2010 Football Position Previews: Special Teams

This is the third and final part of my 3 part, "wicked early" break down of the Boston College football team in 2010. I am going to continue this 3 part series by doing the special teams of the football team, giving my own personal views on each player!

Kicker Position

Steve Aponavicius: Sid-vicious is BACK! He looks to be a big part of the offense this year because with an inexperienced QB, BC will look to settle for field goals in order to get points on the board. Aponavicius has been solid this spring making most of the kicks he has been asked to make.

Nate Freese: Has yet to be on campus because he is still a high school Senior but he will look to earn a chance to kick for the Eagles this summer. With such a shaky kicking game, if he is able to be somewhat consistant he may just earn himself that playing time. Also with Bennett leaving school, he may have an opportunity to take over the kickoff role.

Prediction: Aponavicius kicks field goals and does kickoffs.

Punter Position

Ryan Quigley: Quigley came in last year as a freshman and struggled at times, but for the most part he was a solid punter for the Eagles last year. Most punters tend to get better as the get more experience and strength so we can hope for that out of Quigley next year in his sophomore season.

Gerald Levano: Levano also came in last year as a freshman, but he was redshirted so hee didn't see much playing time. This year he will be the backup punter and if Quigley faulters at any point in the season, I am sure Levano will be ready to step in am get some playing time for the Eagles.

Prediction: Quigley is our punter.

Kick/Punt Returner Position

Jeff Smith: As all avid BC fans know from 2006 that Jeff Smith knows how to return kicks and definitely knows how to get into the endzone. If Smith is able to stay healthy and willing to be hit, he will have a very good year and will be out kick returner.

Rich Gunnell: Gunnell may not be the fastest or the most agile person on the team but he is the best at catching the ball and running it. Which makes him a perfect candidate for the Punter Returning position. He returned a punt against Virginia Tech last year and I think he we can count on another one this year.

Montel Harris: Montel is a good combination of speed and power which makes him a very good candidate to return kicks. Last year he was one of the Eagles leading return men and this year he hopes to do more of the same.

Clyde Lee: The breakout player of the Spring has added speed and size to his alreay quick frame which definitely makes him a good candidate as well. Lee has had the praise of all of his teammates this spring and looks to transition that onto the field this year.

Josh Haden: Haden was injured last year so he wasn't able to show of his ability to run and run fast in the open field, much last year. BC needs to do everything in their power to get him the ball in the open field and using him as a kick returner would be perfect.

Prediction: Smith is the main Kickoff Return man, Gunnell is the main Punt Return man while all of the others get their chances as well.

Thank you for joining me and I hope you liked my previews!

Eagle Links

My friends Jeff and Brian over at BC Interruption have come up with a new BC recruiting tool (with help from a reader) after all the news about Rutgers' Helicopter and Auburn's Stretch Hummer Limo. I personally think the Spaz Mobile (as I like to call it) is the best of the three!

Good B.J. Raji article from a few days ago in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.

Former Boston College Football player Vinnie Ciurciu comes back to area as the 6 year NFL vet signs with the Patriots.

Nice little Q&A posted on the globe site with Ron Brace at Pats rookie camp.

2010 Football Position Previews: Defense

This is the second of my 3 part "wicked early" break down of the Boston College football team in 2010. I am going to continue this 3 part series by doing the defensive side of the football, giving my own personal views on each player!

Defensive Tackle Position

Damik Scafe: Coming into Spring Ball Damik had some huge and I mean REALLY huge shoes to fill as he was the favorite to start at defensive tackle in place of B.J. Raji and Ron Brance. Well let me tell you he stepped up his game big time this spring. He dominated the strength of the offense, the Offensive Line and has gotten bigger and stronger from last year to this year. There will still be some drop off with the loss of Raji and Brace, but it will be much smaller than what most of us thought because of Scafe's play.

Kaleb Ramsey: Kaleb has been working with Scafe all spring and he been player really well for himself. Scafe explains, "He's playing next to me at defensive tackle and he's doing a great job. We work well together and talk a lot, and we have a great chemistry going right now." If Ramsey and Scafe can build some what of a similar relationship to the one Raji and Brace had, BC may not be in as bad of a spot as most people think.

Bryan Murray: Murray worked with the 2nd unit for the spring and he struggled to get going at first but progressed all spring and culminated with a good spring game. He definitely has the size at 6'2" and 292 pounds to be a very good DT but he is still young and inexperienced so a year as the third DT in there should do him some good.

Dillon Quinn: Is still a high school senior right now but he was the best recruit of the BC 2009 class. We have all heard about his strength and size therefore come this summer he should be a very good backup who might even challenge for some playing time.

Prediction: Scafe and Ramsey are the starters with Murray getting plenty of playing time.

Defensive End Position

Alex Albright: Alex Albright has been fantastic for the past two years when he was on the field, but that was his biggest problem. He has had back to back season ending injuries and it has now become a big problem for him. If he can stay healthy he will definitely be the teams best end for the Eagles but we just got to hope he can stay healthy.

Jim Ramella: Ramella filled in last year for Albright went down and he will be a big part of the defense again. He will be asked to not only pass rush this year but also help the tackles inside at stopping the run. Ramella has been a steadying force on the BC defense the past 3 years and hopes to continue that in his senior season.

Austin Giles: Austin Giles is another player like Jim Ramella, who has when asked, stepped up and filled in for injured players and has done a faboulous job. He is one of the better tacklers on the defense which helps him stop the run and can get to quarterback. He will be a big part of this defense next year.

Max Holloway: Another one of the young guys, trying to earn themselves some playing time on the 2010 BC team. He progressed well this spring and finished up strong with a nice sack in the Spring Game. Holloway is probably the backup at one of the end spots right now.

Prediction: Albright and Giles get the starting spots while Ramella plays just as much as them and Holloway is ready to step in if injuries happen.

Linebacker Position

Mark Herzlich: What can you say about this man? He is a man among kids. He is already on the Lott Trophy watch list and is expected to be a top 20 pick in the 2010 NFL draft. He was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year last year and will be the best player on the BC team this year. Expect bigger and better things this year, if that is even possible.

Mike McLaughlin: He was the second leading tackler on the defense last year behind Herzlich but might not see a minute of playing time next year. He injured his Achilles during the winter and his recovery time line in a mystery to everyone, we will just have to wait and see.

Will Thompson: Well McLaughlin may be out and the Eagles have lost Robert Francois and Brian Toal, but Will Thompson played awesome during the spring with the second most tackles behind Mark Herzlich. Thompson looks to fill the holes left by Francois and McLaughlin.

With the likelyhood of McLaughlin missing the 2010 season the Eagles will be looking for a 3rd starting linebacker and it is likely a 4 man cometition. All of these guys have shown flashes of brilliance during the spring and it will be fun to watch this battle unfold this summer. The cadidates are:
Dan Williams: The biggest of the 4 but he has all the instincts you want in a starting linebacker.
Nick Clancy: The quickest of all of these players and he has plenty of size to go with that speed. Size and Speed is always a good combo in a Linebacker.
Mike Morrissey: Morrissey is the smallest of these guys but he is probably the hardest hitter of them all.
Alexander DiSanzo: DiSanzo is the best tackler of the bunch and he always seems to be in the right spot at the right time.

Prediction: Herzlich and Williams are starters, Nick Clancy wins the 3rd spot but Williams, Morrissey and DiSanzo will be used often.

Safety Position

Wes Davis: Davis is a good combination defensive back. He can cover wide receivers in open field while stopping the run if needed. He had a good spring and he receiverd the Jay McGillis Memorial Scholarship because he was such a good player and student.

Marty Bowman: Has very good speed and is a good run stopper he has the ability to play both safety positions and play cornerback if need be. He is a versitile player who has the right size to be a very good safety.

Okechukwu Okoroha: Okechukwu had a great spring and is a probably more of a corner back than a safety but the CB position is stacked right now. He is looking to get on the field in anyway possible and he definitely has the skill to switch over to the free safety spot and succeed.

Stephen Atkinson: Atkinson didn't stand out this spring, but he is still probably third on the depth chart at the safety position. One thing that he has against him is he is a bit undersized for the safety position. He may add size over the summer but can still be a viable option for the Eagles.

Prediction: Davis starts at the Strong Safety position, Bowman starts are the Free Safety position.

Cornerback Position

DeLeon Gause: He dominated this spring even after switching sides of the field. The quarterbacks didn't just struggle cause of inexperience it was because the cornerbacks like Gause were playing awesome. He got injured last year and wasn't 100% but expect him to be ready next year and expect him to be one of the better defenders.

Roderick Rollins: Rollins is looking to come into this year and help fill the loss of Kevin Akins on defense. Rollins is a very good cover corner who can hit with the best of them. Expect him to challenege for the second starting corner spot.

Donnie Fletcher: Was another one of those guys who had a great spring and he finished it up spectactular with a Spring Game. He had eight tackles and 2two pass breakups. Expect him to challenge with Rollins for the second starting corner spot.

Issac Johnson: Issac Johnson played as a true freshman last year but he didn't start. He is looking to come into next year with a starting role but with the brillaint play of Gause, Rollins and Fletcher it will be hard for him start. He should see plenty of time on the field however.

Prediction: Gause and Fletcher get the starting spots with Johnson and Rollins seeing the field often.

The Eagles defense looks to be a stregth for them again this year as they have a ton of talent and are stacked at the Linebacker and Defensive back positions.(which is a surprise as the defensive back position was considered a weakness last year). Herzlich, Albirght and Guase look to be the best players on the defense. Also, I expect some of the incoming freshmen to also be in the mix at some positions.

Tomorrow I will finish up this series with a special teams preview!

Toal gets "cut"

Brian Toal was given a tryout by the New York Jets of the NFL and supposedly he had a very good mini-camp. However, the Jets did not sign him and give him a chance to earn a spot on the team at training camp.

One New Jersey writer says "Interestingly, the Jets didn't sign linebacker Brian Toal, the New Jersey native and former Boston College star. It's believed the club has concerns about his size (6-foot, 238 pounds), attitude, and injury history."

Size, sure he is not even close to the size of a prototypical Linebacker in the NFL. Injury history, sure he has missed 2 whole years with 2 different injuries while at BC. Attitude? Now there is no way Toal has an attitude problem. He is one of the nicest persons I have ever met in my life and he would do anything to play the game of football. He loves the game and I don't see where this is coming from. It is either a flat out lie or some false speculation.

Hopefully Toal gets a shot at someone else's training camp because he surely deserves one.

2010 Football Position Previews: Offense

This is the first of my 3 part "wicked early" break down of the Boston College football team in 2010. I will start off this 3 part series by doing the offensive side of the football, giving my own personal views on each player!

Quarterback Position

Dominique Davis: Davis came into spring camp in the lead for the starting QB position but did not do anything this spring to strengthen that lead. However, even after a mediocre spring, he finished strong in the spring game going 20-of-40 for 145 yards with one interception. Davis is still the leader for the starting spot in 2010 because of the experience he got in 2009 but he is going to need to pick up his play in order to hold that lead.

Justin Tuggle: Tuggle came into spring camp, coming off of a full season of practice after being redshirted last year. After, Davis' struggles to end the year last year, many BC fans tabbed him as the savior for this BC offense. But he didn't show much of that in spring practice. He is very raw and still very young so he may emerge in the summer, who knows. He went a very paltry 2-of-7 for eight yards with no TDs or no INTs in the spring game to end his bad spring.

Codi Boek: Came into camp much differently then Davis and Tuggle, as he was just looking to find some playing time at whichever position he could. Whether it be Tight End, Running Back or Quarterback and you could tell by his commitment that he just loved playing the game of football. But, boy did he surprise us. He came in and was the best of the 3 QB for most if not all of the spring practices. He didn't finish up very good going 2-for-10 for 14 yards in the Spring Game, but Boek is one to watch out for come Summer time!

Prediction: Dominique Davis will be the starter

Running Back Positon

Montel Harris: He established himself as one of the best running backs in the ACC last year as a freshman and did nothing to hurt himself this spring. He was the same old Montel and just ran with power and speed as usual. Harris with definitely be a key cog in Boston College new run first offense next year.

Josh Haden: Was the other freshman running back last year for the Eagles. He was the running back who could break away in open field due to his tremedous speed and could catch the passes out of the backfield. But his freshmen season was hampered by injuries and he came back this spring still trying to get to 100% so he wasn't tested that much this spring. But he, like Harris, with be a key to the running game again next year.

Jeff Smith: Kind of like Boek at the Quarterback position, was the surprise of the spring at the runningback position. He has breakaway speed and we all knew that from his kick returning ability but we have never really seen him as a runningback. But he shined, showed he could hit the corner on the outside and break-away, he could run between the tackles and that he could read defenses. He was the best offensive player in the spring game with 40 years on 16 carries.

Prediction: Montel Harris will start but with BC's new run first, second and third approach, Haden and Smith will see plenty of time on the field.

Fullback Position

James McCluskey: McCluskey has been fantastic as this position the last 2 years, blocking, running and getting the short yardage when we need it. He suffered a season ending injury last year and hasn't practiced in the spring but he looks to be the only person vying for the job right now. There will probably be some seldom used Running Back, Linebacker or Tight End that will fill in the backup role for McCluskey next year.

Prediction: McCluskey takes the starting role and with the impressive Springs by Chris Pantale and Jordan McMichael at the Tight End position, Lars Anderson is moved here as the backup.

Wide Receiver Position

Rich Gunnell: Was arguable the best reciever for the Eagles last year and will be back next year to lead the wide receiving core next year. He will need to step up his game big time as he will have a young and inexperience Quarterback throwing to him next year.

Billy Flutie: Looks to have improved him game going into this year and hopes to earn to more playing time at the wide receiver positon. He has the size and strength to be a good possession receiver who can work the middle of the field and played very well during the spring. He looks to be one of the many wide receivers to see the field next year for the Eagles.

Clyde Lee: Clyde was another one of the surprises of the spring as he showed up bigger and fast then he was last year (Redshirt). He is someone who can burn down the field and catch anything. He is someone almost every team in the nation would love to have. He will definitely see plently of playing time next year with both the offense and the special teams next year.

Justin Jarvis: Jarvis did a commendable job as the slot receiver at times last year. He made plenty of clutch catchs for us and I was very thankful we have him. He will be back this year and I think he is prone to have his best year ever with much more playing time. Watch out for Jarvis this year as he could be a go to guy for our QBs.

Colin Larmond: Larmond is a bigger Clyde Lee and he may even be faster than him too. Larmond showed some flashes of what he could do last year after we were pounded by injuries at the WR position. He has the potential to be a star reciever and this year could be his break out year.

Other Potential Sleepers: Ifeanyi Momah, Clarence Megwa and Ryan Lindsey

Prediction: Gunnell, Lee and Flutie will be the starters with almost all other receivers seeing plenty of time on the field.

Tight End Position

Chris Pantale: Came into spring as another Redshirt Freshman but he was probably the most impressive player at camp and definitely the best Tight End there. He has shown he can run good routes, catch the ball and use his agility to his advantage. He finished off his fantastic spring with five catches for 45 yards in the Spring game and looks to carry that momentum into next year.

Jordon McMichael: Was another Tight End who impressed this spring. The Junior has begun to use his size to his advantage and at 6'5", 262 lbs, it can be a very big advantage for him. He is someone who can block and who is big enough to get open and be a perfect target for our inexperienced QBs.

Lars Anderson: Lars wasn't terrible this spring but he didn't really show much improvement from last year. He has decent size and can catch the ball for the most part, even though he did have a huge drop last year. Like I said earlier, with the great performances by the other two Tight Ends, expect to see some playing time at FB for Lars.

Predictions: Chris Pantale is the starting Tight End as he is the better receiver and McMichael is brought in for most blocking plays. Lars Anderson gets moved to FB.

Guard Position

Thomas Claiborne: Claiborne stepped in last year as a sophomore and played remarkably well. Some would even say he was the second best player on the Offensive Line last year. He is a big body who has a really big mean streak and can just drive people off the ball at will. He is also versatile and can play Center, like he did at points last year, or Tackle if need be.

Nick Rossi: Has some big shoes to fill as he is slated to take over the Guard spot that opened up from Clif Ramsey's graduation. Unfortunately he did not play very well during the spring getting beat over and over again by Damik Scaife and Jim Ramella as the defense dominated most of spring ball.

Nick Halloran: Was another one of those redshirt freshman last year who is looking to grab some playing time next year on the offensive line. He didn't really show much this spring though but I am sure he will be ready is Nick Rossi faulters at any time next year.

Prediction: Claiborne and Rossi get the starting guard spots. With Halloran ready to pounce if someone gets hurt or struggles.

Tackle Position

Anthony Castonzo: The big, tall and very good tackle will be back for his 3rd season at BC and he just keeps getting better. He was the best Offensive Lineman this spring and he seems to have taking responsibility of leading more on the offensive side of the ball. Look for Castonzo to be back blocking the blind side for whoever wins the QB position.

Rich Lapham: Rich Lapham had some big shoes to fill last year, taking over for Josh Beekman and he did a good job. But this year he is going to need to be even better with an inexperienced QB and a whole new offense.

Mike Goodman: Was a highly rated Offensive Lineman coming out of high school and is coming back this year with a goal to earn some playing time. He is probably the guy in line to take over if any injuries or struggles happen at the tackle position.

Emmett Cleary: Redshirt last year and is coming back this year as another young guy trying to earn some playing time. He should be in the mix if injuries happen on the O-Line.

Prediction: Castonzo and Lapham get the start but watch out for Goodman as he should be very good.

Center Postion

Matt Tennant: Was the stabilizer on the offensive line last year and will be the same thing this year as the only senior in the mix. He was throughly missed when he had to miss a play here or there due to injuries or other reasons. Tennant is going to be back and should be in the mix for ACC 1st team next year!

Mark Spinney: Another young guy trying to earn some playing time. He probably won't take over if Tennant gets hurt as Claiborne will probably be moved to Center but he should be good in the near future.

Prediction: This is an easy one. Tennant starts and hopefully gets all the playing time here and avoids injury.

The offense looks to be very young this year but they have a lot of talent around the QB position which makes it much easier to break in a new Quarterback. The Offensive Lines and Running Back positions are the biggest strengths of this offense and should continue to be throughout the year. If one of the 3 QBs can step up and play well, BC could be very dangerous on the offensive side of the ball.

Tomorrow, I will be taking a look at the defensive side of the ball.

Chris Crane latches on!

Albeit with a team that is set at the QB position for years, Chris Crane is going to get a chance in the NFL. He has signed with the Indianapolis Colts this afternoon!

Congratulations Chris!! Best of luck to you in the future! You definitely have the size to be the next Matt Cassel.

Now lets hope Clif Ramsey gets a shot somewhere.

BC Sports Rundown

Baseball played a 3 game series with Miami (FL) this week and struggled until yesterday, where Pat Dean pitched a gem for the Eagles. The Eagles lost the first two games of the series until Dean's brilliant preformance, where the Eagles won 13-3. Dean threw 7.0 innings of 4 hit, shutout baseball and Barry Butera and Mark Belfiore led the offense again. The Eagles are now 29-19 overall and 12-13 in the ACC. They are firmly in the ACC tournament right now in the 8th slot, a half game behind Duke and two and a half games in front of Georgia Tech. The Eagles play 2 versus Lemoyne this weekend at Shea Field, then UConn again on Tuesday.

On to the NFL Draft, only two Eagles got drafted last weekend, B.J. Raji (9th to the Packers) and Ron Brace (41st to the Patriots).

Pats coach Bill Belichick had some good words about the BC defense. He said, “BC has a good system defensively,” he continued on to say “It’s a big transition to the NFL, that goes without saying. But in relative terms, (Brace has) probably had as good a preparation for it as anybody else had in college football.” Send that to all of BC's recruits!

Although BC didn't get many draft picks, many of their players have latched on with NFL teams (either as signings or with tryouts):
Robert Francois signed with the Vikings
Brandon Robinson signed with the Eagles (the NFL kind)
Kevin Akins and Brian Toal (two supposed tweeners) have gotten tryouts with the Jets
Ryan Purvis signed with the Buccaneers and is reunited with Coach Jags

Hopefully Chris Crane and Clif Ramsey can latch on somewhere and get a fair shot!

Some other big news for BC football this weekend was BC got another recruit to nab their third of the year already. Please welcome OL Seth Betancourt to the 2010 Eagles! Betacourt joins QB Joe Boisture and LB Kevin Pierre-Louis on the commit list!

Last but not least the Men's Basketball team is going to play in the Paradise Jam down in the U.S. Virgin Islands to start the year next year! Another year, another preseason tournament for BC!