Addazio's update

Addazio gave a standard, post-season, pre-bowl media update Friday. Most of it is on guys getting healthy and using the bowl game practice. Towards the end he gets around to Loeffler's departure and the future of the offense. Here are some takeaways:

1. He reminded everyone that it is HIS offense. He did this when Day left and seemingly goes back to that theme anytime someone questions credit or ownership of the offense. He explained that it is collaborative, but that he sets the tone and philosophy.

2. He wants a QB/passing game guy. That seems pretty standard. Loeffler had QB responsibilities. It would make sense that his replacement does too.

3. He looks to the Rams as a model...and says BC has already been doing that. Copying the Rams is admirable. They're one of the most dynamic teams in any level of football. But the overlaps are not obvious. Yes, both teams use big, bruising backs as a centerpiece and both play uptempo. But The Rams passing game is much more aggressive with downfield throws.

If he is thinking Rams, there are plenty of names on the Rams staff who might be good fits as OC, including:
-- Shane Waldron. Numerous ties to the Boston area. Coached with UMass, Patriots and Notre Dame and was even a high school coach at BB&N.
-- Liam Coen. Former UMass QB. Coached all over New England FCS schools.
-- Jedd Fisch. No obvious ties to Addazio but has been an OC at the college and NFL level many, many times.
-- Zac Taylor. No obvious ties to Addazio, but has been involved in offense at the college and NFL level.

4. Loeffler will be part of bowl prep. Addazio didn't say Loeffler will be calling plays, but I think it is implied. Typically college coaches finish out their old season while prepping for their new job.

Loeffler to Bowling Green, BC getting new OC

Congrats to Scot Loeffler. He's leaving BC to become Bowling Green's new Head Coach. It is a compliment to him, BC and Addazio, that another FBS school hired him away from us based in part on what he accomplished at BC. But as a fan and critic of BC, I am not upset or really worried about his departure. While a seemingly nice guy and good fit around the team and campus, Loeffler is below average Offensive Coordinator.

This season BC had an offensive S&P+ of 95th in College Football. Last year it was 101st. In 2016, Loeffler's first calling plays at BC, it was 124th. Some of this is talent. Some is Addazio's philosophy and game approach. But much of it is Loeffler. He was OC and it was his job to prepare the players, plan the schemes and adjust during the games.

As a frame of reference, BC's S&P+ under Addazio and prior to Loeffler:
2015 (Todd Fitch as OC): 125th
2014 (Ryan Day as OC): 50th
2013 (Ryan Day as OC): 30th

This is an opportunity for Addazio to boost the offense and help this team get better. I do believe there is offensive talent. Hence why BC can be so explosive. However, I don't think the coaching or play calling is great and that explains why they can be so explosive one play and inept the next.

If Addazio follows any pattern, it will be that he hires someone from his current coaching network. I have no real insight, but you could probably throw names out there like Mike Sanford Jr., Mark Whipple, Kevin Rogers, etc. I would be surprised if he promotes from within, but Brian White has been an Offensive Coordinator before.

Ultimately this is an opportunity. BC has playmakers, we just need someone who can get the most out of the talent and who can work with Addazio.

"Beauty" is subjective, winning is not

I didn't want to spend this week lecturing Addazio again about what to say and what not to say. But he keeps using his radio show to defend the team against those who don't know what they're talking about. Hoffses assumes he means BCI and me. I am guessing Addazio also hears the noise from the fans on the message boards, twitter and at Alumni.

While Addazio thinks he's building something beautiful (see the clip below), my concern is that he and his current staff are not capable of delivering on that promise.

Wish vine was still around for this one from Daz pic.twitter.com/EwjtNkEm72

— ERIC HOFFSES (@EJHoffses) October 8, 2017

I agree with Addazio that the players are developing. I agree that the talent level is improved. But the coaching staff still has to mold that talent into a unit and give that unit a clean gameplan. The gameplan needs to be something they can execute. Since Ryan Day left, Addazio has shown no ability to produce a competent college football offense. You don't have to "know" football to notice a trend:

Boston College's Offensive Efficiency under Addazio
-- Current Offensive Efficiency: 106th
-- 2016 Offensive Efficiency: 117th
-- 2015 Offensive Efficiency: 123rd
-- 2014 Offensive Efficiency: 32nd
-- 2013 Offensive Efficiency: 48th

When you continue to struggle offensively over the course of three seasons, it is a failure. It is not due to youth, injuries or a tough schedule. It is a breakdown in teaching, coaching, planning, and adjusting.

Right now Addazio sits at 2-4. We only have one remaining game where we are currently favored. If he really thinks he can deliver on this team's potential, he can just ignore the critics and win. Go on a run and shut us all up. Trust me, it would make both sides happy. Until then, I suggest he spends less time reading his critics and more time figuring out how to improve his offense.

What the coaches have to say

Addazio and his coordinators met with the media Thursday to discuss the start of practice and the season ahead. While most of it was standard stuff, you can glean a bit of information on the season ahead. 

I think it is clear that Addazio has confidence in the team and views them as talented. As he rattles off thoughts on each position group, he continues to mention the upgrade in speed and depth. The only area where he doesn't seem 100% confident is Quarterback. He certainly thinks there is talent among the QBs. He also wisely mentions his philosophy of recruiting lots of QBs and hoping one breaks out. But when it comes to one QB to lead this team now, I don't see the same level of confidence. Maybe he will have it by Game 1...or maybe I am reading too much into this all. 

Here is a good article on the relationship between Landry and Pasqualoni. I do think Coach P was one of Addazio's best hires. He serves as a confidant and can turn raw prospects into elite Power 5 Dlinemen.

I can only imagine what else Bill Connelly has to say

SB Nation's Bill Connelly tweeted the below out this weekend. It seems like this is a preview his BC breakdown. The chart doesn't show anything BC fans don't know -- the offense stinks -- but it will be interesting to see who and where Connelly points the blame. It rightfully belongs to both Addazio and Loeffler. The two have a ton to prove this year.

Ooooooooooof pic.twitter.com/3DkhSLk7Lq

— Bill Connelly (@SBN_BillC) July 9, 2017

What was that?

Last week I highlighted good offensive playcalling and play design. This week is the opposite. This was only one play, but I feel it captures many of the problems of the day and is an example of what Addazio explained away as things getting too complicated.

In my opinion, the best college offenses keep things as simple as possible. Variations, counters and new wrinkles are built on the foundation of what works. Because of the relative inexperience of all college players, the limitation on practice reps, and the challenge of trying new things, being a different offense week to week is nearly impossible. That was my frustration last year. We kept trying all sorts of things and none of it worked. It is all more frustrating because of what Day (and Addazio) did in Daz's first two years at BC was so brilliant. But that is another post for another time.

Here is the play. BC just got the ball back and it is early in the 2nd Quarter. This is first down. It is an empty backfield. Once they realize the backfield is empty, VT crowds the line and shows blitz.

The leftside of the Oline are trying quick cutblocks. For this to work, they need to execute well and Towles has to get rid of the ball quickly. 

Both guys miss and Towles is waiting. For what, I don't know. It looks like he's looking to his left, however, there is no separation. He has options to the right, but either doesn't trust them or is so locked on getting it away to the pressure side that he doesn't even look. He probably sees the total cluster that the cut blocks were too. 

The cut blocks were terrible and two defenders are coming right at Towles. Although there is space to the right, he doesn't run. Instead he launches the ball right at the VT DLinemen. They swat it and the play is over. 2nd and 10.

Now this is just one play in a terrible game. Who cares? Well BC was already down at this point but there was plenty of time to play. Instead of trying something that worked earlier in the season or early in the game, BC comes out with an empty backfield. This is my first issue. Second there was the Pop Warner sloppy cut blocks. This is not something BC has done much this year or in recent years. That leads me to believe they don't spend a ton of time practicing it. So either two things happened for this play to make the gameplan. They either didn't practice enough so that the OL could cut blockin their sleep OR they did practice it a lot and the linemen still couldn't pull it off (therefore wasting valuable practice time). Neither answer is good. I hope they didn't practice it much and were just rolling the dice. If they did practice it well enough to make the gameplan and that is how the guys blocked, then we have bigger issues.

While Towles is a 5th year, he is still new to this Offense and facing Bud Foster. Why not keep things simple for him. Tell him to take off if the play breaks down or the cuts don't work.

Addazio mentioned getting back to basics. That's good, because we need to find what works. Save the cut blocking, five wide stuff once we can block, pass and run.

A simple play I liked

Aside from his reputation and the stats, I don't know much about Scot Loeffler. By that I mean that I don't know what sort of plays he calls, how creative he is and how good he is at teaching his players these plays. Because BC is always going to be run first under Addazio (regardless of his coordinator), there will always be some restrictions on the play caller and play designer. However, there have been some encouraging signs from Loeffler so far. Towles seems comfortable in the Offense and we are passing more effectively than last year. But teams are still selling out to stop our ground game. The good news about that aggressiveness, is that there are simple counter plays to run against a defense loaded up to stop the run. 

One counter that Loeffler used in the first two games was passing to the the H-back/Tight End coming out of the backfield on a wheel route. Against Georgia Tech, Chris Garrison caught it out of the backfield. Against UMass we used the same play, only with Callinan as the H-back. Below is the set up.

Unfortunately the game broadcast cut back to the play before getting a clear glimpse of the formation, but BC starts in the I, with one WR wide and two TEs on the other side. UMass has eight in the box. Towles play fakes to the RB as Callinan looks to be the lead blocker going to the weakside.

But the H-Back is not a blocker and blows by the Linebacker ready to chuck him. This is the beauty of using a faster guy like Callinan or Garrison instead of Wofford. These big WRs can run right around your typical Linebacker. It also forces a DE or Linebacker to start to cover Hilliman coming out of the backfield. The extra blockers on the strong side also give Towles plenty of time.

Towles knows where he wants to go -- the H back -- but the other nice thing about this play is that all his progressions are on one side of the field. I am guessing the H-back is the first option. The WR deep is the second option and the running back is the last. But overall it is a simple play. Hopefully all BC QBs could handle it.

Callinan has his man beat from the start so he has plenty of time and space to locate the ball and adjust. Fortunately on this throw, Towles lofts it right into his belly. No acrobatics needed. The UMass Safety comes over to help but it is too late.

Callinan makes the catch. First Down, Boston College.

As I wrote, this isn't some wild concept or something new. Play action against a loaded box is trusted and true plan. What I appreciate about Loeffler is that he called his at just the right time and that he added the wrinkle of putting faster players coming out of the backfield. This is not a slight on Wofford. If anything, as teams see this play on tape, they will be looking for Garrison/Callinan lining up in the backfield and think pass or view Wofford's snaps as runs. It will then be up to Loeffler to mix it up and keep off of tendency. But not bad for an Offense that couldn't do anything right last year.

Looking at Addazio's inconsistency on philosophies

Addazio has spent the whole offseason saying the Defense won't change now that Don Brown is gone. He says that the terminology is the same, the personnel and of course the aggressiveness. While Reid won't be running a system he put together, he has enough experience in football that this shouldn't be a problem. Plus Paul Pasqualoni -- who used Don Brown at UConn -- is around to fill in any gaps. I am fine with this idea of keeping the system after its founder is gone. Limited practice time and specialized recruiting help "systems" work in College Football, as opposed to the NFL where you have to do it all. What I find interesting is that Addazio is married to a Defensive System, yet keeps changing his offense each year. You wouldn't expect that from an offensive guy.

Articles like this reinforce the idea that Loeffler is going to make drastic changes to BC's offense. Much more passing and more downfield plays. We probably have the QB to do this, but I don't know if we have the OLine to protect him or the playmakers to leverage it. We will see once the games begin. But what if BC struggles again? Will Addazio try something else next year?

I don't know how intentional it was, but Addazio stumbled into something beautiful and brilliant in his second year. Because of the personnel and coaching, BC ran a scheme that was part Oregon and part Stanford. We couldn't throw well, but we had a unique and electric offense. Instead of keeping that unique style, Addazio scrapped it when Murphy left and Offensive Coordinator Ryan Day went to the NFL. Last year we started in a more traditional pocket passing, power game. Once Wade got hurt we struggled to do anything. That is where the lack of a system comes into play. If Addazio was truly building an offense -- not just adjusting to players and his OC -- he would have been able to better plug in a replacement for Wade. We will have the same issues this year if a QB goes down or no one can catch.

Maybe Loeffler is finally running the Offense Addazio wants. Maybe we will be power running with play action for deep balls. I don't care. I just want him to find something that works and stick with it.

Athlon's Preview of BC

Athlon released their BC preview and has the Eagles at No. 65 nationally and 6th in the Division. They believe Towles will start and that the season will come down to what Loeffler can do. Overall Athlon considers Towles the 10th best QB in the conference. They consider Addazio the 12th best coach in the conference.

The most reassuring thing of all their BC coverage, is the confidence in the Defense. There is talent and good coaching on that side of the ball. As Athlon -- and everyone else is saying -- this year will come down to how the Offense performs.

ESPN optimistic about Towles

ESPN posted an article on recent ACC QB transfers and how their histories projects to our new QB Patrick Towles. The short history of these transfers is mixed, but the good news is that the successes are closely tied to BC. We all know about Tyler Murphy and how he carried the team in 2014. But there are also huge differences between Murphy and Towles. Murphy got to play in a run heavy system with Ryan Day calling the plays. Murphy was also less experienced than Towles having only started six games to Towles' 22 starts.

The other relevant QB in the article was Virginia Tech's Michael Brewer. Despite some injuries, his two years in Blacksburg were very productive and a seemingly easy transition. That is comforting considering his Offensive Coordinator in those two seasons is BC's current OC Scot Loeffler.

The most reassuring part of the article was this quote from Bobby Petrino:

“I’ve known Patrick for a long time,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said recently on the ACC teleconference. “He had a great high school career and we competed against him at Kentucky. He's a very fine quarterback. He's big and physical, has a good release, and can really throw the football. He definitely should do a good job there.

With regards to most things, I don't trust Bobby Petrino. However, evaluating college QBs is one area where his expertise is superior to most. If he likes Towles, I feel pretty good about him too.

Hoops at MSG and other links

BC Basketball announced a game with Auburn next year. The game -- part of a doubleheader at Madison Square Garden -- is sponsored by Under Armour. Both schools are with UA. Aside from keeping Under Armour happy, the game is smart scheduling. Auburn is rebuilding too and we get to play them on a neutral court. Hopefully BC fans in New York will turn out for the game.

Both of our coordinator changes (offensive | defensive) are under the spotlight.

The Colts seem interested in Justin Simmons.

First Day of Spring Practices

BC Football began Spring Practices Thursday. It is the team's first chance to improve off of last season's disaster and also the first chance for the new QB and new coordinators to work with the team. ESPN posted the three big issues of Spring Practice, but it is even simpler than they suggest.

BC needs just one QB to step up. ESPN and Loefffler say that the team needs to find the top two or three QBs. That will be too many. BC needs one clear cut guy who has command for the offense, respect from the team and the ability to win games. I want to be optimistic about the season, but if all the guys are bunched together, than I am going to think all are mediocre. We've seen what Smith, Fadule and Flutie can do. The staff has good film on Towles. And although he got hurt, Addazio has a good feel for Wade. I can buy one making a huge development step forward. I can't buy all five (plus Brown). If all five are even, then none are good and BC's offense is in trouble.

Improve the OLine. Who cares if a QB steps up or if the running backs are healthy if they are running for their lives? The OLine issue last year was about development and talent. The best talent was young and undersized. Now they are all a season older and physically better. They need to use these next two weeks to find positions and work as a unit. They are not under the same time pressure that the QBs are, but progress is important.

While ESPN focused on the D and new staffers, I am not worried there. Reid took over Defenses before -- including BC's. The rest of the guys all have history with Addazio or BC, so it shouldn't be a problem. If anything the overall staff should be more effective.

Spring Ball is usually overblown. This year is different. BC needs to make real progress or else it could be another long year.

Loeffler and other staff shake ups official

After letting everyone else report it, BC finally announced that Addazio hired Scot Loeffler as his new Offensive Coordinator. He joins the team after three seasons with Virginia Tech. Loeffler will also coach QBs. Included in the press release were some other staff changes. Justin Frye received a promotion and will now be run game coordinator and Oline coach. That is not too surprising. It gives a young coach a little more pay and little more responsibility. Brian White moves to Running Backs coach. Todd Fitch moves back to Wide Receivers coach. Fitch's demotion supposedly ruffled feathers, but how can it be a surprise? We had the worst offense in college football. Something had to be done. I wouldn't like to lose Fitch as a recruiter, but cannot blame him if he leaves.

Ben Alberts also received a promotion. This move surprised me as I had heard that he was on the hotseat somewhat for not producing more on the recruiting trail. Al Washington moves back to Defense as an Outside LB coach and also takes on Special Teams. I would like to see Washington stay on one side of the ball so that he can eventually be groomed for a coordinator spot.

While I believe that Loeffler, Frye and Alberts' roles are all set in stone, I think the others are all still in pencil. BC still has one open staff position. Based on need, you assume it will be a defensive backs coach, but whoever they find could set in play another shift. Also, if Fitch does leave, some of the Offensive guys could get moved.

Addazio doesn't have time for Loeffler not to workout

Auburn fans don't think much of Scot Loeffler. And the Virginia Tech fans are a mixed bag. While I am sure some of their criticisms are valid (predictable, forces players into offense regardless of skill set, etc.) none of what they feel really matters to BC. Because if Loeffler, or more accurately Loeffler/Reid combination, doesn't work out, Addazio is done. 

If BC is terrible offensively again this year, Addazio won't get to replace Loeffler. How could he go to Bates and ask for more money to find yet another play caller? And what in-demand OC would want to be Addazio's fourth Offensive Coordinator in four years? It would be the lamest of lame duck positions. If the Offense is last again in the conference and among the worst in College Football, than the issues were clearly not Todd Fitch or youth.

It is comforting that Addazio hired a friendly face. He probably knows that he can't screw this up, so he might as well go with someone he can trust. If Loeffler has great success and moves on to better things, then Addazio can take a risk. Then he can hire an untested assistant. But for now he needs support and someone who will not screw up. Loeffler may have a limited upside, but he won't be any worse than last year. But then again, no one really could.

Report: BC finalizing deal with Loeffler

Eric Hoffses is reporting that BC is closing in on a deal with Scot Loeffler. Loeffler has been the most logical, predictable, rumored and speculated name given his availability and ties with Addazio. He's not a play-calling genius nor offensive revolutionary, but Loeffler is a welcome change. Finishing last in total offense is a sign of total failure. BC's planning, practicing, approach, scheming and needed to be changed. Loeffler represents that change. His familiarity with Addazio and the ACC is an added bonus. I will have more when this all becomes official.

Is Loeffler the next hire?

As soon as Frank Beamer announced his retirement, many started speculating that Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler would join Addazio at the Heights. The two worked together at Florida and Loeffler called the plays during Addazio's first season at Temple. Wednesday, Blauds said a move is likely. Blauds was right on Reid so I assume he is getting his scoop from Addazio himself. (Vega is off the BC beat, so Addazio has to find new friendly outlets.)

Loeffler would be a perfectly fine hire and would fill the promise of moving to a more "pro style" offense. He would also fill another staff opening. He seems like he is the next domino to fall.