DeFilippo Chat debrief

Gene sat for the masses Tuesday afternoon. As readers know, I submitted three questions. Only one was used. Here is the exchange:

Bill (Atlanta): Can you clarify the ACC bowl arrangement? It seems that if the majority of teams are 5-3 and 4-4 in conference that BC will still fall to the least desirable bowls. Was there any discussion of not forcing a team to a certain bowl in consecutive years?

BC Director of Athletics Gene DeFilippo: In the new ACC bowl agreement, there is a strong desire on the part of the conference not to send teams to a particular bowl in consecutive years. This policy is prevalent in most other conferences as well.

I am thankful he took the question. Unfortunately the answer was not exactly what I hoped. It really didn’t address BC’s bowl appeal amongst the middle of the pack ACC teams. More importantly it doesn’t sound like the consecutive year issue is policy -- just a “strong desire.” So this could mean back-to-back trips to San Fran or Boise should we fall in the middle of the conference. But ultimately, the team can control its destiny by winning. Win the conference and you don't go to a crappy bowl.

As for the other chat topics, you had the usual favorites (tailgating rules, baseball field, reinstating lacrosse) and some off the wall ones (changing the helmets, AD staffing). The real focus turned out to be scheduling. Gene mentioned discussions with LSU, shed light on the Texas rumors, reinforced that we will not be playing UConn and then talked about our potential series with Syracuse.

I am all for an annual game with Syracuse. They are relatively close. We don’t have a heated rivalry, yet do have a history with them (they are our most frequent opponent still playing DIA football). They play in a BCS conference. This would be a good thing.

However, Gene clearly stated that we will not be playing powerhouse after powerhouse. I was at BC during the 1995 season and saw us take on Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio St. and Michigan State. That schedule was a death march and should never be repeated again. But there is a middle ground between those four and this year’s out of conference slate of CMU, Maine, Buffalo and BYU.

BC is not at the level where our fans will come out in droves to see us play anyone. Look at this season’s slow season tickets sales. There is very little interest in some of these opponents. Padding the schedule will only dull interest and hurt TOB and BC’s credibility with the media and, more importantly, with frustrated fans.

This is my suggestion for an acceptable out of conference schedule.

1. Limited DIAA opponents. Every school is adding them to their respective schedules and that is not a good thing. But BC would be crazy not to play one a year when everyone else is doing it. However, it should only be limited to New England schools and always played on Parents Weekend (which is nearly always a sellout). BC should never play a DIAA team from outside our region, because there is really no way to justify it. When we play Maine or New Hampshire, we can explain it as helping regional football and giving back to schools that support our summer camps.

2. One non-BCS school. Seeing two MAC schools on the schedule makes me cringe. You just can’t take it seriously. And there is so little upside to the games. We are expected to win and look ridiculous if we lose. And if we are going non-BCS, it doesn’t always have to be a MAC school. Why not play a Sun Belt team or team from Conference USA? The novelty of seeing say, Houston, would be more exciting than playing Ball State again. I would also love to see the service academies as a regular part of our schedule again. BC has a nice history with Army. They would be an acceptable opponent in any season.

3. Make Syracuse a permanent addition. I know this cannot happen until the Notre Dame series ends, but as stated above, this game just makes sense.

4. Schedule one traditional power annually. This team must be from a BCS conference and has to have the intangible “this team means something in college football” status. For example: Missouri is a BCS team. No one in Boston would care if they came to the Heights. On the other hand, Nebraska, even in down times, would get some attention. Now I know that these big names come with all sorts of catches and conditions (i.e. 2 for 1s, an uneven cut of the gate). It doesn’t have to be this way. BC is in a position of strength. We have an appealing enough name and conference TV contract to know that nearly any home game against a BCS school will be nationally televised. I would say there are at least 30 schools whose name alone would excite our fans. Finding enough for short term series should not be a problem.

Gene is a good AD, but I hope he realizes that after nine years some of the same old excuses and explanations are getting tired and hollow. And spinning our unreasonably soft schedule is one that has already worn thin.

Quick news roundup

Two takes on Kiwi's early going with the Giants: NY Post and the Bergen Record.

Kevin Armstrong's strong work continues. Now he just needs to let the editors know that BC is not the Golden Eagles. Just Eagles, folks.

A gambler's look at our division.

A great article on recent commit Will Thompson.

A local Mass hoops tourney includes a BC target.

Although we joined the ACC, Newsweek is calling us one of the "new Ivies."

Nightmare on Simms St., Part II put in turnaround. Sequel killed by Matt Simms decision to attend Louisville

Everybody loves a sequel. You know the story. You know the characters. Often, you even know the ending. Horror movies especially lend themselves to sequels. In Horror movies the original protagonist has often been killed off, leaving someone connected (i.e. a child, a sibling, a friend, a spouse) to pick up the pieces and face the same tormentor/curse again. The same mistakes are made. The audience screams: “Don’t go up the stairs! Don’t answer the phone! Don’t watch the tape!” (or whatever else sparks the evil).

For most of the summer it looked like Matt Simms was about to follow the same missteps that plagued his brother’s college career. Take a look:

The golden haired kid with the golden last name looks to make a name for himself separate from his family’s shadow. He is highly recruited by a school where the fan base is thirsting for that missing piece to take them to the next level.

The man Simms would play for is well regarded in the coaching fraternity, yet cannot win over his fan base, despite his accomplishments. He cannot seem to win the big one. Will Simms lead him to the Promised Land?

As the hero battles his demons, he is haunted by a lightly-regarded player in his shadow. The dimple-cheeked, baby-face doesn’t have the pedigree or the physical tools, but will be called the “answer” any time our hero falters.

Alas, Matt is going to Louisville. He’ll write his own story and be just the latest in a recent run of well-known quarterbacks. He’ll slip into a role without challenge and probably throw for a million yards under Bobby Petrino.

BC will move on and try to land another promising Quarterback and hope that Ross Applegate develops into half the gamer that Major Applewhite turned out to be.

What happens if BC cannot find another QB and Ross Applegate gets hurt?

In this story an undersized, local product who got a scholarship on somewhat of a lark gets his one shot at starting and changes history forever.

That is the sequel that every BC fan is secretly hoping for. But fearing a Phantom Menace like letdown, we are all keeping the Flutie thing to ourselves.

Outside opinion

Your coach wins every year, but can't seem to win the big games. He and his staff have done a good job recruiting but still make questionable decisions about who should start -- especially at Quarterback. It seems that every year the team has a "what the f--k" game to an opponent they have no business losing to. Despite a long record of success that is much better than his predecessor, the coach is not fully embraced and lives in the shadow of the school’s past glories and personalities. Having donated big $ for new state of the art facilities, the critics grow more vocal each year and are starting to wonder if the coach will ever take the team to the next level. Sounds like TOB, right? Well it also described Mack Brown before Vince Young’s Rose Bowl heroics. To get the perspective from someone who has been there before, I’ve asked Peter from BurntOrangeNation to tell us how he felt about Mack Brown and let us know how much more rope we should give TOB.

1. First, be honest, how do you feel about Mack Brown today?

BON: Honestly, I can't name another coach I'd rather have. Bob Stoops? Great coach, but he strikes me as a cold prick, and he's slipped on his recruiting. Pete Carroll? I think Hollywood probably ought to stay in California; his loosey-goosey attitude scares me. I could go on and on, but the list of coaches who can do well all the things coaches are asked to do these days -- recruit, manage the program, hire coordinators, win games -- is a thin one, and none are better than Mack. Texas, a school which cares about its reputation -- academic and otherwise -- demands a coach that keeps the school's bright reputation intact. I couldn't be more pleased with Mack Brown as my team's football coach. Honest to God.

2. When did your opinion change?

BON: October 8, 2005. The thrashing of Oklahoma was all I needed. The national title was just icing. Not only the way that we beat Oklahoma (thoroughly, in every aspect of the game), but the way Mack handled himself both before and after, made me proud.

3. How many times over the years did you wonder if he was THE guy? What was the low point?

BON: I always said that it was unfair to talk about firing Mack Brown while he was going 10-2, 11-1, and so on. What I did think was really problematic was the refusal to do anything about our offensive coordinator, Greg Davis, who was frustrating fans with his exceedingly conservative game plans. Something clicked in mid-2004, though – in Mack Brown, in Greg Davis, and in Vince Young. We haven't lost since, and the days of not trusting the players to win the game appear to be behind us. I honestly think that with the pressure off Mack's back, the days of playing not to lose are gone, and the days of playing to win have just begun.

4. Aside from getting one of the best players in the history of the sport, was there any other clear sign of change?

BON: It wasn't just getting Vince Young. It was learning to trust Vince Young. Outsiders don't know this quite as well as the Longhorn-obsessed, but after a lackluster win over a middling Missouri squad in 2004, Mack took the reins off of Vince. He told Vince to be loose and he told Greg Davis to fire on all cylinders. That trust had been lacking in Mack during the Chris Simms years, as well as the early part of Vince's career. Sometimes it takes a transcendent player to get a coach over the edge mentally.

I should also note: with a national title under his belt, the train has left the station and it is UNBELIEVABLE to watch what Mack Brown is doing recruiting, both in and out-of-state. With the Texas kids, everyone stands around, waits for Mack to pick his players, then fights for the rest. I've never seen anything remotely like it. Boston College is probably starting to get out offers to 2007 recruits. The Longhorns have only two '07 scholarships left, and are already prepping their '08 offers.

5. TOB is entering his 10th year at BC. As an unbiased observer do you think he'll ever get BC beyond the 7 to 9 wins and a crappy bowl stage?

BON: You're asking someone that's picked BC as their underrated team for this year, and my sleeper choice to win the ACC. If I were an Eagles fan, I'd invest quite a bit of my evaluative capital in this season. This is a year when TOB can, and maybe should, win the ACC. The conference is strong, but there isn't a dominant team. I think you can start to draw conclusions about a coach after a decade; that's more than enough time to establish a pattern, and TOB's at the point where he needs to bump the program up a notch, or the boosters that you've mentioned will ask for more bang for their buck. At this point, TOB's putting himself in a position where one slip (a 5-6 season, for example) may put him past the tipping point in a lot of minds. I'll be watching BC closely this year.

Shaky starts

Although TOB has a winning record in his season openers, they have seemed more like unorganized scrimmages. Hence no BC fan is taking the CMU game lightly. I always look forward to the start of the football season. Yet after these games, the dreads set in pretty quickly. Here's a look back on our starts.

-- September 6, 1997. BC 21, Temple 28. I’ve recounted this game before. Horrendous. It was only TOB’s first game, yet looking back, you can already see some of the problems that would come back to haunt us over the next decade (i.e. special teams miscues).

-- September 5, 1998. BC 41, Georgia Tech 31. This game was a shocker. BC beat Tech in a shootout here in Atlanta. I included this on my 10 Best list. Tech turned out to be a very good team. They just weren’t ready for BC. The 1998 season started off strong only to collapse later in the year.

-- September 4, 1999. BC 30, Baylor 29. BC needed overtime to defeat a really bad Baylor team at home. And the overtime win wasn’t because BC came out with some great defensive stop. Baylor’s kicker yanked an extra point, handing us the game.

-- September 2, 2000. BC 14, WVU 34. Season opener. National television audience. What happened? BC laid an egg. BC was down early, chipped away at the lead and then watched Tim Hasselbeck throw it away in the Fourth. I like Tim but this was not one of his better days.

-- September 1, 2001. BC 34, WVU 10. Very nice win. No complaints. This or the Georgia Tech win would have to be considered TOB’s best opener. While the 2001 team did not deliver TOB’s best record, they might have played some of his best football including a near upset of Miami, crushing Pitt, beating Notre Dame and knocking off Georgia in the bowl game.

-- August 31, 2002. BC 24, UConn 16. BC won comfortably but still had to overcome a 13-point deficit. This game was much closer than it had to be. The AP captured it best: “The Eagles struggled on offense most of the game. Boston College fumbled a punt, had two passes intercepted and rushed for just 78 yards through the opening three quarters.”

-- August 30, 2003. BC 28, Wake Forest 32. This was the start of the Wake Forest fiascos. If you have trouble remembering which one was which, refer to this one as the fumbleception game (the others would be the Ohliger yips game and the Ryan comeback game). This game turned when a concussed Quinton Porter threw a pass, saw it batted, caught the batted pass himself and then was sacked and fumbled. This let Wake back in and they ultimately went ahead late. Par for the course for the underachieving 2003 team.

-- September 2, 2004. BC 19, Ball St. 11. I didn’t even see this game, yet it still gives me nightmares. We opened our season on the road against a MAC team on a Thursday night. The game was not televised, so BC fans missed the opportunity to see Ball State's alleged high school-like facilities. Unfortunately we could hear the call online. Our starting Tailback Jeff Ross was benched after a few carries. LV played well but then got dinged. Peterson played sloppy. And the Ball State punter had the game of his life. They kept pinning us deep into our own territory. We could’ve lost this game and were lucky to escape. You shouldn’t feel that way against a cellar dwelling MAC team.

-- September 3, 2005. BC 20, BYU 3. One of the better ones. We went across the country and beat a respectable BYU team. The game wasn’t too pretty. Blackmon had some nice plays and the defense really carried the team (despite giving up yardage).

Give TOB a month of practice before a bowl game and his team's look sharp. Give him nine months of offseason and often his teams look like they forgot how to play. TOB is lucky to have a 6-3 record in first game when only three of these games were well played. This year our first game is the first game of the entire college football season. Let's make it a good one.

Preseason Blogpoll ballot

Last year, Brian created the Blogpoll. His concept, work and ambition were commendable. In a time where everyone questioned the validity of the BSC rankings, he created a guage for the outsiders. Ultimately, we, the participants, ended up with the same results as the coaches and AP writers. We didn't change the world, but it was a very enlightening process. The first early realization for me of the major flow in the traditional polling was when I realized how little I saw of all the participants. Prior to the season I could study up on every possible Top 25 candidate, but once the games began it was hard enough to catch a piece of all the ACC teams -- let alone all the other powers around the country. The refreshing thing about what Brian did is he forced us to be honest about our limited references and embrace our biases. So when he asked me to return for season 2, I gladly accepted. This poll might not be the most original, but it certainly the most honest and thought provoking. One other credit to Brian: through his work he connected me to a whole network of college bloggers. This group, a few of whom have contributed to this blog, are some of the best writers around and offer fresh perspective on college football.


Regarding my ballot: I really do think Notre Dame will win it all. I think they've got the right coach and the right schedule and are peaking at the right time. I cannot wait to knock them off next year. Teams 8 through 18 are pretty interchangeable. I didn't know where to put some of them. Others are calling Clemson and Miami sleepers, I see down years (relatively) for each. I placed BC, but not very high. With our schedule, we will waltz to a Bowl. With the right breaks we can be a Top 10 team this year.

Preseason Ballot
1. Notre Dame
2. Auburn
3. Ohio State
4. USC
5. Florida
6. Texas
7. Iowa
8. LSU
9. West Virginia
10. Virginia Tech
11. Georgia
12. Florida State
13. Michigan
14. Louisville
15. Tennessee
16. Miami, Fla
17. Oregon
18. Clemson
19. Boston College
20. TCU
21. Texas Tech
22. Oklahoma
23. California
24. Nebraska
25. Utah

Chat with Gene

Gene DeFilippo will hold an online chat next Tuesday.

I submitted the following questions. I think they are pretty fair. They are prescreening, but nothing I've asked crosses any line. Hopefully he will address at least one of these.

1. What are the chances that NESN will broadcast the Maine game? Given our partnership with the Red Sox and the local interest, it would seem like a natural fit. Can you explain what sort of influence Fenway Sports has with NESN programming?

2. Are you concerned about this year’s football season ticket sales? Do you think home schedule needs more marquee opponents? What impact will this season sales have on our policy of scheduling DIAA opponents and non-BCS schools?

3. Can you clarify the ACC bowl arrangement? It seems that if the majority of teams are 5-3 and 4-4 in conference that BC will still fall to the least desirable bowls. Was there any discussion of not forcing a team to a certain bowl in consecutive years?

Scrimmage recaps and Foley news

The Globe, The Herald, and BCEagles.com all posted scrimmage recaps. Most accounts, including TOB's, called the effort "so so." I am not really concerned at this point. Glad to see Brooks play well and Flutie get a chance at QB. I already have a pit in my stomach that we are going to hear about "injuries" all year. I am just disappointed that it is only August and the excuses have started. It wasn't mentioned in the press but it was all over the message boards that star recruit Jordan McMichael tore a muscle in his leg and will be out for the year. He was a likely redshirt before the injury so this just forces the issue. Hopefully he will have a speedy recovery.

Former BC QB Glenn Foley is moving behind the mic. He will host a morning show in Philly.

Blogger summer assessment: Maryland

Another one of our new annual opponents is Maryland. It looks like they will traditionally fall in the later part of our schedule. But we want to know about the Terps now! So I’ve asked Esquire from Turtle Waxing to continue the Summer Assesment series by giving us the inside scoop on his Terps.

1. What is the one thing that all the experts have wrong about this year’s Maryland team?

Turtle Waxing: One thing that is wrong in most of preseason publications is that star recruit Melvin Aleaze won't be making any kind of impact this fall because Maryland has rescinded his scholarship offer after the most recent in a long line of character and academic issues. The other issue that the experts have missed is the relative inexperience of the current assistants. After losing offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe and Defensive coordinator Gary Blackney, who were assistant coaches at big I-A programs before most of the current staff were even born, the current staff is fairly inexperienced. I feel like the new staff is more likely to be a liability than an advantage for this season.

2. Much has been made of Fridge getting more involved in the offense. It seems like an overly simple solution to me. If that was all it took to get things straight, wouldn't he have done so sooner? What am I missing?

Turtle Waxing: It may seem that way because it is an overly simplistic solution. Friedgen feels that he wasn't as involved in the game planning as he should have been and the departure of Charlie Taaffe has given him a pretext to take over the playcalling. If he had spent as much time focused on recruiting and less on glad handing boosters and fund raising maybe there wouldn't be a need for him to take over the playcalling. The game planning hasn't really been the problem. He also has indicated that he is putting more into his famously bloated playbook. That may be another problem since the current group on offense is very inexperienced at receiver and has yet to demonstrate a strong grasp of the old playbook.

3. Following two rough seasons can you guys get back to winning football?

Turtle Waxing: The jury is still out. Friedgen is clearly feeling the pressure of two mediocre seasons. This should be the most talented group of players Maryland has had during Fridge's tenure according to the recruit rankings and his own assessment of his program's talent pool, however few of those recruits has shown the ability to be the foundations of a winning program. Those that have, such as TE Vernon Davis and MLB D'Qwell Jackson, have left. Some recruiting miscues have left the team thin at a number of positions and forced players to perform before they were ready. Predictably the results have been spotty. With a very difficult schedule consisting of five road games against bowl teams and home games against Miami and Florida State I don't think Fridge will be able to return the program to a bowl game. Another bad season will stall recruiting and increase the mummers of discontent around College Park.

4. It is only August, but what is your take on the BC game?

Turtle Waxing: Maryland's road wins in the last two years have come against Temple, Wake Forest, Duke and an overtime win against UNC. Not overly impressive and Maryland hasn't beaten a bowl team on the road since 2003. A late November road game in New England is a tough place to pull out a win. The Terps of the last few seasons have not shown the mental or physical toughness to pull out a win against a quality opponent on the road. QB Matt Ryan gives BC an edge and the younger players for the Eagles should be seasoned by late November. I see an easy win for BC as Maryland's bowl hopes will likely be dashed by that point.

Go to Turtle Waxing for more on Maryland sports.

Flutie calling BC opener and other news

Doug Flutie will begin his professional broadcasting career with the BC-Central Michigan game.

Steve Conroy followed his nice feature on Matt Ryan with another good piece on new starting Safety Paul Anderson.

The Washington Post published a BC preview Wednesday. Similar to most of the themes, however, there is a great little nugget about Matt Ryan sinking free throws at a Notre Dame pep rally. He really is the Iceman.

Here is a TOB Q&A where he gets into the reasons behind giving a scholarship to a long snapper.

For stat heads out there, here is a new site. You can look at all of BC’s splits from last season.

In BC family news, B.J. Raji’s brother Corey recently committed to play basketball for Al.

In pro football news, here is an article on Chris Hovan’s redemption. And here is another on Dan Koppen’s return.

BC Fan Reverend Mike unlocks TOB's DNA

Geniuses often see the world differently. They see shapes, patterns and connections where we mortals do not. BC message board poster and fan Reverend Mike is one of those geniuses. Look what he has unlocked below.

Photo courtesy Reverend Mike

Forever Young

“We're young to begin with, now we'll get younger because guys will play more quickly than we expected." -- Tom O’Brien in the Boston Globe referencing the Glasper and Ramella injuries.

I understand some coaches down play expectations. When it is your team and the media starts to buy into the excuse du jour, I start to get annoyed. Despite the injuries the “young” excuse is pretty hollow. Take a look:

Quarterback: Upperclass Junior who took a redshirt, so he has age and playing experience. Played as a Freshman. Took over as starter as a Sophmore. Verdict: Not Young.

Running Backs: The Fullback and starting Tailback will be upperclassmen. All have extensive playing experience and numerous starts. The youngest player in the mix (Brooks) is a redshirt Sophomore who started a game as a true freshman. Verdict: Not Young.

Offensive Line: Lost two starters. Replacing them with experienced Juniors. The remaining starters are all upper classmen. Verdict: Not Young.

Tight Ends: Four guys are in the mix. Three are Juniors. The one Sophomore played last season. (I am expected McMichael to redshirt.) Verdict: Not Young.

Wide Receiver: The expected starters are upperclassmen. Verdict: Not Young.

The Defensive side of the ball is a little younger, but even so there is still plenty of experience.

Defensive Line: Anchored by two Juniors. The rest of the group is very green. Verdict: Young.

Linebackers: Dunbar and Toal are two experienced Juniors. The third LB is also likely to be a Junior. Verdict: Not Young

Defensive Backs: Even with the loss of Glasper, three of the remaining four starters are upperclassmen. Verdict: Not Young

Special Teamers: Both Juniors. Verdict: Not Young.

In the end a good staff would rather have talent than experience. This team will have challenges. Depth will be an issue. Age and experience will not. Let us stop the excuses and raise the expectations.

Herald comes out strong, Globe barely covers Media Day

I was traveling Monday, so this is the first chance I’ve had to comment on Media Day. I’ll continue with previews this week and have a look back at past openers. Now onto the news.

After getting sandbagged with a story that featured Ramella and Glasper, the Herald came back strong with plenty of stories from Media Day. The Globe did not. Very disappointing. Mark Blaudschun filed the only story from the Globe and it was the usual “BC building respect” piece. Way to take a new angle, Mark. Also, in his notes section, Blaudschun adds his usual nonsensical speculation saying that Glasper is unlikely to be offered a fifth year after his injury. Is this guy paying attention? He claims it would be too risky. Clearly he didn’t run this by anyone on the staff. They have given plenty of less deserving guys fifth years. Glasper has been a long-time starter and stalwart. Sure he might be slow to recover from this, but if he can play, he will be back. Hell, I bet he would have been Captain this year. Where is Mike Vega when this nonsense is published?

Speaking of Captains, the offensive selections were not a surprise (Ryan and Beekman). However the Defense was a pleasant surprise -- Dunbar. With the most obvious candidate (Glasper) sidelined, the guys passed by more heralded players like Toal and Silva for Jolonn. Good for him. I think this is another sign that he is ready for a break out year.

The Herald included a feature on Beekman, a story on Giles shot at the big time, and the mind and body prep Ohlinger is going through.

One other note: bceagles.com really didn’t produce much content for this year’s Media Day. Let’s hope it was a temporary blip.

Media days

Friday is media day. Be sure to check out Eagle Insider for sound clips.

BCeagles.com usually does a very good job with this kickoff event. I am sure they will post multiple pictures as well as the transcript of TOB's first press conference. Hopefully someone will clear up Ramella and Glasper's status since the Herald overlooked it in this feature.

Sunday is Fan Day. If any of the readers go and want to share pics please send them my way.

The team is ready to start practice.

Here is a feature on future opponent Maine.

OT: my wife's perfect analogy

Rhett Bomar would have pocketed an Everlasting Gobstopper.

My wife is a very smart woman. Initially not a college football fan she has been sucked in and now knows more than 95% of the women out there…often just because she is my primary sounding board. With the Rhett Bomar thing, I was reminded of one of her great analogies regarding college football and keeping the vultures away from your “student athletes.”

“It’s like Slugworth,” she explained, referencing the creepy villain from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. “If you’re a coach you have to assume that there is some shady character around every corner waiting to get to your guy. Fair or not, the coach has to police his kids.”

While BC has had its share of gambling scandals, we’re fortunate that we’ve never run into a major booster corruption problem. I feel for the Oklahoma fans right now. It would suck to start your season this way.

Dealing with defensive injuries

Wednesday, the BC message boards fluttered with news that Ryan Glasper and Jim Ramella were both going to sit out the season with medical redshirts. The coaching staff is mum. The major papers had nothing. Even EagleChevy is having trouble getting firm confirmation. Regardless, it is not good news. Ramella and Glasper just went from starters to very serious questions. Glasper was a likely captain and I expected a big year from Ramella. All that said, this is not the end of the world. Our defensive backfield is very deep and the coaches have options on how to fill Glasper’s void. Ramella’s spot is a little more tricky. The defensive line is thin and inexperienced. We’ll see how they address the hole. Speculation is that they could move one of the Tight Ends to the defensive side or perhaps try one of the Linebackers as a DE.

Now on to the good news: BC’s defense has been pretty consistent under Spaz. Regardless of the personnel or injury, we play the same basic scheme over and over. There are up and down years, yet despite fan frustration the end results are very similar. Take a look below.

Year	Pts per game allowed	Opponents total off. per game
2005	15.9	311.7
2004	16.9	332.8
2003	25.5	358.2
2002	19.5	338.7
2001	19.2	327.2
2000	23.6	380.7

Blogger summer assessment: BYU

In the latest installment of the Summer Series, Chad from Cougar Corner gives us an early look at BYU. Check out his blog as the season approaches to get more information on the Cougars.

1. What is the one thing that all the experts have wrong about this year’s BYU team?

Cougar Corner: "Losing Todd Watkins to the NFL will hurt the Cougar's offense" -- Many analysts predict that John Beck will have a hard time without Watkins as a deep threat. This is actually a great thing for BYU to have in the press. It completely belies the fact that this years receiving corps is actually deeper and more talented this year.

2. The 3-3-5 Defense didn't seem to really stop anyone. What new wrinkles can we expect this year?

Cougar Corner: The 3-3-5 is actually a great scheme, with the right personnel. The Cougar's problem wasn't that the 3-3-5 couldn't stop anybody, it was the nearly dozen injuries the secondary suffered. With the lack of healthy personnel in the defensive backfield, the most important part of the scheme, the defense was incapable of stopping anyone. But, thats all a moot point. This year the Cougars are switching to a 3-4 to accentuate the depth at linebacker.

3. There seems to be a lot of "BYU is back" sentiment. Premature or not?

Cougar Corner: There is no question that BYU has suffered through a few down years. With Bronco Mendenhall at the helm there has been a an emphasis on a return to glory. Cougar fans realize that last year was not that return, however, most of us, myself included, feel like it was a step in the right direction and that if anyone is to lead us back to the forefront of College Football it will be Mendenhall that takes us there.

4. I am chalking up the BC-BYU game as a W. What do you expect?

Cougar Corner: Many fans feel that BC will be a tough game. I feel that it is a very winnable game, the hardest part of course will be the journey East. BYU doesn't have the best track record playing East of the Mississippi. However, the game last year at Lavell Edwards Stadium gives me confidence. I believe that BC will be disappointed in a close one at home.

Check out Cougar Corner for anything and everything BYU.

Four Tiny Tidbits that Deadspin didn’t want

During the NCAA Tournament I wrote a few previews (first and second) for Deadspin. I was all set to whip up a new one for Football season. One problem: the guys at Deadspin didn’t want it. Instead of individual team Tidbits, they are going with Conference write ups. So here are the Deadspin-style Four Tiny Tidbits on Boston College that Deadspin didn’t ask for.

1. Imagine if Wally Pipp’s nephew played first base for the Yankees. Matt Ryan isn’t the first member of his family to play Quarterback for Boston College. His uncle John Loughery was an Eagle in the late '70s and early '80s. Loughery’s career was cut short when an injured thumb paved the way for some unknown freshman named Flutie.

2. You can spell B-C-S without BC. Watch any BC broadcast and someone is bound to mention that BC has the nation's longest current bowl winning streak. Yet the streak doesn’t include any BCS games or any game that has even been played in January. Winning these second-tier bowls is better than losing them, but trust me when I say the broadcasters are much more excited about this factoid than most BC fans are.

3. Boston really is a baseball town. Like many other major football programs, BC recently built a state of the art football facility called the Yawkey Center. Yes, Yawkey, as in Yawkey Way, as in former owners of the Red Soxs the Yawkey Family. After the sale of the Sox to its current ownership group, the Yawkey Trust gave BC a big chunk of change for the football facility, hence the name. Further deepening the ties between the Eagles and the Sox, BC was the first client in the Red Sox marketing offshoot the Fenway Sports Group.

4. Dual Citizenship. Much was made of BC’s defection to the ACC. Yet BC is reaching the point where they could apply for honorary membership in the MAC. Over the past five years, the Eagles have played Ball State, Toledo, and recent MAC addition Temple. This year the team kicks off its season with Central Michigan and hosts Buffalo later in the year. While these are not the most scintillating matchups, it beats playing a MAC school in the Motor City Bowl…again.

Big East Schadenfreude and other links

I know I should let the whole Big East thing go. I just can't. Irish Catholics are good at holding grudges. So every time something unfortunate happens to WVU, UConn and friends, I smile. Knowing that, you know I would enjoy this headline. Big East fans should not really care what one BC blogger thinks. The focus should be on their hapless Commissioner. Read the highly probably scenario Stewart Mandel spells out here. If Notre Dame struggles and Navy becomes bowl-eligible, good Big East teams will be scrambling for a bowl invite. Where is the leadership in Providence on that issue?

In basketball news, Craig Smith is adjusting to NBA life and Troy Bell is making progress in his boxing career.

Recruiting news: Brandon Brooks is not coming to BC.

Way down below in the notes section of this report, there is a little blurb on TOB visiting Patriots camp.

Experience an inexact science

In this one article TOB points out the faulty logic of “returning starters” and then, in the very next sentence, places importance on experience. I think experience is important. However, it doesn’t trump talent. It doesn’t trump coaching and “returning starters” is a weak stat. For example: we are replacing two offensive linemen and two linebackers. That would seem to be a big worry. It’s not. Why? Because we have known, experienced players filling those voids. It doesn’t matter that they were not officially starters. They’ve seen enough action for me to feel comfortable.

To further expose the weak correlation between returning starters and winning, take a look at the chart below.

Year	Returning Starters	Winning Pct
1997	13	.364
1998	10	.364
1999	13	.667
2000	11	.583
2001	15	.667
2002	17	.692
2003	15	.615
2004	11	.750
2005	17	.750

Our most recent and successful seasons included an experienced team and one that was relatively green. It didn’t really matter in the end.

Pro signings and other news

This has been a heavy link week and not much original content. I'll have more new stuff Friday and then even some more next week. In the meantime, here are the latest links for you to check out:

Kiwi signed with the Giants. Glad to see it. More NFL rookies have hurt their careers by holding out of their first camps.

Kiwi's high school and college teammate Jeremy Trueblood finalized his deal with Tampa.

Troy Bell is trying boxing. I love Troy, but this seems like a major waste of time. He could still make very good money in Europe. Why waste time and risk injury to start a boxing career at 25?

Here's a nice feature on incoming Freshman Thomas Claiborne.

More complaining about Boise. While some of these factors contributed to us heading to Idaho, players need to remember that losing to UNC allowed it to happen. Hopefully that will serve as a reminder/motivator this season.

David Glenn with more on why the North Carolina schools struggle in football. I think he puts too much emphasis on the recruits per state. New Jersey has one of the best ratios in the country and Rutgers never wins.

Recent grad Alex Fowler is entering the BC blogging mix. Pray for his health and sanity.

Every time I think I put it behind me...

Everyone agrees that BC and TOB blew the shot at the big time by losing to Syracuse in 2004. Most of us admitted it then. It took TOB a little longer to admit it publicly. (Not as long as it took him to admit we weren’t prepared for his first bowl game. That took about seven years.)

Well now after telling Eagle Action earlier this year that he doesn’t regret sticking with Porter (eventhough it costs us games), he is finally coming around to admitting we blew a golden opportunity last season. We had the right schedule and plenty of talent. We just played the wrong people.

This year could be big. We have the pieces. But TOB needs to learn from his mistakes because these after the fact confessions are getting really old.

Big East blogs and other things

Some of the best stuff on this blog has come from other ACC bloggers. I am always grateful for their willingness to help out and tell me things I don’t know about their teams. The only unfortunate thing I can think about leaving the Big East is that I never got the chance to collaborate or feature the work of some good Big East bloggers. So in an effort to give credit where it is due, here are some of the best Big East bloggers:

Pitt Sports Blather (Pitt Sports, obviously)

Orange 44 (Syracuse)

Mountainlair (WVU)

In other news, my adopted hometown is looking to add another bowl and include the ACC in the mix. While I hope BC is never the eighth most desirable ACC bowl team, I am excited that I won’t have to spend a lot of money to see BC play in a crappy bowl game.

Our current out of conference slate is pretty weak. An upgrade may be coming. I’ve never been to Auburn, but I’ve heard it is worth the trip.

Finally, EDSBS has part 2 of their Offensive Line piece. Another good read on the most overlooked area of the game.

Globe no shows in Jax

Conference meetings walk the line between useful event and boondoggle. There is plenty of golf and whatnot to keep the writers happy. It may not be the best use of time, but it does give the media a chance to talk to all the coaches and all the star players at once. This stuff can be good for game previews, features, building networks, etc. I can see why a small paper on a tight budget wouldn’t go. I can’t understand why the Globe doesn’t have someone there. The largest newspaper in New England apparently did not send its BC beat writer or its College Sports writer to one of the premiere conference meetings that included the only Boston team playing DI-A football. Who knows? Vega and Blaudschun might be there. Neither has filed. Inexcusable.

The Herald did send Mike Shalin. He had a feature on the conference coaches validating BC and this notebook on the team. Things of note: Toal is healthy, Bell is not.

One other piece of news: the Orange Bowl is now slotted for the ACC champion.

I try to look the other way

Recruiting is not fun and not always on the up and up. Once again I like to think BC does the best it can given the climate. Current BC basketball commit Rakim Sanders is featured in this Globe series on college basketball recruiting. While there is nothing illegal going on, it doesn't seem like the best system now does it? Sometimes I think Mark Cuban is right and we should just go to the European model and start paying kids in diapers.

Monday morning roundup

ACC meetings are underway and as expected, the bowls remain the focus. The new plan is very close to what I predicted. Bowls will have choice, but record will factor in. Bottom line: with our travel rep the only way BC is going to avoid the lower-tier bowls is by winning our way in.

Fortunately team seems as tired by their current plateau as I am. Beekman and Glasper were our reps at the conference meetings, another sign that both could be captains this year.

John Swofford gave a Q&A to the News & Observer. Important to note: the revenue generated by the new conference continues to grow.

Finally, former Heights writer Kevin Armstrong used his new spot at the NY Post to feature his alma mater.

End of the week stuff

Here is an article on Preston Murphy and his path to Al's staff.

Even with most of his stuff on ESPN.com, Kenpom still does a good job with his free blog. He is now going to write a comprehensive preview of one conference. The choice is ours, so if you would like to see what he digs up on the ACC vote now. The Big East currently leads.

Here is a look at college teams and how their preseason rating corresponds to their actual results. Since 1989, BC has been consistently underrated.

Finally this article speculates on what BC might do with the old Cardinal residence that we acquired as part of the seminary purchase. An Alumni Club wouldn't bother me. Regadless, I expect that BC will be respectful in whatever they do with the place.

The ones that (thankfully) got away

Since New England does not produce much football talent it is always disappointing when a local boy gets away. Sometimes the staff doesn’t think much of the kid and sometimes we just strike out in recruiting him. However, occasionally you dodge a bullet when the recruits you lose end up as losers themselves.

Example 1: Duke QB and Mass product Zack Asack getting suspended for a year due to plagiarism.

Example 2: CT boys James Nixon and Bruce Campbell heading to Fork Union Academy after failing to meet NCAA qualifying standards.

Now I would have been happy if any of these guys has signed with BC. Just as I am happy now that we didn’t waste scholarships on them. Funny how that works.

Credit to the Eagle Insider posters for finding these stories.

Blogger summer assessment: Wake Forest

Chris's Blog has quickly become one of my favorites. His takes are usually fresh and almost always funny. While following DC teams and kicking ARod and Michelle Wie when they are down are his specialty, he is also the only blogger I know with any Wake Forest knowledge. In the second part of my Summer Assessment Series, Chris tells us what we need to know about future opponent and annual heart attack game, Wake Forest.

1. What is the one thing that all the experts have wrong about this year’s Wake Forest team?
Chris's Sports Blog: The loss of Chris Barclay won't hurt as much as expected. In 2005 the senior RB became the first Wake Forest player to win the ACC's Offensive Player of the Year Award since 1979, so it would seem natural that his graduation would cripple a team that has had limited success over the past, oh, millennium. But Barclay, for as good as he was, always was more of a system runner. Just like any running back in the Denver Broncos backfield is nearly guaranteed a 1,000 yard season, Jim Grobe's ground-attack gives opportunities for big seasons to players that would languish deep on the depth charts of other ACC schools. (This is not to suggest the Deacs o-line is anything like the Broncos; for one thing they don't cheat nearly as much, but that's a topic for another day.) Let's just say that it's not coincidence Barclay went undrafted.

Without the reigning POY, junior Micah Andrews will carry the load for Wake. In the 2005 opener Barclay sat out because of a suspension and Andrews nearly set a school record in his stead, rushing for 254 yards against a solid Vanderbilt team. Andrews won't win POY honors, but the Deacs rushing attack should be fine in his hands.

2. The team struggled last year when Mauk started. Any reason to think things will be different this year?

Chris's Sports Blog: Not really. Mauk was Jim Grobe's most heavily hyped recruit after setting national records as a high school quarterback in Ohio. But ever since he threw an 85-yard TD pass on his first throw in college, Mauk has been a relative disappointment. He looks and acts the part, but has always been mistake-prone when he's on the field. Perhaps the graduation of Cory Randolph will help though. After starting the first few games in '05, Mauk was pulled for the senior and didn't get back on the field until an injury forced Randolph to the sidelines. It's possible that without a reason to look over his shoulder (Mauk's backups will be redshirt freshmen), the junior QB will be able to shine with a longer leash.

3. Everyone in the ACC thinks highly of Grobe, but what do Wake fans think? Is there any frustration with the whole “he gets a lot out of his talent, but they still lose” mentality?

Chris's Sports Blog: The Jim Grobe lovefest has always been a bit baffling, not because Grobe's a bad coach but because he really hasn't done all that much at Wake to deserve such praise. After a promising start in 2001, Grobe led the Deacs to a bowl victory in 2002. Wake finished 7-6 that year, but lost three winnable games in the final seconds. After that season, the "Grobe is great" chatter began and it was widely assumed he would leave Wake Forest for a better job within the year. Expectations were high in 2003, but the team struggled, bottoming out in a 51-17 loss to Division I-A newbie Connecticut. It was more of the same in '04 and '05; the Deacs would win close games against good opponents (BC in '04, NCSU and Clemson the following season) but couldn't close out the likes of Vanderbilt and North Carolina.

It's clear Grobe is a good program builder, but his end-of-game strategies have always been baffling. Too many times Wake lets the clock run down during the two-minute drill, or calls for a running play on 4th and 2 when a pass is clearly needed. At some point the 'bad luck' argument fades and it becomes clear that the Deacs lose close games for a reason.

Having a successful football team at Wake Forest is difficult. Beyond Brian's Song there is no football history at the school, the university has the smallest enrollment of all BCS schools and has a suburban campus, making recruiting against Florida teams and schools located near cities (hello, BC) extremely difficult. So, in that regard, Grobe has done well just having the Deacs competitive. At some point, however, the team has to take the next step; the "next step" being consistent presence in the postseason. It's nice that ACC schools don't regard Wake as a pushover anymore, but that's not Grobe's ultimate goal. He wants to be a perennial contender for a bowl game and maybe sneak in an upset or two.

This will be Grobe's sixth year in Winston-Salem. Nobody realistically expected him to be there longer than three. It's not by choice. Had the Deacs lived up to expectations in 2003, Grobe would be on a sideline somewhere else. But those teams failed, much as Grobe has. Like I said earlier, Wake is no longer a doormat, but at least there's some pride in being a doormat. Seasons that begin with high expectations and end with records of 4-7 are just plain depressing.

4. The last three BC-Wake games have come down to the final two minutes? Care to make a premature prediction about this year’s game?

Chris's Sports Blog: Down 20 with 3:00 left to play, Wake will score two quick TDs and recover an onside kick down six points. Holding all three timeouts, the team will get down to the Eagles one-yard line and have four shots to get in the endzone in the game's final 19 seconds. After calling for three consecutive fullback smashes that go nowhere and using all three timeouts, Grobe's team will face a do-or-die 4th and goal from the one-inch line. Grobe will instruct Ben Mauk to lineup in a shotgun, whereupon he will promptly get sacked for a 47-yard loss.

Check out Chris's Sports Blog for a litte more on Wake and a lot more on the Redskins.

Bowl Plan predictions

The ACC Football meetings are just around the corner and the big news will surely be the new Bowl alignments and agreements. BC should be the focal point since our experience of getting passed over and sent to Boise is driving the new deal. Nothing has been announced but I am making a prediction on how it will work. And sorry BC fans, this doesn’t mean we will avoid San Fran, Boise and Nashville in the future.

1. The Bowls will still have a choice. This just makes good sense. The ACC wouldn’t be much of a partner if it forced teams on bowls. The bowls need ticket money to sustain their existence and lousy matchups will kill a bowl. Plus as attractive as the ACC might be now, there are plenty of other conferences that would gladly swoop in and agree to anything the bowls want.

2. Look for some sort of provision regarding conference record. This is similar to what we had in the Big East. This format allows the bowls to pick a team with a worse conference record than another eligible team as long as they are no more than a game behind the neglected team in the standings. For example, the Charlotte Bowl could not have passed on BC or Georgia Tech (both 5-3 in conference) last year to take NC State (3-5 in conference). However, Orlando selecting Clemson (4-4) over BC would have been acceptable.

3. There will still be backroom dealing. As we know, this is what the ACC does best. The ACC is a good partner and wants to bowls and the teams to be excited about their games. So reviewing last year’s scenarios, I can assure you that the ACC would have done something to get a regional team to Charlotte. If it couldn’t place NC State there, they probably would have positioned Clemson into the game. It just makes sense. The backroom dealing will also be very important with the Gator Bowl-ACC Championship challenges. Despite their success hosting Virginia Tech twice last season, I don’t think there will be many years where the Gator Bowl will want the loser of the ACC Championship game to return three weeks later. With the two divisions it is highly probably that there will always be a desirable team available to “swap” their bowl slot into the Gator Bowl in place of the ACC Championship game loser.

Boise is now the slot for the Eighth place team, so anyone who ends up there won’t have much to complain about. I don’t think this will change BC’s fate, but it will be a little more protection. As I said over the next five years I think you’ll see BC in San Fran and Boise more often than you will see them in Atlanta, Orlando or Jacksonville.

Previews and more OLine stuff

More previews are rolling out.

You can read Athlon's abbreviated version here via SI.com.

Most of ESPN's Blue Ribbon previews are Insider only. Fortunately for us they are giving away access to the BC version.

Here is a nice article on another one of our Offensive Line commits.

Keep it quick

Just a few news links today...

BC received another much needed OL commit over the weekend. Arthur Ray Jr. comes from a strong program and had some good offers from which to choose.

BC rightie Terry Doyle threw a no-hitter in the Cape League this weekend.

Here is a write up on another BC OL commit, Thayer's Nathan Richman.

Blackmon signed his deal with the Packers.

Grade inflation

When Auburn finished just behind BC (fourth overall) in the N.C.A.A.’s new rankings of student athletes’ academic progress, most were surprised. The school has never been known for its scholar football players. Now we have a better understanding of a factor in the school's recent academic success.

Jocks get away with a lot in college (and often get into schools they otherwise don't belong). It has been going on for decades and always takes a little bit of the fun out of collegiate athletics (for me, anyway). I’d like to think that if everything went professional and we gave up the sham of student athletes these things would go away. Unfortunately they won’t. There’s cheating at every level of sport. Even if colleges dropped all athletic scholarships and just put together local club teams, someone would still find a ringer or employ some illegal gimmick.

And not to say BC is above it all. There are certainly guys who wouldn’t get in if they couldn’t play a sport. And there are certain classes that are much easier than others. Yet, BC makes these guys and girls go to class and will sit them if they don’t follow the school rules. We’re not perfect, but I do take pride in my school doing things right and better than most.

Position Analysis: Defensive Backs

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. This installment covers the Defensive Backs. (Read Part I: WRs and TEs here, and Part II: Running Backs here, Part III: Defensive Line here, Part IV: Special Teams here, Part V: Linebackers here, Part VI: Quarterbacks here, Part VII: Offensive Line here).

Projected Starters
CB -- Dejaun Tribble, JR, 5’9, 189 lbs
FS -- Jamie Silva, JR, 5’11, 205 lbs
SS -- Ryan Glasper, SR, 6’0, 207 lbs
CB -- Larry Anam, SR, 6’0, 192 lbs

Other guys who should see time
CB -- Taji Morris, JR, 5’10, 180 lbs
CB -- Razzie Smith, FR, 5’9, 174 lbs
CB -- Brad Mueller, JR, 5’11, 175 lbs
S -- Paul Anderson, SO, 6’1, 207 lbs
S -- Marty Bowman, FR, 6’2, 208 lbs

The BC Secondary is often the victim of design. Let me explain. Last season we ranked 9th in the ACC in passing. You would figure that this meant our guys couldn’t hang in the new conference. Not exactly. The ranking is driven by yards allowed in the air, for which BC allowed 217 a game (in conference). However, the guys only allowed 2.9 yards per catch -- tied for 3rd in the conference. This speaks to the bend but don’t break philosophy. Spaz asks the guys to play soft coverage but swarm the ball as soon as it is caught. Teams will dink and dunk on us up and down the field (the high pass yardage allowed), yet we play the odds that the drives will stall out and we will avoid the big play and score. It works well, for the most part. Hence when ranking the units Athlon and The Sporting News both picked our defensive backs as 3rd overall in the ACC.

The unit loses only one key contributor from last year (one of my favorites Jazzmen Williams). Into his corner spot steps Larry Anam. Anam is a converted safety who has had a few moments in the starting lineup. I often felt he looked lost out there and was a poor tackler. The move to corner should help since his assignments will be simpler (and in Larry’s defense he did improve his tackling last season).

The heart of the secondary is our two outstanding safeties: Jamie Silva and Ryan Glasper. Silva is nearly a fourth linebacker as he is quick to support the run and led the team in tackles. Glasper doesn’t get much pub but is very solid. These two play very well together and have good instincts. In fact the only game last year where they seemed out of sync was the bowl in Boise.

The other corner spot goes to Dejuan Tribble. Tribble is one of the most talented guys on the team. He had a bit of a sophomore slump and some have wondered if he is too restricted by our system (which puts in the corners in a lot of soft zones). I expect a big year (and no move to WR in his senior season).

The second team guys are a little more of a question mark. The secondary did not substitute nearly as often as the D-line and LBs did last season. Mueller and Anderson have looked adequate in their limited time. I’ve heard great things about Razzie Smith although he has never played a down. Taji Morris showed improvement through the season. Still, none of these guys are known commodities. Hopefully they will get worked in and prove themselves.

Upside

There is probably more speed in the secondary than we’ve had in years. Tribble can run with anyone in the ACC and Anam provides good size for a corner (now if he can just put it all together).

Final Prediction

The secondary lost two of its biggest friends in Kiwi and Ray Henderson. Kiwi sparked the rush on passing downs and Henderson was practically a third safety on passing downs. Those voides will hurt almost as much as Williams. However, the group is experienced and talented and should really come into its own this season.

News stuff

Chris Collins signed with the Bruins. Here is a nice article from his hometown paper.

Here is a follow up from the same paper on Collins and his connection with Stephen Gionta.

An Albany paper rehashes Josh Beekman's accolades.

BC grad Ed McLaughlin was named AD at Niagara. He becomes the youngest AD in the country.

BC target Stephen Garcia made ESPN's Top 150 list. The article also mentions recent commit Michael Peterson.

BC Idol

Jackie MacMullan wrote a nice article on incoming Freshman basketball player and American Idol semi-finalist Ayla Brown. This is just the first of what will surely be a huge wave of media attention for a female basketball player. Brown seemed pretty poised during Idol, so I am sure she will handle the attention well.

Blogger summer assessment: Clemson

Preview magazines don’t cover everything. National analysts can often be wrong. So who do you turn to when you want to get real scoop on an opponent? Answer: a fellow fan. In an effort to fill these dog days of summer with a few morsels of information, I’ve asked Peter from Tiger Pundit to give us a quick take on Clemson.

What is the one thing the experts have wrong about this year's Clemson team?

PF from Tiger Pundit: A lot of experts are expecting our defense to be as good as last year's, but losing a player like Tye Hill is a big loss. Teams may be able to pass on us a little more than they did last year. Then again, running against us could be very tough. Our linebackers, led by Anthony Waters, are excellent, and defensive end Gaines Adams is projected to be a first-round draft pick.

You have a lot of returning parts on offense including a second year with Offensive Coordinator Spence, yet will have a new QB. What do you think will give?

PF from Tiger Pundit: Hmmm. Well, I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way, but I don't really think anything will "give." Spence has made a name for himself already, we have all five starters back on the offensive line (according to the Clemson spring football media guide, we're a combined 39-9 all time in the four seasons when we've had all five starters back on the line), and QB Will Proctor is not completely inexperienced: He had nearly 300 yards passing last year in limited playing time and led the Tigers to a victory in last year's season opener against Texas A&M after Charlie Whitehurst got hurt. Proctor also started and led the way to a victory over Duke. But with ACC Freshman of the Year James Davis, tough runner Reggie Merriweather and freshman-superstar-in-the-making C.J. Spiller joining him in the backfield, Proctor may be more valuable as a field manager than someone we'll absolutely need to get a win. (That's a theory I've seen floated in some preseason stories.) Then again, he'll have some talented and experienced receivers to throw to (Chansi Stuckey, Aaron Kelly, Rendrick Taylor -- who is a monster and a hell of an athlete -- and Tyler Grisham).

Clemson is in most Top 25s and listed as sleeper to win the conference. What are your expectations for the season?

PF from Tiger Pundit: For the first time in quite a while, I am really optimistic about the season. I don't see us losing more than two games this year. Then again, I've felt this way about a couple of other Tommy Bowden teams and been severely disappointed. But it really feels like all the pieces are in place for a good season.

Finally, do you think Clemson will beat BC this year?

PF from Tiger Pundit: Don't hate me, but I think we will beat the Eagles this year. I'm expecting a tough, close game, though.

For more information on Clemson, please check out Tiger Pundit.

Boston fans

Believe it or not, these people decided to watch something other than the Red Sox game

The belief is Boston only cares about the Red Sox. The Old Towne team is the 800-pound gorilla in the market place, but the Hub is a huge region, with passionate people and diverse tastes. So next time you hear people say Boston doesn’t care about BC, don’t believe it. Look at BC’s TV ratings. They are great for a supposed under the radar team.

Yesterday was another reminder of how Boston fans will turn out for a good show and a winner. If BC were to break through and win something real (real conference, real bowl, etc.), it would be big in Boston. Real big.

Speed and stretching in the Summer

Very nice feature on BC's summer strength and condition program on ESPN.com. Be sure to check out the video package that includes interviews with Marten, Silva and Ryan.

In other news BC was named host for the 2009 NCAA regional to be held at the Garden.

Position Analysis: Offensive Line

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. This installment covers the Offensive Line. (Read Part I: WRs and TEs here, and Part II: Running Backs here, Part III: Defensive Line here, Part IV: Special Teams here, Part V: Linebackers here, Part VI: Quarterbacks here).

Projected Starters
T -- Ryan Poles, JR, 6’4, 301 lbs
G -- James Marten, SR, 6’8, 315 lbs
C -- Kevin Sheridan, JR, 6’3, 296 lbs
G -- Josh Beekman, SR, 6’2, 325 lbs
T -- Gosder Cherilus, JR, 6’7, 320 lbs

Other guys who should see time
OL -- Ty Hall, JR, 6’5, 296 lbs
OL -- Tom Anevski, JR, 6’4, 301 lbs
OL -- Carlos Huggins, SO, 6’6, 302 lbs
OL -- Pat Sheil, FR, 6’6, 270 lbs

Despite losing two starters to the NFL, the offensive line should be the strength of the team. All three returning starters made various preseason All-ACC and All-America teams. In my opinion Beekman was the team's best player last year and this year Beekman and Cherilus might make up the best right side in the country.

Marten is a very solid performer and should make an NFL roster one day. After auditioning at other positions, it looks like he will return to left guard. This is good. If the new cogs struggle, he may end up at Left Tackle (but I doubt it).

The only positions with any question marks are Left Tackle and Center. After a competitive Spring it looks like the new starters will be Kevin Sheridan (C) and Ryan Poles (LT). Both have plenty of in-game experience.

The Line has been the foundation of TOB’s success and I really don’t expect any drop off in the overall performance of the unit this year. The big guys are consistently evaluated well as recruits, coached well on campus and given schemes in which they succeed. Offensive line play is tricky and we do it better than most. Credit to TOB and position coach Horton.

Like last year, the second team guys should see some playing time. Hall, Sheil, Huggins and Avenski will all be in the mix. If either Poles or Sheridan struggle, Hall is the most likely candidate to become a starter.

Upside

In 2004 BC replaced three starters (Hoffman, Snee, and Leavitt). It could be argued that the new guys played better than their predecessors. There is no reason Poles and Sheridan could not outshine Trueblood and Ross, like Beekman, Marten and Cherilus did when they became starters in 2004.

Final Prediction

Trueblood and Ross were very good. Both are going to play in the NFL. However, Beekman, Cherilus and Marten had better seasons last year. After rewatching and grading all the games, I felt our returnees were more consistent than our future pros. I hope that explains why I have no worries about our Offensive Line performance.

I can be very critical of TOB, but he has earned plenty of slack when it comes to this unit. The "Offensive Line U" thing might not last forever, but it will not come apart this year.

Another sign of Fall (opening lines are posted)

As much as we try to play down our ties to illegal sports betting, there are still plenty of BC fans who like to wager a buck or two on the Eagles. So credit goes to Wizard of Odds for noting the opening lines. Since we kick off the season, we are the first game posted.

Currently BC is a 14-point favorite at CMU. I haven’t done my CMU research yet, but I don’t like us giving up that much in our opener (always a shaky game for BC) and on the road. Anyone remember Ball State in 2004?

Someone finally puts heat on Blumenthal

Despite its happy ending for BC, the Big East defection/ACC expansion was a public relations mess. Problems arose when the politicians got involved. One of the biggest grandstanders was Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. He turned Miami, Syracuse, and BC’s reasonable decision into his own personal crusade and claimed that the departing schools had duped the Connecticut tax payers and UConn. Well, we know how it ended.

Now Blumenthal is up for reelection and one of his challengers is wisely reminding voters how much time and money this gasbag wasted. I wished I lived in CT just so I could vote against Blumenthal.

When my outlook on recruiting changed

Summer is pretty slow for college sports. Your only options are to eagerly await the preview magazines or throw yourself into recruiting news. I like the preview mags, but tend to avoid the recruiting news. I’ll still keep tabs on BC’s commits (and so far the school is doing pretty well), but I try not to get overly excited about who is coming to BC and what they promise to do. I learned my lesson long ago. In fact if you just say the phrase “Hinds and Crosson” most BC fans will know exactly how I feel.

BC fans were often left out of recruiting news. Our players weren’t featured in Parade. You couldn’t call Tom Lemming’s hotline and hear about anyone going to BC. That all changed with the internet. Suddenly BC fans could follow the comings and goings of our recruits just like the big guys.

After a few seasons of hype (fed by Mike Farrell and former recruiting coordinator Al Golden) BC fans finally felt like they landed two can’t miss guys in Justin Hinds and Anthony Crosson. The two big New Jersey lineman were supposed to change BC football. Instantly dominate. Turn BC into an elite power. No one questioned if these guys were overrated. No one challenged Farrell’s bias or potential conflicts of interest. These guys were the foundation. Two to build around.

What happened? Nothing. The two can’t-miss kids barely hit the field. Injuries, attitudes, effort (or lack their of) all contributed to Hinds and Crosson’s disappointing careers.

BC wasn’t the first group of fans to face a blue chip letdown. This was just our highest profile bust(s) of the internet age.

I learned my lesson. I never pay for recruiting news and don’t count on anyone until they reach campus and actually hit the field. I don’t think much of Mike Farrell’s writing (but I am not alone there) or his rankings.

There are enough highs and lows involved with following BC, that you don’t need to waste your emotions on the comings and goings of high school kids. Recruiting is vital to a program's success. However, you should judge a class after their senior year of college, not their senior year of high school.

Spider bites and other news

Incoming Freshman Thomas Claiborne missed an All-Star game after being hospitalized with a spider bite. Yes, a spider bite. Weird. At least he is expected to make a full recovery.

Talk about early, early decision. Jerry York received an early verbal committment from current high school sophomore forward Jimmy Hayes. This sort of stuff is actually fairly common in hockey.

Josh Beekman made the Rivals preseason All-America First Team and is on the Outland Trophy watch list.

Kaydia Kentish signed with the women's basketball team.

BC grad Lesley Visser was named as the first woman to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dana Barros’ curious career continues…he quit Northeastern after two months to go work for Mayor Menino.

Draft Day and other news

Tonight is the NBA Draft. Despite suffering an injury in the 'Nova game, Craig Smith is expected to be selected. Craig is undersized, but I like his pro prospects. I think his game is most similar to Corliss Williamson, who had a solid career as an NBA role player. Smith runs the floor better than Corliss did but does not have the mid-range shot that "Big Nasty" had. Craig could be great coming off the bench for many teams and can give a coach minutes at the 3 and 4 spot. Best of luck to Cookie Monster.

According to this article, Smith could land with the Pistons late in the Second Round.

This article lists Smith as the "sleeper" of the Draft.

Blogger David Glenn has another thorough piece on ACC talent as it relates to the Draft.

Switching gears to football, The Sporting News ranked the ACC stadiums. Alumni finished 10th. So far I've only been to Georgia Tech, Clemson and Wake. Clemson is in a league of its own, but Alumni is a better experience than the other too.

Here is an article on summer commitments. BC only has four at this point, but I expect the number to increase once camp closes.

Bob Ryan email exchange Part II

This is the second part of my email exchange with Bob Ryan. (Part I can be found here.) In this addition we wrap up the exchange as Bob touches on changes at the Globe, the place for bloggers and how BC will do this season.

ATL_eagle: You’ve seen and been a part of ESPN’s shift from coverage to heavy opinion. You’ve seen and been a part of sport talk radio’s growth. What is your take on the latest medium -- blogs? While I don’t have the platform that you do, some blogs clearly do. Yet with the blog I can reach a very specific audience, take angles, tones or topics that you and even Michael Vega [The Globe’s BC beat writer] cannot. And in something more closely related to your day-to-day, The Globe is consolidating its newsroom with Boston.com. So where do you think it is all heading and what role do you see bloggers playing?

Bob Ryan: With regard to the internet, blogs, etc., they are an unavoidable way of life. The instant communication represented by the internet has vastly altered the journalistic world and we are trying to find our way through all this. Joining forces more tightly with Boston.Com was inevitable. Now Boston.Com has an obligation to better itself. I find the site sloppy and annoying. It needs much better organization.

Jimmy Durante's famous line was "Everybody wants to get into the act." And now everybody can because anyone can blog. It's out there. Nothing we can do about it, except attempt to produce your material as best you can and write it better than any blogger could ever dream of in the hopes that some people care about good writing and, perhaps, insight that is unavailable to a blogger sitting in his cellar. All this extraneous stuff clouds the issues. It's all very different, and I'm glad I am far, far closer to the end of my career than the beginning, for many reasons.

ATL_eagle: One last question. Even though I’ve told myself I won’t get fooled again, I actually think BC will have a big year in football, win 10 games and play in a real Bowl. What is your prediction?

Bob Ryan: I haven't done any homework on BC football as of yet. About all I can say is that opening AT Central Michigan is ballsy and dangerous. That league is a menace to the big boys.

Bob Ryan email exchange Part I

Ealier this year in a BC preview on Deadspin I played off of Deadspin’s “Jerky Columnist” series by noting that Bob Ryan and Mike Lupica are both BC grads. While I don’t know Lupica, I have met Bob Ryan few times and can tell you he is not a jerk. In fact when I was at BC he was more than willing to come on student radio halftime shows and give his opinion on anything. Despite our meager audience Ryan would rant and rave for 10 minutes as if he were on the Sports Reporters. It was appreciated then and now as he is willing to pick up our conversations eight years later. Part I of our email exchange follows below, as we touch on BC’s potential and walking the line between journalist and alum. Tuesday I will post Part II where he touches on media, blogs and BC chances this fall.

ATL_eagle: The football season is just around the corner and the consensus from fans and analysts is more of the same for BC -- beat the little guys, lose to the heavyweights, finish about 8-4 and go to a third-tier bowl. This predictability is dividing the online fan base into two camps. One has the “we are what we are” mentality and is happy the BC runs a clean program that wins more than it loses. The other is growing frustrated by this glass ceiling and wonder if BC, and more specifically Tom O’Brien, will ever put it all together for one magical run. What do you think the upside of the program is? Can BC win the conference and real bowl game occasionally? After nine years should we expect more from O’Brien or should we just be happy that BC is a consistent winner?

Bob Ryan: I believe many BC fans take the basic success of both the basketball and football teams for granted.

BC is at a distinct recruiting disadvantage in comparison to prime rivals. The fact is that there are more (qualified) kids in high school who are looking to go to a school where their college sport is a dominant local fan and media topic than there are (qualified) high school kids who would appreciate all that a BC has to offer and are willing to accept less coverage and adulation because Boston is essentially a pro town.

I believe what BC has done in the last several years under Al Skinner is tremendous, and no more can be expected. Asked, yes. Hoped for, yes. Expected? No.

I sympathize with those who love football and who yearn to take that final step. It would be nice. But I personally don't expect more. I'm happy BC scared Notre Dame away for a while; that's for sure. But I don't expect BC to be a Top 10 team.

What did hurt, without question, was the Syracuse game in '04. I was appalled by the lackluster performance in such a big game. I would think the blame would have to start with Tom O'Brien, but he didn't miss the tackles or play with such a lack of emotion. I ripped them in print and I ould do so again.

I also think people underplayed beating the likes of BYU and Clemson on the road last year. I was in attendance at both, and I tried to convey the difference in emphasis and the general atmosphere. It's an entirely different world out there when a college team is THE focus. It just is, and it will never be that way for either BC football or basketball.

Summation: BC is pretty lucky to have Tom O'Brien. Remember the circumstances under which he came here. I'm surprised he's still here.

But I must stress that I care more personally about basketball, and have always been more of a football alumni front-runner. When the football team is down, I'm not as upset as I am when it's basketball taking hits. File that under full disclosure.

ATL_eagle: You won't find a bigger fan of Al Skinner than me. O'Brien is a much more difficult guy for me to get a hold of...even after nine years. There are so many things I like and I am thankful for, but the "what the hell happened" losses every year really take their toll as a fan. I understand the limitations of BC (school, location, etc.) but in the past fifteen years we've seen schools like Northwestern and Stanford play in BCS games. Why can't BC? Why can't O'Brien? And since you mentioned you tend to be an "alumni front-runner" and as a veteran writer with a good nose for spin and BS, do you sometimes get the sense that the Football program is constantly spinning their accomplishments (six bowl, winning seasons, grad rates) and slipping in excuses about BC's lack of tradition and tough academics and worst of all the rehashing the gambling scandal. It's been ten years -- as an alum I am tired of hearing about what a mess it was. Henning and the scandal were horrible, but he also left behind two Hasselbecks, Hovan, Damien Woody, etc. Do you think the spin would fly at Notre Dame, Alabama, etc? And since BC is under the radar in Boston are you able to write more as a fan/alum when writing about the Eagles than you would writing about the Pats or Sox?

Bob Ryan: A to last Q: Not really. I put it aside when I write about BC. Again, I don't get all worked up over football. I pretty much take it as it comes,with the exception of that horrible Syracuse display…

Northwestern had the one flicker under Barnett. Stanford? Big time in every way. No comparison.

ATL_eagle: Stanford big time? They’ve had some high points, but so have we. But this is not about the Cardinal. It’s about BC.

As you’ve said, you are generally proud but have been critical at times (most recently with BC’s decision to end the Holy Cross basketball series). Yet when you take a stand one way or another, you get skewered on the BC message boards because some feel you are being disloyal to your alma mater. Do you care what fans and alumni think about your stances?

Bob Ryan: I find it discouraging that in this day and age there are people who are so unsophisticated they don't understand a writer's role. If I'm writing about BC, I am doing so as a writer from the Boston Globe, not as Bob Ryan, BC '68. My job isn't to kiss-ass. When they do something good, like produce some very entertaining and worthy basketball teams in the last few years, or produce, as usual, excellent hockey teams, I write nice things. When they do something bad, such as mail in a vitally important game against Syracuse, or stink up the joint against Texas in the NCAA, I say so. When they do things of which I do not approve, such as leave the Big East to join a conference where they do not belong, I say so. When they drop Holy Cross in basketball, which is downright shameful, I knock them. So what they say in the chat rooms really doesn't concern me if their problem is my alleged "disloyalty" to BC. Did these chat room critics appreciate my Jack Concannon column? Probably not.

I treat BC as a journalistic enterprise the same as I do BU, Harvard, Northeaster or Northern Arizona. Occasionally I pull rank and reminisce about BC happenings, sure. Otherwise, I play it straight.

I like and admire Gene DeFilippo, even though I am opposed to his pet thing, the ACC deal. He knows this and I do not believe it has interfered with our friendship because it's business, not personal. I loathed Chet Gladchuck. That was no secret. I loved Bill Flynn. That was no secret, either.

PART II

Mass football

Massachusetts was never known as a football hotbed. Other sports dominated and the competition and coaching was considered below that of places in the Midwest and South. Due in part to the Patriots’ success things are changing and more kids are playing football. If things are getting better and if better athletes pick football, BC should benefit. One example is the number of kids going to BC from this All-Star team. Now there are still doubters out there who question the quality of these prospects. We’ll see what happens. TOB has the most at risk. If these guys blossom and are the sign of things to come, TOB’s recruiting job just got a lot easier. If they fail and the team struggles, people will point to this recruiting class.