What Stood Out From Bill O'Brien NEFJ Interview?

NEWPORT, RI - As most of you on here frequently know, Bill O'Brien was nice enough to agree to chat with my company New England Football Journal at The 50th anniversary of The Big New England Coaches Clinic on Saturday.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to have him on our live broadcast as he had to jet earlier than expected Saturday morning, but still hung around to make sure he gave us something.So, after the 5 a.m. wake up and two-hour drive, my partner John Sarianides has been doing radio for 30 years in the area, so we figured it'd just be best if he chatted with O'Brien on camera for a bit. While I didn't get to personally ask him anything, John took care of it, we tried to make sure we didn't miss any of the prevalent topics.

Here's what stood out to me. One thing in particular had me and our other partner Adam Kurkjian stunningly give each other a quick glance at one point...

-Hard to believe it's just about time for spring ball already. O'Brien confirmed it starts March 11th, and it feels like he just got hired a week ago. In reality he's had enough time to meet with 100+ players individually and fil out his staff. They should be ready to roll, this isn't his first rodeo, so the quick adjustment (I hope) isn't a problem. He sounded confident

-O'Brien acknowledged he has a little experience with the late start, he took the Penn State job after the Super Bowl. He talked about knowing recruiting was first and foremost before implementing the system. Mentioned New England, New York and Ohio specifically when talking about recruiting.

-The staff is a great balance of young and old, which O'Brien said he tried to do on purpose. He mentioned Tim Lewis at DC, Will Lawing at OC and Jonathan DibIaso coaching the QB's. "A good blend of experience and veteran coaches," he said.

-O'Brien knows points put asses in seats. Said the team will need to throw the football, "we need to put people in the stands," was one of the first things out of his mouth. -Defensively, O'Brien says Lewis will be "multiple...attacking defense." He also emphasized special teams needing to have a big impact for BC and he specifically mentioned keeping Matt Thurin for that reason.

-In regards to NIL, O'Brien says building relationship with current kids and their families first. Says BC "will be in the NIL landscape," and added they'll be somewhere in the middle when it comes to that aspect, but not if it means sacrificing what going to BC ultimately means. At this point every coach has to say that, but if they want to compete that simply can't be the case anymore. We'll see. You can't always have a 'BC guy' to compete in today's CFB world.

-He truly believes BC is a big time job to have. Both he and John were old enough to remember the 'glory' days,' but I only go as far back as St. Pierre and the Hasselbecks as far as my BC memories are concerned. He wants to bring the legacy back and acknowledged being a local guy has greater meaning.

-Said family was obviously a big reason he wanted the job, specifically the medical care for his son Jack. -Says expectations need to be managed, said "we have to pump the breaks." Also said "we have to be a team people want to come watch," and "we can't be a three yards and a cloud of dust team, we've got to be able to throw the ball around the yard..."

-The quote that had me and Kurkjian looking at each other immediately was "...are we going to win the National Championship every year? Hey, that'd be great if we did. If we find a quarterback and we catch lightning in a bottle like I said the other day, then anything can happen..." Find another QB? Oh, well apparently that's something to watch for a week from Monday. Although, John has told me he believes Morehead (who I believe is still in the portal) would be a better fit for what O'Brien usually does offensively. Could be a fascinating spring at the position, but for now I think it's Tommy's job.

-Adds that he learned it's more about the process than the immediate result from Saban while at Alabama.

-Knows the media can be a help to BC image wise for recruits. Hopefully that means more practice access.

Can't thank him enough for the time when he didn't really have to stick around, looking forward to seeing the new era start in person next week.