NFL Draft ends with a run on BC players

No one really knew where Andre Williams was headed, but in the end if was very predictable. The Giants -- a team with a rich BC tradition -- took Williams in the Fourth Round. The Giants are changing their offense, but I don't think they are going to ask Andre to be a pass catcher. He's going to be about pounding the ball and establishing play action for Eli. I don't think Andre is a fit everywhere, so I am glad he went to a team that will use him well and be patient.

Williams got things started and then what could have been a slow day, quickly became a great day for Eagles. The Seahawks took KPL in the Fourth Round. I think that's a great fit for him as they like to use players in multiple roles, and he has the speed to play a small end but also cover TEs and RBs. The Lions drafted Freese in the Seventh Round and the 49ers used their last pick on Kaleb Ramsey. Freese should be a sure thing for Detroit. If Ramsey can stay healthy, he should also make the 49ers roster.

After the Draft ended, the undrafted guys quickly found teams. Divitto signed with the Jets, Edebali signed with the Saints, Sinkovec signed with the Ravens, White signed with the Chargers, and Rettig signed with the Packers. The Packer-Rettig situation reminded me so much of Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck went through multiple coaches and coordinators and dealt with a lot of losses while at BC. But the Packers proved to be the perfect situation to become an NFL QB. Rettig has the same chance now.

The one surprise is that Matt Patchan has not signed with any team yet. Given the number of private workouts Patchan had, I think he'll catch on with some team soon, unless there is an issue we are not aware off. UPDATE: Patchan signed with Tampa.

I don't know if any of these guys will be stars, but they are all getting a chance. That's what matters.

Amidon's decision

While Andre Williams and Matt Patchan open eyes at the NFL Combine, there is one BC star whose story is not getting much attention. Alex Amidon began the season as a legitimate Wide Receiver prospect. Although BC passed less this year, Amidon's speed against elite DBs would have been enough to get NFL attention. Yet he isn't at the NFL Combine and is not training for the BC Pro Day. Alex Amidon has decided to not continue his football career. Instead he's enjoying his final days at BC as a regular student.

While I don't think Amidon would have been a sure thing in the NFL, he was good enough. Amidon possessed legitimate speed and decent hands. He easily could have caught on with the right team or in a pass happy system. Heck, he still has time to change his mind. But regardless I think Amidon does deserve congratulation on his choice. Not many people could or would turn down the allure of the NFL to find their own path.

Tessitore feature and other links

SI.com posted a long feature on BC guy Joe Tessitore. Definitely worth the read. Joe is one of ESPN's rising stars and in my opinion the best college play-by-play guy they have. Of course now that BC has Friday night games in our future, Tess has moved on to ESPN's prime Saturday slots.

The players elected Jim Noel, Kaleb Ramsey, Emmett Cleary and Chris Pantale as team captains. Congrats to all of them.

The ACC is playing checkers with TV deals while the other major conferences play chess. This is pretty damning for any remaining Swofford defenders.

Ron Brace is ready for a big year. So is Luke Kuechly. Meanwhile Alex Albright might play both ways this fall. Mark Herzlich will get his shot at starting too.

CBS outlays pretty realistic best and worst case scenarios. I'll post mine closer to the opener.

Reggie Jackson has a chance to break into the Thunder's regular rotation.

Can BC sell a faceless program?

As the team prepared for the poster photo shoot, I started to think about some of the current challenges BC faces marketing the program. Who will be the focus of the poster? Can a casual BC fan name our best players? With the team coming off its worst season in over a decade, it would be nice to have a focal point. A person who fans could rally around. With Kuechly gone, BC doesn't have that player or coach.

Spaz is not a compelling public speaker. BC uses coordinators in their Youtube videos. No BC player made the ACC's preseason all conference team. They have two likeable but rather unknown Seniors on the cover of the media guide.

Perception matters in college football. Obviously tickets sales are part of that, but lacking a star player hurts when TV networks are selecting our games. Even if some of our players have breakout years, they will have a hard time winning national awards.

BC created some new and unique ticket packages to help attendance for the less attractive games. If we are play well, TV networks might pay attention during the last month of the season. But if the team struggles, it will be hard to sell anything. You can't force players to be great or be dynamic personalities. Even if players aren't well known, I am consistently proud of how they handle themselves. But BC can ask its coach to sell the program. Spaz doesn't and won't. But I hope that when we hire a new coach that sales and marketing aspect are not ignored. Coaching is primary, but representing BC should always be a factor. 

Key Players for 2012: Dominic Appiah

This is a series on the key players for the 2012 season. Big things are expected for some, while others will need to improve over their previous performances. If 2012 is a good year, it will be in part due to the key players overachieving. 

 Sophomore Defensive Tackle, Dominic Appiah

What he's been: Appiah surprised many last year. Playing for the first time after redshirting his freshman year, Appiah ended up starting most of the games. He made his presence known quickly with the ability to get an inside push and make plays in the backfield. Appiah was new to the inside but he showed natural ability and moved very well considering he played nearly 30 pounds lighter in high school.

What he needs to be: We need Appiah to be like B.J. Raji or Ron Brace. We don't have as many difference makers in other areas of the defense. If Appiah and Ramsey partner to become a dominant force -- like Brace and Raji -- it will create all sorts of opportunities for the rest of the defense. If the two of them can control the line of scrimmage we can become one of the elite DLines in the ACC.

Why I like his chances to shine: It feels like I am head of the Appiah fan club. Spaz doesn't even have him at the top of the preseason depth chart. Of all the guys I have profiled, he would probably be viewed as the least likely to make an impact. He's still young. He's still learning the position and he's still getting used to moving with his added bulk. But I saw enough moments that I believe Appiah can be a great DT. He has the push, the leverage and surprising speed for big guy. Other teams had trouble handling him last year. If Appiah remains focused and works hard, he is going to dominate every interior lineman in the conference. And if Ramsey and Appiah both play well, BC will be a bowl team again.

ACC Kickoff, Day 1 -- UPDATE

UPDATE: I took down the video since it was auto playing for people. You can listen to Ramsey and Cleary here.


I hoped that Spaz would address the Penn State situation. Knowing that those types of questions were coming, the ACC coaches released a joint statement on Penn State and Paterno. Someone should still ask Spaz on Monday since he does know Sandusky and played under Paterno.

This is a shot of Kaleb Ramsey talking to the media. And here is all the players together. Cleary also fielded questions, including those about biology and chemistry.

I expect more on Monday when Spaz talks. I also think all the newspaper guys (including Blauds) will write up their interviews from Sunday into Monday posts.

Questions I want asked at the ACC Media Days

The ACC convenes this weekend in Greensboro for the annual ACC Media Days. I am not going. But I do have questions I would ask. 

Questions for Frank Spaziani

-- Is he aware of the "hot seat" talk? Does he feel the pressure. How does he get the team and staff to focus? Is it impacting recruiting?

-- What are his expectations for the season? Does he see the team competing for a division title? 

-- What attracted him to Doug Martin's offense? What are his expectations for the offense? Does he think the increased tempo will impact the defensive side of the ball? 

-- What will Bollman's role be as "running game coordinator"? Is Bollman using different techniques and or approaches to the offensive line play?

-- What traits was he looking for as he hired new coaches to replace the departed? 

-- As a Penn State alum and former player, what are his thoughts on the Freeh report? Are the former players talking among themselves about what they can do to help rebuild the Penn State football reputation? What does he want done with the Paterno statue?

Emmett Cleary

-- When did the staff approach him about moving to the left side? How is he preparing for the new position? 

--Who is leading the OL drills in the offseason? 

-- How are things different with a new position coach? What will fans see?

-- What aspects of his game is he focusing on this year?

-- How is Chase Rettig adjusting to the new offense? 

-- Which offensive player will surprise BC fans this year? Who is going to make a big leap?

-- What are his expectations for the season? How important is it to the Seniors to get back to a winning record and a bowl game?

Kaleb Ramsey

-- How is his health? 

-- What was it like to sit out a season?

-- Earlier in his career there was speculation that he might transfer from BC. How does it feel to be a 5th year senior at BC now?

-- Last year BC played more three man fronts than ever before. Will we see more of that this year?

--  Does the talk of an NFL career add any extra motivation?

We know Blauds and HD will be in Greensboro. Hopefully they or others will slip in one or two of these questions. I don't expect anything particularly revealing, but I would like to hear Spaz talk about the pressure of the season. 

Optimism from Football Outsiders and other links

I am a sucker for football analytics and I also really respect CBS's Matt Hinton. So when his ACC preview piece on Football Outsiders listed BC with a .500 record and a 3rd place finish in the division, I was pleasantly surprised. FO is betting on our returning players and the positive trends of the last few games of 2011. I still don't know what to think about the upcoming season, but my love for BC and articles like this have me looking on the bright side.

BC is sending Emmett Cleary and Kaleb Ramsey to Greensboro to represent the school during ACC media days. I think this is actually a great sign for BC and for both players. I expected Cleary to have a break out season last year. He was good, but not all conference. Maybe this year is his chance to shine and get on NFL radars. Ramsey has always had the talent. His health and attitude have been bigger issues. If he is healthy and focused this year, he will be a game changer on D.

Here is more on our newest recruit out of Cincinnati Truman Gutapfel.

Chris Pantale is on the Mackey watch list. The award is given annually to the country's best Tight End.

Beaver Country Day big man Jacquil Taylor is generating local interest. BC has yet to offer, but is following him.

BCeagles.com posted a Q&A with Bobby Swiggert yesterday. I found his talk about paring down the offense encouraging. We need to work on execution not diversity of plays.

HD put out this offseason filler piece ranking coaching jobs in the ACC. I don't really care where she perceives us. When the job changes we will be very attractive to the right guy for us.

Who are the future 1st rounder's currently on the BC roster?

19 BC football players have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. We all hope Luke Kuechly becomes the 20th tonight. I think most BC fans realized Kuechly would be a high pick during his amazing sophomore season. I don't think many feel as strongly about our current roster. There are no obvious first-round picks, but I do think a few players have the chance. Let's look at the guys who can still play their way into the first round.

Kevin Pierre-Louis KPL played at an all conference level before injuries slowed him down in the middle of the season. Like Kuechly, he's very instintive, very productive and covers a ton of space. He's got good speed. The biggest question is size. KPL will need to add a little more bulk to his frame like Kuechly did. If he has stays healthy and productive over the next two seasons, I think he could be a first-round pick in 2014.

Kaleb Ramsey Kaleb Ramsey has one season to take his game to the next level. He's got the build and has shown flashes of potential, but NFL scouts are likely to questions his heart and desire. He needs to have a big year, stay healthy and prove to teams that he wants to play football.

Dominic Appiah At times it might seem like I am President of the Dominic Appiah fanclub, but I do think he has great game-changing potential. Plus BC has a history of producing solid NFL DTs. Because he's got so much playing time head of him, Appiah has the most upside. We know he is in the right system to display his talents. Now let's hope he develops and gets better every year.

Chase Rettig This might seem like the ultimate BC fan post considering he has a completion percentage in the low 50s, but Rettig has a few things going for him. NFL teams will like his size and arm strength. They will appreciate that he took a beating and kept playing. They will like that he's had to learn new systems and adapt to different coordinators. But if Chase wants to be the next Matt Ryan or even a guy considered for a late first-round pick, he is going to have to have an outstanding final two seasons. It will take a huge jump in productivity (which I will address in an upcoming post) but there is still the possibility that it can happen.

There are a few other players that may develop into something more, but for now this group stands our best chance. Let me know if you think I missed anyone else.

Heights Twitter with the scoop and other links

When I was a student and on campus, we always knew more news and gossip than the traditional media. Even though I was involved in WZBC, we rarely took what we knew and broke news. It was a different era -- we only had gameday broadcasts and a Monday night show. The Heights schedule also meant they rarely broke news. The internet has obviously changed that and no more so than with the Heights being the first to report Kaleb Ramsey's return via twitter. (Once again, if you are not on twitter, you should get on it before the season starts.) Other internet reports followed that said Ramsey was at practice but worked off to the side with the S&C staff. I guess they are testing his fitness. As for what his impact means, I am not expecting much. It will be nice to have depth and it will be gravy if he becomes an impact player. I am just leery of guys playing in these sorts of circumstances. If your heart or head is not in it, the odds are you won't make a difference on the field.

It is nice to keep reading about Shinskie's maturity and comfort with football. I'll have more on Shinskie's adjustment in my QB preview due this weekend.

Brad Newman's time at the Heights has flown by. Think of it this way, Newman along with Castonzo and Gause were some last minute recruits pulled together by Jags' transition team in 2007. All played as true freshman and all are set to play their final season.

Like the NFL.com, I was at the Falcons Camp today. Like the NFL.com, I think Matt will have a break out, get to the next level, type of season. Now I wasn't there to see practice, but the vibe in the building is that they and Matt are ready.

Finally, congrats to BCI for making the Twitter 200. (Yet another reason to get on twitter.)

Ramsey, Facebook and Defensive Line

While most of us are celebrating the start of fall practice, it is a good time to remember that football is not always fun for those who play. At times it can be a huge pressure, burden and obligation. They don't play for love of the game. They play because they are big and strong and it is a means to an end. They didn't come to BC for the same reasons we did. They came because BC was often the best school to offer them a scholarship. I say all this because it appears that Kaleb Ramsey will not be playing football for BC this season. The Herald and ESPN both confirmed the long-speculated: Ramsey didn't show up at camp today.

Although Ramsey's status just recently hit the main stream news, it no surprise to those who follow BC on message boards, social networks and in blogs. For months now Ramsey has publicly expressed his desire to leave BC on Facebook. I got tipped off to it a few times, but never reported it due to the grey area that is Facebook. I am not Ramsey's friend on FB. He made his proclamations to his "friends." Not the media. Not the coaches. In a respect for his privacy I never said a word. But he, and others, should know that when you write something on Facebook, the whole world can see.

Finally, what does this mean for our defensive line. Looking at the fresh, new depth chart, we should be fine. We have plenty of big, raw bodies to clog the middle. Neither of the young guys are Brace or Raji, but Ramsey wasn't either. If Scafe comes back and one of the other guys steps up, I don't think Ramsey will be missed at all. He always showed good upside, but to be effective, you have to want to play for BC too.