Spring Fever: BC Spring Practices
by Supahfan12 on Mar 2, 2010 8:46 PM EST
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PrintAt Boston College last spring there were questions about stability within the program. Coach Jagodzinski had been fired only two months before, and a career assistant subsequently headed the Boston College program.
With the whirlwind surrounding the coaching situation as well as an offensive quarterback situation (Only four games of starting experience at the college level between three candidates) yet to subside, but Boston College and new head coach Frank Spaziani felt that there was a least one constant in their football program; their defense.
As stars like Mike McLaughlin (Achilles) and Mark Herzlich (Cancer) started to fall out of starting positions, chaos ensued in and around Alumni Stadium.
2009 ended for the Eagles with an eight-win season. The fall was filled with multiple cases of surprising underclassmen who stepped into key leadership roles during the 2009 campaign. The Eagles head into 2010 with eight returning starters on both sides of the ball, and look to build off of what many analysts call a comeback season for the ages.
By March 15, the Eagles will begin their 2010 spring practices. As many would expect, the spotlight is on Mark Herzlich.
Herzlich is coming back from a seemingly impossible journey from a cancer patient, to a cancer survivor. If he is able to return to the form he possessed in 2008, the Eagles should have high expectations once again for their defense. Herzlich provides strength to every player on Boston College and has given them motivation to work as hard as he has worked for the past year.
Ambition and courage are just two characteristics Herzlich brings to the table, and as he hopes, out onto the field. If that occurs, Herzlich’s starting position at linebacker is all but secure.
But for many other players vying for a starting spot on the team, the battle has only just begun. Here are some position battles that I believe will make some waves with BC coaches and fans alike.
Quarterback: Dave Shinskie vs. Chase Rettig
The battle of the 26-year-old sophomore vs. the 18-year-old freshman. Landing the starting job after a strong performance against Wake Forest last year, Dave Shinskie had a season similar to the Superman rollercoaster at Six Flags.
Shinskie and the Eagles have soared in great performances against Florida State and Central Michigan, but had their wings clipped in games against Clemson and USC. The USC game left a bad taste in a BC fan’s mouth, and many are looking for change.
That change could very well come in the form of freshman Chase Rettig. Arriving here in January and having a great showing at the Under Armour All-American game catapulted Rettig from a contender to a favorite for the job as field general.
Strong Safety: Okechukwu Okoroha vs. Jim Noel
In the 2009 season, BC had a rock in their secondary named Marcellus Bowman. Marcellus delivered mind-blowing hits every single Saturday (including one on Kent State’s Eugene Jarvis). Bowman has now graduated, and it is time for another safety to step up in his place.
Jim Noel will be a true sophomore next season and received more playing time than Okoroha did. With Noel’s lanky yet athletic 6’5" frame, I believe he has the upper hand on Okoroha at this point.
Okechukwu did come to the Heights with what many thought to be a huge ceiling. It will be very interesting to see how these common interest stories and position battles shake out for the next few weeks.
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Arriving here in January and having a great showing at the Under Armour All-American game catapulted Rettig from a contender to a favorite for the job as field general.
I agree that Rettig will challenge Shinskie for the starting job, but I think it’s a leap to say Rettig is the favorite before spring practice starts. Just my initial reaction.
BC Interruption, a Boston College sports blog
I'd say they're even
Only because Rettig is un-proven, quite frankly we can and should do better than Shinskie (tho he did show some signs of greatness)
by Jiftastic on Mar 2, 2010 11:40 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Its true
But he is coming in with such hype and there was such discontent with Shinskie to end the season. The competition between the two (and maybe Marsco) will make everyone better.
Also, having Rettig coming in early as he did has boded well for almost every QB at any college. I was somewhat wrong by saying he is a favorite, but i still believe he has as good a chance as shinskie to take the job. Shinskie didnt secure anything against USC
King of all Kings
But discontent with Shinskie from whom? Fans? Fans aren’t the decision-makers here. In the bowl game, Shinskie was a second half away from locking up the starting job for all of next season.
Hype is just that … hype. Does Rettig have a chance to start? Absolutely. But I really think he is behind the 8 ball when it comes to the inside track for the starting job in 2010. Don’t discount the learning curve here. I would really prefer not to have to go through breaking in a true freshman QB over the first six games of the season. I think that’s a missed opportunity.
BC Interruption, a Boston College sports blog
No he didnt
As long as the hype doesn’t get to Rettig I see him winning the job, plus after watching Bourdner he could be a very good 5th year senior, sorta like Chris Crane.
by Jiftastic on Mar 3, 2010 3:10 PM EST via mobile reply actions
All I’m suggesting is that “the grass is always greener …”
We can speculate all we want about Rettig getting the starting job, but he will undoubtedly go through some of the growing pains that Shinskie went through last year. The schedule sets up nicely for BC and I question whether starting a true freshman for the second straight season (with the understanding that he’s probably going to make some mistakes, and also be brilliant at times) is preferable to starting a more tested, yet more average QB.
To put it another way, do you want to put games 3 (Virginia Tech) and games 4 (Notre Dame) in the hands of an 18 year old making his 3rd and 4th collegiate start? Or put those games in the hands of the 25-26 year old who has a few more starts under his belt, albeit with mixed results.
BC Interruption, a Boston College sports blog
Oddly enough, the QB answer depends on the defense
Two years ago, the defense was spectacular and able to win games despite the mediocre QB play (and that’s putting it mildly). Last year, we had a worse defense and equally mediocre QB and played much worse.
If Herzlich comes back anywhere near where he was and our defense goes back to being a game winner, then we may prefer a bit stabler QB. But if our team is going to require something resembling production from the QB and actually threaten other teams through the air, we should go with Rettig.
Personally, I’m a little sick of Montel running into 9 men 35 times a game and I’d be willing to take a chance on a guy who actually plays football rather than just throws things.
Agreed
He ALMOST locked up the starting position. nothing taking away from Shinskie, but just when we thought he would improve just like the week before, he imploded. Im sorry, but i just cant take that again. If we walk into the mcgillis game and see shinskie looking like matty ice sophmore version, theres nothing to debate and ill take the blame. I say that with Rettig’s preformance prior to coming to the heights, As well as his understanding a prostyle offense in high school (transferred to a higher division) If im wrong about Shinskie than I will be as happy as ever. We know this: with this competition, a 1 year starter will hold his place against an upstart that puts his skill/intellect to the test OR the upstart will have enough confidence and put enough confidence in the staff to get that #1 next to him on the depth chart against Weber state
King of all Kings
All I’m saying is be careful what you wish for.
Rettig is still unproven. You know what you’re going to get with Shinskie (and maybe it’s a little better than last year).
This season, the ACC schedule couldn’t set up easier for BC (VT, Clemson at home, Duke and Virginia from the other side). The margin for error is minuscule.
BC Interruption, a Boston College sports blog
Absolutely agree.
Im a BC fan. im not a Rettig fan, or a Shinskie fan. I think spaz will make the right choice whatever it is. I just hope Rettig gives Dave a run for his money, because then we will see better qb play out of it. either QB
King of all Kings
Plus...
Shinskie didn’t enroll early to get a better feel of the offense and the system, playing two cupcakes will get Rettig used to the speed of college, and hopefully he would be very good. On the other hand Shinskie is alot older, but still seems erratic at times idk if that changes next season, im thinking it will, but i would rather have the better QB start, i just feel Rettig will probably be that…
I'm not sure that you know what you're getting with Shinskie
Inconsistency was his MO last year. That could get better with an additional year but he’s not Kyle Orton. Let’s not bestow rock status on him quite yet.
Conversely, we don’t know what we’re getting with Rettig. All we have to go on is film from high school games. Bestow rock status on him now and you are bound to wind up disappointed.
BC Interruption, a Boston College sports blog
Oh no by no means
To me, it’s inconsistent vs. inconsistent. I never said Chase was anywhere near a rock. Though I do see a smoother transition coming from a pro style high school offense rather than a pitching mound.
I didn’t say Shinskie was a rock either. And we are speculating on what Rettig’s transition to the college game will be like. Time will tell.
This is probably the most important decision Spaziani has had to make in his young head coaching career, no? If the staff chooses wrong, it could set the program back a bit. That would be a shame considering the relatively easy schedule over the next two years.
Whatever Spaziani decides, he can’t remain non-committal 3-4 games into the season like he was last year. That would prove to be a disaster.
BC Interruption, a Boston College sports blog
Regardless of who is chosen
they better be chosen soon. I couldn’t stand that carousel over the first 4 games. It made both players worse and turned what should’ve been a quick decision into a large distraction.
Spaz needs to signal to one of the QBs and the rest of the team that we have a leader going into the summer. Not picking a QB and having the competition drag out only serves to give both Rettig and Shinskie less confidence IMO.
BC Interruption, a Boston College sports blog
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