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As Tom predicted over at Anti-Bowden, Cullen Harper has been thrown under the bus by Tommy Bowden. This article from the Anderson Independent details how Harper is being made the scapegoat for the season’s troubles. Naming Korn starter was a shallow move by Bowden designed to deflect criticism off himself for a second and remedy what is almost sure to be poor attendance for the GT noon game. So sayeth the article:
Harper has struggled with downfield passing, throwing four touchdowns against six interceptions (as many as he had in 13 games last season) in six games.
However, those problems seem far more connected to offensive line instability. It is inconceivable that a quarterback who threw for 28 touchdowns against six interceptions as a junior and had NFL first-round talk floating around him this summer suddenly lost those abilities.
He has become a scapegoat for the larger problems surrounding him.
So, at first I (Chili) was a bit conflicted about the situation. I’m in agreement that Korn’s scrambling ability could be better with the offensive line playing as poorly as they are. There have been a small handful of designed QB scrambles this season and everytime I see one I know Korn would be better suited for that play. However, it can be argued that most of Cullen’s troubles this season are due to poor protection and playcalling. As a senior and captain of the team, I don’t think Harper has done enough to merit being benched. Maybe Korn could have been integrated into games a bit more, I think that would’ve been understandable to most.
The thing that really irks me is the way Bowden apparently handled the situation - delivering the news to Cullen via voicemail (or text message, there are conflicting reports) and reportedly not getting in touch with Korn before announcing the change to the media – not to mention announcing the QB change a week in advance when it’d be a smart strategic move to hide it and keep GT guessing. Larry Williams with the Post & Courier has an article about how icy the mood is on the practice fields. I feel that this move, which was designed to help turn things around, may ultimately plunge the team further into the abyss. A much smarter move would’ve been the firing of Rob Spence, but that would probably make too much sense. (See what I did there, I implied that Bowden’s moves make little sense)
1Tom
on Oct 13, 2008 at 10:44 am:
I agree with your comments about working Korn into the offense a little. UGA did this with David Green (slow, immobile) and DJ Shockley (fast) and it kept the other team off balance a good bit.
However, it’s not like Harper is *that* slow. Whenever he rolls out of the pocket, he makes good plays. He’s not as fast as Korn, but it’s not like he can’t scramble. He just can’t scramble when there’s 5 guys in his face because it’s 3rd and long and everybody in the stadium knows we’re throwing the ball.
The more I think about this situation the angrier I get about Bowden’s arrogance. He keeps saying stuff like “this will allow us to do more things on offense” which to me means that he’s going to be able to run more plays because of a faster quarterback. Well, bullshit. I mean that’s just ridiculous. He’s saying that the playcalling has sucked because Harper limited them? That might fool people who are listening to a press conference, but come on, how cold you honestly believe that the coaches are holding back on the playcalling? Bowden is basically saying “My system is perfect, the only reason it’s not working is because of Cullen Harper.” Which is just like when a defense shuts us down and he doesn’t make any adjustments because “we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.”
Finally, if they really were limiting the plays because of Harper (and I don’t buy it) and now with Korn they’ll be able to open up the offense then WHY oh WHY was KORN not the quarterback all along? Oh that’s right, because Bowden didn’t have the balls to make a real coaching decision so he had to let Harper go out there and take the fall.
2Chili
on Oct 13, 2008 at 10:57 am:
You’re pretty spot on there, Tom.
3Daniel
on Oct 13, 2008 at 11:13 am:
Bowden handled this about as irresponsibly as he could. First he should have met with Korn and Harper and told them about the switch. Secondly, if he wanted to see what Korn could do why not put him in for a series or two. Why wouldn’t he have tried him against Wake if he felt he could made a difference or not wait until the 4th quarter against SC State and The Citadel. Lastly this might be the death nail in the coffin for this football team. If this disrupts the chemistry of the team efforts like what happened against Wake Forest will probably become the norm.
4Kyle
on Oct 13, 2008 at 11:22 am:
It’s been more than just Cullen not having time though. He has no sense of how to react to the inevitable rush. He takes a ton of drive-killing sacks when he should be throwing it away. When he’s had time, his deep passes have still looked pretty poor at times. Most of Spence’s non-screens have a deep/intermediate/short progression, but Harper rarely picks the deep ball unless it’s wide open. I think Korn brings in a better deep ball that he’s more confident in. He’ll definitely make some mistakes and throw some bad interceptions, but I think he’s going to be kind of feast or famine with his deep balls. We’ve been dealing with the famine for a while now, so feast or famine sounds like an upgrade. :-p
I am very sad at the lack of an EKR since the announcement was made. :)
5Chili
on Oct 13, 2008 at 11:37 am:
Kyle, I agree, which is why I said “it can be argued that most of Cullen’s troubles…” not “nothing is Cullen’s fault.”
There are a lot of reason’s he’s playing worse than last year, and certainly he bears a lot of that blame, but not all.
The EKR is coming.
6Lawtonfunk
on Oct 13, 2008 at 11:47 am:
Do we have an EKR now? Should it now be the EHR or EPR now that Willy is officially #1? Or maybe the “Under the Bus” Report with Cullen Harper? You know, something like this . . .
Under The Bus
Diary of Cullen Harper
(aka #2)
Cullen: Being #1 actually felt worse than #2. At least is warm and there is shade under the bus. I mean, even when I’m doing my girl I still hear 80,000 fans screaming that other guy’s name . . .
Hey, what do you call it when Willy gets sacked – popkorn!!!
7Tomahawk Nation
on Oct 13, 2008 at 11:48 am:
Bowden is gone. Dabo to Interhim HC.
8Chili
on Oct 13, 2008 at 11:51 am:
Yep, working on the post now.
9Penthouse Tiger
on Oct 13, 2008 at 11:56 am:
Even back this summer I wanted to see some Willy Korn action with the varsity squad, hoping for something like what Florida did with Tebow during Chris Leake’s senior season. I didn’t even consider Korn getting the start in any games (with the exception of maybe one of the cupcakes from a few weeks ago) at the time. Instead, Korn has taken almost no snaps in game situations, and zero with the first team on the field. So lets throw him in as the starter against a GT team that almost always gives us fits!!!
Don’t get me wrong, it was time for a qb change or at least some sort of shakeup and has been time for quite a while. The timing on this decision was horrible, however, much like the playcalling all season.
Can’t wait for the EKR! It is one of the few things relating to Clemson Football that has yet to disappoint me.
10foothills tiger
on Oct 13, 2008 at 4:18 pm:
Bowden handled this qb situation like a coward. No wonder there is no connect between him and his players. How could a team respect a coach that would not wait to look his player eyeball to eyeball before announcing his decission? Furthermore, why give tech a heads up on what to look for? Bowden’s actions this weekend demonstrate why the tigers are playing soft and why he’s the one packing right now.
Bowden and Spence displayed their pig-headed stubborness by not playing Korn more this year. Especially in the WF and MD games. But after having been so moronically determined to play only Harper and then throw him to the wolves trying to deflect criticism just shows this coach aint wearing no jockey strap. We need a man to lead this program and maybe now after 10yrs, we’ll get one.