Practice is Underway

Fall practice began this week, with the team taking to the field in helmets but no pads. It's not full-contact hitting yet, but it's Football Season Eve, and that's always a great thing.

The limited reports we've gotten from practice so far are very encouraging. Not that it really comes as a surprise, but the new staff is apparently far more energetic and hands-on than its predecessor. To my consternation, Kevin Akins apparently saw time only at LB; that, of course, could change.

While the coming days will be important in getting the offensive line gelled together, the real progress won't begin until the pads come on and the scrimmages start. A huge help will be the strength of BC's defense; the front seven our O-line will be facing in the preseason is as good as any they'll face in the regular season. I also think that the caliber of student-athlete that BC attracts will really help us here; I expect our guys to be able to pick up the new scheme a lot more quickly than might be the case at other schools.

This team is getting zero respect in the media....but you know what?? I'm fine with that, and so is Gosder Cherilus. Every time we're written off, every pundit that fails to include us in his top 25, makes this team stronger. This is a great Boston College team, maybe the most talented in the school's history; we have 16 starters returning, including one of the top quarterbacks in the country; and we are no longer shackled by the worst offensive coordinator in D1A. What's not to love??

I promise that I'll severely step up the frequency of posting as the season approaches, but until then, some links from the local papers:

Herald - Five Questions Facing the Eagles
Herald - Challenger Back, Better
Globe - After Rain Delay, BC Eager to Get Started
Globe - New Job is His to Tackle

On the recruiting front, some somewhat disheartening news today as prized New Jersey LB Brendan Beal named BC as third in the running for his services, behind USC and Florida. I'm not too concerned about this. Obviously BC is a longshot to land Beal, but I don't think this is anything we didn't know before. I don't think we're completely out of the running. I think we have about a 10-15% chance of landing him, and this will only improve with a strong start.

In better news, we have apparently jumped into the thick of things for star New York wideout Marcus Sales, a guy that in my mind we should've been all over since day one.