Sports Information and TOB show some balls

This past football season saw a civil war between BC fans on the main BC message board (Eagle Action, a Rivals.com site). A core group of the half-empty set were banned reportedly because the Rivals administrators received a “shut them up” edict from the Sports Information Department and the Football staff. (The half-empty group migrated successfully to the BC Scout board, Eagle Insider.)

I didn’t totally buy the fact the Sports Information department cared or went so far as to threaten access to Eagle Action. Every message board has a similar dynamic, so why would BC care and waste their time trying to police it? I also didn’t want to believe because that meant BC, TOB and his staff were clearly focusing on the wrong things and missing the big picture -- winning football games.

It has been a while since the supposed edict, but it now looks like BC is not as scared of criticism as some believed. Check out this surprisingly candid chat transcript from bceagles.com.

Now there were plenty of softballs, but some of the topics that TOB fielded included many of the fans’ constant gripes like:

1. Explaining Quinton Porter’s lack of progress
2. Lack of use of the fullback
3. Are we [BC] ever going to win a championship?
4. Criticizing TOB for his “cupboards were bare” comment
5. Late season fizzles in recruiting
6. Deferring to the second half of every game

Now TOB didn’t answer each with a Parcells-like bluntness, but to even read him addressing these questions on the official BC Sports site is a quantum leap as far as open criticism of BC is concerned. After a decade at the Heights, there is a still a large portion of the BC fans (including this one) who are torn on TOB. We appreciate his accomplishments, but are frustrated by the annual near misses of the big time and his subtle lowering of expectations. Two things will win over this group -- winning a real bowl game and starting to speak more candidly…so this is a start.