Mamula narrative never dies

Some use Mike Mamula as a representative of a NFL Combine warrior who never lived up to the hype. I like to use his story as an example of the laziness and predictability of the media. While the frequency of of mentions of Mamula's performance has died down a bit the past few seasons, he is still noted ever time the NFL Combine rolls around.

What I liked about this article is that it actually includes just how impressive Mamula was during his workout in Indianapolis. He performed in 1995. Now -- in 2017 -- many of his numbers remain the best ever for a defensive lineman. Teams can use Mamula as a cautionary tale of putting too much emphasis on the Combine. But prospects should still use him as a role model. Mamula had his moment and he crushed it. No apologies necessary.

Looking back at Jim Reid's 1994 Defense

My memories of Jim Reid's one season at BC are fond. He may have inherited a talented roster, but he helped maximize their potential. I don't know what he's going to keep from Don Brown's scheme or what he will implement on his own, but this look back at a defensive battle against Virginia Tech is interesting. Some things of note:

-- BC is playing a lot of zone coverage, so that is different from Brown's preferred man and Cover 1 schemes.
-- At the time, Virginia Tech was a run-heavy team with some option plays, so BC crowds the box throughout and the LBs are very aggressive on run stopping.
-- Like Brown, he has his down linemen mix things up with stunts.
-- He doesn't need to blitz too often (but that is also because VT was so vanilla).

Some non-Reid things to notice:

-- This was the first game in Alumni after the renovation/expansion.
-- Dave Sims and Doc Walker are on the call and sound the same as they do today.
-- Old friend Gary Tranquill was calling plays for the Hokies.

Narrative changed?

We are days away from the NFL Draft and Mike Mamula is nowhere to be found. Usually this time of year articles and blogposts are filled with references to the former Combine wunderkind. In many of these posts, he is wrongly labeled as a bust and as someone who only got drafted because of his NFL Combine performance. As any BC fan knows, neither is the case. Mamula's final college season was dominant. He was going to be a first day draft pick before the Combine. The great workout only elevated him that much more.

I don't know why there are fewer stories this year. My Bing alert only mentions him six times in the last seven days. Maybe writers are moving on. Or perhaps there are just new targets. Either way, I hope he starts getting the credit he finally deserves for both his college and NFL career.

New Hall of Famers and other links

BC announced the newest members of its Hall of Fame. Inductees include Mike Mamula, Marty McInnis, Amy LaCombe, Maria Cicero, Antonio Granger, Casey Schmidt and Lou Tessier. The one bit of controversy was the announcement that Mark Chmura was also included. Some people feel that Chmura's 2000 incident with his babysitter should exclude him from such an honor. At this point I am fine with him being included. He was found not guilty and I think this is more about honoring his achievements while at BC.  Chmura's put the incident behind him, so shouldn't most BC fans?


ESPNBoston posted great feature on former captain and current Director of Ops Peter Frates. As most know, Frates is battling ALS. It is nice to see his story reach a wider audience via ESPN.

This compares the APR trends of all the ACC football and basketball programs. Football improved slightly while basketball fell.

Hockey East invited UConn to join the conference. I find it interesting that we allowed this entry but have opposed UConn as an ACC school. I guess most of the bad blood between the schools was really related to football and basketball.

Draft Stuff: Kuechly, Kuechly, Kuechly, a little Fletcher and Mamula too

The NFL Combine begins this week and it will be Luke Kuechly's chance to shine. His college productivity is off the charts, but teams wonder if he has the size and speed to be as effective in the NFL. Luke's been training in Florida and ready to show off his new speed.

Todd McShay ranked Luke Kuechly as the 9th best prospect overall in the Draft.

Everyone thinks Philadelphia will draft Kuechly.

If he doesn't go to Philadelphia, look for Kansas City to give Luke a look.

BCI and Mocking the Draft spent time analyzing Kuechly's NFL future.

This blurb from CBS calls Fletcher a sleeper.

It's Mamula time and this article is actually a fair.

Picture Day and other links

BC provided a look behind the scenes of the annual Picture Day. Am I just weird or would other people like to hear the audio of the events instead of the soundtrack? What are they saying to Montel when he poses or does Spaz have anything to say? Is someone making a joke? The best news from the day was to see Harris and Williams moving around.

Williams expects to be back, but Spaz isn't as optimistic.

The Jets cut Brian Toal. He had been trying to make the team as a Fullback. Not sure what his next move is.

What is it about BC grads and reality TV shows? Mike Mamula will be part of a new Bravo show. It's not part of the "Real Housewives" franchise, but in the same genre. Let's hope he acquits himself well.

No more Mamula meme?

For years the time leading up to the NFL Draft was Mike Mamula's (and this BC blogger's) Groundhog Day. Like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, each April as the Draft approached, hack writers would use Mamula as an example of what not to do during the Draft. The narrative/meme was that Mamula was a workout warrior that the Eagles took too high and an NFL bust. What the articles always failed to restate was that Mamula was a great college player -- not just a combine freak and that he had a decent NFL career.

Now the NFL Draft is a week away and other than some SEO garbage from Bleacher Report and a disguised press release, there is no mention of Mamula anywhere. This is progress. Now if we can just stop reading about "gambling scandals."

Reefer madness: Raji adds twist to his draft day story

Every Draft Guru and ESPN talking head owes BJ Raji a big thank you. His stupid mistake just provided a second act to his draft story and fodder for the endless on-air debates that surround the NFL Draft. He's gone from this year's Mamula to this year's Warren Sapp.

After the season ended Raji was considered a late first rounder. Then he dominated the Senior Bowl practices. Buzz built. Then they actually played the Senior Bowl and looked even better. The media and NFL started taking notice. Raji followed this performance with a very good combine and Pro Day. Detroit even floated taking him first overall. This skyrocketing reminded many BC fans of Mamula's assent.

Now word leaked that he failed a drug test prior to his combine. This will only remind people of BJ's past issues. Do you spend a first round pick on a guy who hasn't shown consistent effort? Do you give millions to a guy who battles his weight? Do you build your defense around a guy who had problems in the classroom? Do you want to deal with the headache of having your new star deal with the drug question in every interview for the next 12 months? Do you want to take a guy who was too dumb, or oblivious, or undisciplined to avoid pot for a few weeks prior to a scheduled drug test? All these types of questions surrounded Warren Sapp in 1995 (ironically the same draft as Mamula).

In the end I think Raji will have a draft day similar to Sapp's. He'll slide a little further than he would have prior to the leak. He'll be embarrassed and over analyzed. And he will be a steal for whatever team gets him. He'll make good money but not as much as he would have a month ago. If he becomes a good pro no one will care. If he is a bust, everyone will say "I told you so."

Some regulars may wonder why I chose to focus on the media angle instead of BJ's boneheadedness. Partially because I don't think it will matter and partially because I am resigned to guys doing stupid things. They're human and just because you are a good football player doesn't mean you are a good decision maker. BJ's did a stupid thing and nothing I say can change that or bring a fresh take. My only hope is he changes his behavior and learns. But given his track record I think he'll remain talented and reckless.

More draft news and other links

The New York Times debunks the "Mamula bust" story that surfaces annually before the draft.

The Giants may add another BC guy to the roster if Cherilus is still around when they pick.

Carolina needs to move up if they want Ryan.

Future Eagle Colin Larmond is burning up the track.

The Blackhawks signed Dan Bertram and Mike Brennan.

Replacing Brennan as Hockey captain will be Brock Bradford.

Rivals considers our football game against URI a serious mismatch. (Thanks to Ryan H. for the link.)

Move on from Mamula

Last year I mentioned how the NFL Combine always brings out a burst of Mamula stories. These tired cliches started appearing again this week. Deadspin captured the story recycling phenomenon perfectly. I'd love to see this annual trend go away. Ever the BC guy, Mamula seems to take it all in stride.