Live Eagle!!! and other links

Brad Bates keep scoring points with the BC faithful. For years we've been asking for a live eagle mascot. For years were told it wasn't feasible. Not anymore. BC announced that for the first time in 47 years the school will have a live eagle mascot. There is also a fan naming contest for the bird. I don't think that this will suddenly get people to their seats on time, but it is the type of tradition building that is long overdue.

Matt Tennant is hoping to make the Eagles final roster. Will Blackmon signed with Jacksonville.

Women's Soccer lost to UConn.

Here is a history of the BC-Villanova rivalry.

In his conference with the Philly media Addazio addressed his time at Temple.

Final thoughts on Spain and other links

As others have pointed out, you should read Ryan Anderson's final blog from Spain. Call me a sap or maybe    I am blinded by my loyalty to BC, but I was glad to read Anderson's take on the trip and his teammates. Think of trips or shared experiences you had at that age and how you felt after. Anderson just had one of those experiences and we were lucky that he shared it with us. I hope it all pays off on the basketball court because this team is very likable.

One thing I didn't put together was Doug Martin's experience going against Golden's defenses during Kent State-Temple matchups. It's interesting that Miami blamed most of the big plays on missed assignments. I am sure that's partially true but it doesn't explain some of the separation our guys got in one on one battles.

That Patriots released Matt Tennant after just a few days. I don't know where he'll go next, but I imagine multiple teams are interested.

The women's basketball team released their non-conference schedule.

If you didn't see it the soccer team beat Fairfield on Monday.

Weekend roundup

Sorry for the delay in posting my second viewing thoughts and grades. I am travelling and have yet to watch the game back. When I see it again, I will post the grades shortly thereafter.

AJ asked if this game was an aberration from Rettig or the start of something big. I am leaning towards the start of something big. As a reminder, Flutie's biggest day at BC all-time was also in a loss. I will have a post later this week on how Rettig's day -- even though a huge statistical leap -- was not a fluke.

The Patriots picked up Matt Tennant on the waiver wire. 

Here is another post from Ryan Anderson's Spain trip. The team lost their final game of the tour.

The women's soccer team's dominance on their west coast swing continued.

Field Hockey lost to UMass.

Football Alumni on Spaz

As fans and alumni we are all stakeholders in BC football. But the football Alumni are in a little more vested club. Most of them are closely identified with their time at BC even years later. And I am not just talking about the current guys playing in the NFL or Canada. Your typical BC football player is in a normal job and like all of us fans is hearing: "what happened to you guys?"

What's interesting is that despite their gripes and frustrations with the program, most are pretty loyal. They might be critical of a coach, player or admin at a cocktail party or in an email, but rarely will they go public. Thanks to social media, that is starting to change.

Matt Tennant has been one of the more vocal critics of Spaz. After slamming Spaz during the game on twitter, Tennant backtracked a bit today:

@MattTennant65
Sorry Eagle fans, last night my emotions obviously got the best of me.I care a lot about the program, and while the losses are not directly

@MattTennant65
Spaz's fault, we do all need to work together to help BC football get back to where it belongs.

Tennant shouldn't have to apologize. He wasn't the only one questioning the leadership and direction of the program. I hope other football alums start speaking out. We need a change and it will only happen if influential alumni take a stand.

Eagles drafted and other links

Despite the rebuilding season, three BC baseball players were drafted Wednesday. Senior RHP John Leonard obviously can sign with the Giants right away. Juniors Mike Dennhardt and Brad Zapenas will have to decide if they will leave now or play one more year at the Heights. The three join Garret Smith who was drafted by Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Here is more on BC's latest commitment. The opportunity to play Center was a key selling point.

Although we missed out on his teammate BC is still in the mix for Kaleb Tarczewski. He's scheduled three visits with the big programs. Let's hope Donahue gets him on campus.

Sylvia Crawley added a new assistant to her staff.

Gene's name is still coming up for the Tennessee job. Will he make a public statement regarding the opportunity?

When the NFL resumes, Matt Tennant will be fighting for a starting position in New Orleans.

Looking for a career boost, Kenny Florian is dropping down in UFC weight classes.

Hockey news dampers weekend and other links

Philip Sameulsson, Parker Milner, and Patrick Wey were among seven students in a Jeep that collided with a Green Line T train on Saturday night. Fortunately no one was seriously injured. Fortunately the driver was not drinking. The bad news was that alcohol was found in the car and the group was underage. My guess is that York will hand out some sort of suspension and the guys will miss the first few games of the season.

Some are calling Matt Tennant a steal for the 5th round.

The Broncos depth chart shows that Bowman's got his work cut out for him.

The baseball team swept NC State this weekend and have now won 8-straight games.

My scouting report on Matt Tennant

Overview: There is no real consensus on Matt Tennant. I've seen projections saying he will be drafted in the second round. I've read that he could fall into the fifth or sixth round. Which means he'll probably land in the third or fourth. The NFL.com rating only gave him a 2.4 (top prospects are rated 8+).

The knock on Tennat seems to be his size. He's a little tall to play center and a little lean to play other spots on the line. I've also heard some think that he didn't have a great senior year and that his stock is down. To counter that, there is the favorable reputation BC linemen have around the league. His predecessors have been so successful, that he is considered a safe pick for the middle rounds.

My take: I actually think Tennant's best year was his sophomore season. Snapping the ball to Matt Ryan can make anyone look good, but when watching the tapes, it was very impressive to see a new starter like Tennant play so well. He was really perfect for the zone blocking scheme and rarely made errors. His junior year was good with the exception of his snaps, which often went sailing. Last year under the new system, Tennant played well, but didn't dominate like I had hoped. While I think others were more at fault, I also wish Matt had directed traffic a little better in the disaster at Clemson.

While people are focused on Tennant's frame and size, I don't think it will be an issue. At the end of the day, he is big enough and has very good athleticism for his size (remember that TOB considered moving him to Tight End).

Prediction: With Pete Carroll in Seattle and Shanahan in DC, there are now six teams running the Gibbs' zone scheme and most of the other teams are using components. This increases Tennant's value. Even if his senior year wasn't what we had hoped, I think he will transition very well to the NFL and become a Pro Bowler like fellow BC Centers Damian Woody and Dan Koppen. As for who will draft him...the Atlanta Falcons went over every snap of Matt Ryan's senior year, which means they saw a lot of Matt Tennant. In the two years since he's done nothing to discourage their initial interest. My (hope) and guess is that the Matts get reunited when Atlanta drafts Tennant this weekend.

Katz on Donahue and other links

Many wondered how Andy Katz's coverage of BC would change after Skinner was fired. At the time I predicted Andy would still give BC special coverage. Andy's relationship with BC predates his work at ESPN. He can't say it, but I bet a lie detector test would prove he is a BC fan. So here is his first feature on Donahue and I think it is solid. It also includes quotes from his top assistant Joe Jones. But mention the importance of recruiting but don't seem concerned about the transfers or about the incoming class potentially bailing. We'll see how it plays out.

The baseball team will hopefully build off of the momentum of this win over Wake.

Tennant's hometown paper views him as the second best center in the draft.

Jags selected Dejuan Tribble in the UFL expansion draft.

Rakim's high school coach tried to shed more light on Sanders' decision to transfer.

Looking at Lacrosse and other links

Since there is a groundswell to bring back BC men's lacrosse, I tweeted this article earlier and wanted to repost it so more could see it. It confirms the biggest challenge facing Lax is Title IX. So for all you BC lax fans out there, just know that as long as BC has football we won't see sticks in the spring.

BC's game with Vermont will start at 5 PM. In another hockey note, Steven Whitney was named Hockey East rookie of the week.

Pat Dean was named ACC Pitcher of the Week.

After a few stints on college staffs, former BC lineman Mark Nori is now a head coach at the high school level.

The hockey bracketologists think BC is in regardless of what happens this weekend.

The Heights had a nice article on Matt Tennant's outlook on the NFL Draft process.

Combine news and notes

Mike McLaughlin is using his face time with NFL folks to remind them he can long snap too. It is not a bad strategy. Because he played hurt last year, McLaughlin's 2009 tapes are not NFL caliber. If he thinks he can be a good linebacker in the NFL, using special teams to get your foot in the door might be the best path. The NFL Network's Mike Mayock thinks McLaughlin's bloodlines will also help him get noticed.

Matt Tennant is also talking about the ability to play multiple positions including either guard spot. A San Fran blog had the 40 times of high profile linemen. As you can see, Tennant was on the fast side.

Here are the unofficial times of other offensive linemen of note. West Viriginia's Ed Wang 5.46; Cal's Mike Tepper 5.37; Notre Dame's Sam Young 5.19, LSU's Ciron Black 5.49, Iowa's Bryan Bulga 5.26; Iowa's Kyle Calloway 5.51, Rutgers's Anthony Davis 4.38, UMass's Vladmir Ducasse 5.21; Idaho's Mike Iupati 5.26; Ole Miss's John Jerry 5.18; Oklahoma State's Russell Okung 5.17; Arkansas's Mitch Petrus 5.29; Boston College's Matt Tennant 5.13 and Texas Tech's Brandon Carter 5.36. Unofficial times are typically slower than official times.

How high will Tennant's stock rise?

This article includes Matt Tennant as a potential first round sleeper. I've been singing Tennant's praises for three seasons and I think he will make a great pro. Yet I would be very surprised if he sneaks into the first round. There are two big obstacles to working against him.

1. His size. You can be on the small side and still play Center in the NFL. However, being small limits his ability to switch to another position. Could he play OG in the NFL? Maybe. Could he play Tackle? Highly unlikely. One position means less value and limited upside. With a first round pick, teams want franchise players. Matt might become one, but doesn't seem to have that upside on paper.

2. Undervalued Centers. Few teams spend first round picks on Centers. Since 2000, only six centers have been drafted in the first round. Despite the Center's importance in picking up coverage, teams like to build around Tackles. Centers are often afterthoughts. Is Matt a big enough name or have enough upside to use a first round pick?

What can he do at the Combine help his draft status?
I don't think the Combine will change much about Tennant's status. I am sure he'll do well in the interviews. BC guys always seem to impress with their smarts, attitude and interview skills. But assume teams know about his personality already. To continue his momentum, Matt will need to blow teams away with his performance in the drills. A Mamula-like performance combined with interview skills and his tape would make it easier for a team to use a high-value pick on Tennant.

But being a Combine warrior has its downside too. Teams and fans expect too much. In the end, I think the second round might be the best solution for Matt. He'll have a chance to play right away and grow without the heightened expectations that come from being a first rounder.

Tennant's good week and other links

Matt Tennant made the most of his week in Mobile. All the Koppen comparisons can't hurt his draft prospects. I think Matt is going to be very good at the next level but his size is going to hurt his standings with some scouts and GMs. On the flipside though is that Seattle, Houston, Tampa, Green Bay, and Washington are all running Alex Gibbs' zone schemes and Tennant is well verse in the techniques.

BC picked up another Hockey East win by beating Providence Friday night.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association nominated BC's Kevin Moran for the Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in the nation.

BC is still in the mix for OLine prospect Sean Hickey.

Clemson follow up and other links

ESPN's broadcast crew had good things to say following the game:

As I predicted Sunday, the PR train for Pete Carmichael has begun.

This is a great read on incoming BC basketball recruit Kevin Noreen's high school. Because Noreen is climbing up the state's record books, his "unconventional" high school is facing criticism for other coaches and educators.

BC lost out on recruit Bruce Gaston. Compounding the snub was the fact that he used a Red Sox hat when playing the hat game at the press conference. No respect. All sorts of bad karma will be headed his way from the hat gods!

BC continues to recruit New Jersey the old fashioned way, while Greg Schiano covers the state in his helicopter. Both schools have interest in 2011 prospect Anthony Sarao.

Despite his size, Matt Tennant is grading out well at the Senior Bowl. There is also a Tennant note buried in this article too.

HD doesn't rank the Alumni Stadium experience very high among ACC schools.

Former Eagle Chris Snee is back in the Pro Bowl.