ADDAZIO AND THE RED RYDER BB GUN

It's been, what, 36 hours and change. The initial, self-fulfilling fury of Steve Addazio being revealed as Brad Bates' head coach selection has somewhat subsided. We've now met Addy, and we've seen his excitement come through the media train he's been sent out around.

Let's talk about three things.

Why BC Fans Were Pissed At the Announcement
BC Fans were pissed at the announcement because the leaks, sources, bloggers, media and  rumors pointed to grandiose, sexy things like Bob Diaco and Al Golden. It's become clear that Golden really may be willing to stay with his Miami ship, and Diaco has been subject to other speculation. Whether you believe the rumor that Diaco tanked his interview (the current spin from the inside), didn't want the job and was using BC for more money at ND or that Bates had his mind made up and never gave him a chance, he's not our coach and no one else's, yet, either.

We had talked ourselves into it, that this was the big hire for BC. We were going to screw a rival. We were big time. And then we got the head coach at Temple, who was oft chided at by one of the biggest national bloggers (slash Gators fan) in all the land for his time at Florida. His two year record at Temple was far from overwhelming and, in a pile of dirt in the face, he had the BC assistants who had scurried from the S.S. Spazoo.

We sent Santa our wishlist, saw a present wrapped in Mom and Dad's closet, and then didn't get our Red Ryder BB gun. And we threw a tantrum without thinking about where we stood.

Reflection Has Made It Better
Most didn't like the Ryan Day baggage that Addazio brought with him - after all, it's a bit of a joke in the BC blogosphere, most of it out of love, aimed at ATL's premature report a few years ago. Other than that, the reaction has been turning. His press conference yesterday was solid, and when you get into the numbers of his time at Temple (and their odd scheduling through conference changes), everything is not surface. He is going to change a few things about BC's last 15 years of football:

1. We are going to rely on more than BC to recruit - the system and Addazio himself will be factors that get kids in, and kids who may not have considered BC before. This won't all be about developing 2/3 stars and selling BC to "Guys who could be BC guys".
2. The defense is going to be aggressive, not in deep back mode. As was pointed out on Deadspin, we had six sacks all year - when there were more than 500 times that teams recorded seven or more in a game. I'm not upset about this change at all.

Whatever happened with the MAC guys, Diaco or Golden, that's passed. People will dwell, because that's what message boards are for, but there seems to be at least a mindset now of, "You won the press. Great. Now go win some football games." Because that's what this is about.

We Would Have Shot Our Eye Out

This is the important part of where I've come to after that reflection. BC football is in a bad place. Like, really bad. Spaz's mismanagement on the field, dismissal of seniors who could offer leadership and pushing around of staff (respect his privacy) really put us down in a hole. Anything is better. No. Seriously. Anything.

If we got what we wanted, though, the reality of the situation may not have been immediately clear. There would be premature talk of what would happen and what we expected in the near future. It was already happening in the boards and community - Think of the guys Golden could bring with him from Miami! Diaco could be recruiting from the sidelines of the national championship! - and we would have lost sight of where we are right now.

The expectations for Addazio are in line with what is realistic and actually can happen. BC will get better under him, and probably noticeably against the record even next season - while we aren't sure how scheduling, the capsule or divisions will change next year, the addition of Syracuse in the place of what likely would have been UNC ain't too shabby. We wouldn't be out of place to think that a few pieces and coaching could get BC to .500 and a bowl. That's a positive direction from where we are. Keep that in mind.

I know that many have said that Bates is now tied to this hire in his legacy, but I will tell you, that would have been true no matter who he hired. If we get back to where we were in the beginning of the decade, that is success for now and probably the next few seasons. If Bates made the big hire who could only achieve the same thing? THEN I'd be pissed. 

This is an arbitrage move that would make the Tampa Bay Rays proud. 

If our results are going to initially be the same - I don't think even Belichik could take next year's talent to the National Championship - it isn't a good investment to buy the shiny thing at this price point right now. If it failed, we'd be saying he wasted our money on a long, expensive contract for results that were available cheaper.

We're being unfair to Bates now, but we would have been even more unfair to Golden or Diaco if they failed - and while they are sexy hires, they are still unproven. Golden is under .500. Diaco hasn't been a head coach. It very well could have backfired.

What Now.

Football season is nine months away. We'll be watching quotes from Chase Rettig and tracking his whereabouts, and determine if and how he fits into Addy's schemes. We'll see if Ryan Day is a different Ryan Day than the one who was here under Spaz. 

But the only thing we can do? Wait until the fall and see how he does on the field.

DIVINE COMEDY

Among the many Jesuits I met in eight years of AMDG education, Fr. O'Malley was one of my favorites. He was a legend, a former president of two other Jesuit universities during his career and my freshmen seminar class professor. When he passed away a few years ago, several of my other classmates who shared that table with me and Fr. O'Malley were all saddened by the news and shared some of our favorite memories.

I had two. One was of course his complete recitation, in original Greek, of the passage in the Iliad from which BC copped its "Ever to Excel" motto:

He sent me to Troy, telling me repeatedly to strive ever to excel, to outdo other warriors, so I do not shame my father's family.

Among the other memorable readings and passages from a year of that class was the time we spent on all three parts of the Divine Comedy. The Inferno, with its levels of hell and images of Judas, Brutus and Cassius, is always easy to remember. Yet the whole Comedy, taken as the trio that it is, has greater meaning. The fact of the matter was that Dante must heed Vergil's advice to experience hell before making it to paradise; Fr. O'Malley was a tad less subtle when it came to telling some 18-year-olds that things weren't always going to be easy, but that rewards wait. 

The Eagle outside the locker room does not say, "Abandon hope all ye who enter here". It says, "By touching this Eagle, you remember those who came before you and promise to set an example for those to come." We are Boston College. We quote Dante to make points about our football team. And we are going to come out the other side.

OH SO CLOSE

CLEARANCE ON AISLE COUNTDOWN

(This really was the clearance rack in the bookstore at the beginning of the summer, for the record.)

WAIVER GRANTED FOR COUNTDOWN

FOOTBALL: THE LOWS PREVIEW

Earlier this week we looked at what may be the ceiling for this team. What about the glass completely empty outlook? This one's easy.

If Spaz just decides to head out on Saturday with both middle fingers planted firmly in the air, knowing he's got a well-battered team that he can't motivate anyway on the season that he'll be lucky to make it through, then we shouldn't be surprised if the team doesn't respond. Even if Spaz is letting Martin call more of the shots, no RBs, no TEs and a weird WR set that throws Rettig off (no pun) will prevent the offense from getting going and the defense can't capitalize on Miami's mistakes like they did last year.

Even in the worst world, the Maine game is still a lean-win, but you don't have to feel good about it. It certainly doesn't give any momentum as you head on the road to Northwestern making a loss possible. The bye week just lets us stew at 1-2 while we prep for Clemson - which, even if Clemson can Clemson, Spaz Ball may trump all of that as both teams race to the bottom and we get there faster. Army, like Maine, is a lean-win, but if we head to Tallahassee and then Atlanta at 2-3, how much hope will there be for the team?

Coming back to Chestnut Hill, Maryland - the only ACC team with more depth chart and coaching intervention issues, perhaps, than BC - could still pose a challenge. If BC survives, November doesn't look good - we've never played well in Winston-Salem, Notre Dame and VT are very likely candidates to just roll over us, even at home and depending on whether or not TOB is a lame duck or not will impact which team he rolls out. There's one, two wins tops in those five games if something goes right.

3-9, no bowl, national TV embarrassment against ND (because it will be nationally televised) and the ultimate pessimistic prediction: a new AD decides they don't want to shake up everything and keeps Spaz at the helm.

NOT A DEPTH CHART JOKE

PHOTO OF ALJ NOT READILY AVAILABLE

FOOTBALL: THE HEIGHTS PREVIEW

This is what we get up for - game week. For us, we're going to pitch in a few quick season previews in the style of H&L. Today's is the "HEIGHTS" preview - our overly optimistic predictions. What will follow will be the LOWS and a few other things we used to do last year (Three Games to Watch will be returning on Thursdays). Let's make this quick and get to doing what we do best.

What's the high water mark for the 2012 squad has to fall into two separate questions, based on what you want the most in this world. Do you want the most success? Or do you want just enough success that will ensure Frank Spaziani will hang up the visor at year's end?

Like last year's opener, we start  with a headscratcher: what identity does Miami have and how will they roll in Alumni Stadium? A win by the Eagles would be a great way to get the boulder rolling down the hill - especially with the FCS Maine Black Bears in Chestnut Hill the following week. Two comfortable wins would likely give the offense confidence, and Chase Rettig could roll into Chicago feeling good for Northwestern.

The bye week comes early this year, but after an away game and before Clemson isn't a bad place to have it. Clemson is a lean loss, toss-up game - but since it's Clemson and they have their own verb about this kind of stuff, an Eagles team that's clicking could sneak an upset. Go to Army the week after and ring up the Black Knights and you aren't crazy to look up and see BC at 4-1 or, somehow, 5-0. 

That's when things get tough. Road trip to "It's August, They're Top Ten" Florida State, where even though BC has played well since joining the ACC, a tough test will wait. Georgia Tech in Atlanta, coming off a bye week of their own, also pose a formidable task for a BC team coming off a third straight away game. Luckily, BC returns home to face the Maryland team that was one of the four wins the 2011 team had up.

November is weird for the team - travel to Wake, a late out of conference game with Notre Dame, hosting Virginia Tech late in the season (when you know they'll be clicking) and finally Thanksgiving weekend in Raleigh. But if you look back and see that September starts hot and there is potentially a win or two in October available, November is the difference between 6-6 expectations and a surprising 7-5 or even, gulp, 8-4 depending on what Irish team shows up in Chestnut Hill.

The defense gets time to settle in, but the fact of the matter is that these heights are likely only reachable if the offense wins a few games. There is no freak of nature to get in Miami QB heads in the linebacking corps anymore. Chase, whoever is playing RB and what's left of the receivers and tight ends must find a way to click and score. 

Is 8-4 really as good as it can get? Even in optimism we're getting dull. Maybe that's the record that fits in the category of success that won't be enough for Spaz and we're really preventing ourselves from letting the rainbows shine through because we want to look to the future.

MAGIC NUMBER FOR 2012?

ONE WEEK TIL WE SAY WE'RE SORRY

NEXT FRIDAY IS 1

SINGLE DIGITS

THE MYTH OF KUECHLY'S HOLE

...wait, that came out wrong.

Look, you can't swing at a BC 2012 fall preview and miss a mention of Luke Kuechly. He was the face, the soul and, well, obviously the body of the team. Top ten draft pick, record setter and so much more.

The reason Luke recorded as many tackles as he did was because he was damn good. Let's not forget that for a second. But let's also not forget that BC's defense was called on to do a hell of a lot last year, and Luke was on the field quite a bit.

But, let's look at one such comment, from SI's Holly Anderson:

Last year: The perpetual All-American linebacker led the nation in tackles, averaging a head-turning 15.92 stops per game. The next closest defender, Akron’s Brian Wagner, averaged 13.36. The next closest guy on Kuechly’s own team, Kevin Pierre-Louis, recorded a little more than eight per game. In related news, Luke Kuechly had to be on the field a lot.

This year: Kuechly’s apparent replacement, Sean Duggan, attended the same high school as his predecessor, and started three games last season at weakside linebacker. Thinking about Boston College football makes us sad. Can we go back to asking Frank Spaziani about the Red Sox instead?

The name of the piece that's from? "Ten teams with huge holes to fill in 2012".

So Luke may have been responsible for two of our four wins last year (NC State, where he made nine consecutive tackles in the fourth, and Miami). And yes, at MIKE, that's pretty ridiculous for a defensive player to be that involved. Replacing an All-American is never easy.

Except calling this a huge hole is painfully unfair. Here's why:

1. Luke was damn good (I'm going to keep saying that so I don't get destroyed), but Luke was in a position for a lot of extra tackles because of (a) the time the defense was on the field and (b) the injuries on the D-line last year that shouldn't have let as many guys through to the second line.
2. The defense is still going to be rough this year, but it's not going to be because of Luke's absence. The linebackers are probably still the best and deepest part of the entire defensive side of the ball, and KPL will do just fine as the new leader back there and potentially average 10 tackles per game, not to mention Duggan looks like he can grow into something solid as well.
3. BC may have won two of its four victories by way of defense last year, but how many games did it lose because of defense last year. On top of that, how many games did it lose because of defense in the front seven? The pressure for the team to win games is still very much on the offense, and then to not lose in the secondary and in special teams. I wish we had the luxury to nitpick the linebackers.

I wish Luke was still in Maroon and Gold, he was an amazing player. The idea that it's even possible to fill the hole he left is ridiculous, but the idea that it's a necessity in order for success is the myth.

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET BC FOOTBALL AT FENWAY

With another awesome set of photos of BC past put out by the school as part of the sesquicentennial, which includes some great shots of the football squad at Fenway, we come back to one of our favorite questions: what are the chances BC could get back to the gridiron down at one of their historical homes and host a game in partnership with the Red Sox?

The way we have to look at it is in terms of three things:

1) Is there enough reason for Fenway and the Red Sox to do it?

2) Would it be logistically possible to get a football field in Fenway these days?

3) When and who would BC play?

Would Fenway and the Red Sox do it? If you take the 2012 calendar year and look at the amount of non-baseball events happening in Fenway, I'd have to go with an answer of the fact that they would at least be open to the discussion. We've had hockey, plenty of baseball and several concerts this summer, not to mention Liverpool hosting Roma in late July. Considering that many of these later events are even mid-season, you have to imagine that there is at least a crew available and ready. 

Let's talk logistics. You may recall that a few seasons ago, Northwestern and Illinois played each other at Wrigley Field - just as Fenway had once hosted the Eagles and Patriots, Wrigley once hosted many football games from colleges and the pros. The problem, though, is that the stadiums have been updated, albeit incrementally, and there are significantly more conditions and technology that surround the games that require more space. Even though it seemed like it would fit, a last minute decision was made to use only one end zone (the out of bounds area behind one of them would have abutted one of the brick walls). 

What would happen in Fenway? Well, look at this seating chart, which indicates where a football field had been laid down back in the day:

The closest the field gets to the walls are the warning track by the Triangle and then down by the away team dugout. You're looking at about 15+ feet buffer in the high sides, but where the sticking point was in Wrigley (the right field corner), Fenway has the advantage of the cavernous area by Pesky's Pole. This could actually still work, even with the bullpens still in play.

The final question: who and when? Scheduling is about to get tricky. BC's non-conference is pretty locked with USC, UMass and ND, with a few service academies thrown in here or there, the rest of the decade is actually pretty mapped out, and that all could change, too. The new 14-team ACC is bringing with it a nine game conference schedule, as well as some other factors (BC playing on Fridays at least once a season). I see two likelihoods:

1. If it's non-conference, it'd be a service academy. Given that we already are playing Army on a baseball field come 2014 anyway (down in Yankee Stadium), you know there would be some interest. Since we have to play UMass at Gillette, I doubt BC would throw away a home game with the Minutemen to have something at Fenway (although that's not completely out of the question).
2. Illinois and Northwestern went with the conference matchup, and I could see a BC-Syracuse matchup in Fenway as something that would fit the newly renewed rivalry as a welcome to the ACC. With seven games at home schedule for 2013, what better way to welcome the Orange than a high profile Fenway game?

We know that it couldn't be October (it's not optimism, it's operations: you just can't block off dates if playoffs are an option, the Sox aren't the Mets), but it certainly could be a September game (if the Sox have two consecutive road series, you could install the field come Monday, play Friday, and have it back in baseball shape for the next series on Tuesday. Most likely though, you'd be looking November, which is when the Wildcats and Illini played their match in 2010.

Likely? No. But it would be so, so awesome.

RETTIG TO EXHALE

No, we aren't trying with the blog posts titles. Thanks for asking.

We're into the second week of STG's incredible day-by-day preview leading up to kick-off on Labor Day weekend. It's early in the previews, but since he's going numerically, perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle is under the microscope today - Junior QB Chase Rettig:

Anyone who knows Boston College football and has two or more brain cells to rub together is aware that Rettig is pivotal to this team’s near-term future. Unless you think Josh Bordner will turn into an ACC quarterback tomorrow or that some other quarterback not on the two-deep will suddenly prove worthwhile, Rettig is realistically all we’ve got. His spring performance was troubling, but it must be our hope that he comes through these problems with a renewed energy and makes 2012 his best season yet.

As STG notes (and many other previews as well), Chase has had to deal with offensive coordinators as if it was the cursed Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. That's a lot of learning, unlearning and relearning. There is good news: the weapons he has at his disposal may finally be aligned under Doug Martin, the question is if he will adapt and grow into that over the summer.

There aren't many options when it comes to the field marshal offensive position on this depth chart, or really next year's either. Rettig *has* to step up for this team to come around. 

FRIDAYS, TURKEY AND ORANGES

There's been some chatter today about the new ESPN deal with the ACC, and ATL pointed out how Friday night Football games are now built into the contract. There's a few points to make based on this specific update.

First, the section in question, emphasis mine:

Per the extension, ESPN has the right to televise three Friday ACC football contests annually which will include a standing commitment from Boston College and Syracuse to each host one game as well as an afternoon or evening game on Thanksgiving Friday.

A few points to note:

• Newton (the city/neighborhood) despised us having Thursday night games. That's what built around the many year gaps between the home games. Getting involved in Friday may be a way around some of those issues will simultaneously providing a national spotlight. I'm calling this a win.
• Friday nights, however, are still weekdays when it comes to out of towners and alums. It may be easier to play hooky on a Friday afternoon for local tailgaters, but season ticket holders are likely going to lose at least one ticket - and it may be a good one, since it's a national game. Downside.
• Three overall games on Fridays, and BC and Syracuse each get to host one annually, you say? Would anyone be surprised if Syracuse hosted BC and/or vice versa for one of those legs that are built into the yearly schedule?

and finally...

• Several teams, as we know, have non-ACC finishing games the week of Thanksgiving. Two teams that don't? BC and Syracuse. And each one has to get a Friday game every season? Writing on the wall?

YES, ATL, WE'D GO

ATL has an idea to put BC football in Anfield. As a Liverpool & Red Sox fan, I don't see why I wouldn't be there immediately. We would also bring back the BCRC rally scarves.

SPRING FOOTBALL MOCKERY POST

Photo via the Heights

Yeah, so, you may have heard we didn't have a great turnout for that late March "Spring" football game at Alumni Stadium. In absolutely no one's defense, it was the only quasi-winter day we had after January here in the Boston area, and you can't hate some of us for wanting to stay warm in Roggies.

The solution to fix Spring football's turnout? Don't have a terrible season, get a bowl game so practice doesn't have to start early to avoid a long delay and actually tell people in the media it's happening.

Then there's this:

Some college football coaches want an NCAA rule change that would allow them to scrimmage against other schools during spring drills.

Upon hearing this, BC immediately scheduled the tackling dummies and Flynn Fund supporters, since it would guarantee an increase of attendance by at least 85.

#NailedIt

IMAGE: WAY TOO EARLY FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Look at how optimistic we are!