AJ Black: Good afternoon Dan, we are officially in summer mode here at BC Interruption. Just think we are about a month away from summer football getting underway. I can't wait. This week I started a series on the toughest opposing players BC will face this season. My personal pick is DeShaun Watson, the kid is a beast if he can stay healthy, but at any position who do you think will be the toughest player BC will face in 2015?
Dan Rubin: I don't think Greg McGhee has any eligibility left at Howard, so I can't pick him. Bummer.
Actually, I'm going to pick Everett Golson. By the time BC plays Clemson, they may be gelling as a unit. What scares me about Golson is that BC plays Florida State at a point during the season where clear skill takes over. If Golson is on for that game, then BC could be in trouble. But here's the thing - I said the same thing last year about Cody Kessler. When BC played USC, though, it was early enough in the season, with Kessler coming off a tough game on the West Coast, and BC was able to take advantage of early season rust and fatigue.
Since the grind of the season won't quite kick up for the FSU game, maybe they catch the Seminoles napping. That said, the last two years of playing them tough means the Tallahassee Tribe (I made that up, like it?) is going to be ready. There's something about that game that could go either way. That it can go either way makes me thing it could be the toughest competition.
Excluding Howard for obvious reasons, I'll pitch it back to you with this question - who is the one opponent that everyone's talking about that doesn't scare you at all?
AJ: I don't think there are any teams per say that don't "scare me at all", they all do to an extent, well except for Maine and Howard. The team that I think BC could put a charge into and disrupt their season, and will be a Top 10 team has to be Florida State.
Kind of what you said earlier. New quarterback, beginning of the year, tons of turnover on boths sides of the ball. Now I get it, FSU doesn't rebuild, they reload, and I'm sure there will be multiple blue chips ready to step in for Jimbo Fisher. But there is something about this matchup that I like BC's chances. Game is at home. It just screams potential upset for Boston College. This is not meant as any sort of disrespect to the team, coach or players, but BC has given them everything they can handle over the past two years, and now with Jamies Winston gone, I have to say that this may be the year BC can get over that hump and take down the mighty Seminoles.
Dan, another team that has been getting a lot of love this preseason has been Virgina Tech, a team that Steve Addazio has beaten soundly the past two years. Are you buying or selling on the Hokies in 2015?
Dan: I'm selling and I'm selling hard.
No team has done less with more over the past seven or so years than Virginia Tech. They seem to be the new Clemson, a team capable of imploding at any point in time. The difference is that where Clemson would then win four or five games and become a what if - VT tends to shut down for the rest of the year.
Time for some examples. Last year they beat Ohio State and went from being unranked to being ranked 17th. They promptly lost to East Carolina and Georgia Tech, then limped down the stretch to finish 6-6, second to last in the Coastal Division. The year before, they were ranked 16th with a 6-1 record after losing only to Alabama. They only won two games the rest of the year.
And who could forget 2012, when they were 13th in the nation before losing to Pitt. They finished the season 6-6.
It's my opinion that Frank Beamer has lost his touch enough to make this team capable of losing at any time. They're clearly not the class of the ACC, and they're not even close to the class of their division. They don't scare me at all, and while I may live to eat crow on this one, I can't see them being what everyone's talking about them for. I'd rather be scared of Clemson, unless they decide to pull a Clemson.
Odds I'm public enemy #1 in Blacksburg by now?
AJ: You're in deep crap now. So that is now what: UMass, Florida State and VT fans that now hate your guts?
Dan: You also forgot the USC post last year calling us misogynistic or something like that and the time I totally trolled a Montreal Canadiens beat writer.
Question for you - we talk a lot about game presentation but part of it is outside BC's control - television broadcasts. What are your thoughts on the ACC's broadcast quality?
AJ: Just a step above Aggievision? Just kidding. I mean it is what it is. I'm not the biggest fan of the announcers who sound like it's the first time they've ever watched an ACC football game, and the camera work can be abysmal, but then again ESPN had a hard time tracking what the hell Tyler Murphy was doing last year. Half the time the announcers sound half asleep, the picture quality is inconsistent at best, and seems to be miles behind ESPN and the other major networks. My hope is that when the ACC Network is created, that the conference puts more money into the infrastructure and improves on these broadcasts.
Dan, if you can't see a BC game live, which station is your favorite for broadcasting these games?
Dan: I usually go with the Worldwide Leader. ESPN's family of broadcasters aren't great, but their production quality is still better than Raycom. Unfortunately, I feel like Raycom is either done on the cheap or invested in the wrong areas. I feel like for production value, they don't do enough with crowd noise, and it comes out muted. The guys doing the games don't do enough to emphasize parts of the game that make sense to watch, and it feels like they are learning about teams on the fly.
Say what you will about ESPN, but they get certain aspects of games that make them good. They may have their favorite teams, and the broadcasters may be a stretch at times, but their quality is still tops for a reason. Like you said - shoddy camerawork last year can be attributed to not knowing what Murphy was doing.
From a BC standpoint - Jon Meterparel is the man for both football and basketball radio games. He's a polarizing personality to BC fans. Do you like him or not like him?
AJ: I'm going to get a lot of grief for this, but I really enjoy Jon Meterparel. I think of sporting events as a spectacle, it needs the noise of the crowd and loud personalities throughout the game. I want loud "homers" yelling and making up silly nicknames for the players. Part of the fun of watching for me is hearing what announcers like Meter, Tommy Heinsohn Jack Edwards or Ted Serandis would say. It's ridiculous, I know, but still I find it fun. Come on who doesn't remember phrases like "THERE'S AN EAGLE IN THE END ZONE", "TAKE A BOW!" or even back in the day Serandis saying things like "The Hoop Gods Want Pacific". I'll take a million Meters over the vanilla broadcasters on Raycom anyday.
Dan: Okay I'm going to disagree with you, but I don't want what I'm about to say misconstrued as saying that I hate Meter. By all accounts, he's a great guy, and I would love to work with him so I can get a rub for how he prepares and gets ready for games. That's stuff that, as a broadcaster, I always look to how others are doing it so I can be better for it myself.
That said, I disagree with the style. I'm guilty of being a homer at times, but that's a natural reaction from working with a team every week. Your target audience, very clearly, is not a national demographic when you're working the local broadcast for a particular team. What you have to be careful about is straying into what I've often referred to as "fanboy mode." In a close game, like when Matt Ryan threw the pass to Andre Callendar, I think Meter's call of the play was great. Given the circumstances, you go nuts, but there's a big difference between doing that and doing what the Indianapolis Colts guys do (Most. Insufferable. Broadcast. Ever.). I obviously don't want my broadcasts to have guys be vanilla - Joe Buck is living proof that it's maddening. But I don't want my broadcasts to be fanboy either. I'm guilty of it at times with games I call because we all have a fan in us, but you can't be fawning over the team.
The thing about cliche writing and statements is this - yelling "TAKE A BOW" is like trying to force a square peg into a circle hole professionally for me. It feels like he's trying to create moments instead of allow the game to come naturally. Some of my best stuff is organic without having this catchphrase there to lean on.
I know I just butchered the guy a little bit, but I really don't want it to come across like I hate Meter on the air. I think there are positives, and believe me when I say I want his job in the worst way. I would love to be calling BC games. Hey guys - call me, maybe?
NO HUDDLE OFFENSE
AJ: Dan, earlier today Andrea Adelson released her interview with Darius Wade. Quickly, give me your thoughts on what he had to say.....
Dan: I thought he came across as very mature, like he was ready to lead this team. I think he's very hungry to play, and I hope that hunger translates to great qualities on the field.
The Big XII could be expanding to get to 12 teams, which makes sense since, you know, they're called the "Big Twelve." If you're playing NCAA Football on XBox, who's making the jump?
AJ: So first off, I would put UConn in there, because they deserve it....PFFFFTTTTT....Sorry couldn't say that with a straight face. I'd like to reward two lower conference teams that have done a nice job lately and would work in that area: Colorado State and UCF.
Dan, summer is here and the heat comes with it. When you are feeling the heat what is your go to drink?
Dan: The John Daly. It's an Arnold Palmer with Vodka. Add Tito's and enjoy.