Weekend Reflections: Nick Saban joins growing list of Dabo Swinney critics
Dabo Swinney once said he doesn’t worry about criticism from someone who he wouldn’t seek advice from. Like many things the Clemson coach believes, it sounds good on the surface but falls apart at first contact with critical thinking.
Swinney’s philosophy works only if he’s getting advice from the right people. Given the declining state of his program, it seems Swinney should seek out some new voices. Nick Saban is someone Swinney listens to, and the ex-Alabama coach is saying the same things as the people Swinney dismisses as “haters.”
The Tigers are 1-3 after the 34-21 loss to Syracuse on Saturday. That was days after Swinney went on one of his woe-as-me rants in response to the critics he says he doesn’t listen to.
“Why are we held to a different standard to all these other teams out there who ain’t never won nothing?” Swinney whined.
Appearing on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday morning, Saban made the obvious point that Swinney created a high standard at Clemson and “people expect you to live up to it” and went on to question Swinney’s stubbornness.
“Dabo needs to look at what he needs to do in his program to make his program continually be successful” Saban said. “Do you have to change (the use of) the portal? Do you have to change name, image and likeness?
“The game has changed. You need to change with it. Otherwise, you’re not going to put yourself in the same position other people are and having the chance to be successful.”
This was supposed to be the year Swinney’s traditional approach to program-building paid off again. But the Tigers are 1-3 for the first time since Swinney became coach in 2008. This time, Swinney couldn’t say the game came down to the end, as in losses to LSU and Georgia Tech: Syracuse led Clemson 24-7 in the second quarter and never let the advantage dip below 10 points from there.
Swinney told reporters it was a “very low day” for him. He was much humbler than he was Tuesday when, not for the first time, Swinney basically dared his bosses to fire him.
“If Clemson wants me gone, they are tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m going to go somewhere else to coach,” Swinney said. “I ain’t going to the beach. Hell, I’m 55, I’ve got a long way to go.”
Swinney easily could get a job at a program with lower expectations. Most schools would jump at the chance to hire a coach with a track record that includes two national championships (both final wins came against Saban) and nine conference titles.
Swinney’s new job just wouldn’t come with an $11 million salary. Programs that “ain’t never won nothing” don’t pay that kind of money.
Georgia Tech’s Haynes King best in ACC so far
I still don’t think Tech quarterback Haynes King has a shot at winning the Heisman Trophy. Vegas Insider doesn’t list King among the contenders in the latest odds update. I couldn’t find any odds offered for the ACC’s player of the year. Miami quarterback Carson Beck presumably is the front-runner since he’s getting the third shortest Heisman odds (11-1) at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Beck has been good for the second-ranked Hurricanes after transferring from Georgia. King has been better. No player in the league is more of a dual threat. King is the main reason why No. 16 Tech is 4-0 for the first time since 2014.
King ranks ninth in the ACC in passing efficiency, with 515 yards on 66 attempts and two touchdowns and one interception. He also ranks fourth in rushing yards per game (91.3, a figure that stupidly counts 18 yards lost on sacks as negative rushing yards) with five touchdowns. King’s impact goes beyond those numbers: The threat of him as a runner is the foundation for Tech’s running game, which ranks second in the ACC in yards per attempt (6.8) and second in touchdowns (14).
Although King is flourishing, some other ACC POY contenders are off to slow starts.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik was the media’s preseason choice for POY, with King a distant second in the voting. Klubnik’s numbers look good, but his accuracy has faltered at key times during Clemson’s 1-3 start.
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings ranks tied for the second-most interceptions (five) among Power Four players. The Mustangs already lost twice. Running back Isaac Brown, the ACC’s rookie of the year in 2024, has only 19 carries for Louisville (3-0) because of an injury.
No. 8 Florida State doesn’t have any standout performers on offense. A defensive player hasn’t won ACC POY since Maryland linebacker E.J. Henderson in 2001.
Beck wasn’t sharp during Miami’s 26-7 victory over Florida on Saturday. He passed for 160 yards on 30 attempts, with no touchdowns. Beck threw an interception on a poor pass after Florida pulled within 13-7 in the third quarter. It could have been costly if the Gators had a competent offense.
King has yet to make any big mistakes like that. He took over the game after an early interception at Colorado. King was sensational against Clemson. He’s the best player in the ACC so far.
Falcons still have a kicking problem
Maybe the Falcons should call Younghoe Koo and ask him nicely to come back. They released Koo on Friday, but his replacement as kicker, Parker Romo, looks shaky after only two games on the job.
Romo missed two field-goal attempts Sunday at Carolina. He missed wide right from 49 yards to end the first drive of the game. He missed wide left from 55 yards with the Falcons trailing 7-0 in the second quarter. Romo was 5-of-5 during the victory at Minnesota, but his first attempt from 38 yards likely would have been a miss if it hadn’t been above the goalposts.
Romo’s miscues in Carolina were overshadowed by the team’s many other problems in the 30-0 loss. Presumably, the Falcons will play more close games this season. Now they must wonder if they can count on Romo to make important kicks.
The Falcons didn’t bring in any real competition for Koo despite signs of trouble with his performance last season. That decision backfired when Koo missed the tying field-goal try in Week 1. Now, the Falcons might be stuck on a ride that’s hard to get off. Finding a steady kicker is hard enough. The difficulty increases exponentially when trying to do so after the season starts.
I was joking about the Falcons calling Koo, but it wouldn’t be unprecedented. The Falcons released longtime kicker Matt Bryant in February 2019, then re-signed him after his replacement, Giorgio Tavecchio, missed five kicks during exhibition games.
The reunion with Bryant didn’t go well. He missed 5 of 9 field-goal attempts in seven games. The Falcons released him after he missed two tries in a loss to Seattle in October. They signed Koo to replace Bryant.
Koo was good for a long time until he suddenly wasn’t. That’s the way it goes sometimes for kickers. The Falcons are still paying the price for not recognizing Koo’s time was up last year.
Braves are surging again
The Braves won their eight game in a row Sunday in Detroit. It’s their second good run since the trade deadline. The Braves won 10 of 12 games Aug. 9-17. They were 25-16 from Aug. 9 through Sunday. Per Baseball Reference, only the Yankees (27-13) and Phillies (26-15) were better during that time period.
A winning stretch for a quarter of the season matters for the Braves because winning is good. Beyond the inherent value of victories for their own sake, the Braves are getting good production from players who figure to fill big roles next season.
That list includes hitters Matt Olson (fifth in fWAR for MLB position players since Aug. 9), Jurickson Profar (40th) and, surprisingly, Ozzie Albies (76th). On the pitching side, Chris Sale is finishing strong (tied for 17th in WAR since Aug. 9). That’s expected.
Unexpected: Right-hander Bryce Elder also is tied for 17th in WAR over that span, Hurston Waldrep is tied for 25th, and Rockies cast-off Tyler Kinley is tied for sixth among MLB relievers (all statistics before Sunday’s games). Kinley has a $5 million club option for next season, so the Braves might keep him around to bolster the bullpen.
The Braves are finishing the season strong. That’s good because winning is better than losing. Even better for the Braves is they are winning because of contributions from players who can help them get back to the playoffs next season.
My Weekend Predictions were 3-8
It was an ugly scene for my picks against the spread.
Georgia State got boat raced by Vanderbilt. Arkansas State lost as a road favorite at Kennesaw State. Illinois looked like an FCS team while giving up 35 points in the first half to Indiana. The Falcons and Saints were no-shows.
It was my first losing week out of four, but it was so bad it dropped my record back to even. I had a lot of time to think about my failures on the drive back from Charlotte, North Carolina. The Falcons at least got to think about their failures on a charter flight.
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