Sunday, December 31, 2006

It's never easy for a BC fan

"A week ago you said you didn't care about this game!"
-- Mrs. ATL_eagle to me after I started pacing the room on the final drive


What a fitting end to the to TOB era. Typical of the season -- many good plays, yet just enough bad plays to lose the game. Here are my takeaways on AOL.


I am happy...happy the season is over...happy we won...happy Jags is coming...happy TOB is gone...happy the streak is alive...happy the "transition is over"...happy for Dunbar...happy for Ryan...and most of all, happy for Aponavicius. The kid deserves to go out a hero.

I'll post my second viewing thoughts and grades this weekend. In the coming weeks, I'll have more season in review type stuff and of course, analysis and opinion on Jags and the staff. For now, thanks to all the readers for your support, let's take a deep breath and get ready for the basketball team to start toying with our emotions.

10 comments:

Joe Grav said...

Hah! That's exactly what someone said to me (and what I told myself) when I started screaming like an animal when Navy fumbled it. It's always great to go out a winner and is there a more lovable guy in the NCAA than Steveo?

Bravesbill said...

Wow, for a second I thought that TOB was coaching BC at the end of the game there. I don't know if Spaz took notes from the TOB playbook but that play calling at the end of the game was horrible. How do you run down the last 55 seconds of the game with two run plays and put the game squarely in the hands of a walk-on kicker who didn't have a field goal all year over 36 yards. Spaz is quite lucky the ball went through the uprights. As for Sid Vicious, that's a nice way to end his career with BC (no way he beats out Bennett for the job next year). He should really look into making his story a movie: I know I'd pay money to go see it.

Adam said...

and most of all, happy for Aponavicius. The kid deserves to go out a hero.

The hardest part for me was watching David Mahoney, one of our senior linebackers, right after the kick. He honestly looked like he was going to die, and my heart sank for all of our players, but especially our seniors. If anyone ever in college football deserved to go out as a hero, it was this group of young men, not some punk rock loving kicker (as good as a story he is.) I'd love to say something eloquent about the Boston College and its fanbase, but at this time, I just can't. Navy should have won that game, and everyone there knew it. From PJ's mishandling of the last series in the first half to the ridiculous holding call to Reggie Campbell's fumble, Navy flat out beat a very good Boston College team yesterday. I guess that's going to get a few people here riled up, and me lectured about the whole “60” minutes rule, but remember this was a team that a week ago many BC fans were saying would be blown out by the Eagles. Well, we weren’t, and our kids fought hard, even when our own coach arguably mishandled the game. This loss hurts more then any in the PJ era, and I guess I just hope that fans around the country can wake up this morning and say "Damn, that Navy team is pretty good" and not just think of the Mids as "another good story."

Best of luck next season, and do try to win the ACC this time.

-Adam Nettina

EagleAlum07 said...

I agree- I think the play calling at the end of the game was horrible. Granted, we centered the ball on the final run. However, running the ball with under 20 seconds left with no timeouts is borderline retarded. What happens if we can't get over the ball in time to spike it? What happens if we break it for 10 yards, and our hogs take too long to get down the field? What happens if one of our guys jumps and causes a false start in the final 5-10 seconds?... it all worked out, so it is hard for me to criticize. But, the sense of urgency did not seem to be there for a team intent on putting their season in the hands of a walk-on kicker who lined up for a career long after missing an extra point three quarters before.

Nice work Steve, and I like the shout out to Paul in the post-game interview.

Grant Salzano said...

i see no reason to downplay steve-o's heroic exit. he's lucky enough to have lived a dream...who are we to say he doesnt deserve it? he's a good, humble kid, without the arrogance of most other football players.

and i happen to agree with the playcalling there at the end, running the play was risky, but saying that 'putting the game in the hands of our walkoff kicker' was stupid is incorrect.

it's actually fairly widely known that steve-o has a good, consistant range under 40 yards. i was confident with him in there, and there was no reason for us not to be.

you all (referring to the BC fans) need to chill and be happy for your team for a win

as for the navy fans, i appreciate the classiness in wishing us luck next year. same to you--i root for navy as well, but naturally had to root for my own school in the bowl game.

and adam, i happen to completely agree that there is nothing good to say about our fan base. we have the worst fans in the NCAA. you should see the rant i went on in another BC blog

flutie22phelan20 said...

Just back from Charlotte, great experience overall. Not the heighest quality of play, but the end is all I will remember. Phenomenal! The best case scenario for a bowl game is to build some momentum for the following year, and that certainly happened yesteray...a great high note to end an exciting and successful season.

I echo the posts re: Navy. They are a classy team, with classy fans, and impossible to root against. Paul Johnson can coach 'em up with the best of 'em.

I saw a positive and excited fan base down in Charlotte over the weekend. A few negative people on the internet don't represent BC fans, and I love the group as a whole.

sammie said...

Much respect to the Navy team. They played hard as you would expect from these brave kids. I felt bad for the loss.

A great final stamp for the B.C. kids. I was not a TOB fan, but I will credit him for instilling a never give up attitude. They could have packed it in a number of times over the past 2-3 years, but they came back and won. In fact these guys genuinely played better from behind. Less coaching interference was always my take on it.

I was at the game and got a chance to speak with a number of parents. While some questioned TOB's game day coaching, each, to a parent, indicated that their kids really liked TOB and respected him as father figure. This from the parent of a true senior contributor who was told to "come back from injury to play this year because he would not be given a red shirt year next year because the young kids red shirting now were going to be better than him." There is a concern that for all Jags enthusiasm he is going to a buddy-buddy type and not a mature leader type. This is from parents not from me. Also concern from them about the present coaching staff. There is a feeling that Spaz has been left in the wind. He should have been formerly offered to come back. The kids felt like there was no accountability to anyone since the announcement. Again, more credit for these kids for sucking it up and playing for themselves, the team and the school.

I agree. As I said earlier in a comment, they should have used this game as an opportunity to get out to the recruits. I taped the game and when I got back and watched it I was astounded to hear TOB interviewed during the game. Classless of him to come on, but what a recruiting ploy. And where is Jags? We can catch him tonight on the NFL network watching his offense put up nothing against the Bears. We have to wait for some mumbled, hastily put together interview by the used car salesman Gene. Great amswer as to why he knew that Jags was right for the BC
job. Nice of Spaz to say the win was for TOB.

BIG questions ahead. Jags might be able to put this thing together, but he really has alot of work and catching up to do. Not only with recruits but with players and their parents. This hiring looks like Gene has bungled this as badly the Big East/ACC thing. Hopefully it comes out as well.

Sammie

Grant Salzano said...

so much for jag's packers showing nothing against da bears :-)

sammie said...

Hey Tonythetiger:

The offense scored a touchdown and 2 field goals. Didn't exactly look dynamic.

Joe Grav said...

Yeah, but remember: Jags has been dealing with Brett Old Man Favre. Wait til he gets a real QB next year (relative to the competition, of course).