2011 Position Previews: Offensive Line

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

Reputation is a funny thing. Bad or good, it often follows you even when it hasn't been relevant or accurate for years. BC's reputation is for producing great offensive lines. The reality is our offensive line play has been bad the past two years. But offensive line play is tough to measure. It is not about points or size or style. It is not about sacks or rushing yards. Real great offensive line play is about harmony. It is about rhythm and balance. It is about setting the stage for the skill players to score and get the glory. Great play offensive line play is really about five big clunky guys playing as one to the point where no one even notices how well they are playing.

Before I get into what's ahead for BC's Offensive line, let me give you my belief as to why our OLines were so good for so long. Seeing a 18-year-old throw a darting out pass or run a 40 yard dash gives you a good idea of how their skills translate to the next level. Projecting how a tall or chubby or clumsy 18-year-old will perform three years later and 60 pounds heavier is much harder to do. Offensive line isn't about measurables. It is about coaching. You need coaches who can look at a lump of coal and see the diamond underneath. And you need coaches who can teach their diamonds how to work together for the common goal. BC became OLineU because we had head coaches and position coaches who understood and appreciated offensive line play. Bicknell had his sons on the OLine. Coughlin came from Parcells's school where OLine was considered the foundation of everything. Henning for all his issues knew that much of the Redskins success was about great offensive line. TOB was a longtime OLine coach as was Jags. While year to year, some OLines were better than others, there was enough continuity that you could count on BC being strong upfront.

Now getting a defensive head coach isn't the reason our offensive line fell apart the past two years. The awkward combination of Spaz, Tranq, Devine, the system we ran, the lack of playmakers and the OL players they inherited all played a role. I do believe that if the coaching philosophies had been on the same page, we could have been respectable instead of just bad.

Despite my growing cynicism surrounding Spaz, I actually believe the offensive line will play better this year. Rogers' Olines at Syracuse and Notre Dame were always decent. I think Spinney, Richman and Cleary make a solid foundation...all with a chance to be very good or even great. White was decent last year in spot duty. That leaves Wetzel, Goodman, Betancourt, Williams or Kramer to step up and fill the void. All have potential. They just need to be put in position to blossom and excel. That is about hard work, coaching and scheme.

For someone who only watches the games and doesn't attend practices, my predictions and suggestions would be Cleary at LT, Richman at LG, Spinney at C, White at RG and Betancourt at RT. (Sub in Wetzel if Betancourt is not ready.) But one thing I don't want is starts based on seniority. Put the best guys in their best positions.

BC has managed to compete despite terrible line play the past two years. That trend cannot continue as the schedule is more demanding. If Devine doesn't get the guys clicking this year, than our days as Oline U may be on hiatus.

Herzy at the ESPYs and other links

Usually I skip the ESPYs, but I was glad to see Mark Herzlich win the Comeback of the Year. Now let's hope the lockout ends and he can take the comeback all the way to the NFL.

CFN released their usually strong BC season preview. They mention all the hot buttons that must of us diehards expect to be factors.

Here is more on Donovan Henry (need insider to read the full article). Based on the players set to announce, BC could have a few more commits within the next week. Overall I am hearing that the goal is to have 12 or so verbals by September.

Local commit and other news

BC picked up another verbal commitment. This time from Catholic Memorial defensive back Donovan Henry. Welcome aboard, Donovan.

While Henry's commitment is good news, there is a growing concern that BC is collecting a few too many under the radar recruits. I am not concerned about stars or ratings. My bigger concern is that we didn't seem to close on some top recruits or seemingly easy sells. Maybe we need to freshen the message. The silver lining is that on the field, BC continues to outperform our recruiting.

BC High's Preston Cooper is hoping for a BC offer.

Rivals has us 41st in their preseason rankings.

Donnie Fletcher is another player added to a preseason watch list.

BYU keeps mentioning potential games against BC. While its not the same as playing an SEC power, BYU does represent solid scheduling for BC. We are on a similar playing field and would get decent respect for winning.

Finding space for the Indoor Practice Facility

BC's Strength & Conditioning Center renovations were a nice move. In the recruiting arms race it is always important to have the latest, greatest, biggest and best. So on the S&C front we are keeping up with the Joneses. The lingering issue remains the permanent indoor practice facility. It is a huge, needed project that is never mentioned by BC. I think the costs, political capital and the lack of space are all issues. But it will have to be done within the next ten years and probably should be done within the next five. I don't think donors would be an issue. BC always manages to rally support for important initiatives. I think the space and political issues are intertwined.

The minute BC announces a project in Newton or Brighton, it gets tied up with town-gown redtape. Although I don't think it would be as disruptive as a dorm, the idea of a "Football Practice Facility" would be the ultimate "not in my backyard" project for our neighbors. To avoid problems, my suggestion is to keep it simple and close to the current football facilities. In my master plan, the Beacon St. Garages are expanded and the practice facility is placed on the top level. As you can see from the image, this would encroach on Shea and the current baseball fields. In this plan the new baseball complex on Brighton would have to open first.

Obviously my end goal is the facility, but the added benefit of this plan is that it expands the number of parking spots. Let me know your thoughts. Where would you put the indoor practice facility? It is bound to be a political hot potato, but it doesn't have to be. BC could do it, with some smart planning and good uses of space.

Advice on selling tickets and other links

Lou Imbriano teaches Sports Marketing at BC. Previously he was the Chief of Marketing for the Patriots. Unfortunately the Athletic Department doesn't consult him on issues related to marketing BC sports. In his most recent sports marketing chat he had something simple to say regarding ticket sales.

Think ticket sales folks have to spend more time understanding the fans likes and dislikes and less time thinking up gimmicks.

I don't expect change in the near future but BC needs to improve the gameday experience...especially if the product on the field doesn't improve.

BC's 9th commitment keeps our pipeline to Canada open. I actually think Canada should always be a good source for BC recruits. Canadians usually have a solid academic foundations, are a little older and don't seem concerned about the weather in Boston.

Swiggert and Freese are the latest BC players to be added to award watch lists.

Suggested programming for regional New England Sports Networks

The Globe had an interesting article on the two regional New England sports networks -- CSNNE and NESN. Both have their respective niches and based on the article are both willing to explore new ideas in order to drive more viewers. What both are clearly lacking is Boston College content. While I appreciate the occasional taped piece that both will run on BC sports, there is a huge void. Both could and should do more. Given NESN and BC's relationship with the Red Sox, NESN's lack of BC programming is inexcusable. Here are my thoughts. All are relatively cheap and should be easy to implement.

1. Carry all ESPN3.com games live. NESN has numerous Red Sox scheduling conflicts during the fall, so this would probably have to fall to CSNNE. I don't know the logistics or what it would cost the network to buy the regional rights, but I know it is done in other parts of the country. I don't think it would be a huge ratings boost, but I know it would be a better draw than any alternate programming they would use instead (often other lower level college football games). Getting BC on TV screens instead of PC screens would be a huge improvement for fans in New England. Those of us outside the region with satellite/cable "sports packs" would also appreciate an alternative to watching on a laptop.

2. Replay of all games Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. This is another seemingly simple solution. I live in Atlanta and can see Big East games replayed on YES or SNY, but not a BC game. Something is wrong there. If the regional New York stations can acquire the rights and make money on Rutgers and UConn replays, there must be a market for it in Boston. This is something NESN could do with ease. They have the programming slots. They have the relationship with BC. They have a sponsorship base that I presume would like to extend their brands to TV ("The Giant Glass BC replay" or "BC rewind brought to you by BMW of Peabody").

3. Football and Basketball coaches shows.
I know this has been tried before with little ratings success. But that doesn't mean BC and the networks shouldn't keep trying. The cost to produce a show is minimal. All you need is Meter and the respective coach to talk for 20 minutes. Have a BC student produce a "field" piece each week for free and you are down to 16 minutes. No travel needed. Very few highlights needed. If NESN can make more money showing an informercial, than BC should buy the time. We waste money on so many things around the program, this seems like a straight forward way to sell the programs and help the coaches reach fans and future players.

3rd year is the charm

In this Blue Ribbon preview, Spaz starts talking about the challenges of not having many fifth year seniors on the roster. I'll save the validity of the 5th year void for another date, but what has me scratching my head is why are we still making excuses in Year 3. Forget the continuity that Spaz brought to the position. Put aside the bare cupboard debate for a moment. Even if a coach takes over a program in tatters, shouldn't Year 3 be the turning point?

By the third year a coach should have the majority of the roster filled with "his" players. He should have some cohesiveness among the staff. He should have his own QB in place and he should have a good feel for the conference and other teams's tendencies. Great coaches are well on their way by Year 3. But for this post I didn't want to cherry pick great coaches to make Spaz look like he is whining. Instead I just wanted to focus on BC. If you look at our history is Year 3 an indicator of where the program is headed?
[For relevancy, I started with Post WWII BC football.]

BC Coaches in their Third Year
Myer -- 1946. Record: 6-3 (Myer's tenure was interupted by WWII.)
Holovak -- 1953. Record: 5-3-1
Miller -- 1965. Record: 6-3
Yukica -- 1970. Record: 8-2
Chlebek -- 1980. Record: 7-4
Bicknell -- 1983. Record: 9-3
Coughlin -- 1993. Record: 9-3
Henning -- 1996. Record: 5-7
O'Brien -- 1999. Record: 8-4

Aside from Henning, everyone else has a winning record. Even Ed Chelibek -- the guy who had the worst season in BC history -- had things turned around by Year 3. I am not ready to make W-L predictions for this season yet but there really should be no excuses to justify a down season. This is Spaz's team and Spaz's program and Spaz's 5th year seniors.

Out of conference previews and other links

This writer previews our out of conference slate and thinks we took on too much. I agree that UCF will be a tough game, but this is the type of schedule we should be playing every year. Padding our win totals is not selling tickets or getting people excited about BC bowls. What is surprising is you haven't heard much talk from Gene or Spaz about the difficulty of our schedule in the lead up to the season.

BC is a finalist for New Jersey LB Michael Strizak.

BCI applauds Vanderbilt leveraging academics to land recruits. I think their success and Stanford's recent success selling academics is somewhat misleading. Duke, Stanford, BC, Vandy, Northwestern, etc have been selling their classroom experience and graduation rates for years. Vandy and Stanford's recent success recruiting is more about a fresh delivery and passion from new head coaches.

Ranking games by importance

Every season has a few turning points. Last year, we beat Clemson when we needed to and saved the season. This year I think there will be a few other turning point games. I also think there will be some must wins from a marketing and momentum standpoint. This is my order. Share yours in the comments.


Most important games
1. Northwestern. This is BC's toughest out of conference schedule in many years. We will need the Northwestern win to help our bowl eligibility. Gene could also use a big win early in the season to help ticket sales.
2. Clemson. It is the first ACC road game. It is also the point when the schedule goes from easy to tough. BC needs to win this game to help the ACC Atlantic standings and keep the momentum going.
3. NC State. This is the last home game of the year. It will probably be TOB's last game in Boston. It comes at a point in the schedule when BC could be in the middle of a losing streak. BC will need this win to end the home slate on a high note and to get the last word with TOB.
4. Florida State. I actually think we will match up well with Florida State. The game's importance is more based on the Thursday night aspect. This will be BC's biggest showcase of the year. They need to play well.
5. Notre Dame. Spaz has yet to beat the Irish. For the casual BC fans this will start to become an issue.
6. Virginia Tech. Probably our toughest road game and chance for a statement.
7. Miami. I don't think this game will have major ACC implications. I also don't think either team will be ranked at this point. But it will be another national television game and BC might need the win to secure bowl eligibility.
8. UCF. First road game and important for early season momentum.
9. Maryland. This could be a trap game given that it comes between VT and FSU.
10. UMass. I expect us to win this game. If we lose the BC and Spaz bandwagon will be empty.
11. Wake Forest. It's Parent's Weekend. You want to make sure everyone is in a good mood.
12. Duke. Very little at stake here. If we win, no one will care. If we lose, no one will care.

BC's version of fireworks

Enjoy the holiday.

More from HD and other links

HD honors another BC player by saying Noel is one of the top safeties in the ACC.

Former Eagle Terry Doyle is pitching well in Double A.

Associate AD Jamie DiLoreto was named President of National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators.

Is EA Sports already using our new look?

EO poster Onyx Blackman had a nice find today with his screen caps of our uniforms in EA Sports. I am still waiting on confirmation from BC if all these looks will be used on the field. The big changes are the return of maroon pants and the gold home jersey. I welcome both additions. Other thoughts:

-- It looks like the "all white" era is over. I will always associate it with Jags's time at BC, so we might as well drop it.
-- A gold home jersey may be a reality. It is not as dramatic a departure as I was hoping for, but the gold jersey is perfect for a one-time event. I predict it will debut in our Thursday night game against Florida State.
-- It looks like we will have the stained glass numbers we saw in basketball. I don't know if anyone other than die-hard BC fans notice, but it is a nice touch.
-- This will be the first time BC plays in maroon pants with stripes. The maroon pants of the TOB era were solid.
-- The helmet stays the same.


Please share your thoughts. I will update as I get new information.

Season previews and other links

I found Pre-snap Read's profile of BC refreshing. The best part was their candid look at our offense:

...take note of one of the most puzzling, frustrating, impotent offensive attacks in the country: 109th in total offense, 97th in passing, 90th in rushing – despite having the nation’s 23rd-leading rusher – and 109th in scoring. This was an offense that gained more than 400 yards of offense only once, that passed for more than 200 yards only four times, that was skunked by Virginia Tech, that scored 13 points against Notre Dame and managed only 185 yards of offense in a bowl loss to Nevada, a team not known – and this is being kind – for being intimidating defensively.

Pre-Snap also thinks Spaz's seat could get hot if we struggle.

This preview post looks at our consistency and wonders what will happen to Spaz if we slip this year.

Add Donnie Fletcher to the list of players that HD likes.

BCI held a Q&A with a UMass blog.

Former Eagle Dan Mulrooney is continuing his football career at Stony Brook.

BC is not the only private school trying new ideas in an effort to spark lagging ticket sales.

Is anyone surprised that BC is included among the schools that Brooks Brothers selected for their special themed line?

A commitment talks and other links

BC's latest OLine commitment is saying all the right things about BC. I am just glad we are still a factor in New Jersey.

Sean Williams is getting a serious look from the Phoenix Suns. At this point I would be shocked if he ever becomes a regular contributor in the NBA.

HD thinks we have the best linebackers in the conference. She even takes the time to discuss names other than Kuechly's.

Castonzo plans on starting a foundation for cancer research.

Here is the latest on Ed O'Bannon's suit against the NCAA. Doug Flutie is sitting on millions if he joins the suit.

How big should this recruiting class be?

With BC picking up two more recruits, many are wondering how many spots are left. Consensus is this will be a small class. But how small? Will BC only sign 14 or will they push the limit and get to 20 or more?

In his second year Jags took a huge class. TOB was much more conservative. Spaz has signed smaller classes so far. I tend to support signing bigger classes. When you push your total signees, you slightly increase the upside of the class. The risk is that you might over sign and force out a deserving 5th year player. But our history of attrition (whether through injury or "fits") is fairly predictable. That is why I doubt we will ever have a class of only 14 guys.

More signs of ticket sales troubles

Fresh off the "Father's Day Sale" come two more signs that ticket sales are not where they need to be. One is innocent enough. The other is more troubling.

The first promotion involves parents who buy tickets for Parent's Weekend. They now have they option to buy Northwestern tickets at a discount. Parent's Weekend has always been a strong seller so it makes sense to build off of that momentum. Plus I am sure BC is figuring that a lot of BC parents will be dropping their kids off around the time of the Northwestern game. What I find troubling though is that Northwestern cannot sell out on its own. If BC cannot sell out a Big Ten game on Labor Day weekend, then they shouldn't be playing Labor Day weekend.

The much bigger issue is that some non-DBS ticket holders are getting a chance to buy DBS tickets this season without the requisite donation. This is supposedly only a one time waiver good for this season, but like all other discounting, what sort of behavior are you creating in the marketplace. And how will your usual DBS donors react? As I have said before, this season may be a wake up call with how BC manages its relationships with its most important customers. It also may be time for Gene and Spaz to raise expectations, not lower them.

Hoops thoughts: Jones to BU and Reggie to OKC

I thought our focus would be on Reggie's future. Instead the bigger news happened down Comm Ave...

When the BU job opened, I said they should hire someone with BC ties. My hope was that they would give an opportunity to someone like Pat Duquette or give a second chance to someone like Al Skinner. Instead they hired Donahue's top assistant Joe Jones. While I am happy for Jores, this is a setback for BC. Jones has been our lead recruiter and was critical for us landing much of our 2011 talent. He was also experienced at this level and someome Donahue trusted. It will be very hard to find an Ace recruiter who understands Donahue and "gets" what it means to recruit at BC on short notice. As for how Jones will do at BU...I am not sure. His run as Head Coach at Columbia wasn't inspiring, but BU will allow him to cast a wider net on the recruiting trail and he inherits a program on the rise. Good luck to him.

Reggie Jackson to Oklahoma City was also a surprise. With all the speculation of preDraft side deals, OKC rarely came up as a landing spot. In retrospect it makes sense. The Thunder are one of those teams that puts a premium on statistical metrics and Reggie was a very efficient coilege player. The selection has some pluses and minuses. The good news is that Reggie was selected and will get a guaranteed contract. This justifies coming out early. It is also good news that he joins one of the rising powers in the NBA and is surrounded with young talent. The downside is OKC already has a lot of minutes and money tied into guards and wing players. Where will Reggie fit in? My guess is they view him as a combo who can give them solid minutes at the 1 or the 2. Can Reggie thrive like that? I don't know. I would have preferred he landed at a veteran team like Boston or Miami that need his fresh legs and instant offense. Now he will have to work hard to prove he can compliment Westbrook and not just be a Westbrook clone. But in the end Reggie made the right call and I wish him nothing but the best.

My ranking of ACC coaches

A few weeks ago HD ranked the coaches of the ACC. With Butch Davis's seat getting hotter, I started thinking: would a guy like Davis ever have fit in at BC? So with "fit" and ability as criteria, here is my ranking of ACC coaches as potential head coaches at BC.

1. Al Golden. I was always a bit skeptical of Golden but his time at Temple won me over. BC had chances to hire him and probably should have.

2. Mike London. I don't know if he will ever win big at Virginia, but I think London could have been a breathe of fresh air at BC.

3. Randy Edsall. Another guy who was nearly BC's coach and wanted the job every time it came open. I don't think he has the personality of London or Golden but he would have competent.

4. Spaz. Yes, I rank our actual coach as only the 4th best fit for BC within our own conference. We all know Spaz's issues. By placing him here I am admitting it could be worse.

5. TOB. TOB in 1997 was a very good fit. If he were to come back to BC, I think it would be less fun and less successful than Spaz's regime.

6. Jim Grobe. He would have fit in with the culture at BC but I think his team's inconsistency from year to year is less appealing than Spaz.

7. Frank Beamer. Obviously he's very accomplished. He also flirted with the BC job once upon a time. But I wouldn't want him now given his age.

8. Paul Johnson. I get to observe Johnson up close here in Atlanta. I really like him and enjoy his offense. But he would never fit in at BC. And the whale pants crowd would whine on and on and on about the option.

9. Jimbo Fisher. Another guy who I think is getting better with each season. But he has never coached at a place like BC. I feel like it would be a huge culture shock.

10. David Cutcliffe. He's surprised me in a good way at Duke. He's also a serious Catholic so BC might be a good fit in that sense. My concerns would be his age, his health and his losing seasons.

11. Butch Davis. Even before the scandal I would have questioned his ability to adapt to BC. Now very little is in doubt. He would have been terrible at BC.

12. Dabo Swinney. Does anyone even want to debate this one? I've been a Dabo basher for a few seasons...and that has been while he's been the coach at Clemson. Can you even imagine him on the Heights?

BC's clean record and other links

The Wall Street Journal noted that BC is one of only four BCS teams that have never been found guilty of any major violation. The other rule followers are Northwestern, Penn State and Stanford. This sort of rehashes my post from earlier this year. It is just not in BC's culture to cheat in sports. Our fans don't care that much.

Spencer tries to explain the logic of the ACC divisions.

BC lost out on two recruits that seemed like good fits. The first was IL QB Wes Lunt. The bigger surprise though was Jason Sylva's commitment to UConn. We just offered Sylva and he supposedly always loved BC. Something got lost in the sales pitch. We are loaded at LB, but I do have concerns when we lose out to UConn on players that should be ours.

Jeff Goodman says Joe Jones and Al Skinner are both in the mix for the BU opening. I would hate to lose Jones at this point. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I am surprised it has taken this long, but I do think BU is going in the right direction.

BC took part in a conference for schools competing for attention in a pro market. I'll have more on this later in the week.

The ACC named BC Golfer John Nurczynski to its all academic team.

Albright in UFL and other links

The UFL seems like a perfect fit for someone like Alex Albright. No NFL team was going to draft a injury prone tweaner and making a team as an under the radar free agent is tough any year. Add the lockout and it is nearly impossible. Yet the welcoming arms of the UFL give hima chance to prove himself and earn a spot in the NFL. Good luck to him.

Ohio pounded Pennsylvania in the annual Big 33 game. The good news though is future Eagle Dave Bowen stood out for the PA side.

Former BC runner Hope Krause is already impressing on the regional 10k circuit.