Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Evolutionary and Revolutionary
December 19, 2016 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Tommy Sweeney's giving the Eagles a new brand of tight end.
Few positions have been revolutionized in the modern football game quite like the tight end.
In the old days, "way back" in the 1980s, the position was a smaller offensive lineman, the type of player who could seal a would-be tackler away from a running play. The tight end could take on rushing linebackers, helping in pass protection. When the moment occasionally called for it, he could break off the line, get out into space and make the reception when needed. Though there were outliers, including Boston College's own Pete Mitchell, the tight end, for the most part, remained an underutilized position.
As the position's more recently evolved, it began requiring more athleticism. Even in the most traditional settings, the tight end has now become a key cog, the wild card to an offense's success. For the Eagles, Tommy Sweeney is that wild card. A 6-foot-5 sophomore out of Ramsey, N.J., he came to Chestnut Hill to fill a role that's been as developmental as the player himself. Now in his third season (including a redshirt year) in the team's pipeline, he's one of the examples of a player who is starting to break through, the type of player who can make a bright future come forward into the present.
"Starting last year, we started working on developing some new things with Chris Garrison and me," Sweeney said. "Then this year we came in - him, (Michael) Giacone, and me - and we started working on our hands, blocking new and different ways, (and) that's actually helped us getting open over the middle."
Players like Sweeney are what are starting to make Boston College more dynamic. In the Eagles' last five games, one of which included an incredibly rough day throwing against Florida State, quarterback Patrick Towles has 58 completions. Of that number, 24 percent have gone to his tight end, a player with just six catches through the season's first five games.
"He's turned into my go-to guy, especially in stressful situations," Towles said. "I can always count on Tommy to get open and be disciplined. He's made two of our biggest catches of the year - against NC State and against Wake Forest - and he's definitely going to be a featured part of our offense against Maryland."
Those alluded receptions essentially clinched bowl eligibility for the Eagles. Against NC State, the quarterback hit his tight end for 21 yards on the second play of the drive, something that kickstarted a four-and-a-half minute possession. It culminated in Davon Jones' halfback option pass for 14 yards and Towles' two-point conversion completion, both of which went to Sweeney. The points put the Eagles ahead of the Wolfpack to stay in what was their first ACC victory of the season.
Against Wake Forest, they did it again. With time winding down in the fourth quarter and the Eagles trailing, 14-10, Towles completed two passes to Sweeney. The first was a fourth-down conversion for 16 yards, a sideline catch that gave the Eagles a first down inside the Wake Forest redzone. The second came two plays later, when Towles and Sweeney hooked up for 13 yards on a slant pattern, making reservations for six in the end zone to put BC ahead to stay, clinching BC a bowl berth in the season's waning moments
"He's just developed into a really tremendous worker," tight ends coach Frank Leonard said of Sweeney. "He's very, very bright, and he's a natural football player and football guy. He's been a pleasure (to coach), and he's going to continue to grow."
Sweeney's ongoing development is part of a season-long development inside the BC offense. The Eagles have often stated how they want to remain a run-first offense, something that requires more blocking and more involvement than just pass patterns. With the recent emergence of the receiving corps, however, more options exist to spread out passing plays.
The result has been a balanced attack, one that's given the Eagles four players with 20 or more receptions individually. Entering bowl season, Michael Walker leads the team with 30 receptions and Jeff Smith second at 26. Sweeney sits third with 24 catches and Charlie Callinan fourth at 21.
It's just the fourth time it's happened since Matt Ryan quarterbacked the Eagles (with one of those seasons coming in the immediate aftermath of Ryan in 2008). It's the first time it's happened under head coach Steve Addazio.
"(Sweeny)'s always prepared really well," Towles said. "He's always been a terrific run blocker, and he's definitely improved from the spring catching balls."
"I've had to work on my conditioning a little bit," Sweeney joked, "but it's a welcome challenge. The atmosphere is great (working with Towles and offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler), and we come in all the time to watch film. We all connect really well, and it's shown on the field at some point. It's not just me; it's been all the receivers, how we all come in and watch extra film together and just hang out (in a football setting)."
As the Eagles prepare for Maryland, there's the added incentive of a bowl game victory, something BC hasn't achieved since the days of Ryan in the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl against Michigan State. Perhaps more than that, however, it's a chance to stay in the locker room and keep working at a season where the tight end has undergone a late-season renaissance.
"This has been a great bowl season," Sweeney said, "with everyone staying together and especially this team with the seniors that we have. We get to be all together for another month, and then we'll get to go to Detroit and have some fun. Ford Field is a great NFL stadium, and it'll be a lot of fun to play there."
The Eagles take on the former ACC and current Big Ten member Terrapins on Dec. 26 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN and the BC IMG Sports Network.
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In the old days, "way back" in the 1980s, the position was a smaller offensive lineman, the type of player who could seal a would-be tackler away from a running play. The tight end could take on rushing linebackers, helping in pass protection. When the moment occasionally called for it, he could break off the line, get out into space and make the reception when needed. Though there were outliers, including Boston College's own Pete Mitchell, the tight end, for the most part, remained an underutilized position.
As the position's more recently evolved, it began requiring more athleticism. Even in the most traditional settings, the tight end has now become a key cog, the wild card to an offense's success. For the Eagles, Tommy Sweeney is that wild card. A 6-foot-5 sophomore out of Ramsey, N.J., he came to Chestnut Hill to fill a role that's been as developmental as the player himself. Now in his third season (including a redshirt year) in the team's pipeline, he's one of the examples of a player who is starting to break through, the type of player who can make a bright future come forward into the present.
"Starting last year, we started working on developing some new things with Chris Garrison and me," Sweeney said. "Then this year we came in - him, (Michael) Giacone, and me - and we started working on our hands, blocking new and different ways, (and) that's actually helped us getting open over the middle."
Players like Sweeney are what are starting to make Boston College more dynamic. In the Eagles' last five games, one of which included an incredibly rough day throwing against Florida State, quarterback Patrick Towles has 58 completions. Of that number, 24 percent have gone to his tight end, a player with just six catches through the season's first five games.
"He's turned into my go-to guy, especially in stressful situations," Towles said. "I can always count on Tommy to get open and be disciplined. He's made two of our biggest catches of the year - against NC State and against Wake Forest - and he's definitely going to be a featured part of our offense against Maryland."
Those alluded receptions essentially clinched bowl eligibility for the Eagles. Against NC State, the quarterback hit his tight end for 21 yards on the second play of the drive, something that kickstarted a four-and-a-half minute possession. It culminated in Davon Jones' halfback option pass for 14 yards and Towles' two-point conversion completion, both of which went to Sweeney. The points put the Eagles ahead of the Wolfpack to stay in what was their first ACC victory of the season.
Against Wake Forest, they did it again. With time winding down in the fourth quarter and the Eagles trailing, 14-10, Towles completed two passes to Sweeney. The first was a fourth-down conversion for 16 yards, a sideline catch that gave the Eagles a first down inside the Wake Forest redzone. The second came two plays later, when Towles and Sweeney hooked up for 13 yards on a slant pattern, making reservations for six in the end zone to put BC ahead to stay, clinching BC a bowl berth in the season's waning moments
"He's just developed into a really tremendous worker," tight ends coach Frank Leonard said of Sweeney. "He's very, very bright, and he's a natural football player and football guy. He's been a pleasure (to coach), and he's going to continue to grow."
Sweeney's ongoing development is part of a season-long development inside the BC offense. The Eagles have often stated how they want to remain a run-first offense, something that requires more blocking and more involvement than just pass patterns. With the recent emergence of the receiving corps, however, more options exist to spread out passing plays.
The result has been a balanced attack, one that's given the Eagles four players with 20 or more receptions individually. Entering bowl season, Michael Walker leads the team with 30 receptions and Jeff Smith second at 26. Sweeney sits third with 24 catches and Charlie Callinan fourth at 21.
It's just the fourth time it's happened since Matt Ryan quarterbacked the Eagles (with one of those seasons coming in the immediate aftermath of Ryan in 2008). It's the first time it's happened under head coach Steve Addazio.
"(Sweeny)'s always prepared really well," Towles said. "He's always been a terrific run blocker, and he's definitely improved from the spring catching balls."
"I've had to work on my conditioning a little bit," Sweeney joked, "but it's a welcome challenge. The atmosphere is great (working with Towles and offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler), and we come in all the time to watch film. We all connect really well, and it's shown on the field at some point. It's not just me; it's been all the receivers, how we all come in and watch extra film together and just hang out (in a football setting)."
As the Eagles prepare for Maryland, there's the added incentive of a bowl game victory, something BC hasn't achieved since the days of Ryan in the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl against Michigan State. Perhaps more than that, however, it's a chance to stay in the locker room and keep working at a season where the tight end has undergone a late-season renaissance.
"This has been a great bowl season," Sweeney said, "with everyone staying together and especially this team with the seniors that we have. We get to be all together for another month, and then we'll get to go to Detroit and have some fun. Ford Field is a great NFL stadium, and it'll be a lot of fun to play there."
The Eagles take on the former ACC and current Big Ten member Terrapins on Dec. 26 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN and the BC IMG Sports Network.
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