Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Jon Fleming
Spring Practice Opens With New Outlook
March 13, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
For BC, the 2017 season doesn't start in the fall.
When we last saw the Boston College football program, the players exulted in their locker room, holding a trophy aloft. They stood as a team victorious in a bowl game after defeating Maryland in a marathon of the 2016Â Quick Lane Bowl, 36-30. After a season full of ups and downs, it provided a lasting image, one where a satisfied bunch had one more moment with their brothers and teammates.
Spring practice is set to officially open, and with it, the Eagles begin the process of steam rolling towards September 1, 2017. That's when they'll debut their next edition in a road game against the Northern Illinois Huskies.
"We're excited to start spring practice," head coach Steve Addazio said. "(We're) excited to get going again. The emotional momentum coming off of the end of the season for our players was just really fantastic. You could feel it all winter long. We had as good (of) a winter as we've ever had here. The players' vibe, their energy, their attention to detail - I think it was very uplifting for them to, within themselves, really understand the concept."
For some programs, spring practice is about retooling a lineup or beginning a process anew. To an extent, that holds true for the Eagles as well. Though the season itself was a tale of extremes, with big wins over Group of Five opponents to gut-wrenching losses against power conference elite, the team took plenty away, especially having won its way into the Quick Lane Bowl and having earned the right for extra practices in December.
"We head into the offseason with a lot of positive momentum (from) the bowl win, the first win in nine years," Addazio said. "The feeling of a real positive moving towards the future - the realization of guys knowing we have talent and we have a lot of good things to talk about moving forward. We had a great winter, and that's really pushed itself into spring. For these guys, they want to maximize every day."
The push begins with the integration of new players to replace old faces. A program like Boston College prides itself on the ability to refine raw talent. The Eagles work to harness student-athletes' ability within a system, where the sum is greater than its individual parts. Through that process, superstars are created, capable of topping national statistical charts. Those athletes' promise and potential is realized through a process that begins in spring practice.
"I think you got to be real excited about our pass rush right now," Addazio said. "You have Harold Landry (coming) back, (with) unbelievable first-round potential, All-American. I just think a guy (like) that really set the tone by saying, 'Hey we're going to have a great team, I want to be a part of it, I want to develop, grow, get my degree, all the things you should be saying.'
"Then you add in the fact that you have guys like Zach Allen, who I think is a phenomenal potential guy," Addazio said, "(and) Wyatt Ray, Ray Smith. A year ago we thought Harold had potential, but we didn't know where he would be. Now we're looking back saying he led the country in sacks. When you have three of those guys, you can't start scheming with one of those guys. We're excited about that."
While the Eagles trusted the process to keep their defense at a high level, they've had to trust a different process to get the offense on track. The turnover into last year's unit included a new offensive coordinator and new starting quarterback. With a young offensive line and new receivers working with a new quarterback, it was - at times - a tough process that produced some victories but also some struggles throughout the regular season.
Entering 2017, spring practice becomes paramount to the process, the next step in building the balance in Addazio's game plan. The offense has gained veteran status and has gotten to a point where players have experience within their system while physically maturing into ACC athletes.
BC returns nearly everyone throughout its offense, save for the quarterback position. Their top receivers are back from a year where they showed flashes of potential and BC's top two running backs (Jon Hilliman and Davon Jones) returned their multifaceted punch from 2016. Offensive linemen have one, two or three seasons of snaps under their belt - many together - meaning spring practice will bridge the gap from a transitive season to the next phase of their game.
All of this will buoy a new starting quarterback. Each year, BC's entered the season with a new starting quarterback who wasn't the opening game starter from the year prior. The Eagles do have experience, though, thanks to the return of Darius Wade, who started the first three games of 2015 before suffering an injury, and highly-touted redshirt freshman Anthony Brown. Both have a year of practice under offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler.
"It's the first time that we're going to come into a season with two guys," Addazio said. "When you see Darius, he's different looking now. He has really filled out and matured. He had a great off-season. And Anthony Brown has such a high ceiling, such a wealth of talent. He's completely changed his body as well.
"We've got some weapons on offense," Addazio continued. "We're balanced on offense now. We're excited about that. My hope is that it's so super competitive that (picking a starter) is the hardest thing in the world to do. I think that would be the best thing for us."
The hope and optimism plays itself out despite there still remaining a long process. Opening spring practice is only the first step in a months-long process that will play out in limited practices  likely interrupted by this week's snowstorm. There's also a long way to go from now until September, with new faces still to work their way into the system and new names looking to establish themselves.
Spring practice usually serves as a bridge between the previous season to the upcoming schedule. For BC, it's intended to serve as a springboard. The goal is to hit the ground running in the most competitive way possible, which means the 2017 season starts now as opposed to in August.
"All we can do is create the most competitive environments in practice we possibly can," Addazio said. "We can't do any more than that. But our mindset is that we are going to be hitting at all cylinders, fully operational when we hit that road to go to Northern Illinois. It's got to be that way (because) we'll need everything. No matter what you say, opening day has had in the history of football, the biggest mixed bag of results because it's opening day. You just hope that you've practiced the right way and you've prepared the right way."
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Spring practice is set to officially open, and with it, the Eagles begin the process of steam rolling towards September 1, 2017. That's when they'll debut their next edition in a road game against the Northern Illinois Huskies.
"We're excited to start spring practice," head coach Steve Addazio said. "(We're) excited to get going again. The emotional momentum coming off of the end of the season for our players was just really fantastic. You could feel it all winter long. We had as good (of) a winter as we've ever had here. The players' vibe, their energy, their attention to detail - I think it was very uplifting for them to, within themselves, really understand the concept."
For some programs, spring practice is about retooling a lineup or beginning a process anew. To an extent, that holds true for the Eagles as well. Though the season itself was a tale of extremes, with big wins over Group of Five opponents to gut-wrenching losses against power conference elite, the team took plenty away, especially having won its way into the Quick Lane Bowl and having earned the right for extra practices in December.
"We head into the offseason with a lot of positive momentum (from) the bowl win, the first win in nine years," Addazio said. "The feeling of a real positive moving towards the future - the realization of guys knowing we have talent and we have a lot of good things to talk about moving forward. We had a great winter, and that's really pushed itself into spring. For these guys, they want to maximize every day."
The push begins with the integration of new players to replace old faces. A program like Boston College prides itself on the ability to refine raw talent. The Eagles work to harness student-athletes' ability within a system, where the sum is greater than its individual parts. Through that process, superstars are created, capable of topping national statistical charts. Those athletes' promise and potential is realized through a process that begins in spring practice.
"I think you got to be real excited about our pass rush right now," Addazio said. "You have Harold Landry (coming) back, (with) unbelievable first-round potential, All-American. I just think a guy (like) that really set the tone by saying, 'Hey we're going to have a great team, I want to be a part of it, I want to develop, grow, get my degree, all the things you should be saying.'
"Then you add in the fact that you have guys like Zach Allen, who I think is a phenomenal potential guy," Addazio said, "(and) Wyatt Ray, Ray Smith. A year ago we thought Harold had potential, but we didn't know where he would be. Now we're looking back saying he led the country in sacks. When you have three of those guys, you can't start scheming with one of those guys. We're excited about that."
While the Eagles trusted the process to keep their defense at a high level, they've had to trust a different process to get the offense on track. The turnover into last year's unit included a new offensive coordinator and new starting quarterback. With a young offensive line and new receivers working with a new quarterback, it was - at times - a tough process that produced some victories but also some struggles throughout the regular season.
Entering 2017, spring practice becomes paramount to the process, the next step in building the balance in Addazio's game plan. The offense has gained veteran status and has gotten to a point where players have experience within their system while physically maturing into ACC athletes.
BC returns nearly everyone throughout its offense, save for the quarterback position. Their top receivers are back from a year where they showed flashes of potential and BC's top two running backs (Jon Hilliman and Davon Jones) returned their multifaceted punch from 2016. Offensive linemen have one, two or three seasons of snaps under their belt - many together - meaning spring practice will bridge the gap from a transitive season to the next phase of their game.
All of this will buoy a new starting quarterback. Each year, BC's entered the season with a new starting quarterback who wasn't the opening game starter from the year prior. The Eagles do have experience, though, thanks to the return of Darius Wade, who started the first three games of 2015 before suffering an injury, and highly-touted redshirt freshman Anthony Brown. Both have a year of practice under offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler.
"It's the first time that we're going to come into a season with two guys," Addazio said. "When you see Darius, he's different looking now. He has really filled out and matured. He had a great off-season. And Anthony Brown has such a high ceiling, such a wealth of talent. He's completely changed his body as well.
"We've got some weapons on offense," Addazio continued. "We're balanced on offense now. We're excited about that. My hope is that it's so super competitive that (picking a starter) is the hardest thing in the world to do. I think that would be the best thing for us."
The hope and optimism plays itself out despite there still remaining a long process. Opening spring practice is only the first step in a months-long process that will play out in limited practices  likely interrupted by this week's snowstorm. There's also a long way to go from now until September, with new faces still to work their way into the system and new names looking to establish themselves.
Spring practice usually serves as a bridge between the previous season to the upcoming schedule. For BC, it's intended to serve as a springboard. The goal is to hit the ground running in the most competitive way possible, which means the 2017 season starts now as opposed to in August.
"All we can do is create the most competitive environments in practice we possibly can," Addazio said. "We can't do any more than that. But our mindset is that we are going to be hitting at all cylinders, fully operational when we hit that road to go to Northern Illinois. It's got to be that way (because) we'll need everything. No matter what you say, opening day has had in the history of football, the biggest mixed bag of results because it's opening day. You just hope that you've practiced the right way and you've prepared the right way."
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