Give Jags credit for the Eagles' hot start

A shuttle bus passenger at Pinehurst golf resort this summer saw the Boston College hat and wondered if it might be ...

"Are you ..." the passenger said haltingly, "Jeff Jagodzinski?"

Jeff Jagodzinski isn't just 4-0, his last name is second in the nation. (Getty Images)

Yes, it was the Boston College coach and, yes, he's still that anonymous. That's expected when you've never been a head coach, been on the job nine months and are suddenly 4-0 on the cusp of a top 10 ranking.

"I Googled him right away," quarterback Matt Ryan said of his new coach's hiring in December.

Googled him, then spell checked him, no doubt. The 43-year-old veteran NFL assistant already is near the top. His 11-letter surname is tied for the second-longest in Division I-A.

Jagodz ... um, Jags inherited 85 strangers in uniform, after taking over for Tom O'Brien. Strangers? There are worse situations to be in. So far, Jagodzinski has made like George Clooney in a roomful of starlets.

How could he screw up? He didn't, but that's hardly the point. Jagodzinski isn't the first coach to win with someone else's players, just the latest.

There seems to be a negative connation attached to the label. As if Jags didn't work for it, didn't earn the 4-0 record that has the Eagles ranked 12th. Larry Coker, Les Miles and others have faced similar -- not criticism, but scrutiny.

"Yeah, I've heard that in reference to other situations," Ryan said. "I think Coach Jags has done a great job here at BC. We're glad he's here."

What would you have the new coach do? Lose?

• Coker took over a week before signing day, held the recruiting class together and won the 2001 national championship.
• Charlie Weis, it is becoming evident, got a nice boost from Ty Willingham's recruits.
• Miles is 26-4 since taking over for Nick Saban, which leads to another issue.

If Saban wins 10 at Alabama is he going to be "blamed" for winning with Mike Shula's players?

At what point do these guys get credit for, at least, being competent? This is what Jagodzinski was supposed to do. The Eagles had 17 returning starters from a team that had won seven consecutive bowl games.