Christian talks to Vega and other links

Michael Vega remains the friendliest media outlet BC sports has, so I found the tone of this article with Christian interesting. The Basketball coach gives of the impression that this rebuilding and retooling of the roster is all part of the plan. Yet, there's no mention of the staff change nor how quiet the transfer news has been. How does Vega not even mention a staffer leaving last week? I agree with Christian that roster construction is more fluid than it has ever been, but BC fans would hope that he could speed up the turnaround by finding the right players quickly.

It has been a long, long road back for Charlie Davies, but this seen in New England has been great.

ESPN posted a short preview of the Football team.

BCI pointed out that a Miss State-BC series would fit both team's football schedules. I would love to see it too, but highly doubt it will happen. I don't think Mullen or Addazio would want it at this point.

Ifeanyi Momah switched positions from WR to Tight End and it may help him make the Cardinals' roster.

Addazio pregame and other links

Here is Addazio's pregame speech on Saturday. Do things feel a little different to you?

Addazio was happy with Wolford's performance.

If you missed it last week, BC will play Notre Dame in a Frozen Fenway game.

Future Eagle Darius Wade is ready for a big Senior Season.

NFL stuff: the Eagles cut Momah and Cleary will probably go on IR for the Colts.

Men's Soccer tied Quinnipiac. Women's Soccer beat Hofstra in OT.

KPL preseason All ACC and other links

I assumed that Steele Divitto would get preseason All ACC votes simply be being at the ACC Kickoff. Instead the media awarded KPL. Congrats to him. He certainly has the tools to be great. I hope the new defensive system allows him to shine.

The basketball team will also play USC this year. That will be a nice coming home for all of our Californians. I hope the Pac 12 Network isn't an issue with this game.

The Philly media likes the Momah story. Let's hope the coaching staff does too.

Denver resigned Dan Koppen.

This isn't BC related, but Stanford is rolling out dynamic pricing for their seats. If it works for them, it will be at Alumni shortly thereafter.

Addazio's love of the Cape and other links

Greg Joyce is no longer a BC student, but he's still writing about the Eagles. In this feature, he spends time with Steve Addazio on the Cape. I know I should be cynical about this stuff, but I really do feel that Addazio is where he wants to be. I don't know if BC was really his "dream job" more than UConn or even Syracuse, but I think being in New England and near his family will make this  job and rebuild all that more special to him.

When he's done with his summer vacation, Addazio will head back to Bristol for ESPN's Car Wash. Addazio will be part of the ACC contingent on July 30.

Andre Williams is a preseason Doak Walker candidate.

Momah keeps earning good mentions out of Philly's camp.

Early game confirmed and other links

The ACC officially announced the starting times and broadcast partners for the first two weeks of the season (all other games will be determined on a week-to-week basis once play begins). The Villanova game will have a noon kickoff and will be shown on ESPN3. The Wake Forest game will be a Friday September 6 on ESPN 2.

Hoffses reported that Johnathan Coleman decided to bypass his final year of eligibility. He graduated earlier this week. Coleman was a better off the field story than on the field. He never became an elite receiver but with Amidon stepping up and our offense constantly evolving, very few players could reach their potential. This sort of attrition is also to be expected. It doesn't do Addazio much good though since Coleman's scholarship was coming off the books this year anyway.

Momah is doing well in Philadelphia and taking advice from an Eagles legend.

Momah gets his NFL shot with Philly

The other Eagles signed Ifeanyi Momah to a three-year deal. Because he was not draft eligible, Momah was free to sign whenever and with whatever team he wanted. After his strong showing at BC's Pro Day, Momah had multiple options.

Philadelphia made sense for a lot of reasons. They are changing offenses, so Momah will be learning a new system at the same time his teammates are (which levels the playing field). There are many BC ties and coaches he knows so they will make sure he gets a fair shake.

Because NFL deals are not guaranteed Momah could still be let go before the season starts. But as long as he stays healthy, I think he will play. Congrats to him and I hope he shines.

Rooting for the long shots

Pro Day is about the guys entering the NFL Draft, but every year there are a handful of BC football alums that also work out. The older guys are not eligible for the Draft. Instead they are using this as one last chance to catch the eye of an NFL scout. This year's returnees were Lars Anderson and Ifeanyi Momah.

Everyone knows about Momah's health and eligibility issues. Anderson -- who had a fairly productive BC career -- hurt himself at last year's Pro Day ruining any outside chance at getting drafted. A year later both of these guys still want to play. I am a blatant homer, but I actually think both could be NFL contributors. Anderson was a good blocker and there are many teams that could use a hybrid TE/FB/Special Team. For someone like Anderson the more hats he can wear, the better. Momah is a different case. He has all the tools to be a good, maybe great NFL WR. But no one knows if he can since he never got to show it at the college level. Our offenses and his injuries neutered any potential showcase. Now that he is healthy, someone will invite him to camp. His height alone is attractive enough and he'll get good recommendations on his personality (he's the type coaches like to have around). The question then becomes can he catch enough balls and turn enough heads to stick with a team. I think and hope he can.

There a little secret about college football players. A lot of them don't like playing football. Playing is a grind and for many a means to an end. But for guys like Momah and Anderson -- who still want to play -- this is a tough time. Do they give up their dream or keeping grinding? Our two guys will probably never play in the NFL, but they and I can still hope for one last chance. 

Momah talking to the media.

Looking at other Eagle's chances in the Draft

Luke Kuechly will be drafted in the First Round of the NFL Draft. With the Draft weekend approaching, it looks like he might be the only Eagle drafted.

Of the other eligible players, only Donnie Fletcher is getting any mainstream attention. ProFootball Weekly considers him a fifth or sixth rounder and all of their anonymous gossip is bad. Rob Rang of NFLDraftscout.com likes him more than most but still sees him as a sixth rounder. Fletcher's got good size and is a good tackler. But will that be enough for him to overcome his lack of speed and his rumored work ethic issues. I've always liked the way he played. I think if he is drafted he will have some staying power.

While the news isn't good on Donnie, at least he is getting some attention. Even the sites that go deep into the talent pool aren't even bothering with Lars Anderson, Ryan Quigley, Mark Spinney or Max Holloway. They all have profiles on NFLDraftscout, but not one write up among them. Holloway is the most frustrating case. As dreary as BC football may have been last year, it is still better than not playing. And if he truly had NFL ambitions, one more year to get notice may have made a difference.

Ifeanyi Momah looks like a lost cause too. Because he still is not healthy enough to work out, no one will touch him. Maybe someone will bring him in this summer, but he will already be behind the eight-ball due to lack of practice and familiarity.

Baldwin in flight and other links

If Baldwin could skydive into Alumni every week, I think people would get to their seats in time for kick off.

HT Eagleoutsider boards.

Need to get up to speed on the NCAA Hockey tournament? Read this overview from Yahoo.

Kuechly performed as expected at BC's Pro Day. The more disappointing issue is that Momah was not able to run.

Seattle has shown interest in Donnie Fletcher.

The NCAA Tournament was part of Tommy Cross' life long before he started playing for BC.

Recruiting target Matt Rolin is set to visit BC soon.

Dallas waived Sean Williams. I don't know how many more chances he'll have.

Dominique Davis redshirted during Matt Ryan's senior season. Maybe they are destined to be to together again as the Falcons met with Davis after his Pro Day. If the Falcons are going to have Ryan and Davis on the staff they might as well hire Steve Logan and also see what Chris Crane is up to.

Kuechly huge day at the Combine and how it benefits his teammates

Since you couldn't question his productivity, NFL doubters have wondered about Luke Kuechly's athleticism. Monday at the NFL Combine he put the doubters to rest. Like he did during his entire BC career, Kuechly dominated. He set some of the best marks among LBs and most importantly ran a 4.5 40 yard dash.

With the head turning show, the question now is how far up the draft boards Kuechly might go. Most predicted him to fall to the Eagles at 15. The Combine performance put him in play for a top ten spot or might entice a team to move up to take him before Philadelphia gets the chance.

Luke's BC teammates are the other big beneficiaries of rising stock. BC's Pro Day will now have a better turnout as teams try to get a better feel for Kuechly. That means that borderline guys like Momah or Holloway will get a chance to show their stuff. I don't think they are suddenly draft picks, but the extra face time could lead to free agent opportunities.

The NCAA Answers to no one: Momah's appeal denied

The NCAA denied Ifeanyi Momah's appeal for a sixth year of eligibility. BC and Momah were not given an explanation for the denial. A written explanation will be mailed in two to three weeks. There is no one for the media to question as the decision was not made by a standard committee out of NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. The applications for sixth years are made by a panel of peers from other NCAA schools. This is final. There is no further appealing. Ifeanyi can make a stink out of it publicly but he won't see the field. BC could cry of selective enforcement, but that won't get Momah on the field.

Because there is no current explanation everyone involved is left to assume that the panel considered Momah's 2009 redshirt as selective. He did practice that fall and did experiment with a new position. Should BC have been more careful and called it an injury redshirt? Perhaps. We will know for sure...in two to three weeks.

As the NCAA hands out sixth years to guys who took booster money, yet denies a clean kid who has his degree, the whole purpose of the governing body comes into question. They are not punishing BC for shoddy paperwork. They are punishing one of the good apples. BC even asked that Momah be given a sixth year to play anywhere to help the case. It didn't matter.

Momah has enough raw talent and size that he will get a look from NFL teams. It is just too bad that a good college football player was jerked around by the organization that should be holding him up as a shining example.

NCAA screwing Ifeanyi Momah

Always known for selective enforcement, the NCAA has some explaining to do regarding their denial of Ifeanyi Momah's 6th year of eligibility. Compare his case to two more prominent players who received an extra year of playing time.

Case Keenum redshirted his freshmen year (fall 2006). He played in 13 games as a redshirt freshman (fall 2007). He played in 13 the following year (fall 2008). His redshirt junior year saw him start in 14 games (fall 2009). In his fifth year (fall 2010) he started three games and suffered an ACL injury. The NCAA granted him a sixth year and played in 14 games. In all he was allowed to play in 57 games and his school was not punished for their elective redshirt in 2006.

Robert Marve redshirted his freshman year (fall 2007). In his redshirt freshman year Marve started 11 games. In 2009 he transferred to Purdue and had to sit out a season. This used his third year of NCAA eligibility. In his fourth year of eligibility (fall 2010) he started four games before injuring his knee. After recovering from his knee injury, Marve played in 10 games (2011 season). It should be noted that Marve also admitted to the NCAA that he received illegal benefits as part of the Shapiro scandal at Miami. But was sparred punishment because of his cooperation. He was just granted a 6th year of eligibility. In all Marve has played 25 games, played in multiple games across three seasons and allowed to transfer and escape penalty even though his former Miami teammates had to miss games.

Now a reminder on Ifeanyi Momah's history. He played in seven games as true freshman in 2007. He only played in 11 games as true sophomore due to injury. He redshirted in 2009. In 2010 he played in 13 games. In 2011, he was injured in the first game. That consists of only three full seasons. He has never been in any trouble and has his degree. He missed one full season due to injury and 83% of another season due to injury. Why was he not given the same opportunities as Marve and Keenum?

BC is following the proper channels, but this stinks to high heaven. If the NCAA doesn't reverse its decision on appeal, the school should hit the media hard.