Spring Game Gives Some Chance to Shine

The thermometer might not tell New Englanders that spring is here the calendar reads April 14^th which means it’s time for the annual spring football game. This year’s edition of the Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Game should be interesting compared to what we’ve seen in past years. Two things that stuck out to me which were announced by BC:

-It will be thud-contact and no full-go tackling on either side of the ball.

I get why Addazio is doing this to avoid injuries. Selfishly it does make it harder to evaluate players for the fans though. Also, snuck in the notes section of Thursday’s spring practice repot:

- Saturday could see BC rest several of its marquee players who have either been limited this spring or have already earned a bulk of reps already over the previous 14 practices

I think we could all probably guess some of the players we won’t see on Saturday. Again, I understand what Addazio is doing. It does make the game a little less fun though. In any event here’s what I’ll be watching for on Saturday

EJ Perry-The Andover native will be leading the first team offense in place of Anthony Brown who is still recovering from last year’s injury. From all indications Perry has held his own this spring and was the best of the QB’s that took part in spring practice. Addazio has not held back on his compliemnts for his young signal caller, “He has a very bright future. I think he’s going to be an extremely exciting player to watch throughout spring ball. He’s a guy that can throw it, he can run it. He’s an unbelievable competitor. So, I think EJ is ready to take his opportunity here. We’re all excited to watch him.”

Looking sharp in 7-on-7 and in drills is one thing. Playing a controlled scrimmage outside in the elements is something completely different. Even without some of his weapons I have high expectations for Perry against the second team defense this weekend

Linebackers- This is one of the hardest positions to predict on the two deep as the Eagles legitimately have six or seven players that could make a case to start this year. We’ll obviously see a good chunk of the group sit out on Saturday, particularly the ones recovering and making their way back from injury. However, I am excited to see what guys like Davon Jones, Isaiah McDuffie and Jon Lamot do with an opportunity to shine in the spring game. It almost makes you wonder if it will make some of the guys sitting out a little nervous if their projected backups do well.

Wide Receivers-The no tackling rules do make it a little easier for the wide receivers especially in the open field where it might be a little hard to get a good “thud” on a guy. If the veteran players like Mike Walker, Ben Glines, and Jeff Smith play they should have potential for some breakout days. If they don’t suit uo can guys like C.J. Lewis and Nolan Jordan-Williams stand out and make an impact?

At the end of the day all of the young players will have a chance to showcase their skills in the spring game. I’m just most curious in trying to evaluate the deep positions to see how deep they really are.