Boston College Football 2013 Spring Wrap Up.

Quick spring summary

I hate to say it, but everything that happened in Boston last week overshadowed BC spring football.  The Eagles even lost their spring game because of the manhunt chaos in the suburbs, and from that we would have gotten a lot of information.  Unfortunately, few of us have actually seen this team perform live in the spring as a result.

Still, if there was a mantra, it had to be rejuvenation.  There’s a new direction in BC football and a change of philosophy, and it has bred optimism.  That’s how Steve Addazio chose to frame it after the spring game got cancelled — that the Eagles had a successful spring and that things are coming along.

Name a few players who could have breakout seasons

I like LB Steven Daniels on the defensive side.  He was one of the few four-star recruits that Spaz roped in, and we waited a while to see him in action (his arrival at BC was delayed for a year for academic reasons).  Boston College typically does well on grooming linebackers, and Daniels went to the same high school as Luke Kuechly — I’m pretty sure they turn out a good crop.

Offensively, I’ll leave this a little open-ended and say “whomever replaces TE Chris Pantale.”  Addazio’s offense is going to get tight ends more involved than Spaz ever did, but we’re going to have a new starter there.  It might be sophomore Mike Giacone, it might be junior CJ Parsons, or it could be another name that isn’t on the radar yet.  No matter: that guy, wherever he is, will probably have a noticeable year.

Position group grades

I’m hesitant to give any group an A coming off of a 2-10 season.  I would have a clearer idea if the spring game had been played, but this is my general sense of it right now:

QB: B+  (for Chase Rettig only).  As for the rest of them?  It’s either unknown quantities or quantities we know and don’t like.  I’m not worried about 2013; I AM worried about 2014 sans Rettig.

RB: B-   Lost Rolandan Finch, but Andre Williams is back and supposedly running very well.  Still need depth.

WR: B   We have a lot of workman-type wideouts that play hard.  Not necessarily the flashiest guys but determined.  Alex Amidon is a prime example.

OL: Uncertain    We lost both of our starting tackles to graduation and I wasn’t thoroughly impressed with the interior last year.  If newcomer Matt Patchan is involved, I think it’ll be much better but right now I have no idea what to expect, or who.

DL: Based mostly off of last year, D   They were about as bad as I’ve ever seen them and put essentially no pressure on the quarterback all season, but I like our new D-line coach (Ben Albert).  Nowhere to go for this group but up.

LB: B+   I think there’s talent here.

DB: C   Some of their shortcomings last year were talent-related, but some was also scheme.  There’s a certain level of uncertainty here.

K/P: B   Nate Freese is a relatively good kicker and the new punter (Alex Howell) is supposedly good as well.

What “surprises” can we expect from this team?

I don’t necessarily expect many surprises this year.  I think Addazio can work somewhat with what he has and I sincerely don’t expect BC to be as bad as last year.  I believe the change in philosophy and maturation of several key players will be good for an extra few wins.

BC fans are all over the spectrum on this team going into 2013 but I’m of the opinion that if they go 6-6 we should all take it and be happy, and ANYTHING beyond that is gravy.  Right now, because I’m just going off of what I’ve heard and not what I’ve seen, I’d put them somewhere in the 4-6 win range.  That is subject to change between now and September.

Publicly, I don’t think there’s a media consensus yet on what BC will do, but I would disagree with anyone who thinks we’ll be as bad or worse than last year. I don’t expect a complete 180 in one season, but there is definitely room to pick up several more wins.

---

Joe Micik of Soaring to Glory provided the information for our Boston College Football 2013 Spring Wrap Up. For more BC football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Joe on Twitter @SoaringtoGlory and Facebook. 

---