For a guy who has written a bunch of garbage over the past month, Globe writer Mark Blaudschun outdid himself today. He looked back at four of BC's losses that had key turning points and spun that BC could be better than their current record. Now after showing where things went wrong, he reals it back a bit, but entertaining the idea is really laughable. I don't know if Blauds or anyone else at BC believes it, but they are hoping the fans and the rest of the college football world believes it. The problem isn't losing close games. The problem is playing close games. This was a similar issue when TOB was in charge so I think it speaks to an outdated philosophy that Spaz employs (maybe it is a George Welsh thing). In any sport -- but especially football -- you need to press your advantage and press your upside. If you play too close to the vest you invite inferior teams to steal games. So every time Spaz's wastes a possession or every time he huddles when down by a lot of points, he is hurting the team in a more direct way than any lousy recruiting class. But just to completely blow up the "bad bounce, one play" theory, let's look back at Spaz's career. What Blauds fails to recognize is that luck evens out over time.
2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl
-- Navy fumbles when they should be killing clock. BC recovers, kicks a field goal and avoids upset.
2009 Wake Forest
-- Wake fumbles two yards away from the goalline. BC wins after blowing a double-digit lead.
2009 Florida State
-- Tied at 21, Greg Reid drops an easy INT from Dave Shinskie in BC territory. BC keeps driving and a few plays later Montel Harris breaks away from the game winning TD.
2009 Virginia
-- UVA is called for pass interference in the endzone late in the fourth. BC scores on the drive and holds on to win 14-10.
2009 Maryland
-- After leading all game, BC allows Maryland to score a late TD. The Terps attempt the onside with 1:30 left. BC recovers and wins.
2010 Clemson
-- Donnie Fletcher intercepts Kyle Parker at the BC 9 yard line early in the fourth quarter. BC holds on to win by six.
2010 Duke
-- BC allows Duke to move the ball down the field and holds off a goal line rush with seconds left on the clock.
A lot of things happen over the course of a career, but Spaz is 17-16 as a head coach at BC. No more, no less. Those wins are his and so are those losses.
Posts
12 comments:
The 'if' game is for losers...well, then again, the poster child for sleep apnea and caloric consumption did write the article, so it makes sense.
Let's see...'if' Umass had scored early then they are up 7-0 and it's a different game...blah,blah.
How 'bout this one...if MacDonald gets called for holding on Flutie-to-Phelan then...
Spaz is just a really bad version of TOB. They both let bad teams hang around, but TOB had the oline clicking and could run against anyone.
Of course Blauds is assuming that everything went perfect for the other teams against us, that they didn't have "1 play" that could have put them up even more! Its really an incredible article. I can't believe this guy still gets to cover the Eagles.
I think ATL has mentioned before that Spaz was his source for a lot of info under Jags and TOB, so this kindly coverage makes a lot sense. But its a joke.
As Parcells says, you are what your record says you are.
It's like the story from Dizzy Dean and curve balls being an optical illusion. Dizzy challenged the unbeliever to "stand behind that tree and I'll whomp you to death with an optical illusion". The writer Blaudschun is trying to save the job of Spaziani. So, if BC goes 1-11, then it should really be 6-6 and they get to go to a bowl game. The ACC then gets paid for pseudo participation in a bowl game. What is the writer's game?
We should have beat Duke and Northwestern. Even if we did a 3-3 record at this part of the season is a disappointment. If we were 3-3 right now rational expectations would be a 5-7 record at the end of the season. That record doesn't get you a bowl game. That record gets you another year of Spaz automatically and most likely a year after that. If we actually end the season at 2-10 or 1-11 then there is a chance Spaz's career at BC is over. However and more likely we will only have to put up w/ Spaz for only more year. Point being that a terrible year gets Spaz out of town quicker which is good for BC long term.
I remember when I first heard of Spaz; i.e., when he was a DC in the CFL and I had installed a 3-meter satellite dish in the backyard to watch Flutie on CBC.
Spaz was DC for Winnipeg for 2 years with two trips to the Grey Cup, each of which was a loss. Spaz was also DC for Calgary one year when Flutie was there. The Stamps also lost in the Grey Cup. There may be a theme here about Spaz.
I never understood why Spaz wouldn't use a more wide-open-type offense, since he was obviously familiar with it form his CFL days.
The Stamps HC was Wally Buono, another ex-linebacker, who might have been a better choice for BC than Spaz.
All of which reminds me: what is the story with Spaz and Flutie? They should know each other from their days together in Calgary; but I never see them in the same photo. I don't see any more shots of Doug at the games, etc.
Is this all a falling out over nephew Billie's alleged poor treatment while in the program under Spaz?
While I am watching Jim Reid ( I really liked his aggressiveness when we had him at BC - but of course we didn't take care of him) defense Georgia Tech pretty well. I'm trying to determine if I am being too hard on Spaziani.
So far i haven't come up with anything to change my mind. I think it's a Peter Principle deal all the way.
Good question, Lenny.
Wow. Just got around to reading the Blauds article. Absolutely incredible. Does it say "Spaz Apologist" on his business card? What purpose did publishing such tripe serve? Who does he think he is fooling?
Great post ATL
Blaudschun is a lazy shill. His primary motivation has always been the path of least resistance to him personally. All he has ever done is try to fluff his sources to gain better access, to be regarded as a bigger dog. This current Spaz apologist routine is the same as his hostility to the ACC move back when it was happening. Whenever you read his stories, you have to view them through that filter. Unfortunately, the filter is so at odds with the realities of the situation he's writing about that there's really no sense in even reading them. There's no real information or legitimate speculation conveyed, just promotion of a single viewpoint: his source's.
A couple other thoughts in response to Knucklehead's comment:
If we were 3-3--which we're not--we'd be on our way to 3-9 instead of 1-11.
We should not have beaten anyone we didn't beat; it's just that simple. A better team should have. We are not that better team. Duke dominated the lines, and moved the ball at will. As unfortunate as the last FG miss was, doubly as FORTUNATE was Freese's making of 2 long field goals before that. If we hadn't benefited from a Duke INT near our goalline, and hadn't somehow avoided any turnovers ourselves, that game could have been lopsided. Northwestern, too, controlled the game. If not for a 2-yard BC TD "drive" thanks to an INT, or a botched 4th-down effort inside our 10, THAT game too could have had an uglier final score. Anyone can play this game, all day. They are what they are: losses by a bad team to less-bad teams.
Post a Comment