Addazio Pleased With Effort in Fourth Week of Practice
As practice has begun to wind down for Boston College football, the Eagles continue to heat up. Head coach Steve Addazio was pleased with the effort he saw, with a trip to Dekalb, Ill. to play Northern Illinois just a week away.
"We got a physical, crisp, go-get-it practice," Addazio said. "I thought they did a hell of a job today, coming out with that attitude and effort."
Not everything has been set and stone just yet, however. Addazio still has not officially named a starting quarterback, as he is wont to do. Both Darius Wade and Anthony Brown have taken many starting snaps with what's likely to be considered the first team skill players and offensive line. The two quarterbacks look especially sharp out of the pocket, with an amount of comfort on the move and when rolling out. On one play, Brown hit Charlie Callinan on a slick touchdown fade from about 30 yards deep in the back left corner of the far end zone.
FOR MORE ON WR, READ: Receiver Depth a Refreshing Plus for Boston College
The Eagles also showed a strong amount of effort from their running game, particularly with AJ Dillon.
"If you throw the ball well, the run game opens up," Addazio said. "If you run the ball well, the throw game opens up. You've got to be able to do both, and we've struck an unbelievably strong balance in camp."
FOR MORE ON RB, READ: As Practice Winds Down, AJ Dillon Stands Out in Rising Running Game
On the offensive line, however, things are still largely in flux. Addazio says that the Eagles will not commit to a standard five-man offensive line that plays together in a single unit, but instead will rotate with seven guys--eight if last year's starting left guard Elijah Johnson can return from an ACL tear this season. In large part, this is because Addazio's OLers are bigger players that might not be able to keep up with the pace of the new spread packages and fast tempo that he wants to inject into his typically pro-style offense. One position in particular that has had those switches is at left guard, where John Phillips and Sam Schmal shift back and forth. The firmly entrenched linemen are Aaron Monteiro at left tackle, Chris Lindstrom who is shifting to right tackle, and Jon Baker at center. Other offensive linemen, like West Virginia transfer Marcel Lazard, are still fighting for potential spots on the line.
"The ability sometimes in our tempo situations to get through the fatigue and not fall apart and finish blocks is still something that we're getting used to," Addazio said. "Sometimes in the run game, people aren't lined up and you almost fall into it by mistake. We're going to play this year with seven guys, we have to because of fatigue. I'm just hoping we have seven, maybe eight, healthy and ready to roll. ... But we're not going to play with five guys, it's too hard with those big guys. The rotation has to be the norm."
Thus far, it's been flowing well, just as the Eagles have overall in their new offense.
"We don't want to get shocked going into a game because you're used to something less," Addazio said.
ASSORTED NOTES:
-The defense gave Korab Idrizi some double coverage today, and appeared to swarm on him quickly whenever the ball was thrown his way. Lots of respect for a guy with a ton of raw talent playing alongside a pretty good tight end in Tommy Sweeney.
-Overall, kicking game is looking better. My guess right now is that Max Schulze-Geisthovel will be the kickoff man and Colton Lichtenberg will reclaim the top job on field goals. He's had an excellent camp and has looked really sharp from the 35-45 yard range, a game that BC has been missing for quite some time. Each field goal kicker, including Mike Knoll, made every one of his field goals today.
"It's the first time I've seen that in camp when it's been that consistent," Addazio said on the kickers.
-I liked what I saw from Gabriel McClary, who is somewhat on the outside looking in when it comes to secondary positions. He will be a versatile option for them wherever he plays among the DBs. Will Harris also displayed some Landon Collins-like toughness and swing qualities.
-Freshman CJ Lewis made a few nice catches in a crossing route-type pattern today. A longshot to crack serious time at wide receiver given the amount of players in front of him.