Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Improvements Permeate Saturday Scrimmage
August 12, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Workload illustrates the road already paved
Two weeks into the Boston College football preseason, everything starts to become more mundane. The constant drills seem repetitive as the initial excitement transitions into a more daily grind. But when the Eagles set foot on the Alumni Stadium turf for their scrimmage on Saturday morning, there was nothing mundane about what they accomplished.
"We still have a fairly sizeable grind through the next couple of weeks," head coach Steve Addazio said. "We started a week earlier as everyone did in college football. This next week is in the heart of the camp, so I want to close things off next weekend even though it's not even over then. We still have another week (after that) before we have a game week but I want to see where we go from today."
Pitting teammate against teammate, the Eagles mixed and rotated their units as they created game situations for their players across a four quarter scrimmage. It extended well beyond who fits where on the depth chart. Looking ahead, it became an exercise of play call balance and execution within what happens on game day.
"At times we ran it well. At other times, we didn't run it as well as we could've," Addazio said. "I would've liked to have seen (the ball) downfield a little bit vertical more. We want to work sideline to sideline and end zone to end zone. Both quarterbacks looked like they had their moments. I want to watch it. That's what the tape is for."
Both Darius Wade and Anthony Brown remain under a microscope as the Eagles bear down on Northern Illinois. Both are competing for snaps with the first team offense, with their jockeying creating a scenario where, as expected, they're helping each other grow at the position.
Wade led the team downfield on his first drive, connecting with Jeff Smith on a 20-yard reception over the middle. He proved himself capable in the intermediate passing game, hooking up three times with tight end Tommy Sweeney. His touchdown pass to Sweeney was a tailor made case of patience and vision from both the quarterback and his receiver.
"It was a great first drive," Wade said. "We got things rolling really quickly, mixing up the run and the pass. We got the defense running with our tempo. It's great to end it with a touchdown, and we just have to keep working off of that."
Brown, meanwhile, displayed the natural athleticism that has him in the QB1 conversation. His deep ball to Kobay White looked effortless, and he used his legs to create plays on the run. In particular, when plays started breaking down, he was able to buy time while on the move while keeping his eyes pointed up field.
"My teammates have been helping me progress as a leader every week," Brown said. "Slowly but surely, I'm progressing in that aspect. I just have to keep that offense going, keep the line going and keep the tempo up. Darius helps me with that, and everyone is a collective group that's just feeding off each other."
For Addazio, there's enough tape to begin assessing where the Eagles project in 2017. Definitive strengths are starting to shine as his team begins forming their identity. There are blatant improvements, helping the coach locate what's working for his roster.
"The offensive line is improved for sure over the past two weeks," Addazio said. "I think the secondary is really improving by watching them. We've jockeyed the linebackers quite a bit. Connor Strachan has been inside and outside, learning that outside role. I think the receivers are coming a long way right now. We've thrown the ball extremely well in practice, and our passing game has come a long way."
The job is barely getting started, however. Though Chris Lindstrom is showing off versatility by playing positions around center Jon Baker, Elijah Johnson missed the scrimmage. Though the defensive line was able to disrupt and pressure the pocket, they continue to work on their depth, especially on their interior. And while Mike Knoll and Colton Lichtenberg were perfect on field goals, the kicking game remains an area for improvement.
"We had some minor deals on the offensive line in terms of guys getting banged up," Addazio said. "AJ Dillon and Travis Levy were a little dinged up so we weren't going to run them as much. That hamstrings how you're going to flow when you're trying to work in the young guys at the end. You don't want to have the older backs with them."
It's a message well received by the Eagles. Halfway through August, well on their road to their date with Northern Illinois, there's a growing comfort making everything more mundane.
"I like our tempo offense because it's an advantage," Wade said. "It's a lot of fun because you can run around, make calls at the line and just play football. That's something we did during my junior and senior years in high school. It fits my game because it gives me freedom to make my own checks and own calls of that nature."
"We've been working at this for a good amount of time," Brown said. "Catching onto the speed of the game is getting easier and easier as we get going. Eventually we'll have to get used to making the speed (instead of working the speed). It feels great (to make big plays), but we just have to keep doing it."
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"We still have a fairly sizeable grind through the next couple of weeks," head coach Steve Addazio said. "We started a week earlier as everyone did in college football. This next week is in the heart of the camp, so I want to close things off next weekend even though it's not even over then. We still have another week (after that) before we have a game week but I want to see where we go from today."
Pitting teammate against teammate, the Eagles mixed and rotated their units as they created game situations for their players across a four quarter scrimmage. It extended well beyond who fits where on the depth chart. Looking ahead, it became an exercise of play call balance and execution within what happens on game day.
"At times we ran it well. At other times, we didn't run it as well as we could've," Addazio said. "I would've liked to have seen (the ball) downfield a little bit vertical more. We want to work sideline to sideline and end zone to end zone. Both quarterbacks looked like they had their moments. I want to watch it. That's what the tape is for."
Both Darius Wade and Anthony Brown remain under a microscope as the Eagles bear down on Northern Illinois. Both are competing for snaps with the first team offense, with their jockeying creating a scenario where, as expected, they're helping each other grow at the position.
Wade led the team downfield on his first drive, connecting with Jeff Smith on a 20-yard reception over the middle. He proved himself capable in the intermediate passing game, hooking up three times with tight end Tommy Sweeney. His touchdown pass to Sweeney was a tailor made case of patience and vision from both the quarterback and his receiver.
"It was a great first drive," Wade said. "We got things rolling really quickly, mixing up the run and the pass. We got the defense running with our tempo. It's great to end it with a touchdown, and we just have to keep working off of that."
Brown, meanwhile, displayed the natural athleticism that has him in the QB1 conversation. His deep ball to Kobay White looked effortless, and he used his legs to create plays on the run. In particular, when plays started breaking down, he was able to buy time while on the move while keeping his eyes pointed up field.
"My teammates have been helping me progress as a leader every week," Brown said. "Slowly but surely, I'm progressing in that aspect. I just have to keep that offense going, keep the line going and keep the tempo up. Darius helps me with that, and everyone is a collective group that's just feeding off each other."
For Addazio, there's enough tape to begin assessing where the Eagles project in 2017. Definitive strengths are starting to shine as his team begins forming their identity. There are blatant improvements, helping the coach locate what's working for his roster.
"The offensive line is improved for sure over the past two weeks," Addazio said. "I think the secondary is really improving by watching them. We've jockeyed the linebackers quite a bit. Connor Strachan has been inside and outside, learning that outside role. I think the receivers are coming a long way right now. We've thrown the ball extremely well in practice, and our passing game has come a long way."
The job is barely getting started, however. Though Chris Lindstrom is showing off versatility by playing positions around center Jon Baker, Elijah Johnson missed the scrimmage. Though the defensive line was able to disrupt and pressure the pocket, they continue to work on their depth, especially on their interior. And while Mike Knoll and Colton Lichtenberg were perfect on field goals, the kicking game remains an area for improvement.
"We had some minor deals on the offensive line in terms of guys getting banged up," Addazio said. "AJ Dillon and Travis Levy were a little dinged up so we weren't going to run them as much. That hamstrings how you're going to flow when you're trying to work in the young guys at the end. You don't want to have the older backs with them."
It's a message well received by the Eagles. Halfway through August, well on their road to their date with Northern Illinois, there's a growing comfort making everything more mundane.
"I like our tempo offense because it's an advantage," Wade said. "It's a lot of fun because you can run around, make calls at the line and just play football. That's something we did during my junior and senior years in high school. It fits my game because it gives me freedom to make my own checks and own calls of that nature."
"We've been working at this for a good amount of time," Brown said. "Catching onto the speed of the game is getting easier and easier as we get going. Eventually we'll have to get used to making the speed (instead of working the speed). It feels great (to make big plays), but we just have to keep doing it."
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Players Mentioned
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