The latest edition of this feature profiles the new Boston College skipper...
Now
Then (unknown date, but I'm guessing late-1980s)
Ok, so maybe Jags wasn't the best subject I could come up with for this edition, but I'm realizing that it's a bit of treasure hunt just to locate old pics of our favorite ACC personalities.
Anyway, Then-Jeff has that look we all have (or had) in our early-20s...that look of hope, optimism, stupidity. Now-Jeff has the presence of someone who's been through the ringer a time or two...confident, poised, guarded. And is it just me or is his hairline a tad fuller now than in the younger photo? Sweet 'plugs!
2006 Results: 7-6 overall, 3-5 ACC (5th Atlantic Division); beat UCLA 44-27 in the Emerald Bowl
Offense: What a difference 9 months and $537,000 makes. The departures of Jeff Bowden, QB coach Darryl Dickey, OL coach Mark McHale and RB coach Billy Sexton ushered in the most sweeping change of the Bobby Bowden era (more on that later). While the new coaches are instilling new schemes and shuffling around personnel, it's the previously wasted talent in Tallahassee that will still make the biggest difference. The QB duo of Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee did little to distinguish themselves in the spring game, although Weatherford is listed as the starter on the depth chart. The OL loses two starters from last year's horrendous unit, although everyone on the two-deep has game experience. The RB position is in the very capable hands of the small but bruising Antone Smith, with the sturdy Marcus Sims listed as his backup. The extremely talented WR corps is back with renewed vigor, headed up by Greg Carr and DeCody Fagg.
Defense: Scary good. The front seven - decimated by injuries last year - returns thirteen players with starting experience. And despite the injuries, the Noles still finished 18th nationally in total defense in 2006. The losses of Buster Davis and Lawrence Timmons to the private sector will surely be felt, but for years under Chuck Amato and Kevin Steele, FSU replaced linebacking talent with relative ease. The secondary was more fortunate in the health department in '06, and returns all 4 starters, led by the too-good-to-be-true Myron Rolle and superb corner Tony Carter. And as an added bonus, the second-stringers at corner and safety all played significantly last year, thanks to the continuous substitution patterns of that chronic sunflower-seed spitter, Mickey Andrews.
Special teams: The mercurial Gary Cismesia returns yet again, along with punter Graham Gano who did not impress in 2006. With the departure of Chris Davis (just 8.6 yards per return last year), punt returns should improve a notch with Patrick Robinson, while kickoffs will be fielded by cornerback and track star Michael Ray Garvin for the second straight year.
Coaching: The non-stop gushing among Seminole Nation since January over new OC Jimbo Fisher (from LSU), OL coach Rick Trickett (from West Virginia), and position coaches Lawrence Dawsey (WR) and Dexter Carter (RB) has yet to subside, and it's tough to blame the FSU faithful for such unabashed enthusiasm. After half a dozen years of embarrassing, kicking-holes-in-the-drywall (don't ask) ineptitude on the offensive staff, not only does competent and sound coaching return to Doak Campbell, but actual, proven excellence. Moreso than at offensive coordinator, Fisher's role as QB coach will likely make the quickest difference, while the drill sergeant mentality of Trickett in shaping up the offensive line may be the most important job of the offseason. The defensive coaches had a less active spring and summer, losing LB coach Kevin Steele to Alabama, but replacing him with old stalwart Chuck Amato, fresh off his up-and-down seven year stint in Raleigh. And last but not least, the reinvigorated Bobby Bowden is back to oversee his empire from his watchtower...in between naps, of course.
For What It's Worth: Eight of the Seminoles' thirteen games last year were decided by a TD or less, with FSU going 3-5 in those matchups....cause and effect - FSU won the turnover battle just three times in their 13 games last year, and all three games resulted in blowout victories (Rice, Virginia, UCLA)....Know thy enemy - new Seminole OC Jimbo Fisher held the same title under Nick Saban at LSU, and the Tide's new DC Kevin Steele was Executive Head Coach and LB coach at FSU for the last five years; the teams meet on Sept. 29....last year's Emerald Bowl victory was Florida State's first pre-January bowl game since 1990, breaking a string of 15 straight post-New Year's Day bowl appearances
Schedule Analysis: A double-edged sword, to put it mildly. These new look Seminoles will have all the opportunity in the world to prove they really are "back", if they can somehow manage to get 9 or more wins out of this gauntlet. All in all, the Noles get just five games at Doak Campbell, an increasingly hot-ticket game vs. Alabama in Jacksonville, and then six road games, including the Labor Day opener with Clemson and a particularly cruel November with trips to Boston College, Virginia Tech and Florida. Needless to say, a hot start (say 7-1) heading into that last month is critical. Projected Wins- UAB, @Colorado, N.C. State, @Wake Forest, Miami, Duke, Maryland Projected Losses- @Virginia Tech, @Florida Toss-Ups- @Clemson, vs. Alabama, @Boston College
Offense: Not pretty. The QB position is completely up for grabs, with sophomore Cam Sexton (highly ineffective in 2006), redshirt frosh TJ Yates, and true freshman Mike Paulus all vying for the starting position. Last year's on-again/off-again starter Joe Dailey has been mercifully moved to WR, where he is currently backup to Brooks Foster (486 yards in '06). 2006's top wideout, Hakeem Nicks (660 yards), returns as well. The running game is, quite frankly, a black hole. Guess who was the sixth-leading rusher for the Tar Heels last year? This guy. That's right, the frickin' kicker, and that was one play for 21 yards on what I'm guessing was either a fake or a muffed snap. Last year's leading rusher (Ronnie McGill - 849 yards, 7 TDs) has departed, and the second leading rusher in '06 (Barrington Edwards) currently resides in the netherworld of indefinite suspension. The third and fourth leading rushers last year were Dailey and Sexton, so it's safe to say that this position is in major disarray, and more than likely we'll see a running game by committee until one or two guys break out. Oh, and the offensive line loses two starters from a mediocre unit in '06, but at least there is some reasonably experienced depth.
Defense: Just four starters return from last year's dreadful unit (11th ACC, 92nd nationally), and that may be a blessing in disguise considering that the new and improved coaching staff can practically start fresh with schemes and personnel. Nonetheless, five of the top six tacklers in 2006 have left for the private sector, and while there's a lot of game experience on the defensive line and in the LB corps, the secondary is extremely green, with both projected starting safeties and one of the corners having redshirted in 2006. The backups on the depth chart are relatively light on experience as well, so this unit will be a major construction job for much of the 2007 campaign. Luckily, most of the offenses in the ACC are still rebuilding from the ashes of the '06 cataclysm.
Special teams: Kicker and rushing demon Connor Barth returns for his senior season and - all kidding aside - is one of the best in the country (10 for 10 on field goals in '06, including two 50+ yarders). The Heels lose the oft-used David Wooldridge as punter, but signed top JUCO punter Terrence Brown. Kick and punt returns will again be handled by Brandon Tate (1 punt return TD and 2 KO return TDs last year).
Coaching: The Heels may have finally hit a home run with this coaching hire after the strikeouts with Carl Torbush and John Bunting. Butch Davis (51-20 at Miami from 1995-2000, not as good with the Cleveland Browns from 2001-2004) has the coaching gravitas needed to lure top-notch recruits to Chapel Hill and has hired an excellent staff to complement him as well, a staff that includes a nice mix of NFL experience (OC John Shoop, DC Chuck Pagano) and college exposure (DL coach/recruiting coordinator and ex-Oklahoma skipper John Blake). It's certainly a much more highly regarded coaching outfit than the previous one, but how they work with the existing talent at UNC is anyone's guess. It may be an ugly first year or so, but by year three, Davis and Co. should have the Tar Heels competing for the Coastal Division title.
For What It's Worth: UNC and their Wolfpack brethren tied for last in the ACC (and ranked 113th nationally) in turnover margin last year at -11....under John Bunting, the Tar Heels went 9-3 against archrivals Duke and NC State, and 18-42 against everyone else....while at Miami, Butch Davis compiled an 11-10 record against current ACC programs (1-5 vs. Florida State, 1-5 vs. Virginia Tech, 6-0 against Boston College, 3-0 combined vs. Georgia Tech, NC State and Virginia)....divergent paths - in last year's season opener, UNC outgained Rutgers in total yards and first downs, but lost a nailbiter 21-16; Rutgers went on to finish 11-2, while UNC stumbled to 3-9
Schedule Analysis: Compared with most of their kamikaze schedules in the Bunting Era (out of conference games with Oklahoma once, Texas twice, Arizona State twice, Utah twice, Louisville twice, Wisconsin twice), this one seems relatively light; nonetheless it's still a difficult one. A 3-0 start is not out of the question (James Madison, @East Carolina, Virginia), but then it's seven straight against '06 bowl teams (including a wicked Butch-trifecta of old nemesis Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, then home games with ex-employer Miami, and former Sunshine State rival Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks), then a finish of NC State and Georgia Tech on the road, and a home finale with Duke. On the plus side, Florida State, Boston College and Clemson are absent from the slate. Projected Wins- James Madison, @East Carolina, Duke Projected Losses- @USF, @Virginia Tech, Miami, @Wake Forest, Maryland, @Georgia Tech Toss-Ups- Virginia, South Carolina, @N.C. State
In the third episode of this smash-hit series, we present current and past photos of Charlottesville's very own Chess Grand Master, Al Groh...
Now
Then (1994)
I was just as surprised as you are by that "then" photo, but this Google interweb search stuff has to be 100% accurate, right? I must admit that I have a new fondness for Coach Groh, for without him, we would have been denied the uproarious 1980s treasure Beverly Hills Buntz.
*kudos to EDSBS, for they're the reason Det. Sipowicz makes an appearance in the Al Groh image search
2006 Results: 11-3 overall, 7-2 ACC (1st Atlantic Division, ACC Champions); lost to Louisville 24-13 in the Orange Bowl
Offense: Nine starters return from Wake's average but highly efficient offense in 2006. QB Riley Skinner returns for his sophomore season firmly entrenched as the starter and carrying ACC Rookie of the Year laurels as well (even though the Deacs had the second-to-last rated passing offense in the league last year). Due to the MASH unit that became the RB position in 2006, Wake had 4 different players start at tailback at various points in the season. All of them (Micah Andrews, DeAngelo Bryant, Travo Woods, and Kenneth Moore) return for 2007. Moore, who had been Wake's leading receiver until he was switched to RB late in the season, switches back to WR this fall. The offensive line returns 4 starters from '06 plus another '05 starter who was 2nd-team last year. These guys won the ACC when their offense was in shambles, personnel-wise. They'reloaded now, at least by Demon Deacon standards.
Defense: Here's where the Deacons may slip a notch, and that's not a good sign considering they ranked just 9th in total defense in the ACC in 2006, and 90th nationally. Just one starter from last year returns on the defensive line, and leading tackler and All-ACC LB Jon Abbate inexplicably left school early so that he could go undrafted. The secondary suffers a massive hit (both safeties and the top cornerback have departed). The bright spots are that the three new starters on the DL have some decent game experience, and both OLBs started every game last year. The secondary is the chief concern, especially given the passing proficiency of Wake's first two opponents of the season (Boston College and Nebraska).
Special teams: The Deacs' team MVP last year, kicker and punter Sam Swank, returns with a vengeance. The return game is solid, with Kevin Marion fielding punts and Kenneth Moore handling kickoffs.
Coaching: The Best Little Coaching Staff in America returns for an encore to their masterpiece of 2006. What Jim Grobe, OC Steed Lobotzke and DC Dean Hood turned in last year was a small miracle. The devastating injuries on both sides of the ball forced constant shuffling of personnel and gameplans, and while the Deacs bent quite a lot last year, but never broke. The coaches' focus on limiting mistakes and forcing errors on opponents worked out extremely - almost divinely - well. The entire staff returns this season, but it's a whole new world for these guys now.
For What It's Worth: Wake's much ballyhooed +13 turnover margin last year largely came from three games: +3 @UNC, +4 @FSU, +2 vs. Ga Tech, none of which were home games I might add....and speaking of turnovers, the Deacs are the only program in the nation to commit 20 or less turnovers each season for the last five years....Wake's overall record in Jim Grobe's six seasons: 37-35; Wake's record the six seasons pre-Grobe: 21-46....From the "What Was The Purpose Of This?" Department: on Nov. 27, 1982, the Demon Deacons lost to Clemson 21-17 in front of 80,000 spectators inTokyo
Schedule Analysis: Things couldn't be laid out more perfectly for the Deacons in their run to repeat as ACC champs (and you have no idea how surreal it feels to have typed that last sentence). The mysterious Wake booster in possession of ruinous photos of the Director in Charge of Football Scheduling is an extortionist extraordinaire; Virginia Tech, Miami and Georgia Tech are nowhere to be found on this year's slate. Aside from the first two weeks (@Boston College and a home date with Nebraska), the schedule is nicely spaced out...only once after weeks one and two do the Demon Deacons face '06 bowl teams in back-to-back weeks (Oct. 11 against FSU in Winston-Salem, and then Oct. 20 @Navy). Projected Wins- Army, Maryland, @Duke, North Carolina, NC State, @Vanderbilt Projected Losses- Florida State, @Clemson Toss-Ups- @Boston College, Nebraska, @Navy, @Virginia
...the fine BC blog Heights and Lows waxes over the seeming disrespect thrust at Coach Jeff Jagodzinksi throughout the preseason. Personally, I don't think it's disrespect...it's a guarded, wait-and-see attitude. The guy's never been a head coach before. He had to replace his own OL coach in April, and he brings a distinctly different attitude and approach than did Tom O'Brien. And then, it's not like the Eagles operate in a vacuum. When you mix in the major changes at Florida State, the side stepping of O'Brien and his staff to NC State, and the "what to make of Wake" factor - and that's just in their own division - it's not hard to see why folks are holding back on BC-to-the-BCS predictions.
Many of my ACC blogging muchachos are still on a summer siesta, but go ahead and click over to them periodically over the next few weeks to see if their hibernations have come to an end.
