankful for another opportunity to compete. This is a really, really good team we're about to face. I think we're a good team, too. We just haven't done the things we've needed to do to have a better record.
"We have to stop the run. They create extra gaps. Our linebackers and secondary have to tackle well. They will challenge us. They should have won the Ohio State game. It's crazy how they lost that game. They're fun to watch on tape. They do a lot of good things. Their quarterback is a pro. You watch him play and that guy shouldn't be playing college football. He's a pro. He's smooth, poised and does not flinch. I've seen him for 10 years now. I have a lot of respect for him. He's a really good player. The game is slow for him. He can really run. He does not get enough credit.
"They have a really good back, a tough, downhill, physical, runner. Their receivers have gotten better and better. It all starts up front with them. Their left tackle is probably a first-rounder. It's a very experienced group. They're all fourth-year players. It'll be a good matchup.
"Defensively, they're really physical. Veteran linebackers, veteran front. No. 56, his dad and I were at Alabama together. Watching his son, he's tough. He's physical. They're really good at corner. NFL talent there. It's a really good football team.
"If we turn the ball over, it'll be a long day. We lead the nation in fumbles and if we didn't, we'd be 8-0. We have to find a way, somehow, someway, to grow. I hope everyone will show up and get behind these guys. The season ain't over. We'll fight the best way we can."
Q: You said they out-physicaled you last year. Was that still much of a sticking point with you this off-season?
SWINNEY: "We got our teeth kicked in. There wasn't much to say."
Q: Your thoughts on Chansi Stuckey and his run as a coach there?
SWINNEY: "Chansi was one of my favorites here. He was the backup quarterback. I kind of recruited him my first three years here. I told him he wouldn't play in the NFL. I think he led this league in receptions. He was in the NFL for a few years. He's an amazing story.
"We're in the national title game January of 2019. Chansi reached out, he was in the ministry and he wanted to come meet with me at the hotel. He just said his heart had called him to coach. I told him it would be hard. I told him he needed to figure out if he really wanted to do it. I told him I had a video GA spot and I told him he'd have to be in grad school. He came in here and I watched him early. I told him if he'd really commit to two years of learning the processes, man you'll go fast in this business.
"I get a call from Dave Aranda from out of the blue and he asked me if I had a wideout guy. I called Chansi. Next thing he's the receivers coach at Baylor. One year later I get a call from Tommy Rees. So Chansi has gone fast. I'm really proud of him. He's one of my favorites that I've had come through here. I've got a ton of guys in coaching that I've coached, guys who have been receivers and former players. I'm proud of all those guys."
Q: How does Hartman fit Notre Dame and vice versa?
SWINNEY: "It's a different scheme. It's still a run-based offense. It's not a slow-mesh. He's more clean in the pocket. At Wake Forest, you have a lot of RPOs. He doesn't flinch. Nothing bothers him. He's a very poised guy. He's well-coached and was at Wake Forest. Lot of boots. They're really strong up front. They do a great job of taking shots down the field. He's a good player. I mean it's like watching an NFL guy playing college football."
Q: Last thing you're thinking about is playing Stanford eventually. Your thoughts on the ACC schedule that came out last night?
SWINNEY: "Ok, that's great. I'm not in the weeds on all that right now. I wish my man David Shaw was there. I love and respect him. Yeah man, I'm just trying to get to Saturday. I'll worry about Stanford then."
Q: As much talk as there has been on turnovers, how much does it help to get explosive plays?
SWINNEY: "It helps a lot because it helps you become efficient. We hit a big play to Stellato and then we get a holding call. That was a 30-yard gain. That's kind of been 2023 there. Beaux was competing and fighting and he held him. We have another one, a similar play, and it's basically a crack screen and that one will go for about 40 and Cade wasn't as poised as he needed to be and made a little throw underneath. So we've missed some opportunities. We dropped a third and five that will go for about 20 yards. So yeah, we've missed some plays. We've made some gritty plays but we've missed some."
Q: Their safety, Xavier Watts, leads the nation in interceptions. What do you see from him on film?
SWINNEY: "Yeah, he and No. 2. And he's been there forever. Their corners are elite. Their linebackers are big-time. They're really experienced. They're not hard to find. They line up and challenge you. It'll come down to a few plays. Last year, we had what two pick-sixes? We can't help them. We're good enough. That's for sure. We just have to go do it."
Q: What's Shipley's status now?
SWINNEY: "Day to day."
Q: Your thoughts on Collin at left tackle now?
SWINNEY: "We're just trying to get the best five on the field right now. We've played nine/ten guys this year and we lost Walker Parks. We just felt like our best five were the ones who started last week. We felt like Tristan was the guy to move to right guard. And he was a bright spot. He's long, he's physical and he'll continue to play tackle as well. We just felt like that was the right move for us. I'm excited about Collin. He overset a couple of times. He can be a little aggressive. We think Collin and Blake are two elite players. They have a bright future. We will win a lot of games with them. Marcus Tate has been steady for us. Putnam is just a rock. You notice when he makes a bad play because he doesn't make many."
Q: Losing is hard. We see it in your fan base. Part of your job is to coach your players through times like this. How does your coaching change when you go through something like this?
SWINNEY: "You try to coach things like this all the time. Sometimes they listen more when you have adversity. Honestly, we haven't had much adversity around here in 13 years. No one feels sorry for the Tigers. We've been to six playoffs, two national titles the past seven years and even though you have some disappointment along the way, we really haven't had some adversity.
"This is a healthy tree, but even healthy trees need to be pruned. I've seen Clemson change. I've seen lives change. This is a very healthy tree that has produced a bunch of great fruit. Sometimes things happen that you cannot explain. We really haven't had true adversity since 2010 ... like real football adversity. People will hopefully learn how hard it is to win.
"As I said last night, when you win so much, you can lose appreciation for how hard it is to win. You're always coaching and teaching and instilling things. Sometimes you grow the most when you're pruned, when you suffer. That's why God tells us we should be thankful for our sufferings. That's how you get stronger. I remember back in 2010, very clearly. The difference between then and now is we hadn't done anything then. We weren't nearly as equipped then as we are now. I know what we've done and what we are going to do. This season will produce some amazing fruit. Just get ready and watch what God does.
"As I said last night to my new friend, I've been a part of failure many times but I've never failed at anything I've set out to do in my life ... ever. We're in the midst of an amazing journey in college football history. I won't let one season - when I know what the issues are - dampen that. I will fight for this program.
"Hopefully we can get back to some appreciation around here. It's frickin hard to win. Look around the country. We're having a bad year. That's my responsibility. Ain't nobody happy about it. I'm not asking nobody to be happy, but let's not eat our own. What's happened around here is even when we've won, everybody is miserable. And that's sad. It's really sad. I'm thankful for the struggle. Just sit back and enjoy the journey."
Q: Many people are wondering what triggered last night.
SWINNEY: "I had some idiot go old testament on me and he got an old testament response. Y'all print that one."
Q: Can you add to that?
SWINNEY: "What else is there to add? I'm going to fight for this program. That's why a lot of coaches don't take calls. People hijack the phone call. They want to hear themselves talk. That's why right there. Maybe we'll start doing that."
Q: When you get a call like that and you're already getting criticism from national writers, does that embolden you to stick to your guns more?
SWINNEY: "I've been criticized since I got this job. I'm going to always do what I think is best for the player, No. 1. I'll do what is best for the long term and I will always do what's best in the moment. Ain't nothing going to change.
"I don't listen to anything. I don't read anything. Listen, I know who I am. I know whose I am. I have never flinched. I'm sitting here not because I've listened to all the criticism. If it doesn't work, I have no one to blame but myself. I'm convicted in my beliefs."
Q: When you talk about expectation exceeding appreciation, are you referring to ...
SWINNEY: "I'm talking about the loud minority. Most of our fans are amazing. They really are. It's the loud minority who have no clue how hard it is to win. Look, that can creep into your fan base, that rat poison. You're always trying to fight that. It's part of it. This is a great opportunity to teach. I've said many times the difference here is that here there is an appreciation greater than expectation. I have great appreciation for our fans because they're amazing but a lot of the people who do a lot of the complaining are part of the problem. If you're a recruit sitting out there, these people rip your coach regardless of what you've done.
"Everybody can have a bad moment. Name a coach, name a program who hasn't had a challenging time. Is there one? Would Coach K be considered one? Did he have a bad year? How about Nick Saban? How about Roy Williams? I have always tried to fight against expectations becoming greater than the purpose. It doesn't mean you have to be happy. This is a good reset, a good pruning. It's just gotten to a point here where people are miserable when you win. It should be fun when you win.
"I know where Clemson was 15 years ago. What's happened here has been historic. When you take everyone's best shot for 15 years, it's hard. Not many people have been as consistent as we have been. Very few walking this planet. It's been great. We've taught a lot of lessons. Let's get back to work. I said when I got this job that you have to be all-in. We've got too many people half in."
Q: Does Cade create too much pressure on himself?
SWINNEY: "Yes, some. He's had some tough plays along the way but he's growing. I think he is going to be amazing. It's disappointing again when we attack these kids. These people who get off by hiding behind microphones attacking people. We've made it acceptable to attack people. It's sad. This kid works his butt off. I think he is going to be a superstar. He ain't right now but he is a hell of a competitor. I will battle with him any day of the week. He needs more poise in the pocket. He's going to be fine. Let's get behind him and support him. He's our frickin quarterback. Let's get behind him. Let's go compete."
Q: It sounds like you care less about people attacking you versus your players. Fans say, though, that they're paid now. They're professional athletes. We hear that a lot.
SWINNEY: "I don't care if it's a pro athlete. I still don't think it's acceptable to destroy people. People make a living by attacking people. I don't think that's OK. Trevor Lawrence ... I don't care what he's paid. He's still a human being. There is still a way to have fair criticism without completely demeaning someone, which is now the click bait society that we live in. That's sad. The adults have left the building in this country. I don't participate in it. If you're miserable, it's your own fault. I don't deal with that crap."
Q: You ever say the word "ass" on your call-in show before?
SWINNEY: "I don't know. Probably. I've said a lot worse. I'm not perfect. Far from it. I've said a few words not in the Bible. I'm thankful I've got a God who forgives me."
Q: Any pruning that you feel you need to undergo?
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
SWINNEY: "I neeed to shed a few pounds. I've got a few friends I need to shed. Struggles bring out the best in some, the worst in others. I've always embraced it. I lean on my faith when things get tough. It's God's plan, man. Not mine. Any time I've been pruned in life, I've been better.
"I got taken out of coaching in 2000 and didn't like it. I couldn't get a job. I came back better. I know everybody thinks I was just a real estate agent and came to Clemson but I had coached for eight years. That was an 18-month pruning process. I didn't like it but God had a different plan. That process helped me bloom back better than ever. It made me a better coach, father and husband. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the privilege of leading young people. It gave me clarity of what I knew I wanted to do. And then God brought me here.
"I've had many times in my life where things didn't go like I wanted it and I was mad, frustrated, angry and disappointed. But time goes by and God's plan is revealed and I go, 'Thank you, God.' I have clarity now and a different perspective. That's why we can't let this moment slip by to teach a bunch of hearts and souls because something hasn't gone the way they've planned it. I take advantage of it."
Q: You have talked a lot today about adversity. Where is Cade now versus last year when he threw the interception vs. Notre Dame. The growth you've seen ...
SWINNEY: "Night and day. After that we put D.J. in that game. We did some good things after that point but up to that it was pretty bad. It was a tough situation for Cade right there. He's just more prepared. He's way more knowledgeable. He's bigger and stronger, confident in his ability and he's just progressing. He's definitely way ahead of where he was last year. He really hasn't put the ball in jeopardy much. He sailed one the other day, but he really hasn't put it in jeopardy a lot. He had one bad one against Charleston Southern. He's been pretty decisive and in command in the passing game."
Q: You said you had an idea of what has gone wrong this season. Could you elaborate on that?
BECOME A SUBSCRIBER AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!
SWINNEY: "No. 1, we are last in the nation in fumbles. No. 2, we are last in the nation in fumbles. No. 3, we are last in the nation in fumbles. It's all about the ball. We have two overtime losses. Because of where we've had the missed plays, we're near last in red zone scoring. There you go right there. You can leave everything else where it is. You won't win games when you turn it over twice a game. We've been in position to win, but that's it. I think we're fourth in the country in red zone opportunities but at the bottom in scoring. So it's been a problem.
"Everybody wants some big miraculous answer but you won't win when you turn the ball over the way we have. That's No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4. If we don't lead the nation in fumbles, we are 8-0 and we are having a different conversation today on Halloween. We'd be getting treats. Instead, we're getting tricks in here today."
Q: In your mind, where do you draw the line between fair criticism versus lack of support?
SWINNEY: "I think it's pretty easy to see where that line is. Fair criticism, I have no problems with. When it's hateful and personal and demeaning, especially to the kids ... if you can't figure that out, I have no answer for you. That's the problem. As a society, we don't know where that line is anymore. Because there isn't a line anymore. That's sad.
"Criticism is warranted. We're 4-4. This is Clemson. Ain't nobody happy. This is one of the greatest programs in college football history and we've beaten the best of the best to do it. Six final fours? That may not ever happen again. I know this, I have a long way to go in this profession. I am going to fight like crap. If they want me back here, I'll fight like crap to get us back. I won't let anything steal my joy. I have a lot of joy in my job and what I do."
BIG SALE on officially-licensed Clemson apparel & gear at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
