Another Perspective On Boston College's Hiring Of Doug Martin
by A.J Black on Dec 26, 2011 1:11 PM EST
in Boston College Football
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When I first heard the news this week that Boston College had hired Doug Martin to be their next offensive coordinator I had the same reactions many of you had.
"Who?"
"Kent State?"
"Seriously, this is the best you can do GDF?"
But after reading a little more about Martin as an offensive mind and his strategy on moving the ball, I have to say I am starting to drink the BC Athletics Kool-Aid again.
First of all, his record as a head coach at Kent State is completely irrelevant to the conversation of whether or not he can be an effective OC. Look instead to his work with his offenses, last year New Mexico State averaged 400 yards a game, almost a 100 more a game than the Eagles. True his last two Kent State offenses were equally as putrid as BC's, but in 2008 Kent State had the 35th ranked offense in the country. That is pretty hard to imagine, because after all, they are Kent State. Martin has the ability to put together solid offenses, so there is reason to be hopeful.
Martin also has a long history of molding serviceable QB's, and putting together effective offenses. Josh Cribbs, Julian Edelman and David Garrard may not be elite NFL quarterbacks but their skill sets made them attractive to NFL teams. And if Cribbs and Edelman are the type of players that Martin looks for to run his offense maybe things are changing around BC. Neither run the NFL pro style offense that BC has driven into the ground the last three years. They are mobile, fast and electric. Unfortunately, Chase Rettig doesn't have much in common with any of these QB's. It'll be interesting to see how he reacts to this signing, and whether Martin will adapt his scheme to work around Rettig or possibly look at someone else.
Many BC fans have brought up the point "Well isn't this just conceding that we should have hired Steve Logan in the first place?" It's hard to argue with this and it's true. But why is that a bad thing?
I will be the first to admit that I wanted Logan here over Spazoo, but that isn't an option right now. If GDF wants to bring in Steve Logan Lite to run the offense, then I don't see why people are complaining about this. I miss the days of Logan's offense, and if he can turn this offense around and make this team successful again.
As one of the most vocal complainers of the Spaziani Era (or Error) and the reign of Coach Flip, one of my biggest beefs has been the conservative style of offense. Running on passing downs, giving up before half time, poor passing game plans etc etc., we all know the criticisms by now. Now i never specifically called for a Spread Offense at BC, especially with the personnel constituted as is, but I wanted an OC to open things up. Spice things up with a few five wide receiver sets, bunch receivers, anything to change the pace and keep opposing defenses on their toes. Last year I thought that Kevin Rogers would have done that, but he never got the chance. Could Doug Martin be the man to finally mix things up? We shall see.
I understand that I am looking at this hire through cheery and fatally optimistic maroon and gold colored lenses, and that the reality of what actually will occur is most likely different. After this season, we are all getting a much clearer view of how things are really run on the Heights. Frank Spaziani and GDF have probably already told Doug Martin how things are going to be, and I can't imagine that will be all that different from 2011. But there is always hope, and maybe just maybe there has been some change at Boston College, and we can all pray that things may just be a little different next season. And as an Eagles fan, isn't that all we have left?
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Kool-Aid Drinker AJ Black and White -- You were close!
In order to have a spread offense that is effective and not chuck and duck——-
So……………." Pardon the Interrupion" of your little immature Kool-Aid new reality world, but most of the time this site is sorely lacking in content and analysis and is very, very trite and boring.
You had it right in your thoughts, but failed to deliver the knockout punch?
Why don’t you guys follow through and swing hard?
You were on the right track?
Here is the reality of what your site sorely lacks and what you should have posted:
1—You need a QB who is well coached and trained in the aspects of live action quick decision making. Rettig will have one spring practice session since he has not performed well from the shotgun. Can Rettig or anyone make this system work?
Good point.
2—That may not matter since BC plays an incredible passive style of defense with defensive backs lined up in another zip code so Rettig may look great in learning the new offense this spring versus the slow BC defensive secondary.
Our pedestrian set of defensive backs, 12 years off the line of scrimmage will not help when the season starts. Our linebackers are mainly run-stoppers so this may be a spring for them to brush up on their pass defense skills.
3—We have the worst set of wide receivers in the BCS.
They are slow. They are mostly small. They have very poor hands. They run lousy routes.
I watched Houston almost every week and Case Keenum and the same offense. BC’s lack of speed, quickness and route running ball catchers will make the switch to the spread offense a very difficult transition.
4—Our offensive line ain’t what it used to be in terms of agility, size, strength and talent. Now, we switch to a spread offense with inside running handoffs and our guys have to be quick, agile and have a huge stamina reserve for the high velocity play calling and tempo.
You think that bunch that was mauled and overpowered in the 4th quarter of most games in 2011 or when the teams were getting pressure on BC can handle the transition?
Good luck.
5—BC has looked weak and unfit in the last few seasons and an umtempo team needs a much better off-season conditioning program and longer practices and a new workout ethic.
THE “BIG INTERRUPTION” is that BC in the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes, of which 3 and a half belong to the lazy Spazoo and the ever changing incompetent BC staff have been utter failures.
—Low end ranked talent in all aspects of the classes in every position.
—Utter lack of speed players at skill positions. (An absolute must requirement for spread speed offensives!)
—QB’s that can handle the pressure.
—Quick, strong highly ranked offensive linemen who can handle the spread tempo.
How many 4 and 5 star player stayed at BC in the last 4 recruiting classes??
We should get at least 3 per recruiting season!!!!
Needless to say, the losing, the program turmoil , the word around the country is that BC is no longer a cool destination for maybe the four or five --4 and 5 star players and talent --that BC needs to compete today in the ACC—— and the parents of these kids do not want their kids playing for a LOSER and known incompetent in one FRANK SPAZIANI.
High school coaches and kids talk. Word is BC is in a huge death spiral and the Coaching Staff is mediocre and you think kids want to play for a loser like Spazoo?
BC goes through offensive coordinators like underwear.
Do not think in the close knit coaching community that the Kevin Rogers fiasco was not talked about either!
This was the year to fire Spazoo and stop the profuse program bleeding. BC’s lazy Jesuits failed to smack down Gene DeFilippo and the future of BC Football not just in 2012, but in future seasons is very bleak.
We are now Duke.
The Stony Brook SeaWolves in 2013? Really?
That is the Kool-Aid from hell that all BC needs to swallow since come next December when I am “banned for mild name calling” and gone, you guys can discuss how Spazoo is the best Head Coach in 16 years!
Sorry for the Inter-eruption.
Martin
AJ, don’t let the offseason fool you. First, Spaz just spent the last 3 years making excuses about switching from a spread, zone-blocking system. Why would we hire a Logan disciple now? Martin would have made sense instead of Tranq but not now.
Also, Tranq, Rogers, and Brock all were overwhelmingly conservative, and I can only assume that’s at Spaz’s directive until proven otherwise. Even if it’s not, it’s still Spaz’s call to kneel out the half, punt in the opponent’s territory, and mismanage the clock.
I appreciate grasping at optimism, but unfortunately I think we all know how this story ends.
by 31southst on Dec 26, 2011 6:51 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Nobody else wanted the job
Maybe Martin can turn things around. I doubt it. He was a very low prestige hire. If we are talking Rivals stars then this is at best a 2 star hire. Martin is not BC’s answer to Chad Morris.
Spaz is still the coach. Spaz is a loser. Martin appears to be happy to upgrade his resume . Don’t let GDF get your hopes up with a crappy hire.
by eagleosprey on Dec 27, 2011 1:38 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Yeah I know but...
My tinge of optimism is what intensifies my rage when Frank Spaziani et al. fall on their face again.
Writer at BC Interruption SBN's Boston College Eagles blog
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Honest Question
Does anyone pay any attention to these posts? BC Eagle74 makes excellent, albeit depressing, points, but what’s the point? GDF tells all he pays no attention, so how is it possible for we who care about this once good program to improve things? And yes, I have stopped contributing
Suffolk
True.
What we think does not matter.
If I can figure out how to make a fan post, I shall show you how the peer academic schools with the same graduation rates have made BC, the greatest U in the galaxy and in BOSTON…. look like bumbling stooges!
Basketball in both women’s and football.
Look at TCU, Baylor, Stanford, ND, Northwestern, Duke, — BC is not going to get better in football for many years.
Our recruiting is dead in the water.
But look at the bright side….. We can yacht with anybody!
And play hockey. That is, until UConn gets serious about hockey and joins Hockey East. /sarcasm
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Dec 28, 2011 10:17 AM EST up reply actions
BCEagle 74:
Here is my detailed analysis and content: preaching doomsday doesn’t solve anything. Preaching doomsday all the time sure doesn’t solve anything. And it sure doesn’t attract recruits. At this point, what are you hoping to accomplish? We got that crew for at least one more season, what are you hoping to change?
I think Eagle74 is correct
While he may have gone to preaching at the end of post, the content of why this is a bad fit for BC is really solid. I don’t happen to think that Martin is necessarily a bad hire in terms of coaching spread football, I honestly am not familiar enough with his background to make that call. What I do know though is that the hire is more of what you would expect an AD to do and not a coach.
ADs typically fix bad situations by going a completely different approach than what they had in place. If you had a defensive coach, go for an offensive guy, if you were conservative, go aggressive. Coaches don’t normally do that. They find guys that fit their mold and if those guys don’t work out, they find what they deem to be a better version of the same type of guy. Someone who believes in the same things, but who can coach it better. It speaks very much to my point about a directionless soul.
The most interesting thing about it is, you have to think he ran this one by GDF before pulling the trigger and knowing that the change to a spread system, with ill equipped personnel to run it, will take a couple of years to implement, Spaz must have a lot of faith in his long term status as BC’s football coach.
By the way, on the other hand, I happen to think Pitt hiring Paul Cryst from Wisconsin as their new HC was a solid hire. Yup, they will do the flip flop again from a pro style guy in Walt Harris and Dave Wannstedt, to a spread guy in Todd Graham to a power running guy in Cryst, but this fits the mold of traditionally what has made Pitt successful. Find the big Polish western Pennsylvania linemen and the backs from Philly, NJ and DC and pound people. Don’t get me wrong, it may fail altogether..Pitt hasn’t exactly been known for football stability over the past few years, but they may have gotten this one right. Also, Mario Cristobal was in the running for that job, another guy who would have made sense either at Pitt or at BC.
Would have loved to have Chryst as BC’s head coach. That style of play is what BC football is about; not the spread.
This hire is the act of an administration with no plan, no direction.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Dec 28, 2011 11:05 AM EST up reply actions
Also wouldn’t mind settling for Cristobal, but I think he gets a new job in a year or two … and there’s no indication that BC will be in the market for a head coach in the foreseeable future so long as the Flip/Spaz excuse train keeps chugging along.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Dec 28, 2011 11:06 AM EST up reply actions
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