Thoughts on Spring Football press conference

Steve Addazio held a press conference Wednesday to kick off Spring Football. There were a few news worthy tidbits from him and his two coordinators, plus a few things you could read into what they each said. Here are a few of my thoughts...

Addazio is pretty confident
Considering how many players departed and a change in coordinators, Addazio seems pretty confident. The guy wears his emotions on his sleeve so I don't think he is bluffing or puffing up the outlook for recruiting purposes. Maybe he thinks with a healthy Brown, Dillon and the Tight Ends, we will be that much better on offense.

Bajakian and Addazio had no prior relationship
Bajakian's candor was refreshing. Not only did he not know Addazio, he didn't know any of the current offensive staffers. In the past, Addazio has clearly put a priority on guys who he knew and worked with at prior jobs. And even when he didn't seem to have a prior working relationship (Reid), there were clearly multiple connections and a clear shared history. That's not the case with Bajakian. I think that's a good thing. This is a critical position and an important year. Had Addazio limited his search to just guys he knew and coaches who are in his direct network, it would have been limiting (see our season with Fitch as OC). The risk is that Addazio and Bajakian don't work well together and never get on the same page. I am willing to take that risk.

The Bill Sheridan promotion seems safe but uninspiring
Addazio clarified how his defensive staff will work. It had been rumored that Reid would retire and Campanile would take over as the sole DC. Clearly that didn't happen as Camp went to Michigan, Reid stayed but in a lessor role and Addazio promoted Sheridan to DC. This will provide a certain amount of continuity. I will break down Sheridan's history as a coordinator later this spring. However, for a guy whose reputation is for X and Os and not necessarily connecting with players, the press interaction didn't change that perception. With Reid still around as the old guy the players like, perhaps Sheridan can just focus on schemes. Sheridan also explained it would still be very collaborative.