1/29 Draft: Most appealing incoming prospect

Yes, recruiting is a crapshoot. Yes, many times the four-star prospects don't pan out and the two stars do. Yes, as Notre Dame can tell you, it doesn't matter how many stars you have in your incoming class if they can't develop and perform as a team...but it's still fun to follow, no?

Below is our take on the recruits (and what position we think they'll play) who are headed to BC that we're most excited about.

Wesley, you're up first...who do you go with here?
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1W) Kevin "KPL" Pierre-Louis, LB

KPL, He honestly seems to be a very mature, leader both on the field and off.
He is a fairly local guy, who even though he is a 4 star according to Rivals has been VERY under the radar in my opinion.
Linebacker has been increasingly a strong point of Boston College, and with Kevin getting an early start by enrolling already, it could easily continue!


2M) Shakim Phillips, WR

KPL is a great choice, Wesley...I think if I had the first pick I might have gone there myself.

For me, I must take Shakim Phillips. Shakim was a high four-star WR, which is exciting because regardless of the production that we've gotten from our WR's throughout the years, BC hasn't been able to recruit the most highly sought after WR's usually. We've been very fortunate that we've had guys who were under-appreciated by the recruiting services and worked their butts off to get better like Richie Gunns and Colin Larmond, Jr. The last 4-star WR BC landed was a special one: Brandon Robinson, or "B-Rob" as we affectionately call him. B-Rob and Gunnell were the two best WR's I've seen while watching BC football and if Shakim can live up to that lofty goal, we'll all be extremely fortunate. On top of his football skills and the promise he shows, he genuinely seems like a really good kid. From the interviews we have seen, he's very well spoken, intelligent, and looks to be a team first kind of guy. Not sure how you can ask for much more.


3W) Chase Rettig, QB

Chase is a very strong candidate from the other side of the States, with a canon of an arm, great visibility, and a ton of upside, I think BC got a great steal here! Getting him in early to work in 7 on 7's will do nothing but help his chances to play this year. Chase got to play in the Under Armour game, and seemed to be the best QB on his squad by my assessment.





4M) Bobby Swigert, Slot WR

Another good call on Chase, Wesley. Looks like someone had their coffee today!

I'm going with Swigert here. Many times, you can't tell a lot by a recruit's film, mainly because you never really know how good the team they're on is, and how high a level of competition they're facing is. That being said, sometimes a player just jumps off the screen a little bit at you. For me, Swigert does that. Not just because he's a promising slot WR, but he's just a baller. Guy is a football player. I think you can line him up at DB, WR, FS, or perhaps even throw some weight on him and get him at TE after a couple years. I think he'll wind up playing slot WR, but based on the film, the kid seems to have a natural knack for knowing where the ball is and how to play in space, which certainly doesn't rule out a future in the defensive backfield, perhaps a full safety.


5W) Andre Williams, RB

A big Beefy runner, that shows that BC is headed back to the strong running game, and possibly less of the skat back. Andre didn't get as much exposure as his rating show, as I assume moving around effected that directly. But Andre seems hungry for the challenge and should be successful at the next level.




6M) CJ Jones, DB

I'm higher on Jones than most people are, but I just think that this kid will step in and play in dime packages his frosh year and start at corner by a soph. He played QB and DB in HS, and his straight-line speed is good, but not earth shattering...but the thing that seemed to me from the tapes was that he played really very well in space. Knew where he was, how to get around, how to see through the crowd. To me, that means he's going to be able to at least get in position well to make the tackle...which, as anyone who has followed BC football in the past 12 years can tell you, is at the very least equal, if not of greater importance than coverage skills for a BC cornerback.




7W) Dominic Appiah, DE

Appiah fills a position of need, DE.. His speed is good, but not necessarily outstanding. He will have the opportunity to step in as a Frosh and make an impact if he so desires.. and he seems like the type of player that does.




8M) Seth Betancourt, OT

Betancourt just looks like a mauler to me. A road grader. Kid just looks like he is ready to push some people around for four years. Better yet, it looks like he moves his feet well so at worst case we bulldoze to the right, best case he protects the blind side of the QB.

While we are lucky to have a lot of talent on the line right now, a lot of those guys are upperclassmen and are going to be gone after this year. Getting some guys in who will be absolutely ready to play by next year is of great importance and I think the staff found a three-year starter in Betancourt.


9W) Josh Bordner, QB

Just recently becoming a full time football player, he has found that he excels at the game and a recent great play at the crab bowl has brought the light onto him even more so. Originially a 2 star, he has been promoted up to a 3 star after his play.
Once thought of as an automatic backup for the more highly touted Rettig, Bordner shows that he intends to fully compete for the starting QB job , as he also enrolled in Spring.



10M) Tahj Kimble, RB

If last year taught us anything, it's that you can never have too much depth at RB. By the end of the season, we leaned on Montel so hard it's a miracle he didn't break or wear down. Hopefully Deuce Finch can recover from his mid-season injury and provide some breaks for Montel this year. Sadly, however, Montel only has two years left and we need someone to take over the reigns. Much like D-Knight and Montel, Kimble is more of a running back than just a speed runner. Can make his own holes. From watching Kimble on tape, the kid just does a great job of juking players left and right and bursting through the space. Looking forward to seeing what he does at the next level.





Recap:
Wesley - KPL, Rettig, Williams, Appiah, Bordner
BCMike - Phillips, Swigert, Jones, Betancourt, Kimble

1-29 Draft: Most appealing incoming prospect-
	Wesley - KPL, Rettig, Williams, Appiah, Bordner
	BCMike - Phillips, Swigert, Jones, Betancourt, Kimble
pollcode.com free polls

Draft 1/26: Best Coaching moves during the offseason

Awhile back we did write-ups on some of the best candidates for jobs, not all of them were taken, but actually a good amount of them were.

Here we draft the best Coaching changes over the offseason.

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1M) Hiring Brian Kelly - Notre Dame

To me, without a question, the best coach on the board. He's fiery, gets the most out of his players, and has won literally everywhere he's been. The offensive system Kelly runs is a tough one to stop, and although offense wasn't the problem in south bend, one could say player development was--something that Kelly is good at. As much as I'd love to see ND flounder for eternity in mediocrity, Kelly is going to make them a power again...and likely sooner than later.

2W) Hiring Mike London – UVA

This was probably the biggest no brainer of all the hires, Groh needed to go, London was a good fairly local candidate, being at Richmond, who could keep recruiting ties going and possibly foster some more. London had been very successful at the FCS level, and will probably be at Virginia as well

3M) Firing Charlie Weis –Notre Dame

I'm going back to ND again here. Now, a lot of this is actually ND's fault for extending a contract based on a close loss to USC a couple years ago, but getting rid of Weis was clearly the right thing to do and should have been done years ago.

Bringing in Kelly was magnificent icing on the cake, but getting rid of Weis in and of itself was a big win for the domers.

4W) Hiring Charlie Strong – Louisville

As I drove through Louisville last week, there were huge Charlie strong billboards, everywhere! They are definitely excited about his arrival. And I honestly think that he will be a huge improvement over Kragthorpe. Charlie has been in line for a coaching spot for some time now. And he will show everyone else that they missed out on a good coach.

Florida’s defense has been good for a while for a reason.

5M) Hiring Lane Kiffin – USC

This is based largely on the fact that while USC gets back a known commodity that put forth good, consistent results while he was there, more importantly they're getting one of the best defensive minds around in Lane's dad, Monte Kiffin...and if USC can make it happen (something U$C usually doesn't have a problem with), bringing back Norm Chow into the mix. Don't get me wrong, losing Pete the Poodle is a blow, but replacing him with Kiffin, Kiffin, and Chow's not a bad patch job at all.

6W) Hiring Skip Holtz – South Florida

Although I am not really a fan of his dad, I will admit that Skip had done a good job at ECU. I actually was cheering them on to beat Arkansas in their bowl game, it just didn’t quite happen. Skip will do well at USF, quite easily I think.

7M) "Letting him go", Bobby Bowden – FSU

I don't like saying it any more than you do, but it was time for Bobby to go. Beating WVU on the way out the door was the perfect ending (well, given the circumstances), and this allows long-time HCIW Jimbo Fisher finally gets to drive the car he's held the keys waiting to drive for years. Fisher will have a lot to prove and at best can only hope to replicate Bowden's long-term success, but the FSU fans were calling for thsi for a while and the reinvigorated Seminoles will likely be a tough out in the years to come.

8W) Hiring Al Groh – GT

Al Groh was a good fire from UVA, no doubt about it … Some coaches are just better coordinators, like Groh. His expertise isn’t in the HC realm. Paul Johnson noticed this and pulled him in at Georgia Tech. This could make Tech one of the most dangerous teams in the ACC as they should now be able to accompany a great offense with a stellar D

9M) Keeping Urban Meyer –UF

What seemed like a day after the largest shockwave to hit college football since Nick "I'm the coach of the Miami Dolphins!!!" Saban returned to the collegiate landscape, Meyer told his players, his school, the world....he's leaving. He's done. He might remain on staff somehow, but his coaching days were done. Over. Kaput.

Something tells me it was something Florida did to make Urban reconsider his position and return to lead the Gator Army (and it wasn't dreaming about a prospect and having him commit). Shady or not, UF got it done and Florida returns one of the best in the business in 2010.

10M) Hiring Tommy Tuberville –Texas Tech

This is really a steal this late in the game, Tommy is a great coach and did great things at Auburn, but Auburn was ready for a change, and went with Chizik. Meanwhile Tuberville took a year off from coaching, and I believe got a good position in Texas Tech. He will be in a position where he is able to win, recruit, and get good national exposure.

I do question the motive in the Mike Leach ouster., well I guess I’d say I don’t question it, I more think the whole situation was very bizarre. But nonetheless, Tommy will do good things at Tech.

Recap:

BCMike: Kelly,Weis, Kiffin, Bowden, Meyer
Wesley: London, Strong, Holtz, Groh, Tuberville

1-26 draft: Best offseason coaching moves
	BCMike: Kelly,Weis, Kiffin, Bowden, Meyer
	Wesley: London, Strong, Holtz, Groh, Tuberville
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1/25 Draft: Looking into the future (positive)

On Friday, we took a tip from Brian at BCI and looked into the future ten years to see what the BC program might look like. Saving the best for last, we're doing our positive spin to get the week started right.

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1W) BC win a National Championship

That’s right, not little disclaimer anymore, no asterisk next to our 1 Championship win.. We win outright, or as outright as the BCS will allow.

Small Soap box speech on why/ how it happens.. I think 2010, could be the next 2007 type season, with just a little more umph to get over the hump.

We will have returning QBs, a mostly intact line, Great RBs, TE’s and an established system to progress. A couple additional players to step up, or great incoming Frosh, and I see that 2010 could be this year, after 2010, who knows..


2M) Win the ACC, go to a BCS game

We've gone to "the 'ship" twice in the past three years, and only came a game away from returning for the third straight year in 2009-2010. In the near future, BC will go to and WIN the A3CG, earning a ticket to a BCS game for the first time in program history.


3W) Montel wins the Heisman

Montel is a great Back, he is a Junior this year… That’s right could have 2 more years of his stellar play!

He is not only a great runner, but his blocks are typically pretty solid as well. He runs hard, and with a lot of heart!

His Senior Season, he plays with reckless abandon (as always) and is noticed and honored with a Heisman, the first since Doug Flutie!


4M) BC will have a WR drafted

It's hard to believe, but it's been well over a decade since a WR has been drafted by the NFL in ANY round (Kelvin Martin, '87). However, this streak will be broken soon. Rich Gunnell could go, but if not the future is even brighter for NFL draft status with the physically gifted WR's on the roster now and coming in.


5W) Spaz will still be the head coach..

You know, a lot of people will think this isn’t a huge deal.. I think it will be a big thing.. If Spaz is still the coach, it will mean he is continually succeeding, and happy with the result on the field as well as off. I think Spaz is a great coach, just a lot of people don’t want to hear his sarcasm.. they want a tough go getter.. me.. I don’t really care, as long as he can hype the players up.

The melodramatic humor will catch on, and the student section will be rocking stache's.


6M) There will be a new big bowl winning streak

After snapping the bowl winning streak that had become the program's calling card by first losing to Vandy in '08 and USC in '09, BC starts a new streak that culminates with a BCS victory.


7W) We will Add on to Alumni, bringing seating close to 70k, and fill it.

The Boston community will support BC, and we will put a retractable dome on.

Today, or in 2009, Alumni wasn’t quite as full as it should have been, as a team that was competing for a ACCCG until very late in the season.

You can tie that into a lot of things.. Economy, Excitement of the program, Tailgating, Weather etc.. Well by the year 2020, the Eagles will have a completely renovated stadium, complete with a retractable roof, with Technology within it to make the NFL teams jealous.. The Stadium will seat approx. 70k and fill it with ease, as the City of Boston finally embraces BC as their Local School.


8M) Ryan Day will be a head Coach of a BCS school

I think this will be a good thing, as Spaz enjoys a couple of years at the helm before giving way to the young and talented Ryan Day. Day will be the OC in the very near future before eventually taking the head reigns at The Heights.

Of course, should Spaz be doing well and not wanting to leave in the next decade, BC does the right thing and helps the talented guy find a BCS head coaching spot elsewhere with the understanding that when Spaz does move on that he'll be #1 on the call list.


9W) We will own the overall series with ND

...by winning the head to head in 2010, and then playing them again in a bowl game. And winning.

Currently the total record with Notre Dame is in their favor by 1.. there is only one more game left, and it is at Boston College in 2010. Boston College will need to beat them there, and win a BCS bowl game against them to take the lead.. Which will happen, and then Notre Dame will cancel the current conversation of future games, keeping the overall record in Boston College’s Favor! Amen!


10M) Herzy goes Hollywood

After going in the first round of the 2011 draft, Herzy sells his story to the same people who made "the blind side" and another great tear-jerker of a football film is made and the movie wins an Oscar or two. But who plays Herzy??? Suggestions in the comments section!

RECAP

Wesley drafted: National title, Montel Heisman, Spaz still HC, Alumni to 70k, Win series with ND
BCMike drafted: Win the ACC, WR drafted, new bowl streak, Day as HC, Herzy goes Hollywood

1-25 Draft: Looking into the future (positive)
	Wesley: National title, Montel Heisman, Spaz still HC, Alumni to 70k, Win series with ND
	BCMike: Win the ACC, WR drafted, new bowl streak, Day as HC, Herzy goes Hollywood
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1/22 Draft: Looking into the future part 1

At the suggestion of our buddy and fellow blogger Brian from BCI, we're going to draft things we could see happening to BC football in the next ten years much as they did recently (click HERE for the BCI piece). Instead of mixing the good with the bad, we're going to do the bad today, the good on Monday.

Not all of these are altogether likely, just in the realm of possibility of something we could see happening to BC Football if we look back at the past ten years in 2020.

*in a related note, I noticed that LNH had a similar column today. Props to the BCI guys for being copied by the long-necked wonder.

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1M) BC will have a losing season

BC hasn't had a non-losing season streak like the one we're currently enjoying since prior to 1950. We are quite literally in one of the best streaks for BC football in the history of the program thus far. I'm a big believer that just about everything goes in waves and cycles, and unfortunately that means that at some point during the next ten years, it's likely that BC will suffer a losing season. This was tougher to do back when there wasn't a cupcake scheduled every year, but with power going up and down in the ACC, it could be that BC eventually gets the short end of the stick and finishes 5-7 or worse for the year.


2W) BC will move back to the Big East

That's right, the pundits once again had it correct all along. Boston College actually fit better in the Big East than it did in the ACC. The fans will be upset at first, but then the renewed rivalry between Rutgers, West Virginia and Uconn will help them remember the "good ole days"

3M) Spaziani will be replaced

Spaziani, like Jags, has been most impressive his first year recruiting for BC, bringing in some big names and making a name for himself on the road. On the field, Spaz got many nods for coach of the year for getting eight wins out of a team that some thought would win two (cough cough Andre Ware cough cough). However, there are those early critics who point out that under Spaz BC hasn't beaten a team with a winning record outside of Navy and Central Michigan, and was out-coached vs. the elite opponents he's faced.

We all want Spaz to succeed and stay at The Heights for a long time, but in College Football, there's only one thing that counts (aside from screwing with ESPN-related family members or choking and hitting your players, of course), and that's winning. If Spaz doesn't put up the scoreboard that BC fans, alums, and administration has become accustomed to, he'll be let go.

Like it or not, at the very least there's a decent chance this will happen.


4W) BCMike's curse will still be intact

That's right.. Remember the good ole days in 2007, when I could watch a game with BCMike, and it would almost without a doubt be a W for the good guys? What a long way we have come since then. For those that do not already know. BCMike has a pretty long streak going of in attendance losses. This prediction for 2020 is that this streak will still be going horribly strong!


5M) BC will break it's bowl invite streak

My God. I sure as hell hope my attendance curse has been broken. I'm going to the season opener 9/4 to watch Herzy run out of the tunnel, and if we lose to Weber State I'll never go to another game...

For #5 here, obviously if my first pick happens this will as well, but I think that if BC goes to 6-6 there's a good chance that eventually we'll be left out when it comes to bowl season. The preponderance of bowl games mixed with the increasing parity in college football means that eventually there's going to be a scenario where bowls have to pick between a pool of ten 6-6 teams, and given BC's bowl reputation, we eventually get left on the bench despite our outstanding TV ratings record.


6W) Dana Bible is the Head Coach

That's right .. Dana Bible. On a positive note, by 2020 he has been cured of his cancer for some time now, which will be a definite Blessing.. But the bad note is that
he will be coaching the Boston College Eagles. Get used to liking Dive left, Dive right, Dive middle.

7M) We'll look back on Ryan like others did Flutie

Bible is the head coach? Please. Wesley has officially mailed it in. You guys BETTER vote for me now.

I think that it's possible that much like I said about teams going in cycles that perhaps we're on a downward swing. We all already miss Matty Ice, but as time goes on and should there not be a stud QB that captures us in a similar fashion on a good team that we'll start bringing up Matt Ryan in a glory days type of scenario, especially if Matt continues to grow in the NFL. People will walk up and say "Hey, didn't Matt Ryan go to BC??" because our team will not be a shell of what it is today and Matt will be a perennial Pro-Bowler.


8W) Consistently lose recruits to UCan't

That is correct, Connecticut. We will start losing out, or lets just call it start getting second place on recruits in the Northeast, with UCan't getting them. Uconn will start being seen as the premier NE College Football School.


9M) BC gets kicked out of the ACC

As far as I know, BC's only lost out on one recruit that both BC and UCan't offered--Jordon Todman. Todman is a good back and a good get for UCan't, but I think he made the right decision as he just simply wouldn't see the field as long as Montel Harris is on the BC roster. I digress...

I think that BC could get the boot out of the ACC mainly if we lose Clemson and / or Miami, and is replaced by ECU. Hear me out--the Carolina schools already don't like us (it's tough to like someone who consistently beats you in most sports and occasionally does in sports they're not supposed to), but if they get five North Carolina based schools in the ACC, they may push for a realignment to the southeast and look to jettison BC and perhaps also Maryland.


10W) Gene DeFilippo gets the axe

Gene gets the axe. I know there are some mixed opinions on Gene, I am very aware of that. But I am of the camp that Gene has done some great things for Boston College . Helped the process of getting BC into the ACC, ok let me rephrase this, he made it happen. He definitely took chances where they are needed, and helped put Boston College on the Map. Living in Alabama, when I talk about Boston College people actually know more than just a Flutie Hail Mary lately.. And I have to think that has something to do with Gene. But after withstanding too many losses. Gene is let go and returns to Kentucky to finish his working career.


RECAP

BCMike drafted: BC has losing season, Spaz let go, BC breaks bowl invite streak, Ryan becomes Flutie, BC booted from ACC
Wesley drafted: back to the BigEast, BCMike attendance curse intact, Bible is HC, Lose recruits to UCan't, GDF gets axed

1-22 Draft: Looking into the future part 1
	BCMike: BC losing season, Spaz let go, BC breaks bowl streak, Ryan Flutie,BC booted from ACC
	Wesley: BigEast, BCMike attendance curse intact, Bible is HC, Lose recruits to UCan't,GDF gets axed
pollcode.com free polls

Draft 1/21: You might be a wah wah if....

If you got Rah-Rah's you got Wah-Wah's! Although I'll admit if BCMike and I had to choose, we are probably a bit leaning on the Rah Rah side. But hear are some things that a Wah Wah might think/say etc.

1W)You feel like any change and your team is headed for immanent disaster.

A player is out, or maybe he just doesn’t stretch with the team in pre game warmups..And you are crying foul, and saying the team is done. The depth chart is changed and a new face is in there... to you That means a guaranteed loss.

2M) They never win the big one

What's the point of getting up? Sure, they might beat an opponent who is even worse than they are, but since they never really ever win the big one consistently, there's no reason to really get behind this team. They'll fail again, you'll see.

3W) It just wasn’t meant to be. We aren’t a factory, so why expect factory results

The Florida’s, Alabama’s, USC, Ohio State’s of the world are consistently good for a reason. Their main draw is football We focus too much on education here. If you are focusing on education , you are limiting your recruiting abilities, and thereforeHurting the program. We just won’t be on the level of those teams until we start bending some rules in the education realm.

4M) Sure we look good, but our conference is down I mean, yes, we looked good vs. who we played, but imagine if we were in conference X instead of conference Y

Then we would be legit and playing with the big boys.

5W) We are just gonna get screwed in the end of the season anyways. The pollsters don’t like us.

We could win out, and we would get the Boise St. treatment. We don’t have the fan base that the people with the money want. Therefore at the end of the year it doesn’t matter if we beat every team by 50. They will find a way to have us out of the loop, and try for a SEC/Big 12 matchup for the bigger ticket draw, so why even try?

6M) We play not to lose

Not to win. We do that because we're not very good and it's the only way we can make games close.

7W) I really don’t know why I even come to the games.

This team just crushes my heart sometimes, why do I even attend the games? The prices for tailgating are astronomical. The ticket prices aren’t great, they don’t schedule Big enough names to play against. And things just never seem to go our way.. Why do I like to torture myself so?

8M) We were only good because _____ was here, but he's going to the NFL next year so we'll be rebuilding for a while

Sure, sure...we had some success because we happened to get lucky and have a certainly player here for a short time (who was incorrectly used most of the time, might I add), but now that he's gone, we're even more screwed. We're completely green at that position now and the backups are probably horrible. This is going to be a long rebuilding process.

1/18 Draft: Reasons why you might be a homer

We're all a little biased, but you can be a fan without being a blinded homer. Here are some signs that for sure you're a painful homer.

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1M) Unrealistic Preseason predictions

These are often based on the ever popular “development” of players that somehow takes place at a rate of 4x the rest of the nation in places like South Bend and most SEC schools. Lost a bunch of players? That’s okay, their replacements will likely be better. Stunk last year? That’s okay, they learned a lot and are now working as a team. Any time you add 50% to the win total from the previous year as a starting point, there’s a pretty darn good chance you’re a homer.


2W) Ratings Entitlement

You should be rated in the top 25? Really? That 6-6 record last year really justifies that? Oh that’s right, you really should I was mistaken. Ratings are basically worthless until the last few weeks of the season anyways. But feeling you should always be in the top 25 is a bit overzealous.


3M) The “We’d be undefeated in another conference” argument

While it’s true that some conferences are tougher than others in any given year, every team plays a couple of tough games and every team has a rival or two that really gets up for your team and gives it their best shot. The “well, the only reason why our record is X is because we’re in the Y conference, where we just beat each other up” argument is a sure sign of a homer who is using his or her conference homership to justify the performance (usually under-performance) of their team. It’s just such a ludicrous of a claim. “We’d be undefeated” or “one loss at most” if we played in such and such a conference”. Yeah, well next time you play a full schedule in that conference you let me know.


4W) Feel like even though you lost, there refs cheated you.

I personally hate HATE blaming the refs, for about 2000x reasons. You have to believe that sometimes your team was outcoached, out played etc. I do acknowledge there are some instances that the refs actually do alter the way the game plays out, but not even close to the amount of times that they are blamed.


5M) Our recruits are all future stars

Excellent call on the refs, Wesley. While I strongly feel that making refs a full-time job is a very easy way to improve the game (they’re all part-time now), and many a game have been decided by bad calls, in the end it’s up to your team to win it. If you have put yourself in a position to have the refs screw you out of a win, then that’s on your team. For example, the refs screwed BC pretty hard in the Emerald Bowl, but that’s not why they lost.

This leans a little on the first point, as many use it as a reasoning for why they are going to be so good in the upcoming season, but many homer fans believe their recruits to all be amazing and future HOF’ers in waiting. Now, I follow recruiting (as does Wesley), but it’s more fun and guessing than it is a science. Think about it, these are young kids who are being graded out at 16, 17, 18 on how they’re going to be when they’re 21, 22, 23. Do you remember your body growing up? Remember how much it changed? How much a kid is able to learn, work out, understand a system, become a leader, etc., four to five years after they are a junior or senior in high school is such a wild guess. Obviously some kids show more promise than others, but far too often people (especially big homers) put too much emphasis and belief on recruiting rankings. Particularly if you’re a fan of a traditional powerhouse, it’s pretty safe to assume that most of the kids coming in are going to be regarded by the recruiting services as pretty good. How will they turn out? Who knows…but what I can tell you is that you’re going to have a couple starts, a couple duds, and the rest in the middle…just like EVERYONE ELSE.


6W) Thinking your team has players that are above other standards

Get in a fight? Impossible! Unsportsmanlike Conduct? Nuh-uh! Fail a Class, no way! Our favorite team has no faults.
We did everything the right way. And we are better for it!


7M) Over estimating your importance

What I mean here is giving your specific school’s traditions, chants, etc., undue flattery in the larger picture of college football. Things such as “Oh, you didn’t know this is the battle for the old oaken fiddle? It’s HUGE! My personal favorite was reading from an Ohio State fan how one of the greatest things in all of college football was some random asshat from the band running out and “dotting the i” (in Ohio script the band forms). He was shocked to hear that no one else gives a shit. What your team does with your fan base can be great to you and your fellow fans, but don’t think that the rest of the world A) Knows what they are, and B) gives a flying fart. Chances are they don’t on either account. Assuming we do just shows how me centric and super homer you are.


8W) Media Bias against us.

It’s a setup basically, we are so high profile, the media is essentially setting us up to do things wrong. Every time our players leave their rooms they are under the microscope! No other teams get this sort of bias against them waiting for them to falter . I guess it just goes hand and hand with being that good.


9M) Overestimating performance at the next level

Another good point with the media bias. I’m getting torched today…

Listen, I know we’re all homers a bit and for those of us who are really into it, we want to see the players that we have come to know and cheer for do well later on in life after they step outside of the college football arena. The problem with the super homers is that they think just about EVERYONE from their school will be drafted, and are appalled when A) Not everyone from their school is drafted, and B) that they’re all not taken in the first round. Often these homers will use stats based on a sliding scale of how good they believe their conference to be. You’ll hear arguments like “Sure, player x had 400 more yards, but that’s because they played in conference Y. If my guy had played there, he’d probably have 1,000 more yards. Plus, he’s proven he can do it against tough competition.”

Here’s the thing…the NFL isn’t College Football. It’s just not. Some positions translate more directly (corners, for one), while others are so much harder to predict (QB’s being the toughest). When people asked me about Matt Ryan a couple years ago, I told them “I don’t know”. He was a great QB at BC, but even the best prospects wash out in the NFL over 50% of the time…so who knows? Not everyone that went to your school should be playing at the next level, and only a rare one will actually thrive.


10W) Claiming that actual rivalries really aren’t

You know who you are ND.


RECAP:

BCMike drafted: preseason predictions, undefeated in another conference, all recruits are stars, overestimating importance, success in NFL
Wesley drafted: Ratings entitlement, refs cheated you, infallible players, media bias, dismissing rivals

1-19 Draft: Blinded Homers
	BCMike: preseason predictions, conference strength, recruits are stars, traditions overestimated,NFL
	Wesley: Ratings entitlement, refs cheated you, infallible players, media bias, dismissing rivals
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Draft: 1/13: Coaches for Tennessee

Kiffin shocked the world and went to USC, taking his dad with him, Tennessee is left with no coach. It is late in the game and thier recruits are already being scoped out by other programs to poach, here is a short list that may help Tennessee in thier Coaching search.

1M) Charlie Strong

Sure, he’s just accepted the position at Louisville, but that’s only because he couldn’t get a SEC job. Being able to compete in the SEC would probably be a big thing for Strong, and not having to rebuild a program from scratch like he will at L’Ville is something worth entertaining (plus a lot more in the bank)

2W) Fat Phil Fulmer

Although I seriously doubt this would happen, the man won a National Championship there, with a not so great QB, Tee Martin

3M) Steve Addazzio

With Urban Meyer making a miraculous return to the sidelines, it appears that Addazio won’t be the interim head coach at Florida after all. Once again, here the Vols can take the blue print of a winning organization and run with it.

4W) David Cutcliffe

This guy has the history with PeytonManning, a good start @ Duke really, and seems like he can be a real leader.

5M) Mike Leach

When winning isn’t the most important thing, it’s the only thing, a guy like Mike Leach might just be your guy. Love him or hate him, he’s a great offensive mind and a good football coach. He took Texas Tech from the bowels of the Big12 to competing for championships. What he could do with a halfway decent Tenny team right off the bat is scary.

6W) Tommy Bowden

We already know how he looks in orange, and truthfully , he was a good coach, just never got a break on the important games. I feel he can actually fit in in Knoxville, and would do a great job!

7M) Al Golden

Al has managed to turn around the Temple Owls from a team so bad the Big East kicked them out (yes, the BigEast kicked someone out!) to a bowl team with a ton of young talent. If he can recruit talent to Temple, he can probably do just fine with the options available to him at Knoxville. Plus, as Eagle in Atlanta stated recently, teams that depart with their head coach under poor conditions tend to go 180 from what they currently have. Golden and Edsall are about as 180 as you can get from Kiffen.

8W) Randy Edsall

After destroying USCe in the Papa Johns Bowl in Birmingham, he might just have the recipe for success to beat the SEC teams.He has done a good job at UConn, and with the athletes that go to Tennessee, he may be able to do more. But the pressure surely would be on.

9M) Gary Patterson

Patterson has taken the TCU Horned Frogs to national prominence and has averaged one loss per year over the past two years. His great defenses would likely stifle many of the SEC offenses and immediately have Tenny competing for SEC divisional titles.

10W)Jags

Do I think this will really happen? No. Do I find it amusing, well of course. I don’t like Tennessee, I make that no hidden fact. So Jags going to Tennessee would seriously amuse me … and that’s all that matters.

Recap:

BCMike: Strong, Addazzio, Leach, Golden, Patterson

Wesley: Phil, Cutcliffe, Bowden, Edsall, Jags

Draft: 1-13: Coaches for Tennessee
	BCMike: Strong, Addazzio, Leach, Golden, Patterson
	Wesley: Phil, Cutcliffe, Bowden, Edsall, Jags
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1/12 Draft: Why Bama beat Texas

While both Wesley and I were cheering for the Horns on Thursday, it was the Tide that came away with the W. Here we draft the reasons why we think Bama beat Texas.
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1W) Colt McCoy

Like it or not, he had a factor. He had completed over 70% of his passes and was a large portion of the Horns total offensive yards. Now call it what you want, a business decision, a bad decision or whatever. Him not being in the game was a DEFINITE game changer. And I am not saying the outcome would have been different, but it would have made it a much more interesting game if he would have played the duration.



2M) A very good defense vs. an unprepared back-up

First things first, let's not assume that a healthy Colt McCoy means a Texas win. 'Bama's defense is still pretty darn outstanding on it's own, but when you have that defense vs. a backup who most assuredly got next to zero snaps (and probably even less leading up to the game), it gets ugly. That's on Mack Brown. It's easy to say that this is going to be Colt's swan song and last game before he turns pro...that he's your best player and gives you the chance to win, etc., but the backup was so unbelievably green it makes you wonder what exactly the assistant coaches are doing with their time if not preparing the next generation. So in my eyes, it wasn't that they were just not playing Colt McCoy, it was that they instead were playing a very green and very unprepared backup QB.



3W) MT. Cody

I mean , would you just stand there and take it if you have to tackle this guy? I sure wouldn’t.

Having him in on short yardage situations is just wrong haha. He is a Mountain of a man – obviously. And Alabama utilized him appropriately



4M) Texas Telegraphing the offense when McCoy first went down

Texas is a passing team. This isn't news to anyone. However, I understand you're going to want to run the ball more when you have a true green backup QB in there...regardless, you can't run it to the extent that Texas did after McCoy went down and have success against an average defense, let alone a good one like 'Bama's. There's the unknown and element of surprise available to you when the back-up comes in. No one knows what he's capable of. Hell, he probably doesn't know what he's capable himself. I understand they're more risky, but when Colt comes back out of the tunnel wearing a T-Shirt and a ball-cap, it's time to open it up and stop stalling until your real QB returns. Playing so conservatively when no one knew what the backup could do really hurt Texas.



5W) Alabama Running at will

Alabama was able to get all three of their RBs plenty of reps, and TDs in the national Championship game. And there was really little Texas could do to stop it. Let me put this in a different perspective. Alabama's QB McElroy only threw for 58 yards, total, only 6/11 with 0 TD's



6M) Saban out-coaching Brown

Sounds straightforward and it is. While Bob Stoops gets the tag "big game Bob", maybe it should be "Oh shit I'm facing Saban". When you give Saban time to prepare, he doesn't often lose. Mack Brown finally broke through with Vince Young a couple years ago, but before that had the tag that he couldn't win the big one. Perhaps Vince was the exception, not the rule. If I have one game to play and I have to pick between Saban and Brown...who do you think I'll take?



7W) Shipley only playing one position

Shipley not able to throw the ball to himself Shipley got a LOT of respect from me in the NC game. He was a one man wrecking crew, most passes he caught were high and behind him, but he tweaked his body in every way possible to get it done.. He put it all out there, and it was evident. Bad thing is, he couldn’t throw himself the ball., or quite possibly the outcome would have been different.



8M) Texas Not taking the risks needed

Texas was down early and without McCoy. Alabama was able to run at will, as Wesley pointed out. If you want to force something to happen, you need to stack the box and start run blitzing constantly and try to get McElroy to turn the ball over even if it's only man 1 deep or straight man coverage. Once they were down early they played it too close to the vest on defense.





9W) Javier Arenas

I had to think that this guy came up in the how to prepare for Alabama conversations that Texas had. I mean seriously. Most teams in the SEC don't throw anywhere near this guy. And Texas seemed to have that game plan , oh for about 5-6 plays. But no one seemed to relay this information to Texas' backup QB Gilbert, Which made it for a long day. You've got to think there is a reason this 5'9" DB is expected to play on Sundays next year, and I guess Gilbert just found out the hard way.


10M) Bama weathered the storm

It's tough keeping your team up playing hard as they can when it's a blowout...and that's exactly what it was early in the game. After being so psyched up to play the toughest game in your life, you find out it's a cake walk and it's easy to let up....which is exactly what Bama did, as Texas fought back and made it a game late. But credit Bama for weathering the late Texas storm and holding on to preserve the MNC win.


RECAP

Wesley drafted: Colt McCoy, MT Cody, Bama running at will, Shipley playing only WR, Javier Arenas
BCMike drafted: Unprepared backup, telegraphing, Saban, Texas too conservative, Bama weathered the storm

Colt McCoy, MT Cody, Bama running at will, Shipley playing only WR, Javier Arenas