10 Years of TOB Part II: the 10 best wins

Part II of the series (Part I). TOB’s ability to beat the teams he is supposed to beat (for the most part) and lose to the team you’d expect him to lose to (for the most part) made this list a little harder to compile. Once again, this is my personal rating system with a ton of subjectivity. Part III will deal with off the field accomplishments. Of course I welcome any feedback on these games or games I might have overlooked.

10. BC 41, Georgia Tech 31. Sept. 5, 1998. This might seem like a random game. Tech wasn’t ranked at the time and BC would finish 1998 with a losing record. But it doesn’t capture what an upset it turned out to be. Over the course of 20 games this Georgia Tech team only lost three times -- once to BC and twice to Florida State. O’Leary and Hamilton were at their best and TOB beat them at home. This involved a big effort from Mike Cloud. This was TOB’s first big out of conference win.

9. BC 31, Notre Dame 29. Nov. 20, 1999. When I first posted the losses, one of the readers wrote the best wins will be easy -- just list the Notre Dame games. This one is remembered for being the first time TOB’s guys pulled up clumps of turf as souvenirs. (The practice would gain more attention a few years later.) The reason this was a big win? It was TOB’s first win over the Irish and the first victory at South Bend since the Gordon kick. This was also highpoint of O’Brien’s first winning season.

8. BC 21, Notre Dame 17. Oct. 27, 2001. Not one of the better Irish teams. In fact this game might have sealed Bob Davie’s fate in South Bend. The game makes the list not because of the Irish, but because of William Green’s performance. Green was easily the most talented guy to pass through Chestnut Hill during TOB’s era. Unfortunately, due to a variety of reasons, he rarely scratched the surface of his potential. This game was probably his best. It included a 71-yard run and a 70-yard pass play. Here is a snippet from the AP article on the game “O'Brien said. ‘William told me before the game that he was going to have the game of his life.’" (Green would be suspended one week later.)

7. BC 35, Wake Forest 30. Oct. 15, 2005. This was not well played. This opponent was not very good. The weather that day was horrible. The long-term implications are still unclear, yet this game deserves to be on the list. Why? Because Matt Ryan put on a show. He capped his gunslinging performance with a beautiful throw and catch to Challenger in the corner. Comebacks have been rare under TOB. The old Marine’s style and philosophy result in slow and steady wins. So when a gamer like Matty Ryan comes in and saves a "lost cause" game it really provides a jolt to the fan base and leaves a lasting memory. As I said, the long-term ramifications of this game are still unknown, but if Ryan becomes a star and we crush Wake Forest (like we should) people will point to this game as a turning point. Even if nothing comes of it, the last 10 minutes of this game were exciting enough to make the Top 10.

6. BC 16, Clemson 13. Sept. 24, 2005. TOB’s first ACC win. Playing without his starting QB, on the road in a brutally hot stadium, TOB put together one of his best games against a good Clemson team. The strategy was nothing new -- wear out the opponent with our size. However, there was a twist that factored in the heat (playing the second string offensive line for long stretches). The defense was also fantastic. The game showed BC belonged in the ACC. It really could’ve gone either way. I think if BC lost this game, the season could have unraveled…making this win that much bigger.

5. BC 20, Georgia 16. Dec. 28, 2001. This game marked TOB’s first win over a ranked opponent. Georgia was not dominating and a questionable punt by the 'Dawgs late in the game handed the victory to the Eagles. But TOB does deserve credit for this. BC was down early and this was a virtual road game. The team hung on and earned what is sadly TOB’s most respectable bowl win to date.

4. BC 24, Norte Dame 23. Oct. 23, 2004. The Wake Forest win is a testament to Matt Ryan. This game will be remembered as the highlight of the Paul Peterson era. His 30-yard pass to Gonzo capped a stunning second half comeback in South Bend. Notre Dame proved to be average, but they did come into this game ranked. If the 2001 loss marked the end of the Davie run, this was probably the final nail in Ty Willingham’s coffin.

3. BC 36, West Virginia 17. Nov. 13, 2004. Ah, what could’ve been. This game was supposed to be BC’s last step en route to the Fiesta Bowl. The Syracuse loss the next week changed the way this game would be viewed. Which is a shame since BC kicked the shit out of the ‘Eers with the conference title on the line. West Virginia was ranked and BC had a notoriously miserable track record in Morgantown. Things changed that day. BC dominated in nearly every way. Moving the ball, shutting down the Mountaineers and absolutely killing them on special teams. It should’ve been the perfect exclamation point to our final Big East season. Instead it turned out to be just a good game.

2. BC 34, Virginia Tech 27. Nov. 22, 2003. BC came into this game with very little hope. Virginia Tech was ranked. BC limped in with a raw Quarterback and a team that barely got by Rutgers the week before. Things turned around quickly. Derrick Knight played really well. The defense used the bend but don’t break philosophy to contain Randall and Paul Peterson showed how exciting this offense could be when it is opened up a little.

1. BC 14, ND 7. Nov. 2, 2002. The Green Jersey game. Notre Dame was in full ‘Return to Glory’ mode. The Irish were undefeated and coming off a huge win at Florida State. BC limped in. Much of the talk heading into the week was focused on the Irish avoiding a letdown a la ’93. When the Irish came out in their Green Jerseys, it was a statement -- ‘we are ready for BC.’ The green proved unlucky as BC won a defensive struggle and sent the Irish on a slide that eventually led to Willingham’s dismissal. The game provided TOB with his first win over a Top 5 team and the biggest BC upset since the 1993 Notre Dame game.

With that out of the way...

I’ve done my best to avoid talking about the Rice commencement protests here. Now that her speech is over and the uproar proved to be small and contained, I think it is important to remember what this day is really about -- the students and their families. So my congratulations go out to all the new Boston College alumni. Welcome to the club and best of luck with your chosen path. (If I am ever asked to give a commencement speech "congrats and best of luck" might be the extent of what I say. No one cares about the speech. The students and family just want to hear their names called and walk across a stage.)

Post Spring Blogpoll Roundtable

Burnt Orange is hosting the latest blogpoll roundtable. It’s been a busy week, so I am just getting to my answers now. Check out his blog for great Texas coverage and to see what other bloggers had to say.

1. Which offseason story are you most tired of, and, on the flip side, interested in? (e.g. Reggie Bush's house, Jimmy Claussen, etc.)

Maybe because I saw him skydiving at least a dozen times on SportsCenter, but I am already sick of the Dan Hawkins “revitalizing Colorado” storyline. Didn’t we already go through this with Rick Neuheisel and Gary Barnett? I seem to remember hearing before how the new coach was going to bring a fresh outlook to CU and clean up the mess. This is not the first time that a coach was the “perfect fit for Boulder” and “got CU.” I know rehashing storylines happens everywhere (“Return to Glory” or “the Shadow of the Bear”) but at least Notre Dame and ‘Bama have history on their side. Without the 5th down, what does CU have? Instead of sky diving, I would rather see some analysis of how Hawkins offense will work in the Big XII.

One offseason story not getting enough play is: what is going to happen in Miami this season? How many coaches with National Championships and winning percentages like Coker’s would ever be on the hot seat? Will his house cleaning make a difference? We’ll see.

2. Your head coach comes down with a mystery illness and has to step aside. You get to hand pick the replacement for the 2006 season. Who gets your vote?

My dream coach would be Spurrier. He’s everything TOB is not: a great quote, inventive offensively, and emotional on the sidelines. Of course there is no way that would ever happen. So realistically I would say Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Coach Mark Whipple. He’s got the college and pro experience. He’s aggressive offensively. He knows New England. If BC ever has a coaching change, he should be one of the first guys to get a call.

3. Lastly, we'll mix the football and the blogging together here. If you could have anyone switch allegiances and start covering your team, who you gonna pick?

Picking my favorite blogpoller is too hard. Each guy has his own style. So instead I’ll pick a borderline college football blogger who is not part of the poll. Lexicon is a die hard USC fan. I came across his blog on a recommendation. What I like and respect, aside from his passion for the Trojans, is that he is very consistent with his content. He mixes in travel, his job, his kids and his tv habits during the offseason. What I like about his USC coverage and his coverage of college football is that he is not trying to be something unique. Sometimes I feel that bloggers (me included) try to hard to say something new or different every time out. Lex just writes about his experiences going to games and tells you how he did on his bets. That’s about it. I enjoy reading about his struggles battling LA traffic on gamedays and the fun he has following a great team. If he were a BC blogger, I am sure I would eat up his accounts of battling Boston traffic and watching his team lose in painful ways.

Ryan's right

Bob Ryan took time to make a good point this morning. We should play Holy Cross every year in basketball. I said the same thing three weeks ago. I'm not sure why Ryan is just getting to the subject now.

“What? You don’t publish an ACC Preview?”

Perusing the newstand the other day, I came across The Sporting News’ SEC preview. Excited, I hunted for its ACC counterpart. No luck. I assumed that my Borders just didn’t have it. Searching online I realized something much more disappointing -- The Sporting News doesn’t publish one! So now I have to wait for the general College Football Preview that comes out later this summer. This sobering experience did make me think. Do I really need to buy the Preview issue? Aside from some stats and words, I can already predict what it will say about the ACC schools.

Here are my guesses on the storylines for each ACC team.

Boston College. The Eagles lost key players and are reworking their line. Their easy schedule will return them to the postseason where they hope to extend their bowl winning streak.

Clemson. Can Tommy Bowden beat his daddy and the ol’ ball coach again? Tommy B. is replacing some key players but the offense should be much better.

Duke. The clock is ticking on Roof. He has more talent. Can he finally show signs of improvement?

Florida State. Bowden reloads on defense and hopes the offense is improved. Much maligned coordinator Jeff Bowden is the key to the Seminoles defending their conference championship.

Georgia Tech. Gailey handed the reigns of the offense to young OC Nix. Will the veteran team, led by Ball and Johnson, finally break through the 7 win barrier? [The magazines will also mention the Jacket’s tough schedule.]

Maryland. Does Big Ralph get things back on track? Coaching turnover and QB questions make this a make or break season for the Terps.

Miami. New and old faces try to get Miami’s groove back. The ‘Canes still have enough talent to compete for the conference title. If they don’t, Coker is in trouble.

North Carolina. Bunting is in for another long year. Hope is on the way in the form of hot shot recruit Paulus. [This last note depends on the publish date. If they put the mag together before Paulus' commit, than look for just general “Bunting still has the support of the UNC faithful” filler.]

North Carolina St. Lost more talent than any team in the conference. Chuckie’s offense should be better and he is looking to build off of last year’s strong finish.

Virginia. Groh lost two coordinators and his starting QB. Look for the 'Hoos to struggle this season, but Groh does some of his best work when little is expected of his team.

Virginia Tech. The premiere team in the conference. Losing Vick helps because there will be fewer distractions. Beamer ball always assures that they will be competitive.

Wake Forest. Always good for an upset or two, the Deacs will still be out classed and finish in the bottom half of the conference.

My predictions on The Sporting News division standing predicitons:

Atlantic
Florida State
Clemson
Boston College
NC State
Maryland
Wake Forest

Coastal
Virginia Tech
Miami
Georgia Tech
North Carolina
Virginia
Duke


ACC Championship Game
Virginia Tech over Florida State


All this cynicism about predictable storylines for the conference aside, I’ll still rush to buy the Preview the minute it hits the stands!

10 Years of TOB Part I: the 10 worst losses

We are approaching TOB’s tenth year at the Heights, so I thought it was time for a little look back at his run. In an effort to be balanced, I’ll break this series into three parts (his 10 best wins, his 10 worst losses, and 10 best off-field moves). I’ll start with the losses.

This list is strictly my opinion. I am sure many fans will quibble with some of my selections and my ranking. Please share your thoughts in the comments section. I was surprised by how tough it was to narrow this list to 10. There were 20 deserving debacles. What surprised me most is how many bad games have come in the last four years -- supposedly TOB’s best stretch. Maybe with more at stake the pain of the L is greater. Maybe my memory is still fresh. Or maybe we as fans are just getting tired of letting games slip away in similar fashion.

Here are the games that barely missed the final cut: Either of the Wake games, Pitt ’02, the two Temple losses, Navy ’98, Virginia Tech ’02, Miami ’00, WVU ’03, and Stanford ’01.

Now the 10 worst in reverse order.

10. BC 17, Pitt 20. Oct. 16, 2004. While another conference loss in our final Big East season was 10 times more painful, in reality this one did as much damage. Paul Peterson’s gutsy drive in the fourth quarter forced overtime, but the real story was the number of mistakes BC made. Wasted red zone opportunities. A blocked punt that bounced forward for a Pitt first down because our guys didn’t know the rules. Failing to wrap up Palko. Playing for overtime with one last possession. Lester reaching for a first down and fumbling (something that he kept doing into the next year!!!). Nearly 140 penalty yards. Just a sloppy game that BC gave to the Panthers. The loss contributed to BC blowing the best chance it will ever have at a BCS bowl.

9. BC 28, Colorado 62. Dec. 31, 1999. If BC is pushing the bowl streak as a major accomplishment, I am going to include this game as a reminder of life before the streak. This was an embarrassment. The team was runover by an average Buffalo squad. Because it was our first bowl under TOB, the pain did not linger. We were just happy to be here. But with time, the score and lack of effort don’t change. In the last year TOB has even admitted that he didn’t prepare the team well for this game. Not one of his shining moments.

8. BC 14, Syracuse 39. Oct. 18. 2003. This was the plane game. Long story short, BC had plane trouble and arrived very late. At least the plane showed up. The team didn’t. I won’t even get into the questions that arose about how, when and why we travel when we do. Instead what makes this loss so bad is that the team was outclassed by a really average Syracuse team. Lack of effort and our old scapegoats -- questionable special teams (including one 10 yard punt) and the wrong starter (Porter over Peterson) -- were also factors. In retrospect what bothered me most about this game is that the guys didn’t seem to care. I know travel’s a bitch sometimes, but take it out on the other guys. Don’t just give up. And the coaching staff seemingly did nothing to get the guys going. One last note…some DB named Diamond Ferri had a pretty good game including one INT.

7. BC 44, Miami 45. Oct. 18, 1997. This is the infamous OT game. Long story short, TOB went for two in OT before he had to. Later he admitted to not fully understanding the rules. I was broadcasting this game for BC student radio and no one in the press box fully understood the intricacies of the new College OT. That is understandable for idiot media types and wannabes like me. Not acceptable for head coaches. BC didn’t convert and lost the game. Bonehead for sure. Not especially painful since it was TOB’s first season and that team was probably not going to accomplish much any way.

6. BC 28, Miami 31. Oct. 23, 1999. This is the 28-point lead game. A complete choke job, meltdown. Fumbles. INTs. Letting guys get wide open. This game had it all, including the 'Canes last-second, game-winning field goal. While not epically painful seven years later, blowing a 28-point lead needs to make any top 10 list of bad games.

5. BC 17, Florida State 28. Sept. 17, 2005. BC’s first ACC game and we were behind by 14 before you knew it. Porter’s bad start was hard to watch. Yet the comeback made me think things might be different. But when our Maine Man went down later with an injury, the coaching staff hid in its shell and hoped to hang on. The cowardly coaching and the questionable play calling as Matt Ryan tried to get us back in the game merit this game's place as No. 5. If BC wins this game, they are in the inaugural ACC Championship Game.

4. BC 14, UNC 16. Nov. 5, 2005. I don’t know what is more frustrating, that I saw this loss coming two months in advance or that despite making huge errors the game was still in reach in the final minutes. Most readers know the story or could guess it if I asked -- bad special teams and the wrong QB. This was a bad UNC team. And the loss also cost us a shot at the ACC Title game. Keeping Porter in as long as TOB did is indefensible. Even John Bunting expressed shock when Porter started the second half. What was very telling was that after the game when trying to justify blowing the chance at the ACC title game, TOB said he never expected Florida State to lose. This led BC fans to believe that he might have done something different -- like play Ryan -- if he had known the stakes. Nothing like mailing it in with three games left!!

3. BC 7, Miami 18. Nov. 11, 2001. In fairness to TOB, this was one of his better coached games. That doesn’t make it less painful. Real painful. BC went toe-to-toe with one of the all-time great college teams without our best player (the suspended William Green). And in the final moments, while nearing the Miami goal line for the potential go ahead score, St. Pierre threw the flukiest interception I’ve ever seen. Here is the AP’s description “With Miami clinging to a 12-7 lead in the final minute, BC quarterback Brian St. Pierre moved his team from its own 30 to the Hurricanes 9. With just over 20 seconds left in the game, St. Pierre dropped back and tried to hit Ryan Read at about the Miami 2. But the low pass ricocheted off Miami cornerback Ed Rumph's left knee and into the hands of 262-pound defensive tackle Matt Walters at the 10. The lineman ran 10 yards before teammate Reed grabbed the ball from him at the 20 and outraced a BC defender to the end zone.” Going from victory to defeat like that always leaves a lasting scar.

2. BC 26, Notre Dame 31. Nov. 7, 1998. This will probably be my most controversial pick on the list. The season was a wash for BC and TOB was only in his second year, but this was an opportunity to upset a good Irish team that came into the game 7-1 and ranked No. 13. What moves this loss to No. 2 is the maddening ending. BC was first and goal from the ND 4 with minutes remaining and down 5. Four straight runs by Mike Cloud. Four straight stops by the ND defense. I understand giving it to your best player. I don’t understand the stubborn play calling. To this day I still wonder where was the play action pass on second or even third down.

1. BC 17, Syracuse 43. Nov. 27, 2004. Calling this the worst loss of the TOB era doesn’t even capture how painful this was. If you could break this game down into ten smaller portions, they would each easily be more painful to me than any other game on this list. Unlike the UNC game or the Pitt game when our ultimate postseason fates were still unknown, BC came into this game knowing what it had to do. Beat a bad Syracuse team and their lame duck coach at home and BC walks into the Fiesta Bowl. That was the script. Unfortunately, no one told the Orange. They came into Alumni and ran all over BC. The worst part? No one on BC responded. The team was punched in the mouth and never recovered. There were a few glimpse of hope -- including a blocked punt from Toal, but this team was not prepared mentally or strategically. Some apologist point to Paul Peterson’s injury (he broke his hand the week before) as the reason for the loss. Unacceptable. Syracuse was playing with a patchwork backfield. Some DB named Diamond Ferri was handed the ball for the first time all year and ran for 141 yards. Injuries happen. Dropped passes and shitty tackling were the big factors in BC’s loss. This game crushed me and made me question why I invest so much time into BC sports. Sure I came back to cheering for BC pretty quickly, but I still am not over this game.

ACC Revenue Review

Here are two good articles recapping the ACC meetings in Amelia Island (AJC and Charlotte Observer). Good news all around (great TV ratings, a plethora of NFL talent, the basketball coaches buying into the new league). However, one quote did catch my attention. A Clemson AD said “It's not a tremendous financial windfall whatsoever." He is referring to the approximately $7.5 million payout from the Conference’s shared revenue. While that is not a huge increase for the old ACC teams, it does represent a major increase for BC. Our old Big East payouts were lucky to be half that number on a given year and certainly would be less in the current Big East.

So in addition to joining a better academic and athletic conference with a more stable future, BC saw a surge in revenue sharing. Why was this a bad move?

BC will probably always look like the odd man out in the ACC, but this announcement reminds us again why it was the right move for the school.

Dissecting the Depth Chart

Domingo on the Eagle Insider Board posted the 2006 Depth Chart. The official BC site never announced it…this was sort of a silent release. Not sure why. Maybe they just felt like this wasn’t a big deal. The only real surprise is the offensive line.

Cherilus and Beekman return to their familiar positions. This is good news. Towards the end of last season they were dominating. Next year they should be even more so. Look for many of the big runs to break from the right side.

Sheridan at Center. Heading into the offseason, I was comfortable with the thought of Sheridan starting. I guess the coaching staff was not as it seems everyone from Hall to Beekman was considered for the starting slot. The fact that the coaches came back to Sheridan confuses me. What were they worried about in the first place? He always played well in the past and has in-game experience. I don’t think he’ll be as good as Koppen or Woody, but I think Sheridan will be respectable and a solid performer next year.

Marten at Left Tackle. The most important position on the line. I think he will handle it well. I don’t think speed will be an issue. Does he have the strength to go solo against a bull rusher? I think so.

Finally, Poles at Left Guard. Probably the biggest question mark. I have confidence in him based on the limited exposure I've had.

Biggest surprise? Ty Hall as a back up. The kid has more experience than Poles and Sheridan and challenged for two starting spots, yet is still not named a starter. I am not sure what the issue is. I do take comfort in the fact that he can be slotted into nearly any role on the line if one of the starters falters.

Will the new guys be up for the challenge? The performance of the line has been so consistent under TOB that I am not worried. Coaching changes, position changes and new faces all seem to work out year after year. This year’s group will have to gel, but I expect them to be performing as a cohesive unit by October.

Farewell, Flutie

Flutie made his retirement official. Here is a link to my last post on the guy.

Every Dawg has its day

Last Friday I became an official alumnus of the University of Georgia. Don’t worry, this blog will remain strictly BC. I’ll leave the quality UGA blogging to Paul, LD, and Kyle. But indulge me for a moment while I sing the praises of UGA and explain what it was like going from full Eagle to part Dawg.

In my opinion BC is the best school in the world. I loved my time there, my education, my friends and obviously my wife. BC was the perfect school for me. When I first moved to Atlanta after graduation, I was sort of surprised by how Georgians felt about UGA. I knew it was a good school with a good football program. But having been too young to remember the Walker days and as transplanted Yankee, I always viewed the UGA faithful’s constant boasts about the school’s academics and athletics a little skeptically.

A few years ago, I decided to get my MBA. I didn’t want to put life on hold so part-time seemed like the best answer. Fortunately in Atlanta I had numerous options from which to choose. With each analysis of where I should go, UGA kept coming up as the right school for me. Everyone I know had described part-time MBA programs as slow torture, I wasn’t thrilled about battling Atlanta traffic a couple nights a week, and there was part of me that couldn’t believe after all my years of rolling my eyes at UGA folks, that I might become one of them, so in the Fall 2003 I begrudgingly applied.

A few weeks later I got a call from the Director of the program congratulating me on my acceptance. After a few minutes of talk about the program he said “there’s been something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about ever since I read your application.”

My mind started racing. Is he going to ask me about my horrendous GPA my freshman year? Or the class I had to drop Junior year? Or try to make sense of my “unique” career path? Nope. Instead he had been waiting to ask “what do you think about BC joining the ACC?” From there I knew things would be okay.

I started back in January 2004 and the past two and half years have been a blur. And while there were plenty of Sundays when I hated doing homework and tons of wasted hours on Atlanta roads, I never felt I wasted a minute being in the classroom. The UGA faculty was great and very engaging. Going back to school with some experience under my belt put many more things in perspective. I really enjoyed my classmates. The support staff was always very helpful, especially considering none of us had the time or access to Athens to deal with all the administrative BS that school entails. I am glad it is over, but I left Athens on Friday very happy with the experience and very proud to call myself a University of Georgia graduate.

Like I said this blog and my loyalty will always be with BC. Going back to school made me appreciate my time at BC more. But the experience served as a reminder of how many great schools are out there and how everyone’s time is different. Ultimately it is about finding the right environment and making the most of your time there. I still think BC is perfect, but that little school in Athens is pretty good, too.

Position Analysis: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Like last year, this offseason I will roll out a series of position reports to give you my analysis, expectations and hopefully point out something you did not know. The guys who catch the ball are going first.

Projected Starters

WR -- Tony Gonzalez, SR, 5’9, 177lbs
WR --Kevin Challenger, JR, 5’11, 190lbs
TE -- Ryan Thompson, JR, 6’4, 254lbs

Other guys who should see time
WR -- Taylor Sele, SR, 6’0, 203lbs
WR -- Brandon Robinson, SOM, 5’11, 191lbs
WR -- Clarence Megwa, FR, 6’1, 205lbs
WR -- Rich Gunnell, FR, 5’11, 200lbs
TE -- Trey Koziol, SO, 6’5, 259lbs
TE -- Ryan Purvis, SO, 6’4, 261lbs
TE – Jon Loyte, SO, 6’6, 262lbs

Unknown
TE -- Jordan McMichael, FR, 6’5, 237

BC lost 113 catches, 1, 384 yards and 10 touchdowns to graduating WRs and TEs. Fortunately there is plenty of production returning. None of these guys are playmakers like Blackmon, but I think Gonzo and Challenger represent that best set of hands we’ve had starting at wide receiver in a good five or six years. Neither are speedsters, but both have big play capability. In fact, Gonzo and Challenger should get credit for changing last season. Ryan rallied the team against Wake, but these two had some huge catches in the comeback. Both have my full confidence…and I think both will be an upgrade over the Blackmon/Lester combo.

The starting Tight End is much more of a guess. Ryan Thompson has the most experience of guys who played last year, but transfer Loyte and healthy Trey Koziol and the highly-touted true freshman Jordan McMichael will get chances to start. The Tight End position has been underperforming the past two seasons. In my mind if we can just get some good blocking and minimal drops things will be an upgrade. My guess is that Loyte will be the starter by the end of the year.

Upside
Based on their past success, Ryan’s arm and lack of size, I think you’ll see more deep balls this year and fewer crossing routes.

Final Thoughts
Any of these guys listed could end up leading the team in receptions. In fact if you look back at the past few years some of the top receivers were non-factors the year before (Blackmon in 2005 and Adams in 2001).

We are so boringly consistent that I can already guess how many receptions these guys will combine for: 210 receptions, 2000 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Quick news

Busy week. Here are two more BC-related news items. I'll have a longer post later this week.

Tom Coughlin still supports a Jacksonville charity honoring Jay McGillis. A lot of people assume that Coughlin doesn't think much about BC and just viewed the job as a stepping stone. His actions say otherwise.

Congrats to BC baseball player Shawn McGill. He is the first Eagle to win ACC Player of the Week honors.

Random news items

Pedro’s wife is a BC grad.

I heard Urban Meyer tell this story before, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone write it up. Long story short: El Nokali opened a door for Jacobs. Meyer is known as a great recruiter/eye for talent and he thought Nokali would be better than Jacobs. Shows what a crap shoot recruiting can be.

Darius Bagan is having a good baseball season.

The Devils connection for the Gionta brothers.

Blackmon is impressing in Packers camp (in the notes sidebar).

Here is a feature on Bruins EVP and BC grad Charlie Jacobs.

Quarterback progress

I tend to be something of a Dana Bible apologist. While I don’t think he is a genius or great offensive coordinator, I don’t think he is nearly as bad as most BC fans believe. However, one of the criticisms that I’ve thought was valid is that under Bible QBs seem to regress. Worried that Matt Ryan might be the latest to slump, I looked back at the year to year progress of our past Bible signal callers. I was surprised by what I found. (Don’t you hate when statistics get in the way of popularly held beliefs?) While Brian St. Pierre’s Senior Year will remain the prototype for Senior Year regression, others have shown progress. Even Porter and St. Pierre’s rough final seasons showed improvement in some key stats. In fairness, statistics don’t tell the whole story. When I think of St. Pierre’s 2002, I don’t think about his improved completion percentage. Instead I think about a Senior QB with all the time in the world bouncing a throw at his wide-open Tight End’s feet against Pitt (BC lost). I don't think freezing up is a Bible issue. With St. Pierre and Porter, I just don’t think either were very good college QBs. The fact that we invested so much in them or started them over other guys may speak to bigger issues with Bible (and TOB), but I don’t think it is an indictment of Bible’s quarterback coaching or play calling.

Here are the numbers.

Year	QB	Att	Com	Pct	Yds	YdspCm	TDs	INTs
1999	T.Hasselbeck**	261	145	56.6	1,947	13.4	11	7
2000	T.Hasselbeck**	229	124	54.1	1,810	14.6	16	9
2001	St. Pierre	279	149	53.4	2,016	13.5	25	10
2002	St. Pierre	407	237	58.2	2,983	12.6	18	17
2003	Porter	250	140	56.0	1,764	12.6	14	6
2003	Peterson	147	84	57.1	1,124	13.4	10	7
2004	Perterson	355	221	62.3	2,594	11.7	18	10
2005	Porter	214	136	63.6	1,357	10	9	7
2005	Ryan	195	121	62.1	1,514	12.5	8	5

**Hasselbeck only played one year under Bible. I included him to see if he got better or worse with the new coach. He sort of stayed the same

The only recurring theme that did disturb me was yards per completion. It seems like every QB that spent at least two seasons as a starter saw his yards per completion decline in the second year. This might support the belief that Bible pushes checkdowns and short passes. I hope not. Matt Ryan’s downfield throws were things of beauty and really sparked the team and offense last season. Taking that aspect of his game away will help no one this year.

I'll keep trying to find a good forecast for what we can expect from Ryan. This little project made me feel better about my optimism since I can now say the second year slump is a player issue, not a Bible issue.

Early prediction (unofficial)

During the Kentucky Derby preview show, ESPN ran a tease for its College Football kickoff: Boston College at Central Michigan. I knew we were playing early, but did not realize we were the first game of the season. With that reminder, here is my gut prediction on our 2006 schedule. Things will change once I’ve studied our opponents over the summer. But with Spring Practice behind us, this is how I see the season playing out right now.

Aug. 31 at Central Michigan – Win. Some teams take an anytime, anywhere mentality to scheduling. We’ve added our own little twist to the phrase: “anytime, anywhere against any MAC team.”

Sept. 9 Clemson – Win. We get Clemson at the best time of the year – early. They lost some key players, so they are one of the teams I’ll have to become more familiar with over the summer.

Sept. 16 BYU – Win. We wore on them last year. More of the same this year.

Sept. 23 at NC State – Win. This has the makings of a WTF. I still think we control.

Sept. 30 Maine – Win. Maine upset Mississippi State two years ago, so they have the ability to pull off a win. It better not happen here.

Oct. 12 Virginia Tech – Loss. I really like our chances: Virginia Tech is replacing many starters, we are at home, I love Ryan, but writing this in May, I just don’t see TOB starting 6-0.

Oct. 21 at Florida St. – Win. I know Florida State still has a ton of talent, but I really question some of their gameday coaching and think we will have a good chance here.

Oct. 28 at Buffalo – Win. Another MAC victim. At this point the team will be 7-1 and probably in the Top 10. However, I can already here the critics crying about our joke of a schedule: “they’ve only beaten two MAC teams and Maine!”

Nov. 4 at Wake Forest – Loss. I don’t really need to explain this again.

Nov. 11 Duke – Win. Duke also has potential to be a WTF, but if we lose to Wake, we’ll come into Duke looking for redemption.

Nov. 18 Maryland – Win. The honeymoon is clearly over for Fridge. At this point in the season, he’ll either have the Terps back on track or they’ll be mailing it in again. I am voting for mailing it in.

Nov. 23 at Miami – Win. I think Miami will continue to struggle this year and we’ll be coming in very strong. In past big games, our QBs played tight. I see Ryan as living for these moments.

Take a look at the scenario I just played out. 10 and freakin’ 2. Is that possible? This schedule is so light that it could happen. Like I said, I’ll keep reading stuff this summer and certainly reserve the right to change my mind, but if TOB is ever going to do it, it will be with this schedule. Now 10-2 would be fantastic, so let me put a damper on this picture. With two conference losses, I don’t think we will play for the ACC championship. I also don’t see us making a BCS game due to our strength of schedule and travel rep. So keep your fingers crossed for the Peach or Gator Bowl, but be prepared to play in the Champs Bowl.

froogle: "boston college"

"Oh it looks good on you, though!"

Last week there was a discussion on the Eagle Insider boards about how the 'angry chicken' logo makes much of the officially licensed BC merchandise unappealing. The conversation turned to some of the atrocious hats produced. These ugly lids are obviously targeted for a younger crowd. Even though I once owned a pair of zubaz, I have now crossed over into old fart territory where I like my hats clean and traditional. (I’ve replaced zubaz with whale pants.) At least I know who is buying the ugly hats. There are other products that confound me. Who is buying the officially licensed BC mustard? Or the official mesh loofa sponge? I am a sucker for BC products, but even I draw a line. Would going to the game with this thing on be more fun?

And BC isn’t even in the Top 25 when it comes to licensing and merchandising. I cannot imagine some of the shit that might be available with say the Ohio State logo or Alabama’s colors. I am all for supporting your team, but the snob in me still believes in good taste.

Getting the most out of your talent

One last thing on the draft until next year…

While the draft isn’t the ultimate indicator of talent, it is an indicator of talent. You can’t win games on talent alone, but the more talented teams tend to win more often. After shaking my head at NC State's mediocre results given their level of talent, I thought I would take a quick look at all the ACC teams and see who does the most with their respective talent. Guess who fares pretty well? TOB and company. Like I said, the draft is far from a perfect indicator and in this short study a first rounder was given the same weight as a seventh rounder and a win over USC was given the same weight as a win over UMass. My rationale was that strength of schedule and caliber of draftee would somewhat even out over a four year period.

At the end of the day this indicates what we already know -- TOB is slightly above his fellow middle of the pack programs. However if he is ever going to break his ceiling, he will need to do a better job recruiting and developing players.

Team	Players drafted in the last four drafts	Win Percentage last Four Season
Boston College	8	.700
Clemson	10	.612
Duke	1	.195
Georgia Tech	8	.560
Florida State	28	.692
Maryland	11	.632
Miami	31	.820
UNC	8	.340
NC State	14	.620
UVA	15	.627
VA Tech	19	.738
Wake Forest	5	.425

Perspective on Flutie

It looks like Doug Flutie might finally retire. Flutie remains Boston College’s most famous football player and arguably the school’s most famous alum. His lasting NFL moment might his dropkick, but he strung together a long and mostly successful NFL career. He also retires as the last USFL player and as the best player in the history of the CFL. He is a Heisman Trophy winner and part of one of the most famous plays in the history of sports. All of these great and varied accomplishments cast a shadow over Doug Flutie’s time at BC. The Hail Mary was only part of his college career. In fact, Flutie was one of the best college quarterbacks of all-time.

In today’s pass happy game, extended season and bowl games counting towards stats, Flutie’s numbers don’t stand out. However, when he graduated he was the NCAA all-time passing leader and total offense leader. And it wasn’t a dink and dunk offense. It wasn’t a spread. It wasn’t a run and shoot. Flutie, and a young OC named Tom Coughlin, ran what was essentially a pro-style offense and used a variety of formations, threw to backs, Tight Ends, threw long patterns, short timing routes…they did it all. He ushered in the modern era. He led BC to a 30-11-1 record and not to slight his teammates, but this wasn’t an all-star team.

Flutie is still BC’s leader in passing, total offense, passing yards in a season, TDs in a game, Yards in a Game, Touchdowns in a season. Flutie had one 500 yard game and three 400 yard games. He rushed for more than 700 yards. He won the Maxwell award, the AP award, the UPI award, and numerous other player of the year awards. He was named to Sports Illustrated’s All-Century College Football Team.

This little write up doesn’t do justice to all that Doug Flutie has accomplished on and off the field. But hopefully it will just serve as another reminder that there was more to him than just Miami.

Quick hoops update

I am in the middle of Finals and a busy work schedule so this is just a quick update for today. Look for more expansive stuff throughout the week.

First Rhode Island prospect Rakim Sanders committed to BC. There was some question as to what he would do after the turnover in assistants, so this is a good get. Kudos to Al and his new staff for keeping this kid interested.

BC is ending its basketball series with Holy Cross. Too bad as this was one of the last remnants of the old rivalry. Al was against the series as there is little upside -- BC is supposed to win and if we lose people ask what happened. Plus the series has gotten a little chippy of late. BC is filling the void with Kansas, so real hoop fans can't complain. Hopefully BC and the Cross will renew the series in a few years (it just makes sense for both teams).

Thoughts on the weekend -- A BC perspective on the draft

BC Guys
Glad Kiwi went in the first round. I would have felt awful for him if he had slid to Round 2. It is also nice to see Coughlin still has a soft spot for BC guys. I questioned Kiwi’s desire as the only reason he didn’t go in the first half of the draft. We all know Coughlin will ride him. How will he respond? I hope he has a big career and uses the NFL as the ultimate platform for all he wants to accomplish. Congrats to the others who found homes in the NFL as well. I really hope Green Bay uses Will to the fullest.

NC State
Mario Williams, Manny Lawson and John McCargo all went in the first round. Can someone explain to me why NC State wasn’t better? I only caught a few games (and obviously all of the BC game) but I was not impressed with what I saw...especially Williams. How can you take an inconsistent effort guy as the No. 1 overall pick. If the BC line could shut down this crew than I really don’t see any of them becoming huge factors in the NFL. The Williams pick will be one of the biggest misses in the history of the Draft. I think all five of the guys taken behind him will have better NFL careers.

Either way the NFL missed in evaluating these guys or the Amato is a bigger underachiever than I previously thought.

NC State hoops
Speaking of NC State -- why Mike Brey? He seems like just a different version of Sendek. Brey is a good, but not great coach. If he couldn’t build a champion in the Big East, he won’t in the ACC. This is not a guy who is going to change the current pecking order on Tobacco Road. Whittenburg would have been more of a risk, but he also would’ve had much greater upside.

TOB and talent

Here is an article on the guys awaiting the draft. It speculates that as many as five players might be drafted. I doubt it. I think Brown will probably go the free agent route. If five are taken it will be the most BC players drafted in more than a decade and even a greater accomplishment given how the draft has been scaled back the past few years. I am excited for the guys, but part of me is frustrated. With all this supposed talent, what did BC actually accomplish? This group was the winningest Senior class in BC history BUT that number is skewed by the expanded schedules and number of bowls. This core contributed to a Co-Conference Championship BUT it was four-way split Big East title -- during the weakest year of a major conference and after they blew a chance to win the title outright. This team won four bowl games BUT they were in places like Boise, Charlotte, San Francisco and Detroit.

This probably sounds like I am slighting these guys. I am not trying to. Once again I am just frustrated. In the TOB era, the number of NFL ready players has varied over the last few years. His first few recruiting classes seemed to produce about two guys a year. Yet as the talent supposedly rises or declines, the results on the field remain pretty consistent (winning season, with a letdown along the way and a third tier bowl).

Year     BC Players Drafted
2006     ?
2005     0
2004     2
2003     2
2002     2
2001     1

I keep trying to figure out what might break our "pretty good" but not "great" season cycle. If talent isn’t the driving force, then what is? Also is it a good thing or a bad thing that TOB produces the same results year in and year out regardless of the caliber of players? I have the summer to hopefully figure it out. Your thoughts are appreciated.

Study Hall

Will Ty Hall get as much TV time as his dad this season?

To expand on my thought from earlier in the week -- I think the offensive line will be fine. Two spots are open and TOB expressed disappointment that no one stood out this spring. However, I think Ty Hall’s uncertain status shows how good things are.

Hall started for BC at Left Tackle in place of an injured Trueblood. The past two seasons he received significant playing time at Right Tackle -- nearly platooning with Cherilus in 2004. Yet now when we have an open Tackle position, the staff is trying him at Center, where he is competing against Kevin Sheridan (who has actual game experience at Center). There are only a few explanations for the move:

1. TOB and staff view Center as critical and want the best talent there AND
2. They feel they have enough talent in Poles and Avenski to competently fill the open Tackle position.

I am confidant in all the guys fighting for position. Their play turned the Clemson game around. I would like to see Hall get a starting spot, but the fact that we have three other guys the coaching staff feel nearly as confident about speaks volumes. TOB might see a void. I see an embarrassment of riches.

Spring Game pics

Old Man hasn't sent any pictures (yet), but regular reader Alex pointed out that PJ at bceaglesfootball.com already has some up. Check them out here. If you come here for BC info, I assume you are already reading PJ's site. I've had him linked in the resources section from the get go, but he deserves notice for his good work, dedication and for being first.

Apology

First, sorry for the late post. Blogger and Blogspot's publishing tool has been down all morning. Second apology for lack of Old Man pics. I still haven't heard from the BC legend and don't know if he took any pictures Saturday. Maybe, he'll come through. As anyone who has actually met the Old one can attest -- he works in mysterious ways. If anyone else took pictures and would like to share them, feel free to email me.

Weekend roundup

Saturday's Spring Game concluded one of the least eventful springs in a long line of uneventful springs. Many of the stars sat out of the game. Crane and Silva had the biggest days. Other names like Ryan and Whitworth were a little more uneven. The main storyline was the offensive line and who will fill the two open positions. It looks like Beekman is the only guy who knows where he will be next August. I am surprised that Ty Hall hasn't earned a starting spot yet. He is the most experienced of the second teamers and played well in place of Trueblood and Cherilus the last two seasons. I bet he will eventually win a starting spot.

One of our departing lineman, Pat Ross was featured in Monday's Globe. Dan Koppen's success has made him a popular guy on many draft boards.

Quinton Porter is hoping to make the NFL as a Free Agent. The Maine papers traditionally give him favorable coverage, so it suprised me to read about his mother questioning his football desire and the scouts' comments on his ability under pressure.

Another Kiwi feature combined with a Tamba Hali angle.

Here is an article on the high school combines. Some BC targets are mentioned.

Thoughts on the news

Most regular readers saw the following articles. Here are my thoughts on each topic.

Crane’s profile. Crane gets his first feature in one of the two big papers. Nice story. BC is pretty thin at QB this year. I hope for our sake that he doesn’t have to play this year.

Bill Coen is filling his Northeastern staff with a bunch of BC guys. It would’ve been nice to see Uka comeback to the Heights. Next time there is a coaching change at the Heights there are going to be a lot of BC alums in the running (Barros, Adams, Pearl, O’Shea), not to mention Coen and Cooley.

Al filled his staff with Mo Cassara and Preston Murphy. Both seem like good hires…Cassara especially. He will help rebuild the New England recruiting base and as a former head coach and son of a coach, he should have a good sense of in-game strategy.

The Spring game is this Saturday. I am pressuring Old Man into going and taking pictures. Check back in on Sunday to see if he delivered.

News roundup

Here is a feature on Kiwi. A lot of background stuff, but some good quotes about what he learned this past year.

Here is an update on Augie Hoffman. He is in NFL Europe trying to make a name for himself.

In basketball news, BC is close to finalizing a deal with Kansas. This would be a much needed upgrade over our normal out of conference schedule.

ATL_eagle Scouting Service (BC’s Mel Kiper) Part III

The two biggest question marks heading into the draft are where will Kiwi and Will go? Both have first round ability. Both have confounded GMs? What position will each play? Both are solid citizens and good guys while at BC. Unfortunately that doesn’t count for much in the NFL. Here is my take on their prospects.

Mathias Kiwanuka. There was speculation that Kiwi might have been a Top 5 pick if he had entered the draft last season. Instead he decided to return to BC. After a good, but not great year, and a luke-warm combine, he is now projected to be a late first round pick. Evaluators are questioning his size and natural position. They also say he is weak against the run (which I totally disagree with -- Kiwi had some problems shedding run blocks, but was great working down the line and got many backs from behind). I don’t know what to make of Kiwi’s prospects. I think he has the ability to be a dominant pass rusher in the NFL. His speed and length should translate well. I guess I question his desire. Kiwi had a motor his sophomore year and had a great season. He was very good his junior. Senior year he became the focus of the opponent and it seemed to wear on him. He had a few great games and a few amazing plays, but his consistency was gone. I am not sure what happened. Part of it could be chalked up to his injury. Part to being used differently (dropping into coverage). But as the NC State game showed, when he was motivated, he was a monster. I wonder if Kiwi will have the desire to dominate on the next level. I get the feeling there is a lot more to him than football. He started as a basketball player who came to football late. Plus there is his family legacy. His heritage and his background were overplayed, but the way he carries himself and the initial bypass of the NFL makes me think that he might not want to be a football player. Would it surprise anyone to see him get into politics after football? Or truly back up his talk and get into African relief efforts? This is starting to get off track. I think Kiwi is a great guy. And could be a great NFL player. But the "could" is a big enough question mark that I wouldn’t draft him top 10 either. Don’t listen to the weight or run stopping issues surrounding his draft status. The only question in my mind is: does Kiwi want to be great? Unfortunately we won’t find out until well after he is drafted.

Will Blackmon. Will is another team guy with talent. He is being looked at as a CB. I don’t read much about teams drafting him for his return abilities. I’ve seen projections from the 2nd round to the 5th. This is what I think about Will -- great athlete. Good coverage ability. So so technique. Questionable concentration. The basis of the last comment was his freelancing, getting burned a few times and watching him on the sidelines of some games. Will was one of those guys that was often into the music or what was going on around him as opposed to what was going on on the field. Senior Year he seemed much more focused. Was it maturity or the fact that he was on offense? I don’t know. At the NFL level I would take the chance with Will. 2nd round seems right. Even if he doesn’t work as a DB, I think he can and will be an NFL caliber return man for a good five or six years. Hopefully maturing and good coaching is all Will needs.

YouTube: "boston college"

My draft preview continues tomorrow. In the mean time, here are some original BC-related videos I came across on YouTube (good time killers).

Some Jesuits singing Livin' on a Prayer.

Hallway boxing. We never had boxing, but Cushing Second had some quality hallway luge -- where the rider would eventually crash into the radiator. Jackass before its time.

A look inside Mary Ann's. This would conjure up more memories if I could smell the place.

Michael Vick putting on a show against BC.

Mod Racing.

ATL_eagle Scouting Service (BC’s Mel Kiper) Part II

Part 1 of this series focused on the guys who are long shots to get drafted. This part focuses on the two offensive lineman who are expected to hear their names called.

Jeremy Trueblood. Projected to go in the second round, Trueblood has the size to play in the NFL. Some have questioned his conditioning and strength. Speed guys might give him trouble, but he is smart and has good balance for someone with his frame. He was prone to letting his emotions get away from him, but that probably serves as an asset in the NFL. I know he didn’t have the perfect Senior year but I don’t understand why he would fall into the second and maybe even third round. He’s an NFL lineman and should have a solid career.

Pat Ross. Given the success of our recent interior lineman (including Koppen, Woody and Snee), I bet many teams are viewing Ross as an under the radar prospect and potential steal. I like Pat and think he had a good Senior year, but I really think his success in the NFL will depend on the system. He is good in pass protection and reading coverage. Yet, ironically for someone who moves well, he is not a great open field/run blocker. This was something I noticed as the year progressed. This probably sound nitpicky given how well he and his linemates performed this year, but there were a few occasions where I found Pat not getting to the right space in time or ole-ing someone in the open field. A probably fourth or fifth round pick, Ross has the chance to be an NFL contributor in the right system.

Patriot's Day

Throughout the year there are times I really miss Boston -- today is one of them. The third Monday in April is a local holiday called Patriot’s Day. The Red Sox play early, the Marathon runs right by BC and most importantly school is closed. While he is often maligned in blogger circles, Bill Simmons captured the Race perfectly in his piece three years ago.

While at BC I took full advantage of all the different Patriot’s Day experiences.

Freshman Year -- Patriot’s Day fell on the Monday after Easter. Easter caps Holy Week at BC, meaning you get a mini-vacation right at the end of the semester. So I was home and didn’t fly back to campus until late Monday.

Sophomore Year -- the archetypical BC student Patriot’s Day. Slept in, grilled with my roommates and they cheered and goofed on runners. My roommate Ralph was king of pointing out look-alikes among the runner. “Look, look, that guy in the short-shorts looks exactly like Steve Martin. GO STEVE!!” (You had to be there.)

Junior Year -- I was interning for WEEI at the time. I handed out bumper stickers all morning than got to sit in prime seats for the Red Sox game.

Senior Year -- Mrs. ATL_Eagle ran the race, so I waited for her downtown. Then fought to find us a cab, got her back to campus and helped her as she limped up the stairs.

Patriot’s Day is a great time to be in Boston. Reminiscing did get me thinking: why aren’t there more regional holidays that are just good excuses to host sporting events? Would anyone in the South object to some long weekend in October focused on college football and Patriotism? Maybe I’ll pick up the mantle if only for a chance to get off work and watch BC play.

ATL_eagle Scouting Service (BC’s Mel Kiper)

Since there are a few more prospects this season, I decided to roll out three different reports prior to the draft. This first contains my assessment of the guys unlikely to get drafted. All are hoping for some sort of pro career.

Ray Henderson. Ray is too small and maybe even too weak to play Linebacker in the NFL. Yet I think he could make a serviceable NFL safety. Ray is very good in coverage and has a real understanding for the passing game. Unfortunately I don’t think he’ll get that chance. His speed and lack of athleticism are not NFL quality. If he can sign on as a free agent and if he impresses, he may have a short career. I hope he does. I criticized Ray many times for his missed tackles, but he saved out butts on numerous occasions.

Ricky Brown. Brown impressed scouts with his speed during BC’s pro day. His size is slightly below average for an NFL linebacker. A solid tackler, Brown might be able to stick with an NFL team. He is not flashy and his numbers went down his senior year (due to less playing time) so I don’t think he will get drafted.

Quinton Porter. Porter has an NFL body. He doesn’t have an NFL arm or NFL body of accomplishments. Thousands of hours have been wasted (many of them on this blog) discussing what went wrong with Porter and who is to blame. Regardless of where you point the finger, all agree that Porter never really became comfortable running our offense. If he had trouble with our scheme, is there any hope he could adapt to the speed and complexity of the NFL? Some guys blossom late, but usually you have to have a cannon for an arm for NFL teams to wait for you to mature. Porter does not. I think he might be better off as a Tight End or possession Receiver. It doesn’t appear that anyone else is thinking of him in that way. Who knows? My guess is that he will get invited to some camps and get cut before August.

Francois Brochu. May have the best chance of all of these guys. Surely will not get drafted but good long snappers are always needed. If he catches on, he could turn it into a nice career.

Chris Miller. In my opinion, was one of the bigger disappointments of the season. Pretty good size, but never became a premiere blocker or even an average pass catcher. If Dave Kashetta did not get drafted, there is no way anyone will take a chance on Miller. I also think he is unlikely to make an NFL team as a free agent.

Al Washington. Good motor. Good kid. Good teammate. Just too small and slow for the NFL.

Jazzmen Williams. One of my favorites. Once again, too slow and too small for the NFL.

Good Friday tidbits

Stephen Gionta's pro career is off to a fast start. (Where were these goals last Saturday?!!) Good luck to Stephen.

Here's an update on former BC kicker Sandro Sciortino. He is recovering from cancer and ready to kick for the B.C. Lions.

Famous female eagles

I was reading Sports Illustrated today and saw a little sidebar on Shannon Miller. I don't know how I missed this before, but the gold medalist is a BC Law student. I am guessing her busy schedule and OU ties are the reason you never see her in the stands.

I am a sucker for reality tv and seeing BC alums on reality tv is a really guilty pleasure. Most come off like jerks, however, future Eagle Ayla Brown came off well on American Idol. Here is more on her story.

Going pro and staying

Two short hockey tidbits. Senior Stephen Gionta signed a deal with the Albany River Rats. He'll join the team for the remainder of their regular season.

Brian Boyle turned down an opportunity to sign with the Kings and will come back to BC for his Senior season.

Looking at Linebackers

Depending on Brian Toal’s recovery, BC’s starting Linebackers might be total different from the starting three from the 2005 BYU game. In other years this might be worrisome. Not so this year. I think our experienced second teamers will step in without missing a beat. (And if any of the highly touted recruits contribute, things will be that much better.) Why am I so high on our second teamers? Our historical consistency, their 2005 production and the unspoken endorsement from the coaching staff. Let me explain.

Football data is not as good as baseball or basketball data when it comes to analysis. There is a ton to track, a high degree of subjectivity and a lot of relevant information that isn’t captured. So lacking a magic stat, I looked at tackles. Even with the subjective aspect, tackles still provide a good barometer of productivity and activity for linebackers.

Historically, BC linebackers have accounted for 1/3 of our tackles.

Year	Total Tackles	Tackles by LBs	Percent from LBs
2005	858	294	34%
2004	868	288	33%
2003	1151	389	33%
2002	1092	368	33%

So the share is consistent almost regardless of the lineup. I tried to find some correlation between overall defense or returning starters but there wasn’t one. It seems to be about talent. The unit that had the least experience/productivity entering a season was 2004. The Brown-Hendu combo only accounted for 12% of the 2003 production. But with Frosh Brian Toal, the three performed great in 2004 (as did the overall defense). However 2005 is where things get interesting and speak to how deserving Dunbar, Pruitt and a lesser extent Francois were/are.

Without getting into too much detail or posting table after table (which can be tedious to build in blogger) know that I looked back over the past few seasons for detail and a pattern emerged with our linebackers -- the starters played a vast majority of snaps as long as they maintained their productivity and stayed healthy. For example once Ott got to start his numbers were consistent. Same with Flores and Ciurcui. Yet when Henderson and Brown became Seniors their playing time decreased. As did Toal’s (even accounting for his injury). Henderson’s tackles stayed the same, but he had fewer interceptions and pass break ups. Brown and Toal’s tackles declined by 37% and 31% respectively. Did the overall linebacker contribution and percent of defense decrease? No. The total tackles and percentage were in line with 2004. Who was making the plays? Dunbar (50 tackles), Pruitt (37) and Francois (28). So for the first time in five season Spaz played his experienced linebackers less than he did the previous year and our linebacker production stayed the same and total defense got better. To me that speaks to the second team’s capabilities, the coaching staff showing signs of – gasp – adaptability and most importantly the trust the staff has in the second unit.

I want Toal to return. I want the redshirt freshmen to shine. I want Akins’ switch to LB to take. Yet I am not worried about any of those things, because I think Dunbar, Pruitt and Francois will have big years if given the chance.

What I am reading

While I would like to think that everyone who frequents this blog comes here for my insight, wit and revolutionary discussion of BC sports, I know that for many people it is just a midday diversion from their work day. Since this is Holy Week it is a pretty slow news time for BC and BC sports, so I thought I would take the time to highlight a few other sites and blogs doing good work.

If you are a sports fan and not a Deadspin regular, you are missing out. Snark and substance and some of the best links around.

This is my hundredth or so endorsement of EDSBS, but they are really worth any college football fan’s time.

It is baseball season, so the guys at FireJoeMorgan get to sharpen their knives almost daily. Great funny reads and news analysis.

I found Chris’ blog when looking for Wake stuff. It turns out he has pretty interesting and funny takes on most sports. I especially enjoy when he answers PTI questions.

When BC has a major coaching change I hope I cover it as well as the guys from StateFansNation are handling their opening.

If there are other blogs I should be reading please email me or include them in the comment section.

More on assistants

There seems to be legitimate concern (in the comments on this blog and on the boards) about losing Cooley and Coen at the same time. Not to minimize their contributions, but I think we will be okay. Current and capable staff members Pat Duquette and Bonzie Colson are expected to get promoted.

But let me continue to explain why I am not worried. Every good coach thinks a step or two ahead. I am sure Al has played the "what if" game when dealing with the loss of any staff member(s). With Coen and Cooley in the mix for so many jobs, Al's prep and network would have been doubly important. And these things are rarely a surprise. For example, a friend of a friend is in Basketball Operations at Duke. He knows that if Johnny Dawkins leaves, he will be hired as part of Dawkins' new staff. I am sure Al has/had similar deals in place with his guys, hence Colson knew/knows that he would get a shot as a BC assistant if there was an opening. I am sure the other spot and the basketball operations spot will be filled quickly with names Al already has in mind. My hope is for a veteran assistant looking for work to fill out the coaching staff and seeing a young guy get the basketball operations position.

Non hockey news

The big news is the departure of basketball assistant Ed Cooley. He is taking over Fairfield's program. It also appears that Ed Coen is a short-timer. Personally I think this is as big, if not bigger, than losing Craig Smith. Both have been with Al a long time and understand how he works and what sort of players work for him. Once again, I have to calm my fears by looking at Al's track record. I thought the program would fall apart when Tim O'Shea left. It didn't. I think Al will find two equally capable guys to fill their slots. Best of luck to both.

Although I don't put much stock into the scrimmages, I still feel the need to report them. Akins moving to LB might be the most overlooked move of the spring. For the second straight year, we will have strong depth at the position. This allowed Spaz to do some different things in 2005. Maybe those tweaks and rotations will become part of our overall scheme.

Tough one

Tough break for a young team. They had a chance to tie it at the end. Overall they were just overmatched and couldn't get any offense going. BC should have a championship caliber team next year (we always do).

Guest Blogger: Mook Williams

Reading the piece in the Heights last week about WZBC sports was a stroll down memory lane. I was part of the ZBC staff nearly a decade ago (I feel old). One of my colleagues was Mook Williams. At the time Mook was the hockey guy. Despite being married and a lawyer now, he still manages to catch all of our hockey games. Mook generously volunteered to supplement my limited hockey knowledge and serve as the guest blogger for the NCAA Championship game. Here are my questions and his responses.

1. This team was floundering a month ago. What happened? What is the biggest difference between now and then?

The biggest difference is clearly goaltending. When the calendar turned to January, Cory Schneider was playing like his usual great self, and the youngest team in the country was headed towards a #1 ranking. However, as soon as they attained that #1 ranking, they ran into a BU team at home that was heating up. In front of one of the most jacked-up regular season crowds to watch a BC game in quite some time, the entire team imploded after the Eagles took an early 2-0 lead, including Schneider. The Eagles followed the BU loss with a mediocre 4-6-1 stretch that saw them squander the 8 point lead that they once had in Hockey East. The game at Lowell on Feb. 25 comes to mind as a great example of how off Schneider was during his second half slide, letting him some real stinkers in a 6-3 loss to a Riverhawk team that was headed nowhere. Oh, and don't forget that lost weekend up in Maine. To add insult to injury, after the last night of Hockey East play, arch-rival BU has squeaked ahead of BC by one point in the standings, and rival Maine had pushed BC down to a #3 seed in the Hockey East playoffs, thanks to winning a tie-breaker against the Eagles. Man, at that point most BC fans had written off the team as one that was experiencing growing pains, had done some "good things" this season, and would come back next season and show a major improvement. Sure, the defense in front of him wasn't great either, but Schneider was letting up some major league softies. However, Schneider came alive during the Hockey East Quarters against UVM, literally saving the Eagles' season with some truly clutch goaltending in front of a sparse crowed at Kelly Rink. What hardcore Eagle fan can forget the jaw-dropping save that Schneider made in OT of Game 1 of the series against UVM, where he somehow stoned UVM Center Torrey Mitchell on a highlight save? Less than 30 seconds later, Peter Harrold scored on a miracle shot to give the Eagles the win, and propel them forward into the Hockey East title game, where BC dropped a hard-luck OT decision to BU. And of course, don't forget the goal by Chris Collins in that game, which sent the game into OT, to begin with. It seems like that turn of events against UVM, anchored Scheider's goaltending really got the Eagles moving forward with some positive momentum. The BC defense still wasn't that great in the Hockey East playoffs, although freshmen D-men Brett Motherwell and Anthony Aiello really showed some improvement down the stretch.

I'm hanging this turnaround almost exclusively on Schneider - his dramatic play completely turned around this young BC team, got them thinking positive thoughts, and has motivated them to make the kind of improvements that the skaters made once the pock dropped against Miami in the NCAA tournament. It was kind of like a chain reaction, so to speak - Scheider put the team on his back, and the team eventually began improving in other areas as well, namely confidence, maturity, and on-ice awareness.

2. How do we match up against Wisconsin?

I'll give you the same thing I've said for every team that BC has played in its last several games, starting with Maine in the Hockey East semis - I don't see BC having much of a chance unless Schneider steals the show. Against Maine (and almost against BU in the Hockey East title game), this proved to be true - the BC skaters didn't play too great, but Schneider came through and nearly stole the Hockey East title. However, this young BC team has been full of surprises in the NCAA tournament. They've played unpredictably, getting contributions from many different players. Who would have thought that Dan Bertram, once every BC hockey fan's whipping boy for his ponderous mistakes that set the opposing team up on odd man rushes, would turn into a certifiable hero during the NCAA tournament, playing smart hockey and laying people out with his checks (!!).

Honestly, though, Wisconsin is going to be VERY tough to beat in the National Title game. They have a goalie who is arguably playing as good, or even better, than Schneider right now in Brian Elliot. They will have the obvious home ice advantage, having never left their home state for the entire tournament. I mean, this guy just had a 262:26 shutout streak, a WCHA record, snapped in Wisconsin's win over Maine! Considering it came during the most intense portion of the season...that's impressive as all hell. Wisconsin has the 3rd best PK unit in the country, and plays all around fundamentally strong hockey, especially in their own zone. They have far more upperclassman on their roster than BC...then again, what's new for the Eagles in that comparison?? The Badgers also have more balanced scoring. They are also bigger. This means one thing for the Eagles, if they are going to win - BC needs contributions from all 4 lines, and all 3 defense pairings on Saturday night...everything needs to be left out on the ice, and the Eagles HAVE to minimize the "rookie mistakes" that sometimes flare up in their game (you saw a bunch of them in the UND win). The edge is solidly in favor of the Badgers in nearly every category, but these Eagles make their own luck, are being carried by a great goalie, and are getting contributions from many of the younger guys on the team (which has to happen for this BC team to do anything). I'm calling a Badgers win, 4-2, but I would not be (completely) shocked if the Eagles pulled off a dramatic stunner and capped and NCAA run similar to the one that Rollie Massimino's Villanova Wildcats had.

3. What are the keys to the game?

Well, playing off what I said above, the keys are follows for both teams:

BC:
- minimize mistakes
- don't get discouraged by Elliot's play, keep up the pressure and get as many shots on net as possible
- stay aggressive on the PK...the aggressive Eagle PK unit has broken backs in March.

Wisconsin:
- play conservative and solid in front of Elliot - don't set up easy BC scoring chances.
- play the body, play the body, play the body - wear down the smaller and younger BC team, and set them up for a late-game loss
- get traffic in front of Schneider, for deflections and rebounds.

4. IF we win, how will this compare to the 2001 Championship? It seemed like 2001 was a culmination for a talented, veteran team. This year seems like some young guys who shouldn't even be here. Your take?

As I said above, I would equate this run to Villanova's run from the 1980s. A halfway decent team that had its struggles during the regular season, only to turn it around in as unlikley a way possible, first just getting themselves into the tournament to begin with (they would have been OUT if they did not beat UVM, or even Maine), and then getting themselves deep. Considering Coach York's battle against prostrate cancer, the fact that this is the youngest team in the country, the fact that this team was mired in what seemed to be a dead-end slump, and the fact that the title game is being played on the home ice of the team that has been viewed as the best in the country for most of the season...well, holy crap...I think I just convinced myself that this would be better than a bitchslap to Pat Ewing's Hoya grill!! With so much against these Eagles, a national title in these circumstances would be a tremendous, tremendous achievement, and should result in York getting waived into the Hockey Hall of Fame in an emergency induction ceremony before April has passed us by. This would be completely different from the 2001 title, but almost just as good. Win or lose, however, this BC team is set up for great things in the coming seasons, with the invaluable experience that they have gained during this run.

Next stop on the hockey bandwagon: Atlanta

I like hockey. I am proud of BC’s hockey team. I went to plenty of games and the Beanpot every year while at BC. Senior year the slider on my mod was shattered twice due to hockey-related incidents (stories for another time). All that said, I haven’t watched a single BC hockey game this year. My excuse is that I live in Atlanta and have little to no chance to see the team on TV or in person. I follow the updates on bceagles.com and in the Boston papers. I know the key players on the team. I don’t know anything about North Dakota. I am hardly invested in the Frozen Four. But it is not just me. There are thousands of BC alums outside of New England who like hockey but just don’t keep up. Well today is our day! BC faces off against North Dakota at 3 PM EST in the first game of the Frozen Four. If you can’t watch it at home on ESPN, you can follow it online at bceagles.com. I can’t fake the emotional investment, but I can get excited about this game. Let’s go Eagles!

**If we win, I’ll try to get a good guest hockey blogger for Friday.

Together forever: the good and bad of coaching turnover

BC’s current Football leadership (TOB, Spaz, Bible) is heading into its eighth consecutive season together. Want to read something surprising? Only one other BCS conference school -- Iowa -- has had their head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator in place for an equal amount of time. Every other school playing major conference football has had a change of some sort in the last eight seasons.

What does this mean? Good news first. BC’s staff has done a good enough job to remain in place. With each year, this togetherness and consistency should benefit the team when it prepares for games, recruits, and molds players. Each coordinator knows his role and has a good working relationship with TOB. BC’s foundation is solid, so there is no reason to think we cannot continue our success. BC fans, players, administration, parents, high school coaches, and opponents know what they are going to get.

There is a downside to all of this. While the team has done well, the three heads have not done enough to attract an opportunity that was better than BC. I know schools have reached out to TOB and Bible, but somewhere along the line the parties went their separate ways. No pro or college team has said “that’s our guy” and come hard after any of them. This group wins more than it loses, but still struggles against the elite, is still good for a trip up once a year and still frustrates the hell out of a core group of fans with their playing calling and management of their roster. But worst of all, this group has not won a big bowl game.

BC seems stuck in a rut. We put together an impressive streak of winning seasons, yet can’t seem to take it to the next level. I am starting to wonder if the current staff can and will. Kirk Ferentz’s annual flirtation with the NFL is bound to turn into something more, so in the near future BC’s core will have the longest concurrent tenure in major college football. Something’s got to give -- either a losing season or a Top 10 finish.

“Taking it to the next level” is probably going to be a major theme of mine this offseason. I clearly want TOB et al to win something big. Because another eight years of “pretty good” seems awfully boring.

Alumni newsmakers

Things are looking up for Tim O'Shea. According to multiple sources, he is the leading candidate for the Seton Hall job.

I don't cover racing here, but it should be noted that RahalLetterman picked BC grad Jeff Simmons to fill the open slot on their IRL team. Simmons has raced in the lower IRL circuits. He replaces Paul Dana who died in a crash earlier this year.

Lenny Walls found a new home. After being let go by Denver, the veteran DB signed a deal with Kansas City.

Unrelated to sports, but still BC focused, super blogger and BC alum Jason Mulgrew recently inked a book deal.

Lesson from Florida

I am not predicting BC will win the National Championship next year. But Florida’s run should give many teams hope. Here are three takeaways related to the Gator win.

Peaking at the right time

Florida started strong, struggled in the middle of their season and then rallied late (when it counted). Under Al, BC has either come out early and fizzled late or struggled early and finished relatively strong. Even though we only advanced one game further than past seasons, I think the ACC tourney run and the Sweet Sixteen are signs that Al and staff are building towards something, shaping the way they schedule and peaking at the right time.

Bench players can step up

Look at the preseason preview for Florida. They lost 59% of their offense. Noah, Brewer, Horford and Green had much smaller roles last year. Heck, calling Noah a role player would have been generous. Yet good coaching and a good system allowed them all to step up this year. I don’t think BC’s current bench has the same potential, but I could see Rice, Haynes, Williams and even McLain becoming much better players next year.

Blocks

I know I am obsessed with blocks. I guess I like them because they are the most tangible defensive stat, they change games and in Williams’ case, are fun to watch. In a much broader sense, they have real importance in college because the game has fewer possessions and more contrasting styles of play and mismatches. A good shot blocker can hide many flaws. To reinforce my point look how important the move was to four of the last five NCAA champions.

Year	Champion	Total Blocks	Team Leader
2006	Florida	197	Noah (89)
2005	UNC	142	May (38)
2004	UConn	315	Okafor (147)
2003	Syracuse	247	McNeil (100)
2002	Maryland	216	Baxter (69)

UNC was the only one of the group that didn’t rely heavily on the shot block. And even they had a respectable number.

Sean Williams had 55 blocks this season in less than 500 minutes of playing time. Assuming he doubles his minutes next year, he is the type of player that can carry BC defensively. I made this same assumption last year. We know what happened. If he stays out of trouble this year, he should get those minutes.

Pool winner

Like most NCAA pools, the one for the readers of this blog was over a long time ago. No one had these two in the Finals. So reader The Legend of Beerbohm gets the crown. He got out to an early lead and then had UCLA in the Final Four. No cash in this pool, but Legend of Beerbohm please email me so I can send you your championship chotchkie.

News roundup

Slow time for BC sports...unless you count Hockey. I’ll focus on news and the Frozen Four this week and try to sprinkle in analysis here and there. In the coming weeks (and months), I’ll recap/preview the football team, do as many stat pieces as I have time, and preview all of our 2005 football opponents. Of course I’ll continue to post the frivolous fluff, the attempts at humor and anything else that pops up.

Here are my takes on recent headlines…

Two hockey articles from the Globe. The first is on Brian Boyle and his continued progression at BC. The second is on Jerry York and his ties to the “it” basketball coach, Jim Larranaga.

Looks like Tim O’Shea has a decent chance at the Seton Hall job. I am happy for Tim but sad that this won’t work out for me or BC. If he succeeds and builds a winner at Seton Hall, it is less likely he’ll return to BC if and when Al retires. If he doesn’t do well at Seton Hall, it would pretty much kill any chance he has to return to BC as the head man. So with BC out of the potential picture, I wish him the best of luck. I think he can build something in Jersey.

Speaking of college basketball coaches, Mike Jarvis might return to Boston as the Northeastern coach. Interesting how things work out. Jarvis turned his nose up at the BC job after O’Brien left and went hard after the St. John's job. We lucked out.

Here is an article on BC-bound Thomas Claiborne. Many bemoan the New England recruits, but I always thought the area was underrated for Football and overrated for Basketball. Because the prep football programs are not as strong, well coached or as popular as they are in other parts of the country, people dismiss New England football. In my mind an athlete is an athlete and TOB and staff should recruit and mold the local products. Plus as many have said, the Patriots' recent success and popularity is starting to bear fruit at the high school levels as more and better athletes play football. This surge in local talent will help BC immensely.

Hope Springs eternal

I understand why New Englanders turn their attention to the Red Sox this time of year -- BC Spring Football is boring and predictable. I don’t expect TOB to turn the program upside down every March and April, but it is usually the same thing every year:

-- A few positions changes that rarely have long-term impact
-- A few backups playing well all Spring, yet come Fall they either get buried on the depth chart or revert back to their old form
-- Very few philosophy or scheme changes

Take a look back at TOB’s springs.

1998. TOB’s first full Spring. Mutryn and Hasselbeck both played well, yet neither was named starter. (Mutryn would win the job in the summer.) Quinton Lee looked good all Spring. His non-football issues would continue to plague him at the Heights. Mike Cloud’s quiet Spring would not indicate the monster season he was about to have.

1999. Pitched as a battle for the starting QB spot, the Spring decided nothing and the most experienced QB was named the starter later in the summer. This Spring did see some major staff changes as Bible and Spaziani assumed their current titles. But little was written or explained about what sort of changes they might make.

2000. A recurring theme debuts here, quarterbacks who will either rarely see the field or switch to another position get a lot of snaps in the Spring and the Spring game. Kevin Kiley could not move up the depth chart with Brian St. Pierre firmly in place. Willie Poole also had a strong Spring, He would eventually be part of a Championship at USC.

2001. Ho-hum is the best way to describe this Spring. The only interesting development was Derrick Knight’s progression. Little was ever expected of him. His strong Spring provided hints that he might be able to carry the load as the feature RB.

2002. Unfulfilled potential is the theme here as Horace Dodd and Quinton Porter capped good practices with strong McGillis games. Brandon Brokaw also had a strong Spring before being dismissed from the school.

2003. Underused, nonfactors and position swithches. Gonzalez and Lilly showed promise. Only one would every see serious playing time. Dodd and Jeff (nka Survival) Ross had good Springs. El Nokali received most of the starters snaps as Porter was injured and Peterson was not on campus yet. Dan Berglund was still trying to make it as a QB.

2004. Another big Spring from Jeff Survival Ross. (He is the king of the Spring game). Porter played the best of the three QBs. (Peterson and Ryan would play well when it counts.) Blackmon had a strong Spring. Many hoped he would be a shutdown corner. 12 months later he would be learning a new position.

2005. Porter’s best Spring Game. Ryan played well too. This was the most active Spring as Blackmon switched to Wide out. But ultimately this Spring showed how little Spring and the Spring game mean as indicators. Raji and Dunbar both had great years, but you never would have known last April.

So the lesson here: don’t pay attention to Spring. TOB rarely does anything drastic, and too often the guys who play best disappear come September. Just enjoy the day and look forward to the games that count.