Sammy Watkins made some comments this past week, that got the college football world buzzing this week. In case you missed it, here they are from the USA Today…
“If we come out and beat Georgia, not just beat ‘em but beat the mess out of ‘em like we should, I don’t see no problems in getting started in the right direction. I don’t have disrespect for them or for nobody else, I just believe we can be just the kind of team we want to be, the talent is here, we know how to win.”
Oh boy, Mr Watkins just fired the first shots is this huge opening weekend game between two top 10 teams. He’s given Georgia bulletin board material, and put a target on Clemson’s back. He should have just kept quiet and let the game play out. Don’t give those Bulldogs any more motivation. You know what, Georgia deserves respect. They may have the most talented QB\RB combination in the country in quarterback Andy Murray and RB sensation Todd Gurley.
The Bulldogs came within 5 yards of playing for the National Title last year before losing to eventual national champion Alabama. They are from the mighty SEC and have won more than 10 games in 8 of the last 11 years. The Bulldogs are really good. That’s a fact, but I have no problem with what Sammy Watkins said. In fact I don’t think they are a big deal.
Don’t get me wrong, had Clemson lost to LSU in the Chick Fil A bowl after losing to the other two best teams on it’s schedule FSU and South Carolina then comments like this just sound ridiculous, but that’s not what happened. Clemson beat LSU in that Chick Fil A bowl. This was an LSU team loaded with NFL defensive talent, one that beat Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M in College Station, and one that had Alabama beat until moments of their game.
When you beat an elite program like LSU, you garner more respect, and you earn right to display some confidence. Clemson should go into this Georgia game feeling like they can win. If a player or two publicly expresses that confidence in a reasonable manner so be it.
Is a little trash talking good? Sure why not. It creates more interest in the game and provides another storyline for the pre-season. There’s no way Clemson enters the game believing they will beat Georgia without playing near or at their best.
At the end of the day only the final score will matter. If Clemson wins, they will validate the LSU victory and truly prove they are rising national title caliber program. Should the Tigers lose, then I think the LSU win will be looked at as an isolated flash in pan event. Any momentum from that win will be totally lost. Sure Watkins riled up some Georgia fans, but there’s nothing really controversial about the comments. He’ll have plenty of chances to back up what he said in just a few short weeks.
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