So this is the worst kind of Monday morning quarterbacking -- but if Beamer had been less loyal and more focused on putting together an elite staff of recruiters and our AD had focused on really building fundraising, that could've been the 1-2 punch to help us be what Clemson is today.

I can understand why Frank didn't do it. He is one of the least reactionary people you'll ever meet. If something is working, you stick with it. If it isn't working quite as well as you want, you make small tweaks, you don't blow it up. We were winning 10-11 games per year and regularly winning conference titles. I'm sure he felt we were REALLY CLOSE to getting back to the NC game. In 2005, we were ranked #3 for a good portion of the season (until the Miami game).

In 2007, we got destroyed in game 2 against the eventual national champs (LSU) and our only other loss was to the #2 team at the time and required heroics from Matt Ryan and a successful onside kick.

In 2010, we lost a game to Boise State by giving it away in the first quarter...and then had the inexcusable meltdown loss to JMU five days later. But again, won ten in a row and looked like a team to be reckoned with.

In 2011, our only losses (prior to the awful bowl game against Michigan) were to Clemson -- who was now ascending as a program.

None of those were really legit NC contending teams, but I can see how Beamer felt we weren't far away. When you're winning 10-11 games regularly, you aren't far. So he never made the bold move to blow up the staff until it was too late.

I respect his loyalty. He's a good man who genuinely cares about the people around him. He has a yeoman's work ethic and steadiness and that was a huge part of our success as a program. Alas, he needed to have a bit more risk-tolerance and willingness to be disruptive to his staff to get the right people in place -- probably back in like 2006. Of course, there are no gaurantees that such moves would've improved anything.

It is what it is. He's a HoFer and took us to unseen heights. I hope the window hasn't completely closed. If Clemson can do it, perhaps we can too (though their geography is much better than ours).