What to watch for in the Ohio State game

As most know, I am a huge Ryan Day fan. Now with my new interest in Jeff Hafley, I am all aboard the Ohio State bandwagon. Their playoff game against Clemson is a great opportunity for BC. Here are a few things to follow during the game.

1. BC mentions. The cameras ignored Hafley during the Big Ten championship game. They won't this time. Even if BC is not Alabama, hiring a coordinator in this game is a storyline. It will get some attention,,, especially if the Ohio State D looks either dominant or struggles.

2. Hafley's adjustments. I was impressed during the Big Ten Championship game. Ohio State got burned early by being too aggressive. In the second half, Hafley came out with a new look and dropped lots of guys into coverage and changed the game. It gave me hope he will be a good game manager.

3. Hafley getting his first look at Clemson. Dabo's guys are on such a roll they can make Saban look bad. They may destroy Ohio State. But we should view this as learning opportunity. Hafley is going to face them every year. This game is not just a playoff. It is his chance to start prepping for BC-Clemson.

Best of luck to Ryan Day

Ohio State suspended Urban Meyer for three games for his actions related to Zach Smith's issues. That means interim Head Coach Ryan Day will get his first experience as a head coach this year. Congrats to him.

Day has a long history with BC -- and this blog. While I am sure Day would have preferred his first shot at something like this under different circumstance, this is still a great opportunity. If he team performs well, Day will be a top candidate for any openings this offseason. The accelerated time table does hurt his chances of ever coming back to BC as a head coach. But if anything the coaching carousel is unpredictable and Day might still end up at BC.

"Future Head Coach" Ryan Day makes his next move

There is a lingo to any fanbase, including BC's. One of the abbreviations on the BC Message Boards is FHCRD, which stands for Future Head Coach Ryan Day. There is a lot of sarcasm built into the acronym, but with Bruce Feldman reporting that Day is set to join Urban Meyer at Ohio State as Offensive Coordinator and QB coach, Day has taken the next step towards becoming BC's head coach. [UPDATE: Ohio State announced Day as QB coach. No coordinator role made official yet. Sometimes titles and roles are updated once all staff positions are in place.]

The sarcasm and skepticism towards Day is based on the belief that he's done nothing to earn his rise to the top. There is also the opinion that Day is too BC and too New England. That BC will never break through our ceiling with some guy who only really knows BC. I strongly disagree with those positions.

In my opinion Day's familiarity with BC and successful progression while at BC is a sign that he does get it. Working and winning under TOB, Jags, Spaz and Daz is the perfect environment to learn what works and doesn't work at BC. (It should be noted that Day was only part of one losing season at BC and that Daz and Spaz had their worst years after he left.) Yet Day also has had enough exposure to other coaches (Kelly, Golden, Meyer) and other environments (UNH, Temple, Florida, NFL) to not be so myopic to the BC way of doing things.

I inadvertently have been associated with Day's career rise since I reported that he would be BC's Offensive Coordinator following Gary Tranquil. I was premature in posting it and the behind the scenes politics between Gene and Spaz led to the Kevin Rogers compromise. The Spaz-Rogers situation blew up later that fall and when Spaz passed over Day again, the broken promises were enough to get him to join Addazio in Philly as Temple's Offensive Coordinator. He eventually became OC at BC when Daz got the job a year later. There has been plenty of ego and media talk about whose offense BC ran those first two years, but things worked much better than they have since Day left for the NFL. In both of those first two seasons, BC adapted to their personnel year to year, sprinkled in a little bit of spread and power, and yet still were a run-first team.

I know enough to know that Day might never come back to the Heights. So much of hiring a head coach is about timing and who is making the decisions. But one things is clear, if Day has any success as Ohio State's Offensive Coordinator, he will be a head coach soon. I just hope it is at BC.

Chip Kelly and BC: will the timing ever work?

When BC fired Spaz, Chip Kelly reached out to BC about the job. I don't know Chip nor have any idea how serious he was, but he did put out feelers. He was still the Head Coach at Oregon at the time. I don't know how seriously Brad Bates took it either. Chip, like many in his profession, has a bit of grass is greener philosophy and wanderlust. Nothing obviously came of it and I only heard about it in pieces from a few folks over the years. (The Golden and Bill O'Brien talks were much more serious.) Chip was clearly ready to leave Oregon. He took the Philadelphia job shortly thereafter. Now that he's been fired by Philadelphia, the timing might finally work. If Addazio struggles in 2016, the job could be there for Chip if he really, finally wants it.

Kelly will have his pick of jobs next year (and maybe still even this year). He will be the first call for any college looking for a new head coach. And despite his challenges in Philly, there will still be NFL teams interested in him. If he wants to win big in college or return to the NFL, BC clearly won't be a factor. But who knows what will motivate him?

Kelly has always marched to the beat of his own drum. Instead of going to a football factory or dealing with pro athletes he can't push around, the idea of building up BC might appeal to him. It gets him back to New England. It gets him in an environment he enjoys. He loves BC and is very familiar with the campus and program. He used to work the BC camps while at UNH and he had multiple BC guys on his staff. Even if Addazio struggles, in 2016 the job will be better than it was. The roster and athleticism will be good. The indoor practice facility will have been announced (and hopefully have a ground breaking). If Kelly really wants to coaching in the right place for him and close to home, BC might fit the bill.

I won't root against Addazio next year nor do I think Kelly is probable, but so much of all of this is timing. Maybe, just maybe, next year will finally be the right time for Kelly to come to BC.

Post Script

Of the BC guys now out of a job in Philly, I don't seen any returning now. After all that happened this year with the Offense, I don't think Addazio is willing to move back to Ryan Day. There's too much sensitivity to fault and reasons for past success. Bill McGovern would be a good linebacker coach, but does he want to come back to that after he's been Coordinator here? Dawson left BC in part due to his frustrations with recruiting. Recruiting remains a huge issue. I wish them all the best, but don't see any coming to BC right now. 

Day to Philly; Daz looking for new OC

The Eagles hired Ryan Day as their new QB coach where he will be reunited with Chip Kelly. This is a great move for Day and a critical turning point for Addazio.

Although Day spent most of his career at BC, he's been considered a rising star by many outside of Boston. In fact, I would say he was probably under appreciated by casual BC fans. Just look at most of the comments during his stint as OC. I liked Day from the start and appreciated his role in the Jags days as well as his contributions to the offense the past two years. He got a raw deal under Spaz and then hooked up with Addazio at Temple. Having Day as part of Daz's transition also helped the new regime since Day was so familiar with much of the roster. Our offense under Day was a good blend of Addazio's philosophy as well as Kelly's innovations all while adapting to unique rosters.

The timing on these things is never good, but now Addazio has to close out his recruiting class without one of his best recruiters and find a new play caller. The most obvious internal candidate is WR Coach Todd Fitch. He has playing calling experience and could run the same offense. But Addazio doesn't necessarily have to settle on an internal hire. There are plenty of guys who would want to come to BC, especially given the association with an Urban Meyer power-run offense. Being an offensive guy, Addazio will always have influence on the schemes too. I expect we will still be run heavy with spread principles.

Whenever Addazio leaves BC, Ryan Day will be a candidate to replace him. This move to Philly only makes his candidacy better. It gives him NFL experience and some distance from BC. Now if Addazio struggles, Day won't be associated with those struggles. If Addazio succeeds and moves on, Day can also position himself as the candidate who can keep the best parts of Daz plus bring his unique perspective.

I wish Day the best of luck and hope Daz makes a great hire.

Meyer's offensive adaptations and what is means for BC

If you like wonky football Xs & Os and the evolution of an offense, read this Grantland piece on Urban Meyer's incorporation of Oregon schemes into his offense. Due to Addazio's ties to Meyer's power/spread/option work at Florida and Ryan Day's ties to the Chip Kelly/Oregon tempo/spread, there are elements of both styles in BC's offense. However, the Addazio/Day hybrid has been very different from both (so far).

As Grantland pointed out, Meyer still uses power, but also added much more zone blocking schemes and attacks the defense outside the tackles. Since leaving Florida and partnering with Day, Addazio has doubled down on power. We between the tackles all the time and even when we throw in a jet sweep to Alston, it still has power elements. BC also runs more than Oregon or Ohio State. The only programs that run more than BC tend to be teams that run variants of the triple option.

But how much of what BC does is by design and how much is necessity? Addazio didn't inherit a roster like Meyer's or spend the past decade recruiting speedsters like Oregon. Other than the power football, the only hallmark of Addazio's first two years is his ability to adapt his offense to the talent available. He's not stubbornly trying to shove a square peg into a round hole.

I expect BC's offense to continue to evolve. Will they follow Meyer's path or will they incorporate Kelly in different ways? It will be interesting to see. But at least Addazio and Day's peers and role models are showing that you have to keep adapting and changing. Hopefully their adaptations lead BC to a championship game like it did for Urban Meyer.

One dimensional and loving it

Gimmick offenses or offenses that can't run and pass don't win championships (see Georgia Tech or Mike Leach's various iterations). However, a unique offense can help a limited team win way above its talent level (like Navy seems to do). Longterm, Addazio talks of mixing Stanford's power with Urban Meyer's spread. How and when he gets there with his recruiting and scheme is unknown. But for now we are a nearly run only team and it definitely has its advantages.

Last year Addazio played to his roster and his strengths. He was not shy about giving Andre Williams the ball and sending him out there behind six offensive linemen and two tight ends. Predictably whenever BC lined up like that the other team would crowd the box to stop Andre. With a crowded box BC would see plenty of Williams' runs that resulted in no gains. However, once or twice a game Williams would break free and take off for a huge gain. While BC experimented a bit in the first two games with formations and featured runners, it is now clear we are still at our best going big and our best runner is Tyler Murphy. And Saturday night we saw the return of my favorite type of play -- the big run when the other team crowds the box. Take a look at this GIF from Bostinno. USC has nine guys close to the line and only their corners playing off. BC blocks well, two guys bite on the hand off to Hilliman, Murphy makes one guy miss and he's gone. Game over.

This is not ideal and some teams will adjust. But for now, playing a gimmick offense is BC's best way to be competitive. Addazio wants explosive plays but we only have a few explosive players. Giving them good blocking and one guy to beat will be explosive and fun to watch.

2014 Preview Questions: Who will be our deep threat

For all of last season's innovative mix of spread and jumbo packages, the fundamentals of BC's offense were decades old. We ran the ball over and over and then used play action to connect on deep passes. I have enough confidence in the offensive line and the mix of running backs, that I think they can duplicate Andre Williams' production as a group. I have not seen Murphy play much, but his arm seems adequate enough to connect on deep passes. The big question is who will catch the deep balls?

Speed is really the key on long passes. If you cannot get separation downfield, a fast DB can catch up to the Reciever while the ball is still in the air. Amidon's deceptive speed was a perfect compliment to our passing game last year, as he blew by opponents with regularity.

The returning pass catchers lack many essential skills but especially speed. A lot is expected of converted QB Josh Bordner, but he's not going to run by ACC DBs. Harrison Jackson's health is in question. No one knows if Bobby Swigert will be 100%. Crimmins is a possession guy. Barksdale is untested. Dudeck brings a few dimensions to the O but he's not a scorcher. It is no wonder that the coaching staff is still scouring college rosters for a 5th year guy. Shakim Phillips is expected to return, but we can't count on that until he completes his UConn degree.

Of the incoming freshmen, there is potential. Nat Dixon, Gabriel McClary, Troy Flutie, and Thaddius Smith all have the chance to come in and contribute as true freshman. All they have to do is show they can run fast and still catch the ball.

After last year, I do trust Addazio and Day to do the best with what talent they have. If we don't have anyone who can catch it deep, we probably won't throw it deep very often. But before they abandon something that worked so well last year, I hope they try it once or twice with a new guy.

Run, Chase, Run

Chase Rettig is coming off one of his worst games and we are facing (in Addazio's mind) the best defense we've faced this year. It doesn't appear like a great time to bounce back or regain your confidence. I don't know exactly what is going on with Rettig. He's always held the ball a bit too long, but now it is becoming a real problem. Is it the new offense? Is it a lack of faith in his receivers? Is he being coached to hold on rather than force a pass? Has he lost his confidence? Or are not enough guys getting open? Based on watching and on what Addazio said, I think it is probably a little bit of everything.

The most challenging part of this slump is that Rettig still represents our best chance of going bowling. We know he can get hot. We know there are winnable games left. And the alternatives are not better. This is not Porter-Ryan or even Shinskie-Rettig. It is much more equivalent to Crane-Davis. The backups can't do the one thing that Chase can -- throw the ball.

The answer is to make the game easier for Rettig within the confines of the offense. To do that, Rettig needs to do the one thing that against his nature -- run.

We don't have a pages and pages of the playbook dedicated to QB runs like we will next year. But there are still plenty of plays where there are running opportunities. There are a few options and plenty of rollouts. Either by nature or by coaching, Chase rarely runs in those plays. However, there is plenty of open space. Early in one of our drives, he handed it to Williams on an option play when he could have kept it for a big gain into huge hole. Some of his rollouts (if he stays close to the line) could go for positive yardage. The biggest area where he could benefit from the run, is scrambling forward from the pocket when no one is open. The opponents are not spying him. On many of these plays he could escape for short gains.

I don't think Rettig is ever going to look great running or break open the game. Running has its risks. Rettig could get hurt, but I think the upside of running outweighs the risk of injury.

Right now we are predictable. Rettig running changes that. On true running plays adding him to the mix keeps the linebackers from crashing hard on Williams. On pass plays he can keep the chains moving and maybe start to get safeties and LBs hedging a bit -- which would help our receivers later in the game. Finally on dropbacks, if nothing is there, running helps his timing. He should take his steps, scan and then throw or run. The waiting is a killer. Nothing good is coming of it. He either forces a bad pass or takes a sack. By pushing him to run, it creates a rhythm or a natural clock in his head to make a decision. It might not lead to big plays and will probably result in even fewer attempts, but we may become more efficient on offense.

Things will probably get worse before they get better. After VT we face the easier part of our schedule. Who knows, Rettig could be fine and start completing passes once again. I still have faith in his arm. I just think we need to use his legs to fix things.

Second viewing thoughts and grade report: UNC

This wasn't a game we gave away with bad clock management or a missed kick. It obviously didn't come down to one play. But it was frustrating watching it back, because UNC did not play that well. Not as well as the score indicates. Instead BC kept shooting itself in the foot. This echos what Addazio said after the game, but when he watches it back, I imagine he will have steam coming out of his ears. There were that many plays -- fumbles, bad sacks, defensive players falling down, bad punt returns, etc. -- that added up to a big loss.

Offense: D+

We have plenty of issues on offense but Rettig is getting most of the blame. In this case it was justified. He is now holding the ball way too long. There were some positives in relation to his pocket awareness. He was willing to tuck and run more than he has all year. And most of the runs were net positives. But too many throws were late or not thrown at all. Talk of making a QB change is very premature. If we are going to make a bowl, it will be with Rettig's arm.

I was wrong about Rettig prior to the season. I was really wrong about Andre Williams. He's gotten so much better as the season goes on. The touchdown was nice, but he had a huge hole. However, he had a series of runs between the tackles where he ran hard and moved through traffic. For many years Williams was bad between the tackles. If he didn't have space, he wasn't able to adjust. Now he can weave a bit and is still very hard to take down. The only real issue with Williams was the early fumbled exchange. Rouse got a few snaps in garbage time. Willis was on the field more, but didn't get involved in the offense.

The offensive line was good. They got good push on running plays and at different points everyone was asked to pull or run. The pass blocking was also good for the most part. They gave Rettig time on most throws. Patchan allowed a sack, but was good for the most part (despite his penalties). Gallik also let in some rushers. Williams and White both played well.

Amidon had a few nice catches but could do much after the catch. He also dropped a catchable third down. But we need to get him more touches. What happened to using him on end arounds? Naples had a nice catch early. Jackson and Evans both had chances to catch balls but the throws weren't great. I blame it a little on them and on Rettig. A better QB-WR connection would have them coming back to the ball. Dudeck missed his one chance at a catchable ball.

I don't know what to make of Day's gameplan against UNC. We ran the ball well enough, but couldn't build on the passing game. A big problem in my opinion was passing on passing downs. If we run, run and leave us in a passing 3rd down, the defense knows what's coming. We are at our best when we can pass off of play action or rollouts on first and second down. It worked somewhat early. Why move away from it? Why not use some of the shotgun with short crosses that Rettig and Amidon like early in a possession? Get them in rhythm. Teams are flatout challenging BC now. It is going to be on Day to salvage our passing attack. It wasn't effective this week.

Defense: C+

The defensive line was probably the best part of the D. Ramsey played well and brought pressure. Appiah made plays for the first time in a long time. Mihalik made some good plays early. Edebali did well closing.

Steven Daniels is so much better than he was at the start of the year. We knew he was a big hitter, but he's doing a better job covering a lot of space. Divitto had a better game. He's not getting tackles for a loss, but is tackling well. KPL made some plays early but wasn't as active late. Little had a huge play in his debut.

Sylvia was the first BC player to get tossed for targeting and I am okay with that. The replay looked like he was slowing down a bit, but he still led with his head/shoulders without using his arms. If you are really going to break up a touchdown, you need to wrap up or reach in. A knock out hit might get the WR to drop the ball, but that is no longer legal. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts from here. The rest of the DBs had a similar situation from other weeks. They were decent tackling but not great in coverage. Asprilla got burned early turning the wrong way. Williams fell down on a touchdown.

The defense wasn't the real problem but the results weren't great. It didn't feel like a Don Brown day. BC certainly brought pressure and generated some huge drive-killing sacks, but most of the time their QBs were given way too much time. Our multiple looks and guys faking the blitz didn't seem to bother either of their QBs. Like I said with Day, teams now know a bit more what to expect. Brown needs to keep mixing things up or just blitz even more. The blitzes were what worked best.

Special Teams: C

Freese's punts were fine and our punt coverage was fine. Freese also had a solid kick off and made his FG.

Willis handled all the KRs and was fine. He didn't get a big break on any but made good decisions and ran hard.

Spiffy had some issues on the punts. He let one sail way over his head and then had some questionable decisions on returns. Dudeck was fine on his one punt return.


Overall: C-

The offense couldn't score. The defense allowed long, multi-play drives and the special teams didn't do anything special. Our gameplan was to get control early and grind it out. That was the problem. We didn't have a Plan B. Or at least a Plan B we could execute. We adjusted a little on D by bringing more pressure. On offense we couldn't come up with anything.

I appreciate Addazio's candor. UNC probably has more talent, but they didn't overwhelm us like USC did. BC made too many mistakes to win. That happens to all coaching staffs. The key is how Addazio regroups and gets the team to play better.

I know there is a lot of focus on Rettig. I've been blogging enough to see plenty of QBs struggle. This is not a Porter-Ryan or even a Shinskie-Rettig. I think this is more like Crane-Davis, where your backups are not the answer. So now the offensive staff needs to find something that works. It is triage time. If they don't, we will have many more games like this.

Maybe we should keep the current offense

Some of football's most revolutionary offenses were happy accidents. Bill Walsh's West Coast system came out necessity when his big armed QB went down and he needed to adapt for a weaker but more accurate Ken Anderson. Rich Rodriquez's read option spread came about after a QB and Running back screwed up an exchange in practice while he was coaching at Glenville State. I don't think Addazio planned to create a new offense when he came to BC, but maybe our circumstances and the early results are reason to keep doing what he's doing.

Addazio's ideal offense
Addazio has been pretty forthright that BC is not currently running the offense he would want. His ideal is something similar to what he had at Florida with some Chip Kelly influences. It would be a run-first, uptempo spread with a mobile QB.

What is running this season
When Addazio took over he realized forcing his desired scheme on a roster that wasn't recruited for it would cause some unnecessary pain. So instead he and Ryan Day took elements of their offense and molded it a bit with BC's current roster and added some power running, jumbo packages that Stanford put in under Jim Harbaugh. While BC is not lighting up the scoreboard, there is certainly more efficiency than we ever saw under Spaz. It is working well enough considering it was only designed as a transitional offense.

The future
Next season BC will have a more mobile QB, hopefully a few more playmakers and an improving offensive line. We should start looking like Florida did when Addazio ran their offense. It will be our own but many of the concepts will be like fellow ACC spread teams FSU, Clemson, UNC, Louisville, and Wake Forest. Those shared concepts with half the conference are my concern. BC won't be unique in the future making it easier to prepare and easier to gameplan against.

The case for keeping the hybrid
In any sport there is an advantage to being different. Think of the problems caused by Triple Option teams like Georgia Tech. Their opponents are not used to playing them and that can make up for talent differences or other weaknesses. I bet Georgia Tech's unique scheme gives them at least one extra win a seasons. This year BC's differences are creating some of the same problems. When we go into our big packages and/or unbalanced line, teams have to decide how to defend it. It creates mismatches. And even once teams have seen it, we've started adding wrinkles (play action, straight drop backs, late releasing players). If BC were to keep playing this style there are many more wrinkles to add that would keep our opponents guessing. Having a dual threat QB will also create new opportunities in this offense. Think of how effective naked bootlegs will be with a QB who can run if needed.

But being unconventional isn't the only reason to keep an offense. I think we can recruit to it. BC has always been able to find, recruit and develop big offensive lineman. Our trackrecord with Tight Ends is underrated, but I think we've done better with Tight Ends/H-backs/Fullbacks than we've done with elite WR recruits. I would also argue that our history of recruiting and finding running backs is good. The one area on offense where we haven't brought in a lot of elite talent nor sent any to the NFL is Wide Receiver. These playmakers  -- who may be a bit undersized but have plenty of speed -- are the key to Addazio's ideal offense. Speed is also a big deal at Oregon. I am not trying to say we can never do something or perpetuate regional or racial biases but where do you think BC can recruit elite players: Tight Ends or WRs?

I also like mixing the Stanford Offense with the Spread because it doesn't make BC one dimensional. If recruited well and practiced well, we should be able to grind it out or get into pass-happy shootouts.

The Future
The offense hasn't been revolutionary enough for any to take notice or probably even get people in the Yawkey Football Offices thinking differently. Maybe next year if we struggle, Day or Addazio might say, "let's break out some of that power stuff we used last year" or "I think our unbalanced line would work against this team." I hope our finish to this year is strong enough that they realize what they have. Who cares if it is new or a mix as long as we can make it work?

Copying from the best

Bruce Feldman spent a week with Texas A&M and wrote about it for CBS. Any college football fan should read the article just to get a feel for how a program operates. What I found interesting though was how the offensive staff watched the Philadelphia Eagles' opener and copied a play...a play that BC also copied and used early in the USC game.

On the TV is Chip Kelly's NFL debut against the Washington Redskins. The former Oregon coach is having quite a night as the Philadelphia Eagles' new head coach. The Eagles had a staggering 21 first downs in the first half alone while ripping off 53 plays. Kelly's success has caught Sumlin's eye. The Aggies head coach practically bounds into the room and goes right to the grease board on Spavital's wall. He grabs a blue Sharpie and diagrams up a wrinkle that Kelly has been carving up the Redskins with all night. It is a zone-read play with an option of throwing to the tight end with a bubble to the field. Usually a QB has three options on that play but the tight end free-releasing down the field creates a whole other set of problems for defenses.

We didn't target the Tight Ends in the first two games, so it was no surprise that we eventually used them in the passing game. What I appreciate is that instead of using them on a late release in goalline or a play fake off of a power play, we did it from spread, read-option. It shows that at least we are watching others and looking for new ideas. It won't always work, but it is encouraging that our staff thinks this way.

What sort of QB does Addazio need?

BC has a strong history recruiting pro-style, pocket passers. Jags recruited some dual-threat guys but Spaz reverted right back to the pocket mold when he took over. Despite his challenges, Spaz even landed two tall pocket passers for this upcoming class in Tim Boyle and Mackay Lowrie. When Addazio came on he said he was going to play to the team's strengths and build on what is here. Yet despite his proclamation and the connections he built with Boyle and Lowrie, Addazio went hard after a third QB in Michael Julian. 

Julian is an late blooming athletic kid from South Carolina. The recruiting sites categorize him as a "dual-threat" QB. He's right in line with Addazio's ideal QB based on his system at Florida and Temple. Even with the promises to the Spaz commitments, I had no problem with Addazio's decision. He needs to find the best players he can. But now that Julian has said "no" to BC, I am starting to wonder what sort of QB BC should recruit. And with the rise of the running QB in the NFL, what is a "pro-style" quarterback anymore?

A lot of the pro vs dual style is cover for race. If you look on the recruiting sites, "pro" style are predominately white, while "dual" are predominately black. For a variety of reasons, BC has been an easier sell to white, pocket passers. The guys who wanted to be the next Foley, Hasselbeck or Ryan. But that doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions. Bordner is a white QB from Maryland, but he is probably best categorized as "dual." Codi Boek was also recruited as a "dual" threat. But the color of the skin shouldn't really mater. What should mater is the QB's ability to throw and run. The ideal QB -- the guy I want BC to get -- is someone who can do both well. 

But stepping back, I started to rethink about Addazio's need to get a third guy. Shouldn't the offense execute well as long as the QB does most things well and right? Take Brian Kelly as an example. In all his stops he's used running and throwing QBs interchangeably  The framework of the offense is the same, but the types of plays and what the QB does is different. Steve Logan was the same way at BC. We ran the same offense with Matt Ryan as we did with Chris Crane, yet with Crane we ran the ball much more. If Addazio is going to have success at BC, he should be able to win with the QBs we have. The only way it makes sense to go hard after a third QB is if he thinks Boyle and Lowrie are not ACC caliber. 

We won't know if the new guys are any good for two years. We will know how adaptable Addazio and Day are well before then because Rettig is not a "dual" guy. I hope that they can score regardless of the QB's strengths, because if not we will have a lot of square pegs trying to fit in round holes. 

Addazio's pitch to Lowrie

As I mentioned, it appears like we are targeting a 3rd QB for this class. I also suspected that one or two of our current QB commits might look elsewhere. It seems like Mackay Lowrie is now firmly on board with Addazio (nice job by the growing BC 247 site). This is how Lowrie described Addazio's plan for QBs:

"We talked about the offense quite a bit," said Lowrie. "We talked about what he's looking for in a quarterback and how he wants a guy that can move around in the pocket, do some QB-read stuff."

That doesn't come out and say we need dual-threat QBs, but the read and mobility talk do indicate more of a run-based offense. I just hope we are not rigid in the first few seasons. You can adapt an offense season to season yet still keep the same core plays and philosophy. What we need is some efficiency, scoring and excitement.

Ryan Day will be the new Offensive Coordinator

Long-time readers and my critics can hopefully chuckle at this post's headline. I don't think think anyone expected the twists and turns it took to get the job. His results in Temple were not good and there are many BC fans that think he is all hype, but I like the move. My hope is that Addazio will give him free reign and we will finally have a consistent and competent offense.

Day got screwed by Gene and Spaz. He could be coaching in many other places, but he wants to be at BC. Obviously as Bates has just explained, that desire to win at BC means a lot to the administration. 

I will obviously have more opinion as this all develops. 

Montel Harris to Temple now officially official

Although it's been rumored and reported multiple times over the past few months, Montel Harris finally enrolled in Temple over the weekend. Supposedly the delay was due to Harris completing his academic commitments to BC. To be eligible at Temple, Montel must have completed his BC degree.

All the past comments hold true for me. I hope Montel has a great end to his career and gets his shot at the NFL. He was a pleasure to watch the past four years.

Hoffses reporting Montel Harris to Temple

According to Eagle Action reporter Eric Hoffses, Montel Harris is transferring to Temple. Despite some speculation, Harris did graduate from BC (enabling the transfer). The move reunites Harris with his former Offensive Coordinator Kevin Rogers and former BC assistant coach Ryan Day. I don't know how healthy Montel's knee is but I hope he has a strong season. He deserves it.

Update: Day to Temple, Sirmans to Rutgers

The rumored has become official. Ryan Day is leaving BC to become Temple's Offensive Coordinator. Ben Sirmans is leaving BC to become Rutgers Running Backs coach. This is good news for both of them and bad, bad news for BC. BC is losing two of their younger coaches and two of their better recruiters. Staff changes are part of college football, but none of this speaks well to how Spaz is running things nor his future.

Day has always been viewed as a rising star in the coaching ranks. He turned down opportunities at Mississippi State and Oregon to keep coaching at BC. It was long rumored that he would be our Offensive Coordinator one day. After Tranq retired I was told and reported that it would happen. It didn't and I think that signaled the beginning of the end for Day at BC. You can only be the young guy for so long. If he wasn't going to get a chance to call plays at BC, he needed to move on to a place where he would have that power. He worked with Steve Addazio at Florida and worked at Temple under Al Golden. It was a natural progression. Let's hope he is successful there and maybe one day returns to BC as the head coach.

Ben Sirmans is another huge loss for BC. Not only was he a good position coach, but he was a critical recruiter (he covered Cincinnati for us). Where you can explain away Day's departure, Sirmans doesn't make as much sense. Rutgers is a lateral move at best (the Big East's BCS status is in question). Given their budgets, I don't think they are offering lot more money. What they may offer is stability. The Knights new coach will probably get at least three years at Rutgers. Does anyone think Spaz will be coaching BC in three more years? Sirmans is also a New Jersey native, so the "coming home" aspect might appeal to him. Plus he already has a working relationship with Dave Brock.

BC didn't want to make changes. After BC's Signing Day I was told the staff was set. But obviously the staffers were still looking for opportunities. Leaving for inferior programs after getting overlooked for bigger opportunities at BC speaks to Spaz and Gene's management of the staff. It also reinforces the rumors of staff issues that Spaz dismissed a few weeks ago. I hope Spaz uses these openings to bring in young and hungry guys. This is his chance to change the energy around the program. Old retreads are not the way to build for the future.

Kevin Rogers

After a long and murky process, Kevin Rogers is Boston College's new Offensive Coordinator. Rogers comes to BC with a long track record and it will be interesting to see how he puts his imprint on BC. Let's get to know him a little better.

The Resume
Minnesota Vikings Quarterback coach: 2006-2010
Virginia Tech Quarterbacks coach: 2002-2005
Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach: 1999-2001
Syracuse Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach: 1997-1998
Syracuse Quarterbacks Coach: 1991-1998
Navy various staff positions: 1983-1990
William & Mary Running Backs Coach: 1980-1982
Ohio State Graduate Assistant: 1978-1979

Like Dan Henning, Rogers graduated from William & Mary, where he played Linebacker.

The High Points
Because they hit some hard time fans forget how cutting edge Syracuse's 1990s offenses were. Rogers was a key part of that innovation. The Orange were the first to combine and execute with any consistency Pro-style passing with Option elements. As the QB coach and key recruiter, Rogers developed Marvin Graves and Donavan McNabb.

In the two years that Rogers called plays for that offense, the Orange won the conference both years and led the conference in total offense both seasons. McNabb also led the league in total offense. Rogers was a shining star.


Notre Dame: best of times, worst of times
In 1999 he joined Bob Davie's staff as OC and QB coach. The Irish implemented his passing into their option offense and increased their efficiency, ranking 19th nationally. Jarious Jackson had his best statistical year yet but Notre Dame suffered a losing record. In 2000 the productivity declined a bit. Notre Dame had a deadly ground game but was a total mess at QB. Reminiscent of BC's 2010 season, Rogers used three different raw QBs trying to find something that worked. In 2001, the QB shuffle continued (only with Caryle Holiday in the mix this time) and the offense fell apart. Bob Davie and his whole staff were fired after the season.

Virginia Tech: starting over
After Notre Dame, Rogers joined Virginia Tech as QB coach. He did not call plays there, but was credited with developing Bryan Randall. He also was responsible for baby sitting Marcus Vick. Vick had good productivity but also was a major distraction. Supposedly Rogers became fed up with the situation after Vick stomped on Elvis Dumervil in the Gator Bowl. He joined the Vikings as QB coach.

The NFL
Rogers time with Vikings doesn't tell us much. The whole Childress/Favre situation obscures any imprint we could derive. He kinda/sort helped develop Tarvaris Jackson. For what it is worth, one of the first things Leslie Frazier did upon becoming head coach, was fire Rogers.

Reasons to be excited about Rogers
This is a guy who has recruited in the Northeast. He's recruited in the ACC. He's been away from the college game for a bit, but has a deep history to mine in his return. He's coached at schools with recruiting restrictions. He's called plays and led some very productive offenses. At one point he was one of the most innovative minds in college football. Plus he is a character guy who everyone seems to respect.

Reasons for concerns
Look at the list of quarterbacks Rogers has developed at the college level. Do any of them remind you of Chase Rettig, Christian Suntrup or even Dave Shinskie? He has never really relied on the classic pocket passers. His philosophy of over recruiting the QB position and seeing what sticks is more inline with Jags/Logan than the TOB/Spaz way of picking "one guy" each class. Rogers hasn't called plays in nearly 10 years. He has never worked with any of the current BC staffers. How Notre Dame fell apart in 2001 was very disconcerting. His offense is no longer unique.

Overall
Rogers is a big improvement over Tranquill. He was not my choice but I think he can still be serviceable. My biggest concern is his ability to adapt his offense to the personnel we have in place. I also wonder how he will work with the staffers we have in place. Staff chemistry is an underrated aspect of college football. I think we have some good guys on the offensive side. I hope they will work well with their new boss. I will have more from Notre Dame folks later this week. As I've said, I have real concerns about the process that landed us Rogers, but that is not his issue. That is a BC issue.

The past two years have been frustrating to watch. If Rogers changes that, we will owe him a big thanks.

Kevin Rogers rumors

I've been wrong repeatedly throughout this process, so I will save the extensive post on Kevin Rogers once the announcement is official. But now there are a few people saying Rogers has been offered and accepted the job. Gene is in London this weekend, so I don't know if/when the official announcement will come. I'll tweet what I know in the meantime.

My gut reaction is that this is an improvement over Tranq but not the perfect fit. Rogers' track record is mixed at best, he's been away from play calling for a long time, he's been away from the college game for a long time, and he favored "dual threat" QBs in the past.

We'll see how this plays out. This post is not some hedge either. I've been right on some things before and wrong plenty of times. I am just passing on rumors that have legs, so take it for what it is worth. I am still holding out hope that this is wrong and my original Day post turns out to be true.