Rob Christy-USA TODAY Sports

When Steve Addazio arrived at Boston College last month, he boldly proclaimed this school to be his “dream job.” Over the past few years, once it became clear that Frank Spaziani’s tenure would end badly, message board rumors had existed that Addazio wanted this job, but it wasn’t the only one. In 2012, “dream job” was a bit of an overused phrase with little meaning.

Now, why is that? It would imply that said job is the one that the coach wanted so badly for such a long time that he’d be in love with it for life if he got it. There aren’t many coaches who wouldn’t want to be at the head of an elite program, which is what one might have associated with the concept of a “dream job.” In the case of others, well, let’s just say the dream keeps evolving.

One need look no further than Arizona State’s Todd Graham, who dumped Pitt for the Sun Devils early in their relationship because he found his “dream job;” given his history of quickly leaving programs, Arizona State will be his dream until the next better opportunity comes along. Such is the nature of the coaching business sometimes.

When it comes to Steve Addazio, the new head coach of Boston College football, there is little doubt in my mind that he gave Brad Bates and the rest of the search committee an impassioned speech about BC being the most amazing place in the world and that there was nowhere else he’d rather be. If this has helped in later recruiting speeches then that’s great, but when you’re stuck at Temple, the grass is always greener on the other side and virtually anything is an upgrade. Had Syracuse’s job been open two months ago, with his son intending to stay there at the time, who knows what BC’s situation would be right now.

These days, a “dream” coaching job isn’t necessarily elite: it’s just one that’s better than the one you currently have.

New Boston College football head coach Steve Addazio is filling out his staff, and he stayed in the region for his next major pick. Reports from Bruce Feldman and Pete Roussel have confirmed that Don Brown, most recently the defensive coordinator at Connecticut, will be the Eagles’ next coach in the same capacity.

Brown has been a college football assistant since 1982, also having head coaching experience at Plymouth State, Northeastern, and UMass. He pulled a reverse Randy Edsall, going from Maryland to UConn, in both places as defensive coordinator. Brown’s defense in 2012 was impressive, posting some of the following FBS rankings:

• 7th in rushing defense
• 10th in total defense
• 13th in tackles for a loss
• 19th in sacks per game
• 23rd in scoring defense
• 33rd in pass efficiency defense

All of these things are particularly appealing, as Boston College has not had anything resembling a pass rush for years, the defense scheme made for some poor pass coverage, and the rush defense crashed from tops in the nation to near the bottom in only two years.

There’s nothing to dislike about this hire. Brown is an experienced coach whose defenses play aggressive football, which is a stark contrast to the conservative, “bend but don’t break” style to which the Eagles had been accustomed in recent years. One can expect Boston College to do a lot more blitzing in 2013 and take some chances, which will be a welcome change to being dead-last in the nation in tackles for a loss and sacks per game. It has been a little while since we’ve seen exciting defense at BC, and with any luck, Brown can change the philosophy and bring it back.

He does not seem like the kind of coach who will “let the game come to the players:” he’s going to make BC’s players go after the football and the quarterback, and that is cause for optimism.

Welcome to Boston, Coach Brown.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It has been close to a week since Steve Addazio was named Boston College Eagles football coach for 2013 and beyond. There seems to have been a real variety of opinions on his hiring, and some of those have certainly shifted. Let’s find out how BC football fans feel about the move after having had some time to digest it.

There are five options. The first two would indicate that your opinion hasn’t changed, the second two that it has changed, and the last that you either have no opinion or you’re truly neutral.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It has already been quite a week at Boston College, and it’s one that could end in several days with one of its own setting the all-time wins record in college hockey. That would be an exclamation point on a stretch which started with the hiring of Steve Addazio as BC’s next head football coach.

There are certainly a variety of opinions about Addazio, his staff choices, and everything in between as he begins his long journey towards what we hope is a successful rebuild of the program. The debate has been very spirited to say the least, but through it all, the fanbase does want him to succeed for the sake of the school’s reputation and the kids in maroon and gold.

On Wednesday, Addazio introduced himself to the Boston College community and gave a fiery speech, which was hardly unexpected knowing his style but nevertheless won him converts. So far, reviews from those who have interacted with him personally have been highly favorable, and without having done the same, I can say that despite whatever reservations I have had about the hire and all things surrounding it, I find Addazio to be a genuinely likable, passionate guy that I honestly believe will do his best. I can also see why he has gained a reputation as a good recruiter, given how well he speaks.

At some point, however, we all will have to distinguish the rhetoric from the record, because ultimately, the latter is the only thing that matters. All the fiery speeches in the world will not make up for losing football games, and just because we may like Addazio as a person does not mean he doesn’t have to win. That’s how we ended up with Frank Spaziani for as long as we did.

Now, I’m not saying that Addazio will be Spaziani, because frankly (no pun intended) I think Addazio is a better coach, but I only have one criterion for the new coach, and that’s winning football games. Other issues, such as student development, are outside the view of the fans and are matters of a personal nature to the players, but that is a concern of Addazio’s. As for the fans, we will judge Addazio’s tenure by how many games he wins, and this would be true of any hire Brad Bates may have made.

Personality definitely has its place. Nobody will argue that Steve Addazio doesn’t have any, that’s for sure. He can use this to his benefit and ours, selling the program to recruits and getting his team fired up to play, amongst other things. Addazio will bring an energy to the sideline that was sorely lacking. It is, however, far less important than the win-loss totals. I care less about how passionate Addazio is in the locker room and more about how that team in the locker room performs on the field.

I’m sure that as a man, Addazio will be a fine representative of the character of Boston College. He says all the right things, but it is entirely just to weigh his performance on how he actually does. As far as how he chooses to motivate the team, I don’t care if he puts on a purple Pat Benatar spandex unitard and sings “I Am The Warrior” before every game, as long as he wins.

Wins are my only concern. If Addazio gets them — and we should of course give him a fair chance and not call for his head the first time BC loses a game — the fan support will follow. Winning fixes everything, but now, it’s up to him to do it.

Apparently, you can go home again.

Eagle Action and Philadelphia-based news sources have reported that Ryan Day, former offensive coordinator at Temple and wide receiver coach at Boston College, will return to the Heights as offensive coordinator. Further reports suggest that former BC offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers will also return. It is expected that Addazio will name Chuck Heater, his defensive coordinator at Temple, to the same position at BC, as well as offensive line coach Justin Frye.

There are more staff positions to fill out, but first it must be said that this should not, and does not, come as a surprise. It was obvious Addazio would default to these folks and bring his staff with him to Boston College.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Whatever one’s feelings on the hire of Steve Addazio as Boston College football coach, which is doubtlessly still coming as a shock the morning after, the deed is now done. It will very soon be time for Addazio to prove to the fans and his employer that he was the right hire.

The problem here is, as I think about what to say here about expectations for Addazio at Boston College, in reality, I do not know what to think. I had a greater degree of certainty in specific other candidates, whether they had been a head coach or not, but with Addazio, I can honestly say I do not know what the next several years will look like. Will his reputation as a good recruiter yield noticeable results? Will his passion for football, which I don’t think anyone disputes, fire up his team and create a new culture at Boston College? Most importantly, will he win?

Steve Addazio is a motivator. He is the kind of guy, if reports are thoroughly accurate, that players have enjoyed playing for and they hold him in high regard. None of that matters if he doesn’t win.

Will he? Again, I don’t know. His time at Temple was a mixed bag, and it was only two years at that. Florida fans rejoiced when he left as offensive coordinator. And yet, media types have almost universally hailed this hire as a home run and can’t understand the reaction of Boston College fans when they were fed more exciting names and a far more exciting vision for the program; instead, most are taking a wait-and-see approach rather than diving in head-first to optimism. Addazio caught most everyone on the outside by surprise, and many of the fans did not consider him as being in the mix because they thought BC was going in a different direction. Some weren’t sold on him as the guy who could return BC to prominence, and other simply thought better candidates were available. We will never know what went on in those meetings and phone conversations, and now, it doesn’t matter anymore.

To get in the good graces of the fans and stay there, he has to win and prove that he’s going to turn this thing around. It has to be more than fiery locker room speeches: he has to actually do it. It is probably fair to expect that Addazio, true to form, will motivate his team, but this is not even about Xs and Os or getting the players to run through brick walls: it is about rebuilding a program from the ground up. Almost everything about Boston College football needs to be fixed in Sunday through Friday operations, not just on Saturdays. If he is a success, all of us who overreacted on Tuesday, myself included, will owe Brad Bates and Addazio an apology. If not, well, it’s too disturbing to ponder.

In my gut, I do not think Addazio will crash and burn like Frank Spaziani. As a matter of fact, I do think Addazio is a better coach than his predecessor, but his predecessor destroyed a program that won back-to-back ACC Atlantic titles in only a few years, so it doesn’t take special talent to be better. But what is Addazio’s ceiling? Is it TOB-esque 7 or 8 wins a season or does he actually plan on getting us to the Orange Bowl? I know the media’s expectation of Boston College is the former, but does Addazio feel the same? Can Addazio turn us into a team that not only coasts to 6 wins and plays in fourth-rate bowl games, but strives to win its conference?

I don’t know, but we will find out. If you ask me, I do think Boston College will make bowl games under Addazio eventually, but how much higher than the Olive Garden Never-Ending Pasta Bowl in Tupelo every year? That is how we will ultimately measure his tenure. Your local and national media will be doing backflips for us if we win seven games a year and tell us it’s the best we can do, though our question over the next few years will be if that’s the best Addazio can do. One would hope his sights are set much higher, and that he can deliver on what I’m sure will be promises of a fully-restored football program.

The concerns of the fans are noted, and I’ve felt them, too. Regardless, he is the coach now, and he has my support. Not only do I wish him well and hope he succeeds, I hope he’s the best damn football coach Boston College has ever had. Our players deserve nothing less and after years of wanting a coach replaced, I want to be able to have Addazio’s back. Whether or not he does all that remains to be seen, but he has to hit the ground running.

Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

The reaction of the Boston College football fanbase to the hiring of Steve Addazio this afternoon is predictably sour. I admit that I was one of the first to voice concern over the move when there were reportedly other more high-profile candidates available (though at this point, it would seem most or all of those reports were completely false). Nevertheless, this is the hand we have been dealt, and we must all pull behind Addazio.

There isn’t going to be a Bob Diaco or an Al Golden. Athletic Director Brad Bates has made his choice, for whatever reasons he and his associates saw fit, and this is our stake now. Either Steve Addazio succeeds at rebuilding Boston College football or we all fail. If we are to call ourselves Boston College fans, then we must root for Addazio and his men that they can fix this before we turn into a perpetual joke.

Addazio’s only crime so far is getting hired to a better job. He does not deserve harsh criticism when he hasn’t even set foot on campus yet, much less coached a game. It is perfectly valid to feel disappointed when other names were floated in the media, or that he is a “safe” hire, but he must be given a fair chance. Frank Spaziani, unfortunately, got four years to work his anti-magic. Steve Addazio deserves at least an hour to see what he can do to help, one would hope.

It is also fair to retain your skepticism while hoping that he is a success. Not just for himself, but for the school and the kids putting on the maroon and gold. It is for them that we hope Addazio wins.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

News has broken on Tuesday evening that Steve Addazio, formerly the head coach at Temple University, has been hired as the thirty-fifth football head coach in Boston College program history.

Addazio inherits a program that has been left in near-extreme disarray by his predecessor. In 2012, the Eagles lost ten games, their highest loss total since Ed Chlebek’s first season in 1978. Boston College has won fewer games each of the last four seasons and from schemes to player development to overall recruiting, the program has suffered across the board since 2009. Addazio will likely spend the next few seasons settling into a deep, long-required rebuilding process.

Best wishes for Coach Addazio.