Swinney's spring game idea is fun, but not so practical - Anderson Independent Mail

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Swinney's spring game idea is fun, but not so practical - Anderson Independent Mail Apr 3rd 2012, 03:18 Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers will be facing themselves in the annual Orange and White spring game on April 14. However, Swinney's proposed a plan that would pit two schools close in proximity against each other instead. "Personally, I think it would be a good thing for college football to do," Swinney told the Atlanta Journal Constitution last week. "College football takes in a lot of money. I think it would be an opportunity to give something back to your school or a charity." Swinney went on to say how much of a teaching tool it would be to prepare players for the upcoming season and how coaches could implement real schemes because the other team doesn't already know what's coming like in the current setup. He talked about filling up a stadium if the Tigers mixed in an April workout against Georgia. "I think it would be fun," Swinney said. "I think the players would enjoy it. I think the fans would enjoy it. But that's just one guy's opinion." He's certainly right about that. There's another guy down 100 miles or so down who doesn't see it the same way. "We already have our spring game amongst ourselves here," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. "You can do that in baseball or softball or soccer, not in football." Spurrier is very against the injury risks, which would likely rise and doesn't like the idea of having a winner or loser in the spring. "I just think that our sport is one that we've got enough live action during the regular season to keep it that way," he said last Saturday. "This is just practice time, training guys for the real games." First off, this isn't a Swinney vs. Spurrier issue. This is just two coaches among hundreds that don't see eye to eye on spring games. Second, they both bring up very valid points that make for a great discussion. There would be something cool to watching the Tigers and Bulldogs or Gamecocks and Tar Heels or the Crimson Tide and Seminoles in April. Would I turn on the television to see football after the NCAA tournament and the Masters are over? Absolutely. But just because it would be fun doesn't make it a great plan. Spring practice is not like fall camp. Kids spend March and April learning how to play a position and identifying areas they need to improve on before August. I don't think a scrimmage against a real opponent in front of a packed stadium is going to help them much. Sure, the spring games aren't very entertaining right now. Spurrier treats his like a glorified scrimmage, which all of them are anyway. Swinney is one who definitely tries to make football enjoyable – and there's nothing wrong with that. It would take a lot for his plan to ever go into action, but dreaming what it would look like is fun. That's about all we got to do between April and September anyway. Brad Senkiw can be reached at 864-260-1283 or by email at senkiwrb@independentmail.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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