Addazio keeping company with his old friends

The coaching community is often referred to as the "Coaching Fraternity." That's pretty accurate, as the network takes care of itself and they often protect guys within the business. For as much as coaches are critical of one another, rarely will they say things publicly. Instead coaches provide empty platitudes towards their peers. "He's a great coach..." Within the fraternity there are cliques of friends and colleagues that take those relationships a bit deeper. As you can see from this upcoming Ohio State Coaches Clinic, Addazio remains part of Urban Meyer's clique.

If you're going to be tight with someone, Meyer is not a bad guy to associate with. He seems to have a good mix of consistency in work ethic combined with an openness to new football ideas and trends. When Bill Belichick takes the time to help out Meyer, you know he is doing something right.

My frustration with the Meyer-Addazio relationship is that Addazio hasn't adopted Meyer's game management techniques. Meyer is not perfect, but he is much more aggressive with his pace of offense. He also has a good handle on timeouts. Addazio hasn't incorporated those same game management nuances while at BC. However, Addazio does seem to emulate his old boss in player evaluations and work ethic.

The relationship with Meyer should benefit BC again this summer when Addazio and BC join Ohio State on their satellite camp tour.

To be great Addazio can't just be a Meyer imitator. He has do be himself. But even at this stage in his career, Addazio can learn something from guys like Meyer and Belichick.

Good news on Bowman

Per Zack Spears, Ky Bowman's injury is not as bad as some initial fears.

Ky Bowman's MRI results reveal no ACL tear. Minor surgery to repair slight cartilage damage is probably needed. Estimated 6-8 week recovery.

— Zack Spears (@Zacklopedia) March 9, 2017

Because there is no tear, there is not the arduous rehab and potential lost season. A lost season could have led to all sorts of dominoes that would have worked against BC. I don't take this knee lightly but there is no reason for pessimism about it. Christian can still use Bowman as the cornerstone of his plan.

Good luck to Bowman on the surgery and I hope his recovery is swift.

Bowman's injury fitting end to forgettable year

The best thing about BC Basketball is having an MRI on his knee Wednesday. It was that kind of season.

In the actual loss to Wake Forest, BC tied the game up early in the second half without Bowman but then it fell apart. The gameplan from the start was to get physical with Wake and it led to a lot of fouls and playing time for Reyes. He looked good, so there is that going for BC.

But overall this was another waste of time year. A waste of BC's time. Our fans' time. And most importantly, the players' time. Because of the timing of this all, we are headed for another big waste of time next year.

There are many reasons why BC is struggling on the basketball court. None are insurmountable. I don't think Christian will be the guy to fix things. I just hope that next year he leaves BC basketball in a better place than he found it.

Solid Combine for Milano

He wasn't the target of NFL Networks' coverage, but Matt Milano did do well at the Combine.

📹: Matt Milano with a 4.67 unofficial 40-yard dash time at the #NFLCombine#BCEagles pic.twitter.com/wBB9asdMoo

— BC Football (@BCFootball) March 5, 2017

Great numbers at the #NFLCombine for Matt Milano.

Vertical - 35” (5th)
40 - 4.67 (8th)
Bench - 24 (T-3rd)
Broad jump - 10’6” (4th)

— BC Football (@BCFootball) March 5, 2017

Despite his numbers, Milano's real value to the NFL remains his versatility. He can play LB and tackle whoever he is supposed to nail. He also has experience putting pressure on the QBs. Finally, he can cover too.

I don't know where Milano will go. The big sites still have him as a 6th or 7th rounder. When you are that late you are not guaranteed anything, so I hope he finds one team that believes and gives him a chance on the field.

Bowman needs to be a building block

Ky Bowman made the ACC's all freshmen team. That's a big deal and a nice honor. Congrats to him. But if BC is ever going to get back to competing, we need to put a player on the All Freshmen team every year.

When things are going well at BC, there is a consistent influx of new basketball talent. Skinner at one point had four consecutive years of players landing on the Big East/ACC All Freshmen team. It was only when he failed to follow Tyrece Rice with another impact recruit that things started to fall apart. He would still get other players on -- like Reggie Jackson -- but that slight lull opened the door for Gene to make a change. Donahue and Christian have both recruited All ACC Freshmen. Just not enough.

Bowman's momentum faded a bit the past few games, but he can still be a leader of a good team. But I don't know if Christian will find enough talent to keep his job.

Basketball loses to Clemson

BC basketball ended their regular season with a loss to Clemson. After showing promise two months ago, this team took a bad, bad turn. We wrap up conference play with a 2-16 conference record. That is good for last in the conference. The only measurement where it is improvement is from last year's disaster.

As for this actual game, BC's best players were not factors. Bowman finished with ten, while Robinson scored nine. BC went ice cold near the end of the first half and never really threatened from then on.

Maybe the ACC Tournament will be a positive step. Maybe the team pulls off an upset or two. I know it is unlikely, but it is more fun to think about that instead of another L.

Mamula narrative never dies

Some use Mike Mamula as a representative of a NFL Combine warrior who never lived up to the hype. I like to use his story as an example of the laziness and predictability of the media. While the frequency of of mentions of Mamula's performance has died down a bit the past few seasons, he is still noted ever time the NFL Combine rolls around.

What I liked about this article is that it actually includes just how impressive Mamula was during his workout in Indianapolis. He performed in 1995. Now -- in 2017 -- many of his numbers remain the best ever for a defensive lineman. Teams can use Mamula as a cautionary tale of putting too much emphasis on the Combine. But prospects should still use him as a role model. Mamula had his moment and he crushed it. No apologies necessary.

Bob Bicknell headed to Baylor

Former Eagle Bob Bicknell is headed back to the college game to be WR's coach at Baylor. Bicknell and new Baylor Coach Matt Rhule worked together at Temple over a decade ago. Since that time, Bicknell has bounced around a bit at the NFL level. It is good to see him back in the college ranks at Baylor.

Beyond the Rhule connection, Bicknell at Baylor makes sense. It is a chance to return to college with a Power 5 team that has real upside. It also exposes him to Texas recruiting and Texas high school coaches.

Bicknell's brother was always viewed as a potential BC coach. He nearly was hired when BC fired Jags. Bob was never really mentioned. He wasn't in the college game at the time and never did much to put himself on that path. A stint at Baylor isn't all it takes, but it does put him on the college radar (obviously timing and success at Baylor are also part of the scenario). Best of luck to Bicknell at Baylor. It will be nice to have more BC guys at this level.

BC never close in loss to Notre Dame

Same old, same old as BC lost to Notre Dame Wednesday. Because the game wasn't close, the announce team had plenty of time to get into relevant topics for BC. One thing I found interesting was the discussion of the ACC being a "one and done" conference. Because of that talent turnover at traditional powers, the announcers believe that a school like Notre Dame has an advantage. Most Irish recruits will stay for four years and that familiarity and experience helps them beat the "one and done" schools. I agree with the premise. There is no reason BC shouldn't be developing each recruiting class and exploiting that experience. Our challenge with doing it has been the recent turnover and scholarship imbalance. With the right coach, this can be fixed.

The other small thing that I liked is that our reserves played hard to keep the Notre Dame walk-ons from scoring. While it didn't work, I am glad that they are still fighting.

BC only has a few games to make us feel a little better. I want a win, but at this point I am not expecting one.

The safest job in basketball

Regardless of what BC does tonight, Jim Christian's job is safe. Even if the team looks lifeless in its last two weeks, Jim Christian is safe. No show the ACC Tourney? Safe. It really doesn't matter at this point. Jim Christian is coming back next year.

Most of the security comes from a lack of true leadership. Brad Bates is out and his replacement won't be around to make a timely decision. Father Leahy and BC obviously have the power to make a move on Christian whenever, but they won't. Unlike Addazio, who has plenty of detractors and people he's pissed off, the basketball program is faced with apathy. Many people care, just not enough and not nearly as many as those that care about Football.

I've never been thrilled with the Christian hire, but this has been worse than I thought. Barring a small turnaround with the remaining schedule, there has been no signs of life or improvement. His talent is marginally better than Donahue's but the execution is just as bad. With Donahue you could point to a frustrating, but statistically defensible Offense. With Christian, both Offense and Defense are bad. Scott Spinelli keeps beating the bushes for any talent, but do you trust JC and the staff to develop it?

We can debate the idea of an immediate firing, but we are stuck for another year. I do have a little hope. It is based on the belief and faith that the new AD will not repeat Bates' basketball mistake. The new AD will hopefully have time and a plan and deliver a clear message with a new hire. Until then we are left with another lame duck year with Christian.

Landry talk and other links

Campus Insiders consider Landry one of the most important returning players in college football.

Former BC Offensive Coordinator Kevin Rogers abruptly retired from William & Mary. Rogers and Addazio are very close. It will be interesting to see if Rogers returns to BC in some sort of advisory role.

This site Kavalec as he prepares for the draft. [EDITED: That got autoocorrected as I rushed late at night.]

Will the AD change impact Addazio's recruiting?

When Addazio ended the season with a win streak, it gave his recruiting a shot in the arm. He flipped Dillon and pulled off a few other late signings. It seems like that momentum has waned. BC lost a key Massachusetts target over the weekend and a Michigan QB target to Michigan State. While it is still very earlier in the recruiting process, it is concerning to strike out on local talents. Maybe things will turn around, or maybe the looming AD change has dulled Addazio's momentum.

Negative recruiting is a fact of life. One of the best things to say to a kid is that a coach at another school won't be there all four years. When a coach has a contract and some momentum like Addazio has, it should be easy to counter that argument. But the AD change undermines Addazio's defense. The commitment that the school has given Addazio in the past year now doesn't mean much. A new AD is going to want to bring in his own coaches and signal to the fanbase that things are changing. The easy way to do that is with a new coach in the school's most high profile sport. Addazio will have to win and probably win big to buy time with his new boss. Another 7-6 season doesn't create much goodwill.

The new hot seat then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Addazio needs talent to improve but talent won't come because they are afraid of a coaching change.

We've seen this before. Spaz's last recruiting class was very thin. (In hindsight it did prove to be productive.) I want Addazio to find all the talent he can. Get that cupboard full either for himself or his successor. If he can't turn recruiting around then it becomes one more reason for the new AD to make a change.

Jared Dudley speaks out on BC Basketball

While there is an occasional critical tweet during a game or season, in general, alumni BC athletes don't openly criticize the school. I don't know if they keep their mouths shut out of loyalty or not caring, but it tends to work in BC's favor. Fan complaints can be dismissed among BC's leadership because we don't know the whole story. A former player -- especially one who has had success beyond BC -- is harder to ignore. That is why Jared Dudley's comments on Saturday were so welcome.

The former ACC Player of the Year took to twitter to discuss BC Basketball's problems. What's interesting is that he didn't really take on the players or Christian's coaching. He address two issues that the new AD should address. The first is the lack of a basketball culture inside the Athletic Department. Dudley was disappointed that it took so long to recognize Barros and Bagley. We should celebrate our hoops history more than we do. The school also needs to do more so the Basketball Alumni feel more connected to the school. Their network is not as strong as the similar one among football and hockey players.

Dudley also touched on facilities. Any regular reader knows this is a recurring theme. Dudley knows that we don't need to win the facilities arms race. But we do need to look like we care about our student athletes. Any AD candidate worth hiring will figure out our facilities issues on the first campus tour. The challenge will be can that new AD raise enough money and push through all the BC and neighborhood road blocks.

The irony of all of this is that a player like Jared Dudley didn't come to BC because of how we treat our former players. He didn't come to BC because of the facilities. He came because we were the only major conference to offer him a scholarship and he had something to prove. We need more highly motivated players who have a chip on their shoulders. That is what will change BC Basketball. I just want to make sure that when we do get enough of those players, we also have the infrastructure that allows those teams to reach their potential.

Basketball's can't seem to break bad habits

BC lost again on Saturady. This time to Virginia Tech. Losing isn't new. BC has now lost 12 in a row. Losing to Virginia Tech isn't new either. BC lost to them earlier this year. But what worries and frustrates me is that this team is not getting better and not showing signs of improvement. For example, here are some of the recurring issues from the season that happened again Saturday:

-- BC started really slow, giving VT a comfortable lead
-- BC's defense was terrible and never really adjusted. VT shot nearly 67%
-- The bigs got in foul trouble and going small was a problem defensively.
-- Not enough scoring from the role players.

In the coming weeks there will be plenty of talk about Christian's future. Does he deserve another year? Should BC leave his status up to the new AD? Christian deserves to be fired. He won't be, but he does deserve it. This team doesn't have enough talent and the talent that is there is not getting better. The Defense is inexcusably bad. But I don't know if it matters. I don't think BC will hire a new coach during the AD transition. So all we are left to do is wait and hope for a sudden breakthrough.

Hockey is in a big hole

BC Men's Hockey is in a rut. With their lost to UMass Lowell, they are not even a bubble team. They are on the outside looking in. They now need to win the Hockey East Tournament if they want to get into the NCAA Tournament.

That's a final from Lowell. Time to regroup for the playoffs in two weeks back on The Heights. #BCEagles pic.twitter.com/Lq0ttK5du0

— BC Hockey (@BCHockey) February 25, 2017

Don't make the "AD from the outside world" mistake

The Athletic Director's job is pretty complex. An AD deals with millions in revenue. Represents the school in a partnership worth hundreds of millions (the ACC). Leads an operations team that must pull off dozens of huge events each year. The Department also must sell and raise money. Then there is the human management aspect of being in charge of staffers, coaches and hundreds of athletes. Wearing all those different hats makes things comparable to a CEO. Other colleges have recently tapped CEOs from outside the sports world to lead their Athletic Departments. I hope BC doesn't make that same mistake.

Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas have all hired non-traditional ADs recently. All looked to accomplished business types to take over their huge departments. Other smaller profile schools have done it too. In most cases the results have been bad. Even the arguable best -- Notre Dame -- has still had problems. Too often the outside CEO is not used to the bureaucracy, politics or spotlight that comes with the job. Given that BC just had an AD who didn't adjust to our internal politics, I don't want another leader who struggles with the same mistakes. Each failed AD can set back our program another three or four years as we slog through a bad hiring cycle.

Any good CEO delegates. So I am sure BC could rationalize hiring an outsider and letting him/her put more experienced college admins around in supporting roles. But even with a team of staffers, there are two areas an AD cannot delegate: hiring and firing coaches, and raising money. Even if we don't promote someone who has done it at a Power 5 level, I still want someone who has hired a coach before. And I also want someone who has raised money. Raising money is tough. You have to grovel, beg and stroke egos. Bates didn't care for it and that is part of his downfall. Our new AD cannot be so proud or stubborn. He or she is going to have to sit through the dinners, play those rounds of golf and burn up phone lines. It is not fun or glamorous, but that is the job. 

BC could have taken a risk four years ago. That time has gone. Now get someone who understands the job and is willing to embrace it. Not someone who is just learning and adapting.

Will any old candidates get a second look?

Because Bates' tenure was relatively so short, some of the candidates from our last AD search could still be in play. Let's look back at some of the more prominent names from last time around.

Boo Corrigan

The first name leaked by the media on Monday was Army AD Boo Corrigan. It makes sense. Nothing in the last four years has done anything to diminish Corrigan as a potential replacement for Bates. Army has improved their football program and Corrigan has led numerous fundraising campaigns. Four years ago some worried that Corrigan would just use BC as a stepping stone. Would anyone mind that now? Using BC as a stepping stone would require that he does well. I never heard why Corrigan wasn't picked last time. There were even reports he was getting the job. Maybe he really did have his eyes set on a bigger opportunity. Since no one has hired him away, maybe this time around he will realize that BC is his best chance at a Power 5. 

Sean Frazier

Last time around Frazier was a Senior Associate AD at Wisconsin. Now he is the AD at Northern Illinois. That progression helps his candidacy this time around. Frazier publicly acknowledged his interest last time around and did the public face saving tweet of removing his name so that he could stay at Wisconsin. Would he be willing to go down the path again with BC? However frustrating it might be, the chance to lead a Power 5 school doesn't come along every day. 

Mike Cragg

Cragg is still the No. 2 guy at Duke. His name was floated the last time around but I never heard if he ever got any real interest from BC. He was Coach K's mouthpiece for a decade, so I am sure if he wanted his name out there again, he could go to friends in the media. Since it hasn't floated this time around, maybe he is happy at Duke and wants to finish his career there.

Keeping it in the family

It is natural to turn to your alumni and long-time employees when looking to fill a critical role like AD. The hope is that familiarity makes any transition smooth and that the passion for the school guides your program to new heights. All colleges consider this during major hires. Because we are replacing an AD who never really fit in, it seems even more obvious that BC should go with "BC guy/gal" right now. I don't think BC has some sort of quirky or impenetrable culture that only an insider can understand. But I do think this time around we should strongly consider someone with real ties to BC. Our coaches and fundraisers have a credibility issue with our fan base. If one of our own takes over, some of that skepticism will die down.

Here are a few candidates with BC ties who might be considered this time around.

Jim Paquette -- Athletic Director at Loyola

If anyone could hit the ground running with fund-raising, it would be Paquette. The Providence grad already served a decade as Gene's primary fundraiser and has led a number of big projects while at Loyola. He knows the administrators. He knows the big donors. He knows what has worked and hasn't worked at BC. Paquette can be the face of the Department and will understands the BC culture. There are only two issues related to Paquette's candidacy: his association with Gene and his lack of experience running a Department with Football. The association with Gene is something he can easily talk around in the interview process. He just has to explain how his vision for BC would take the best aspects of Defilippo era yet avoid his old boss's pitfalls. In my experience, Jim is not as much of a lightning rod as Gene, so I don't think he will rub anyone the wrong way. But he also has more personality than someone like Bates. As for Football experience, while he doesn't deal with it at Loyola, he certainly dealt with it at BC. He doesn't need to have Xs & Os expertise. He just needs to set expectations for the program, get the resources the program needs and find the right coach to lead that program. 

Bottom Line: I think Paquette would be the safest hire. But in this process he needs to prove that he is the type of leader who can not just return BC to its 2000s success, but take BC to that next level.

Ed McLaughlin -- Athletic Director at Virginia Commonwealth

McLaughlin is a 1995 BC grad but has built his career away from BC. Yet every step has been a step towards a place like BC. He worked for Hockey East. He worked in the area at Merrimack. He was the AD at a Catholic school (Niagra) and has now been at a mid-major power like VCU. While he has never raised money at a Power 5 school, I think his familiarity with BC and work at private schools can help any transition. Like Paquette, McLaughlin is not at a football school. But VCU basketball comes with some of the pressure and expectation that an AD faces at a football school. 

Bottom Line: McLaughlin can sell his love and ties to BC but doesn't carry the baggage of having worked at BC. Of the people tied to the school, his fresh perspective offers the biggest upside.

Chris Iacoi --  Sr. Associate Athletic Director, Chief Financial Officer at UCLA

Iacoi is the youngest among this "family" group. He graduated from BC in 2001 and worked for the school for a dozen years. Like Paquette, Iacoi was part of the success during the 2000s. However, unlike Paquette, he has never run his own department. While he has been part of critical business decisions, marketing deals and financial operations, he has never led a major fundraising campaign.  

Bottom Line: Iacoi's rise is impressive, but he would never sniff this job if not for his BC's degrees and previous work at the school. He is a likely candidate down the road, but I don't think now is Chris's time.

Vaughn Williams -- Athletic Director at Kennesaw State

Williams also worked at BC during the first half of Gene's tenure. He played football and graduated from UMass and also has a Masters degree from BC. Between his time at BC and Kennesaw, Williams worked at UConn. I know many BC fans are not aware of Kennesaw State, but as a Georgia resident, let me tell you how impressive their rise has been. Since he's been there, KSU has started a FCS Football team and has plans to make the jump to FBS. They also have some of the most elaborate and expensive Lacrosse facilities in the southeast. Williams wasn't involved with fundraising a BC, but has done enough of it at KSU to think he could adjust to our alumni and fans.

Bottom Line: Vaughn should be interviewed. It would be a big leap from KSU to BC, but he has enough of the boxes checked to at least get a chance to sell his vision for the Athletic Department.

Current Staffers

You could make some case for many of the current Athletic Department staffers like Jaime Seguin, Steve Novak, John Kane, Jill Hegarty, and Tom Peters. Many of them are BC grads and long-time loyal staffers. However, promoting from within would send the wrong message to our frustrated fans.

Bottom Line: I don't think BC will promote from within. 

Shock the system with a play for Chip Kelly

There is a lot to the Athletic Director's job and many things BC must consider in this search process. But for a moment throw that all out the window. Instead of going the predictable route, I think BC should swing for the fences. The predictable candidates will always be there. Let's think boldly for a moment. BC should offer the Athletic Director role to Chip Kelly.

Now I don't think Kelly as Addazio's boss is some sort of Dream Team. My goal in offering the AD job to Kelly now is that he can take it immediately and start planning for his eventual transition into AD and Head Football Coach. As we saw in San Francisco and Philadelphia, Kelly wants to run his own show. Any college that hires him is going to give him autonomy. Nothing will signal that autonomy more than making him AD too.

In a different era, head coaches also served as ADs. The demands of both jobs are now so consuming that is in unrealistic to do both. However, hiring Kelly as AD now allows him to build a staff and infrastructure so that when he does resume coaching duties, his full Department staff will be in place. It will be his show. His people and his approach.

Would Kelly even want this? I don't know. He seems to have a healthy ego and interested in aspects of sports and coaching that are not strictly football. Maybe it is the type of challenge he would welcome. Would he be willing to raise money and glad hand donors? I don't know, but his presence will open wallets and he can hire some people to do the calls and dinners. Would it upset Addazio to the point where he would bail on the 2017 season? I don't know, but if that comes as a result of Kelly taking over, I don't think many BC fans would worry about it.

This would be the longest of longshots, but why not. What's the worst that could happen? We've already been to the bottom of the Power 5. Landing Kelly would be a sign to the sports world that things are different at BC.

Bates officially out

The long-discussed and often rumored situation with Brad Bates is finally official. He will step down this summer when his contract ends. Per the BC release, he will go into consulting. I will have much more on this in the coming days, but Bates' tenure will go down as a failure. While he avoided scandal, his inability to adapt to the BC culture or establish a clear one of his own, his failure to raise significant money and his curious and questionable hiring decisions have led to this moment.

BC has a lot of options going forward. And while this is just officially news now, many of the candidates and players have known this was coming. It will be interesting to see who emerges. My guess is that BC will hire someone with clear ties to the school and a clear track record raising money.

Best of luck to Brad Bates. He seemed like a nice guy. Just the wrong one for this job.