Myles Murphy's Job Is Simple: Be Consistent
Stepping up and doing the little things consistently at Clemson is what makes any good player great.
For Tigers' defensive coordinator Brent Venables, the fundamentals and consistency are what he's noticed this spring from returners like Myles Murphy and Justin Mascoll. Just ask the United States Military; there's a reason great coaches implore their players to focus on the basics and small details, and this could propel the entire defensive line's play in 2021.
"You know me, I just always believed you got to go out and prove it," Venables said. "I've seen the improvement that we hoped, and Myles; he's had a good spring. He's long. He's fast. He's explosive. He's really strong. Got a lot of natural strength and had an excellent year last year. True freshman coming in and having that kind of year, had some real splash plays and just looking for him and Mascoll both to be consistent.
"So what does that mean? If I'm supposed to box, if I'm supposed to be the contain player, if I'm supposed to spill the football, I'm supposed to align tighter or wider, whatever it is. Those are the things that give you the chance to be a really consistent player."
Using former Tigers as an example, Venables laid out even further what consistentcy will look like for Murphy, Mascoll, and the remainder of the defense moving into the summer and fall.
"Use a guy like (Justin) Foster or Logan Rudolph (for example)," Venables said. "With those two guys, yeah, they maybe never flashed, but what they did do is they did all the little things that the great ones do, and they do it every day. Like they understand the little details that you got to execute and show up with the right mindset to play winning, dominant football. And inconsistent players, sometimes they do (that), sometimes they don't.
"So why is it inconsistent? Some of its just knowledge, some of its experience, some of it's just the discipline. And you got to know how to play with that kind of discipline and not get bored with it, and do it over and over and over and over. Not just the what, but the why, and the how. If those guys do that, we have a chance to be really, really good. And if we don't do that, sometimes we'll be good, sometimes we won't."
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