Brown vs BC, an education

There will be much to study about Don Brown over the next few months, but I thought a good place to start would be in his games against BC. The Eagles have faced his defenses four times, winning three games. But the win-loss record doesn't capture Brown's side of the ball and the chaos he caused.

2004: BC vs UMass

We won this game 29-7, but Brown gave Paul Peterson fits. Peterson threw three picks and only completed 16 of 30 passes. As expected, Brown blitzed often and forced Peterson into some rushed throws. The game was close and BC only really pulled away when our defense started making plays. BC also went heavy on the run in the second half.

2007: BC vs UMass

BC was flying high coming into this game and the fans got a real wakeup call. After going up early BC stalled out and UMass cut the lead to three points. Matt then put the game away with an efficient drive. The problem was between the strong opening and the strong close, UMass knocked Ryan around. The game recap recounts: "Ryan was sacked once, roughed once illegally, forced to scramble three times and knocked down on a half-dozen or more other plays." UMass held him to 204 passing yards, with 24 completions on 42 attempts.

2009: BC vs Maryland
This was a low-scoring game that BC won despite Maryland having multiple chances to comeback. We also got to see the risk of Brown's blitzes. BC scored on a 66-yard touchdown when Shinskie hit Larmond in stride on the blitz. Once Larmond beat his man, no one could come over to help. Another recurring theme of BC taking on Brown's D was our ability to run the ball. Montel Harris had 142 yards.

2010: BC vs Maryland
This was a weird game in that Maryland got up early, BC calmed down and Rettig tried to lead a comeback. What I remember and appreciate is that even as BC climbed back, Brown didn't go into prevent. They kept coming. They also picked off Rettig twice. 

Don Brown as DC, Defense in for whole new look

Bruce Feldman is reporting that Don Brown will be the new Defensive Coordinator. This is a strong hire on many fronts.

Brown knows New England inside and out having worked at both UMass and UConn. He was also a successful head coach at UMass, winning nearly 70% of his games. Addazio only has two years of head coaching experience. Having a seasoned coordinator who has been a head coach should be a stabilizing force and provide a good sounding board. Brown also has experience coaching in the ACC, as he was the DC for Friedgen's final two seasons.

This is a clear change in our approach. If Spaz was a bend but don't break, Brown is the opposite. He blitzes early and often. It might not provide the consistency of the good Spaz's defenses, but the approach will be aggressive and hopefully fun to watch.

Ironically Mark Whipple insisting on Brown over Spaz as his DC was one of the reasons Whipple didn't get the job in 2007. Now things have come full circle. I don't know if we have the players to carry out Brown's designs in 2013, but at least this is a signal that Addazio is going to pave his own way and change the approach on the field.