Reports indicate that Luke Kuechly will forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft early. All this week, pundits were saying that the decision was a particularly difficult one. It seemed that professionals were saying that his draft stock would never be hire, but at the same time it seemed that Luke felt that he had unfinished business left at BC.
As a fan, I am sorry to see him go. Luke was a great football player, easily one of the best defensive players to ever set foot at Boston College and a BC Guy in the truest sense of the term. However, I certainly cannot blame him for wanting to leave early for the NFL. I think I speak for BC fans everywhere when I say good luck Luke, we are all excited to see you play on Sundays and look forward to seeing your long and illustrious career in the NFL.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Bold Predictions for 2012
And so another year has come and gone. I would dare say that most Boston College football fans are relieved that 2011 is behind and that we can look forward once again with hope for the 2012 season. The biggest news for 2012 is the addition of Doug Martin to the coaching staff as offensive coordinator. Hopefully, Martin can take the talent that this BC offense most certainly has and turn it into a force to be reckoned with. It doesn't hurt either, that Martin will be able to utilize Montel Harris and Ifeanyi Momah, both of whom have been granted medical hardship waivers and will return to play for BC in the 2012 season. BC football fans have every reason to be hopeful, and every reason to dread the 2012 season.
With all that said, here are my bold predictions, some for BC and some not, for 2012.
1. Luke Kuechly will return to BC- I have no reason to believe that this will be so and expect to be proven wrong just as much as I expect to be proven right. But Luke has been oddly quiet about whether or not he will enter the draft. Both Matt Barkley and Robert Griffin have already announced their intentions. I can understand if Luke is waiting until after the holidays or until after his surgery, but something tells me that the long silence bodes well for BC fans.
2. Spaz and Gene will both still be at BC for 2013- Much to the chagrin of many BC fans, I do believe that Spaz and Gene will both be back at BC for 2013. I think that Spaz will find a way to win at least 6 games this in the 2013 season which will allow Gene to claim that things are getting better and that BC football is back on track. This, in turn, will help save Gene's job and keep him as AD in 2013. I do, however, believe that Gene will rule with less autonomy than in the past. Ticket sales and Flynn Fund donations will both be down next year and I think that will be enough for the powers that be to realize something is wrong in the Athletic Department.
3. Montel Harris will break the ACC rushing record- With the better part of two years to recover and get back into shape, Montel will break the ACC rushing record this year. Although BC has found suitable replacements for Montel at the running back position, and thus he may see less playing time, I do still believe that he will be hungry enough to play again that he will be running through opposing defenses
4. Chase Rettig will become the QB we all think he can be- Chase has shown flashes of brilliance over the two years that he has been the starting quarterback. In this year's Miami game I think we saw what he is capable of. I think that in his junior year Chase emerges as a great quarterback.
5. BC will finish second in the Atlantic Division- Pending a victory over either Clemson or Florida State, either of which I certainly expect to happen in 2012, BC will finish second in the Atlantic Division to whichever of those two teams it doesn't beat.
6. BC will beat Notre Dame- By all rights BC should have won the game this year. In 2012, with the game at home, I think BC pulls out a win. ND has a brewing quarterback controversy, Brian Kelly is not experiencing the success I think he or ND was expecting, and the division on the team between the Kelly recruits and the non- Kelly recruits will become an issues this year, as the latter will be the upperclassmen. BC is also due for a win in this one.
And now for a few non- BC predictions:
7. The Heisman winner will again come from a team not in the national championship- Somewhere out there, right now, is the next Cam Newton, Robert Griffin, or Toby Gerhart... someone who no one has really heard of, but is going to have a break out year in 2012 and make all the difference for his team.
8. An ACC team will make a run at the title- Clemson and Virginia Tech almost backed their way into the title game this year. Next year, I expect an ACC team once again to make a run at the title. My gut says Virginia Tech, but probably only because they've been close for a few years now.
9. The Big East will release West Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse- Expect the 27 month waiting period to be waived by the Big East and these teams make the jump to their new conferences.
10. An SEC team will NOT win the national title- For a long time I have said to friends and colleagues that a USC team, at its peak, would be the best challenger for the SEC in the title game. I believe this will be the case in 2012 and USC will win the title over the SEC team.
With all that said, here are my bold predictions, some for BC and some not, for 2012.
1. Luke Kuechly will return to BC- I have no reason to believe that this will be so and expect to be proven wrong just as much as I expect to be proven right. But Luke has been oddly quiet about whether or not he will enter the draft. Both Matt Barkley and Robert Griffin have already announced their intentions. I can understand if Luke is waiting until after the holidays or until after his surgery, but something tells me that the long silence bodes well for BC fans.
2. Spaz and Gene will both still be at BC for 2013- Much to the chagrin of many BC fans, I do believe that Spaz and Gene will both be back at BC for 2013. I think that Spaz will find a way to win at least 6 games this in the 2013 season which will allow Gene to claim that things are getting better and that BC football is back on track. This, in turn, will help save Gene's job and keep him as AD in 2013. I do, however, believe that Gene will rule with less autonomy than in the past. Ticket sales and Flynn Fund donations will both be down next year and I think that will be enough for the powers that be to realize something is wrong in the Athletic Department.
3. Montel Harris will break the ACC rushing record- With the better part of two years to recover and get back into shape, Montel will break the ACC rushing record this year. Although BC has found suitable replacements for Montel at the running back position, and thus he may see less playing time, I do still believe that he will be hungry enough to play again that he will be running through opposing defenses
4. Chase Rettig will become the QB we all think he can be- Chase has shown flashes of brilliance over the two years that he has been the starting quarterback. In this year's Miami game I think we saw what he is capable of. I think that in his junior year Chase emerges as a great quarterback.
5. BC will finish second in the Atlantic Division- Pending a victory over either Clemson or Florida State, either of which I certainly expect to happen in 2012, BC will finish second in the Atlantic Division to whichever of those two teams it doesn't beat.
6. BC will beat Notre Dame- By all rights BC should have won the game this year. In 2012, with the game at home, I think BC pulls out a win. ND has a brewing quarterback controversy, Brian Kelly is not experiencing the success I think he or ND was expecting, and the division on the team between the Kelly recruits and the non- Kelly recruits will become an issues this year, as the latter will be the upperclassmen. BC is also due for a win in this one.
And now for a few non- BC predictions:
7. The Heisman winner will again come from a team not in the national championship- Somewhere out there, right now, is the next Cam Newton, Robert Griffin, or Toby Gerhart... someone who no one has really heard of, but is going to have a break out year in 2012 and make all the difference for his team.
8. An ACC team will make a run at the title- Clemson and Virginia Tech almost backed their way into the title game this year. Next year, I expect an ACC team once again to make a run at the title. My gut says Virginia Tech, but probably only because they've been close for a few years now.
9. The Big East will release West Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse- Expect the 27 month waiting period to be waived by the Big East and these teams make the jump to their new conferences.
10. An SEC team will NOT win the national title- For a long time I have said to friends and colleagues that a USC team, at its peak, would be the best challenger for the SEC in the title game. I believe this will be the case in 2012 and USC will win the title over the SEC team.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas Eagles Fans
A very Merry Christmas from Saturdays on Shea to everyone. Enjoy the day with family and friends.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Welcome, Doug Martin
The talk that BC would be hiring a new offensive coordinator has been floating around since the Mike Faragalli rumors of a few weeks ago. Since then it seems that BC has been interviewing a number of candidates for the offensive coordinator position. Yesterday, somewhat surprisingly, Doug Martin was announced as the new offensive coordinator for next season.
Most recently, Martin was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for New Mexico State. This past season, under his tutelage, the Aggies were ranked 25th in passing offense in the FBS, an impressive statistic and a reason for hope for BC fans. Prior to New Mexico State, Martin was the head coach at Kent State from 2004 to 2010. Martin's record at Kent State is not particularly impressive, compiling just a 29-53 record over seven seasons.
I am not sure how to react to Martin's hiring. For starters, I am not comforted knowing that the announcement came as a surprise to many current players, who expressed their astonishment openly on Twitter. It concerns me that if the players do not know about something as major as this what other things are they not being told about? Furthermore, aside from his performance at New Mexico State and that he can claim to have coach Josh Cribbs (who played for him as a quarterback but is now a running back) and David Garrard (during his time in the '90s at East Carolina) Martin does not seem to have much to hang his hat on. Statistically looking at his time at Kent State he was lack luster, with mediocre performances each year, no bowl appearances and 6-6 his best finish. It makes one worry.
That said however, I do think Martin has an upside. His success at New Mexico State can't be ignored, nor can his success with Cribbs and Garrard. Furthermore, as ATL Eagle points out, Martin has close ties, philosophically and otherwise, to Jags and Steve Logan. Arguably, Logan was the best offensive coordinator to set foot at BC. Martin is a Logan disciple from when he served as Logan's assistant at East Carolina from 1992- 2002. Frankly, I think that anyone who was even in the same room as Steve Logan at any point in time, would be an improvement over our current and former offensive coordinators. There is also reason for BC fans to hope in this. Martin may not have had tremendous success in the past, but that could be attributed to talent level. Perhaps with the talent he will inherit at BC, Martin could prove himself to be a more than capable (at least comparably...) offensive coordinator.
Martin's lack of past success concerns me, but not as much as the fact that he will be our fourth offensive coordinator in as many years. Continuity is important for athletes and for the BC football players to be unlearning one system and learning a new one almost every year makes it difficult to succeed. I was a club athlete in my time at BC. Over the course of four years, I also had the misfortune of having four different coaches. My team had success, yes, but not nearly as much as we could have had if we had been working and training in the same system for four years. The adjustments that need to be made to each new system take time and getting used to, things will not just change over night. I hope that the players can adapt quickly to Martin's system, whatever it may be.
Although I have my concerns and reservations about Martin I do think he has tremendous upside and he is certainly an improvement over our past few coordinators. My hope is that Martin will take a page from Logan's book and bring back an exciting brand of football to BC. Martin has in the past run pro- style and spread type offenses. The talent exists at BC for a successful offense, hopefully Martin can adapt his system and coaching style to maximize the talent that our players possess.
Most recently, Martin was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for New Mexico State. This past season, under his tutelage, the Aggies were ranked 25th in passing offense in the FBS, an impressive statistic and a reason for hope for BC fans. Prior to New Mexico State, Martin was the head coach at Kent State from 2004 to 2010. Martin's record at Kent State is not particularly impressive, compiling just a 29-53 record over seven seasons.
I am not sure how to react to Martin's hiring. For starters, I am not comforted knowing that the announcement came as a surprise to many current players, who expressed their astonishment openly on Twitter. It concerns me that if the players do not know about something as major as this what other things are they not being told about? Furthermore, aside from his performance at New Mexico State and that he can claim to have coach Josh Cribbs (who played for him as a quarterback but is now a running back) and David Garrard (during his time in the '90s at East Carolina) Martin does not seem to have much to hang his hat on. Statistically looking at his time at Kent State he was lack luster, with mediocre performances each year, no bowl appearances and 6-6 his best finish. It makes one worry.
That said however, I do think Martin has an upside. His success at New Mexico State can't be ignored, nor can his success with Cribbs and Garrard. Furthermore, as ATL Eagle points out, Martin has close ties, philosophically and otherwise, to Jags and Steve Logan. Arguably, Logan was the best offensive coordinator to set foot at BC. Martin is a Logan disciple from when he served as Logan's assistant at East Carolina from 1992- 2002. Frankly, I think that anyone who was even in the same room as Steve Logan at any point in time, would be an improvement over our current and former offensive coordinators. There is also reason for BC fans to hope in this. Martin may not have had tremendous success in the past, but that could be attributed to talent level. Perhaps with the talent he will inherit at BC, Martin could prove himself to be a more than capable (at least comparably...) offensive coordinator.
Martin's lack of past success concerns me, but not as much as the fact that he will be our fourth offensive coordinator in as many years. Continuity is important for athletes and for the BC football players to be unlearning one system and learning a new one almost every year makes it difficult to succeed. I was a club athlete in my time at BC. Over the course of four years, I also had the misfortune of having four different coaches. My team had success, yes, but not nearly as much as we could have had if we had been working and training in the same system for four years. The adjustments that need to be made to each new system take time and getting used to, things will not just change over night. I hope that the players can adapt quickly to Martin's system, whatever it may be.
Although I have my concerns and reservations about Martin I do think he has tremendous upside and he is certainly an improvement over our past few coordinators. My hope is that Martin will take a page from Logan's book and bring back an exciting brand of football to BC. Martin has in the past run pro- style and spread type offenses. The talent exists at BC for a successful offense, hopefully Martin can adapt his system and coaching style to maximize the talent that our players possess.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Dave Brock In?
By the end of the day Wednesday, the rumors that Dave Brock was out as the offensive coordinator were proven false... to an extent. As it turned out, the position of Boston College offensive coordinator was offered to Virginia running backs coach Mike Faragalli. And Faragalli turned it down. This is good, in that it should keep Brock as the offensive coordinator, allowing for consistency and further player development under one system. But at the same time, this is not a good sign.
To state again, Mike Faragalli was offered the offensive coordinator position and turned it down in favor of remaining the running backs coach at Virginia. Now, I know that Faragalli and UVa head coach Mike London have worked together for a long time and perhaps that influenced his decision, but Faragalli decided that being running backs coach at Virginia was a better opportunity and a better job than being the offensive coordinator at Boston College.
There are only 120 total offensive coordinator positions available in all of Division 1 football. That number shrinks dramatically when you consider AQ conferences only. Furthermore, only a handful of those jobs become available each year. Being the offensive coordinator at a major Division 1 school is a great opportunity and can be, and often is, used as the jumping off point for a job as a head coach. Faragalli was given that opportunity and turned it down, which for Boston College fans should be taken as a bad sign. This means that the job as BC OC is not a desirable one. There is much uncertainty right now that surrounds that position, not just because the staff could very well be gone in a year, but also because of what type of team a new OC could inherit. I do believe that defections are coming, and Faragalli's decision to turndown the job suggests the same.
This event also speaks volumes to the current perception of BC in the college football world. Many in the blogosphere have said that Gene's meddling in the football program, his reputation as "Coach Flip," would turn off many potential coaching candidates who would not want to be micromanaged. This is an example of that. With the sudden removal of Jags, as much the result of a power trip as anything else, as well as the departure of Tranquill, then Rogers, and now nearly Brock, BC seems like a revolving door where one misstep could land a coach on the curb. Other coaches see this and realize that BC is not a good place to be working right now. Gene has so mismanaged the football program that, what should be a very desirable place to coach, is now almost toxic. Faragalli's decision to turn down the offensive coordinator position should evidence this. Boston College is a place coaches should want to come coach at, instead it is beginning to be viewed as a place to avoid.
To state again, Mike Faragalli was offered the offensive coordinator position and turned it down in favor of remaining the running backs coach at Virginia. Now, I know that Faragalli and UVa head coach Mike London have worked together for a long time and perhaps that influenced his decision, but Faragalli decided that being running backs coach at Virginia was a better opportunity and a better job than being the offensive coordinator at Boston College.
There are only 120 total offensive coordinator positions available in all of Division 1 football. That number shrinks dramatically when you consider AQ conferences only. Furthermore, only a handful of those jobs become available each year. Being the offensive coordinator at a major Division 1 school is a great opportunity and can be, and often is, used as the jumping off point for a job as a head coach. Faragalli was given that opportunity and turned it down, which for Boston College fans should be taken as a bad sign. This means that the job as BC OC is not a desirable one. There is much uncertainty right now that surrounds that position, not just because the staff could very well be gone in a year, but also because of what type of team a new OC could inherit. I do believe that defections are coming, and Faragalli's decision to turndown the job suggests the same.
This event also speaks volumes to the current perception of BC in the college football world. Many in the blogosphere have said that Gene's meddling in the football program, his reputation as "Coach Flip," would turn off many potential coaching candidates who would not want to be micromanaged. This is an example of that. With the sudden removal of Jags, as much the result of a power trip as anything else, as well as the departure of Tranquill, then Rogers, and now nearly Brock, BC seems like a revolving door where one misstep could land a coach on the curb. Other coaches see this and realize that BC is not a good place to be working right now. Gene has so mismanaged the football program that, what should be a very desirable place to coach, is now almost toxic. Faragalli's decision to turn down the offensive coordinator position should evidence this. Boston College is a place coaches should want to come coach at, instead it is beginning to be viewed as a place to avoid.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Dave Brock Out?
Rumors have popped up today on a few of the message boards that Dave Brock, who took over duties as offensive coordinator when Kevin Rogers left for "medical reasons" after the UCF game, may no longer serve as the offensive coordinator. A rumor popped up today that Mike Faragalli, current running backs coach at the University of Virginia will be taking over as offensive coordinator for the 2012 season.
Again, these are only rumors that have been circulating on a few of the message boards today. True or not, it concerns me that this is even a rumor. If true, Faragalli will represent the third fourth offensive coordinator for BC in as many years. This is not good. Each offensive coordinator brings with them a different style and different type of play that they need to teach to the players they coach. This prevents the players from getting into a groove and getting comfortable with the offense that they are being taught; they have to unlearn one system and relearn a whole new type of play.
Furthermore, this possible change represents more meddling from the athletic department. Dave Brock did an okay job as offensive coordinator when he took over after the Central Florida game. He structured the play calling to the strengths of the offense and put the players in as much a position to succeed as he could. To this blogger, there seems to be no good reason to remove him from this position. Brock did an okay job this season and with an entire off season to teach his system to the offense, the team could have met with great success next year. However, this does not seem to be the case and instead of stability and continuity the team will once again face a coaching change for the third time in a year.
If this rumor does pan out and Brock is out as the offensive coordinator, I hope that he at least stays on the staff. Brock recruited important players on this team, including Chase Rettig and Christian Suntrup. If Brock stayed on, I would like to see him as the quarterbacks coach, giving him an opportunity to fine tune the quarterbacks he recruited.
Only time will tell.
Again, these are only rumors that have been circulating on a few of the message boards today. True or not, it concerns me that this is even a rumor. If true, Faragalli will represent the third fourth offensive coordinator for BC in as many years. This is not good. Each offensive coordinator brings with them a different style and different type of play that they need to teach to the players they coach. This prevents the players from getting into a groove and getting comfortable with the offense that they are being taught; they have to unlearn one system and relearn a whole new type of play.
Furthermore, this possible change represents more meddling from the athletic department. Dave Brock did an okay job as offensive coordinator when he took over after the Central Florida game. He structured the play calling to the strengths of the offense and put the players in as much a position to succeed as he could. To this blogger, there seems to be no good reason to remove him from this position. Brock did an okay job this season and with an entire off season to teach his system to the offense, the team could have met with great success next year. However, this does not seem to be the case and instead of stability and continuity the team will once again face a coaching change for the third time in a year.
If this rumor does pan out and Brock is out as the offensive coordinator, I hope that he at least stays on the staff. Brock recruited important players on this team, including Chase Rettig and Christian Suntrup. If Brock stayed on, I would like to see him as the quarterbacks coach, giving him an opportunity to fine tune the quarterbacks he recruited.
Only time will tell.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Kuechly Wins the Butkus
Congratulations to Luke Kuechly on winning the Butkus Award given for the naiton's top linbacker. Luke was presented the award by Dick Butkus himself at an awards banquet this weekend.
Again, congratulations Luke, you certainly deserve it.
Again, congratulations Luke, you certainly deserve it.
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