Friday June 20, 2008

Ryan Update / Friday E-Mail Bag

Ryan Update 6-20
There is no major news on Ryan today. There were some good signs though. He is now off of any oxygen. Ryan has been breathing on his own for some time but they had supplemented him with some oxygen but they took him off of the oxygen yesterday and he responded well. His lungs have been a major source of strength throughout this entire ordeal.

We are concerned about his posturing and his storming episodes. I am not sure if this is related to his seizures or not but hopefully the seizure medicine will help. Dr. Gardner says this may be a result of Ryan waking up more and he believes his left leg movement seemed purposeful. Ryan is looking to his left more today which is a change. He had been focusing about 85% of his vision to his right side so this change is another positive.

When his seizure medicine reaches a therapeutic level and his seizures have stopped his physiatrist plans to start him his brain stimulation medicine and we are hopeful that that is a catalyst to more activity.

In the next week or two we will have to make plans to move Ryan to a rehab facility. The two that are highest on our list at this time is Shepherd in Atlanta and the Roger C. Peace center in Greenville. Eventually Ryan will be able to come home where we will continue his rehab as an outpatient.

Our Game plan in Assisting Ryan in his Recovery
I told Kelly I think Ryan's full recovery may be about a two-year process and we are only three weeks into it. If he takes 100 weeks to recover then we are only 3% into this journey. So we came up with a family gameplan for our role in assisting his full recovery. The gameplan is three pronged and we will not stray from it. As family, friends and supporters we would invite you to join in this plan. Here it is:
1. We will pray. When we do pray we will thank God for Ryan's progress and ask for a 100% recovery.
2. We will trust God and His plan. We will not question any aspect of God's plan. We have total faith in God and trust Him.
3. We will only be positive. There is no room for any negative thoughts or their counterproductive results. Ryan is going to 100% one day and our positive energy will only help. We want to be of the solution and not part of the problem.

Your prayers are working and we would love your support with this plan.

Friday E-Mail Bag
Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.

Mickey,
I'm glad to hear things are improving with Ryan, I know you have the full support and prayers of the entire Clemson nation.

-Wes

Wes,

I think I would take Mossakowski. Please remember that I have only seen limited film on both players and have only talked to a couple of coaches about their skills. However, I say Mossakowski for a couple of reasons. First, the staff has already had him in camp and has a pretty good sample of his skill set. I understand he looked fantastic at Clemson's camp.

Also I think he is a little higher rated on other schools boards and has a few more offers. Newton is a good player and the staff has offered for a reason so they would be thrilled with his commitment.

One other factor here may be baseball. Mossakowski might be a draftable baseball athlete next June.

Thanks for the prayers for Ryan. They are working.

Mickey:
1) We hear how well Clemson's Offense (and Defense) rank based on Points Scored and Yards per Game. Out of curiosity (not bashing) I would like to know how well we stack up against the ACC when you only count ACC games. It seems that our stats may be skewed over the last 2 years due to romping weak OOC opponents ( LA Tech 51-0 * Temple 63-9 * ULM 49-26 * Furman 38-10 * CMI 70-14). The other ACC teams may have similar weaklings that make the comparisons fair but I would like to see the in conference rankings including only in conference games. It would also be interesting to see national rankings but only include BCS opponents. Thoughts?
2) Why do they simply measure red zone scoring by % of times you score? Although that is important, it seems that average points scored per red zone visit is more important.
Are either of these stats published anywhere?

Thanks,
CJ

CJ,
Thanks for the e-mail. I think you make valid points especially with your second point.

Clemson fared well in just conference games in terms of statistics. The Tigers were second in points per game, second in total offense, third in rushing offense, fourth in passing, second I yards per completion, third in yards per play and first in eliminating turnovers from conference games only last year.

On defense, Clemson was second in points per game, first in total yards, fourth in rushing defense, first in pass defense and fifth in sacks in conference games only.

As far as the red zone stuff, I agree 100%. I would want to know average points per red zone appearance. Once you get the ball in the red zone a field goal is a disappointment in most cases. Therefore I don't think a team should get credit for having a good red zone offense unless they generate touchdowns.

Mickey,
I am a Gamecock and wish Ryan the best. Our family is praying for him. I missed your SEC quarterback rankings. Can you post them somewhere? Thanks.

Rob

Rob,
Thanks for the kind words and prayer. Many South Carolina fans have reached out to my family with support and I will never forget it.

Here are my SEC QB Rankings:
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Alabama
4. Tennessee
5. Auburn
6. Ole Miss
7. Arkansas
8. South Carolina
9. LSU
10. Vanderbilt
11. Mississippi State
12. Kentucky

Mickey,
Who is our next commitment? Do you think Clemson will get J. Boyd and J Patterson? How many offensive linemen will we sign this year?

Thanks,
David

David,
I am never really sure about the timing of commitments so I am not sure who will be next. I think the staff feels good about a bunch of prospects like Brandon Thomas but I am not sure when he would pull the trigger.

Both Boyd and Patterson are very high on Clemson. I think Boyd will sign with Clemson if today was signing day. I think the Tigers are not trailing anyone on Patterson but he may not be as far along in his decision making process.

I think Clemson will sign three offensive linemen in this class. J.K. Jay is solid and I think Clemson will land Thomas. It would not surprise me to see the Tigers stop at two but if they could land a prospect like Washington, Nixon or Massie then they would oversign at the position.

I have exchanged text messages with Coach Pawlowski in recent weeks but only on the subject of Mary Louise and Ryan. He has been so gracious in his support of our family situation and we are praying for his daughter. I do know he has interviewed at Auburn and he was a big candidate there last time so he may have a good chance.