Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Everyone's got problems

As we head into the unknown with either Flutie or Smith (or both), there are plenty of BC fans re-calibrating expectations. But I don't know if we need to since numerous opponents are dealing with the same issue.


Look around at the teams on our schedule:

Notre Dame -- Lost Zaire for the year with a broken ankle. (Addazio kept compairing Wade to Zaire in the preseason since they have similar skill sets and are both lefties. They proved to have similar seasons in an unexpected way.)

Syracuse -- Lost Hunt for the year and backup Eric Dungey suffered a head injury last week. His status is unknown.

Wake Forest -- John Wofford left the Army game with an unspecified injury and remains under wraps.

Virginia Tech -- Brewer broke his collarbone in the opener against Ohio State. Even if he recovers in time to start our game on Halloween (unlikely), he will still be less than 100%.

And this is only where things stand now. Other teams will see serious injuries between now and when we play them.

Losing Wade hurts, but I am not resetting my expectations until I see what we really have in Smith and Flutie.

12 comments:

Knucklehead said...

Go ahead and wait until you see fit. I will tell you right now this is the worst offense we have had since Matt Hasselbecks' Junior and Senior seasons. Hasselbeck himself had a decent last two years - that is why GB drafted him - however his o-line was terrible, RB's were average and he had no one to throw to(as I recall). He took a lot of sacks and was hurried consistenly. The difference between then and now is that Hasselbeck was physically superior(partially on account of age) and was a prostyle QB who by virtue was able to avoid the physical contact of a QB who is given the option to run on every play.

Outlow needs to be moved to WR.

ccw said...

Wait and see always seems to ignore the evidence thus far and relevant history from previous seasons. It's akin to wishful thinking.

Thomas said...

Has BC ever had an NFL caliber WR? For all of the talent that has gone pro at every other position, I don't recall an NFL receiver ever coming from BC.

Hoib said...

Thomas

Long time ago, Kelvin Martin.

My expectations haven't changed. Injuries are part of the game. The season will come down to how much the Oline improves. Things have just started, we have a long way to go. Let's enjoy the ride.

Hoib said...

Tom

Another one even further back that I just thought of was Brian Brennan, he was a main target of Flutie who went on to have a nice career w/ the Browns. I don't expect any of those kind of guys while Daz is here. He wants guys who can block, and occasionally catch a ball. I don't think super talented WRs will be interested in BC. Doesn't bother me, I just want to win. I think Daz knows what he's doing. Time will tell if I'm right.

Napolean Bonaparte said...

I'm guessing Flutie gets the starting nod on Saturday and if he has any success moving the team - he stays in. Otherwise, he uses Smith with a simpler set of plays - 95% running plays - and sticks with him over Flutie unless we are getting killed and desperately need to throw. I think both of these kids - with time - will prove themselves capable or better but only one will stay at BC for his full eligibility.

NEDofSavinHill said...

Don't need NFL caliber receivers to succeed in college. Ryan threw for 4500 yards in 2007 without them. Need players with good hands. Dudeck, Swigert, Smith, Alston and Callinan all have good hands. Willis and Outlow also do. How have legacy QBs done at BC? Glenn Foley's dad was a QB at BC. Ryan's uncle was a QB at BC. They did an excellent job. Flutie's connection to the school may be a benefit. 2. Usually don't cheer for Syracuse but would like to see them do well vs. LSU.

BarraCuda said...

Slightly more recently, Tom Waddle was a decent WR for the BEars for a few years:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WaddTo00.htm

Hoib said...

Barra

You're right. Waddle was a god one. You could kinda put Will Blackmon in there too. He was an NFL caliber athlete who played some WR for us, though not in the NFL. There he was mainly a return guy. Bottom line is, no matter who's coach or what system we use, those top WRs don't come to BC. I think it's all factored into Daz's philosophy.

Lenny Sienko said...

It wasn't the NFL, but Troy's father, Darren Flutie, was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame for his pass catching North of the border. He is still 4th all time in number of passes caught and yards gained.

Darren had a great set of hands; but his size wasn't there for the NFL. Darren was not afraid to go into the middle from the slot and could take a hit.

Big Jack Krack said...

Thanks Lenny - Darren was very good and did anyone mention Gerard Phelan, who blew out his knee after getting drafted?

Way back Art Graham and Whelan (can't remember his first name at the moment - maybe Jim).

We have had many very good receivers - and we threw to them. 😊 That's the key. Look at Amidon.

Hoib said...

Obvious to me, most of these names had Doug throwing them the ball.