Four Downs: Scrimmage No. 1
August 10, 2019 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Positives still shine through as Eagles knock off the rust in first intrasquad game.
The first week of training camp is always a series of exciting benchmarks. The first workout drill leads to the first day in shoulder pads, which leads to the first day in full pads. The gradual buildup resets the players every couple of days, and it keeps the energy levels high as bodies begin conditioning into positional molds.
Those excitement levels, though, always seem to hit a brick wall pretty quickly during the scrimmage. The game-type situations, in front of referees, always provide a reality check for both the players and the coaches: a team comes along pretty quickly but still has a long road left until its first game.
"I thought attitude and effort were good," head coach Steve Addazio said. "It was clear that our rep count might have been about 60 for the (first team) and 60 for the (second team). These guys were gassed out there, and we're looking to get to 90 (reps for the first team). But it should be (like that). We have a long way to go until we're game ready."
Scrimmages are designed to create correctable mistakes, especially on the offense. Illegal formations, false starts and missed snap counts are more common in the first weekend than at any other point during the season, and defenses captialize on mistakes to force turnovers. That's understood as part of the process. The idea is to allow mistakes to surface so coaches can hone in and continue the process of gelling the roster.
"(We know how) it has to be cleaned up," Addazio said. "The team that wins on opening day is the team with the least turnovers and penalties. You get officials and get into this setting, and stuff shows up. We had procedural penalties and turnovers that have to go away."
It's the first taste of game action, an agenda-setting case study for the upcoming week before next week's second scrimmage. Bodies will recover from the grueling toll of the first week during film sessions emphasizing increased fundamentals. It's a rude ushering of the dog days before next week's second scrimmage and training camp capstone.
"We didn't keep score or anything," Addazio said. "We didn't use a point system to gauge (who wins). We just wanted to manage the reps and shift from camp to a little bit more of a game setting. There's a lot of teachable moments when we click into that."
Here's some of what else came up during the team's first scrimmage of 2019:
*****
First Down: Deuces Wild
The first showdown between first team offense and first team defense drew early attention, but the scrimmage started heating up as soon as the second teamers stepped on the field. The offense scored some early plays against the defense, moving the chains with a 65-yard drive that produced both a red zone opportunity and score.
Running back Peter Stehr started the drive by getting low behind a surge off the offensive line, converting a fourth-and-short opportunity with a burst of speed. That set up a crossing pass to tight end Danny Dalton, which in turn led to read option runs by quarterback Dennis Grosel. Freshman running back Pat Garwo then stepped in, bowling forward to keep the drive moving with a third and short. That play was negated by a flag, but it was a picture-perfect, up-tempo drive to that point.
Later in the scrimmage, Matt Valecce took over at quarterback and engineered his own drive against the defense. Garwo broke off a long run on a counter through a massive hole, and after wideout Zay Flowers set up a passing situation, Valecce chucked a cross-field pass for a long gain.Â
"We all work in that room together," fellow quarterback Anthony Brown said. "We learn together and give each other tips. Matt has been very, very good from the start. It's translating out on the field. It's both in film and coming off the field. Any advice that I can give them, I do. I want to tell them what I've gone through so when it's their time, they can be better, even, than what I've done. I want them to get ready. When you're not on the field, you're not getting that experience."
After those two drives, the second team defense recalibrated and regrouped, eventually taking its own shot. Linebacker Paul Theobold registered an interception, while the secondary pressured wide receivers along the sidelines all morning.
"Those guys are doing a good job," Steve Addazio said. "Matt and Dennis are working really hard. They both have high moments and low moments. Matt did a good job (on that drive). It was probably his best drive. It's all just about consistency. That's the key for the quarterback. There needs to be consistency in the execution of the offense. Sometimes it dips and rises, and they have to be better collectively as a group to manage the offense, to push it and to drive it."
*****
Second Down: First Team Fire
None of this is to say that the first team had a bad day. There is plenty to clean up, but both the offense and defense had positives. In one mid-scrimmage period, the first team transitioned its running game between both Ben Glines and David Bailey. The contrast in styles kept the defense from fully adjusting, as Glines' sprint runs set up Bailey's bruising attack.
"One thing that we need to take account of is getting to third down," linebacker Max Richardson said. "Third down is important, and it's the 'get off the field' down. But you have to win first and second down. That takes focus and energy by the defense before we get to the most important down."
Bailey and Glines put together a two-headed attack, but their truly underrated weapon was their ability to substitute during up-tempo play. During that drive, Bailey ran up the middle into the line. He popped up after the play and sprinted off the field, subbing in Glines, who ran a read option for another few yards. The defense was unable to adjust formationally, and the back-to-back runs set up an Anthony Brown out pass to CJ Lewis for another first down. All of this kept moving the chains - a staple of the Steve Addazio school of offense.
"David Bailey look like he's about 35 years old," Richardson said with a laugh. "(He's) a big back. He's strong."
*****
Third Down: Kobay White and CJ Lewis
Boston College was one of the ACC's most explosive teams last year, so there's an internal pride and pressure to take that ability to the next level in 2019. The Eagles lost two of their three top receivers, but the internal system is prepared to slot new players into those roles. Diversifying the targets is a chief step in that mindset.
It's common sense to build based on known commodities, so Kobay White best represents the foundational piece of the receivers. Anthony Brown spent much of the ofseason working on developing further chemistry with White, and on Saturday, the duo flashed their downfield ability on a bomb pass into the end zone.
White found himself in one-on-one coverage down the sideline, and when Brown checked down field, he saw his receiver with a step. He stepped forward and uncorked the deep ball to the back corner. White seized the ball in the air, got his knee down for a slide and cradled the ball into a catch as he went out of bounds. It was a thing of beauty to witness up close, even though the side judge ruled White out of bounds.
"Those balls are exciting because when they're in the air, you can hear the crowd go silent," White said. "Then when you make the catch, the sound comes back in. I've worked on that with Anthony, and you usually need to be clear (of the defensive back). But when you're in one-on-one coverage, you have to take that shot. Sadly, I was out of bounds, but those plays are some of the most exciting for the receivers.Â
"I thought I made a great ball and play in the back of the end zone," he said. "I need to review the film and see how far out of bounds I was. I wasn't too happy (at the time), but that's the way it goes."
White sets the tone for how BC can slot the rest of its receivers. The glut of pass-catching tight ends provides a number of targets, and Korab Idrizi caught a downfield seam pass in stride from Brown for a big gain through traffic. But the most intriguing receiver might be CJ Lewis, who at 6-foot-4 is a 225-pound beast receiver.
Lewis made a series of out catches, sacrificing his body in coverage against Brandon Sebastian. On one of the catches, he beat Sebastian for the catch, but absorbed a punishing hit out of bounds. As a big body with speed, the junior could give Brown a uniquely massive receiver.
"CJ is putting together a nice practice stretch," Steve Addazio said. "It's been five to seven days (in a row). He's having a good run, and that should reflect in more success. His practice has been very good. Usually that means (a player will) play well. He's a big, tall kid with good athleticism. To maintain explosive capability, we need that."
*****
Fourth Down: Special Teams
Kicker Aaron Boumerhi transferred into BC as one of the most consistent weapons on Temple's roster until an injury derailed his 2018 season. He is a former All-AAC specialist from his freshman year and kicked 15 field goals during both his freshman and sophomore seasons for the Owls. In 2017, he blasted a 52-yarder, something he matched last year against UMass before his injury.
Saturday offered the first extended look at Boumerhi. Mechanically, he looks every bit of the part, and his accuracy and flow into the ball is incredibly smooth. There's no questioning his ability alongside specialists who are still young and developing.Â
Grant Carlson, meanwhile, boomed punt coverage for the Eagles when called upon, pinning the return unit inside the 20 on at least two occasions. It limited return opportunities, though one kickoff return did spring free to start the scrimmage.
Later, the coaching staff ran a stress test on its special teams when it ran 25-second drills. With 25 seconds on the clock, the offense is forced to run a play before sprinting off the field to get the field goal unit substituted into the lineup. It's an extreme situational football play requiring practice because, quite simply, it could happen from a variety of yardages and hash marks. On the first attempt, the Eagle offense successfully got off the field and converted the kick.
*****
Point After Attempt: A Rockwellian Day
There is only one thing nobody could ever complain about on Saturday: the weather. It was perfect. Actually, it was a little too perfect.
"This was a 10," Steve Addazio said. "This was a beautiful day. There's a little breeze. There's no humidity."
Weather is something that can be overlooked, but the coaching staff and players take it into consideration. Alumni Stadium has turf fields and aluminum bleachers, so there's an element that can turn all the heat back on the field to heat it up like a baking oven. Given how the players bodies started to hit the wall, the cooperative conditions allowed everyone to maximize their output.Â
"In this stadium, with the turf and aluminum, it can cook up pretty good," Addazio said. "But we were able to get a lot done. These guys felt like the concrete was on their back, and that was at a 60-play count. So, again, we have to get to a 90-play count in much hotter and more humid conditions."
BC returns to Alumni Stadium next weekend for its second and final preseason scrimmage before the Virginia Tech game week officially kicks off. Everyone understands that the conditions won't always be this favorable, so next week should provide a more challenging test for cleaning up the litmus test from the first scrimmage.
"(The heat) can be difficult, but we all go through it," Anthony Brown echoed. "This is my fourth camp, and we have a lot of veteran guys. We all know what camp is, so camp legs are expected. We should be used to (humidity) by now, and we just have to get better from here."
Those excitement levels, though, always seem to hit a brick wall pretty quickly during the scrimmage. The game-type situations, in front of referees, always provide a reality check for both the players and the coaches: a team comes along pretty quickly but still has a long road left until its first game.
"I thought attitude and effort were good," head coach Steve Addazio said. "It was clear that our rep count might have been about 60 for the (first team) and 60 for the (second team). These guys were gassed out there, and we're looking to get to 90 (reps for the first team). But it should be (like that). We have a long way to go until we're game ready."
Scrimmages are designed to create correctable mistakes, especially on the offense. Illegal formations, false starts and missed snap counts are more common in the first weekend than at any other point during the season, and defenses captialize on mistakes to force turnovers. That's understood as part of the process. The idea is to allow mistakes to surface so coaches can hone in and continue the process of gelling the roster.
"(We know how) it has to be cleaned up," Addazio said. "The team that wins on opening day is the team with the least turnovers and penalties. You get officials and get into this setting, and stuff shows up. We had procedural penalties and turnovers that have to go away."
It's the first taste of game action, an agenda-setting case study for the upcoming week before next week's second scrimmage. Bodies will recover from the grueling toll of the first week during film sessions emphasizing increased fundamentals. It's a rude ushering of the dog days before next week's second scrimmage and training camp capstone.
"We didn't keep score or anything," Addazio said. "We didn't use a point system to gauge (who wins). We just wanted to manage the reps and shift from camp to a little bit more of a game setting. There's a lot of teachable moments when we click into that."
Here's some of what else came up during the team's first scrimmage of 2019:
*****
First Down: Deuces Wild
The first showdown between first team offense and first team defense drew early attention, but the scrimmage started heating up as soon as the second teamers stepped on the field. The offense scored some early plays against the defense, moving the chains with a 65-yard drive that produced both a red zone opportunity and score.
Running back Peter Stehr started the drive by getting low behind a surge off the offensive line, converting a fourth-and-short opportunity with a burst of speed. That set up a crossing pass to tight end Danny Dalton, which in turn led to read option runs by quarterback Dennis Grosel. Freshman running back Pat Garwo then stepped in, bowling forward to keep the drive moving with a third and short. That play was negated by a flag, but it was a picture-perfect, up-tempo drive to that point.
Later in the scrimmage, Matt Valecce took over at quarterback and engineered his own drive against the defense. Garwo broke off a long run on a counter through a massive hole, and after wideout Zay Flowers set up a passing situation, Valecce chucked a cross-field pass for a long gain.Â
"We all work in that room together," fellow quarterback Anthony Brown said. "We learn together and give each other tips. Matt has been very, very good from the start. It's translating out on the field. It's both in film and coming off the field. Any advice that I can give them, I do. I want to tell them what I've gone through so when it's their time, they can be better, even, than what I've done. I want them to get ready. When you're not on the field, you're not getting that experience."
After those two drives, the second team defense recalibrated and regrouped, eventually taking its own shot. Linebacker Paul Theobold registered an interception, while the secondary pressured wide receivers along the sidelines all morning.
"Those guys are doing a good job," Steve Addazio said. "Matt and Dennis are working really hard. They both have high moments and low moments. Matt did a good job (on that drive). It was probably his best drive. It's all just about consistency. That's the key for the quarterback. There needs to be consistency in the execution of the offense. Sometimes it dips and rises, and they have to be better collectively as a group to manage the offense, to push it and to drive it."
*****
Second Down: First Team Fire
None of this is to say that the first team had a bad day. There is plenty to clean up, but both the offense and defense had positives. In one mid-scrimmage period, the first team transitioned its running game between both Ben Glines and David Bailey. The contrast in styles kept the defense from fully adjusting, as Glines' sprint runs set up Bailey's bruising attack.
"One thing that we need to take account of is getting to third down," linebacker Max Richardson said. "Third down is important, and it's the 'get off the field' down. But you have to win first and second down. That takes focus and energy by the defense before we get to the most important down."
Bailey and Glines put together a two-headed attack, but their truly underrated weapon was their ability to substitute during up-tempo play. During that drive, Bailey ran up the middle into the line. He popped up after the play and sprinted off the field, subbing in Glines, who ran a read option for another few yards. The defense was unable to adjust formationally, and the back-to-back runs set up an Anthony Brown out pass to CJ Lewis for another first down. All of this kept moving the chains - a staple of the Steve Addazio school of offense.
"David Bailey look like he's about 35 years old," Richardson said with a laugh. "(He's) a big back. He's strong."
*****
Third Down: Kobay White and CJ Lewis
Boston College was one of the ACC's most explosive teams last year, so there's an internal pride and pressure to take that ability to the next level in 2019. The Eagles lost two of their three top receivers, but the internal system is prepared to slot new players into those roles. Diversifying the targets is a chief step in that mindset.
It's common sense to build based on known commodities, so Kobay White best represents the foundational piece of the receivers. Anthony Brown spent much of the ofseason working on developing further chemistry with White, and on Saturday, the duo flashed their downfield ability on a bomb pass into the end zone.
White found himself in one-on-one coverage down the sideline, and when Brown checked down field, he saw his receiver with a step. He stepped forward and uncorked the deep ball to the back corner. White seized the ball in the air, got his knee down for a slide and cradled the ball into a catch as he went out of bounds. It was a thing of beauty to witness up close, even though the side judge ruled White out of bounds.
"Those balls are exciting because when they're in the air, you can hear the crowd go silent," White said. "Then when you make the catch, the sound comes back in. I've worked on that with Anthony, and you usually need to be clear (of the defensive back). But when you're in one-on-one coverage, you have to take that shot. Sadly, I was out of bounds, but those plays are some of the most exciting for the receivers.Â
"I thought I made a great ball and play in the back of the end zone," he said. "I need to review the film and see how far out of bounds I was. I wasn't too happy (at the time), but that's the way it goes."
White sets the tone for how BC can slot the rest of its receivers. The glut of pass-catching tight ends provides a number of targets, and Korab Idrizi caught a downfield seam pass in stride from Brown for a big gain through traffic. But the most intriguing receiver might be CJ Lewis, who at 6-foot-4 is a 225-pound beast receiver.
Lewis made a series of out catches, sacrificing his body in coverage against Brandon Sebastian. On one of the catches, he beat Sebastian for the catch, but absorbed a punishing hit out of bounds. As a big body with speed, the junior could give Brown a uniquely massive receiver.
"CJ is putting together a nice practice stretch," Steve Addazio said. "It's been five to seven days (in a row). He's having a good run, and that should reflect in more success. His practice has been very good. Usually that means (a player will) play well. He's a big, tall kid with good athleticism. To maintain explosive capability, we need that."
*****
Fourth Down: Special Teams
Kicker Aaron Boumerhi transferred into BC as one of the most consistent weapons on Temple's roster until an injury derailed his 2018 season. He is a former All-AAC specialist from his freshman year and kicked 15 field goals during both his freshman and sophomore seasons for the Owls. In 2017, he blasted a 52-yarder, something he matched last year against UMass before his injury.
Saturday offered the first extended look at Boumerhi. Mechanically, he looks every bit of the part, and his accuracy and flow into the ball is incredibly smooth. There's no questioning his ability alongside specialists who are still young and developing.Â
Grant Carlson, meanwhile, boomed punt coverage for the Eagles when called upon, pinning the return unit inside the 20 on at least two occasions. It limited return opportunities, though one kickoff return did spring free to start the scrimmage.
Later, the coaching staff ran a stress test on its special teams when it ran 25-second drills. With 25 seconds on the clock, the offense is forced to run a play before sprinting off the field to get the field goal unit substituted into the lineup. It's an extreme situational football play requiring practice because, quite simply, it could happen from a variety of yardages and hash marks. On the first attempt, the Eagle offense successfully got off the field and converted the kick.
*****
Point After Attempt: A Rockwellian Day
There is only one thing nobody could ever complain about on Saturday: the weather. It was perfect. Actually, it was a little too perfect.
"This was a 10," Steve Addazio said. "This was a beautiful day. There's a little breeze. There's no humidity."
Weather is something that can be overlooked, but the coaching staff and players take it into consideration. Alumni Stadium has turf fields and aluminum bleachers, so there's an element that can turn all the heat back on the field to heat it up like a baking oven. Given how the players bodies started to hit the wall, the cooperative conditions allowed everyone to maximize their output.Â
"In this stadium, with the turf and aluminum, it can cook up pretty good," Addazio said. "But we were able to get a lot done. These guys felt like the concrete was on their back, and that was at a 60-play count. So, again, we have to get to a 90-play count in much hotter and more humid conditions."
BC returns to Alumni Stadium next weekend for its second and final preseason scrimmage before the Virginia Tech game week officially kicks off. Everyone understands that the conditions won't always be this favorable, so next week should provide a more challenging test for cleaning up the litmus test from the first scrimmage.
"(The heat) can be difficult, but we all go through it," Anthony Brown echoed. "This is my fourth camp, and we have a lot of veteran guys. We all know what camp is, so camp legs are expected. We should be used to (humidity) by now, and we just have to get better from here."
Players Mentioned
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