Boston College Football 2015: Coaches and Players React After Third, Final Scrimmage

To access all of the quotes, click here.

Steve Addazio overall impressions...

We came out of [scrimmage] relatively unscathed and I am really pleased. I thought we got a lot done today. Everything was better at ease today. The communication from the sideline was better today. The team operated better. Everything was smoother today. Without a doubt, today was the best thing we could have done. We definitely took another step and there was doubt about that. We win or lose everything here and clearly we won it and did a good job today.

After being "sickened" by the performance over the weekend, it's nice to here the coaching staff came out of Wednesday's session at ease and pleased. I don't really know what else to say there.

Addazio on the offense...

There was a lot of progression. We had a pretty good day out there today. Very good. There was more consistency and we made more plays up front. We still had a couple plays where we fell down and you get down and distance but there was a lot of improvement and I really liked it.

You can tell from his quotes that Coach Addazio is happy with how the offense played, but he's hesitant to start tooting their horn. They just played really poorly over the weekend. He can't, in his right mind, all of a sudden start talking up the offense. I'm sure he was encouraged, but this is about as good as we're going to get out of him at this point. When the real football kicks up, it'll be a different story.

Addazio on finding the second quarterback...

I thought Troy [Flutie] made a few plays today. It was the first time that I saw him look like he made a few steps today. Jeff [Smith] made a few plays today. They both made some plays today, which is overall good. The young kid [freshman John] Fadule made a couple plays at the end. There were plays to be made.

You know, I don't think we've talked about the quarterback situation enough for what it is: a major work in progress. The quarterbacks played well in the scrimmage, with Flutie hitting Elijah Robinson for a touchdown pass and Smith hitting him for a deep ball. Fadule, a name I hadn't even mentioned before typing this, scored a touchdown.

But we're absolutely entering the season with question marks at QB. Some of this think Jeff Smith should be the backup, and some of us are arguing for Troy Flutie. John Fadule is a freshman after playing last year for Choate, throwing for 2,000 yards in one season there. He's also a graduate of Wellesley HS in Massachusetts, where he threw for 2,000 yards, ran for another 1,000, and scored 40-something touchdowns—arguably the best quarterback of that class. Any one of them could wind up as QB2 at some point this season.

You want to enter the season with a clear cut succession plan if something goes wrong. Right now, if anything (God forbid) happens to Darius Wade, we don't know who should be the guy to step in. I'm not asking Steve Addazio to name a backup quarterback, but all I'm looking for out of the scrimmages is a guy to distinguish himself. More on this at another time.

Addazio on Elijah Robinson...

Elijah got on top of the defense a few times, which is nice to see. Elijah is a great athlete and we made the right decision [turning him into a wide receiver]. It looks like he is going to be a real X receiver. He's long, 190-pound guy who can go up and get the ball...Thadd [Smith] has had a great camp and Sherman [Alston] has had a great camp. Those are three guys who are going to be playmakers in there.

So it looks like BC's found its #1 receiver in Elijah Robinson. Recruited as a QB, he was recruited as a receiver to Rutgers (among others). He's been touted as being a great athlete, and the X receiver is the guy who needs to take the top off the defense.

It looks like, based on these comments, Thadd Smith will line up as the possession receiver on the opposite side (the WR2, if you will), with Alston resuming play in the slot. When you factor in the running backs and the H-back, BC's depth chart is starting to come into focus, and that's a great sign.

Elijah Robinson on switching to wide receiver...

It was something I was completely on board with. Throughout the spring and throughout the fall camp, I was contemplating where I could fit best on offense and where I could help the team the most. Wide receiver was a position I was thinking about. I sat down with all the coaches, who were all on board with whatever I did. [As a result] I made the decision to switch. They said I could go back to quarterback if it didn't work out, but I think it is.

Interesting wrinkle: this is a freshman kid who enrolled early and realized he could help the team at wide receiver. You have to admire that type of courage. This may have been based on playing time, but I respect a kid that makes the decision to go into the coaches and say, "I think I might be able to help the team by doing X." The coaches gave him the shot but also gave him the flexibility to go back to QB if he was hurting the team.

As is anything else, it's really hard to not get excited about Elijah's move.

Sherman Alston on the performance of Elijah Robinson...

Elijah was a big pickup for the wide receiver group and the team as a whole. He is a great athlete and it was good to see him out there making plays today.

If you look at the receiving depth chart before the conversion, it was beyond thin on game-ready talent. I think the offense's struggles in the first two scrimmages proved that. Having Robinson on the field as a tall, lanky receiver opens up possibilities for Alston, who is going to be really exciting to think about this year. Having two guys who can catch a couple of passes here and there will make life easier on Darius Wade, especially as he continues to adjust to the offensive line.

Alex Howell on his role...

I am here to play football. I am not here to be a punter or a kicker. I'm here to do what coach asks me to do, so if he asks to do all [field goals, punting, extra points], I will. I want to the best at all three.

Alex Howell is your placekicker, punter, and kickoff specialist. To be honest, I'm so over talking about the kicking game that I'm just going to end it here at that fact.