Dabo Swinney made some comments a few weeks ago that have come to life for the Clemson Tigers.
A few weeks ago before the start of the regular season, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney was asked about the state of the team and the depth chart.
Swinney had refused to identify any starters until the very last minute of fall camp, so he clearly wasn't too enthralled with the group as a whole.
And when pressed about it, Swinney had this to say.
“Everybody’s just working,” he said. “This is a bunch of nobodies. We’ll see. We’ll see if anybody becomes somebody as we play some games.”
It was an off-hand comment by Swinney, one that was likely intended to light a fire under his players and make them work even harder.
But it appeared to have the opposite effect.
Clemson was hammered 51-10 at LSU on opening night in what marked the worst loss of the Swinney era and the program's worst loss as a whole since 2002.
It was a complete and utter humiliation, and it was a defeat that had many officially proclaiming the Tigers' demise. Particularly under Swinney.
Swinney's words came true. Clemson certainly looked like a "bunch of nobodies" at Tiger Stadium last Saturday. Meanwhile, Lane Kiffin's group resembled a championship contender from start to finish.
Perhaps Swinney should have chose his words more carefully?
I'm not saying that Swinney doomed his team with those few sentences. But a big part of a coach's job is to instill confidence and belief in their players, an area in which Swinney has always excelled tremendously.
But it's hard to build morale when you call your squad a "bunch of nobodies," particularly when there are a handful of potential first-round draft picks on board.
Last year's season-opening loss to LSU was much less devastating. Clemson fell 17-10, and while it was definitely disappointing, you felt like the Tigers could bounce back. I mean, they didn't, finishing just 7-6, but you didn't get the sense they were cooked after Week 1.
This year feels different. Clemson does, in fact, look finished after just one game, and you have to wonder how much Swinney's remarks may have played a role ... even if it was minor.
