Boston College Athletics
It's Football Season Again
February 26, 2015 | Football
It seems like only weeks ago that the Boston College football was on the field, facing Penn State at Yankee Stadium in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Wait, it really was just weeks ago ... nine weeks ago in fact.
Yup. That's right. BC has been "off" from football for nine weeks. Since then, we've changed calendars, welcomed a handful of new players on to campus, found out the 2015 opponents and schedule and signed 25 freshman to NLIs, and welcomed a transfer student.
Oh, and off the field? Three blizzards and 100-plus inches of snow on top of the start of spring semester.
But after those nine weeks, the BC players and staff are now back on the Alumni Stadium field - sheltered by The Bubble - as spring practice started this week.
For veterans and rookies alike, spring football is a chance to work on fundamentals, improve conditioning and build a bond with teammates.
Head coach Steve Addazio is now heading his third BC spring practice, and he's keeping his expectations in check as practice gets underway this week ... at least for now.
"I don't judge much of this because there are no pads here. We'll start to be in pads here the next Tuesday after (spring) break," Addazio said.
But when the team is back, he does expect to see his squad's intensity ratchet up. "I hope you'll see a fair amount of competition."
Rising senior defensive back Justin Simmons has his own goals for spring practice: "This spring, I'm just working hard on my fundamentals and then just letting that carry me through the year."
Simmons led the Eagles in tackles as a junior, collecting 76 stops out of the backfield. Now a senior on a still young team, he's taking cues from third-year defensive coordinator Don Brown as he leads the defensive corps.
"Being in the system for two years now, I know what (Brown) expects and I have to demand that out of my guys, as well as myself. I have to make sure that mentally and physically we're prepared every day to ante up and get it done for Coach."
And while pads - both partial and full, per Addazio - will be used after the BC student body returns from spring break the second week of March, spring practice is about making strides, getting better and setting the stage for formal practice later this summer.
"We're just going to do what we need to do to make this the most productive spring we can." Addazio added.
