Why I am not worried about Don Brown's raid of Massachusetts recruiting

When Don Brown left BC for Michigan, I considered it a loss. After suffering through the growing pains as we transitioned from Spaz's zone heavy conservative D, to Brown's aggressive blitzing scheme, we finally had an elite unit. Brown also did a great job of identifying defensive backs who would thrive in his system. The Defense hasn't been the same since he left. I thought he would have success at Michigan (and he has, for the most part) and expected him to thrive with higher profile recruits in his system. Yet due to comfort or trusting his own eyes and network, he has continued to heavily recruiting New England and Massachusetts. This year he is really going hard after Massachusetts kids and has flipped some BC verbals and is targeting other potential BC kids. While this should be worrisome, I am not really concerned. There are a couple of different issues, but in the end I think it is a mistake for Michigan and maybe BC is dodging a bullet.

The factors (BC-centered first)

1. I trust Hafley's recruiting and talent evaluations. Hafley had offers to these local kids, so he and his staff thought enough of them that they should be part of the program. Losing a recruiting battle sucks, but it is to be a bit expected when Hafley is a new head coach. He doesn't have the local connections or trust Brown has yet. It will take time, but Hafley has shown that he can find talent anywhere. He has done it at every stop. Even if his first two classes are light on local recruits, I am sure that in the end, he will fill the roster with players as good as the ones committing to Michigan now.

2. The development timeline and environment are very different at the two schools. BC probably plays up the "diamond in the rough" recruiting narrative too much, but it is based on some truths. We have a history of finding late bloomers, tweeners and guys with chips on their shoulders who blossom at the Heights. That is often because given the lower expectations around the program and around the recruiting ratings, we can take the time to develop these players. If they can play as freshmen, great. But we also don't wash them out if they can't like many of the top factories. That probably hurts BC's depth, but once a player has been around the block at BC, you often see a huge leap in performance and Football IQ. I don't have the same familiarity with Michigan's development process, but it seems like it is much more sink or swim. While a low-level three star might surprise in Day 1 at a big program like Michigan, more likely he will be lost or a step behind. Given their needs and the desire to knock off Ohio State, Michigan is probably best to get as many full developed stars as possible and let the best of the best play from Day 1.

3. I don't think Massachusetts talent justifies Michigan's investment. I have been hoping for a Massachusetts boom in football talent for two decades now. I thought the Patriots' success would create a whole new crop of football loving kids in our backyard. It hasn't. The grassroots level still pale in comparison to what you find in Ohio, New Jersey and even Michigan. There are not enough kids, not enough dedicated time to football, not enough good lower level coaching and not enough competition to make these youths better. Are there still good football players locally? Yes. But not enough to fill BC's class, and certainly not enough to fill 20% of Michigan's annual recruiting class. Just take a look at the number of players from the Bay State who have gone to Power 5 schools since 2013 (when Brown came in with Addazio).

2020 -- 11 Massachusetts commitments to P5 programs (3 to Michigan, 2 to BC)
2019 -- 5 Massachusetts commitments to P5 programs (1 to Michigan, 1 to BC)
2018 -- 7 Massachusetts commitments to P5 programs (0 to Michigan, 4 to BC)
2017 -- 9 Massachusetts commitments to P5 programs (0 to Michigan, 4 to BC)
2016 -- 7 Massachusetts commitments to P5 programs (1 to Michigan, 3 to BC)
2015 -- 13 Massachusetts commitments to P5 programs (0 to Michigan, 7 to BC)
2014 -- 10 Massachusetts commitments to P5 programs (0 to Michigan 8 to BC)
2013 -- 7 Massachusetts commitments to P5 programs (1 to Michigan, 2 to BC)

Addazio, for all his faults, had a good eye for talent and loved New England kids. If there had been more local talent, he would have recruited it. And how many kids in the last decade have truly slipped under the radar? It is not like Mass kids are filling up and staring at lower level FBS programs. When considering the negligible success that many of the Mass P5 kids that "got away" from BC, I think we know that there is not some sort of untapped goldmine locally.

4. Who is not recruiting these kids. BC offers local talent in its backyard. That makes sense. Don Brown leads a push by Michigan for these same kids. As we outlined, I would expect him to aim higher, but still makes sense. Ryan Day (and Al Washington) and Steve Addazio know these schools, know these coaches and probably know many of these players. They are not bothering recruiting them. That should tell Michigan all it needs to know.

Buckle Up: Coaching Search 2019!

Addazio is gone. Gunnell is the interim. Jarmond is leading a search. That's what everyone knows. This is what I've been told.

Addazio

The writing was on the wall a long time ago. But things have been falling apart behind the scenes since the Kansas game. You saw testiness from the staff online and even behind closed doors (an alleged assistant fight). Addazio didn't know if he would be fired for certain, but that was the rumor going around the team after Notre Dame. BC also granted Rutgers permission to talk to Addazio, so that also sent a message. 

Gunnell

While they could have gone in many different ways with the staff, Gunnell was a relatively safe pick. He can focus on recruiting between now and the bowl (mostly keeping verbals committed) and let the coordinators get ready for the bowl game. He is well liked by all and will be a very likely candidate to stay on with the new coach. 

The Search

Lots of names have been floated by Feldman and Thamel. Most are predictable and are close to what I have heard. The only name that I think will get a real look that wasn't floated out by those two is Bret Bielema. While there have been feelers and guys who have been reached out to, nothing is even close to being done and no one has had a formal interview. That will start soon (probably later this week). Father Leahy has traditionally been a Wild Card in these events with regards to budgets and approvals, but supposedly he is truly going to let Jarmond run the show (see the wording in the press release).

The Al Washington stuff is pure gossip or speculation. Al might end up being the guy, but this wasn't predetermined and it certainly won't be decided early this week. The Al/Don Brown package is also not a thing. 

If I were betting, I would predict Jeff Hafley but this process never settles on the first hot name (see Mark Whipple, Jack Bicknell Jr or Bob Diaco).

The tricky balance of "fit" when making a coaching hire

Fit is very important in college football. There are unique institutional and regional challenges to every job and if a coach is not prepared for those challenges, he is constantly battling up hill. For recent examples you can look at Chris Ash never connecting with New Jersey high school coaches and their recruits at Rutgers or the already awkward relationship between Joe Moorhead and the Mississippi State fanbase.

But you have to be careful when considering fit. You don't want to overlook someone just because he hasn't played or coached at your school. For me, I want someone who understands the type of challenges BC faces, but also understands how to leverage its advantages.

But the biggest trap when considering fit is limiting the search to just candidates the fans know. I write this because of the rumors that Al Washington and Don Brown are favorites to replace Addazio. I don't think this is true (for a variety of reasons). I also think it is way premature to assume anyone is the favorite. But even accepting it at facevalue, I think hiring Brown or Washington now would be a huge risk and a sign of a bad process. Are both guys beloved and respected around BC and New England? Yes. But would any other Power 5 school even have them among their final choices? No.

This is also hard for me to write but age is the biggest factor against both. Brown is too old and Washington is too young.

Brown will be 65 this summer. While he seems to have the energy of a younger man and seems to relate to young players, these jobs are a real grind that will wear even the best. Plus his age will be used against BC over and over in recruiting. Could he do it? Sure. But is he the guy to take BC to the next level? I don't think so. And I think we can do better this time around.

Washington is 35, which while young, isn't a deal breaker. But Washington's resume lacks any coordinator experience. He has never managed a game and never hired a staff. It would be a huge unknown. I like that he has been getting experience away from BC, but he still hasn't checked all the boxes.

If either of these guys are hired, they will have my support. I just don't think it is the right time for either and would be a sign that the searched prized BCness over everything else.

One short explanation and one long one on BC's DBs

After another blowout, many are wondering how the team took such a step back this year. Addazio was asked about it in the postgame (below).

Props to @MichaelJSully for being only reporter to ask Addazio tough question after 45 pt loss. Predictably got irritated pic.twitter.com/glE0618NP3

— ERIC HOFFSES (@EJHoffses) November 5, 2016

With the increase of big plays, the DBs would seemingly be the problem. But in my opinion, they are not. It is nearly the same group as last year. As much as we miss Justin Simmons, his absence is not the reason for the step back or the problems with the Defensive Backs. My short answer to why we've allowed so many big pass plays, is that we are bringing less effective pressure in the front seven and therefore giving opposing QBs more time and opportunity to go deep on BC. The long answer is more complicated.

Addazio touched on this a little in his media rounds on Monday, but there are actually multiple contributing factors to the blowouts. I am trying to list them all so we understand, but I am not excusing it. Addazio arrogantly claimed that this was "BC's defense" not "Don Brown's" when Brown left for Michigan. It was on Addazio to help maintain or improve what Brown built. He didn't. And if he does get fired, it will be in part because he couldn't keep BC in the games against the ACC's better teams. Here are all the contributing factors that I see.

1. Don Brown
This is the no brainer. I don't think Don Brown was some sort of miracle worker, but he is a good college Defensive Coordinator and especially good once he gets the talent he needs in place. That is why our D got really good in his third year at BC. While Jim Reid and Paul Pasqualoni are familiar with Brown's scheme and approach, it is not the same as the creator running it.

2. Kevin Lempa.
Gone from last year is also the position coach for the DBs. Kevin Lempa helped guide these guys. Now he is in Hawaii. Lempa is a strange dude. He may not be the recruiter Addazio needed, but his players always seemed prepared and understood their roles.

3. Facing better Offenses.
If you look at our three blowouts, you see other teams with great QBs or great player callers. Look at Louisville. Even if we had Don Brown back, don't you think Petrino would have figured things out? Petrino is not going to be fooled forever. Clemson also overwhelmed us in part because of their talented QB. The other team that blew us out, was VT. Maybe they struggled against BC last year because of their OC Scot Loefller.

In the end, having multiple contributing factors to the drop off makes fixing them more complicated. I hope Addazio has a plan for Florida State and the weeks ahead.

Waiting on DC news

Christmas is over. Don Brown's been gone nearly a week. Where is our Defensive Coordinator news?!

Obviously things don't work that fast. Because of the quiet period, there is less urgency. As you can also see from bigger programs with bigger paychecks still searching -- like Auburn -- it makes sense that there has been limited BC news. The Christmas holiday probably didn't help. While I am sure Addazio was talking to candidates, some of their availability would be limited and BC's ability to screen backgrounds and whatnot would also be limited. As supportive as the school is for Football, they are not calling in non-sports staffers on Christmas Day to help out with HR checks.

The wait has also led to gossip that the whole defensive staff is gone. I have no idea if it is true, but it would make sense. BC already lost Hutzler and Brown. Lempa has been a rumored retirement candidate for a while and Albert supposedly was on the hot seat. Allowing the new DC to bring in whomever he wants or at least have a say in hiring the Defensive staff makes the Coordinator job that much more appealing.

As for doom and gloomers saying we won't get anyone good...that is not the case. Even when Spaz was the lamest of lame ducks, he still managed to find some decent guys for his open spots. Coaching remains a very fluid profession and there are always good guys looking for a shot.

I expect BC to make an announcement before the quiet period ends in mid-January, if not sooner.

Michigan bloggers look at BC's Defense

While trying to better understand Don Brown, Mgoblog broke down BC's Defense from the Clemson game. It is really worth the read if you like Xs and Os (Part I and Part II). In Part II the writer also had this to say with regards to the plays made by Wujiack and Daniels: "The difference between a very good defense and an okay one is that small." It is a reminder that as much as we will miss Brown, we will also miss some of the players. There is plenty of talent returning, but the great Defense wasn't all about Brown. We also had some very, very good players.

Will USC hire Ricky Brown before BC?

Remember Ricky Brown? He was less-heralded during his time at BC. Guys like Kiwi got a lot of the attention, while Brown served as a tackling machine in Spaz's old system. After BC he spent seven seasons in the NFL with Oakland and Baltimore. The past two years he's served as a GA at Southern Cal. Now as Southern Cal's new coach Clay Helton remakes his staff, he might promote Brown from a Grad Assistant to fulltime Linebackers Coach. Helton is using the Bowl time to evaluate his openings. It would be a shame to let a young alum coach join another Power 5 team when BC still has a need for a Linebacker coach.

I am not losing sleep over Ricky Brown falling through our fingers. If he has success at USC, it helps BC in the long run. But he would seem like a perfect fit at BC. NFL ties. Young and in theory would be able to connect with recruits. He's from Cincinnati, so he is familiar with one of our most critical recruiting territories. It seems like a good risk worth taking.

But this sort of speculation doesn't mean much. Brown has no professional connection to Addazio and there is that little issue of BC not having a Defensive Coordinator. If Addazio is doing things the right way, he hires a DC and then he and the DC find a good Linebackers Coach together.

I expect Addazio will move fairly quickly on a new DC. He's going to want someone in place once the quiet period ends so that he can lock in recruits. And then he'll find a Linebacker Coach. In the mean time, best of luck to Brown out in California.

Teenagers are flaky, Example 697

One day after news broke that Don Brown was headed to Michigan, BC verbal KJ Gray announced he was reopening his recruitment. Although Brown was involved in recruiting Gray, don't attribute it all to his departure. Most recruiting observers viewed Gray as a soft commitment for weeks. Unfortunately from social media, people can track what these recruits do, follow and say. Gray never really seemed locked in on BC. Taking more visits falls in line with what observers felt. Plus, in media reports Gray even admits he wasn't sure he wanted to play defense at BC and is now considering offense.

Aside from his ranking, I don't know much about Gray. If Brown liked him as a DB, then I view it as a loss. But I also think BC needs guys who are buying in regardless of the coordinator or position coach. We are coming off a terrible season. Everyone coming in needs to commit towards turning around. If Gray comes back to BC, I will be happy. But getting too concerned about teenagers who are changing their minds daily, is a waste of time. Recruits flipped on us before Don Brown and will flip after.

Guessing on Brown replacements

There will be plenty of names kicked around for Don Brown's replacement. If Addazio's track record means anything, he is likely going to hire either someone he knows or someone from within his network (meaning someone that coached with a Holtz, Davie, Meyer, or Pasqualoni). I don't see an obvious internal candidate to promote. Lempa is closer to retirement than promotion and doesn't have Brown's past success. I don't think Albert has done enough recruiting wise to earn rolling the dice with him as a first-time coordinator. Here are a few guys who will probably be mentioned right away.

Chuck Heater -- Heater was Addazio's Defensive Coordinator at Temple. I don't know if there was any bad blood or hurt feelings with Addazio not bringing Heater with him to BC. Since then Heater has done well as Marshall's DC. He's old, but consistent and coached at all levels. He knows Addazio and could probably transition easily. I don't know if he would have the same recruiting success as Brown nor do I know if he would keep the same scheme.

Scott Shafer -- Maryland just hired Shafer, so this might seem unlikely, but maybe Addazio can sell him on total autonomy at BC. At Maryland, D.J. Durkin will be the Head Coach and a defensive play caller. In the run up to the season finale, Addazio praised Shafer again and again. Maybe he can pry him away.

Kevin Cosgrove -- New Mexico's current Defensive Coordinator. I can see Addazio leaning on a Davie guy. BC can offer a raise. Cosgrove has a long track record but New Mexico's results weren't great this year.

Report: Don Brown to Michigan

Boston College DC Don Brown will be Michigan's new DC per source.

— Thayer Evans (@ThayerEvansSI) December 20, 2015

SI's Thayer Evans reported that Michigan hired Don Brown as their new Defensive Coordinator. There had been plenty of Brown to Michigan gossip on BC message boards the past few days, but I didn't think it had legs. Congrats to Brown, if true. He just put together one of the best Boston College Defenses in the school's history.

If this report is true (and I have no reason to doubt it), then Addazio has a enormous hole to fill. Brown was a special fit. Here was a long-time New England guy who found local talent and knew exactly what kind of defensive talent he wanted to recruit. This allowed some low-ranked recruits to blossom.

Addazio now has a decision to make. There are plenty of good defensive coaches, but does he hire a Brown disciple or does he hire a DC who wants to change schemes? It is going to be an interesting few weeks.

New looks at the BC Defense

Earlier in the week SB Nation posted a breakdown of BC's Defense. It is certainly worth the read, though I feel they put too much emphasis on the front four. While those guys were great, BC was at its best when the DBs were healthy. Don Brown's scheme puts so much pressure on the DBs that once the talent slips a little, the Defense starts giving up big plays.

This year's Defense was so good that it makes the final 3-9 record all that more damning. Take a look at the Top Ten Defenses this season:

1. Boston College
2. Wisconsin
3. Alabama
4. Michigan
5. Georgia
6. Missouri
7. Ohio State
8. Northwestern
9. San Diego State
10. LSU

Now while not all those teams were perfect, the only one other than BC with a losing record was Missouri. Usually if you are in the Top 10 of either major category, you will win more than you lose. During the past ten years, no No. 1 Defense has finished with a losing record (other than BC).

I keep going back trying to find some sign that a great D one year leads to a great team the next. One team that I found interesting was the 2006 Kansas Jayhawks. They finished a much better 6-6 than BC and only 11th Nationally in Defense (which was strong in the pass happy Big XII), but it was a defense that carried the team. They next year the D remained strong and the Offense finally clicked. The Jayhawks finished 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl. I don't know if BC will bounce back the same way, but that does give me hope.

Learning from Don Brown

The AFCA voted Don Brown the assistant coach of the year. While this might not be surprising to close BC observers, this is surprising on a national level. Although BC had the No. 1 Defense, we still went winless in conference. National awards usually go to ranked teams. But his fellow coaches clearly appreciate what Brown accomplished. As Addazio makes wholesale changes to the other side of the ball, I hope he uses his experience with Brown as a guide to fixing the Offense.

There first two season with Brown at BC were frustrating. We ran his preferred scheme -- aggressive upfront and dependent on great DBs -- with mixed results. We often saw teams comeback as they adjusted to the pressure and burned our DBs late in the game. But as the talent improved -- especially in the secondary -- the system finally started to click. But the whole unit benefited by having one system, one vision, one recruiting mission and one signal caller for three straight years.

There are numerous reasons for the Offensive struggles this year, but I think the overriding problem was BC's approach. While still running Addazio's preferred spread/power combo, the Offense and its goals looked different week to week as we shuffled QBs, skill players and the OLine. Now Addazio says we are going to Pro Style. While I think Pro Style will work, Addazio needs to find a coordinator/play caller like Brown. Someone who knows the system well, has run it at other programs and who can plug in players to keep the Offense functional (regardless of injury and age).

The one luxury the new Offense won't have is waiting three years for it to click. But the bright side is that the Don Brown Defense will cover a lot of offensive growing pains.

BC recruits talk about how BC recruited them

Rivals put up a good summary of each of BC's current verbals and how BC approached them. Two things stood out to me. First, the varied time frames of each recruitment. You had guys like Scooter Harrington that were offered as freshmen in high school and others who BC approached later and moved on quickly. That shows that as much as a program wants to plan and build a class, they also have to be flexible and jump on late bloomers and new opportunities.

The other thing that stood out were the multiple mentions of Don Brown and Ben Albert. Al Washington is often mentioned and credited with the bulk of recruits, but all the coaches contribute. (And if you don't recruit well, Addazio will make a change.) At some programs, a coordinator like Brown wouldn't be as involved. At BC he is. That's a big asset, especially since he's recruiting players for his system. Albert is big on Twitter, so I imagine he can relate to young players well.

This is the first full Addazio class that won't be huge. Who they select and how they recruit is even more important this year. It is nice to see that recruits respect BC's approach and that all the coaches are finding "dudes."

What's causing the coverage breakdowns?

If BC makes one stop, we win the CSU game. As we know, that didn't happen, primarily because BC had another coverage breakdown at a critical time. In this case it was 4th and 10. Unfortunately that breakdown wasn't an anomaly. While this becomes a bit of one blogger echoing another, BCI's Dan Rubin saw the same thing in his game review. While pressure and aggressiveness have been hallmarks of Don Brown's BC scheme, so have those blown assignments. Why is this still happening? Statistically the defense is improved from last year, but these breakdowns are still killers. If BC just fixed them, they would be that much better defensively (and probably 4-1).

Usually when there are issues with one particular unit, I blame this position coach. However, BC has a little history with Defensive Backs coach Kevin Lempa. This is his third go-around at BC and while he's never been the best recruiter or Mr. Personality, Lempa has always been a solid teacher. When Lempa coached under TOB, his DBs were not always the most athletic or speedy, but they were well positioned and knew their assignments. I don't think it is a Lempa-Brown issue either. Lempa worked under Brown at Maryland. At this point he should know what Brown wants and what works.

The players certainly deserve some blame, but not all of it. We've lost DBs to injuries, transfers and attrition yet there are still blown assignments. This is not about talent. If anything our DBs are more talented than they were last year...or at least more talented than they were in the final Spaz years.

The front seven is a factor too. Many of our defensive issues are related to lack of pressure up front. Think back to the last CSU play. That is essentially a broken play. If the three downlinemen get to the QB -- and not just force him out of the pocket -- there is no pass to the endzone. Every missed sack or failure to get to a QB, gives him a few more seconds. Each additional second puts that much more on the shoulders of the DBs. Those extra assignments are when guys get free and coverage is blown.

So the short answer to what's causing the breakdowns is everything. Ultimately this is Don Brown's Defense. If he cannot get the pressure upfront or his players cannot learn their assignments or don't have the talent to stay with their receivers, than he has to alter his gameplans. It is the same sort of adjustment that Day had and has to make when his passing game cannot execute. Brown was the known of the two coordinators when he arrived at BC. He's taught and coached this scheme for years. Now we need him to figure out these breakdowns so that BC can hold on during the next 4th and 10 with the game on the line.

Can't get worse

The bad news is that we allowed a 200-yard rusher. The good news is that was the first time a Don Brown defense allowed a 200-yard rusher at the FBS level. I went through his time at UConn and Maryland hoping to derive something from his time there. But no back every put up such numbers against his squads.

Conner is a special runner, but the tackling was terrible as was some of the positioning. These issues are coachable. Let's hope the Head Dude figures it out.

2014 Preview Questions: Where will the the sacks come from?

Don Brown's defensive schemes are designed to pressure QBs and generate sacks. While the whole of the unit still wasn't great, BC's defense did generate a lot of sacks last year. It was a welcome change to the bend but don't break days of old. Year 2 of Don Brown will probably bring even more pressure, however, I have no idea where it will come from.

Here were BC's sack leaders from last year:

Kasim Edebali -- 9.5 sacks
Kevin Pierre-Louis -- 6 sacks
Josh Keyes -- 3.5 sacks
Steele Divitto -- 3 sacks
Steven Daniels -- 3 sacks
Mehdi Abdesmad -- 2 sacks
Kaleb Ramsey -- 2 sacks
Brian Mihalik-- 2 sacks

It is nice to have Keyes, Daniels, Mihalik and (hopefully healthy) Abdesmad back, the two biggest sackers are gone.  Much is expected of true Freshman Harold Landry, but can he match KPL's 6 sacks? Can any of the returning guys double their efforts?

I think Brown will figure something out. I also think last season's total of 36 sacks is reachable, but to do so multiple guys will have to step up and perhaps some of the DBs will have to be involved as a new wrinkle.

UMass still interested in Brown for something and other links

According to Blauds Don Brown remains a candidate at UMass for both the Head job and as a DC if Whipple gets the job. I am suspicious of all the speculation. Why would he leave BC (and presumably take a paycut) to go back to UMass as a coordinator? He was already head coach there. Would he want to work with Whipple that much? I am also doubtful that UMass would hire Brown for their head job. As much as our defense struggled this year, I don't want to scrap Brown's system after just one season. As we saw under Spaz, revolving coordinators doesn't lead to on the field success.

Under Armour signed Notre Dame to an apparel deal. It will be interesting to see how welcoming the Irish are to Under Armour's unique designs. I know the players don't care for the shoes, but as a fan I've been generally happy with the Under Armour BC uniforms. The only thing I hated was the white stripe helmet and that seems to be going away.

Charlie Davies signed with the Revolution.

This article doesn't mention BC, but it does deal with the growing issue of college basketball transfers. This new trend could help our next coach balance his roster fairly quickly. If anything having one mega class that didn't have much attrition hurt Donahue's ability to backfill with transfers.

Dude, Where's My Defense?

When Addazio started filling out his staff, I thought Don Brown was his best hire. Brown represented so many pluses in one coach: a veteran of the region, a known commodity to local high schools, a former head coach and best of all, an aggressive Defensive Coordinator who would change BC's whole mentality. Goodbye to 16 years of "bend but don't break." Hello to blitz anytime from anywhere. I also thought Don would be key to the inevitably rocky transition from Spaz to Addazio. With a relatively untested Offensive Coordinator in Ryan Day, I thought Brown would be able to "make lemonade" out of Spaz's leftovers and keep us in games this year. Like many of my predictions and expectations for this season, the opposite occurred.

While there was plenty to be excited about with the new BC Defense, the results in the first year weren't great: Here are the prime statistics:

• 86th Nationally in Total Defense
• 72nd Nationally in Scoring Defense
• 81st Nationally in 3rd Down Conversion Defense
• 103rd Nationally in Team Passing Efficiency Defense
• 51st Nationally in Rushing Defense 
• 14th in the ACC in Total Defense
• 12th in the ACC Scoring Defense
• 9th in the ACC in Rushing Defense
• 14th in the ACC in Team Passing Efficiency Defense
• 14th in the ACC in Team Passing Defense
• 3rd in the ACC in Red Zone Defense

When you are last in the conference in Total Defense something is wrong. But I haven't lost hope in Brown. There are some explanations as to why BC struggled this year and some history that things will get better.


What happened?

In my opinion, at the most basic level, BC didn't have the talent or depth to run the defense Brown implemented. There wasn't a lot of speed up front and the DBs weren't recruited or coached to play aggressive single coverage under Spaz. The best part of the defensive roster -- the linebackers -- carried the team and created the most big plays.

I also think the group lacked an institutional knowledge to play the defense. One of the huge positives about running the same scheme year after year, is that it becomes second nature to everyone. Every DE knows where every Safety should be on each play and in each coverage. If a blitz is called off presnap, instinctively everyone knows his assignment. That is hard to create in just one year. Think of how lost even our smartest players looked against Villanova. If you look at a lot of the mistakes from Syracuse it is because guys are not where they are supposed to be. As the players get used to the system every year, we will rebuild the institutional knowledge.

Finally the tackling toward the end of the season was not great. That is not just a Don Brown issue. With something like tackling blame goes from Addazio to the position coaches to the S&C staff to the players themselves. I don't expect that to be an issue in the bowl game or next year.

Concerns

Aside from the usual issues faced during a transition like confusion or the wrong type of players, I did have concerns about the results of our defense. We saw a welcome spike in sacks. But there weren't as many turnovers as you would expect. Why weren't opposing teams more confused? When you present that many different looks, a QB should end up making mistakes (think Logan Thomas). But too often we allowed QBs to complete a majority of their passes.

I also don't know or understand how Brown calls a game yet. I am sure things will become more familiar as we watch them more, but I could never see a pattern or consistent logic to the blitzes. That randomness may be intentional as to confuse the other team, but the results were iffy. And frustratingly there were plenty of games -- like Syracuse -- when constant pressure would work yet we stopped. I know it is old school, but I love the philosophy of keep doing something until the opponent proves they can stop it.


The Good News

Things will get better. Or at least they should if Brown's squads follow his pattern at previous FBS stops. While at UConn, his Defense went from 6th in the Big East in Total Defense in 2011 to 3rd in 2012. At Maryland Brown implemented this same scheme. In 2009 the Terps were 12th in the ACC in Total Defense. The next season they improved to 7th.

The other thing that gives me hope for the future was the dramatic improvement from a few select players. Edabali became a different player in this scheme. He made plays and wasn't just waiting for the action to come to him. Sylvia always had a good Football IQ but would often get exposed by the opposing offense. This year, before he got hurt, he was making big plays yet not allowing the killer deep passes as he did under Spaz.

Finally I think the overall talent will get better. When Spaz's defenses were at their best, it wasn't solely because of him. They were filled with all conference players and future NFLers. If BC brings in the right guys and coaches them up, Don Brown's defense won't be last in the conference.

I think keeping your coordinators is very important in college sports. Spaz showed that a revolving door only makes things worse. I still believe in Brown and hope that we eventually have the most aggressive and successful defense in the ACC.

Crazy Predictions: A Season Preview. We will have more sacks this year than the last three combined

Having been at this a long time, I try to keep things fresh. For this year's Season Previews I am going to make a few outlandish predictions based on my hunches. 

If I had just said we would outdo the last two years (6 and 11 sacks respectively) it would not be that crazy. But if you include Spaz's 2010 season our three season sack total is 37 sacks. For a group that only produced 6 all of last year, that is a big jump. And it is not like the incoming talent is making me so optimistic. My expectations are high for one reason: Don Brown. 

I started my previews focusing on Rettig, since I believe that he is the primary key for the year. A close second is our new defensive coordinator. If we are going to surprise people this year, we need Don Brown to make lemonade out of the lemons guys left behind by Spaz. I think he can do it. His defenses at UConn carried their team and he was respectable in his stint in Maryland. My lasting memory though is his 2007 UMass team frustrating Matt Ryan with varied blitzes and pressure.

Now just because Brown likes to pressure QBs, doesn't mean sacks are just going to happen. Someone has to make the actual tackle. That is where my prediction gets a little fuzzy. At UConn the LBs were able to break through and get pressure. So you have assume that someone with a little speed like KPL will be effective. I also think Duggan will get some on delays or just straight pressure up the middle. As for the DLine. If Ramsey stays healthy, he can create big holes. Edebali is a great effort guy (who just never seems to get there in time). Maybe in the new world he will be more productive. Our corners will be playing closer to the line of scrimmage, so ALJ and Jones should get a sack or two. 

UConn had 33 sacks last year, so getting to 38 is not unthinkable. BC plans on being aggressive on both sides of the ball, so I expect teams to try to throw on us (a lot). If Brown does a lot with a little, I will be very excited about the future when he gets his own players on the field. 

The aggressiveness will lead to some big mistakes this year but the days of bend but don't break are finally over.

Thoughts on SI's Addazio article

I am sure most of you have read SI's behind the scenes article on Addazio's first recruiting class. It is great publicity for the program and provides an interesting look at how Addazio is attacking our talent issues head on (since he is his own recruiting coordinator). These are a few of the things that stood out to me:

-- Addazio is more than just "rah, rah" and high energy. There is some simple sales strategies and statistics at work here and that is a good thing. I don't know if this is his original thought or he is adapting from other coaches whom he worked under, but having X amount of prospects that require X amount of contact and calls per week is familiar to anyone who has worked in Sales before. You are never going to close every deal in football or business, so you need enough prospects lined up to reach your goals. It is a simple concept, but one that has been lacking around BC. Too often the past four years we went from our A List to our C List without any rhyme or reason in between.
-- Institutional guys are buying in. Most programs have a few coaches and guys who have been around a while and have seen many come and go. BC has two on staff now in Kevin Lempa and Al Washington. Both have been part of multiple BC regimes and know what works and doesn't. Both are quoted in the article and seem to be enjoying the new culture.
-- #beadude is going to get played to the hilt this fall by the media. I like the idea behind Don Brown's viral hash-tag. But as we know a good thing can become a tired cliche when we hear about it every week. I predict it will get mentioned weekly in our games and will be all over the feature articles this fall. I will try to keep from rolling my eyes as long as recruiting is going strong. I also expect Brown's magic to keep us competitive this fall. I do feel for him that he didn't trademark the phrase as it will be on signs and t-shirts in the near future.
-- High School Coaches talking about Spaz. The contrast in John DiBiaso's (Everett) and Greg Toal's (Don Bosco) comments about our former staff were telling. DiBiaso was more candid in saying the former was "all over the place." While Toal didn't defend Spaz, he did point out Spaz's success as a defensive coach. This is all validation of what most of us thought -- things were a mess under Spaz. And his staff not being cohesive was also a byproduct of the AD having influence in who was hired and who was not. None of us know if Addazio will succeed but I think it is clear he is in control. I also like that his "energy" is translating to critical high school coaches and players.