Bill O’Brien’s Play Calling is a stunning debut

There was a collective eye-roll among some BC fans when Massachusetts native Bill O’Brien was named the program’s 37th head coach in February of this year. The 54-year-old has an extensive college and pro resume, from offensive assistant to coordinator to head coach and even general manager.

He successfully coached college and NFL programs, but his career began to unravel when his tenure as head coach/general manager of the Houston Texans ended in 2020.

His last two stints as Nick Saban’s two-year offensive coordinator at Alabama and then last year as the Patriots’ OC under Bill Belichick were heavily scrutinized, and his failure to adapt to the modern game at both the college and pro levels as a quarterback led to plenty of head-scratching moments over the past three years.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that in this game, if you do not adapt to modern patterns and trends – you will not survive anywhere. This applies to coaches, players or front office staff at the college and pro levels.

Last night the coach commonly known as BOB showed his ability to adapt.

These two clips are great examples of Bill O’Brien’s nuanced approach. This concept, known as “mesh”, is incredibly effective against man coverage, with conflicting routes crossing underneath creating defensive conflicts in the midfield. It’s not a “new” combination of routes by any means, but finding ways to cover the same concepts from different movements and looks is one of the most effective forms of commentary in football today.

Here BC runs the exact same play, this net concept marked as a tailback running a route called a “rail” meaning he runs a tight wheel route towards the short side of the court. They’ve done this many times and had the back wide open every time due to lack of communication and conflict in the middle of the FSU defense.

It’s not necessarily the Seminoles linebackers’ incompetence, Castellanos recognizes man coverage because of the defense’s reaction to the movement, and the defense is pinned down because O’Brien is running out of different positions. Simple, but obviously effective.

Simple but effective, it was a perfect summary of the approach BC’s offense took against Florida State, and evidence that Coach O’Brien was willing to adapt to the modern game.

During his final stint at Alabama, he constantly put all the pressure on quarterback Bryce Young to diagnose pressures and looks before the snap without any movement or formation variety to give him an advantage. He basically expected Young to be as good at the line of scrimmage as any NFL quarterback, and because of Young’s incredible elusive talent, he was often bailed out.

Don’t believe me? Check out this thread or just search “Bill O’Brien Alabama” on X and see how many Bama fans were happy when he took over as the Patriots OC last season.

He deserves credit for adapting Boston College’s offense to what they are best at on paper, which is being a great running team. Even against a team loaded with professional talent in their front seven, they were that and more, putting up 52 attempts for 263 yards on the ground compared to 16 attempts for 106 yards through the air.

That should remain the identity of this team. The backfield duo of Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward, combined with the explosive legs of Thomas Castellanos, should make stopping them a headache for any team.

Using that to prepare passes and make it easier for Castellanos makes this team even more dangerous in the ACC, and it earned a spot on Davey O’Brien’s Big 8 list as of Tuesday afternoon.

Bill O’Brien passed his first test as BC’s program leader with distinction, and now he can become consistent – something his offense has struggled with for the past three years. He appears to have humbly admitted those shortcomings and found a second wind as a quarterback.

If that is the case, then for the foreseeable future, Boston College will have one of the most decorated and talented coaches in the country leading its program.