Campanile working to close recruiting class

A week ago I wrote that losing a Tight End wasn't important, so I can't turn around and say that getting New Jersey Tight End Korab Idrizi on board is going to change the program. But getting him to flip from Rutgers to BC is a great early return by new DB's Coach Anthony Campanile.

If Addazio is going to turn the program around he will need more talent. Regardless of our inroads in other areas, New Jersey will still be a critical territory and that is where Campanile comes in. Ideally he can get the state's top stars to BC, but more realistically he will leverage his knowledge and ties to the area to find the underrated future stars that BC can close. New Rutgers coach Chris Ash doesn't have ties to the state, nor did he hire any local recruiting ace. There could be plenty of potential Rutgers prospects that BC can now shift.

Signing Day is this Wednesday. There are bound to be a few more surprises. Hopefully all of them good for BC. And hopefully Campanile's early success is a sign of bigger things to come.

Carolina crushes BC

If you are looking to add to our the list of frustrating moments, how about know that any early game lead will fade. Saturday's loss to UNC had the prototypical breakdown. BC led early despite turnovers. Then UNC made a run and never looked back. BC cannot hang with any team -- let alone the No. 2 team in the country -- with an offense like this. Even if Carter gets hot, the rest of the offense is so mistake prone and terrible on the boards, that you know things will go wrong.

What's also frustrating is how many turnovers we got from our upperclassmen. How are these guys not more aware? 

I don't know what else to write. Even if we upgrade the talent, Christian still has a lot to fix with how his teams approach and manage these games.

More bad basketball news

When it rains it pours. Per Zach Spears, BC will be without two of their more effective players this weekend. But it gets worse...Jerome Robinson will be out for at least three weeks and possibly six weeks.

Other #BCEagles injury news: Daryl Hicks did infact suffer a concussion in the elbow he took to the face vs FSU. He will not play vs #2 UNC.

— Zack Spears (@Zacklopedia) January 29, 2016

BREAKING: Jerome Robinson fractured his right wrist vs FSU - recovery time is 3-6 wks - Huge blow, BC's 2nd leading scorer. @BCEagleAction

— Zack Spears (@Zacklopedia) January 29, 2016

Robinson has played enough that BC cannot even salvage a redshirt out of the injury. 0-18 in ACC play is looking more and more likely.
What's frustrating about this losing, is that I don't know what it is building towards. I hope this doesn't slow Robinson's progress and I hope someone else steps up to fill his void.

Clemson fans unhappy about Friday game and other links

Friday night high school football is a big deal in many parts of the country. So as College Football expands into Fridays, some high schools are worried about their own attendance. The only silver lining for Clemson area high schools is that Clemson's Friday game is at BC. That means Clemson game day traffic won't impact their games.

This is sort of a blast from the past...with Tampa promoting Dirk Koetter to head coach, the media decided to retrace some of his steps and interviewed Dan Henning about his former pupil. Reading the piece you can see why Henning was doomed at BC. He's a great play caller, but not a manager.

Tyler Murphy signed with the Miami Dolphins. They will be using him as a Wide Receiver.

Bates not going to Michigan

Multiple reports say that Michigan is finally set to hire their permanent Athletic Director and it won't be Brad Bates. Instead they are going with another New England AD who happens to be a Michigan grad -- UConn's Warde Manuel. It is probably telling of both Bates and the current state of BC sports, that I don't know what to feel about Bates staying at BC.

We just came off a winless ACC slate in football and are headed towards one in basketball. Brad Bates hired both coaches. We are also still waiting on official word of the Master Plan and Indoor Practice Facility. Bates promised both long ago. Yet as bad as things are, they are still incomplete. I don't think Addazio is going to be the next Nick Saban, but there is still hope to turn things around. I have similar hope for Christian. I also know that some of the holdups on facilities announcements are not Bates' issues. But currently things are bad and they are bad on his watch.

I wouldn't have blamed Bates if he had been offered and taken the job. Michigan is his alma mater and a great opportunity. But now the guy needs to step up. He needs to move the facilities improvements along and needs to have a list of names who could replace Addazio and Christian if they can not turn their respective teams around. His work is incomplete. But if it doesn't improve, losing him to places like Michigan won't be an issue. Our issue will be finding a new AD.

Not enough for Basketball

The final two minutes of the first half and the first two minutes of the second half really cost BC the game Tuesday. The rest of the time they hung with Florida State. They even led long portions of the first half. 

The usual problems showed up. Our bigs got in foul trouble. Carter took a ton of shots. BC missed some easy baskets. They also missed too many free throws. 

The good news was BC's use of the zone. I also liked Robinson's willingness to take and make open 3s. 

The next chance to win is Saturday against UNC.

Thoughts on the Football schedule

The ACC released its football schedules and there were a few surprises for BC. Here is the schedule.

Sep. 3 -- Georgia Tech (Dublin)
Sep. 10 -- at UMass (Foxborough)
Sep. 17 -- at Virginia Tech
Sep. 24 -- Wagner
Oct. 1 -- Buffalo
Oct. 7 -- Clemson
Oct. 22 -- Syracuse
Oct. 29 -- at NC State
Nov. 5 -- Louisville
Nov. 11 -- at Florida State
Nov. 19 -- UConn
Nov. 26 -- at Wake Forest

Friday Night Lights
BC has ESPN to thank for two Friday night games. Contractually the ACC owes ESPN Friday night games and BC proved to be a good host when playing a top team last year. The ratings were good and the BC-centric SportsCenter was a nice touch. I expect BC and ESPN will do the same thing when Clemson comes to town. As for being the road team in a Friday game later in the season, that is probably a compromise between the ACC, FSU and ESPN. The 'Noles probably did not want to waste a marquis game on Friday night and ESPN probably wanted a decent TV draw. This is not going away, so I hope BC starts to make a thing out of hosting and playing in these games.

I hate moving the Syracuse game
This was supposed to be a Thanksgiving Weekend tradition. Since its inception one or both teams have been bad and the games have lacked any sizzle. By playing earlier in the year, perhaps both teams will still be in contention and the students will be on campus. But I don't think moving it really helps either team. The way to make fans care is to turn it into a real tradition. Very few things are consistent about BC Football year to year. While forced, I think ending the season with Syracuse every year was a step in the right direction.

This schedule lends itself to a bounce back year
BC had plenty of bad luck last year, but you cannot ignore a winless conference slate. Given how bad the team was, I can't call any game a lock. Yet looking at that schedule, you see how things can get better next year. The non-conference schedule is very easy. BC gets plenty of time to prepare for Georgia Tech's unique offense. Moving Syracuse and playing UConn late means that there are winnable games spread throughout the year.

Harrington to Stanford

BC lost one of its top recruits Monday when Connecticut Tight End Scooter Harrington flipped to Stanford. The fact that he is a regional recruit and the son of BC Alumni makes this sting a bit. But I am not going to begrudge him. Stanford is a great school and playing really good football right now. Go wherever you want to go, kid. I didn't go to my parents' alma maters. 

What I don't understand is the sky is falling mentality of some BC fans. I have dozens of concerns about Addazio, but watching a recruit -- even a legacy -- flip to another program is not high up on my list. (As a reminder, Jerry York's son played for Notre Dame as did Barry Gallup's son.) Is it a sign of a bigger problem that we lose a kid who was so onboard? I don't think so. Kids flip all the time, especially after a rough season. It is now up to Addazio to keep the class together. One Tight End -- even a great one -- was not going to make or break next season. 

BC underachieved last year. There was plenty of talent on the Defensive side of the ball and enough on the Offensive side to be better than we were. That is my concern about Addazio. He made some staff changes, found a QB and is supposedly changing the Offense. How he executes those changes will matter a lot more than Scooter Harrington.

Luuuuuuuuuuuuuke!

I didn't really care who won the NFC Championship...or even the AFC Championship for that matter. But I kept smiling with every big play Luke Kuechly made.

He was a great and special player at BC. I am glad the rest of the world will get to see that in two weeks.

More bad basketball

I hope a year from now, we can look back on this time as just an extended growing pain. That is my only hope as we keep watching this version of BC Basketball. Saturday was another ugly loss to Notre Dame. 

One of the things we heard during the Donahue days was that a healthy Dennis Clifford would have made a huge difference. Now that he's getting extended playing time, I think we know things wouldn't have been much different. Clifford had a rough day and got in foul trouble in the first half. 

In the second half no one on the team could buy a shot and their effort (and awareness) on Defense fell apart. Diallo followed Clifford into foul trouble.

I never thought we would go winless in ACC play. Now it feels like an inevitable conclusion to a terrible sports year. 

1,000

After last week's build up, it was clear his players were going to leave nothing to chance. They crushed UMass for Jerry York's 1,000 career victory. This win doesn't make him a better coach than he was when he only won 999 games or 257 games or whatever milestone you want to celebrate. But what is great about the big numbers is that they remind us how lucky we as a BC community are to have him leading our hockey program.

Simmons getting notice

USA Today ranked Justin Simmons as the No. 1 prospect at the East-West Shrine game. While that is a nice accolade, that doesn't necessarily translate into First Round Status. It has a decent history, but the Shrine Bowl is not the Senior Bowl. If Simmons plays well and impresses, he might move up some draft boards. However, other Draft followers don't have him rated as highly.

The Draft is more important that usual for BC this year. We need all the good publicity we can get and saying we help mid-level recruits like Simmons reach the NFL is still a great pitch.

BC looks ok(ish) against 'Canes

The final score of BC's loss to Miami doesn't tell the whole story. The game was closer than it appeared. Many of the young players moved and scored with confidence (Diallo and Robinson). Plenty of the young guys looked like ACC players. But positive things still weren't enough. If BC is ever going to win an ACC game, multiple people need to play well. You can't have Carter and, to a lessor extent, Clifford not play well.

The overall effort was better too. But that doesn't offset the TOs from the guards. There was one sequence where Hicks coughed it up, stole it back and then coughed it up again. It is maddening.

I want to consider this game encouraging, but the team has shown little progress or momentum game to game. Hopefully this week is different.

Half empty or half full? BC schedules two game series with Purdue

I am glad BC scheduled a two-game series with Purdue. I've been complaining about soft scheduling and the flimsy excuses for our recent schedules, so I view booking a Power 5 team as the right step. Doing it in advance (the series is for 2018 and 2020) also solidifies BC's Power 5 requirement for the next few years (Notre Dame is scheduled for 2017 and 2019). Great news! Congrats to Brad Bates for booking the series! We get to play and Big Ten team we've never faced! Give us all ya got, Boilermakers!

Yet for all the excitement, there is still a sense of cynicism in this series. Right now Purdue is a very bad team. Arguably better than BC, but still bad. We have no idea what they will be like in 2018 or 2020, but the odds are they won't be great. It will take a long time for Darrell Hazell or more likely his successor, to become good again. Maybe it will be by 2018, but unlikely. Even if Hazell is fired next year, 2018 will only be Year 2 of the new coach's tenure. Purdue's situation certainly factored into the scheduling. Addazio and Bates used their first Power 5 matchup not as a chance to test the team or excite their fanbase, but to win a game. They are not the first to schedule like this and won't be the last but that doesn't make it fun.

When BC scheduled the USC series, they were still a dynasty. When we finally played them, we caught them in a down cycle and went 1-1. But we still were able to rally around playing and beating the Trojans. Even if we go 2-0 against Purdue, I don't see the series providing any residual benefit beyond meeting the Power 5 mandate. It is a wasted opportunity. Few will get excited about a trip to West Lafayette. While good academically, Purdue is not considered a peer school. Indiana is not a focal point in recruiting.

I hope the series with Purdue is great. I also hope this is just the first step in more exciting scheduling. And I hope BC wins and I hope I am wrong about BC's motivations in scheduling.

Basketball recruiting and other links

If the start of ACC play proved that this team still needs more talent, so Jim Christian and his crew were on the road to watch future Eagle Ty Graves. It may seem excessive to watch a kid who has already committed, but the only way BC will change things is if they go hard after any talent that is interested.

This is from last week, but SI put together the most painful games to watch from last year. BC made the list twice, including the top spot. 

Tim Boyle was Spaz's last big recruit. However, when Addazio came onboard he let Boyle out of his commitment and suggested he wasn't a good fit for BC's offense. Boyle went to UConn and never really clicked there. Now he's heading to FCS. 

Report: Marino leaving

Per SI, Operations staffer Vinny Marino is leaving BC for Davidson. These sorts of moves don't get as much attention since the operations staff are relatively anonymous, but it still matters. The Operations staffs on all college football teams are growing and providing critical work in scouting and organization. Because of NCAA rules, there are limits on what op folks can do with recruiting and player interaction, but they are there to help coaches like Addazio succeed.

Boston College asst. director of player personnel Vinny Marino expected to be new OC/QBs coach for Davidson coach Paul Nichols per source.

— Thayer Evans (@ThayerEvansSI) January 18, 2016

While it might not seem like a promotion, the move to Davidson does make sense. It enables Marino to be a true coach again and prove himself on the recruiting trail.

Pitiful against Pitt

BC lost another lopsided basketball game Saturday. This time to Pitt. I am torn on the Eili Carter issue. Carter filled up the stat sheet and played a statistically efficient game, but I feel like the team is suffering because of it. It would be one thing if Carter was carrying the team to wins. But we are getting killed and none of the young guys are developing. 

Occasionally you would see Carter find Diallo or someone else for a nice assist, but it didn't happen enough. 

BC's Defense was not good. There were plenty of breakdowns and terrible rebounding. 

I don't know the answers, but either this team is really inconsistent or just plain bad. 

999 for York

BC added to Jerry York's ever growing list of milestones by beating BU 5-3 Friday night. The win was York's 999th.

The star of the game was Ian McCoshen. He gave BC their go-ahead goal at 4-3 and added an empty netter a minute later. Thatcher Demko was healthy and back in Goal for the Eagles.

The teams return to the ice down the street Saturday. BU seems like a good place to get win 1000.

Looking back at Jim Reid's 1994 Defense

My memories of Jim Reid's one season at BC are fond. He may have inherited a talented roster, but he helped maximize their potential. I don't know what he's going to keep from Don Brown's scheme or what he will implement on his own, but this look back at a defensive battle against Virginia Tech is interesting. Some things of note:

-- BC is playing a lot of zone coverage, so that is different from Brown's preferred man and Cover 1 schemes.
-- At the time, Virginia Tech was a run-heavy team with some option plays, so BC crowds the box throughout and the LBs are very aggressive on run stopping.
-- Like Brown, he has his down linemen mix things up with stunts.
-- He doesn't need to blitz too often (but that is also because VT was so vanilla).

Some non-Reid things to notice:

-- This was the first game in Alumni after the renovation/expansion.
-- Dave Sims and Doc Walker are on the call and sound the same as they do today.
-- Old friend Gary Tranquill was calling plays for the Hokies.

Addazio fills staff with recruiter

While losing Don Brown was a big blow to the team, everything Addazio has done since shows a plan for the long-term. His latest hire -- Anthony Campanile -- is his most overt nod to recruiting yet. Campanile is the Defensive Backs coach, but everything about him screams recruiting. He's a Rutgers grad, recent Rutgers assitant and from a New Jersey High School Football family. His dad was a long time New Jersey coach and his two brothers are current high school coaches in New Jersey. Campanile also coached at Don Bosco. To say he has New Jersey roots is an understatement.

Campanile's age is also an asset. Because he is young and has been a high school coach, he has the chance to connect to recruits in a way that an older coach might not.

I have no idea what sort of position coach he'll turn out to be, but at this point we need talent, talent and more talent. It is a tall order for both Addazio and Campanile, but this is the right type of hire.

No offense against Orange

Syracuse killed BC Wednesday. I don't even know what to say positively about it. The 2-3 causes problems for lots of teams, but BC had no real method for getting baskets. They went scoreless for long stretches in both the first and second half.

Defensively things were okay in the sense that they didn't make as many mental mistakes as the ND game. But they still had huge issues rebounding.

Carter played with more control but didn't get much help from anyone else. Clifford wasted too many good looks near the basket.

It is going to be a long season.

Loeffler and other staff shake ups official

After letting everyone else report it, BC finally announced that Addazio hired Scot Loeffler as his new Offensive Coordinator. He joins the team after three seasons with Virginia Tech. Loeffler will also coach QBs. Included in the press release were some other staff changes. Justin Frye received a promotion and will now be run game coordinator and Oline coach. That is not too surprising. It gives a young coach a little more pay and little more responsibility. Brian White moves to Running Backs coach. Todd Fitch moves back to Wide Receivers coach. Fitch's demotion supposedly ruffled feathers, but how can it be a surprise? We had the worst offense in college football. Something had to be done. I wouldn't like to lose Fitch as a recruiter, but cannot blame him if he leaves.

Ben Alberts also received a promotion. This move surprised me as I had heard that he was on the hotseat somewhat for not producing more on the recruiting trail. Al Washington moves back to Defense as an Outside LB coach and also takes on Special Teams. I would like to see Washington stay on one side of the ball so that he can eventually be groomed for a coordinator spot.

While I believe that Loeffler, Frye and Alberts' roles are all set in stone, I think the others are all still in pencil. BC still has one open staff position. Based on need, you assume it will be a defensive backs coach, but whoever they find could set in play another shift. Also, if Fitch does leave, some of the Offensive guys could get moved.

Lessons from the National Championship Game

I think BC is a long way from winning a National Champion in Football, but there are still plenty that BC and Addazio can learn from new Champions Alabama and the ACC's Clemson. 

-- In-game coaching matters and so does being aggressive. Saban is great at many aspects of coaching, but he's a very good game manager. Calling the onside kick was gutsy and pressed his advantage. But it wasn't just a gutsy call, it was also well planned. They saw Clemson leave that side of the field open and caught them by surprise.

-- Depth matters. You can only play 11 guys at once, but because of their recruiting momentum, Alabama has incredible talent all over their second and even third teams. That allows them to rotate fresh players. It allows them to overcome injury. And it means an afterthought like O.J. Howard can dominate as soon as he is given the ball. BC cannot recruit the same type of player as Alabama, but BC can upgrade its roster. Every guy on scholarship should be able to play. Addazio has improved the talent level, but he needs to do more.

-- The ACC's belongs in the Power 5. Unfortunately perception still matters in College Football and the media would love to dismiss the ACC. But Florida State's win two years ago and Clemson's showing this season, reinforces that the ACC has great talent. 

Addazio doesn't have time for Loeffler not to workout

Auburn fans don't think much of Scot Loeffler. And the Virginia Tech fans are a mixed bag. While I am sure some of their criticisms are valid (predictable, forces players into offense regardless of skill set, etc.) none of what they feel really matters to BC. Because if Loeffler, or more accurately Loeffler/Reid combination, doesn't work out, Addazio is done. 

If BC is terrible offensively again this year, Addazio won't get to replace Loeffler. How could he go to Bates and ask for more money to find yet another play caller? And what in-demand OC would want to be Addazio's fourth Offensive Coordinator in four years? It would be the lamest of lame duck positions. If the Offense is last again in the conference and among the worst in College Football, than the issues were clearly not Todd Fitch or youth.

It is comforting that Addazio hired a friendly face. He probably knows that he can't screw this up, so he might as well go with someone he can trust. If Loeffler has great success and moves on to better things, then Addazio can take a risk. Then he can hire an untested assistant. But for now he needs support and someone who will not screw up. Loeffler may have a limited upside, but he won't be any worse than last year. But then again, no one really could.

Report: BC finalizing deal with Loeffler

Eric Hoffses is reporting that BC is closing in on a deal with Scot Loeffler. Loeffler has been the most logical, predictable, rumored and speculated name given his availability and ties with Addazio. He's not a play-calling genius nor offensive revolutionary, but Loeffler is a welcome change. Finishing last in total offense is a sign of total failure. BC's planning, practicing, approach, scheming and needed to be changed. Loeffler represents that change. His familiarity with Addazio and the ACC is an added bonus. I will have more when this all becomes official.

Spaz back to coaching and BC still with openings

Former BC head coach Frank Spaziani is returning to the sidelines. He accepted a job as New Mexico State's Defensive Coordinator. The job reunites him with his final BC OC Doug Martin.  I plan to write about ageism and coaching after the full staff is in place, but I am surprised Spaz was hired. He will be 69 in April and is the same age Gary Tranquill was when he came out of retirement to coach at BC. It will be interesting to see how he does. The New Mexico State job really requires a miracle worker. I don't know all the details of BC's settlement with Spaz, but him taking this job probably confirms that he is no longer receiving any payments from BC. (Most of the buyouts have provisions when a coach takes a new job.)

The Iowa media looked into the Seth Wallace gossip and don't have any new news (and don't think there is much to it). We won't know more until Addazio fills his final two spots. Neither of the major coaching coaching sites have any rumor or gossip about who Addazio is considering for his openings.

BC looks terrible in loss to ND

As encouraging as the Duke loss was, this game erased much of that good will. The effort was terrible. The guys looked clueless. Even on raw talent and athleticism, they looked over matched. It wasn't very fun to watch. Instead of getting into the in-game issue (why bother?), I want to question Jim Christian a bit.

Bad nights happen to teams. The guys are young and it is hard to be 100% focused every game. But when that happens, it is on the coach to try to salvage the game. You put in the guys who are playing well. You try to teach. You scream. You do something. Watching from afar, it felt like Christian threw in the towel with his team. Not a good sign, especially with a roster this young and this early in the season.

Donahue and Skinner both had systems. They were somewhat rigid and also too dependent on offense, but at least they had something. Christian is not married to some offense and said he had an emphasis on D. That is fine. But when things are going bad, you hope the guys can revert to something (great D or an easy basket) to help steady the game. BC doesn't have that. We have the athleticism to be a defensive team. But I don't think the guys have the instincts or length to do it without intense coaching. Where is it?

Christian said this team was a talent upgrade over last year's. On paper it is. In person it looks better. But they are not playing better. Some of that is youth, but these guys also need a lot more coaching.

I hope this would be a fun season as we watched this team grow. So far it is not. I hope that changes soon.

Is Loeffler the next hire?

As soon as Frank Beamer announced his retirement, many started speculating that Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler would join Addazio at the Heights. The two worked together at Florida and Loeffler called the plays during Addazio's first season at Temple. Wednesday, Blauds said a move is likely. Blauds was right on Reid so I assume he is getting his scoop from Addazio himself. (Vega is off the BC beat, so Addazio has to find new friendly outlets.)

Loeffler would be a perfectly fine hire and would fill the promise of moving to a more "pro style" offense. He would also fill another staff opening. He seems like he is the next domino to fall.

Jim Reid named Defensive Coordinator

There goes my quiet post...

Iowa LB coach Jim Reid has accepted the Defensive Coordinator position at Boston College https://t.co/3lzfXgPaqP pic.twitter.com/BJyD2fMQEW

— Blair Sanderson (@BlairRIVALS) January 6, 2016

Reid is a perfectly competent guy who did great things in his one season at BC. I don't know if BC will be No. 1 in the country again, but Reid won't screw things up. I will have more on the move in the coming days. Still no word on the remaining openings.

All quiet on the staffing front

Still no news on BC's open staff vacancies. With the recruiting quiet period nearing an end, I think Addazio will want to fill the openings soon. Yet all we have now remains speculation and gossip.

Hoffses reported that Reid was still representing Iowa to recruits as late as Saturday. That makes sense and probably explains any current delay. BC and Reid are probably being sensitive to recruits and Iowa's potential staff needs. No need to upset anything until the deal is closed in Boston and Ferentz has time to plan. Even Football Scoop -- which trades in gossip and speculation -- is remaining quiet. I don't think they are being cautious out of fear of being wrong (it hasn't stopped them in the past). I think they are being cautious to protect sources.

The only curve ball is the added speculation that Reid might not be the only Iowa guy coming to BC. As I tweeted Monday, Iowa DB coach and recruiting coordinator Seth Wallace followed some BC people on Twitter Monday morning (including me). It looks like he unfollowed some of the others. Based on that I reached out to BC folks and got non-answers (no confirmation or denials). If BC is hiring away Iowa's recruiting coordinator a week before recruiting goes full tilt, then I can see Addazio being very respectful of Ferentz's needs. It is professional courtesy.

In the end, I think Reid remains likely and Wallace remains a long shot. And we haven't even gotten into any changes that might come on the offensive side of the ball. It should be an interesting week.

Tom Coughlin and BC

I often write that most of these coaches are just passing through and we the fans and alumni of Boston College are what makes the program. We are with the team longterm. Yet, Tom Coughlin is one of those great exception to the rule. Although he only had two short stints at BC, he has kept close ties to the school the past four decades. The Syracuse grad showed tremendously loyalty to BC players, even ones he never coached. He employed close to a dozen BC grads over the years and sent his own children to BC long after he was an established NFL coach.

Aside from the Super Bowls, Coughlin's legacy will be the Jay Fund, named for former BC defensive back Jay McGillis. He's put countless hours and dollars into helping families dealing with pediatric cancers. The inspiration for that mission began at Boston College when the player and coach formed a lasting bond.

I often write that I would love to see BC have a Bobby Bowden or Frank Beamer type who stays forever and wins multiple championships. Sort of a Jerry York for Football. But we are lucky to have a guy like Coughlin who came through in a blaze of glory, but BC never left his heart.

In his announcement Monday, Coughlin was vague about his future plans. I don't know if or where he will coach again, but I know he will always be involved with BC.

Report: Daz closing in on Jim Reid

According to Blauds and some Iowa folks, Addazio is closing in on Jim Reid as Defensive Coordinator. If this comes together, I am okay with it. At 65, Reid is a little older than you would want, but his track record is very good. This would be Reid's second stint as DC at BC. In his one season at the Heights, he guided the awesome 1994 Defense to 7th overall ranking. Offenses, personnel and approaches are very different, but I can say as an eye-witness, that defense was very, very aggressive.

In more relevant times, Reid was Defensive Coordinator at Virginia from 2010 to 2012. During that time he helped turn the Cavaliers into one of the better Ds in the ACC. Their ACC Rankings each year:

2010 -- 10th in the ACC
2011 -- 4th in the ACC
2012 -- 5th in the ACC

Reid has numerous ties to New England and Massachusetts. Like Brown, it appears like Addazio's old mentor Paul Pasqualoni served as the match-maker (Reid was on Pasqualoni's final Syracuse staff). I don't know what he would be like as a recruiter, but Reid can clearly take the talent we have and keep it as a functional, effective unit.

Duke is still Duke and BC is still BC (for now)

All things considered...I am okay with how BC played against Duke. After Duke's run, it was never close again. And a loss is still a loss. But this gave me a little hope. More hope than I had after Lowell. Here are some other thoughts:

-- The refs killed BC. We joked about Duke getting all the calls, but they got a lot of them. Carter getting in foul trouble hurt his defense when BC was trying to make a late comeback.
-- BC still doesn't have the instincts to adjust. Duke ran basically the same play over and over and our guys never anticipated the movement or the passes. It was a little frustrating that Christian didn't make an adjustment, but the players have to respond too.
-- BC needs to be more careful. Too many turnovers led to Duke points.

BC will still be an underdog in most ACC games, but if they play like this and slightly improve, they can still be competitive. The next chance is against Notre Dame this week.

Links: Duke prep, Addazio criticism, Bowl ratings

The real part of the basketball season starts on Saturday against Duke. Here is a quick overview of the game and Blue Devils.

Addazio made the dubious list of worst coaching in 2015. The writers certainly noted how hard it to go winless in conference with the best defense in the nation.

Finally, the ratings for the New Year's Eve Playoff games were way down. This won't change things overnight, but is still a good thing for BC. BC will always be an outsider in the bowl format (even with the Playoff element). It is best for us to watch this unravel and transform into a true eight-team, home-game, earned playoff.