Football: Bill O'Brien ACC Network Interview (July 24, 2024)

well it's been an eventful off season for the Boston College Eagles starting with Jeff Halley's resignation as he left to join the staff of the Green Bay Packers well here was the opportunity for Bill O'Brien who's coach at the highest of levels at the NFL and a college head coach alongside the names like Bill belich and Nick Saven and it helps in his first year at BC that he's going to have a lot of returning Talent 15 starters back from last year on The Heist headline by that guy TC th is castalanos coach welcome to your first ACC football kickoff how's everybody treating you I would hope well absolutely no this is awesome yeah this is you're undefeated yeah undefeated honeymoon honeymoon the hone the honeymoon is still continuing on absolutely no question no question we got another month of that so no no no it's been good the people here you know I was in the ACC when I was at Georgia Tech and uh Maryland when they were at the ACCC and Duke so I coach at those three schools so there's some familiar faces I saw art Chase from duke uh a couple other people that I've seen along the way in my my my journey in coaching so it's been cool to be back in the ACC youve spoken at length about this being a dream job I know your wife went to BC what is one aspect of the job that you have realized has been more surprising and enjoyable that you probably didn't know coming into this role yeah you know I get asked that question a lot I I think one of the things that I that I really enjoy uh other than coaching the players which I'm sure you guys will ask but that's my favorite thing to do the players at Boston College I love coaching them I can't wait to to coach them every single day but the the people around the program uh they they've been unbelievable uh whether it's Blake James the athletic director father Ley the president father Jack Butler who is liaison between the administration and football uh they've just been awesome Reggie Terry um is is a guy so the people around the program have been very supportive of everything that we're trying to do whether it's hiring a staff or you know trying to improve certain things about the program so it's been it's been good to be around on those people well we just had coach Chris Ball in here and he talked about point of attack offensive line defensive line now you come rolling in here it's like you know what there's a theme Brewing early here in the Queen City uh BC getting back to being physical up front I me I think of BC football it's always about great offensive line play physicality run the football shove it down your throat and see if you can do something about it there's no doubt about it that we have to uh we have to do a good job of that we have to have a physically uh uh tough training camp uh we can't overdo it we got to get our team ready to play the first game but we have to definitely get back to uh being able to do the things that you talked about we feel really good about our offensive line we feel very good about our defensive line you know we have to prove that we have to go out there and actually do it but these guys have worked very hard uh they're coached very well uh we got Tim Lewis as a defensive coordinator on on defense Jeff kishion the dline coach Matt applebomb the o line coach we got Doug Marrone in there uh who's working as an adviser with with me uh and so you know we we've got a lot of good things going on in that way in that realm but we've got to go out there and actually do that because that's what we have to be known as we have to be known as a a disciplined tough hardworking football team that that plays good in critical situations and you know we're going to work hard on that in training camp you coached a dynamic player in Bryce young during your your time at Alabama and and and you you know you you've had a variety of different styles of quarterbacks and that now that guy was was different y so last year our broadcast crew had the Florida State BC game early a game in which BC outplayed Florida State but 19 turnovers 19 penalties 19 penalties can eight false starts yeah eight false starts could be could be a bit problematic so the game the game's over with and on the air I called Thomas castalano's diet Kyler Murray right at the time now this week three we get off the air and I talked to our broadcast gr I said guys BC is really lucky that you can only transfer once because that kid is going to be all over the transfer portal and then the second transfer comes up and you're able to retain it he stays right not only what does that say about him in your program and what are you looking forward to in his development um under your tutelage here in year one yeah he's been an awesome guy to work with Tommy has been really good um I I do think going back to your point about transferring and all that I I do think Boston College is a place where where guys come to stay okay and I think that look I'm not saying it's going to be 100% you know the portal was open for two weeks after Spring ball and we kept our whole team um and that's what we're going to be about we need to develop players coach them see them get better year in and year out and and and hopefully they do stay because they understand what BC can do for them when it comes to Tommy Tommy is one of the most improved players on our team really okay he's done a really good job of learning our system uh what we're trying to do offensively you know directing things changing plays uh changing protections or you know Mike points type of things he's done a great job with that he's done a good job of standing in there and delivering the ball and then making those off schedu plays that I think are really a big part of his game so I I've really had a lot of uh fun working with Tommy uh will Longs our offensive coordinator Jonathan debiaso our our quarterback coach they've done a great job and and Tommy's uh getting better and better every day that's great coach starting off this segment we're speaking about your pedigree I know you're not going to bloat about it but how does that help in connecting with some of your younger players whether it be Tommy or anyone else that says like hey I remember you at the other level or even what you're able to do at Penn State and any other stop that you've had before this yeah that's a great question I I think about that a lot because I do get asked that question a lot and I I I will tell you that the biggest thing that helps is my experience right I've experienced a lot this is my 32nd year in coaching it's my third head coaching job I've seen a lot I've coached a lot of different types of players I've been very fortunate because I've coached some of the best players to ever play the games and I've learned a lot from those players so I'm able to talk to these guys about hey there's another way to do it or there's a better way to do it because I've actually seen it I've experienced it I've worked with great coaches you know you mentioned coach belich coach Sabin worked with a lot of Dante scari was a line coach in New England that I worked with I learned a ton from him so Tom Brady was pretty good I learned a lot from Tom I mean Tom you really you know and quite frankly you straightened him out yeah that is true he was he was going off theat path and you pulled him right back in absolutely absolutely definitely got him on the straight and narrow we should have got you on the roast coach yeah yeah I was at the roast but I kind of I was not up on that stage um but no but but in all seriousness you know you're right I mean you learn from some of these great players and and you're able to impart your own experience your own wisdom on these younger players and I think that's where it helps you can show film of hey look when we were at the Texans or you know when we were at Alabama or when we were at the New England Patriots this is kind of how we ran this route or how we played this defense and and I think the guys uh really enjoy seeing that and learn them that way I know we want to talk about your team but but you just kind of open up Pandora's Box give me a for instance where either you taught something to bellich or Sabin or vice versa oh no no better yet give me a for instance in which you went to Nick or Bill and said you know what coach I I got a better mouse trap here did that ever I mean you got to have some I mean I think with both those guys especially you know I spent probably a longer Time with Bill uh that I was with Nick for two years but with both those guys before you can even think about doing that as long as you you you're prove proven your own ability to coach the offense to coach the positions on offense you know then maybe you can go to them and say hey this might be a better way to do it but you know you better be careful you better that better be a better way to do it when you go to one of those two guys because you know you're going to hear about it if it's not well I can only imagine the looks right the glares from belich and saving going excuse me what was that question again I mean that's got to be fun though I me no I I did I mean the the staff meetings with both those guys were very challenging in in in intellectual ways they were because both those guys drove you and I worked for another guy Ralph regen you know I've Had The Gauntlet now I've worked for Ralph George ni how are you in one piece exactly like I'm 54 years old I look I'm 74 your skin has got to be the thickest in the history of mankind absolutely talk about George I'm just talking about George that's all I'm talking about but those guy but it was great for me in my coaching career to work for those guys because they they taught you in a way that you had to learn it if you didn't know what you were doing then you weren't going to last long you going to be embarrassed or whatever it is so I I owe a lot to all all of those guys and uh yeah it was challenging at times but learned a ton from can you give me a George impression because everybody does George Billy you really want to run that play right there I've seen better coaches and who who recruited you well we really appreciate the time coach you can be here all day going down the Vault of Tom machine on great stories I'm going to be on campus for the campus site tour need to get some food I'll be there as well Absol oh I got a lot of those you I got a lot of food recommendations and I won't and I won't I'll be with Nick Sabin on college game day trying to break down what in the world's BC doing offensively that is Bill O'Brien best of luck in year one at DC