Clemson DC-Brent Venables-The Best DC in College Football
No doubt that he is the best and is responsible for the incredible run at Clemson. he will have to be his best tonight to stop LSU. This is an excellent read on the philosophy and scheme of Venables.
January 13th, 2020 at 12:28 PM ^
Wow, I totally forgot that game is tonight. It feels so long since the semifinals.
January 13th, 2020 at 1:00 PM ^
I was all set to meet up with people last Monday to watch the game before we realized the game wasn't actually on. No idea why they delayed it this long.
January 14th, 2020 at 12:41 AM ^
I forgot it was tonight until the middle of the game. But wow, just like the OP said. Venebles absolutely shut down LSU. Clearly the best DC. I especially liked when he rushed 3 and allowed burrow to pick them apart. It may have looked bad, but it was a great mind trick.
January 13th, 2020 at 12:39 PM ^
January 13th, 2020 at 12:45 PM ^
He was co-DC at Oklahoma when they shut out FSU, and Heisman winner Chris Weinke, in the national championship game in 2000.
January 13th, 2020 at 7:03 PM ^
Meh if Oklahoma played who they were supposed to play that wouldn’t have happened. Miami would have beaten the sooners that year.
January 13th, 2020 at 11:48 PM ^
You're exactly right OP didn't age well at all...
January 13th, 2020 at 12:48 PM ^
Because God loves Clemson more, obviously.
Just not tonight ... this will be more like the Lord allowing the pagan Babylonians to put His people back in a posture of submission. It's going to be ugly. (I have friends with pretty deep connections into the Clemson athletic department -- last year within the four walls of the program they felt pretty good about their "no chance against the greatest Alabama team ever," but that same confidence is not nearly so present this time around.)
January 13th, 2020 at 12:52 PM ^
Um, because Stoops favored his own brother?
January 13th, 2020 at 1:41 PM ^
These are all the defensive rankings I could get from football outsiders.
Brent Venables (Clemson, OU until 2011):
Don Brown (Michigan, BC):
Obviously, it isn't apples to apples, but I think people can see that Venables is an elite defensive coordinator. I would say 8 top 10 defenses in 13 years is impressive. He basically did nearly the same at OU, but the offenses are generally accepted to be better in the Big 12 than the ACC.
January 13th, 2020 at 2:29 PM ^
He did do the same at Oklahoma...Oklahoma dominated the Big XII and played for 4 national titles while he was there. Bob Stoops decided to rehire his brother when he was fired from Arizona. Venebales didn't want to be a co-dc again so he left for Clemson.
January 13th, 2020 at 12:44 PM ^
LMAO!
Even Don Brown at BC, with far inferior talent, had higher ranked defenses in the ACC and nationally. Venables is a really good DC, but to pretend that he could consistently produce defenses (and wins) in the B1G and SEC as he has in the ACC is absurd. Just look at the OSU game and imagine if Clemson had to face teams that could stress them like that 3 or 4 times before they made it to the playoffs.
January 13th, 2020 at 12:48 PM ^
Are you really going to act like Don Brown is a better defensive coordinator?
January 13th, 2020 at 12:52 PM ^
You're funny.
Are you really going to act like Don Brown couldn't do the same at with that schedule and talent at Clemson? Or that Venables would be better with Michigan's talent?
January 13th, 2020 at 1:00 PM ^
Isn't it Don Brown's job to recruit great players just like Venables does at Clemson? Brown is no where near Venables and I think the rings on Venables fingers will prove that. Instead of screaming bagmen and academics, how about respecting someone else. I guess LSU cheated this year when Joe Burrow transferred. Ridiculous and super arrogant.
January 13th, 2020 at 1:42 PM ^
Yes, any good defensive coordinator that runs a normal, disciplined defense is better than DB's gimmicky defense that gets torched by offenses with a pulse.
January 13th, 2020 at 2:31 PM ^
Venables would do better than DB with Michigan talent IMO. So yes I am telling you I think Venables > DB.
January 13th, 2020 at 12:54 PM ^
What part of that sounds like 'Don Brown is better than Venables'?
January 13th, 2020 at 12:55 PM ^
It's not even close. I agree 100%
January 13th, 2020 at 12:54 PM ^
This seems like a really strange take considering his defense's vintage performances against OSU and Alabama in the college football playoffs in recent years.
Don Brown's BC numbers really have no relevance to his time here at Michigan.
January 13th, 2020 at 2:26 PM ^
A lot of Michigan fans really love bringing up coaches accomplishments at other schools.
January 13th, 2020 at 4:10 PM ^
The number of downvotes on the original post tells you everything.
January 13th, 2020 at 1:12 PM ^
Brown has all season to plan for OSU and the defense gets cooked. Venables gets less than a month and he manages to keep them under 40. Let's not compare the two, especially if OSU is part of the equation.
January 13th, 2020 at 3:42 PM ^
Yet OSU dropped 2 sure TD’s and had a man running free for a likely game winning TD.
BV’s defense got lit up by OSU. OSU beat OSU. I’m not taking anything away from BV, he’s a great DC. But throwing out a revisionist hot take on his defense’s performance in the semifinal game is pretty ridiculous.
Great offenses beat great defenses almost every time, all things being equal, because the offense is proactive while the defense must be reactive. Individual defenders can make plays that change games and tip the balance, and that’s really the difference. Michigan’s offense hasn’t held serve — and worse still, has given up scores — AND the defense has a near complete lack game changing plays. INT’s have been dropped, fumble recoveries missed, flags drawn, tackles missed, etc. It’s not X’s and O’s, it’s Jimmie’s and Joe’s! Someone MUST make a fucking play when it counts most!
In that vein, BV’s defense got that play to end the game — albeit a very lucky miscommunication between Fields and the WR. Otherwise, not even Jesus H. Christ (despite his affinity for Dabo) would have saved them ... they lose!
January 13th, 2020 at 4:27 PM ^
He also shut out OSU in 2016 and has beat Alabama 2 out of 3.
It's not luck. Venables is very good.
January 14th, 2020 at 1:09 AM ^
To think that Brown had more time during game weeks against our other opponents than Venables did during the last 2 weeks is asinine.
January 13th, 2020 at 3:23 PM ^
Probably because 90% of ACC football is ass, my dude
January 13th, 2020 at 7:02 PM ^
I can do without the phrase "my dude." I have heard it several times lately and it never hits the right note.
January 13th, 2020 at 4:29 PM ^
Clemson has played 5 regular season games in the last 3 years against teams that ended the season ranked. Of course he's beating up on bad teams.
But can't they both be good? Doesn't fucking matter who is "better" does it? You can find something to back up either point, when the truth is, the offense is the problem, not the defense that has been good or great every year he's been there.
January 13th, 2020 at 12:47 PM ^
For this game he'll need his guys to take a double PED shot.
January 13th, 2020 at 1:36 PM ^
Done and done.
January 13th, 2020 at 5:38 PM ^
Great... Now their legs are gonna be sore for the game!!
January 13th, 2020 at 2:38 PM ^
Best players money can buy will make a coach look real good.
January 13th, 2020 at 2:40 PM ^
Venables defenses is not really worried about stats IMO. We get too hung up on ranking on how good someone is as a coach. DB defenses beat up on lesser teams and rack up the stats and looks good on paper. The issue is when Venables plays a team with a pulse his defenses seem to make the plays and DB does not. I think the difference is big plays, DB defenses gives up too many big plays against the better teams. That's what I would like to see DB improve next year. Giving an offenses 5-10 yds on 3rd and 20 is fine, we don't need a sack every 3rd and long, we need the ball back. This is just my opinion.
January 13th, 2020 at 3:11 PM ^
Give me the best Dline of 5 Star recruits money can buy, pump them up with PEDs and roll them out against an ACC schedule and I'd look like a great DC too.
January 13th, 2020 at 3:36 PM ^
Sigh again! Just another excuse. How much does Wisky, PSU, and Army, pay their players? Especially Wisky’s RB who had 500 yards at half time
January 13th, 2020 at 3:57 PM ^
Damn you are dense
January 13th, 2020 at 4:05 PM ^
"Best DC in CFB ha?" ...perhaps, but it also helps to recruit the talent and depth that Clemson (and AL) does annually
I suspect LSU will put up at least 4 TDs on Clemson's 'best DC in CFB'
Burrow has been better than stellar ALL YEAR, but I would add that 'the ball skills of LSU's receivers' this year has been magnificent, and UM receivers this offseason should watch a lot of tape on LSU receivers and how they attack the ball - and how Burrow's balls are thrown to his receivers strengths/skills
January 13th, 2020 at 4:11 PM ^
It's the jimmies and joes, not the x's and o's. They are a great team with a great defense because they have the best players, especially the DL. GERG would be an outstanding DC at Clemson with that talent.
Venables is a really good coach I'm sure, but how would he do at BC with the worst offense in the country?
January 13th, 2020 at 7:07 PM ^
"GERG would be an outstanding DC at Clemson with that talent."
Pretty sure that's not really true.
January 13th, 2020 at 4:19 PM ^
He is making an ass load of $$$$$ as well he should.
January 13th, 2020 at 4:35 PM ^
Venables is an excellent coach and surprised he doesn’t get more run as a HC.
Also helps when you have 300k allotted for 5 stars
January 13th, 2020 at 5:45 PM ^
I've been wondering this for about 4 years now. Maybe he's angling for the coach-in-waiting card, just in case Dabo leaves for Bama when Saban retires, or gets a HC gig? If so, he's making a cool $2 mil/yr to do so.
January 13th, 2020 at 9:15 PM ^
He’s making $2MM+ a year in Clemson-freaking-SouthCarolina
One son is on the team
Another son is graduating high school this year and will be on the team the next 4-5 years
He gets along great with Dabo and enjoys his role
Venables is not going anywhere anytime soon
January 13th, 2020 at 4:38 PM ^
We’ll see if he’s better than Dave Aranda tonight.
January 13th, 2020 at 4:40 PM ^
Brent Venables- $2,000,000 per year with incentives
Don Brown- $850,000
January 13th, 2020 at 4:52 PM ^
I thought the bagmen were responsible for this incredible run at Clemson
January 13th, 2020 at 7:17 PM ^
had a brief conversation today w a titans scout for our shrine game next week, was said ya aint gonna get anything better than brown. you guys need a qb to go deep. fwiw,
January 13th, 2020 at 11:43 PM ^
Think again. He may be responsible for the biggest points against in the championship game.
January 14th, 2020 at 12:42 AM ^
They got picked apart. And LSU has another 7 easily at the end they turned down.