- 5 months ago
Greg: "Is Charlie Baker and the NCAA on the right track when it comes to this salary cap that they are talking about?" HC of BC Football Bill O'Brien joins!
Greg: "Bill, are you welcome at Gillette Stadium?"
Greg: "Bill, are you welcome at Gillette Stadium?"
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00:00Bill O'Brien, good morning.
00:03Morning, guys. Morning, Greg.
00:05I got to tell you something.
00:06Ran into somebody who knows you,
00:09and they were upset, and I didn't even know,
00:13they were upset that we had not congratulated you on this show
00:16on accomplishing an athletic feat
00:20that I have been unable to do in 8,000 rounds of golf
00:24that I've played in my life.
00:25Did you, earlier this summer, did you get a hole-in-one?
00:28I did. I did.
00:31Now, I would preface all this by telling you that I'm a 20 handicap.
00:36I'm not very good. I love to play golf.
00:38Like Sean. Yeah, go ahead.
00:40Well, I don't know. I'm just saying, like, I'm not very good.
00:43And it was a part, you know, obviously part three, 156 yard, downhill,
00:49and it was one bouncing in.
00:51It was a beautiful thing.
00:52My son was with me. It was awesome.
00:55Did you buy everybody around afterwards?
00:58Of course.
00:59Of course.
01:00Of course.
01:03Bill, that was a tough loss last weekend.
01:05You guys fought very hard, but to make it to two overtimes
01:09and then lose in that fashion, how did the guys handle that?
01:12How did you handle that, and how is it moving forward?
01:16Yeah, no, it was tough.
01:17It was frustrating.
01:19You know, we give Michigan State credit.
01:22They made more plays than we did.
01:23But, like, what I did is on Sunday came in, there was 178 plays in the game, right?
01:29And 20, I would say the 25 of those plays were what I would call, you know, bad ball.
01:35And if we can just really eliminate the majority of those plays, you know, cut that down.
01:40It's never going to be perfect, but cut that down.
01:43Then we have a real shot to do something.
01:45But until we figure that out, until we figure out how, you know, how not to lose,
01:50like, then we're not going to be able to win.
01:52And so we have to figure that out.
01:54And these guys have had a really good week of practice,
01:56and we're excited for the next opportunity.
01:59Can I ask you, because I was curious, during the second overtime,
02:03you got very heated on the sideline at one point.
02:06I just want to know what happened there in your mind.
02:09Was it a late sub by MSU?
02:11You were, it was, did they used to call you tea kettle, Bill?
02:14Is that what it was?
02:15Teapot.
02:16Teapot.
02:16It was four, yeah, you call me whatever you want to call me.
02:20Four times in the game, four times in the game,
02:23they had 12 guys in the huddle with the quarterback in the huddle.
02:27And then they would run the 12th guy out of the huddle back to the sideline.
02:32That's illegal.
02:34So, like, it happened multiple times.
02:37And one time the guy told me he missed it, and then the next time, whatever.
02:41So I was just, yeah, I was just having a friendly conversation.
02:44Can we not miss that call again?
02:46I loved it.
02:48Bill, you talked about the ability to get the run game going.
02:52And it seems like, excuse me, you struggled there,
02:56and you also struggled a little bit defending the run.
02:59Talk about the importance of, obviously, where the game is won and lost in the trenches
03:03and making sure you take care of business on both sides of the football.
03:07Yeah, we definitely have to improve the running game.
03:10You know, look, we've worked hard on it.
03:11I think, you know, we've looked at it very, you know, our coaching staffs really looked at it closely
03:19to make some changes relative to how we do it personnel-wise, formationally, and things like that.
03:24I think we're on the right track.
03:25And then defensively, you know, we were in position to make a lot of plays.
03:29We had 15 missed tackles in the game.
03:31And so we got to tackle better.
03:33So we tackled a lot on Tuesday and Wednesday.
03:35And, you know, again, I said that to you guys last week.
03:39You know, I think early in the season it comes down to tackling and, you know, taking care of the ball.
03:43We definitely have to tackle better.
03:45That's something that we worked hard on this week.
03:47Billy, how hard is it to build something when the manner in which college teams are created these days
03:54in football is so different?
03:56It seems like year by year you're going to have an influx of new players at different skill positions.
04:01How do you create something that's sustainable given that roster turnover?
04:05Yeah, that's something that we personally, I think, about every single day.
04:11I think it depends on where you're at, right?
04:14So we're at Boston College, which, as you guys know, you know, look, this is a special place.
04:19This is a place where you can get an incredible degree in the greatest city in the world.
04:24This is a place that is a very spiritual place.
04:27It will teach you about how important it is to give back to the community.
04:30And so I think you have to wrap your brain around the fact that we don't want – we're not going to be 70 in and 70 out.
04:37We want to develop players.
04:39High school recruiting will be the main way that we do it.
04:42You know, we have a good process here.
04:44We feel like we're on the right track, but eventually we're going to have to do it.
04:48Nobody realizes that more than me.
04:49I've been doing this a long time.
04:50But I like where we're at in recruiting.
04:53I think this team that we have right now has a chance to be good if we can eliminate some of the stuff we've been doing and we'll be on the right track.
05:01But I think we have to – we can't be the portal school.
05:04That's just not who Boston College is.
05:06Who we are is developing players, helping players get better both on and off the field.
05:12Speaking of being on the right track, from your perspective, is Charlie Baker and the NCAA on the right track when it comes to this salary cap that they're talking about?
05:21I really – you know, I have a lot of respect for Charlie Baker.
05:25I really do.
05:26I, you know, I know him.
05:28I've met him.
05:29I've been around him.
05:30I think that's a very difficult job, Greg.
05:32I think that the way that this is headed right now over the next four or five years, you know, I just don't – I'm not sure where the NCAA is going to be.
05:41I don't have a great history with the NCAA from when I was at Penn State and how they doled out the punishment to Penn State 12 years ago, 13 years ago.
05:50So I don't really have a whole lot to say about them.
05:52The salary cap and all that, look, if we're trying to go down this road of making this an even playing field, there's a lot that goes into that, right?
06:00There's, you know, there's no CBA.
06:02There's no, you know, antitrust laws right now that we have to, you know, obey.
06:07And so it's kind of a wild, wild west type of situation.
06:10And like I said earlier, I think at Boston College we're on the right track with how we're attacking this from an administrative perspective.
06:17And, you know, I think we just got to keep chipping away.
06:21Bill, are you welcome at Gillette Stadium?
06:23Because there are some that aren't.
06:25There are some that are not apparently.
06:27I think so.
06:30I'm not speeding down Route 1 to get to Gillette Stadium these days, but I feel like I'm welcome.
06:37Are you welcome in Chapel Hill?
06:40I mean, I have a good relationship with Coach Belichick, but I don't think they would be, like, welcoming me with open arms in Chapel Hill since we're in the same conference.
06:53I know you and Bill Belichick have a good relationship, but as a head coach, what does that do for players if you're not letting certain scouts come and watch your players who are trying to get to the next level?
07:07So I think, like, so my philosophy on that is when – and I learned a lot about this, again, when I went to Penn State.
07:16You know, Coach Paterno at Penn State, he didn't have the best relationship with the NFL, and so he was very strict in when he let them in.
07:24For me, I think it's important to let them in.
07:27I let them in all the time with the exception of the day before the game when we really don't practice.
07:32We're just doing a walkthrough.
07:34So they can come in all the time because what I think is for us at BC, you know, we have four or five teams at every single practice because we have some pro prospects on this team.
07:42And it helps the energy of practice because these guys, what I tell them is, like, the only thing I require is, hey, man, make sure you wear your emblem, right?
07:51You know, the Patriots, the Colts, the, you know, the Bears, whoever's showing up, like, so that the players see that, hey, the NFL's here.
07:58I think it's important for us at BC to let these guys in and show them who we are.
08:04Did you get to watch any of the Patriots games Sunday?
08:05I saw bits and pieces of it.
08:09You know, I had it on in the background, but I could not tell you that I, you know, really watched it closely.
08:14Scheim is calling for Josh McDaniel's head.
08:16Just that's one game in, by the way.
08:19No, Scheim.
08:20No, Scheim.
08:21No, no, no.
08:23Everybody's got to take that.
08:25It's one game.
08:26I mean, it's a long season.
08:30Nobody's better than Mike Vrabel at getting guys to improve.
08:35I told you guys this.
08:36When Mike worked for me in Houston, he started out, he was the linebacker coach.
08:41He improved so many of the guys that he coached, Clowney, Merciless, Cushing.
08:48Those guys, like, took big jumps in their careers.
08:51And so, you know, he's parlayed that philosophy into what he's going to do in New England.
08:57It's not going to happen overnight.
08:58You know, it's just he's installing his own way of doing things.
09:02But he is big into improvement.
09:05And I'm sure they're working very hard this week to be better, whoever they – I don't
09:09know who they play Sunday.
09:11Oh, they play Miami.
09:12Sorry.
09:12Miami Sunday.
09:13They'll be a better football team.
09:14So, Bill, I tend to agree.
09:16I believe Mike can do that.
09:19My question – a completely hypothetical question here for you.
09:22If you had a very mobile quarterback, would you encourage him to not run so much and try
09:31and work primarily from the pocket?
09:33Or would you take advantage of his excellent mobility?
09:36I think you've got to – you know, you have to look at who you have, no doubt about it.
09:41I mean, I've – personally, I've had a lot of different types of quarterbacks.
09:44So, you know, I do think it's important to do what you believe fits that guy's skill set.
09:51No doubt about it.
09:52Now, you know, we're not in the meetings.
09:55Maybe – you know, maybe they do have some things.
09:57Maybe they got behind in the game and they couldn't call those things.
10:00You know, I'm sure that they're looking at everything that they do.
10:03And Drake is a really good athlete from what I've seen him play.
10:06He can definitely run.
10:09But, you know, also some of the onus is on him, on the players.
10:12Like, they have to – you know, maybe they got to do a little bit better job of preparation.
10:16They have to do a little bit better job of, you know, practicing during the week.
10:20You know, I think everybody's in it together.
10:22And I'm sure Mike's made that clear to the team.
10:25Billy, a couple quick notes.
10:27Mark Daniels had a story that broke over the weekend regarding the final year of Belichick with the Patriots.
10:33And I didn't know if you could confirm the information he had.
10:36One was that Belichick wanted to keep Patricia as the offensive coordinator.
10:40And Robert Kraft said no hiring you.
10:43And the other was that Belichick didn't talk to Mac Jones or Gerard Mayo that season.
10:48Can you confirm or deny those reports?
10:51Well, all I can tell you is I was hired by Bill.
10:55I mean, Bill called me.
10:57I was at Alabama.
10:58We had just won the Sugar Bowl.
11:00I was, you know, contacted by Bill.
11:03I talked to Coach Saban.
11:05And I went back to New England.
11:06And we had at least two staff meetings per day every single day.
11:12And, you know, Gerard was in those staff meetings.
11:14And Bill was talking to him.
11:16And I don't know where Mike Daniels gets that information.
11:20I was there.
11:21I mean, it was a brutal year.
11:22Don't get me wrong.
11:23It was terrible.
11:24I mean, it was terrible.
11:26But there was, you know, and we had quarterback meeting.
11:30He was in quarterback meetings.
11:33I mean, that year, Curtis, like, you know, we had some health issues on the staff and stuff.
11:39So, like, Bill and myself, like, Bill would help coach the offensive line.
11:45I was coaching the skill guys with the skill coaches.
11:48Like, I mean, it was a tough year, man.
11:50But there was no ignoring of anybody.
11:54Bill coached his ass off from July all the way through to the last game.
12:00After Bill called was the second interview with Jordan.
12:05I love how you, like, you always throw these things in there.
12:12I don't, no, I don't, no.
12:14I did not interview with her at all.
12:16No, it wasn't.
12:16Okay.
12:17All right.
12:17Well, listen.
12:19Great to talk to you.
12:21Good luck.
12:21You know, last thing for me.
12:24We were just talking about it.
12:26It's September 11th.
12:27Where were you 24 years ago this morning?
12:32Yeah, I appreciate the question.
12:33I'm about to talk to the team about this at 8 o'clock.
12:37I was coaching at Georgia Tech, and I had one really close friend, Ray Rocha,
12:43from Melrose, Mass, played football with me at Brown, who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald.
12:49And he was right there with the impact of the plane.
12:53And it's a horrible day.
12:55I can remember just, you know, the city of Atlanta was shut down.
12:59You remember all major cities were shut down, no flights.
13:02I remember my wife, Colleen, she's a lawyer.
13:04She was working for a law firm in Atlanta.
13:07You know, they evacuated.
13:09I mean, it was a horrible, horrible day.
13:10And lost a close friend, Ray Rocha.
13:13And it's just a tough day every time this anniversary comes up.
13:18All right, Bill O'Brien, thank you so much for taking the time.
13:20We'll talk to you again next week.
13:23Thank you, guys.
13:23Appreciate it.
13:24All right.
13:25That is the great Bill O'Brien.
13:26The best.
13:27Head coach of Boston College Football.
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