Dabo doubles down: Critics will not ‘take my delight’

David Hale, ESPN Personnel WriterOct 31, 2023, 01:02 PM ET

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• ACC reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012. Graduate of the University of Delaware.Clemson coach Dabo Swinney doubled down Tuesday on his emphatic monologue from a day earlier, saying too many fans had grown unappreciative of winning and insisting he would not enable the criticism surrounding the Tigers’4-4 start to”take my delight.””I have actually got a long way to go in this occupation,”Swinney said in reaction to a concern about the distinction in between fair and unfair criticism. “If they want me back here, I’m going to fight like crap to get this back to the requirement.”However I’m not going to let anything take my pleasure of what I do. It doesn’t mean I more than happy, but I have actually got a lot of joy in what I do. I’m not going to let winning become a relief. I’m not going to permit that to take place. The enjoyable should remain in the winning, and if it gets to where it’s not fun anymore, hello, we’ll go from there.”Swinney ranted Monday night versus a caller to his radio program, who presented himself just as “Tyler from Spartanburg,”about a lack of appreciation after so many years of success– a tirade he described as” an Old Testimony answer”to an “Old Testimony question. “Swinney later recommended he would continue training for another 15 years, even if that wasn’t at Clemson.Editor’s Picks 2 Related On Tuesday, Swinney picked up where he ended, arguing a section of the fan base had actually become extremely critical in attacking his coaches and players.”I’m not going to let one season, when I understand exactly what the concerns are,

  and a bunch of

  excellent kids and fantastic coaches, I’m not going to let one season moisten that,”Swinney stated. “I’m going to defend this program, and hopefully we can get back to some appreciation around here.”It’s frickin ‘tough to win. All you’ve got to do is take a look around the country. What’s happened here is historical. We’re having a bad year. That’s my duty. Ain’t nobody happy about it. It’s on me, 100 percent. I ain’t asking nobody to be happy, but let’s not consume our own.”Swinney highlighted that he thought the vast majority of Clemson fans stayed helpful of him and the program, however enough had grown singing about their frustrations that he felt it was impacting the program. “It’s gotten to a point where, even if you win, people are miserable, “he stated. “I stated when I got here [in 2008], you have actually got to be all-in. Too many individuals are only half-in.”Swinney has endured significant criticism for, to name a few things, his lack of usage of the transfer portal to address lineup weak points as well as working with

  a coaching personnel comprising nearly totally assistants with little experience outside of Clemson.Swinney didn’t attend to either concern Tuesday but said he wouldn’t change who he is or how he runs his program, even if the group had lost more games than he ‘d like this season.”I constantly do what I believe is best for the player, what is finest for the long term of our program, and do what’s finest in the moment. Ain’t absolutely nothing going to alter,”Swinney said. “Some people say I’m stubborn, however I say I’m founded guilty in my beliefs, and there

  aren’t enough individuals founded guilty in their beliefs.”With recently’s loss to NC State, Clemson is ensured of ending a 12-year streak of seasons with a minimum of 10 wins, and the 2023 campaign marks Swinney’s worst record in conference play since 2010. Clemson plays Notre Dame on Saturday, with games still staying versus Georgia Tech, North Carolina and rival South Carolina. The Tigers need to win at least two of those games to prevent missing out on a bowl for the very first time in Swinney’s period as head coach.Swinney argued Tuesday that the problems with his team are minor, and”if we didn’t lead the nation in fumbles, we ‘d be 8-0.””No. 1, we’re last in the nation in fumbles,”Swinney said.”No. 2 is we’re last in the country in fumbles. And No. 3, we’re last in the country in fumbles. And I’ll provide you a No. 4: Due to the fact that of where we have actually had the missed plays, we’re near last in red zone scoring.” So there you go, right there. Leave whatever else the method it is, regular football stuff, but you’re not going to win football games when you turn the ball over at least two times a game. “Clemson lost its opener to Duke 28-7 after turning the ball over 3

  times, including two fumbles. Three weeks later on, Clemson lost in double overtime to Florida State in a game where Seminoles linebacker Kalen DeLoach removed the ball on a sack of Cade Klubnik and returned it for a touchdown.Against Miami two weeks back, Clemson turned the ball over 3 times, consisting of two times deep in Hurricanes area, before losing in overtime. Last week, the Tigers was up to NC State by 7 in a game in which Wolfpack linebacker Payton Wilson returned an interception for a touchdown.Swinney stated this season represents the most adversity Clemson has withstood in more than a decade, and he hopes it functions as an opportunity for his team to grow.”It’s a season of what could’ve been,” Swinney stated.”But if you’re a competitor, you want to go play your butt off and complete to win.

  We’ll learn a lot these next 4 weeks. I’m actually looking forward to it actually. We’re going to discover a lot about a lot of people, see how these guys are going to fight.”