Sorry Charlie

By: Roy Philpott

I admit it. I made a mistake.

Last year, about this time, on this very same web site and on many sports talk shows around the Palmetto state, I made a mistake.

I made the mistake of thinking Clemson football wouldn’t miss a beat without its greatest signal caller of all time.

So allow myself to clear my conscience for a second by saying, “Sorry Charlie.”

It’s not that I thought you weren’t a great quarterback. That wasn’t it at all. I just didn’t know how good you really were. I don’t think I truly realized what you meant to the program.

Like most Clemson fans, I’ll remember you leading the Tigers to a 4-0 record against South Carolina. In particular, I’ll remember the 63-17 shellacking you put on the Gamecocks in 2003. I’ll also remember the wins over national powers like Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, Colorado and Texas A&M.

I even remember the come-from-behind win in your first start against Duke. Facing a 4th-and-10 in the fourth quarter, with the season on the line, you calmly delivered a quick pass to Airese Currie for a 47-yard touchdown.

Yes, I know your records as well.

You finished his career the holder of 42 different Clemson passing and total offense records, including career passing yardage with 9,656, career completions with 817 and career touchdown passes with 49.

You also finished your career with 25 victories, second in Clemson history, including eight fourth-quarter comebacks.

You took a pounding like I've never seen in the 2002 Tangerine Bowl against Texas Tech yet always kept your composure. You never spread the blame.

But for some reason, I thought Clemson’s offense would be better with a more mobile Will Proctor in the lineup in 2006. I thought the team wouldn’t miss a beat with you out of the lineup.

I thought wrong.

Turns out everybody who thought that was wrong. Your ability to stand in the pocket and deliver the football in the downfield passing game was sorely missed. Your ability to rush for 10 yards on 3rd-and-9 was missed.

And I should have known better because I was there for 99% of your snaps as a starting quarterback. I saw what you did when the offense was clicking on all cylinders.

I also was there to interview you after every great win, not to mention the strange losses.

The one thing I can say, regardless of what happened on the field, you could always be depended on to emerge from the locker room to talk about it.

The incredible win over No. 3 Florida State in 2003? Of course, you eagerly met with the media afterwards.

The thrilling upset over Miami in the Orange Bowl in 2004? You were there.

The “what in the hell happened” loss against Duke a week later? Yes, you were there to talk how the team went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in the span of just seven days.
And yes, even after throwing the game-ending interception in the third overtime against Miami in 2005, you didn’t hide from anyone.

Maybe fans expected more from you during three and half years as the starter. I guess I can understand that. At times, it seemed like this program could beat any team in the country. At other times it seemed like it could lose to anybody. And it did.

Maybe that was one of the reasons I thought Clemson would be better last season. Maybe I thought there would be more consistency at quarterback.

After all, reflecting on your career as I write this blog has forced me to revisit the insane wins against the teams I mentioned above. Man, those were incredible days. It also has forced to remember the equally insane losses. Good grief those were some strange games.

But still, let me say one more time, “Sorry Charlie."

You were the best signal caller Clemson has ever had and Clemson football was not better after you left.