Read this Eagle Action exclusive interview with senior Boston College linebacker Matt Milano.
Milano had a breakout junior season with 17.5 tackles for loss during the 2015 campaign. He hasn't showed signs of slowing down so far in 2016 and Milano has 15 tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss through the Eagles' contests against Georgia Tech and UMass.
He figures to be a key cog in BC's defense for the rest of the year, shouldering leadership and production responsibilities, and he spoke with Eagle Action about a range of topics on Monday.
Meanwhile, junior linebacker Ty Schwab has stepped into a much more prominent role on the defense in 2016. In both of BC's first two games of this season he has recorded more tackles than in any game prior to this season.
Schwab also answered questions for Eagle Action on Monday.
Matt Milano (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)
Eagle Action: Matt, you've had great production through your first two games and Steve Addazio singled you out as a standout player in his postgame comments after the UMass win. How would you assess your play so far this year for BC?
Matt Milano: I thought I did pretty good for it being the second game. I had a couple of missed assignments but I thought I played pretty well throughout.
Eagle Action: Ty, how would you assess your play through the Georgia Tech and UMass games?
Ty Schwab: I played well. Man, there's always room for improvement. I'm excited to keep improving. Coach (Steve Addazio) always says you make the most improvement in the first four games so I've got my head down and I'm just being a workhorse.
Eagle Action: What areas do each of you feel like you've improved on the most individually from last season to this year?
Milano: Besides just the whole football aspect of it I think being a leader to the whole defense and for the whole team is something I've grown at over the summer.
Schwab: From last season to this season I feel like my hand use has improved a lot. I've become really good at engaging with blockers and shedding away so I can follow the ball instead of just doing my job.
Eagle Action: Who are some of the leaders on the defense who have stepped up throughout camp, practice and in the first couple of games?
Milano: Definitely my other linebacker, Connor Strachan, has been one of the guys trying to lead the unit. John Jonson, the free safety, and Truman Gutapfel.
Schwab: Honestly I think every one person on our defense is, in a way, a leader. Because we all rally off each other. When one person makes a play we rally. When another person makes a play we rally. When we're on the bench we're talking about making plays and doing things together.
Eagle Action: What are the biggest differences -- schematically, philosophically, personality-wise -- between Jim Reid and Don Brown from last year?
Milano: I guess one of the differences over the coaching change would just be it's a different person, a different guy. We're doing a lot of the same things but incorporating some new things from where Coach Reid was in the past. I think being around (the different personality) is a big difference.
Schwab: Don Brown was an awesome coach and definitely an in-your-face kind of guy. It was, 'This is how he wants it.' Jim Reid is 100-percent a players' coach. He's doing whatever he can for us. He always wants the best out of us. He always strives to make us better. He's a great person and a great human being. He really knows his football and he's putting us in a position to win.
Ty Schwab (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)
Eagle Action: You've got Virginia Tech coming up? They were on ESPN in Bristol on Saturday night. Have you had a chance to look at them or started to turn your attention to them?
Milano: Yeah, personally I've been looking at them since they last played on Saturday. They looked like a great team. We're really going to get started (preparing for) them tomorrow.
Schwab: Yeah, I've watched some film on them, today and last night. I had a chance to see what they're all about. They've got a new coordinator, obviously, because we now have their offensive coordinator. That kind of makes it a little battle (or) rivalry, which is cool and I'm excited about that. They're a good ACC football team. They've got a lot of good, athletic guys on their team and they're going to be a good match up for us.
Milano had a breakout junior season with 17.5 tackles for loss during the 2015 campaign. He hasn't showed signs of slowing down so far in 2016 and Milano has 15 tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss through the Eagles' contests against Georgia Tech and UMass.
He figures to be a key cog in BC's defense for the rest of the year, shouldering leadership and production responsibilities, and he spoke with Eagle Action about a range of topics on Monday.
Meanwhile, junior linebacker Ty Schwab has stepped into a much more prominent role on the defense in 2016. In both of BC's first two games of this season he has recorded more tackles than in any game prior to this season.
Schwab also answered questions for Eagle Action on Monday.
Matt Milano (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)
Eagle Action: Matt, you've had great production through your first two games and Steve Addazio singled you out as a standout player in his postgame comments after the UMass win. How would you assess your play so far this year for BC?
Matt Milano: I thought I did pretty good for it being the second game. I had a couple of missed assignments but I thought I played pretty well throughout.
Eagle Action: Ty, how would you assess your play through the Georgia Tech and UMass games?
Ty Schwab: I played well. Man, there's always room for improvement. I'm excited to keep improving. Coach (Steve Addazio) always says you make the most improvement in the first four games so I've got my head down and I'm just being a workhorse.
Eagle Action: What areas do each of you feel like you've improved on the most individually from last season to this year?
Milano: Besides just the whole football aspect of it I think being a leader to the whole defense and for the whole team is something I've grown at over the summer.
Schwab: From last season to this season I feel like my hand use has improved a lot. I've become really good at engaging with blockers and shedding away so I can follow the ball instead of just doing my job.
Eagle Action: Who are some of the leaders on the defense who have stepped up throughout camp, practice and in the first couple of games?
Milano: Definitely my other linebacker, Connor Strachan, has been one of the guys trying to lead the unit. John Jonson, the free safety, and Truman Gutapfel.
Schwab: Honestly I think every one person on our defense is, in a way, a leader. Because we all rally off each other. When one person makes a play we rally. When another person makes a play we rally. When we're on the bench we're talking about making plays and doing things together.
Eagle Action: What are the biggest differences -- schematically, philosophically, personality-wise -- between Jim Reid and Don Brown from last year?
Milano: I guess one of the differences over the coaching change would just be it's a different person, a different guy. We're doing a lot of the same things but incorporating some new things from where Coach Reid was in the past. I think being around (the different personality) is a big difference.
Schwab: Don Brown was an awesome coach and definitely an in-your-face kind of guy. It was, 'This is how he wants it.' Jim Reid is 100-percent a players' coach. He's doing whatever he can for us. He always wants the best out of us. He always strives to make us better. He's a great person and a great human being. He really knows his football and he's putting us in a position to win.
Ty Schwab (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)
Eagle Action: You've got Virginia Tech coming up? They were on ESPN in Bristol on Saturday night. Have you had a chance to look at them or started to turn your attention to them?
Milano: Yeah, personally I've been looking at them since they last played on Saturday. They looked like a great team. We're really going to get started (preparing for) them tomorrow.
Schwab: Yeah, I've watched some film on them, today and last night. I had a chance to see what they're all about. They've got a new coordinator, obviously, because we now have their offensive coordinator. That kind of makes it a little battle (or) rivalry, which is cool and I'm excited about that. They're a good ACC football team. They've got a lot of good, athletic guys on their team and they're going to be a good match up for us.
