Wednesday, May 04, 2016

ESPN optimistic about Towles

ESPN posted an article on recent ACC QB transfers and how their histories projects to our new QB Patrick Towles. The short history of these transfers is mixed, but the good news is that the successes are closely tied to BC. We all know about Tyler Murphy and how he carried the team in 2014. But there are also huge differences between Murphy and Towles. Murphy got to play in a run heavy system with Ryan Day calling the plays. Murphy was also less experienced than Towles having only started six games to Towles' 22 starts.

The other relevant QB in the article was Virginia Tech's Michael Brewer. Despite some injuries, his two years in Blacksburg were very productive and a seemingly easy transition. That is comforting considering his Offensive Coordinator in those two seasons is BC's current OC Scot Loeffler.

The most reassuring part of the article was this quote from Bobby Petrino:
“I’ve known Patrick for a long time,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said recently on the ACC teleconference. “He had a great high school career and we competed against him at Kentucky. He's a very fine quarterback. He's big and physical, has a good release, and can really throw the football. He definitely should do a good job there.


With regards to most things, I don't trust Bobby Petrino. However, evaluating college QBs is one area where his expertise is superior to most. If he likes Towles, I feel pretty good about him too.

9 comments:

JBQ said...

Towles looks great up front and probably will look just as good in the rear view mirror. However, this is a "rent a cop" mentality as was Tyler Murphy for a team which obviously can't recruit. Gunnell was a good receiver for Matt Ryan. The receivers on the team right now have "lead feet" and can't run patterns. Jeff Smith is a "rocket" put can't run a pattern. Flutie has the hands but will he stay around. I doubt it. It is all a matter of coaching expertise. The Spring game only reinforced the fact that there is none. The team is a "train wreck" and putting band aids on a problem only puts off the inevitable. The NFL draftees, horror or horrors, were brought in by Spaz. The cupboard is now bare with no talent on the horizon other than the rentable variety. We shall give Addazio a "honeymoon" and pray and hope for the best. We shall see if Father Leahy has the kahunas if this stop gap fails. Bates is also on the clock. The good red headed reverend could be sucked into the vortex.

mod34b said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Napolean Bonaparte said...

Addazio and Bates are probably (maybe? possibly? hopefully?) finished without substantial improvements in the program next season. Glad to have Towles and Wade competing for the position. Less worried about them than I am about the OL and the pass receivers. Most disturbed about not hearing anything about any shake up, modest or otherwise, in the administration of athletics at BC after the diarrhea level performances in both football and hoops (Leahy, trustees, AD's office, coaching staff, parking attendants, hot dog vendors, etc.) But maybe stuff is happening behind the scenes that we haven't yet heard about. Hope springs eternal.

Kash86 said...

Saying Towles is a rent-a-cop and the staff cant recruit is wrong. They won competitive processes for both Wade and Brown, both just don't have experience yet. With Spaziani leaving no QB's on the roster and Wade coming off of a season injury ( and no OL with seniority) you have to go somewhere to plug the holes.

And JBQ, you're going to sit there and criticize the receiver core, but say Flutie has the hands ? Give me a break. Flutie has shown nothing. He will never play at BC again (short of holding kicks). The best thing for BC would be for him to leave and open the scholarship for someone who should be playing at this level.

This season won't come down to Towles. It won't come down to a receiver group. It will come down to how quickly they can shape an inexperienced offensive line. Thats it. Hopefully they try to pull another 5th year to help speed the transition.

Anyone that is still taking anything from the spring game is just uninformed and lazy. It reinforced nothing and was simply a result of its structure. It was 10 minute running quarters. Split squad (so no cohesive groups). And only Wades team had Loeffler calling plays. I spoke to someone who was close to Addazio, and he said that SA admitted he should have done the game differently (in retrospect, from a media perspective) but honestly didnt care in the end. It was a stupid format, but doesn't say much about anything.

Hoib said...

Yeah we're renting a QB, but so is half of college football. It's been part of the landscape for a while now, time to analyze the game as it is, not as it used to be.

mod34b said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Boston said...

mod, I don't think it's complaining about Spaz to point out the simple fact that there were no viable QBs on the roster (aside from Rettig) when he was fired. In 2013, Daz's first year, the QBs were Chase Rettig, Josh Bordner, Christian Suntrup, Mike Marscovetra, Mack Lowrie, James Walsh, and Austin Lommen.

Before the 2014 season, Rettig graduated, Bordner moved to WR, Suntrup left the team due to a back injury (despite what JBQ thinks), Marscovetra graduated, Mack Lowrie transferred to URI, where he played in 2014 before transferring again to Pearl River (MS) Community College, James Walsh left the team and there doesn't appear to be any trace of him, and Austin Lommen transferred to Williams College. That left him with Tyler Murphy, Darius Wade, and Troy Flutie. Essentially, Daz had to start from scratch with his QBs.

I'm not a huge fan of Daz, but he was dealt a poor hand when he got here, and produced seasons in his first two years that were vastly better than the Spaz years. That said, there is no excuse for what happened last year. If there's not significant improvement, he needs to go.

EL MIZ said...

Mod writes that the OL "has been and will continue to be an issue". In Daz's first year Andre Williams set a school record (and numerous other records, perhaps ACC as well?) in rushing yards. was that OL bad? the following year, Tyler Murphy set a conference record for QB rushing yards and BC was 2nd overall in the conference for total rushing yards. was that OL bad? if my memory serves me correct, last year was not the continuation of a trend but a fairly surprising, season long WTF moment.

i'm sure Boston can go through the player progression better than I, but i do believe last year also coincided with the last Spaz remnants as the upper classmen on the OL. guys like frank taylor and cashman and others who i don't recall now were handed the baton and dropped it mightily.

this year will certainly be interesting. addazio needs to prove that he can find and develop his own players as opposed to winning with Spaz's players, but i do not believe OL criticism beyond september of 2015 is fair (or accurate).

mod34b said...
This comment has been removed by the author.