2011 Position Previews: Quaterbacks

New season. New format. Instead of a digestible combo of factoids and opinions, I am going to write in a more narrative, free style post. As always, feedback is appreciated.

Have you ever watched 1984 Boston College-West Virginia game on ESPN Classic? Whenever its on, I find myself sucked in. I'll watch until the end as BC goes down on downs. I know how the game ends. I know BC lost. Yet all logic and rationale in my brain is turned off as a wait for Doug Flutie to change history. "I know they lost," I tell myself, "but it looks like Doug is going to do it..." Special quarterbacks will make you believe weird things.

Some schools get by on gimmick or a system. Some overwhelm you with waves of speed and talent. Neither has been BC's M.O. Our high points tend to be based on a group of kids coming together at the right time around the right Quarterback. That history is why I still have hope for the Spaz era. If we are going to rise again in the next season or two, I think it will be because of Chase Rettig and in spite of our coaching.

But I am probably pinning too much hope on Rettig. But the alternative is no hope. No upside. Prolonged boredom and despair brought on by Shinskie and Marscovetra. Sorry, I am a Catholic and a BC fan, not a nihilist. I need to believe. If Rettig isn't the answer, I am sure I will rationalize the upside of the next guy just to stave off the pain. "Maybe the time on the bench has changed Shinskie..." "I hear good things about Suntrup..."

Let me segue from feeling to a few facts that will hopefully inspire some positivity surrounding our quarterback situation. 1. This is the most experience we bring into a season without a senior starter in more than a decade. We are the only ACC team that has two quarterbacks with more than nine starts apiece. 2. Rettig attempted and completed more passes as a freshman than either Hasselbeck, St. Pierre, Porter or Ryan. 3. His completion percentage was within fractions of Shinskie's mark as a freshman. 4. Rettig was 5-4 as a starter.

The biggest unknown in all this is how Rettig or any of the other QBs progress under Kevin Rogers. How he works with our QBs and what he asks them to do could easily derail my "next big thing" narrative.

Although I welcome metrics and measurement in sports, one of the things I love about college football is that the development curve is so steep, severe and sudden, that a kid can blossom overnight. Who would have predicted that Flutie or Foley or Ryan would become what they each became based on their appearances. All you need is potential, opportunity and a spark.

Finally let me share a frustrating play from a frustrating and draining season.

Do you know why this play gives me hope? Because it all fell apart and Rettig kept fighting...just like Flutie did against West Virginia. The special ones always believe in themselves more than we believe in them.

The right move is to start Rettig

I tweeted the Rettig news this morning as soon as I heard it. BCMike asked if Chase would started and I replied that I couldn't confirm. Come to find out, Spaz is leaving the job open for Marscovetra or Rettig. This opens up a whole (welcome) can of worms that we will discuss and digest all week. Although he is getting thrown under the bus by some fans too, I have not given up on Marscovetra yet. But I think the move this week should be to start Rettig. Here is why: it's Notre Dame. This game means everything and it means nothing.

Everything. Rettig will be under the most intense spotlight you can imagine. He will make his first college start in primetime in a game that means more to BC fans than any other. He will be taking on college football's most revered program. If he can handle the pressure and succeed, you have the foundation for a great career. Conversely there is so little downside.

Nothing. Notre Dame is bad this year and has a porous defense. The game means nothing in the ACC standings. If he has a rough day you can always bring in Marscovetra in the second half.

As important as the starter is the attitude and plan of the coaching staff. Shinskie and many parts of the offense were not good on Saturday, but I think we didn't do anyone any favors with our game plan. I understand that execution is part of it, but so are adjustments and finding some basic concepts and plays that work. BC didn't do enough of that on Saturday.

I can't speak to Spaz's motivation or why he mishandled the QB spot so far. But I can say that this season is still very manageable and still has the recipe to be special. We have a very good defense and a very forgivable schedule. I understand that Rettig might be a disaster. That is the chance you take and that is the responsibility Spaz took on when he made the move from DC to head coach.

But this is BC. Strange things can happen. If we are going to have one of those special, "how did this happen," runs, it starts this Saturday and it starts with Chase Rettig.

Rettig: redshirt or ready?

In his the notes section of his latest column, Conroy mentioned the true freshmen who may still see playing time this year:

Spaziani spent the week getting longer looks at some true freshmen that will see some action.

Spaziani didn’t mention any numbers, but linebacker Steele DeVitto has been on the bubble. The staff also wanted to give a long look to wide receivers Shakim Phillips and Alex Amidon, both of whom missed most of training camp with hamstring injuries.

“Because of our situation, depth-wise and where we are in the program, we’re going to have to play some of these guys on special teams and put them in backup roles,” said Spaziani. “We know we’re going to need them down the road and we don’t have the luxury of (redshirting).” . . .

Not mentioned is true freshman quarterback Chase Rettig. Surprisingly the idea of whether they should redshirt Rettig is still being kicked around the Yawkey offices. But the staff knows they are reaching the point of no return. Using him with say only six games left is a waste. You either use him now and let him take his lumps or groom him as planned and let him play next year.

This decision would be much easier if Shinskie showed a bit more consistency. Rettig's continued improvement also muddles the situation.

Virginia Tech will be the test. Shinskie got better against Kent State, but we still don't know if he can be that good every game. If he can hold up against the Hokies and execute the offense, Rettig will redshirt. If the offense sputters again, this debate will go into overdrive next week.

What to watch for: Shinskie's status

Spaz has made it pretty clear that if Shinskie wants to play against Northeastern, he needs to practice and perform well today. I will post any updates I recieve, but also be sure to check the message boards, HD's blog, boston.com or bceagles.com. My prediction is that he tries to play, is still in a lot of pain and we go with Tuggle and Marscovetra Saturday.

Dissecting the Depth Chart

The depth chart for Northeastern is out! It answered a few questions and raised a few more.

What we now know
-- We will start two freshmen linebackers and a third freshmen will be on the LB two-deep.
-- This is a very young team. There are 57 slots on the chart. 15 are freshmen and 15 are sophomores.
-- Montel Harris is going to get a lot of all purpose yards. He's our No. 1 TB, our No. 1 KR and our No. 2 Punt Returner.
-- Cleary did get the final open offensive line spot at LG. Let's hope this is the start of another great BC lineman's career.
-- Fullback-Tight End...what's the difference? Since we have no experienced or healthy full backs, Anderson and McMichael are listed there on the depth chart. I have no idea how Tranq will use them. I imagine they will still be pass catchers and also used at their previous position interchangeably.
-- Geiser's hurt. Walk on Sean Flaherty will be the long snapper.
-- Alex Albright is back (or at least healthy enough to reclaim his starting spot).

What we don't know
-- How the QB position is going to play out. Tuggle and Marscovetra are both listed as No. 1 on the depth chart. I assume that means both will play. Who gets the first series or how they will split snaps is still unknown. And what happens when Shinskie returns? I am encouraged by the fact that Marscovetra is a Co-No.1 as it probably means we won't be redshirting him.

More to come once Spaz explains this to the media.

Blaudschun and I agree on something (sort of)

In a tweet posted early this morning, the Boston Globe's Mark Blaudschun asked:

If Pete Carroll can name true freshman Matt Barkely to start for USC, why can't BC do it with Mike Marscovetra who has best arm in camp

In his breakdown on boston.com, he expounded on the QB depth chart a bit. He predicts Shinskie will be the starter, but adds "When he arrived at BC in June, he was almost anointed the starter. Only problem is he hasn't shown anything special, yet."

This lines up with everything I've heard about Shinskie. So why is he getting the benefit of the doubt? Why would Spaz stubbornly try to redshirt Marscovetra if he's the best of the QBs? I am not saying the sky is falling but I will be very disheartened if Spaz doesn't play the best QB now. Redshirting should not be an issue. When you are building for something long term and have an adequate substitute, redshirting makes sense. That may not be the case now. Spaz needs to win and win now. Even with the low expectations around the program, any drop off will be magnified given how we ended the Jags era and our safe hire of Spaz. Don't worry about Marscovetra's eligibilty. Four years from now we will have a different offensive coordinator and perhaps a different head coach. You have three QBs with four years of eligibility now. You have two more QBs coming in next year. Play the best. Win now. Redshirting is a luxury we don't have now. And if Mascovetra struggles as a true freshmen, try something else. Don't get married to the idea of one guy over another. That is very TOBish. Age, pedigree, even practice performance shouldn't make a difference. Whoever does the best under live fire needs to be our QB.

Back to square one

It looks like the QB depth chart is written in pencil. After narrowing in on Shinskie and Marscovetra last week, Spaz et al must of had a change of heart. How else to explain giving more snaps to Tuggle and Boek in Sunday's scrimmage? One theory is that we'll be running more (including some direct snaps) so having a QB who is a threat to run compliments those strategies. Who knows?

What I don't understand is the urge to lock in on one guy before the season. If no one stood out, why not split time amongst the equals? Although I never want to overlook anyone, Northeastern is not very good. We could split time among three QBs and see who steps up in live action. We could potentially do the same against Kent State. Michigan plans to play three QBs in their opener. Ideally you work out the kinks and are ready to go with one guy by the time we head down to Clemson.

We have one more scrimmage to decipher. But I have a feeling we won't know or understand what's best until after Northeastern.

What to make of Marscovetra

If Michael Marscovetra becomes the BC starter as a true freshman, it will be the latest and most visible example that the recruiting system has holes in it and that there are many factors that go into player evaluation. As a reminder, this was the Jersey guy's pedigree as a high school player:

Scout: 2 star and unranked.
ESPN: 75 rating
Rivals: 2 Star unranked.

Marscovetra did not receive another DIA offer. Even after he committed to BC, no other school entered the picture to lure him away. And it wasn't like he was playing in some obscure, underdeveloped football territory. He played in nothern New Jersey which is probably the most fertile and heavily recruited area in the northeast.


You want to give everyone a chance. You want to say that everyone starts with a blank slate. It is not true. Coaches, fans, recruitniks all anticipate who is going to be a star and who they think will be a bust. That's why Michael Marscovetra's emergence is so unexpected. The true freshman has been the best QB in camp so far. The reason he's not at the top of the depth chart is based on maturity and upside...and probably a little bit on expectations. The coaches didn't expect him to be this good and are probably having doubts. Does a guy like Spaz want to but his future in a unheralded kid who he didn't even recruit? Marscovetra was a Steve Logan flyer. But even Logan and Jags saw him as a backup. They were still going hard after other recruits after Marscovetra verballed.

Maybe this is all about rising to the occasion. While Mascovetra played in New Jersey, his team wasn't very good and neither was the talent around him. It shows in his stats. As a JR he completed 56% of his passes for 1,762 yards with 15TDs and 12 INTs. As a SR in high school he regressed a bit completing 47.6% of his passes for 1,422 yards, 8 TDs and 13 Ints. The reason he got a scholarship from BC was his impressive camp performance in summer 2008. In fact he's played the best football of his life in Boston. That is probably what matters. In a team sport, when the talent around him was finally even, he stood out.

Just because he's playing well doesn't guarantee anything. He's not beating out a Matt Ryan or Doug Flutie. The QB talent around him -- although more heralded -- is still flawed. And Shinskie may still take a big leap in play once he shakes off the rust.

Marscovetra may never play at BC. There is one name ahead of him now and could be two more names above him on the depth chart as early as January. And even if he gets the job, it doesn't mean we have a star. Look around at some of the other true freshman we've faced over the years. But Marscovetra's surprising start offers hope. As much as we think we know how things will play out, we don't know. No one does. That's what makes this all so interesting. For our sake, let's hope Marscovetra continues to exceed the low expectations. We need some good news.