Notre Dame Week

Well, it's that time of the year again (again).

The theme of the week will be the fact that the tables have been reversed. As we all know, BC is coming into South Bend undefeated and as the #4 team in the country. Notre Dame, well, isn't undefeated or the #4 team in the country. Certainly many Irish fans would love to ruin our season the way we ruined theirs in 1993 and 2002. In fact, you can bet that Charlie Weis has been showing clips of the 1993 and 2002 games to his players all week.

A common Domer excuse for losing to BC annually is that it's just another game to their players, whereas to our players it's the Super Bowl. Don't fall for it. The Irish players will, without a doubt, be every bit as fired up for this one as the guys in maroon and gold are. BC is the far superior team and should win, but we can't simply stroll into Notre Dame stadium and expect to walk away with a victory.

So how does BC avoid the upset?? The first key is to get pressure on Jimmy Clausen. BC's Achilles' heel defensively is, without a doubt, the deep ball. The cornerbacks other than DeJuan Tribble are inexperienced (even 5th-year senior Taji Morris has spent most of his BC career either injured or constantly bouncing back and forth between DB and CB); the pass rush has been anemic so far (although it did show signs of life against a decent Bowling Green offensive line); and the safeties, while excellent in run support and the short/medium-range passing game, lack elite high-end speed and could be exposed deep. The good news?? The Irish have not really shown the ability to consistently go deep as of yet. Their team speed, while improving and probably a touch better than BC's, is still nowhere near the level of the ACC powers like Florida State and Virginia Tech that BC is used to facing. More importantly, Clausen has not yet proven that he can throw the deep ball. It seems to be a confidence issue, whether on his part or the coaching staff's; but either way, the Irish need to be able to throw deep in order to win. They are not going to be able to run on BC; and while the short passing game will chew up yards and clock, it will also lead to BC interceptions.

On the other side of the ball, the main thing I am concerned about is the offensive adjustment to Notre Dame's new 3-4 defense. For the first time in years the Irish have more talent on the defensive side of the ball than they do on the offensive, and now they also have a confusing new scheme to go along with it. It should be noted that BC did a very nice job against a similar Virginia defense 2 years ago, but only one starting offensive lineman played in that game (for perspective, Quinton Porter was named ACC Player of the Week for his performance against the Cavaliers). While I don't think Notre Dame has the raw talent on defense to match BC, the 3-4 scheme will take some adjusting to for the linemen and backs. A huge advantage BC has here is the tremendous ability of both Andre Callender and L.V. Whitworth in the passing game--primarily in blitz pickup, but also as released receivers. Matchup-wise, I think undersized but quick and wily true freshman RT Anthony Castonzo will excel against the 3-4, where he will be facing off not against a 260-lb defensive end but against a 240-250 lb linebacker such as Kerry Neal or John Ryan.

Of course, Matt Ryan needs to have a good day, but that goes without saying. And he will. BC's lack of a #1 go-to guy in the WR corps is actually an advantage in my opinion, as it forces opposing defenses to gameplan for 5 or 6 different guys. Brandon Robinson is the best wideout on the team, but Kevin Challenger, Rich Gunnell, Clarence Megwa, and Justin Jarvis are all also capable of breaking out for 100+ yard games--and that's before you get to the tight ends and backs, not to mention younger receivers like Ifeanyi Momah and Billy Flutie. My guess is that the Irish will play conservative defense, seeking to deny BC the deep ball and forcing Ryan to dink and dunk down the field against an unfamiliar 3-4 scheme. While this could pose some problems, it will at least have the effect of forcing their best defensive playmaker, safety Tom Zbikowski, to stay deep.

Special teams need to be on target. Billy Bennett was held out of practice yesterday for undisclosed reasons, but should be good to go on Saturday. Kickoff coverage needs to improve, and the punt team needs to keep doing what they've been doing. Could this be the week we finally see true freshman speedster Dan Mulrooney returning punts??

Finally, BC needs great support from its fans in South Bend. I'm expecting about 10-15,000 BC fans to be there, which would make for the largest away contingent of Eagles fans since the 2003 San Francisco Bowl. BC's allotment of 5,000 tickets sold out as soon as it went on sale, and despite that virtually everyone I know who's going to the game didn't actually get their tickets through BC. We need to cheer our team on, be loud when the Domers are on offense, and show the world that BC fans can travel when we have something worth traveling to see.

My prediction?? I think the Irish will keep it close for about a quarter and a half, but ultimately they just don't have the horses to hang with a great BC team this year. While they have certainly improved since the trio of season-opening debacles against Georgia Tech, Penn State, and Michigan, they have yet to face a team nearly as good as BC. While their win over UCLA will give them a boost of confidence, I don't think it will have much ultimate impact on the game. This one will be uncomfortably close for a while, but the Eagles will pull away in the end.

Prediction: BC 41, Notre Dame 17


My group is leaving for Notre Dame at around 5 today. If you see a green 4Runner with Colorado plates, BC and UNC stickers, and (if I have time to stop by the bookstore before departure) an enormous, gaudy BC helmet magnet, give a honk and a wave.

Bowling Pink???

So no-one asked what we were going to do this week. Well, I think BC has been disrespected long enough. Look at this interview, in a fucking ACC market, pissing on the Eagles.

Enough.

In case you haven't noticed, it's us against the fucking world. No one outside of the ACC is going to respect us. No one inside the ACC is going to respect us because we are the General Sherman to their Atlanta. You think they like a bunch of not just Yankees but drunk-ass Irish Yankee assholes dominating their conference both in football and in hoops?? Think again.

Tomorrow at noon we take the field against Bowling Green. We are going to murder them, but that's beside the point. If any of you think that we've been doing any more than the bare minimum necessary to win the last two games.....if you think Steve Logan is fucking stupid enough to give anything away that he doesn't have to then I invite you to kill yourself. We have an NFL staff now. That means we won't run the score up on bad teams for the sake of running up the score (as much as I'd like to). It also means we will systematically prison rape good teams, as we did Georgia Tech and Wake.

The Falcons have a good passing attack. They have no running game. I also feel like they don't have much of a D.

Prediction: BC 27, Bowling Green 10


I told my buddy Timmie who lives in LA and I'm telling you all now--if we are 11-0 heading into the Miami game and if he flies out for it, I will go shirtless and in maroon and gold body paint regardless of how cold it is.


Week off for me next week, so you'll get my treatise on Steve Logan's offensive theory as well as a hockey preview before I head off to my first trip to South Bend.

Power Rankings

Used to do these last year, bringing them back now. I'll also have hockey and hoops rankings up when those sports start. For now, ACC football:

1. BC
2. Clemson
3. Georgia Tech
4. Miami
5. Virginia Tech
6. Wake Forest
7. Florida State
8. Virginia
9. Maryland
10. North Carolina
11. Duke
12. NC State


Hey, Duke has beaten a 1A opponent this year.

UMass Preview

The Commonwealth Cup takes to the gridiron tomorrow as the UMass Minutemen, New England's second-best college football team, comes into town.

UMass will be a very tough foe for the Eagles, but they are not Appalachian State. While the Mountaineers run a complex spread offense that makes great use of their speed and presented considerable matchup issues for the Michigan defense, UMass takes more of a straightforward approach. Appalachian State's victory over the Wolverines did not mean that they were the superior team; nor, here, is UMass the superior team.

What UMass is is a disciplined, well-coached squad which will look at the BC game as a shot to prove themselves against a team knocking on the door of the nation's top 10. The Minutemen come in matching BC's record of 4-0, including a pair of wins over Colonial Athletic Association foes Towson and Maine (the Black Bears, who lost 22-0 in Chestnut Hill last season, fell 38-7 to UMass). While they boast a solid QB in Liam Coen, a Rhode Island native who was scouted but never offered a scholarship by BC, the focus of their attack is the ground game--primarily UConn transfer Matt Lawrence, who has racked up 517 yards and 5 TDs on just 82 to carries to date.

While the Minutemen offense is impressive, their defense is somewhat less so. The team has yielded 67 points in 4 games, certainly a respectable accomplishment but one which will need to be improved upon in order to have a chance against BC. The strength of UMass' defense is its ability to show multiple looks and confuse a QB; while this is effective against 1-AA quarterbacks, it is likely to be much less so against Matt Ryan. In fact, I would not be surprised to see UMass deviate somewhat from their usual gameplan and go with a more vanilla set, dropping guys back into coverage and challenging BC to beat them on the ground. With Steve Logan developing an offense that can run a "3 yards and a cloud of dust" power rushing game, a 5-wide spread, and just about anything in between (a subject I will discuss in detail in a future post), I expect BC to be able to handle anything UMass defensive coordinator Keith Dudzinski can throw at them.

In years past, I would be concerned that a talented but under-the-radar team such as UMass would be able to come into Alumni and give BC a scare or even knock us off. Now that we have a coaching staff who actually knows how to motivate its players, I am not as concerned. After last week's lackluster performance against Army, the BC staff is not about to let its players rest on their laurels for this one; additionally, if any further motivation was needed, the team needs look no further back than the Appalachian State-Michigan game just 4 weeks ago. The BC locker room has been plastered with newspaper articles from the historical upset in the week leading up to the UMass game.

Unfortunately, Jeff Smith will not be able to make his season debut on Saturday; although the fact that it was even up for consideration indicates that his return is likely not far off, hopefully in time for Notre Dame. Also out with a knee injury will be starting fullback James McCluskey; true freshman Brad Newman will take his place in the starting lineup, with senior tight end Ryan Thompson also expected to see some time at the position. Defensive tackle Brady Smith, who has excelled this year, is also injured and not listed to start, but could see playing time if needed.

Despite the injuries, I expect UMass to hang close for about a quarter before the Eagles pull away.

Prediction: BC 38, UMass 13


More links from today's Globe:

Herzlich Leader of the Pack
Step Right Up and Give It a Shot

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In other news this week, BC was voted to a tie for #1 in the Hockey East coach's poll along with UNH, with BU and Maine coming in 3rd and 4th respectively. While there is no doubt that BC is loaded with talented skaters, both returning and new, much will be asked of freshman goalies John Muse and Andrew Margolin and I think the poll reflects this. Had Cory Schneider returned this team would have been the odds-on favorite to win the national title; with Schneider gone, there is still a huge amount of talent, but question marks (albeit talented question marks) in the net.

Army Preview

Gameday #4 tomorrow as the Eagles take on the first team on the schedule that could be somewhat of a breather, Army.

Don't get me wrong, BC will NOT be taking this one lightly. Jags will not allow it.

That said, I'm optimistic here. If there's anything you can count on from an Army team, it's that they will battle hard for 60 minutes. I expect no less tomorrow. That said, Army has in recent years deviated from the traditional service academy option attack (that always gives BC problems), and gone to more of a misdirection-slash-West Coast style approach, vaguely similar to Wake Forest's offense. While the Deacons have given BC fits with their attack, the fact is that the Black Knights simply don't have the horses to hang with BC. They'll definitely have a wrinkle or two up their sleeves for the toughest opponent they'll face this year, but I don't see this being much of a problem.

Look for Chris Crane to play most, if not all, of the second half. It's important for BC to pad Matt Ryan's stats for a Heisman run, but a service academy is not the team to do it against. We'll have plenty of time for that in our next three games, which will all be against cupcakes--UMass, Bowling Green, and Notre Dame.

I'll be getting back into more regular posting, so look for a game wrap-up tomorrow or Sunday and possibly another pregame post tomorrow morning. As for now, I'll leave you with...

Prediction: BC 35, Army 0

GO EAGLES!!

Ryan for Heisman!!

While BC's marketing department has utterly failed so far in promoting our boy for the trophy, an intrepid BC fan has taken it upon himself to create the Ryan for Heisman blog. Well done, sir.

Good news so far on the recruiting front, as BC seems to be back in the mix for a number of top recruits, particularly at the skill positions. Coveted CB Donnie Fletcher of Cleveland will be visiting for this weekend's Army game; let's hope he comes away with a good impression.

Incidentally, you have to love the national media attention that Ryan has been getting lately. In less than a year of working together, Steve Logan has turned Matt Ryan from a guy that most "experts" had pegged as a 2nd-round pick into a top-10 pick and a legitimate Heisman contender. Don't think that QB recruits aren't noticing--if Logan can improve Ryan (who was already a superb QB) that much in just a year, what can he do with a raw high school kid in 4-5 years??

Tobias Returns

Big game tomorrow...I think BC wins this one in a romp. Set aside the return of the Hen; NC State simply doesn't have the talent right now to match up with the Eagles. With a new offensive scheme that can actually make use of the talent we have, Matt Ryan has been unshackled and looked like a completely new QB against Wake Forest last weekend.

How will the run game perform?? It looked shaky at times against the Deacons but BC was, after all, able to kill the clock at the end of the game. It's less of an issue now, because the new coaching philosophy is to keep increasing the lead, rather than sitting on whatever lead you get. NC State will not be helped by the sudden loss of both starting defensive tackles, star Demario Pressley to a knee injury and Alan Michael Cash due to the death of his father.

But of course, the return of Tom O'Brien cannot be forgotten about. While there is no doubt that O'Brien will want to win this game badly, BC's players will want it just as much; and they are the ones whose emotions and efforts on the field will decide the game. Unfortunately for Wolfpack fans, NC State's players have no particular reason to care about this game more than any other in the conference. The Eagles are going to be fired up for this one, and I'm thinking it could get ugly. Our guys won't be making the same mistakes they did last week that gifted 14 points to the Deacons, and I'm looking for a big game in particular from the defense, and from guys like AJ Brooks and Brandon Robinson who spent way too much of their BC careers in O'Brien's doghouse.

Prediction: BC 41, NC State 13


I'll be drinking at 9 am tomorrow and heading to campus around 11:30; stop by and help me welcome back our gutless former coach.

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.

Tide, Wolverines on the Horizon??

Roll Bama Roll posted today arguing for a BC-Alabama series to be played, with the cancellation of the Tide's 2008 home game against UTEP. Let me be the first to say that I would love this. Alabama is one of the most respected programs in college football, and despite a few down years you know that Nick Saban will have them back in business before too long. Not sure if it'll happen, but any chance to play an SEC team is one we as a program should take (excluding Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia, who I see little need to play as we already play conference foes in their states). You could even put our home game at Gillette Stadium and use it as an opportunity to reminisce to BC's 1983 ice storm victory over 'Bama in Foxboro. Get it done, Gene D.

Another opportunity presents itself with the announcement that Notre Dame will continue dumbing down its schedule and drop not just BC, but also arch-rivals Michigan. If the Domers are too scared to play either one of us, then how about the Eagles and Wolverines get together for a home-and-home in 2012 and 2013?? This would also fit in nicely with the potential series with USC to take place around the same time (playing both teams in the same year in addition to the ACC slate and a possibly-revitalized-by-Big-Ten-membership Syracuse team would be pretty hairy, but we can handle it). You could even revive the old BC-ND tradition of playing a hockey game the night before the main attraction.

Speaking of which, has anyone heard any new updates on the USC situation?? Post in comments if so.

Maddux Sports BC outlook

Got this preview from the guys over at MadduxSports.com, a great handicapping site; I suggest all you other degenerates out there check them out:

When we were compiling our annual college football season preview these past few weeks, the ACC Atlantic was without a doubt the hardest division to prognosticate. The amount of talent separating teams 1 though 6 is miniscule. One could argue that the 1^st place team could finish as low as 6^th while the 6^th place team has the ability to be playing in the ACC Title game. This is good news for Boston College fans since we are forecasting a 5^th place finish for the Eagles which should still be good warrant a college bowl pick invitation by one of the minor bowls.

In 2006 Boston College posted a 10-3 record which included a 25-24 win over Navy in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. In that game they were led by interim coach Frank Spazini after NC State poached Tom O’Brien away from the Eagles. This win extended the Eagles impressive streak of consecutive bowl wins to 7 straight, the longest current streak in the NCAA. With O’Brien gone to the Wolfpack, BC went out and hired former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski to take over the program. The good news for Jagodzinski is that O’Brien left the cupboard full of weapons including 9 returning starters from a defense that allowed a paltry 15.7 points per game.

One of Jagodzinski’s first decisions was to retain Spazini and linebackers coach Bill McGovern. Spazini will serve as the defensive coordinator for the 9^th straight season. Keeping both these coaches on staff will bring some much needed continuity for the team.

As for the defensive guys actually suiting for the Eagles, there is plenty of veteran leadership. Seven of the nine returning defensive starters are seniors, including five of the seven guys manning the front 7. It is still up in the air whether or not five star recruit Brian Toal will return from injury in time for the opener but even if he doesn’t, the linebacking corps will be one of the best units in the ACC conference. The group will be led by last years leading tackler Jolonn Dunbar and Tyronne Pruitt who are All-ACC talents.

After returning a lot of talent in the secondary last season, Boston College intercepted 21 passes, good for 3^rd best among NCAA teams. This year they lose 2 starters in CB Larry Anam and SS Ryan Glasper. Although they had those 21 picks, the Eagles did allow opponents to complete 60% of their pass attempts.

On offense BC returns 7 starters and the unit is led by senior quarterback Matt Ryan. We know Ryan is one tough SOB playing 7 of the last 8 games with a broken foot earning all conference honors in the process. The question is how good is he at learning a new playbook? Along with a new head coach BC is breaking in a new offense composed by new offensive coordinator Steve Logan. How well the offense performs will hinge on how fast Ryan dissects and learns the new plays.

The one thing we do know is that while Ryan is adjusting to the new scheme he will have plenty of weapons at his disposal. In the backfield Boston College is guided by a senior duo of L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender. Together they govern one of the most experienced running back corps in the country. As for the wideouts, last years leading receiver Kevin Challenger returns for his senior season and will be playing along the explosive junior Brandon Robinson.

The offensive line is lead by left tackle and future NFL draftee Gosder Cherilus. The Eagles do lose 2 distinguished starters both of whom where drafted by NFL franchises, but 8 of the top 10 lineman return. Even with learning new blocking schemes this unit still should be one of the ACC’s best.

So with all the good things going for Boston College how can we be calling for them to finish 5^th? One of the big reasons why we are predicting a low finish is teams that change systems tend to have an incubation period in their first season before everything starts hitting on all cylinders.

The second reason is the schedule. The Eagles get the unfortunate prize of drawing the top 3 teams from the Coastal Division. Week in and week out wins will be tough to come by. There is not much separating the Atlantic teams and although we have Boston College rated as the 2^nd most talented team in the division we have to predict a 5^th place finish in what figures to be a tightly contested ACC Atlantic division race.

MadduxSports.com is sports picks service that provides both premium and free college football predictions on the weekly football games. In 2006 they won the college football ultimate handicapping picking 63.1% winners besting all other handicapper entrants.

Media Day Links

You know it's almost that time of the year when Media Day rolls around, and 2007 is no different. Of course, the Globe didn't see fit to cover the event at all, but BC fans know that the Herald is our paper of note anyway.

Podcast with Jags (and the other 11 ACC coaches)

Jags video interview on ACC website

Jags interview from Herald

ACC media predictions

Dunbar speaks on BC's D

Yep, I'm still alive

First off, sorry to everyone that I haven't posted in forever--I started a new job a few weeks ago and have been extremely busy. Combine this with a fairly dead period for BC sports (save a few notable, albeit fairly old, items that I'll comment on below) and you have a recipe for no posting. Now that I'm more in the swing of things, so to speak, I'll be posting more frequently. Specifically, after this roundup post I'll be getting the next installment in my position-by-position analysis of the upcoming football season up tonight or tomorrow, and trying to continue with those at a rate of at least one a week until the season starts.

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Is there anyone who defines the phrase "BC Guy" better than Cory Schneider??


Talk about a kid who has bled maroon and gold for the last 3 years. He had the opportunity to go pro as early as the summer following his freshman year, and stuck around to lead BC to two national championship games, a Hockey East tournament championship, and numerous national accolades. Following the disappointing loss in this year's Beanpot final, Cory led a BC team that was playing perhaps as well as any in the history of college hockey. Obviously we would've all loved to have seen him return for his senior year, but the big bucks are awfully hard to pass up--especially when you already have your college degree. Schneider loves Boston College, and it was apparent every time he took the ice and every time he was quoted in the press. You really get the feeling that if he hadn't been blessed with such amazing talent, he'd have been up in the student section at Conte Forum calling John Curry a sieve, telling UNH fans to "warm up the trailer", and making Dateline NBC jokes at Keith Johnson. As much as I hate to see him leave the Heights and will always wonder what might have been had he stuck around for his senior year, we here at FHMAM thank Cory for his incredible service to BC and wish him the best of luck in the pros (particularly if the persistent rumors of a trade to the Flyers pan out).

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If anyone seriously still doubts that the Boston Globe has an anti-BC bias, look no further than their coverage of the recent incident involving Gosder Cherilus at a North End bar. While BC successes in the realm of sports often barely merit mention in the paper, while Eagles fans are lucky to get a half-page of coverage the Friday before a big game, this non-story somehow makes its way onto the paper's front page--not the front sports page, the actual front page.

The Boston Herald, despite having far fewer resources and contacts, does a MUCH better job of covering BC sports than the Globe does. It's not uncommon to see 5 or 6 full tabloid pages of coverage on the football or basketball team during the season.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Herald doesn't have a well-documented anti-Catholic bias clouding its judgment.

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More to come soon, including a preview of BC's running back situation and a recruiting update. The next few weeks could be huge on the recruiting front.

BC by the Positions - QB

Summer is kind of a dead time for college football fans. Sure, the guys are working out, but most programs (particularly those run by guys with NFL backgrounds) are secretive enough that it's tough to know what's going on aside from a media snippet here and there. So with an eye towards next season, I will break down the team BC will be bringing into the year, position by position. I will look at guys who figure to start this year, guys who figure to provide depth this year, young players on our roster who we will look to in the future, and our recruiting situation at that position. While much of this will not be new info to BC fans, I hope to analyze the situations (with a particular eye towards position battles) and give my take on things. It will also help educate opposing fans who may not know much about our team.

So without further ado, I will begin this series with a few words on the quarterback position.

The Starter: This man needs no introduction. Glenn Foley is a great radio host (I encourage anyone in the Philadelphia area to check him out on 950 am in the mornings), but he no longer holds the title of "BC's best quarterback since Flutie". We have in Matt Ryan the best QB by far in the ACC, and one of the best in the country. Ryan finished last season with 2942 passing yards, a 126.38 passer rating, 15 TD passes, and a 61.6% completion rating; good for first, fourth, tied for third, and third in the ACC respectively. His TD/INT ratio (15/10), while not overly impressive at first glance on a national scale, was best in the defensive-heavy ACC. His numbers in 2006 were good, if not great. However, as any BC fan knows, numbers do not tell the story with Ryan. For one thing, he accomplished these feats despite having merely an average WR corps by ACC standards (I could throw 20 TD passes, as Georgia Tech QB Reggie Ball did last season, with Calvin Johnson on my team), and despite being shackled by Tom O'Brien's ultra-conservative approach and by playing for Dana Bible, who is the worst offensive coordinator in the country. In addition to Bible's general incompetence, Ryan's TD numbers were hurt specifically by Bible's preference to keep the ball on the ground in the red zone. For another, he accomplished all of this despite playing on a sprained ankle for virtually the entire year and on a broken foot for about half of the year. Despite these injuries, he missed just one game during the year (and my hunch is that he would've played had that game not been against Buffalo in a driving monsoon).

More importantly, however, Ryan's most important asset is his leadership. Ever since he took a brutal hit against Clemson early in the 2005 season and returned to the game after missing just one play, he has been this team's emotional sparkplug. He knows how to win, and he rarely makes mistakes in critical situations (yes, he threw game-ending interceptions against Wake Forest and Miami last season; but he should not have been put in those desperation situations by the coaching staff in the first place).

With new offensive coordinator Steve Logan coming into town, the sky is the limit for Ryan this year. It is true that Ryan, a classical drop-back passer, does not fit the mold of mobile, athletic QBs generally favored by Logan. But unlike his predecessor, Logan is smart enough not to try to force a square peg into a round hole. Logan is one of the best QB gurus in the game today, having sent two passers to the NFL during his tenure at East Carolina (Jeff Blake and David Garrard), and his partnership with Ryan could prove lethal for opposing defenses. While Ryan is not likely to break off a 30-yard run, he is mobile in the sense that guys like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Carson Palmer are mobile; that is to say, he can move around in the pocket, effectively avoid pressure, and buy his receivers more time to get open. BC's athletic department needs to start up the hype machine now, because Ryan is a legitimate Heisman contender; but when you don't play for a Texas or Notre Dame, you need your school to go to bat for you in the PR arena. So far there is little indication that BC has done this, which is extremely distressing to me. Aside from owing it to one of BC's best players ever, having a Heisman winner or even contender can pay off many times over down the line in recruiting (as well as the national profile of the school in general). In my opinion, Ryan and Louisville's Brian Brohm are the two best quarterbacks in the country this year. If BC has a strong start to the year and is in the hunt for a BCS bowl and the ACC title, he will be firmly in the running both for the Heisman and an early first-round NFL draft selection.

The Depth: It's not easy playing behind one of the country's best, but the QB position will be in good hands for at least one year after Ryan graduates. Junior Chris Crane has looked solid every time he's been called upon at BC, and led the Eagles to an overwhelming victory (so overwhelming, 41-0, that walk-on David D'Ambrosio was behind center for a good chunk of the 4th quarter) over Buffalo in his one career start last season. Granted, it was Buffalo; but even against the sternest opponents he has faced, BC's own defense in the last two spring games, Crane has impressed--even this year, despite playing behind a patchwork second-team offensive line that included true freshman Anthony Castonzo at right tackle. Playing primarily in the Buffalo game but also in mop-up duty against Maine and Duke (admittedly not the toughest opposition), Crane went 22 for 32 last year, throwing for 193 yards, 1 TD, and 1 interception (if I remember correctly, a good pass that bounced off a receiver's hands and straight to a Buffalo defender). He's not Matt Ryan, but few are. What he is is mobile in a way that Ryan is not, despite being a pass-first QB, and an prototypical Steve Logan QB. Crane reminds me somewhat in his style of play of Donovan McNabb (during McNabb's 230 lb pro tenure, not his 190 lb play at Syracuse). He looks to pass first, but is not afraid to take off downfield if nothing is there, and has the speed to punish defenses by doing so. At ECU, Logan made a habit of inserting the backup QB for one series during each half of every game; I don't think this will take place here, as it seems like it will be Jags' call rather than Logans, and I don't think that an NFL guy will want to do that, especially with a starting QB as good as Ryan. But Crane is more than capable of winning games for BC if he does play. Hopefully he will get the opportunity, but only in garbage time. Either way, I see him being a very effective starter for BC next season.

The Future: On this fall's roster will be redshirt freshman Billy Flutie, and true freshmen Chris Johnson and Dominique Davis. None will see time at QB this season unless BC is forced to go to a third QB due to injuries (or a combination of injury and a blowout lead; even then, as in the Buffalo game last year, you may see a walk-on instead). Despite his last name, Flutie's future at the Heights is not neccesarily behind center. While he reportedly looked good running the scout offense last year, Flutie did not take a single snap at QB in this year's spring game; he did, however, look fairly impressive at wideout. My feeling is that that either this or defensive back is his ultimate position at BC. That said, BC has frequently in the recent past used three QBs in a single season, and the coaching staff will have a decision to make. Do they keep Flutie at QB for emergency purposes; or do they move him to WR or DB, letting him learn the position full-time but forcing them to burn one of the true freshmen's redshirts (or hastily move Flutie back to QB) if Ryan and Crane both go down??

It remains to be seen, but my guess is that Flutie moves to WR or DB this year. So with that said, who of Johnson and Davis has the inside track?? It is tough to say without having seen them play other than in highlight films. Both are extremely raw, but athletic, signal-callers with good upside. Both fit well as mobile QBs in Logan's preferred offense. That said, if one of them is forced to play this year, I think Johnson is the slightly more polished QB. He looks to have a little bit better arm and quicker release than Davis does, and I like his mechanics a little bit more. Johnson is also a little bit faster than Davis (a reported 4.6 40 time to Davis' 4.7), which will help him escape bad situations better than Davis can. That said, Davis played at a higher level of high school ball, which would mean less of an adjustment to the ACC than Johnson will face. Ultimately, I think BC is in trouble if either guy is forced to play this year (but what school can't say that if both of their top QBs go down??), but both hold promise for the future.

Of course, with all three QBs (still counting Flutie until he's officially changed positions) set to be on the roster after 2008 being projects, we need to pull in a top signal-caller this year. The leading candidate seems to be Tommy Reamon Jr., a 6'2, 195 lb signal-caller from Virginia's Gloucester High School, alma mater of the Vick brothers and NFL veteran Aaron Brooks. While Reamon has not disclosed that he has an offer from BC, he has said that he holds offers from several schools but does not want to publicly disclose which ones. All the evidence indicates that BC is one of these schools. Reamon's father and high school coach, Tommy Sr., has been friends with both Logan and Jags for over two decades. The system he runs at Gloucester is very similar to the one Logan intends to install at BC. And he has stated that BC is one of the leaders for his services (interest and possible offers also coming from Georgia Tech, Virginia, Alabama, and UNC, among others). At the end of the day, I think Reamon is an Eagle in 2008.

Also on BC's radar are a pair of Florida QBs, DC Jefferson and Jacory Harris. Jefferson, one of the country's most highly sought-after QBs, is a Daunte Culpepper/JaMarcus Russell clone out of Winter Haven, FL. He stands 6'6, weighs 243, and has been clocked at 4.76 on the 40. His throwing mechanics need work, as do any high school QB's, but are not exceptionally raw. Aside from BC, he holds offers from LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Rutgers, and Washington, and has named the three SEC schools as his leaders. He has also expressed public interest in Florida State and Miami, although neither has offered yet. Harris, out of Northwestern HS in Miami, currently holds offers from BC, LSU, Minnesota, Central Florida, Florida International, and Duke. A number of other SEC schools, however, along with Butch Davis' Tar Heels, are expected to offer soon. At 6'4 and 169 lbs, Harris' stature might be a concern, but he can certainly put on weight when he gets to college, and his 4.8 40 time is impressive for a QB. While I think BC has a shot at both of these guys (probably more so with Harris), I expect Reamon to ultimately be our primary target at the position as well as our most likely get of the three.

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Disturbing Google Search Phrase of the Week: "m 4 m today hook up akron men for men"
Ugh. I don't even WANT to know how that turned up this site.

Bring Back Margo!!

A sad day in Baton Rouge today as Mike V, LSU's live tiger mascot, has passed away. While offering my condolences to LSU fans, I'm going to use this as an opportunity to call on BC to bring back Margo, the live mascot owned by BC for 5 years in the 60s. Live mascots are undeniably cool; there's just something about having a actual animal in the stadium supporting the team, whether it's Mike, Texas' Bevo, or West Virginia's mountaineer. The Golden Eagle is not an endangered species, can be found in the wild in New England, and is trainable (the species is used for hunting in Kyrgyzstan, apparently). While BC's capability to suitably care for a live bird may have been in question in the 1960s, I highly doubt that it would be an issue today, given the vastly improved resources available to the school. I'm not saying we should get rid of Baldwin (although if I never see his inflatable "son" again it will be a day too early), but we should have a live eagle as well. Get on it, Gene D.


Jacksonville.com is reporting today that the ACC Championship Game bidding process is currently down to 3 finalists; Jacksonville, Tampa, and Charlotte. Allow me to throw my voice in with the "anyplace but Jacksonville" crowd. I've never been there, but I've never heard anything good from anyone who has. Moreover, it's an SEC city, and a difficult one to fly into at that. My first choice for the game would be Charlotte, which is in the heart of ACC country and, as a US Airways hub, easy to fly into from anywhere in the country; but Tampa would be fine too. I spent about half a day in Tampa the weekend of the Florida State game last fall and had a pretty good time sitting on the deckside bar at an Applebee's, the place packed with my fellow Philadelphia Eagles fans, waiting for the Flyers-Lightning game to start. Either Tampa or Charlotte would be great. But please, no more Jacksonville.

105 days to kickoff....that's exactly 3.5 months. The season is almost upon us.

Ranking the ACC's OOC

After a few years of mostly boring OOC play in the ACC (apart from the traditional end-of-season ACC vs. SEC rivalries), we've finally got some good matchups this year. One man's ranking of the ACC's out-of-conference strength of schedule:

1. Florida State
Alabama-Birmingham (9/8), @Colorado (9/15), Alabama (9/29 - in Jacksonville), @Florida (11/24)
Brutal. Florida is, well, Florida--the Gators beat the Seminoles 21-14 last year in a game that was not as close as the score indicated, and beating them in Gainesville isn't going to be any easier, although FSU should be a much improved team and Tim Tebow still needs to prove that he can run Urban Meyer's offense on his own. The Alabama game should be a great neutral-site game against Nick Saban's squad, and while Colorado is coming off an awful year, they're still a team that made the Big 12 championship game the year before last and should be improved under second-year coach Dan Hawkins.
Prediction: 3-1

2. Miami
Marshall (9/1), @Oklahoma (9/8), Florida International (9/15), Texas A&M (9/20)
While the media attention will be focused on Brawl Bowl II, the mid-September matchup against the Golden Panthers, a pair of tough Big 12 opponents loom in Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Look for the 'Canes to split their tougher OOC games and handle the weaklings with ease.
Prediction: 3-1

3. Virginia Tech
East Carolina (9/1), @LSU (9/8), Ohio University (9/15), William & Mary (9/22)
Not much there other than a trip to Baton Rouge, but a trip to Baton Rouge is enough to earn the Hokies the ACC's 3rd toughest OOC slate. Forget Tennessee-Cal and Oregon-Michigan; this is the best intersectional matchup of the year. I think the Hokies are going to be a great team this year; but I think LSU wins the national title, so I have to go with the Tigers here. Eastern Carolina and Ohio are a couple of tough mid-major teams headed in the right direction under Skip Holtz and Frank Solich respectively; Virginia Tech won't be able to take them likely, but should be able to dispatch them, particularly the Pirates on what will be an emotional day in Blacksburg on September 1.
Prediction: 3-1

4. North Carolina
James Madison (9/1), @East Carolina (9/8), @South Florida (9/22), South Carolina (10/13)
No real screamers here, but three opponents that are getting better every year. Apart from the aforementioned Pirates, who are never easy to play in Greenville, South Florida was perhaps the unsung surprise of the Big East last year, going 9-4 last year with road wins over West Virginia and UNC. And of course the Steve Spurrier-Butch Davis matchup will be a classic. I think Davis is able to rehabilitate the Tar Heels fairly quickly and they navigate their way to a 3-1 record in this challenging slate, with the loss coming to a surprising ECU team.
Prediction: 3-1

5. Georgia Tech
@Notre Dame (9/1), Samford (9/8), Army (10/20), Georgia (11/24)
Notre Dame loses a lot this year, and I expect the Yellow Jackets to avenge last year's loss with a victory in South Bend. The big question mark is Georgia--Tech has dropped 5 in a row to the hated Bulldogs. The Jackets don't graduate many starters, but one of the guys they do lose, new Detroit Lion Calvin Johnson, is a big one (of course, the loss of QB Reggie Ball could be a case of addition by subtraction). Will this be the year they finally turn it around against a Georgia team that was talented but wildly inconsistent last year??
Prediction: 4-0

6. Maryland
Villanova (9/1), Florida International (9/8), West Virginia (9/13), @Rutgers (9/29)
Maryland will benefit greatly from the opportunity to open against a pair of cupcakes, as they'll need to be clicking on all cylinders by the time the Mountaineers come to town. If new QB Jordan Steffy is even solid he should have no problem airing it out to stud wideout Darius Howard-Bey and lighting up the woeful WVU defense, but I'm even more skeptical about the Terripans' ability to stop West Virginia's dynamic attack. I'm calling this one for the Mountaineers right now, but reserve the right to change my pick if Steffy (or Josh Portis) can step it up. I do think Maryland will have better luck against a more traditional Rutgers team.
Prediction: 3-1

7. Wake Forest
Nebraska (9/8), Army (9/15), @Navy (10/20), @Vanderbilt (11/24)
Repeating last year's miracle campaign will be no easy task for Jim Grobe's crew, which faces two tough tests right off the bat; after opening up the season here in Chestnut Hill, they then head home to face a Nebraska squad that has steadily improved over the last 2 years under Bill Callahan. Of particular interest will be the matchup in Annapolis between probably the two best misdirection offense coaches in the game today, Grobe and Navy's Paul Johnson. Unfortunately for Wake, they won't be able to sneak up on anyone this year; but they're a good team nonetheless and they'll get their wins.
Prediction: 3-1

8. Duke
UConn (9/1), @Northwestern (9/15), @Navy (9/22), @Notre Dame (11/17)
The season-opener against the Huskies is a golden opportunity for Duke to get their first win since September 2005, and first against a D1A opponent since November 2004. I think they'll capitalize; but as for the other three games, forget about it.
Prediction: 1-3

9. NC State
Central Florida (9/1), Wofford (9/15), Louisville (9/29), @East Carolina (10/20)
This is one place where a BC fan might have more luck predicting NC State's outcomes than a Wolfpack fan would. When Tom O'Brien is in town, WTF losses are sure to follow; and Central Florida just reeks of "WTF game" to me. O'Brien will be too focused on BC the following week and won't have his team ready to go, they'll take the Golden Knights lightly, and NC State fans will for the first time realize that we might've been on to something for the last couple of years. Remember that TOB opened his tenure at BC by losing to Temple; so a loss to UCF is far from out of the question. Meanwhile, Louisville is a legitimate top 10 team; East Carolina is tough, but I do think the 'Pack will put them away.
Prediction: 2-2

10. BC
Army (9/22), UMass (9/29), Bowling Green (10/6), @Notre Dame (10/13)
A bit of an odd schedule, as BC opens up with 3 straight conference games before knocking out all 4 OOC matchups in a row. While Bowling Green is not a team that should be taken lightly (particularly given who we play the following week), everyone knows that the big red circle is drawn around the following week, when the only Catholic schools in D1A resume playing after a 2-year hiatus. At risk of being hubristic, I don't think this will be the close, thrilling contest we've gotten used to in the BC-Notre Dame series. Notre Dame is losing a ton of talent to graduation; while they are a well-coached team, they're simply going to be too inexperienced next year to be a threat to the tougher teams on their schedule, and that includes one of the most talented BC teams in history. If Charlie Weis can win 8 games with the team he has next year, it will have been the best coaching job he's done to date in South Bend. Nonetheless, next year is not a good year for the Domers to resume this series (unfortunately, the situation looks to be reversed in 2008, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it).
Prediction: 4-0

11. Virginia
@Wyoming (9/1), Pitt (9/29), @Middle Tennessee State (10/6), UConn (10/13)
Possibly the most bizarre OOC slate ever scheduled by a decent BCS program. Who the hell plays at Wyoming and Middle Tennessee State?? In any event, despite the bizarre scheduling, the only real threat here is Pitt; and I don't expect the Panthers to amount to much next year without Tyler Palko.
Prediction: 4-0

12. Clemson
Louisiana-Monroe (9/8), Furman (9/15), Central Michigan (10/20), @South Carolina (11/24)
Central Michigan was a very good team last year, as BC found out, but graduated most of their best players along with their coach; Clemson should be able to take care of them. While I think this will be somewhat of a down year for the Tigers, I think they'll get their revenge on Spurrier in Columbia.
Prediction: 4-0



Projected ACC records vs. Conferences:
Sun Belt - 4-0
MAC - 3-0
MWC - 1-0
Independents - 6-2
Big East - 5-2
SEC - 5-2
Conference USA - 4-2
Big 12 - 2-2
Big Ten - 0-1
(D1AA - 7-0)

37-11 Overall
30-11 vs. D1A
15-7 vs. BCS/Notre Dame



Post your thoughts in the comments section.

Odds and Ends

Sorry I haven't updated much in the last week or so, finals have been killing me.

First off the bat, Bill will be a special guest on EDSBS radio tonight, sharing his thoughts on the state of the BC program (at least I'm assuming that's what he'll be doing). Check it out at 7:30 Eastern.

Recruiting keeps chugging along, with BC currently holding a pair of commitments from local recruits, RB Isaac Johnson and OT/DE Nick Halloran (no relation to former Eagles QB Shawn, at least as far as anyone I've asked is aware). I'll have a better update on recruiting probably later this week.

Good move for Al Skinner's squad picking up Vermont transfer Joe Trapani. He's not likely to be a starter (when everyone is healthy, which is a rarity at BC), but should be a solid contributor after sitting out his transfer year.

Finally, a few hockey notes: First, UNH has released their 2007-08 schedule; BC will take on the Wildcats on Nov. 10th and Feb. 23rd in Durham and at home on Feb. 22nd. Second, you've probably all seen Sunday's Globe by now, but there is an interesting blurb on the prospect of Cory Schneider returning to the Heights; I have a good feeling about this one. Finally, BC is hot on the trail of Halifax forward/pitcher Steven Anthony, who hopes to play both hockey and baseball at the NCAA level. Assuming he gets clearance to play both sports at BC (and is good enough to play baseball at the ACC level; I've heard that he's not as good a baseball prospect as hockey, but not sure whether he's good enough to play for BC), you have to love BC's chances to get him, considering that we're one of very few schools to play both sports at a high level.

Glasper Speaks

Although graduating BC safety Ryan Glasper had already told the story of his senior season in an NFL Radio interview a week or so ago, it hadn't received much national attention. That has just changed. In an interview with Alan Grant (who apparently moonlights as a sports journalist when not evading T-Rexes and velociraptors) of ESPN's Page 2, Glasper relates the conversation he had with Tom O'Brien after last year's loss to NC State:

"How's your hip?" he asked.

"It's coming along," Glasper replied.

"You'd better hurry your ass up," O'Brien said. "Because you only have eight games left in your college career."

The coach could have forgotten. Once the season starts, coaches are busy and distracted and often lose sight of details that don't pertain to next week's game. Maybe the coach needed to be reminded of the details. So the player reminded him.

"I'm redshirting," Glasper said.

"No, you've been cleared by the doctor to play," O'Brien said. "You're choosing not to play."

Glasper was shocked into silence. But O'Brien continued.

"I hold the keys to what you do," the coach said. "We don't have to grant you a fifth year. Besides, I can't count on you."

Glasper seethes at the retelling of the story.

"I respect all people and I've always been a team player," Glasper says. "But when he said all that, I just wanted to punch that dude."

So to recap, BC Nation:

Breaking a promise to a snakebitten senior QB that he would be the starter when there is a clearly superior, younger QB and your senior is costing the other 84 guys on your team games right and left = Not OK

Breaking a promise to redshirt a senior who has sweated, bled, and gave his all for your team for the past 4 years so that he can heal up and be able to perform to the best of his ability in his final year of eligibility = OK

As furious as I am about O'Brien's treatment of a true BC Guy (the article also contains a lot of interesting information on Glasper's background that I hadn't been aware of), I'm equally happy that this fucking fraud is finally being exposed in the national media for what he is. There's now no doubt in my mind not only that he simply stopped trying to win in about 2004 or 2005, knowing that it wouldn't be long before he'd be out of town, but that he deliberately attempted to sabotage the team so that he would look better in comparison to his successor.

BC should send a copy of this article to every kid we are competing with the Wolfpack for, and I hope Butch Davis or Skip Holtz or Brian Kelly or whoever sends out copies to every kid NC State is after, even players that BC isn't in the mix for. There is no possible way that anyone could want to play for Tom O'Backstabber after reading that.

Thank God that douchebag is gone.

Spring Forward

In an effort to keep my mind off the fact that the Eagles just drafted fucking Kevin Kolb 36th overall, I'll share some thoughts on today's spring game.






I was very happy with what happened today. Both units clicked and played well for the most part, although I felt the defense had the slightly better day. Before the game, I attended the Gridiron Club breakfast at Conte (sat with BJ Raji - great guy), and Jags mentioned that at the conclusion of every team meeting, he asks the question "What are you here for??". The answer is "championships". In his brief speech, Jags went out of his way to mention his belief that anything less than a championship this season will be a disappointment. Seriously, how can you not love this guy?? Tobias never even BELIEVED we could win a championship, and he sure as hell was too scared to say something like that publicly and raise expectations. The days of excuse making, expectation managing, and an air of arrogance around the Yawkey Center are over. The Jags Era has begun. Raji mentioned to me that the new coaching staff is far more personable and hands-on than the old regime, and while we all kind of knew that already, it still impresses me to see, for lack of a better word, how happy all the players that I've talked to--whether it was Raji today, the guys I ran into in the Philadelphia airport a few days before the bowl game, or guys I just see around campus--seem to be under the new staff.

The game itself was fairly boring from a detached perspective, but there were a lot of very interesting things. The offense, as I expected would be for this game, was pretty vanilla--more aggressive than it had been under Dana Bible, but nothing really fancy. No misdirection plays or anything like that, although I think we'll see that sort of stuff slowly work its way into the playbook come fall.

What impressed me more than anything else was the play of Matt Ryan. I'm not talking about his stats, which were impressive but not overly so (19-33, 233 yards, 1 TD). He simply has "it". As good as he was last year, his pocket presence and decision making today looked vastly improved over what we saw previously. This kid is going to be a top 10 draft pick a year from now, and has a chance to go #1 overall. He has all the tools, and now he's got a real QB coach as well. He is simply going to be stellar this year. Chris Crane was also solid--we're in good hands come 2008. One thing that largely got unnoticed but impressed me about Crane was his poise in calling a timeout to prevent an illegal substitution penalty on a field goal attempt. Those are the type of heads-up decisions you need your QB to be able to make, and they can win and lose games.

Staying in the backfield, I was very pleasantly surprised with the play of the RBs. All 4 backs saw time with both offensive units, although LV Whitworth and Andre Callender got most of the first-team reps. Callender was the best of the running backs, but Whitworth really surprised me. He appears to have lost about 15-20 pounds, and was noticeably faster and quicker today than he's been since his freshman year. He could finally be ready to be a solid BCS-caliber back. See what happens when you get a real strength and conditioning coach instead of Yoga Boy?? Jeff Smith saw quite a few reps at RB and generally looked good, although his fumble concerned me. He's obviously got blazing speed, but I still question his vision a little bit. There were a few plays today where he kind of just ran into the line of scrimmage where there was nothing available. Particularly with the new blocking scheme, he needs to learn to sit back a little bit and wait for a hole to open up (and if nothing does, to use his speed and bounce outside). But he's still learning. Not only is it only his second year in the program, it's only his second year playing RB (he was a QB in high school). I think he'll see increased reps on offense this year, and by about next year he'll really start putting it together and excelling. AJ Brooks also looked good, and I still think he's got a great shot to be our starting RB in the fall.

The receivers were a mixed bag. Kevin Challenger didn't play, and it seemed like Brandon Robinson came down with the ball more than half the time Ryan put it up. Clarence Megwa had a solid game and I still say he'll be considered one of BC's greatest ever wideouts by the time he graduates. The tight ends were solid but unspectacular. Jordon McMichael had one or two bad drops which worried me, but did a great job getting open and also was a pleasant surprise blocking. I don't think he'll unseat Ryan Purvis as our #1 TE this year, but he'll see the field quite a bit. The big surprise to me was the play of Billy Flutie, who underwhelmed me as a punter (I don't think he's good enough to be "the guy" after Johnny Ayers graduates) but had a very nice game at wideout. Good enough to play the position at the ACC level?? I'm not sure, but he's definitely worth some more looks. Incidentally, I was lucky enough to meet his uncle during halftime:



The starting offensive line impressed me. There were a couple more penalties than I would've liked (including a pair of false starts on Pat Sheil), but I think a lot of that is a matter of adjusting to the new scheme. From left to right you had Gosder Cherilus, Ryan Poles, Matt Tennant, Kevin Sheridan/Nick Rossi (the two split time at RG), and Sheil. The second string was not so good. They seemingly got bowled over by the defensive line every other play, particularly in run blocking (making it fairly difficult to properly evaluate the backs running behind the second unit, mainly Brooks and Smith). You actually had Anthony Castonzo, a true freshman who enrolled in school early, as the second-string right tackle. From left to right the second-string line was Richard Lapham, Ty Hall, Sheridan, Carlos Huggins, and Castonzo. Clif Ramsey, Tom Anevski, and backup center Bryan Murphy were out with injury, and we need those guys to stay healthy this fall. I do think we have a lot of talent on the offensive line, we just don't have a great deal of depth. Particularly when you've got a complex blocking scheme, offensive line is a position where you don't want to have to rely on true freshmen to play. Although a guy like Mark Spinney (who was in attendance today) or John Elliott probably could play right away and hang at the ACC level if needed, it's better to have guys stay healthy and be able to rely on your veterans. That said, these guys have the whole summer to heal up, so I think we'll be OK come fall; but I'd be lying if I said this doesn't worry me, particularly when looking ahead to the Georgia Tech game in Atlanta on September 15. 2 years ago, playing at Clemson the same time of the year, we had great success rotating the second-string offensive linemen in and out to minimize the effects of the heat. We might not have the depth to do the same thing against the Yellow Jackets, at least not to the same extent, this time around.

On the other hand, not as much to say about the defense. As expected, it was more aggressive than we'd been used to in the older days, but the same basic scheme. Kevin Akins was still at LB, which I wasn't too happy about, but I still think he'll move into the secondary in the fall. The LB corps was great--JoLonn Dunbar had a superb game, as expected, but Robert Francois and Mark Herzlich really stood out to me. Tyronne Pruitt is an excellent player, but I honestly rate both Francois and Herzlich ahead of him at this point in time. I asked Raji at the team breakfast if he expected Brian Toal to be back this season, and he more or less said that it's too early to say. I was pleased with the pressure the defense was getting on the QBs, and I also liked the play of the defensive tackles. Thomas Claiborne needs to lose some weight, but if he does he has potential to be as good as Raji. Very talented player. The secondary looked pretty good (and congrats to Jamie Silva on receiving the Jay McGillis scholarshp), although at the risk of beating a dead horse, it'll be even better with Kevin Akins back there. Tough injury to redshirt freshman Chris Fox, word is that he broke his ankle, I'd expect he'll be ready to go in the fall. Razzie Smith had a solid game, and I'm a little more comfortable about our depth at CB than I had been, although we still could do better. I wouldn't be surprised to see DeLeon Gause play some this year.

The major thing that disappointed me was the crowd. Absolutely beautiful day (mid-60s), new coaching staff, a reason to finally be excited about BC football and the best we can do is 5-6k?? I don't buy Tobias' excuses about BC having a bad fanbase, but I do think that a lot of BC fans just don't get the whole college football thing yet. They'll show up for the real games, but a lot of them probably don't even know what a spring game is. Although it should be said that the baseball game going on next door was siphoning off a number of fans.



All in all, an excellent day, at least until the Eagles' draft pick. I literally could not possibly be more excited for this season. I'll have some more thoughts in the coming days as I have time to think about and digest what I saw a little bit more. Long live Jags.

As for the draft, no BC players have yet been taken, but I expect that Josh Beekman and James Marten will both go before the day is out.

Spring Game - What to Look For

For those of you heading to the spring game on Saturday, here are a few things to keep an eye on:

-The New Offense
How is it looking?? Jags mentioned in his interview on WEEI this morning that Matt Ryan is doing a great job picking up the new scheme, but how is the rest of the squad faring?? While I expect the game plan on Saturday to be fairly vanilla compared to what we'll see this season (as there will be scouts from every team on our schedule in attendance), I do think you'll see a wrinkle here and there, maybe some simple misdirection plays, to show the crowd that the days of TOB are over. I'm also looking forward to seeing the extent and manner to which tight ends are utilized in Jags' system.

-Position Battles
Despite returning 16 starters (not including kickers) from last year's team, there will be quite a few spots up for grabs. Of course, with the possible exception of the offensive line situation (which I will talk about in detail below), the most attention is being paid to the RB spot. Although LV Whitworth is the incumbent starter and by most accounts has been getting a plurality of snaps in spring ball so far, most BC fans expect him to get a serious challenge from Andre Callender, AJ Brooks, and Jeff Smith. I've been saying ever since his breakout performance as a true freshman against Wake Forest that AJ Brooks is the most talented (not to mention, at least until Smith came along, speediest) back on our roster, and while I believe he will ultimately win the starting job, it'll be interesting to see what happens on Saturday. If I had to guess, I'd expect the three older backs to get a more or less equal number of touches, with Smith also seeing the field quite a bit but in a variety of roles, including being split out.

It'll also be interesting to see what happens at LB with Brian Toal out for the game (and his return for the season questionable). The two leading candidates to replace Toal have to be sophomore Mark Herzlich and junior Robert Francois, and it's impossible to say which of the two will get the nod. In fact, you could see both taking the field with the starting unit if one of them (Herzlich has the better body for it) can beat out Tyrone Pruitt for the starting SAM position. This would get BC's 3 best LBs on the field--Pruitt is a very good player, but not as good as Herzlich or Francois--but playing the strong side is a different beast from the middle or weak side, and it would require some adjustment on the part of whoever made the switch.

Speaking of LBs, will Kevin Akins stay there or will he move back to safety, a move that many BC fans have been calling for for a while?? Early interviews with coaches seem to hint that he'll stay as a situational blitzing LB, but I'm hoping to see him moved back, mainly to get him on the field as an every-down player. Switching his primary position to safety doesn't mean that you can't still deploy him as a pass-rushing LB situationally, and there's little doubt in my mind that he's a future first-round NFL draft pick at S if given time to learn the situation. He's already proven that he can cover like a CB and hit like a LB. Moreover, we're losing one of the leaders of our secondary in Ryan Glasper, and--the fiasco regarding this that has come to light in the past few days notwithstanding--we all saw how the secondary played last year in the first 4 games of the season before Glasper's return. While I liked what I saw from then-true freshman Wes Davis last year and while Marcellus Bowman has apparently been impressing in practices, getting a guy like Akins back there would be a tremendous stabilizing force for the entire secondary. Additionally, I have serious concern about our depth at CB, so we need all the talent in the secondary that we can get.

-Offensive Line
Uncharacteristically for a BC team, this might be the biggest question mark heading into the season. You have both personnel issues and scheme issues here. As pleased as I am that Gosder Cherilus has moved to LT (a move that should've been made a year ago), the rest of the line is still a question mark. Although I think we have both depth and talent at the tackle position (something that will not be affected in the long run by the injury to Clif Ramsey, who should only be out about 3 weeks), the interior of the line concerns me. Kevin Sheridan was underwhelming last year at center and will need to seriously improve this year. Who will even take over the guard positions?? Early reports indicate that Tom Anevski has been playing RG with the first team, and the LG could be a guy like Ryan Poles or Pat Sheil. I'd be fine with any combination of those 3, but behind them there's little depth (Ty Hall is a very useful utility OL, but has never impressed me as a starting-caliber player). Likewise, reports are that Sheil and Ramsey were battling it out for the starting RT job, and Ramsey's injury could give the inside track to Sheil, although I wouldn't mind seeing Richard Lapham, who will likely be our starting LT for the next 3 years, get a shot at the job in order to get his feet wet as a starter against ACC competition.

And is talent even the most important thing here?? Chemistry is extremely important for OL play in any circumstance, and especially now with Jags teaching his zone-blocking system to the team. As Herb Brooks said, "It's not about finding the best guys, it's about finding the right ones." While talent is important, the guys who will start against Wake Forest on Sept. 1 are the guys who can pick up the new system and mesh together as a cohesive unit. It'll be very interesting to see what happens.

-The Defense
All indications are that Spaz's unit will be more aggressive than it has been in recent years, which is a great thing. Like the offense, I expect them to go fairly vanilla on Saturday, but we should be able to see a thing or two. Aside from the personnel questions I mentioned previously, I'm particularly excited to see how the defense responds to the new offense (which will test it more than Dana Bible's ever did) and whether or not we finally start jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage.

-Wide Receivers
I've been saying since the spring game last year that Clarence Megwa will be a stud wideout for BC sooner rather than later. He showed some flashes of it last year, and I expect that this will be his breakout year. Will anyone put on a similar performance on Saturday?? Ryan Lindsey was a guy a lot of people were excited about, but his ACL injury means we'll have to wait until this time next year to see what he can do. Justin Jarvis, the 6'5 sophomore whose redshirt was criminally burned last year by O'Brien only to play in meaningless games against Maine and Duke, has a lot of promise as a solid red-zone threat but isn't the type of guy who's likely to have a true breakout game. Warren Wilson, a 6'1 redshirt freshman from New Hampshire, on the other hand, is a guy I'll be keeping my eye on.

-Crowd/Enthusiasm
Assuming the weather holds up (which it looks like it will), I'm expecting the best crowd for a BC spring game in years. With the new coaching staff in place, the days of Toby-ball are over and we finally have a team that we (and by "we" I mean "those of you who aren't delusionally optimistic alcoholics") can get excited about. Tom O'Brien said that it's impossible to win at BC because we have a small and apathetic fan base. Let's get out there on Saturday and prove him wrong.

-Recruits
Tommy Reamon Jr. will be in town for the game, but will any other recruits be?? I haven't seen anything as of yet, but if you have, please add it in the comments section.


I'll be at the coaches' breakfast on Saturday before having a few brews and heading to the game. I'll probably be in either the Edmonds lot, the Mod lot, or the Beacon garage (depending on weather and weather or not we want to keep an eye on the baseball game), I've got a ridiculously beat-up red Taurus station wagon with Pennsylvania plates and US flag and Philadelphia Eagles stickers, feel free to say hi.

Bicknell's Back

Not the former head coach, but his son--Jack Bicknell Jr., who played C for the Eagles during the Doug Flutie years, has returned to BC to replace the departed Jim Turner as OL coach. Bicknell, who will also be the team's assistant HC, was the head guy at Louisiana Tech for several years (where he sent 22 players to the NFL in 8 years and notched up wins over Alabama, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Boise State, and the same 2005 Fresno State team that nearly took down USC), fired after a disappointing campaign last season, but quickly found work as OL coach at Texas Tech.

This is simply a great hire. Bicknell is a very good coach, a BC Guy, and should do a great job at the Heights. We couldn't have done any better. (And what was that about BC being a horrible place to coach?? We just hired a coach, albeit a BC alum, away from a very good BCS program for a lateral position.) Welcome back, Jack.