FanPost

Piece of advice: Have realistic expectations for the newest Flutie

When you have the last name is Flutie, it is almost impossible to stay out of the spotlight. When you last name is Flutie and you are a quarterback at Boston College, the spotlight is even brighter. Such is the case with Troy Flutie, the freshman quarterback from Natick, Massachusetts who hails from Natick High School. From the get-go, he has big shoes to fill in terms of carrying on the family name, as his father Darren, cousin Billy and uncle Doug are all Boston College football lettermen. I hear the Doug guy was pretty good back in his day.

Because he is a Flutie, expectations are very high for him. Combine that with the fact that he completed 182 of 288 passes for 3,027 yards and 47 touchdown passes in addition to running for 824 yards and six more touchdowns on 93 carries and it is evident why he has Boston College and college football fans around New England abuzz. They have every reason feel this way, and I have certainly hopped on the "Flutie Wagon." However, I urge all of you to have realistic expectations about the signal-caller.

What do I mean when I say this? He has all the tools to be a great quarterback, and I am thinking he will be very good, but I urge you not to think of him as the "savior" at the quarterback position for the program. What his uncle Doug did in his Heisman and Davey O' Brien-winning season of 1984 was extraordinary 3,634 yards, 30 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. That will never be forgotten and on Chestnut Hill, Doug is football royalty (as he should be.) Does that mean Troy will do the same? Maybe. Maybe not.

He could potentially start this fall as the quarterback position, as it stands right now is up for grabs. If (more like when) he slips on the Maroon and Gold uniform for the first time as a starter, that spotlight will be beaming as everyone from the national media to me, the fat, lazy, couch-potato blogger will watch his every move behind center. It is unavoidable, given his football pedigree. He will no doubt be compared to his uncle as that will come with the territory.

My advice to all the BC diehards out there? Avoid comparing him to his uncle as much as possible and let him be his own player Just because his uncle had a great career here does not guarantee success for him of course. Trust me, ESPN will make the comparisons to his uncle. We as fans should just sit back and let things unfold.