This team is not as bad as it has looked the past two weeks. Spaz will do a TOB impression and lower expectations with the media. He'll play down our talent and make it seem like things are much worse than they are. But the problems we have start with the coaching. The final possession before the half was either incompetence or cowardice. Neither is good.
Our offensive line -- the lifeblood of this program -- is in shambles. That is not a talent issue either.
But regardless or how you feel about Xs and Os or talent or QBs, this team is not even fun to watch.
I feel sorry for Chase Rettig. He wasn't given much to do and looked promising with what he did. The defense looked good in stretches, but clearly started in a fog.
I still think our schedule is forgiving enough for us to go to a bowl game but we will never win the ACC with Spaz as head coach. He won't take the risks or manage the game or season in go for broke mentality. He loves BC but he shouldn't be our head coach.
Like the TOB era, I don't think we will ever bottom out under Spaz. Instead we'll just have frustrating football for a few years.
I'll hopefully be in a better mood Sunday and will have my second viewing thoughts and grades late Sunday night.
Posts
58 comments:
4 Steps for BC to improve in the upcoming years...
1. Fire Tranquil and Spaz and hopefully bring in someone like Mark Richt and have them bring their own OC
2. Start recruiting some more athletes and playmakers from Florida, Georgia, and Texas
3. Teach the Oline how to grow a pair and stop being women
4. Get some exciting plays on offense (ala Oregon or Boise State)
Anyone know Rettig's status?
I just got home from the game. It was as ugly as I expected on defense. ND, while not great, can pass and we can't defend the pass (see Weber State, Kent State) all that well. We couldn't cover Mike Floyd...he was open all day. The come back route killed us and led to 3 TDs. Our CBs aren't athletic enough to cover an athlete like Floyd.
Rettig looked scared at first. Throwing behind his targets over and over. And then he settled down and tossed the prettiest TD I've seen from a BC quarterback this season (there have been what, 3 others?). He was running through his progression, adjusting to the defense, and looking off receivers. All things Shinskie and Marsco don't do. Decent pocket presence, strong arm. It's horrible he hot injured but it didn't seem too bad.
Our wide receivers, with all of their size, have stone hands and can't run routes. Momah was being manhandled at the line by a CB that looked all of 5'9". Coleman is still on the milk carton. I hope someone finds him, his mom is sad. Swigert was the only somewhat bright spot. He's speedy, and has decent hands.
The game was what most of us expected, I think. Our offense is wholly inept. Our defense can't pressure the QB. We'll likely beat Maryland, Wake, and Duke. We'll lose to Clemson, NC State, and FSU. Virginia and Syracuse are 50/50, I think. 7-5 seems about right if Rettig gets to play, 5-7 if it's the Marsco train.
I agree with much of this. I don't doubt that Spaz loves BC, but he's clearly not head coach material. Further, Gary Tranquill should be long gone.
This offense embarrassed themselves tonight (and last week). If Rettig can't return this year, forget making a bowl game. Even WITH Rettig, I'm not too sure of it.
Yeah, I don't think they're as bad as they've played, but they're clearly not much better, either. We're headed for a mediocre year it would seem.
OMG! We need to start recruiting more playmakers, who will in turn generate more exciting plays on offense! How did we miss that? Thanks, Bob!
RIP O-Line U, 1983-2008.
Yeah...pathetic. I am going to turn more of my attention to basketball I guess. BC football is very pathetic and as much as I liked Spaz, now I am starting to doubt him.
I really really want to know the status of Rettig. I hope the boot was just a ruse or something because if he is out for the whole season after just a few snaps we are toast.
Pretty sure Rettig is done for the season. If its not a break, its a high ankle sprain which means minimum 6-8 weeks.
ATL, I normally enjoy your optimistic view, but in this case, I think your rose colored glasses are not only extra rosy tonight, but completely fogged up as well. I hate to break it to you, but we are as bad as we looked. I know this because when Matt Millen, one of the worst GMs in recent NFL history, said as much, so it must be true.
As we all know, you can't coach speed and athleticism. Both of these qualities are in painfully short supply with this bunch. So given these shortcomings and the generally accepted lack of confidence we all have in this coach staff, I think it is delusional to think this team will qualify for a bowl, regardless of the rest of the schedule. The way it's playing, why should it? Of course, turnarounds can happen, but seeing is believing and my eyes tell me this team doesn't have enough talent to be a bowl team.
if rettig is out for the year, can he get a medical redshirt?
I think he might be able to get the Med-Red Shirt, he did not play an entire half, but I am not up on the rules these days.
We were on the right track with Rettig, and then he got hurt. The announcers had it right "They look rudder-less without a strong QB".
Regardless, Tranq has to go, if Spaz wants to keep his job.
I'd say ND got 14 points off of some really bad calls and in general bad officiating by the Big East crew, but even with a good crew, BC loses this game.
How in the world after all the good QBs BC has had in the last 12 years (more than we've ever had in the NFL at the same time), do we not draw better than Shinskie and Marsco after the departure of Matt Ryan?
I still haven't heard any news about Rettig's status, but if he doesn't play again this year he would and should get a medical redshirt.
Latest from the BC Injury Report:
Gause has been admitted to Shriners Hospital and spent the night in the "Burn Unit" with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. It's been quite awhile since a BC DB has been lit up like that. OUCH!!!!!
At the game last night,and it was embarrassing. The offense looks like a high school football team. I thought Chase looked like leader and it is too bad he got hurt.The kid has moxie. He definitely breathed some life into a morbid offense. Marscovetra looked terrible, worse than Shinskie! It is so demoralizing as I had high hopes for this team. The best news for season ticket holders, we get two weeks off.
I have been watching BC Football for 30+ years and haven't seen a team look this bad since the late 80's when Bicknell was coaching. Time for Spaz to send Tranquil back to the retirement home. What has happened to our offense?? 5 Total Net Rushing Yards gained on 23 attempts?
Somebody better also tell McGovern that the season has started. His D doesn't have a stop in the red zone yet this year. With NC State's offense rolling, next week is going to be ugly.
12 Penalties for 120 yards?? Haven't seen a BC team this inept, pathetic or undisciplined in a long time. It is going to be a long October and November.
BC is now 108th in FBS is rushing
We had 5 yards last night . The "5 Pussies" should have opened up more room than that. the OL is not tough at all
Is 5 yards rushing a record low for BC? It must be...
A point of comparison: every ND opponent except BC gained more than 100 yards rushing, and two had more than 200 yards.
-------------------------------
Crist is not a good QB yet. He went 24/44 passing for 203 yards. Yet Crist did seem to pass at will on BC in the first quarter. Gause is awful.
Over the next 2 weeks we will see Wilson and Ponder. Uh-oh.
Bring in Shinskie!!! Haha. It's funny either way, I think we have to, though.
Our run offense lost yards every possession in the 2nd half, which is a great googily moogily.
And speaking of medical redshirts, the most famous victim I can remember was someone we saw at the tailgates last night, Mr. Anthony DiCosmo. I think he played a few snaps in that Ohio State beatdown in the Meadowlands, got hurt and sat the rest of the year. His request was denied 3 years later.
What I posted last week:
We are all more upset than the head coach because he isn't one.
Jags and Logan were able to take a complete dogsh*t offense to the ACC CG. We have 2 weeks and this is what we come up with?
Putrid.
Really embarrassing.
This offense hasn't been able to do ANYTHING this whole season. The O-line looked bad against Weber St. Why was I allowing myself to think they might look better against ND?
There should be a moratorium on discussions about ACC championship or bowl eligibility. Does anyone on this blog want to have BC represented in any bowl game by this absolutely awful team?
I hope they don't have anymore televised games this year. TOB will have his revenge next week. FSU will roll. I don't feel confident this team can win ANY games the rest of the season. I don't see how anyone could.
Maybe GDF knew what he was doing when he put Weber State on the schedule.
I'm utterly disgusted, and this team is incredibly screwed. I'm usually an optimist, but let's be real. BC couldn't beat most Mass. high school teams right now. No one is playing well except the linebackers. No one. The penalties, poor blocking, and clueless receivers all speak to poor coaching. Defillipo needs to do something immediately. This is the biggest BC shit-show I've seen in a long time.
And can we please get a kicker with a real man's leg? I'm pretty tired of spotting the opposition on the 40 yard line after every kickoff.
Some random thoughts:
Now that Spaz has lowered the bar sufficiently enough, expect us to destroy NC State and Spaz to call that our "marquee win".
I feel bad for Herzy, this was supposed to be his dream season.
Let's hope Rettig can claim a medical redshirt, that is, assuming he won't want to transfer to another school.
It's amazing the difference in attitude and performance (both on and off the field) between Jags/Logan and Spaz/Tranquilizer.
So what was the conversation like the afternoon Gene called Spaz into his office to tell him he got the job?
GENE: Frank, congratulations, you've earned it.
SPAZ: Thanks, Gene. May I see the contract? I assume it contains the provision we discussed earlier?
GENE (deflated): Yes. (And then reciting from memory:) "For payback in choosing 'he who shall not be named' over New Head Coach the first time, the Athletics Department will not set any sort of expectations in the number of wins over the next 8 years. New Head Coach has complete latitude in choosing all assistants, including the OC."
SPAZ (under his breath): Damn straight. Hello semi-retirement!
Matt Millen was merciless last night talking about how BC's receivers are slow, don't even try to get separation and can't catch the ball when it hits their hands. At one point McDonough said BC's receivers were not D1 caliber, and that Jag's lack of interest in recruiting had left the cupboard bare, in general.
Millen also just couldn't quite believe how inept our O-line is. He kept repeating that BC should just be able to lean on them and overpower their opponents based on their size. I don't know what gives, but it seems to me that the O-line hasn't had a dominating performance since they started emphasizing finesse zone blocking schemes a few years ago. With their size we should be able play power ball out of the I. Eh.
You'd have to say that every coach on the staff screwed the pooch last night, from the opening kick-off, which ND returned 40 yards to mid-field, to the final play, on which Marsco threw an incompletion as he was being tackled.
Defensive backs continued to give way too much cushion, especially on third downs. Gause was just thoroughly awful. Okay, here's one positive thing -- Max Holloway played well.
I came into this season thinking they might be a competitor to win the ACC.....things change. I am actually starting to get afraid they might not make even bowl eligible. The offense is so terrible they made Notre Dames defense look good. We need a new OC badly. Tranquil cant develop talent, The play calling is predictable, If he doesnt get canned BC will be inept on offense for a long time.
Screw tradition, the Offensive Line should take the QBs are Montel Harris out to dinner on their dime.
Other failures: Kick coverage and kick returns were even more in favor of ND than the rest of the game was.
When I left the stadium, it was 12 penalties to 1.
The GOOD THINGS that happened last night:
- Really fun tailgating
- The BC player entrance from the tunnel was awesome.
- Challenger the Eagle was cool.
- Student section looked rowdy even when we were getting slaughtered.
- 49 Yard Field Goal (!!!!!)
The Rettig switch was a worthwhile experiment. But once he went out, Shinskie should of gone in. Shinskie showed he could beat ND last year ( I know we lost, but a bounce in our favor here and there and we woulda-coulda won) .
Absent a return by Rettig, I hope Shinskie gets the nod for the next two games - teams he beat last year. We can still beat / be competitive with those teams if we get a little luck - yes some BC magic will be needed! (and maybe an inaccurate and confused Wilson next week) But not with Marsco in charge. We also might get blown off the field too regardless of QB. Such as it is.
Did Marsco lose yards on almost every drive? The Marsco Swiggert Coleman Amidon Momah follies is just awful.
Spaz and Tranq have been deservedly picked apart here, but what about our DC, McGovern. (honestly, could McG be a DC anywhere else in FBS?? He, like Tranq, is another example of the coaching 'talent' Spaz attracts) Why did the defense come out flat? Why was McGovern humiliated on the first 3 ND drives? Take the last of the 3 TDs, there was no coverage of the ND receiver. That falls on McGovern. Why was the secondary so out of place and confused?
I think we should start throwing names of potential head coaching candidates out there. Who are some up-and-comers that deserve a chance at a BCS school?
Would someone like a Chris Ault from Nevada be interested? Would Mark Whipple be interested in the job he should've had when Jags was hired?
When TOB left, I was the only one calling for BC to hire Jim Harbaugh out of USD. Everyone laughed at me. BC did not give him a look. Now, look where Stanford is and look where BC is. BC aspires to be where Stanford is. That said, BC needs a new head coach for next season. BC is going nowhere with Spaz at the helm.
My biggest complaint is with the lack of preparation on defense. For the first three ND scores our D looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
We were not prepared for the no huddle, quick play calling of the ND offense. We wee drawn offside or off balance so many times by the "double count" of the ND qb that one wonders if anyone on our coaching staff watches film (video) any more?
Spaziani coaches defenses on the CFL long enough to know how to scheme against a spread offense. Doesn't he talk to his D coordinator?
Losing due to a talent or speed gap is understandable. Losing for lack of preparation is not.
Regarding an above comment, let's not pretend that Shinskie is BC's last great hope to salvage the year if Rettig is gone or anything. Marsco clearly sucks and is the worst of the 3 we have, but Shinskie got benched because he sucks, too. Shinskie certainly didn't show he could beat ND last year. He threw 3 picks in that game, two of which were back-breakers late in the 4th quarter.
Without Rettig, who was clearly improving as the game went on, BC has no QB.
Im not sure trying to make another head coaching change is right for BC right now. Unless you get a guy who has a track record of success it might just be a lateral move. Spaziani is capable of being a head coach but he made a bad choice in tranquil and needs to find someone promising for next season. BC wont be able to steal a top name guy from a major school but a lot of people are talking about wakes OC steed lobotski (sp?). I hear he is a great coach and the talent at BC is better than Wake so someone under the radar like him might be a good wat to go for BC.....but Tranquill MUST go
The personnel on the field and on the sidelines is not going to change, at least not this season. So, we're going to war with the army we have, as Rummy would say. It seems to me the only hope for this squad is to significantly modify the offense to better leverage assets and minimize liabilities. I think our liabilities are: poor passer, poorer receivers; lethargic offensive line; predictable playbook. Assets: great running back, strong fullback; large offensive line; at least two tight ends that can catch; possibly one slot rec'r (Swigert). Is it possible to build a new offense around these assets that features power blocking and running with occasional short passes to tight ends and a slot receiver?
Random question: why haven't we ever tried to throw the fade to Momah in the corner of the end zone? Just throw a jump ball over there, right?
Mark Whipple looking pretty good down there in Miami as OC. Wonder if he is interested in getting back in the game as a head coach and turn this ship around??
08eagle, absent Rettig, Shinskie is all we got. No pretending involved. Shinskie is what we got, unless we go for the 4th string walk-on or Codi Boek.
We can win 5 more games - syr, duke, uva, wake, md. Remarkably, if we can do to NCSU what we did to them last year, we could be 5-3 in ACC and 8-4 overall.
While I agree the OC needs to go, it is premature to start talking about getting rid of Spaz. First, I believe he is under contract for at least two more years and BC does not have the coin to pay him off AND attract a quality head coach. Second, don't discount how shitty of a job Jags did in recruiting. Many of his recruits are not even on campus anymore and several of the other recruits flat out stink. Spaz, on the other hand, has done a fairly decent job with players that I think are young but decent - Swigert, Kuechly, Rettig, Coleman, Pierre-Lewis. Give him a little time with his players to see what he can do.
Having said that, Tranquill was an absolutely horrible, terrible hire and I think most of us knew that from the start. Spaz must fire him. I am also not happy that we have lost to our Catholic rival twice under Spaz. TOB realized the importance of beating the Irish and Spaz better figure out how to do that in the future.
What about Billy Flutie at QB?
Slightly off topic, I think it is a sign of the times, and a credit to ATL, that the first place I go for feedback about the game is this blog. I was at the game last night and it was atrocious for all the reasons mentioned, reasons you won't find in any of the Boston papers today, which offer little more than a regurgitation of the AP story. Keep up the great work ATL.
I was willing to give Spaz and Marsco the benefit of the doubt until last night. Both have disappointed. How in the world do you allow the team to come out flat against ND?!? Completely unacceptable!!
Same here, Strongarm. After suffering through that last night (also in person), this was the first place I came in the morning (as usual) and I found myself nodding along with the comments. It's always nice to see I'm not suffering alone! I don't even bother with the papers any longer. Bill always has better information and insight than they do.
Back to the topic at hand, I remember that when Gene hired Spaz there was talk that Spaz likely had to be given 5 years to promote stability after the Jags drama. I hope Gene doesn't feel he has to do that. Spaz and the rest of the staff is just not getting it done and the team has gotten seemingly less inspired and more disorganized. I cannot believe how far this team has fallen in three years. I had come to take for granted that we would be competitive in every game. And now I feel like I have gone back to the 1989-1991 era. Rettig looked very promising, though. This season will test our collective patience in the meantime (assuming he is not able to come back).
And a 49 yard field goal! I forgot which team I was watching for a minute. That was a nice surprise.
Mod, you're saying the same thing I said last night. Shinskie should've gone in 2nd. And, no, we wouldn't have won with a lucky bounce last year at ND, Shinskie was awful. We had 5 turnovers. Harris fumbled on ND's 1 yd line.
This season is simply about acquiring 6 wins to be bowl eligible. That's it.
What's the news on Rettig?
mod10aeagle, we've thrown that back corner fade to Momah and Coleman at least 3 times from what I can recall. When these guys can't get separation from a 5'9" CB the fade means little. What happens most often with our WRs on these plays (the corner fade or the post route):
WR gets bumped at the line and that 2-3 seconds of fighting throws the (admittedly poor) QB's timing.
WR is also thrown off as their route must now be altered. WR doesn't have the football intuition to adapt their route. QB also lacks this football IQ and throws to a pre-determined spot on the field per the called route.
Incompletion occurs. Same play is called next down. Rinse, repeat.
We call a post route to Momah at least once per series. We call a cross pattern to one of the TEs at least once every other series. Our playcalling is so vanilla, so predictable, and so scripted that defenses don't even need to adjust to us.
Tranquill is a huge part of the problem as is the O-Line coach. It all rolls up to Spaziani, so he's ultimately responsible.
At the end of the day we don't have incredible athletes. We lack a game breaking playmaker - but when has BC ever had one? But we have a team of 'good' athletes who, if coached well, can lead us to the ACCCG in any given year. This year we have a poorly coached offense and a poorly prepared defense. An O-line that lacks a scheme that fits their strengths. A kicker who can't send a kickoff past the 15 (that 49 yarder was a miracle, don't fool yourselves) because he lacks the conditioning to strengthen his leg. These are all coaching issues.
Coaching, not our players, are the problem.
Well LFH, I agree with most of what you said. But Matt Ryan was a playmaker. That's the most important position to fill. And on defense, we've been good enough to post better results than we have in the last 5 yrs. Coaching is a problem. But you'll never convince me that the players aren't part of it, too. Guys that'll make something out of nothing. Guys that can improvise. Sean McDounough, the biggest BC homer you can get and someone who actually knows what he's talking about, said as much last night. Jags sucked at recruiting.
We're in the position of having no offensive playmakers, outside of Harris, coached by old men with little creativity. It's a coach and player problem.
The sad part is that the conference is pretty bad. If you've watched Miami this yr, you'd know they're almost back. That means we're probably slipping further into the middle of the pack in a sucky conference. We'd be Vanderbilt in the SEC.
Expectations start from the top. Having said that, Spaz probably deserves more than two yrs. Especially to see if Rettig or Suntrup or whomever can carry this program out of the malaise that it appears pretty close to slipping into.
Espn Boston reports;
Freshman quarterback Chase Rettig, who left his collegiate debut in Saturday's 31-13 loss to Notre Dame with a sprained left ankle, will miss at least a few weeks and perhaps the rest of the season, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
Can't find alleged globe report though
In regards to firing Spaz:
With the way that Jags was fired, Gene put himself in a tough spot. The only reason that Jags was fired was lack of loyalty. On-field results had nothing to do with it. By doing that, Gene implied that loyalty is more important to this program that winning. He turned around and hired the safest candidate possible, the candidate least likely to use BC as a stepping stone. Again, loyalty > on-field potential.
Well, those decisions haven't worked out so well. If Spaz doesn't start winning, Gene is going to lose his job. Gene staked his entire reputation on this gamble. He can't fire Spaz before the end of the contrat because he made the decision that on-field results aren't important. He can't stick with Spaz too much longer because the alumni and boosters are getting fed up and that means that donations are going to dry up. So get rid of Spaz, one of three things must happen: Spaz resigns, Leahy fires Spaz personally, Leahy fires Gene.
Donahue may turn out to be a brilliant hire, but Gene's legacy is being shaped right now on the football field and it's all his own doing.
I'm going to read the comments after I post mine. I've been around a long time. I went to a lot of games pre-Flutie. Remember Ernie Clebeck.
Seriously, as I sat watching the ineptness of our football team I recalled vividly those dry years of 1 and 10 and 0 and 11.
It starts at the top. Not with Spaz. But the Athletic Director Gene DeFillipo who hired him and has shown poor ability in hiring coaches. How he ever let O'Brien escape eludes me. Its like the AD of Alabama letting Nick Saban go without a fight. The AD should have gone before we lost O'Brien.
Spaz can't communicate and his expression mirrored mine during the game. He had no clue. He's a good guy but good guys . . . you know. His offensive coordinator Tranquil was chewing gum like a cow in the loft somewhere but he never was a good coach 33% at Navy and he's old so what you got is a coach who had retired because no one wanted him.
It's the coaching - the coaching - and not the kids. The sad part is the coaches are telling the TV announcers they don't have the talent in the kids to cover their ineptness and the talent is not lacking in the kids but in the coaches.
It was O'Brien's teams that gave us the good records up through last year. I despair that we are going into the 50% time - yeah, we may get a bowl bid with a 6 - 6 record but so what. BC can be great, why settle for mediocrity
Why settle for mediocrity? Are you smoking something Wiggle? TOB was the definition of mediocrity and choke jobs. Not once did BC actually win its conference or division under TOB. BC needs a real head coach. Not Spaz, and definitely not TOB.
Do we have 100% clarification or if Rettig is done can we red shirt him due to an injury and playing less than a quarter? Looking for a bright sign in an otherwise dismal day.
heights tweet an hour ago
HeightsSports Chase Rettig has told peers that he "will play on Saturday" and that his injury is a minor sprain. The walking boot "was just a precaution."
about 1 hour ago
Everything that is wrong with this team comes down to coaching and playcalling.
The O-line, the steadfast O-line upon which the program has leaned on for years, switched to zone blocking. Anyone ever hear of don't mess with a good thing? Please, since that gem was put into action we've had nothing but baffled OLs and QBs that are encouraged to break the pocket and run for their lives (ala Dominique, Shinskie, etc..) or end up on their back (Crane, Marscovetra, Rettig) than to have the ability to hang in there and pass.
Montel, likely one of the best RBs in the ACC if not the country, is getting stifled by bonehead Tranquill and his nauseatingly predictable draw runs, especially on first down... Here's a hint Gary, if VT or ND are stacking everybody in the box and no one is beyond 8 yards back from the line of scrimmage, THEY ARE ONTO YOU!!! When I saw that flea flicker yesterday I thought that someone had kidnapped Tranquil and threw him in the closet! But alas, the vanilla play calling returned shortly thereafter and Montel was getting jacked up in the backfield and Marsco was getting sacked and intercepted in no time.
We have alienated and wasted some pretty decent receivers with the coaching as well. As Rettig gave us a brief glimmer of with his sweet TD pass down the sideline, this team is not meant for swing passes and 3 yard out routes that end up being intercepted as much as they are completed for 3 yard gains. If teams want to stack the box, why do them favors and throw these short routes right into the thick of their coverage? I think Tranquil is too busy trying to remember his name than being inventive enough to GO VERTICAL. Stretch the field! Like last year when we utterly wasted an all-ACC caliber TE, we are wasting some quick, talented, young receivers and making them hate the program. If I were Montel or Shakim or Rettig, or Miller or any other one of these skill players destined to plummet into our offensive black hole, I'd be filling out my transfer paperwork ASAP. Please dump Tranquil, get a real OC who can work to the team's strengths and right this ship before everybody jumps it...
And one last thing, PLEASE, if its third and 8, run a play for 9 yards!
if rettig is out for the year, i don't see how this team sneaks out more than 1 more win this year. the offense is completely and utterly inept. 13 points over the course of 2 weeks. 5 rushing yards against a team that had been absolutely diced on the ground. what happened?
rettig looked good. he has a live arm and was making progressions. seeing the team in person is really underwhelming. marscovetra literally stares at his target from the time he gets the ball until the time he either gets sacked or throws to that guy. its pathetic. shinski had the same problem, leading me to believe it is a coaching issue.
punting on 4th down with 20 seconds left in the 1st half? the football gods do not favor cowardice. spaziani must not know this. how do you not throw it up and try to make it 21-20. as atl eagle said, pathetic.
the fact that this team has yet to play an away game is frightening. they are going to get absolutely slaughtered the next two weeks on the road sans rettig, and this team will be 2-4 going into the maryland game.
Everything that is wrong with this team comes down to coaching and playcalling.
The O-line, the steadfast O-line upon which the program has leaned on for years, switched to zone blocking. Anyone ever hear of don't mess with a good thing? Please, since that gem was put into action we've had nothing but baffled OLs and QBs that are encouraged to break the pocket and run for their lives (ala Dominique, Shinskie, etc..) or end up on their back (Crane, Marscovetra, Rettig) than to have the ability to hang in there and pass.
Montel, likely one of the best RBs in the ACC if not the country, is getting stifled by bonehead Tranquill and his nauseatingly predictable draw runs, especially on first down... Here's a hint Gary, if VT or ND are stacking everybody in the box and no one is beyond 8 yards back from the line of scrimmage, THEY ARE ONTO YOU!!! When I saw that flea flicker yesterday I thought that someone had kidnapped Tranquil and threw him in the closet! But alas, the vanilla play calling returned shortly thereafter and Montel was getting jacked up in the backfield and Marsco was getting sacked and intercepted in no time.
We have alienated and wasted some pretty decent receivers with the coaching as well. As Rettig gave us a brief glimmer of with his sweet TD pass down the sideline, this team is not meant for swing passes and 3 yard out routes that end up being intercepted as much as they are completed for 3 yard gains. If teams want to stack the box, why do them favors and throw these short routes right into the thick of their coverage? I think Tranquil is too busy trying to remember his name than being inventive enough to GO VERTICAL. Stretch the field! Like last year when we utterly wasted an all-ACC caliber TE, we are wasting some quick, talented, young receivers and making them hate the program. If I were Montel or Shakim or Rettig, or Miller or any other one of these skill players destined to plummet into our offensive black hole, I'd be filling out my transfer paperwork ASAP. Please dump Tranquil, get a real OC who can work to the team's strengths and right this ship before everybody jumps it...
And one last thing, PLEASE, if its third and 8, run a play for 9 yards!
I'm starting to think just like that major benefactor who refused funding the football coaches salary after the Jags fiasco. Why donate this year, given the ineptitude shown not just by the coaching staff, but by the AD in general. Putting parents weekend on the VTech weekend and even then not selling out?!! Having tickets still available the day before Notre Dame?!! Good lord, the AD needs a shake up! Aside from winning the Atlantic, I'm not sure there's anything that can salvage my faith in Gene this season.
FYI Wiggle -- It was Ed Chlebek, not "Ernie", and, as Bravesbill already noted, TOB was the very definition of mediocre. The fact that anyone could have a remotely positive memory of the guy is more a measure of the incompetence of Spaz and Tranq than an endorsement of TOB.
On a positive note, in search of the antidote to all this suffering, I went to the hockey team's free exhibition game against the Univ. of Toronto today. It definitely did the trick. 8-0, and it wasn't that close. The four freshmen, especially Kevin Hayes, looked pretty good, and everyone else looked terrific. There was a decent crowd and even a good sized band. Good times.
Firing Spaz seems a little premature. He is a good recruiter, the ultimate BC guy and IMO has been showing more emotion on the field this year than people give give him credit for.
Gary, however, may need to go. Hopefully, Rettig is able to play. His progression throughout the season should give us a clue as to whether Tranquill sucks in general or if Shinskie and Marsco really were/ are that bad that he really couldn't do crap with them. Pretty sure he just sucks in general though. And for the grass is always greener folks, Jags was a douche. BC is better without him.
Am I the only one very saddened to see all these TEs being underutilized this year. It feels very much like watching Purvis essentially disappear after Matt Ryan left.
I agree with an earlier post that mentioned Jags dropping the ball on recruiting during his final year. And I agree some of that is due to our current problems at QB. But certainly not all. We have two (and before DD left, three) workable QBs. With some better coaching, you would have to think at least one of them plays better than they currently are.
Secondly, I don't think expecting loyalty and good on-field results are mutually exclusive. Because, if you buy into that, you're basically saying that you think BC is merely a stepping stone for good head coaches. I don't believe that. And if a coach comes along who performs well, but IS itching to leave after only a few seasons, he will lose my support. This is why I supported Gene in firing Jags. You can't be a good head coach anymore if you're constantly gazing out the window hoping your phone will ring.
Gene was right to fire Jags. He chose the safe route in promoting Spaz. I agree that it's premature to fire Spaz at this point. Mostly because if we fire Spaz now, we would have fired two head coaches in as many years and any up-and-coming young guy would be scared to death to take on this job. Tranq on the other hand, needs to be put out to pasture.
I have mentioned this before. BC football has experienced a bubble, much like the real bubble in the economy. And now we are experiencing the bust. I think we need to give Spaz the rest of this season. Who knows? Maybe he'll be able to turn it around. I hope he does. But if not, then he and Gene need to have a serious talk during the off-season.
Even if they're not mutually exlusive, I look at loyalty as a distant #2 to good on-field results. You can't force a coach to be loyal, you can only encourage him to stay by paying top dollar or giving blank-check support to his program. Just because a coach leaves BC for greener pastures doesn't mean it's a stepping stone school. If it did, just about all schools could be looked at as stepping stones. Including just from the last decade or so Florida, Tennessee, LSU, USC, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Miami, West Virginia, and so on. These are all great programs.
Anytime you've got a coach creating good on-field results, you've got to assume and accept that other teams want him to coach for them. The only coach other than JoePa that is truly, truly loyal to your program is one who's just happy to still have a job. And that'll be because the guy is not winning a lot of football games.
Rakesh makes a good point. Maybe BC should utilize a time in and time out system so that we can track our QBs time on the field. As it is, it's too complex for me to follow;)
There's a subtle difference between a coach receiving interest from other schools/NFL teams versus that same coach actively throwing his name into the mix hoping for a phone call.
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