Monday, February 29, 2016

Simmons makes most of Combine time

Justin Simmons keeps moving up Draft boards as he dominated at the NFL Combine Monday. For the pure speed and strength events like the 40 or bench press, Simmons showed off times that were near the top. Plus he also tested well in quirky events like the shuttle run.

I don't know what this showing will do for Simmons' stock, but it is hard to believe he will slip to the 6th round (like this profile suggested). Teams already knew that Simmons could play multiple positions. Now his raw numbers support that he will be among any team's leaders in speed. I hope that whoever draft Simmons knows what an asset they truly have. 

25 comments:

Bravesbill said...

A 4.6 40 isn't very fast for a defensive back.

mod34b said...
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mod34b said...
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Kash86 said...

If you can't see that Addazio has drastically upgraded the athleticism, talent and depth on this roster than you're not paying attention. To be fair to Addazio, who do you think "developed" the guys that are in the combine now ? You say he can't develop young players, these guys played 3 years under Addazio. He took a nobody QB from UF and got him signed to an NFL roster. He was able to develop Brian Mihalik from a lump of shit (under Spaz) into a NFL draft pick. Do you think Chase Rettig gets signed to a team with another year under Spaz, he doesn't. Do you think Kasim Edebali gets drafted in another year of doing nothing under Spaziani ? NOPE. I know its a convenient argument for lazy people like you, to say that Addazio can't develop players, but its simply not true.

As for the coaching staff thing, how is that on Addazio ? All of them were offered promotions to better jobs and more pay. In a profession that is totally transient, he was able to keep that staff together for 3 years (for the most part).

For your recruiting argument, Addazio has recruited at a level at least equal to that of TOB (on the whole). You are of course basing you're argument off of last year, but I don't think you are going to find many coaches who can pull a competitive class after a 3 win season.

Crill said...

It's a lot more than just to 4.6 40 time that is getting Simmons attention:

Boston College's Justin Simmons placed first among DBs in the 3-cone and both shuttles. Also did very well on the jumps. #NFLCombine
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) February 29, 2016


That is super impressive since a lot more than straightline speed matters - and he's also being looked at as a Safety by some teams, where 4.6 is much more palatable than at Cornerback.

JBQ said...

With "mod34b", the entire problem is wrapped around Bates. Addazio is only an employee. Management made a grave mistake. It is up to Father Leahy to straighten out the management issue. The idea obviously is to give Addazio one more year. I don't think it will work but that is the decision. Towles could help Addazio "pull a rabbit out of a hat". I don't think that BC has the talent and that would mean Addazio is a lousy recruiter and poor evaluator of talent. At present, he is making Spaz look like Nick Saban.

mod34b said...
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Kash86 said...

This will be a bit out of order but ill try to address your points

1) So by your logic, players can't develop under Addazio ? Guys on the defensive side of the ball that developed in 3 years in the program (Addazio's program) are only at the combine because of Don Brown ? OK, whatever I guess, if you need to twist that to make your stupid point thats fine.

2) You need to take a little time and truly understand the problems with Spaziani's recruiting. You are either too lazy or too stupid to grasp the situation that BC is in from an offensive line perspective. I have looked at this more in depth before, but let me quickly go over this for you ...

2010 (Spaz): 6 OL recruits signed
2011 (Spaz): 6 OL recruits signed
2012 (Spaz): 3 OL recruits signed
2013 (Spaz recruited for most part): ZERO OL recruits signed

Just look at the pure numbers. The guys that were signed in the early Spaz classes, were the ones that Addazio had early in his tenure, in senior roles. Addazio added a piece in each year, but he had guys who had been in a college weight program for 4+ years on his depth chart at OL.

We are now moving towards a situation where the players in Spaz's last 2 classes, should be stepping up into senior roles. Having 4+ year in the program and a college weight room. And guess what, THEY DONT EXIST. His last 2 classes ONLY HAD 3 PLAYERS, of which, ONLY 2 REMAIN IN THE PROGRAM (Win Homer quit or transferred to D3 I forget).

So Addazio is forced to rely on guys that DO NOT EXIST. Its not a talent issue, its a WARM BODY issue, BC doesn't have the warm bodies in senior roles to play on the offensive line.

The offensive line is arguably the most difficult position to evaluate and develop in college football, and he was forced to rely on 2 true freshman last year, neither of whom had time to develop physically or technique wise to be acceptable college football OL.

Because of the changeover in coaching, and Sapziani's deplorable recruiting at the offensive line position his last 2 years, the guys that Addazio have brought in will only realistically be physically ready to play this coming year and next, having at best 2 years of experience and development (i.e. Jon Baker, Sam Schmalz and what should have been James Hendren before he had to give up football for concussion issues).

And please don't use your bullshit hindsight logic in evaluating offensive lineman. You ask if we are seeing any Snee/Castonzo/Tennants, but you fail to recognize that all those guys spent at least 4 years in the program before going to the NFL. Only Castonzo started as a freshman, so any other name you want to mention had time in the program to develop physically. TOB never played guys early, that was his program and that was his plan. You don't know what Addazio has on the offensive line. None of us do. That is because of the nature of the position. Its one of the hardest to project because there are so many different variables that go into a players progression.

3) As for the recruiting issue, you are nuts if you don't see an upgrade in talent and depth at every position on this roster. You are clearly being lazy and just going off of the Rivals rankings. Look at the secondary as a perfect example. There is literally no comparison between the guys that Addazio has brought in (and will be playing this coming year) and the guys that Spaziani brought in. Go down the list. Every position has been upgraded. Look over Addazios 3 classes ON A WHOLE. It is far better than Spaziani (not saying much) and much closer to the kind of talent that TOB brought in (Even based on the lazy analysis you're doing via Rivals rankings).

I honestly can't believe that you are defending the pitiful recruiting of Frank Spaziani and that I am even taking time to address that point, says a lot about YOU and your point of view.

I understand you have something against Addazio because of last year. Its fine. But you making things up to get across some agenda just makes you look stupid.

JBQ said...

@Unknown: Look at the roster. Daz brought in a bunch of 6 ft 7 behemoths. Did he bother to see if they can "move their feet"? I would say not. TOB has always been underrated. He was not Frank Leahy or even William P. Leahy. However as a Marine, he did his best. I agree with "mod34b". The "teeter totter" says that Addazio stinks. He should be fired now except for mod's noted 10 million commitment. The obvious answer is to send Brad on his way and bring in Tommie C to sweep out the mess. In March of 2015, I visited the campus. It was obvious that Bates wasn't even regularly on campus. He was "at the dentist". Jill Hegarty (mullare@bc.edu) who has experience as Director of Football Operations actually runs the Athletic Department. Her brother John Hegarty is Director of Operations for hockey. Actually, both of these individuals should be looked at for being Director of Athletics. "Ever to excel" and in remembrance of TOB "Semper Fi".

Kash86 said...

JBQ, i don't have a clue what you are rambling about.

All I tried to do was lay out some very relevant points about the massive holes in the roster that Addazio has ben addressing, most importantly on the offensive line. You have no clue what you are talking about on the offensive line. What does this even mean ... "Daz brought in a bunch of 6 ft 7 behemoths. Did he bother to see if they can "move their feet"? I would say not." ?

Addazio, through his first 3 classes, has brought in 11 offensive line recruits. At least 8 have had other major P5 offers. To say he isn't recruiting talent is false. Perhaps he isnt beating out the Penn State's of the world for recruits (and that becomes a whole different story in re: to facilites/university commitment), but he is pulling in very competitive OL recruits. These guys just need time to develop at the hardest position on the field to develop.

mod34b said...
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CT said...

Mod, you are wrong. Unknown is not.

Plus, for you to call someone else an a-hole is beyond rich.

And your incessant rambling about Daz, even on posts not about him, seems to me to be an obsessive trait best suited for a couch and medication. Wow. You are OBSESSED.

And drop baseball for lacrosse? Right after the facilities announcement? Great thought. Really.

If we could put the money saved from not building a baseball stadium to buying you one additional thought wrt BC, I'd be on board. Word. Good talk.

Kash86 said...

1) Addazio can not be graded on a transition class. You are giving him 2 months at the end of a recruiting cycle to "attempt to fix the OL". Sure maybe he should have pushed to grab one or two OL recruits in the transition class since Spaz recruited NONE, but judging anything on a transition class is wrong.

2) In '14 he took 3 OL (4 with Austin Stevens who has been converted) and in '15 he took 5 OL, most of which had multiple P5 offers. So your assertion that they can't recruit ACC quality players is wrong.

3) How can you say the players are not good. They have been in the program for 2 years. They are nowhere near ready to play from a physical standpoint. They are not strong enough nor do they understand the nuances of the most difficult position to learn on the field. Most DL are going to look above average when BC is starting 2 true freshman in the ACC. Thats life, thats what you get for having to start true freshman.

4) You can not just "forget the spaz excuse". Its not an excuse. Its a legitimate fact. The numbers aren't there. They have no seniority to fall back on. They don't have guys who have been in the program and are physically ready to play. Other positions are more instincutal and younger, greener guys can get by on athleticism alone. Not the offensive line, its a completely different animal.

5) This is the first year that Addazio's offensive line recruits will be in a somewhat senior position. Jon Baker has 2 years of playing experience (Addazio recruit). Jim Cashman will have 2 years of playing experience under his belt and a few years in the program. Lindstrom and Monteiro both have a year of experience (altho both may still lack the strength as they are true soph). You have a bunch of guys with at least a year in the program/weight program who, in theory should be in a better position physically to play than if they were true freshman. They have at least 1 5th year coming in. The bottom line is, this line will still be young this year. It just takes time/snaps for that particular position to catch up. Your comparison to a "builder who can't build a foundation" is COMPLETELY WRONG. He is building the foundation now. It takes time. Offensive lineman can rarely come in and make an immediate impact.

6) I didnt drop the point that Daz recruits like TOB. In fact I said this "Look over Addazios 3 classes ON A WHOLE. It is far better than Spaziani (not saying much) and much closer to the kind of talent that TOB brought in (Even based on the lazy analysis you're doing via Rivals rankings)." And I 100% stand by that. You can keep your shortsighted view, based on a poor class off of a 3 win season, but the fact is over 3 full classes, it is at a very similar level to TOB.

7) I will agree with you on one point. The complete bottoming out last year should have never happened. It was a perfect storm and the injuries ARE A LEGITIMATE EXCUSE, but it still should have never been that bad. Im not suggesting that Wade was/will be a world beater, but even in the few snaps he had, you could see an exponential difference between him and whoever was next on the depth chart. If he stays healthy, they probably win 2-4 more games.

8) Your point that he dropped his focus on Ohio and PA for athletes in stupid. To try and make the case that he should be targeting guys in OH/PA vs going to Georgia/Florida or anywhere in the south where the level of play is better is completely subjective.

The bottom line, is you have no clue what you are talking about and speak in generalities to hide your lack of knowledge. Have some perspective. Saying "BC is not O-Line U anymore" is just such a dumb, vague thing to say. Literally everything you say is incorrect and short sighted. Im all set arguing this point since you clearly don't know enough to have an intelligent debate on this subject.

mod34b said...
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Bravesbill said...

TOB had a few recruiting classes in the Top 25 in the country. I don't think he ever had a recruiting class that was one of the worst among all power conference teams in the country. Just sayin.

CT said...

That was a demolition. Well done Unknown.

18 yr olds 4 months off of Prom do not do well against grown men with 3-5 yrs of eating and lifting and coaching in a D1 program. It's physics. Anyway, logic need not apply when one gets married to an agenda. Again, well done and hugely right. Daz has limitations. But people don't seem to understand what a rebuild entails. Those first two yrs under Daz were about treading water before he could get guys in, feed them or redshirt them, and get them to be decent two yr starters. Look what Donahue did to the bball program. If you can't or won't recruit, you won't win. My biggest concern is not the Oline because I think that position takes time to (literally) grow into. It's whether there's a QB in the pipeline that can be the guy for two or three yrs. Wade is an unknown, Brown is young, and Towles is an SEC reject replaced by a younger guy.

Kash86 said...

mod, keep making your HILARIOUS political jokes insinuating I am some dumb millennial, they're all real knee slappers. You are definitely not speaking to a BC freshman (in fact, that would be even more embarrassing for you, had a collegiate freshman made you look like a fool like I did) nor am I a Steve Addazio apologist, Im just trying to point out that your complaints (which seem to pop up in every post ATL makes) are too shortsighted.

Look, you have plenty of legitimate things to complain about. Addazio taking 2 projects at QB in the '15 class is a legitimate gripe (even tho expecting a true freshman to play regardless is still asking a lot). Not redshirting Wade during year 2 and getting him no experience behind Murphy is an issue. Addazio not identifying a QB in the transition class that would last here (Walsh who quit) is a minor issue. The complete lack of an offensive game plan last year falls on Addazio. But you seem to pick and choose your arguments to prove your points and they make no sense. Addazio didnt develop players, Don Brown did. Addazio had 2 months to address all his issues in the transition class, so since he didnt sign 4 OL in 2 months (off of a 2 win season) he is a failure.

However, your argument that he is not landing good offensive lineman is mostly an incomplete analysis. If BC goes this year and next with similar offensive line problems, then I will completely concede to you. But right now, when you consider what he is dealing with, especially at that position (perhaps the most neglected by Spaziani), it is not fair to be critical.

Addazio leaned on this excuse (maybe a bit too much at times), but the Atlantic is loaded with good defenses, and elite defensive lines. FSU, Clemson, Louisville all had elite talent across the line last year. Of course an offensive line with 2 true freshman, 2 first time starters, and Harris Williams who was no where near 100% (he wasn't even near 60% last year), are going to struggle.

Once again, look down this roster. Please fine a position where Addazio hasn't dramatically upgraded the roster. RB, yes. WR, yes. QB, yes (as a result of Spaziani recruiting nobody). DL, no question. DB, night and day difference. LB, maybe you can argue a push.

All of these positions are ones in which guys can get by with athleticism to mask youth. The offensive line is a different story. When you recruit an offensive lineman, what are you really recruiting ? You're recruiting size. The ability to get bigger, and in some cases, speed. I would guess rarely are HS offensive lineman recruited on their ability to block the garbage they face in high school, why, because its not even close to what they will have to deal with in college.

Ill end with this (and not even address the most important facet of development, getting snaps and expereince). What I consider a pretty good example to my (and CT's) point. Look at Chris Lindstrom. Committed early to BC which most likely explains his lack of multiple major offers. Came to BC at 6'4/240lbs in January 2015. By the time last season started, he was playing at 260lbs. In Addazio's signing day press conference, he said Lindstrom will go into spring weighing around 280lbs. That is in a year, If you don't think that time is needed to develop these guys bodies, then I don't know what else to tell you.

mod34b said...
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Hoib said...

Unknown

I admire your stamina, and intelligence. Come up w/ a name so your ideas can be tracked over time. Thanks

Kash86 said...

talk to someone else ? boy that sounds like a white flag to me.

mod do your homework and have some perspective. You can't get by forever on generalities and making jokes about peoples political associations. Its clear you don't have a deep understanding of this program or the world of college football.

Ill go work on a name so I can shoot down your next anti-Addazio rant filled with nonsense.

Hoib said...

Unknown

How about New Sheriff!

mod34b said...
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Hoib said...

Unknown

BCI is a nice forum, very civil. Beerfart was not banned for being anti anything. Enzo is very anti Daz and co., and never has trouble @ BCI, he has some imagination. Beerfart was banned for saying the same dam thing over and over again. He probably lived in MOD34b during his BC time.

Unknown said...

I'll pass on BCI, it's too much fun (and waaaaay to easy) to just come here and make Mod look stupid.

It's probably smart you concede in the offensive line discussion, every letter you type just digs a deep hole for you.

And just as an aside, what do you consider the "style around here". Continually whine with untrue BS and speak in generalities to push your agenda and then make horrible jokes to make yourself feel better when you get embarrassed ?

mod34b said...
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