2013 Outlook - Boston College

Some folks are awfully high on BC's prospects heading into 2013.  Whereas I like the linebackers this school has produced, including two personal favorites Mark Herzlich and Luke Kuechly, I am very concerned that they will have their 4th offensive coordinator in the last 13 months.

JR QB Chase Rettig has some talent, but it is very difficult for any QB to make strides when their OC continually changes.  His newest coordinator is Doug Martin, who is known as a college QB guru of sorts, but Martin will have to work quickly to establish Rettig as a real threat in the ACC.  JR Deuce Finch will now be the man at RB following the dismissal of one of the most prolific RBs in ACC history, Montel Harris.  Finch has talent, but he will need to increase his output for this squad to be successful.  At receiver, JR Bobby Swigert is my favorite of Rettig's targets, but I am not sure his game translates to the next level.  If he does eventually make the NFL, I see him as a Blair White type. Useful, but not outstanding.  SR OT John Wetzel leads the boys up front.  This is a solid unit that could be an asset for this offense.

Over the past few seasons, it has been the defense that has been the bedrock of this Eagles team.  This year, the defensive front gets SR DT Kaleb Ramsey back from injury, and that should be a big help.  He has a knack for penetrating into the backfield, and that will be needed.  It seems that the linebacking corp gets handed over from one stud to another recently, and JR OLB Kevin Pierre-Louis could be the next in line for that title.  He has been very good in his own right the past year or two, so now that he will be "the man" we will get to see what he can really do.  The secondary is the weakest unit of this defense but they are not bad. They just lack the standout player that the other two units posses.

The bottom line is that the BC Eagles could be a good team this year, if the offense can find an identity.  If not, the defense will keep them in some games, but is not strong enough to carry the whole team alone.