forums

interesting take on the offensive line after week 1 of camp

ssvir said:
David Lake on his latest podcast basically took a blowtorch to all the @DMoney OL takes for the Spring/Fall.

He doubled down on his Cantwell blasphemy.

Far cry from Cantwell had LT locked down and would be best OL in the ACC by November.

Hopefully Lake is just being the mopey Debbie Downer **** he loves to cosplay.

Rachel Dratch Television GIF by Saturday Night Live
Click to expand...
came to say the same ... lake didn't back off his stance and the op reads exactly as it's meant to read ... in terms of guard play, congdon is ahead of cantwell
 
JHallCanes said:
Think Rodriguez is poised to have a great year (or maybe I’m just Bob Rossing myself)

He filled in for Matt Lee against Rutgers and was very good and then had a very good game against UiF before he was injured

It’s been a while since we have seen him but was going back a ways and he had some good games
Click to expand...
2025 season he was very effective as the extra OL in the jumbo package. Several clips circulated on X of him destroying guys (pause).

He knows the line calls and is a student of the game. The key will be how crisp his exchanges are with Mensah, but I have to think those two guys have been putting in the necessary work. No chance Mensah allows something so critical to his success this season to not be up to standard
 
DMoney said:
Too early to tell. Cantwell at tackle. Close at guard. Both are studs and I expect both to play a ton.
Click to expand...

do you think it's possible they do what they did with Bell two years ago, where he would rotate in and they kicked Rivers inside to guard and do that with Cantwell and moving McCoy or Samson to guard?
 
Please remember to ask me to jump off a building if we lose to Wake, but honestly the entire intrigue for the first month of the season (for me) is to see rotations and snaps. We simply have an absurd amount of really good football players.

Who are the starting 5 OL, which spots is each kid in, and how much rotation is there?

How are the snaps and carries divvied up in the backfield?

Who plays the most snaps in the WR room?

Who plays the nickel and do multiple kids get looks in games?

Do we see any of the young backers in the first half of the FBS games?

Does Dunnigan get in when the games are still somewhat in doubt?

Who is the first one off the bench at DT? Where does Blount play the most? On the first 3rd and long against Stanford, what’s the NASCAR package look like?

When we go dime, who are the other 2 corners besides OJ? Is Brown ahead of EOC?

This is all building for Clemson. What is our offensive lineup on the first 3rd down? What’s our defensive lineup? If the game is close in the 3rd quarter, and it’s 3rd and 6 for Clemson, who are the 11 on the field?

Just an embarrassment of riches from a talent standpoint. Figuring out how much these kids play, and where, is a full-time job. Gone are the days where Meesh Powell and that other geek who went to UGA just play every single snap no matter what. I can’t ******* wait to see snap counts, personnel packages, and how we cut up the football for all these animals.
 
OrangeBowlMagic said:
Please remember to ask me to jump off a building if we lose to Wake, but honestly the entire intrigue for the first month of the season (for me) is to see rotations and snaps. We simply have an absurd amount of really good football players.

Who are the starting 5 OL, which spots is each kid in, and how much rotation is there?

How are the snaps and carries divvied up in the backfield?

Who plays the most snaps in the WR room?

Who plays the nickel and do multiple kids get looks in games?

Do we see any of the young backers in the first half of the FBS games?

Does Dunnigan get in when the games are still somewhat in doubt?

Who is the first one off the bench at DT? Where does Blount play the most? On the first 3rd and long against Stanford, what’s the NASCAR package look like?

When we go dime, who are the other 2 corners besides OJ? Is Brown ahead of EOC?

This is all building for Clemson. What is our offensive lineup on the first 3rd down? What’s our defensive lineup? If the game is close in the 3rd quarter, and it’s 3rd and 6 for Clemson, who are the 11 on the field?

Just an embarrassment of riches from a talent standpoint. Figuring out how much these kids play, and where, is a full-time job. Gone are the days where Meesh Powell and that other geek who went to UGA just play every single snap no matter what. I can’t ******* wait to see snap counts, personnel packages, and how we cut up the football for all these animals.
Click to expand...
Who plays the most snaps in the WR room?

This guy named Baby Jesus.

Who plays the nickel and do multiple kids get looks in games?

Depends on the down and distance, but I expect Bryce will get a lot of the action early.

Do we see any of the young backers in the first half of the FBS games?

Do we have a choice? Someone is going to have to play behind the first two.

Does Dunnigan get in when the games are still somewhat in doubt?

Yes.

Who is the first one off the bench at DT?

Don't think this one is up for debate. It'll be Carter, unless you mean pass rush packages.

Where does Blount play the most?

Would be shocked if it's not SSDE.

On the first 3rd and long against Stanford, what’s the NASCAR package look like?

Wilson, Lightfoot, Moten or Scott, Blount.

When we go dime, who are the other 2 corners besides OJ? Is Brown ahead of EOC?

Lucas and Damari (if healthy), if not EO.

Let me know if you're curious about anything else. I'll be here all night.
 
JHallCanes said:
I may have missed those comments

Wouldn’t really track since we cross train and there were no set positions even for veterans other than Rodriguez

Still think the kid starts though. I’m actually seeing this as a positive for Congdon rather than a negative for Cantwell

Mauigoa was different. He was ready from Day 1 I personally didn’t see Cantwell the same in high school, but he’s been here for 6 months getting elite training so it’s certainly possible
Click to expand...
Hes actually been here for 8ish months... 👀
 
LuCane said:
Who plays the most snaps in the WR room?

This guy named Baby Jesus.

Who plays the nickel and do multiple kids get looks in games?

Depends on the down and distance, but I expect Bryce will get a lot of the action early.

Do we see any of the young backers in the first half of the FBS games?

Do we have a choice? Someone is going to have to play behind the first two.

Does Dunnigan get in when the games are still somewhat in doubt?

Yes.

Who is the first one off the bench at DT?

Don't think this one is up for debate. It'll be Carter, unless you mean pass rush packages.

Where does Blount play the most?

Would be shocked if it's not SSDE.

On the first 3rd and long against Stanford, what’s the NASCAR package look like?

Wilson, Lightfoot, Moten or Scott, Blount.

When we go dime, who are the other 2 corners besides OJ? Is Brown ahead of EOC?

Lucas and Damari (if healthy), if not EO.

Let me know if you're curious about anything else. I'll be here all night.
Click to expand...

Sorry, meant the breakdown in the WR room. Not #1
That’ll obviously be Mali. I’m confident Barkate will play just as many, or close. I’m more curious as to who plays the X. I think we have 6 kids who will probe through camp they deserve reps with Mensah in games. Mali, Barkate, Upshaw, Moore, Vaughn, and Jacobs. Will we really play 6 kids? We never have, but we’ve never had this depth, either. And is it only those 6? And in reality, when I say 6, Mali is playing 90%+ percent of the snaps. Barkate is playing 85%+. So are they gonna rotate 4 kids at X? So many good players to rotate through snaps, I’m fascinated how they do this.
 
OrangeBowlMagic said:
Sorry, meant the breakdown in the WR room. Not #1
That’ll obviously be Mali. I’m confident Barkate will play just as many, or close. I’m more curious as to who plays the X. I think we have 6 kids who will probe through camp they deserve reps with Mensah in games. Mali, Barkate, Upshaw, Moore, Vaughn, and Jacobs. Will we really play 6 kids? We never have, but we’ve never had this depth, either. And is it only those 6? And in reality, when I say 6, Mali is playing 90%+ percent of the snaps. Barkate is playing 85%+. So are they gonna rotate 4 kids at X? So many good players to rotate through snaps, I’m fascinated how they do this.
Click to expand...
Plus Wingo makes 7. Will we play 7 guys somewhat regularly (assuming health)?
 
SIBCanes said:
If you don’t start Cantwell you are committing coaching malpractice. McCoy was awful at tackle. Let Cantwell take his lumps like Francis. I’d rather see that than watching McCoy struggle.
Click to expand...
If you don't start the guys that will help you most in winning games, you're committing coaching malpractice. That said, I think Cantwell will start. This interesting "take" on the OL is just banter. I think most people are giving it more credence than it deserves.
 
Oline breakdown imo should be

1. Find the best two OTs first
2. Find the Best center.
3. Fill the guards with the best remaining. They can rotate throughout the game (like we did with Samson+McCoy last yr).

1. This is between Samson/McCoy/Cantwell regardless which side. If one gets injured the next steps into that spot. Wilkerson is 4th in line. Ervin or maybe Hawks/Meriweather in a pinch is in that 5th spot.

2. Ryan Rodriguez firmly looks like he is starting center. SJ imo should exclusively play Center as he is way too undersized for Guard. However if the camp reports about him previously that he was still struggling snapping or calling out assignments, then you got to have an alternative. That imo should 100% be Max Buchanan. Buchanan should be absolutely getting reps at center just in case. Woodrow is 4th and not ready.

3. The person that doesn't win the starting OT job is a starting Guard. Buchanan is also starting Game 1 imo. Congdon is likely OG3. IF Samson or McCoy ends up at guard they are NOT getting rotated throughout the game, so Congdon would only be rotating drives with Buchanan most likely. However IF Cantwell ends up the guard I could see a full on 3 person Guard rotation regardless of side. Meriweather is likely the OG4. But Minaya or Ervin could be competing for that as well. Even though SJ shouldn't be playing guard, he may get some rotation here too.
 
Calinative said:
Oline breakdown imo should be

1. Find the best two OTs first
2. Find the Best center.
3. Fill the guards with the best remaining. They can rotate throughout the game (like we did with Samson+McCoy last yr).

1. This is between Samson/McCoy/Cantwell regardless which side. If one gets injured the next steps into that spot. Wilkerson is 4th in line. Ervin or maybe Hawks/Meriweather in a pinch is in that 5th spot.

2. Ryan Rodriguez firmly looks like he is starting center. SJ imo should exclusively play Center as he is way too undersized for Guard. However if the camp reports about him previously that he was still struggling snapping or calling out assignments, then you got to have an alternative. That imo should 100% be Max Buchanan. Buchanan should be absolutely getting reps at center just in case. Woodrow is 4th and not ready.

3. The person that doesn't win the starting OT job is a starting Guard. Buchanan is also starting Game 1 imo. Congdon is likely OG3. IF Samson or McCoy ends up at guard they are NOT getting rotated throughout the game, so Congdon would only be rotating drives with Buchanan most likely. However IF Cantwell ends up the guard I could see a full on 3 person Guard rotation regardless of side. Meriweather is likely the OG4. But Minaya or Ervin could be competing for that as well. Even though SJ shouldn't be playing guard, he may get some rotation here too.
Click to expand...
Good breakdown. Id move 3 above 2 because center is already wrapped up, ryan has been here learning this offense from a center perspective longer than anyone by far. I agree hopefully max can overtake that and become the guy there but id imagine ryan is just way ahead with all the calls. With surrounding inexperience we will need a vet at center the most

Someone mentioned it earlier but i can see a Rivers/mccoy 2024 type situation at lt/lg with cantwell/samson. That way you can manage cantwell reps at ot and get him up to speed while having a safety net at left tackle and probably our best guard rotating there in samson. I also agree, RG should be max job to lose. Congdon could possibly be the lg, i think that’s where the smoke about him being ahead of cantwell is coming from

The competition definitely should start from outside, i think that’s your overall point here and i agree because we’re replacing our two best olineman there.
 
Back
Top