Eric Mac Lain

Eric Mac Lain's job with the ACC Network and ESPN is calling things like he sees them on the football field.

And of late, that's meant calling out the program that he loves and played for.

Mac Lain, who played his final season at Clemson in 2015 when the Tigers advanced to the national title game, joins the podcast to reflect on his process and how he navigates criticizing people he loves and admires.

Mac Lain lives in Columbia with his wife and 1-year-old daughter. During the week he does most of his work from a garage he converted into a studio for his work on television, satellite radio and podcasts.

Mac Lain spent three days at Clemson's practices during August camp and walked away feeling uplifted about the offense. He's spent much of the past two months wondering what happened as the Tigers sit at 4-3.

"It's the most bizarre thing," he said. "You just wonder how they got to this point. I think it's unfortunate. Hopefully there are things that can be done and will be done to fix this. But as much as people want to place the blame on Dabo Swinney or a play call, he's not the one fumbling at the 1-yard line. He's not the one making an errant throw or deciding to pull a ball when a run is called. He's not missing a tackle or not run-fitting correctly. ...

"But at the end of the day the man who will take the brunt of the blame is the head coach. There's a reason he's paid so much. There's a reason he makes the decisions. He's earned all that. But with that comes criticism."