QBs are the focus of the media and other links

The QBs said all the right things after the first practice. I still doubt the "wide open" ness of this process. What if Wade is demonstrably better? Will he really start? Based on the lack of quotes, it seems like Fadule is not really in the mix.

Here is Fox Sports' preview of the team. They deal with the typical questions regarding QB and coordinator changes.

After a preseason injury the Redskins decided to waive Stephen Daniels. Supposedly there is still a space waiting for him on their IR once he clears waivers.

Chris Pantale is converting to Fullback with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Towles-Harambe dedication is going to be a thing

Last week Patrick Towles posted an Instagram (below) dedicating his season to the deceased Cincinnati Zoo Gorilla Harambe. BCI noticed it and I thought it was just a college kid working an internet meme into his pictures. No bid deal, right?

Of course I was wrong. Now the story is getting picked up by other outlets (here and here). I fear that this will be mentioned a lot before the season and more than we want once the games start. Personally I think the idea is funny (and I assume Towles is going for laughs), but this really runs the risk of becoming a dead horse. The best ending for this meme is for Towles to really kick butt and everyone gets into Harambe. If not, let's hope it just dies out.

Dedicating this season to the realist there ever was... #RIPHARAMBE

A photo posted by Patrick Towles (@patty_ice_8) on Aug 4, 2016 at 1:48pm PDT

Thanks to Chris Cameron

Chris Cameron is about to leave Boston College for other opportunities. For those who don't know, Chris has spent 18 years leading the BC Sports Information team. As I have written before, if you appreciate how Boston College comes across in the media, you owe a debt of gratitude to Chris and his colleagues. While there have been moments the past two decades when our coaches and administrators looked like jerks in front of the media, I can't think of a single athlete who was exposed, hung out to dry or said something stupid. That is because they were all well prepared (and protected) when called upon. That job is much harder than you think.

Aside from the image of BC that Chris helped shape to the media, his team also did and does countless work making the media look good. Those facts and figures that the broadcasters and writers work into their coverage or the quick little anecdote about a player most likely came from Sports Information. Sports Information sometimes knows the players better than they know themselves.

My time as a student broadcaster predated Chris, so I didn't get to know him in the day to day setting like I did with Dick Kelley and Reid Oslin. I was just a blogger in another part of the country. However, he was always very helpful and accommodating, especially in the early days when he certainly didn't have to be. I wish him luck and thanks for his long commitment to BC.

More signs staff expects Towles to start

Preseason awards "watch lists" are sort of a joke. Nearly every team works to get one of their players on every list. And now there is a specialty award for nearly every position, so hundreds of players end up on these lists. Yet it still takes a great season to actually win an award and plenty of players who weren't on the preseason lists emerge and win the prizes. But the awards do tell you what the coaches expect. BC put Patrick Towles on the preseason Unitas List. In my opinion that is another sign that the staff expect him to start.

But I don't think the preseason list guarantees Towles anything beyond the Georgia Tech game. Addazio admitted his mistakes from last year. He needs to win and if Towles doesn't step up, Wade will get a shot. Who knows, maybe Wade could even win the Unitas award.

Lessons from Last Chance U

If you like football and behind the scenes sports documentaries, I highly recommend Netflix's Last Chance U. It spends a season with the players, coaches and administrators at East Mississippi Community College as the Defending National Junior College Champions look to win their fourth championship in five years. Because this is a JuCo, I think the players and coaches were much more unguarded than they might have been at a big university. The series is entertaining on its own, but also provides some great insight into the larger world of college football and provides perspective about how we do things at BC.

[SPOILERS TO FOLLOW]

Chaos on the sidelines

Whenever one of our coaches messes up a two minute drill, we all go crazy. Yet here is Junior College's most prolific offense -- in theory a fine tuned machine -- screwing up. At one point, the head coach didn't even realize it was 4th down or what the call was. And this team wins. This reinforced for me that so much of this is talent, talent and talent. East Mississippi is not winning because Stephens is some great Xs & Os guy or a great game manager. He's winning because he is out recruiting his fellow JUCOs and filling up on Power 5 talent that either can't qualify or had trouble at bigger programs.

BC will never be able to recruit JUCO players

It is not a good fit. I am sure we will have the occasional exception, but in general there will be very few JUCO players who would ever get by our Admissions Office. These guys are taking what amounts to remedial classes (Algebra, Basic Comp, etc.) and really struggling. Few seem motivated to try at all, even as their teachers and administrators hold their hands through the whole process. The only JUCOs we might ever be able to land are players like John Franklin III. He already qualified for an ACC team and is only at East Mississippi to showcase his talents. And based on what the conversation the East Mississippi people had with Auburn, he breezed through their classes with mostly A's.

And even if Admissions allowed our coaches to go all in on JUCOs, I still think BC would be a tough sell. Getting on a plane and going to Southeast Missouri intimidated Ronald Ollie. Can you imagine what it would be like trying to get some of these isolated and immature kids up to Boston? They all dream of the SEC. BC is a very different sell.

Academic Advisors are the unsung heroes of any successful program

The breakout star of the series is East Mississippi's Academic Advisor Brittany Wagner. She serves as den mother, big sister, baby sitter, tutor and school supply closet to the team. Without her, half of this team wouldn't be eligible. While the academic cases at East Mississippi are more extreme, don't think that this sort of support is not going on at every Power 5 program. Our players come to BC much more prepared than your typical JUCO, but there is a whole team of people at BC making sure they go to class, that they sign up for the right classes, that their GPAs remain strong, that they graduate on time, etc. You can question whether these players should even be in a college environment or what they are truly learning, but you can't question Wagner's passion or commitment.

There is still a lot of corruption in College Sports

It was just one passing moment in a six hours series, but I was surprised by the exchange between one player and a recruiter, when the player said he couldn't say what else he needed to commit "in front of the cameras."

The coach clearly understood what he meant and said, "there is nothing else. We follow NCAA rules..."

But as we all saw on Draft night, under the table payments are still alive and well in the SEC. I am sure it is rampant at other places too. If a marginal JUCO recruit is asking for extras, you can only imagine what the elite guys are doing.

BC is different but not that different

I think BC wants and tries to do things the "right way," but I am not naive enough to think we're perfect. Last Chance U isn't the same as a behind the scenes might be at the Heights, but there are probably more similarities than we would ever realize.

The blessing and course of ESPN3

The UMass game at Gillette will be on ESPN3. Because it is technically an away game, a broadcast was not guaranteed, so getting the ESPN3 feed is a good thing (it will also get a television broadcast in the New England area). It was only a few short years ago that something like this wouldn't have been picked up, so I appreciate the access. I also think the production value of ESPN3 games improves every season. However, the ubiquity of OTT solutions only drives the importance of the ACC Network.

Media presence remains a selling point in college sports. It used to be a big deal to tell kids that all their games would be on TV. Now everyone can say that. As long as mom or dad or grandma has an internet connection, he or she can watch every play. If every game is on the internet, it can't be a big deal to recruits. But saying you are on ESPN or ABC or whatever does mean something. It elevates the importance of the games. The ACC Network won't carry the same level of cache with recruits, but at least it is a dedicated network to their conference. We can also say that all of the games will be on ESPN's family of Networks (since the ACC will be part of it).

Having the ACC Network instead of streaming ESPN3 will also change perception with some of our fans. The diehards are used to streaming the games. But there is still a portion of the fanbase that would rather just turn on their TV and flip to the channel.

With the UMass game picked up, every BC game will have some sort of coverage this season.

Why is it so hard to get the uniforms right?

BC unveiled their new uniforms Wednesday (see embedded tweet below). The major changes are in the sleeves and in the pants. BC added stripes to the arms that include white and maroon against a gold base. The lines on the pants now curve in between the knees and thighs. None of this is objectionable, but it is all unnecessary. Do these changes excite anyone or do they just add more clutter to the jersey? The curved line on the pants have been around since the Broncos moved to them in the 1990s. Are we adopting them now to look current? I know this is about Under Armour and recruits, but there is a much simpler way to go about this.

BC should have a standard, classic base uniform for home and road games. Gold helmet with maroon stripe, gimmick free maroon jersey and simple gold pants. If you want to add a maroon stripe to the gold pants, I would not object. We've had various road styles over the years. My suggestion is to pick a simple one and stick with it.

Once you have your "base uniforms" established, then you get crazy with the rest of the season. Add wings or feathers to the helmet. Go all black. Use funky fonts and italics. Put lines all over it. Create a super fan style uniform. Use different shades of gold or maroon. Become the Oregon of the East. I don't care. Just as long as there is a simple, consistent BC to revert to for most of the season.

This new look to the sleeves and pants is not the worst we've had, but I am not a fan. Like all these uniform changes, this will get changed in a year or two. Hopefully soon BC will realize that the best way to appeal to old fans like me and young recruits is to get a uniform for every occassion instead of one look that leaves everyone so empty.

Turn on the lights💡#PhotoDay #BCEagles pic.twitter.com/dDzjhDTojP

— BC Football (@BCFootball) August 3, 2016

BC makes non-conference basketball schedule official

BC released its non-conference basketball schedule Tuesday. No real surprises. The one thing drawing attention is that BC plays no true road games. There are some quality opponents, but all of those games are either at Conte or a neutral site. Even regional games and traditional rivals are home this year (Providence and Harvard to name two).

If BC were planning on a big season, this would be a big deal. But in a rebuilding year it is not. RPI and tournament resumes factor in true road games, but does anyone think BC will even be in that conversation?

A few years ago Steve Donahue scheduled himself out of a job. I hope Jim Christian realizes what a gift this season is and scheduled himself some Ws and goodwill.

BC Coaches don't overreact to NCAA‬ Proposal 2015-48

Did your social media feed feel different Monday? If you are a fan of a major football power it probably did. Starting August 1, coaches are now allowed new levels of interaction with recruits in various social networks. The minutia of what the coaches can and cannot do is hysterical in its triviality, yet there were guys who've Rose Bowls like Gary Patterson furiously retweeting the most banal stuff from recruits he wants at TCU. One Power 5 team that didn't go all in on the new rule was Boston College.

Based on the Twitter feeds of Addazio, Al Washington, Anthony Campanile and Rich Gunnell, it seems like they treated Monday like any old day. Gunnell retweeted a few recruits who posted their BC offers, but that was about it. The team that once embraced Vines, was basically uninterested in the changes. Should BC fans be concerned? I don't think so.

While Social Networks and Social Media are important communication tools, they are only one part of the sales pitch. You still have to text and call and visit the players and their parents. If anything, social media provides greater insight into the recruits for the coaches, then the other way around. A social network account can give glimpses into a player's attitude and maturity.

BC also remains a niche product to most recruits. Location and the admission requirements will always make it so. That leaves BC coaches to spend more time finding the right guys as opposed to shotguning all the top recruits and retweeting their morning activities.

Maybe Addazio and company will become more engaged in the months ahead. If they start losing recruits due to lack of attention, they will have to react. But for now, I am glad they are taking their time and not overreacting.

Early look at the early Bowl Projections

Many are predicting a bounce back year for BC. The schedule is easy. The ACC media picked them fifth in the division. A lot of national rankings have them in the 60 to 70 range. If they get to 6-6, there should be a bowl game in their future. Yet not all of the early Bowl Projections see it that way. SBNation left out BC. They have 10 ACC teams plus Notre Dame in the postseason. But no BC.

Athlon is more optimistic. They have BC playing in the Military Bowl...against Temple. I know I just wrote about the pointlessness of playing Temple, but in this case I wouldn't mind. You can't really control who your bowl opponent is. Plus I think playing a winnable game in a relatively close city is not a bad way to end the season. The Military Bowl is not exciting your recruits and fans, but one more win does. Addazio lost his previous two BC bowls against name schools. Where did that get us? Might as well get a win.

There will be plenty of Bowl projections to come as we approach the season. It makes for great filler. It also gives us a barometer of how outsiders view BC right now. Let's hope we can exceed expectations.

Addazio talks 5th years again

Addazio freely admits he made a mistake not bringing in a 5th year QB last year, but now he is opening up even more. This time with a Virginia paper. As assumed, Addazio did not take a QB last year out of fear of how it would hurt his recruiting and reputation:

"You didn’t want to get a reputation for not having faith [in the guys you have],” Addazio said. “No matter how you cut these things, they get sensitive.”

So with sophomore Darius Wade set to take over in 2015, Addazio opted against seeking outside depth.

“I closed my mind to it and said, ‘OK, it’s Darius’ deal. I want to develop a young guy,’” Addazio said. “I didn’t want to keep bringing fifth-year guys in here. I did it once with Murphy. I didn’t want to do it again. “You know, in hindsight — almost like, duh — it didn’t pan out.”

At least he learned. Yet I still can't believe a guy who has been around so long made such a mistake. You know what's worse than a reputation for bringing in 5th years? Losing. Losing big and going winless in conference play. That hurts your reputation. How about wasting one of the best defenses in college football? Does that hurt your reputation? But it also makes me shake my head that Addazio even thinks that long term. All coaches should think season to season. They are not guaranteed to have the next one. While I don't think Addazio is on the hot seat this year, he ruined a lot of good will with last year. If the players you recruit don't like when you bring in new players, that is their problem. Leave or compete. That is the answer. If a guy can't beat out some 5th year at BC, where is he going to be an impact player?

Coaches hate criticism from those on the outside. Yet they are so deep into their problems they often lose perspective. Think back to TOB trying to keep Quinton Porter happy while Matt Ryan sat on the bench? You should never promise playing time. Just the opportunity and a chance to get an education. Don't worry about reputations. I would rather have other schools say "Addazio will bring in someone over you" rather than "if you go to BC you will lose."

Are we supposed to be excited about Temple?

BC scheduled a home at home with Temple. The Alumni game will be played in 2018 and the return to Philadelphia will be in 2021. Temple is far from the worst team BC could schedule but in my opinion this is a filler game with little upside. And it continues Bates and Addazio's practice of safe non-conference scheduling.

BC rationalized the series with a little history. Temple was a staple of the BC schedule for years. And they were awful. But that was a time when Temple served as an easy W. These days all colleges schedule FCS teams to pad their win total. An easy win over Temple is harder to justify or shine up. Why play them? They are in a decent recruiting territory and have improved of late, but they are still likely to be bad in 2018 and 2021. No one will care if BC wins. There will be scorn if BC loses (I've sat through a loss to Temple).

If Addazio and Bates are really determined to take it easy, there are other schools we could schedule. Look at private academic schools outside the Power 5. Look at teams outside the Power 5 in markets where we have good alumni populations. Schedule in regions where we want to begin recruiting. Schedule a unique opponent with some sort of cache, would generate a little excitement. Scheduling Temple won't. For decades BC fans viewed the game as an easy win or skippable game. I have a feeling they will see it that way in 2018 too.

Getting to know Ethan Tucky

Expectations are pretty high for Ethan Tucky. The new LB was a key part of the recruiting class and then when Jim Reid came onboard, he raved about him and explained how badly he wanted Tucky at Iowa. If you're looking for signs that he will contribute early, take this interview as an example. BC would probably not have him sit down for the Q&A if they didn't think he was going to play this season. 

The interview doesn't contain anything groundbreaking or dramatic, but does give some insight into Tucky's personality. It seems like he has a good head on his shoulders and a good model for getting better. Beyond the physical, Tucky also explains the learning curve of college football and the staff's preparation. 

There's plenty of comparisons to Milano and Kuechly. That's a high ceiling, but if he really is in that league, BC can have a dominant defense for years to come. 

The legacy of the Ice Bucket Challenge

Two years ago I posted my concerns about the Ice Bucket Challenge. At the time, I questioned people's motives and recommended people focus on the giving, not the ice. Well it turns out my crankiness missed the point. The Ice Bucket Challenge did raise tens of millions of dollars for ALS and that money led to a breakthrough with regards to genes connected to ALS.

Hopefully that discovering leads to meaningful improvement in treating the disease. Hopefully it leads to a cure for Pete Frates -- the man who helped make the Ice Bucket Challenge a viral sensation.

I still think I was right to question people's motives, but I clearly should have focused on the upside. Congrats to all those who gave and I hope they are proud of the breakthrough.

New details on ACC Network

Stewart Mandel posted a good article on the new ACC TV deal that resulted in a hard date for the ACC Network. What was clarified for the first time is how ESPN is going to generate money and guarantee carriage in a time when these types of networks are under fire. ESPN/Disney timed the launch of the ACC Network so that it coincides with the renewal of all the ESPN Networks. ESPN and the ACC will bundle the new network with the other ESPN Channels in an all or nothing proposal. If your cable company wants ESPN, they are going to need to carry the ACC Network.

Mandel also explains that basketball was a much bigger driver of the network than previously believed. All those Duke-UNC games plus the other second level powers will carry the network during the winter months.

I still have doubts that Notre Dame will ever give up football independence but they are the final piece in the puzzle. If the new playoff forced them into a conference, it will be the ACC. And if/when that happens, that gives the ACC one more trigger to juice the TV deal.

BC picked 5th in ACC Media Poll

Last week I predicted that the ACC Media would pick BC last in the Atlantic Division. Much to my surprise, they didn't. In fact, the media didn't even pick BC sixth. Instead our Eagles are expected to finish 5th. Maybe Addazio's enthusiasm and the confidence in BC's D is changing opinions.

The results of the poll show clear tiers in the division. At the top there is Clemson and FSU. Then some space before Louisville and NC State. BC is just barely ahead of Syracuse and then Wake. That's probably fair.

Just like my pessimism last week, this still doesn't mean much. BC has to go out and play the games, regardless of where they were expected to finish.

Based on media attention, Towles seems like the QB

The supposed open battle at QB doesn't look so open when you just read the press clippings. In interview after interview Addazio talked about the Towles and the mistake he made in not having more QB experience last season. This article references the "politics" of the situation last year. But the article also goes on about Towles winning qualities and fit with the approach. There is barely a mention of Wade.

in the end, I am not concerned with who plays and starts at QB. I am more concerned that Addazio learned from his mistakes. A QB rotation never really works and you can't worry about the player politics when the season is on the line. 

Addazio is putting last year behind him

Give Addazio credit. He continues to show nothing but confidence. If he is right about his talent evaluations, this team should be fine.

Addazio is raising expectations

Addazio, Myles Willis and Matt Milano ran the gauntlet of the ACC Media Days Friday. While the answers and topics from most of the one-on-one interviews will sprinkle out in the following days, Addazio's press conference and ESPN interviews are out. In these interviews he's expressing a lot of optimism.

Addazio owes us optimism after he screwed up last season. While he still references not having recruited the whole roster -- and even points to Willis and Milano as examples -- this is his team. He has his coaching staff in place. He has depth at critical positions and has an OC he trusts. During the interviews he still falls back to things not being exactly how he wants, but there are not valid excuses this year.

I don't think Addazio is blowing smoke either. I think he believes what he is saying. I think the players do too. Now it is just about translating it to the field.

ACC Schedule Basketball to expand

The launch of the new ACC Network will mean many things but our first tidbit is that the basketball schedule will expand to 20 games. This is good news for BC. We have had a hard time building good basketball schedules. They've been either too hard or too easy with few games at Conte filled. These two extra games will improve BC's RIP opportunity and increases the number of quality teams that come to Chestnut Hill.

What comes next? My guess is more ACC Football games. It will only make sense. Basketball is nice but Football is what will drive the new network.