Every season I try to acknowledge the difference makers of the season. Many stepped up this year and will be featured in other sections, but these three guys are examples of players who were previously maligned or had little expected of them. All three took big leaps this year and show how you should never give up on anyone.
1. Paul Anderson. I feel terrible that Anderson ended up as one of the goats of the bowl loss. It shouldn’t overshadow a very good season. Prior to this year Anderson was known for getting beat on big plays and being a below average tackler. This year he blossomed and became a game changer. His instincts in the passing game matured to the point where he became very good at reading opposing QBs. He also showed great ability to turn an INTs and fumbles into a scoring opportunities for BC. Anderson also became a much better run stopper. When you think of Anderson’s season think of the big tackle he made on third down on Vandy’s final drive. It is a more appropriate microcosm for his season than the dumb touch on the punt return.
2. Marcellus Bowman. Bowman was another DB who looked slow and lost at times last year. This year, even as a reserve player, he came out as a sure tackling, hard hitter. His biggest moment of the year was his interception at Florida State. He showed unexpected speed and helped change the game. I never thought Bowman would contribute as much as he did this year. The promise he showed means our talented secondary will have multiple guys fighting for Anderson’s starting spot next fall.
3. Justin Jarvis. It’s unfortunate that the announcers choose to focus on Jarvis' shaky hands from his first few years. Now, I would argue, he has the best hands on the team. He hangs onto passes and showed good run after the catch ability. His stats suffered from our anemic QB play (I’ll have more on this impacting 2008 stats in the coming weeks) but he has real skill and made some important catches along the way.
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5 comments:
Re: Anderson
I would argue that he has never won us a game but has cost us several (NC State, Vandy, almost Clemson)...I'm not ready to forgive him.
what about his late game interception against michigan state in the champs sports bowl last year?
Watching Matt Ryan play for the first time in this playoff game. Jeez, did anyone realize how good this guy is/was.
How could this not be an off year after losing him?
Did anyone watch Boyd play today? Wow, he made some nice throws. Some on the run. Maybe we're a long shot, but it would be nice!
It would be a major coup to get Boyd. I highly doubt he will pick BC over a bigger school, but Jags could guarantee him a shot at playing time right away.
Anderson definitely improved over last year. I was initially very critical of Anderson for the punt play, but what everyone is missing is that the receiver needs to yell "fire" when punts get near blockers. Normally, Gunnell would have been the receiver, but he was injured and LeGrande, a freshman, failed to warn Anderson. A very critical mistake.
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