On Randy Edsall and the Future of Maryland Football
by Ben Broman on Oct 31, 2011 3:59 PM EDT
in Football
Email
PrintRandy Edsall will be the Maryland Terrapins' head football coach for at least three years, and quite probably four. At a minimum.
The simple economics of the issue dictate that much. Edsall's contract is on the book for five more seasons after this one, and he's getting $2 million a year. With Maryland's current financial mess, they'd struggle to buy out the final year of his deal, let alone six or eight million bucks. Edsall could be at the helm of 3-9 seasons from here to eternity and it wouldn't change that unfortunate fact.
Which is one big reason why the recent and sizable "Fire Edsall" movement within Maryland's fan base is a little silly: it might be a worthy cause, but it's doomed. Even if Kevin Anderson wanted to get rid of him, there's nothing he could do. So let's just nip that in the bud right now.
The other big reason it's a little silly: even acknowledging the dozens of negative omens within Maryland's program right now, it's premature to bring out the lynch mob on a coach after eight games. Coaching college football is a complex enough process for me to feel a bit hesitant about writing off such a big position on the factual basis of essentially two poor showings. Even with those two showings being as horrible, awful, and indefensible as they were, that's a pretty quick trigger finger.
It's true that the primary "wait it out" argument is, well, that you have to wait it out to get a truly accurate reading on any coach, which is depressing and only sometimes true. But I do think there are a few very valid caveats to Edsall's seemingly awful performance this year that deserve some time.
Before you start to think I'm an Edsall apologist, I should say that I'm definitely not, and we'll get to that later. But that doesn't mean I'm simply willing to ignore that the situation wasn't as rosy as a lot of people have made out. To wit: His defensive coordinator left after signing day, leaving him little in the way of replacement options. His wide receivers are inexperienced, inconsistent, and probably failed to even catch a cold in the rain and snow last Saturday. Two of his team captains, Andrew Gonnella and Kenny Tate, have suffered season-ending injuries. Similarly, injuries ravaged the defense early, and for most of the first six games at least five or six starters were out. He's short three scholarships thanks to the program's punishment at the hands of the NCAA. He saw a gigantic exodus of depth in the offseason, forcing him into using the youngest team in the conference and starting a 17-year-old former two star at linebacker. To top it all off, he's trying to install new schemes on both sides of the ball despite missing two-and-a-half hours of practice a week, again thanks to NCAA regs.
He wasn't walking into a Kansas or Duke, to be sure, but the job ended up being considerably less loaded than many made it out to be early on - including me - when people were calling for an easy 8 or 10 wins. Sure, a great coach probably figures out a way make up for some of that; adjusting the scheme to the talent already in place would've helped, and it might've been nice to try to keep around as much depth as possible instead of seemingly letting everyone walk. But his failure to do that doesn't necessarily make him a bad coach, so much as it just shows that he isn't a great one.
And there have still been little glimpses of potential that have flickered through. As Dave tweeted during the game on Saturday, the line between 9-4 and 2-10 can be surprisingly thin, and the Terps have been consistently just on the wrong side of it all year long. They were two or three plays away from beating a ranked, then-undefeated West Virginia. They were two or three plays away from beating a ranked, then-undefeated Georgia Tech. They were two or three plays away from beating a ranked, then-undefeated Clemson. A few luckier bounces or slightly tighter execution - a dropped interception here, a missed tackle there - and Maryland might pull those out, which of course changes the message, the focus, and the motivation for the duds against Temple and Boston College.
(In fact, I have a strange amount of hope for next year. This team loses a grand total of three starters to graduation off the current depth chart, and the 19 returning starters would probably be among the highest in the country. Even better, only six come off the two-deep at all, including those three starters. Throw in a bit of luck and hopefully a reinvigoration of talent, and there should be a fairly substantial turnaround.)
But this post has two points, so follow along closely. The first was what I've already said: it's too early to write him off. The second: that doesn't mean he's not well on the way to getting to that point. Even though I think next year could see a slight revival, I've seen enough to be suitably frustrated at Edsall's display so far and dismayed at the long-term future and direction of the program.
First of all, let's look at the most obvious problem: even with all of those impediments laid out above, Maryland still should've been able to beat Temple and Boston College, probably pretty easily. Temple has since lost to Toledo and Bowling Green, while BC hadn't beaten an entire FBS opponent all year (not even Duke). Maryland certainly had enough talent to win both of those games, and that they not only failed to win but failed to even put up a fight indicates that Edsall either can't motivate his team or can't prepare them. No one should complain about losing to WVU, GT, Clemson, or FSU, all of which had more talent than Edsall's bunch; it's the 2-2 record in games the Terrapins should've won that's so worrisome. It's easy to be ready to go against a top-10 team on Homecoming (ie, Clemson), but it's the games like this that show you how much command a coach has of his team. And it would appear the answer here is "not much."
Again, that 2-2 record and the 2-6 overall record are the only pieces of hard, objective evidence this early on, and it's far from permanently damning. But the subjective issues go much deeper. There are the swirling rumors - which, by the way, are more than just rumors - that he's lost control of the locker room, a shockingly quick downward spiral. Just as importantly, his refusal to even temporarily alter his approach - even when it becomes clear that, at least in the short term, it's to the detriment of the team - reeks of the arrogant, my-way-or-the-highway approach that so many have come to associate with the man and abhor. That type of approach is likely to cause some problems even when he gets his own players in. Likewise, the public passing of the buck has rubbed many the wrong way, me included. It's one thing not to have the talent to compete with FSU and Clemson; it's another to say that to the media.
And I suppose that brings us to actually getting that talent to compete with FSU and Clemson, which Edsall hasn't done. It's clear he's a hard worker on the trail, which is an upgrade over Friedgen's lackadaisical approach and could eventually produce solid results in tandem with the teenage cool-ness of Under Armour. But he's also not a salesman, hasn't assembled a strong recruiting staff, and at least to this point hasn't had positive results. There's only one four-star commitment as it stands now (Mike Madaras), and the current crop isn't in Rivals' top 50 team rankings; for comparison, Maryland has never been outside the top 50 since Rivals started doing the rankings in 2002. They rank the current group as the second-worst in the ACC, ahead of only Wake Forest and behind even Duke.
Luckily, recruiting isn't close to done yet, so there's still time to land some big fish. And Maryland is still technically in the running with a few: Stefon Diggs, Noah Spence, Eddie Goldman, Cyrus Jones, and Ronald Darby are all ostensibly considering the Terps, and all are extremely highly-regarded prospects. But Maryland trails other, bigger programs in each of those races, and let's be honest: how many elites are going to sign up to play in College Park with the current direction of things? If they don't, Edsall's talent complaint won't go away, only this time he'll only be able to blame himself.
One of the reasons for his struggles in recruiting is his inability to put together a strong recruiting staff. The crazy thing, though, is that the staff doesn't appear to be good at much of anything. Edsall is a program CEO type, which means he heavily relies upon making good hires. His apparent failure there is yet another another cause for concern. Gary Crowton (sorry, Crwtn) was on his way out of LSU and has been head-scratch-inducing at best in College Park. Todd Bradford (er, To Brafor) was on his way out of Southern Miss, of all places, and has failed here. Lyndon Johnson's special teams have been among the worst units in the country. Andre Powell was fired by Clemson and hasn't made a serious impact in recruiting. Everyone on the staff past Lee Hull, Greg Gattuso, and Tom Brattan was either entirely unproven or had failed elsewhere. A three-of-nine record isn't too strong, especially when two of those three were retained from the previous staff as opposed to hired from the outside.
And all of that is without mention of the scariest thing in Maryland's program right now: fan support. Maryland has never been a football school, but things haven't been this bad in over a decade. Literally no one showed up for the Boston College game on Saturday, and even diehards have taken to counting the days until basketball season or calling for Edsall's resignation. Just about everyone has become apathetic about Terps football, and those who aren't apathetic are apoplectic.
Maryland made this move to reinvigorate fan support and sell tickets, which remember were at embarrassingly low levels. I'd be surprised if next year's ticket sales reached even 2009 or 2010 levels, and that's a decline that Maryland's athletic department can't literally and figuratively afford. (And it's yet another reason I think the Big Ten is still an attractive option. Notre Dame/Maryland for Big Ten 2012!)
The good news for Edsall is that he'll be around for several more years. So, the big-money question: how do we keep that from being bad news for Maryland's program and fans?
Getting full practice hours back and getting the team back to full strength will certainly make things easier in the near future. There are other fixes, too, starting with the coaching staff. Crowton is almost certain to stick around, but Bradford - who was an emergency hire anyway - and Johnson - who doesn't have a Crowtonian big contract - both can (and probably should) be on the chopping block come the off-season. Replacing them with proven coordinators and/or recruiters - the first names that pop to mind are Randy Shannon, Larry Johnson of 2006 recruiting haul fame, Mike Stoops, Darrell Wilson of Iowa, and maybe Ray Rychleski if he gets fired from the Colts - would go a long way to the stability of the program and getting the fanbase back behind the team.
All in all, the ship has probably sailed on any chance that Edsall is a great coach. Great coaches don't lose control of their locker room after eight games, or take a challenging-yet-promising bunch to 2-6. But I don't think it's sailed on him being a serviceable coach. Look at Mike Gundy's trajectory for an encouraging comparison: he took over at Oklahoma State from Les Miles after they averaged 8 wins a year the previous three seasons. He promptly kicked 11 players off the team and went on to finish his first season at 4-7. Of course, we know where the Cowboys are now.
I'm not saying that Edsall is necessarily Gundy. For sure, a vast, vast majority of coaches who fail their first year fail the rest of their tenure, too. But, should a few right hires be made, there's no reason the next three years need be the abject failure to which so many fans have already assigned them.
To finish up, keep one thing in mind: this isn't Randy Edsall's fault. Edsall is an imperfect coach with certain strengths, who'd be great to rebuild an out-of-control program or turn nothing into something as he did at UConn. He's a disciplinarian with a hard-ass streak, but he's a hard worker and (obviously) very demanding.
It isn't his fault he isn't what Maryland needed. UMD had a window, returning a large part of a 9-win team and possessing a big recruiting tool in Under Armour. It was swing-for-the-fences time, an opportunity to hire a Mike Leach or Gus Malzahn and go for broke. They needed to sell tickets, generate buzz, and capitalize on chance to turn a solid program into a great one. It's a set of tasks for which Edsall is uniquely ill-suited. Everything about him, from his strict rules to his tight control of injury news, excepting his haircut, is anti-buzz, and everyone knew it. It's just who he is.
He was offered a chance to double his salary and move up the career ladder, and he took it. He did what 99% of people in a similar situation would've done. It isn't his fault Kevin Anderson has appeared to pick the wrong tool for the wrong job.
Just because he wasn't the perfect hire, though, doesn't mean he can't find success and keep the ship afloat. Remember that his biggest asset when he was hired was that he had "a high floor", meaning there was a small chance of total failure. Given time, perhaps he avoids it. The jury there is still out, even if all of the fanbase's big dreams have dissipated with the early-season falters.
80 comments
|
3 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Ben
That in my mind is your best work to date. It is exactly how I feel for the most part.The isnt his fault he isnt what Maryland needed paragraph IMO is dead on. Great job, really good!!
by rvandegrift on Oct 31, 2011 4:11 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
+1,000,000
Awesome job, Ben. Very thoroughly thought out and written with absolute respect and professionalism. I didn’t like the hire from the beginning. I know I’ve said this before and I’m beating a dead horse…but when a coach doesn’t fly back with his team (and it still was his team) after a BCS bowl game, and then tells his players (the ones whose houses he sat in and made promises to) OVER THE PHONE that he wasn’t coming back, you can’t help but think that’s shady.
That being said, I’m going to keep supporting him and Maryland football. Am I frustrated…sure…who isn’t? But real fans stay the course, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to switch teams or start a “Fire Edsall” website; it gets us nowhere. I never played college football; I’ve never coached college football, nor do I want to. These players and coaches are under so much pressure it’s unreal. I utilize my First Amendment right to Free Speech on gameday when I see something I like or don’t, but my blood bleeds for the ’Terps.
Thanks, Ben, for this website and this forum. I enjoy chatting with the people on here and reading their opinions as well. We are a passionate fan base.
by CarolinaTerp on Oct 31, 2011 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was concerned about the hire, too.
Considering the way that Edsall left Connecticut, I felt he would have to earn respect from the team and the fans here at Maryland. He has not succeeded.
by Tezcatlipoca on Oct 31, 2011 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Ironically
In the beginning, it seemed to me he was reaching out more than many expected. I believe losing, combined with some ill timed statements, has had a way of accelerating a change in perception.
In other words, it was ok for other coaches to come into their new programs a roll some heads. As long as the culture change was accepted by the players, and they eventually started winning. If we do not have that turnaround by year 3, all of the posturing and changing things up means less, even if the student athletes are doing better in the class room. It has to happen alongside winning to be truly accepted by a demanding fan base.
"A new era has dawned in Maryland Athletics..."
by bball purist on Nov 1, 2011 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
So we've spent the money for Bball assistants.
Now we need to get some better DC and OC’s. Bradford was just a terrible hire, Crowtens offense could work i guess but it really doesnt suit our strengths at all so he’s useless. Spend the extra money to get a real coaching staff, watch them turn things around then the increased attendance will make all that money back. I say keep Edsall and get rid of the Coordinators
Crowton's contract is huge
Don’t recall the number off the top of my head, but they gave him as much as LSU did. Also went after Shannon and that was big-money.
Fans
I don’t think anyone is seriously saying he should be fire yet. We would be the laughing stock of the college football world if we did that eight games in. Not to mention, try finding a replacement when you set that precedent.
I think most see exactly what you wrote—we are stuck with him for three years at a minimum and it looks like it might feel like ten.
Great article
A good read, very insightful. Thanks for doing this, Ben.
I disagree, though, that he should be written off as potentially being a great coach. Is he a hard-ass? Sure. But we have little idea what’s going on inside that locker room. I think with the right guys, he could turn this thing around in a few years, and we’ll forget we even had this silly conversation about getting rid of him ASAP.
Of course, I’ve been bullish on the Orioles for at least a decade …
The reason I said that is because I initially thought what you thought
And then I looked for any precedent for it. Gundy is literally the only case of a “great” coach who started out similarly. Everyone else who’s started this way has ended up failing.
Great and insightful read
"I wear tinted visor not to trick other players, but so hot girls in stands don't see me looking at them" - Alex Ovechkin
KA & Edsall cut from the same cloth
The biggest problem here is KA is in the tank for Esdall. Being a guy with a militaristic background (former AD at Army) stressing discipline, it’s easy to see why KA was drawn to Edsall. Edsall is his type of guy in both personality and the way he runs a program.
The fact that Esdall’s militaristic, wear-your-hat-forward type of discipline is out of date and no longer effective is not as important as his relationship with KA. The two of them are very much attached at the hip and I can see KA keeping him around despite losing season after losing season, stressing the importance of doing things the right way and running a squeaky clean program.
If KA thinks things were bad at the end of the Fridge era, imagine what Byrd will look like after 3 consecutive <4 win seasons…yikes.
Good piece
I put more blame on Edsall than you do for many reasons
-Bradford may have been an emergency, but Crowton was a terrible idea and a very, very expensive one that cripples the program - just like Edsall was.
—I give him ZERO credit for “hard work” in recruiting. Recruiting is a results-based game. The results are poor. I’d say that Edsall’s very profile (strict, no swag, no individuality, no names on unis etc) is a recruiting negative. Anyone who cites the team’s youth and inexperience is missing the point that each passing year will bring us a less talented roster, because we aren’t recruiting worth a shi…. worth a darn.
—The Fire Edsall notion is NOT silly. The program is being driven off a cliff. Fire Edsall. Start the rebuilding process now, not in 5 years. If we don’t, we’re on our way to becoming UConn/Wake, which means we’ll have 3 bad years in a row, then go 7-5 and people will act like it’s a good season. Fire Edsall is a logical, rational, results based opinion. Denying it for financial reasons is silly.
—He’s had more than 2 bad games. Against WV, GT and Clemson Maryland may have lost respectably, but they also played poorly and made poor decisions and those things led to the game getting away. That’s coaching, not talent. Not being able to cover kickoffs is coaching. Horrible play calling is coaching. Coming out of the gate against WV not ready to play, that’s coaching. FSU was a talent-based loss, not a coaching-based loss. The rest of them are on Edsall.
-Back to recruiting. Are we putting a fence up around Maryland? That’s a laughable question. We’ve alienated DeMatha - and another recruit, forgot his name, You talk about those 5-star guys. I’m here to tell you that not one of them is coming to Maryland. Spence has moved on and will go to Penn State or LSU. Diggs is going to Auburn or Florida and he’s tripping to Cal and USC also. Goldman is Alabama or FSU. Cyrus Jones is Alabama. Darby, I don’t know about him but he’s still a ND verbal. The best recruit on our radar is D.J. Reader, a 3-star, but we were once his runaway leader and now he’s got us tied with UNC and Clemson. Many of these kids had serious interest in Maryland that has waned now, specifically because of Edsall and the direction of the program. All the best players in Baltimore are going to WVU or elsewhere. We have 3 verbals out of the Rivals Top-25 2012s in Maryland. Inexcusible. He’s not a top-50 recruiter. Never was, never will be. So if you think the future is going to get brighter, it’s not going to be based on raw talent.
by FlaTerp on Oct 31, 2011 4:33 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
not sure ...
…what those strike-thrus are about.
ben ...
…could you fix that? SBN let’s you edit a fanpost, but not a fanpost reply, or at least not that I can see.
Thanks
Agreed re: Crowton.
I was pretty pessimistic on his recruiting. He is a hard worker and he’s been very visible, and I thought that in a fair piece that’s worth mentioning. I was still very clear about him not having any results and agree w/ you on that respect. You go back to this point in your last bullet, and again, I agree. It’s highly unlikely that Maryland ends up with a top-50 class. The only thing I’d say is that with recruiting nothing is ever certain – things can get better or worse very quickly, and often unexpectedly.
As for “Fire Edsall” not being silly: sorry, but can’t help but disagree. The biggest reason is that it’s literally impossible to do financially.
I don’t think the team played fantastically against WV, GT, and Clemson, but they played well enough to win against teams that were more talented across the board. Were coaching mistakes made? Of course. But if you’re results-based, those aren’t terrible results.
$$$$
“As for "Fire Edsall" not being silly: sorry, but can’t help but disagree. The biggest reason is that it’s literally impossible to do financially.”
Isn’t that how RF survived his 2-10 season? We just couldn’t afford to fire him. And that was just two years.
The only way I could see it is if there is a buyout clause for something less than the full amount. Do we know that there isn’t?
Patrick Stevens tweeted something to the effect that there is not
He says he has a copy of the contract and there’s no buyout clause.
And yeah, that’s how Ralph got through 2009. The only reason we could buy him out last year is because JF left for Vandy, giving us $1mil we didn’t expect to have, and we went to the Military Bowl instead of somewhere far away, which was another $1mil as opposed to breaking even like most bowl games. We couldn’t have come up with it without those two things happening.
So fire Edsall ...
…and hire a no-name, low-priced young guy out of the FCS or D2 or off of the staff of a BCS school who would be thrilled to get the opportunity. We’ll be a stepping stone program for a few years. I’d love that. Let some Urban Meyer’s come through on their way up the ranks. He was at Bowling Green before Utah. Probably wasn’t making crap.
We shouldn’t say it can’t be done. It can. It just won’t.
then ...
In 5 years when we’re done paying off Edsall we can give one of those young coaches we nursed a real contract and return to trying to be an end-destination again. I will not settle for UConn. Somehow at UConn there was this idea that 5-loss seasons were somehow a huge sucess, I guess because the conference was so bad. UConn had bad conference, bad schedule, bad facilities, bad market, mediocre teams. I think that’s what the future holds for us. Edsall will spend the next 3 years destroying the program that Maryland used to be (moderately talented, tough) and re-shaping it into a UConn/Wake program (poor talent, can go 7-5 or 8-4 when you cycle around to a strong class of 5th-year seniors but in the other years you’re a punching bag). The bar is being lowered.
Wow that is negative
Not saying you’re necessarily wrong, but I think it’s too early to make those sort of statements.
And I doubt we’d have the money to give $10mil to RE and still be able to pull off another $750,000 for Ambrose, which would be the minimum, not to mention all the assistants. And if you want to talk about lacking buzz … hiring Towson’s coach would not be a “win the presser” hire.
you said ambrose ...
I just said a young, hungry coach. I think the press would understand and the student body and fan base would rally behind it vigorously.
Look, I’m not saying this is going to happen. Anderson, if I’ve learned anything from his press conferences, is like Edsall — headstrong, set in his ways that may have worked to some degree somewhere else, unswayable, uninterested in public opinion.
What I’m saying (and have been saying since the Temple game) is that the Fire Edsall campaign is legitimate, not crazy, and even if it’s not based on realistic consequences (yet — maybe after next year), that doesn’t mean that the message shouldn’t be out there for these people to hear. Edsall and Anderson need to feel the fire under their a$$es. You want to be stubborn, headstrong and unyielding while your results are suffering? You should at least hear the noise.
I’m a proud Maryland alumni and a huge Terrapin fan through thick and thin until the day I die. I believe the new AD and football coach is steering our beloved Terps into the rocks, and I’m not alone in that opinion. So let us be heard. Fire Edsall.
Win some games, show some competence and accountability, bring some talent in. That’s how you make it go away.
Student body would love anyone who brings energy and wins into the program. At the pep rally Edsall was the most boring coach to speak, basically saying “yeah, we need you all to come to the games.” I’d love for them to pick up anyone who can actually coach, looks like they actually care about the program, want to be there and have fun with it.
James Franklin
Sounds like you want a James Franklin type. I was always a big Franklin fan and would have preferred him to Edsall. His playcalling was sometimes questionable, but a HC does not call plays so that wouldn’t matter. He has tremendous energy and is great at recruiting (Vandy has a Top 25 class lined up). I think we will regret letting him get away.
Well, you actually said "a no-name, low-priced young guy out of the FCS or D2"
And the best option there is probably Ambrose. He’s from Middletown, went to Towson, is a local coach, he’s young and energetic, and Towson’s in the middle of an awesome season.
And I never called it crazy or illegitimate, just a little silly. I’ve no problem w/ fans being heard (obvs).
But I still have no idea where the $10mil is coming from.
With tickets going for a penny apiece
even scalpers will be hard pressed to show up for games! We are heading into a decade of football irrelevance. Hopefully, Turgeon can resurrect the baskeball program back into the top 20 so to lessen the pain.
nobody likes losing but the biggest thing that turns people off is his personality. for long time not taking any responsibility for how the team was playing…and throwing players, ralph and others under the bus. anyone can see we have had lousy performances from wide receivers, defense, special teams. some of that is coaching and some of that is lack of talent which isn’t his fault…..and people understand about injuries..at least they should. it’s the way he comes across through the media. he turns people off. combine that with losing and you have a fan base that really dislikes the guy. but as you stated he has a 6 yr deal so he’s the coach and deserves a chance to se what he can do…just like turgeon or any other coach brought in. like him..don’t like him… but support the program support the team. win or lose i love maryland. it’s like being an orioles fan. you remember when things were good and you hate the losing and some of the personalities are tough to deal with but it’s my team.
Great post. Edsall is a buffoon. He is incredibly tactless for a guy coaching D1 FB. He needs remedial media training 101. I remember his quote about forbidding hats in the teamhouse. His reason was “his parents raised him right.” I knew then that he shouldn’t be allowed to open his mouth. He basically said any parents that allow their kids to wear hats indoors are raising their kids inappropriately.
He preaches accountability but blames Fridge & the players for the season.
He seems totally unadaptable given the circumstances at MD.
He never attracted good talent to Ucon so I don’t see why we should expect him to get 4 & 5 star recruits at MD. What talented kid with options is going to want to adhere to his sanctimonious rules? How would Tom Coughlin fare as a college coach today? That is what we have in Edsall. He is Agent Van Alden from Boardwalk Empire.
by Draftnik PGH on Oct 31, 2011 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thats honestly my biggest gripe
his militaristic way of conducting the team is terrible. If I were a top player, why would I want to play for a team with all of these rules. If you want a military structure, why not play for Army or Navy or something? Also, kids that don’t want to wear hats and that will show up to practice on time every time aren’t going to be attracted to MD more, but those players who are a bit less ‘idealistic’ as Edsall wants will be deterred by MD for additional unnecessary reasons.
Cut the Shit Edsall, hire a new staff, and kiss the recruits ass. You’re not Gary Williams, you can’t get by in the league without brown-nosing
by kryptonianjorel on Oct 31, 2011 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Great Article
Ben – you are always able to describe exactly how I feel. Well done sir.
Something to add, let’s hope Turgeon is a great coach to keep the athletic department afloat for the next few years. If not, things could get ugly and fast.
by TerpFan2001 on Oct 31, 2011 5:08 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I agree with everyone that this is a great article.
It articulates pretty much everything that can be said into one place, it’s great. And while I agree with most and disagree with some, it’s always good to see other view points.
However the one thing I will mention is the fan support. It seems to be the same discussion that everyone was having just last year pertaining to us being relegated to the Military Bowl. Some people think that if enough people don’t show up in protest, the Athletic Department will get the idea and change things. But not showing up will have the exact opposite effect. Let the wins and losses determine Edsall’s fate, because ultimately that is all that will. But either way without money, the Athletic Department can’t buy him out if he does end up being terrible, or put money and support into the program. If you can’t afford tickets, I completely get it. But don’t not buy tickets in protest, because then you’re just part of the problem.
by FeartheTurtle2002 on Oct 31, 2011 5:13 PM EDT reply actions
Even if the athletic dept had 8 mil to fire Edsall...
I’d rather spend it all on basketball assitants/recruiting and suffer through 5 more years of bad football
But yeah, firing edsall is not happening, like it or not
temple was not a gimme
theyre a good team, so is toledo for that matter. but yes, BC is awful. saturday was a low point, no doubt.
also dont see why youd bring up leach again. that guy is still unemployed, fyi, and will stay that way for a while.
but otherwise i think you bring up great points. football programs dont turn on a dime. its a process. if you want to see how a results based program is run, look at snyder and the redskins.
asses edsall after 3 seasons. until then, its a snap judgement and not worth getting worked up about.
HELLO HELLO MR WILPON... BUY THAT MANSION. WE DONT NEED A CONDO.
Leach was an example of a big-name coach
I’d like for him to be here, but I totally understand why he isn’t. I’m not a Leach obsessive.
What I’ll never get is why we skipped on Malzahn so we could make a hire six days earlier.
by Ben Broman on Oct 31, 2011 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
There has to be a reason Leach remains unemployed. Maybe in this case, Anderson had good judgment.
by Runningcloud on Nov 1, 2011 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
suing your former employer,
in a real nasty lawsuit too, is usually a red flag.
HELLO HELLO MR WILPON... BUY THAT MANSION. WE DONT NEED A CONDO.
The ESPN lawsuit isn't helping, either
That’s the big reason. The other big reason is that he was allegedly a bit of an ass in the interview.
Great Article
Rational, thought provoking, informative. This is the kind of article I keep coming back to this site for. Thanks Ben.
Mike Leach was the answer
We had a chance to get excitement and people in the stands but totally blew it. Now we are can’t sell tickets for $5.00. Billy Bad Ass has come in and turned off all the surrounding high schools so recruiting will be a joke again. And not to mention he doesn’t have the respect of most of the players either. It may be a long dark period for Maryland football for awhile.
by frencha2 on Oct 31, 2011 6:07 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
exactly
Leach was the call. Malzahn would’ve been great. Edsall was the opposite of what we needed. We’ve completely shut down the fan base and the recruiting base in a matter of months. We’re freaking underdogs at home against Virginia on Saturday. Good times.
Edsall
Despite how this season has progressed (if you can call it a progression), I still really want to see Randy Edsall succeed. I’m not sure if it’s just because he’s the coach of our beloved Terps or because I had a good feeling about the direction of the football program under him.
Something that I’ve noticed, and I don’t know if anyone else has, that concerns me is how Edsall himself seems to have changed since the opener with Miami. The Randy Edsall I saw before the Miami game during the warm-up’s was a motivated, inspired coach who was walking to each and every player, shaking their hand, and making sure the player looked him in the eye while giving words of encouragment. Seeing that kind of inspiring behavior from a coach just added to the exciting atmosphere that night at Byrd. That was also something I never saw Ralph Friedgen do.
The Randy Edsall I saw during the Miami game was intense and very involved. In fact, during Joe Vellano’s touchdown run, did anyone else see Edsall sprinting towards the endzone with his hands raised in the “touchdown” sign? That was awesome!!
However, the Randy Edsall I see now just appears to be uninspired and separated from the rest of the players. In fact, the only thing I see him doing now is the trademarked “Edsall kneel”. All the guy appears to be doing is kneeling down and watching. Of course, have the Terps given him much to be excited about? No, not really. But it’d be nice to see him get really excited at the few good things that happen during the games.
I think I’m just as lost as the rest of the Terps fans. The Miami game gave me so much hope and quite frankly, that’s still one of the best times I’ve ever had at a Terps game. And I am a 2004 alumn so I was there during the early Friedgen football era.
Couldn't Agree More
I want to believe that this was a good hire. I watched his opening press conference and couldn’t have been happier. The face of the program changing from an overweight, out of breath Friedgen to a very fit, no nonsense guy in Randy Edsall. I went to Fan Day (along with about 300 other deadbeats that had nothing else to do on a Saturday morning) wanting to see how Edsall related to his players. During warm ups/stretching he was making small talk, joking around and high fiving players. To be honest, there were a few coaches, I’m not sure of names, that I wasn’t impressed with while I watched the team run through drills and situational stuff.
I’m willing to give Edsall a chance, although it bothers me greatly when I hear he has lost his team. A good coach can mire through an awful season with a positive attitude, at least trying to keep the troops in the fight. I agree with ANGERson that I just don’t see that on the sidelines. He seems totally disconnected from the game. I’d love to be a fly on the wall during his pregame, halftime and post game speeches just to see how much fight he has in him. Changes must be made and it needs to begin with a new defensive coordinator and recruiting. I simply cannot believe this is the same Terps team I watched at Byrd on opening night. I think we are simply looking at the “perfect storm” of events, considering the staff turnover, injuries, change in offensive scheme….and let’s not forget the loss of some very good players from last year. Just too much for a young team with a serious lack of depth (thanks Fridge) to overcome.
By the way, I saw a teaser on Terrapin Times regarding a recruiting breakthrough?? Anyone have any news on the football recruiting front?
Coaching Situation
In my opinion, I think it would not be smart to fire edsall after this season. But you guys have to remember he was the runner up for the notre dame job before Brian Kelly took it. For some reason Edsall has a high reputation among his peers and search committees. When they hired Edsall, I imagined the season would be slightly worst than last year, but it has been a catastrophe. I feel like we would be in a better situation had we hired Leach, Malzahn, or just about any other candidate.
The one thing Edsall has going for him is that he is the guy behind the new Maryland Pride theme which I think is important. I cant official write off Edsall, but this season has been worst than anything I could of imagine after last season success
Search Committees
are typically a bunch of non-football academic types that love Randy Edsall’s discipline approach. The key phrase there being “non-football”.
There was another coach noted for being a strict disciplinarian
named Lombardi. He was tough as hell to play for from everything I’ve read. But he cared about his players, and sincerely wanted them to succeed on and off the field.
Times have changed since Lombardi was around, but the disciplinarian style can still work as long as the players know you care about them. Is that what’s missing?
He blames the players for everything
How can he care about them? Man up and take the blame for the losses, and not the players Friedgen gave you.
by kryptonianjorel on Oct 31, 2011 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Good Work
Every bit of negative press, or jackhards screaming “fire Edsall” makes it that much harder to land recruits. Anyone who is a fan of this program and is already asking for Edsall’s head is plain dumb. Sorry, it’s true. I’m really looking forward to not getting recruits because of you all, then having to hear you all complain on top of it. Be smart and support every part of this program for at least three years. Then you can complain. I guess it’s too late for that, though. You guys are going to turn us into the redskins with this crap.
The article was good, I’m responding more to comments.
Great point
Blame the fans for the Terps’ and Redskins’ problems. Makes total sense.
“Be smart and support every part of this program for at least three years.” You see, the problem with that theory is that Edsall is bringing in terrible recruiting classes. So whether he can be a good coach or not, three years from now Maryland will have the talent of Duke or Wake or Kentucky or any other school that recruits poorly. When Maryland played FSU two weeks ago, you saw the difference between a roster full of 2 & 3 stars vs. a roster full of 4 & 5 stars. Your ceiling is not very high when you don’t have talent. UConn got very lucky to make the BCS because of silly, corrupt rules that award the big east an automatic bid. When they did, they played Oklahoma, and you got to see what Randy Edsall’s best team of poor recruits could do when they played an actual, talented, BCS team. Three years from now, after we’ve all smartly sat around and blindly supported everything the team did, that’s what we’re going to be — a collection of 2-star kids who play hard for Edsall because he was the only BCS conference coach to recruit them. And then we’ll maybe beat the BCs & Temples on our schedule instead of losing to them and go 6-6 instead of 4-8, but we’ll have no prayer against the big boys of the conference.
Our 2012 class is loaded with 200-pound linebackers, out-of-position players, and kids who jumped at Maryland because we were the only D-1 school to offer. Three years from now, those guys are going to be sophomores and juniors and they’ll be the guts of our team. We’ll add a couple other classes between now and then that are worse than everyone else in the ACC besides maybe Wake Forest or Duke. “Edsall’s guys.” It’s a big leap of faith to ask everyone to sit on their hands and accept it.
Boise State
You need to go look at the beloved STAR ratings for Boise State before you say a team full of 2 and 3 star rated athletes cannot compete against 4 and 5 star teams. It can happen on a regular basis as Boise State has shown. Whether Edsall is capable of making that happen is the question. But if he can do it, it will take take 2 or 3 years at least.
OK we are broke. But why?
Edsall is scary awful but Anderson scares me more. We had a under qualified president implanted by the board of regents hire an equally under qualified athletic director who is way over his head.
Literally. He is drowning in debt and I don’t think he can blame all of it on Debbie. He couldn’t buyout Fridge fast enough to throw millions at Edsall the second he hit campus. His experience at Army is useless here and I don’t trust his financial or sports related decisions.
Now we have a BS committee comprised of campus senators, Dominque Dawes, and the SGA president meeting to tell us how we should dig out of this hole. Really? Or are Loh and KA trying to insulate themselves from the blowback from cutting sports programs because they aren’t competent enough to do their jobs.
Thats the scary part for me. Football is a piece of a bigger problem that faces the whole athletic department. I think we are in a for a very bumpy ride with these two at the helm.
by Terpy Terperson on Oct 31, 2011 8:04 PM EDT reply actions
You can blame it all on Debbie
She spent all of our reserves paying for comcast, and left right before shit hit the fan.
Its not that comcast didn’t need to be paid for, but she never tried to build alternative revenue sources to pay the mortgage.
by kryptonianjorel on Oct 31, 2011 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Beautifully written
Seriously though, is it basketball season yet?
Edsall needs to focus on winning
That might seem obvious but I feel a bit like Edsall was so worried about ‘turning the team around’ academically and discipline-wise that he’s neglected the game-plans. He’s spent so much time making sure that the players are ‘good people’ that he forgot to prepare them to be good football players. I’m all for our coach making good students/people out of our players, but Randy needs to wake up and realize that he’s not gonna make a difference in any player’s life if he gets fired for losing. He needs to find a balance where he can discipline but not ostracize; motivate the team to play for him like they always did for Fridge, and regardless of what you think about Fridge, the Terps always went all out for him.
I also have no idea how influential Edsall is on the play-calling side but I think the game-plans on both sides of the ball have sucked. Definitely agree with the sentiment that our talent is not being used to its potential, and that is both the players’ fault for not showing up and the coaches’ fault for not putting them in a position shine.
Either way, it is too early to be judging Edsall so harshly. And though it’s painful to watch this team struggle like this, we can’t just throw the towel in as fans. I’ve generally found that those who follows TestudoTimes are probably the most die-hard and optimistic Terp fans out there, so it’s discouraging to see a few of you (us) crack. It doesn’t do the team any good for the fans to jump ship. The only thing we can do is keep rooting for the Terps, regardless of the names of the coaches or the names of the players.
Of course, if football is too depressing this season, you all know our men’s soccer team is awesome, right? Go root them on to another Natty!
I hate Edsall as much as the next guy.
But talk of doing anything about it is pointless. We are stuck with him. Period.
I’m more interested at this point in figuring out how the finances work with football not bringing in money. And how do we turn things around when it comes time to let Edsall fly a UCONN flag?
Fear the Turgle!
Just because we can't do anything
doesn’t mean we should stop talking about it. If we stop talking about everything we had no influence over, we wouldn’t have TestudoTimes…
by kryptonianjorel on Oct 31, 2011 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Another great article Ben
Needs to be taped to the door to KA’s office tomorrow morning.
As to the entire situation, I vote for giving Edsall two more years. Fire Brafor and Johnson at the end of this season and put in a couple of hungry young coaches with some FCS experience to keep expenses down. Keep Crwtn on the staff (as he’s too expensive to simply let go), but make him the receivers coach and hire another young FCS coach to take over as O coordinator, AND HIRE ONE THAT RUNS THE PRO SET to get Danny back on track next season.
But those are just coaching changes.. There are tons of other changes that need to happen next season:
1) Put Kenny Tate back in the defensive back-field. Let him blitz once in a while.
2) Pickett, #1 RB. CJ back at #2, and every time we’re in the red zone.
3) Find a HS soccer player who can finally kick a ball more consistently than 40 yards on the kick-off and give him a damn scholly! Ferrara: great at field goals, inconsistent at punting, TERRIBLE on kick offs.
4) Don’t recruit a single D-linemen who weighs less than 290.
5) Hard press recruit any receiver with good hands that is currently playing HS football anywhere on the East Coast. One that can actually run a route would be a bennie…
6) Have Kevin Plank replace the field with turf and call it “Under Armor Field” (Saturday’s field condtion was a joke and an embarrassment). A shell pattern to match the “shellmet” either as the primary field background or in the end zones would be awesome!
And way to bring the “swag” back:
1) Names on the backs of the uniforms, dang it! 18 year star athletes like to talk about “team”, but they like to see their names on ESPN more.
2) A logo back on the helmet would be nice as well. Go for tradition and bring back the “M” from the 70s / early 80s.
3) Not every game needs to be “special uniform” time. Pick one “away” uniform and let it become part of the team’s national identity.
4) Let Under Armor’s advertising department create a team “theme” and play the heck out of it. Make sure it becomes synonymous with Maryland football, so every HS football player immediately recognizes it. I kind of envision a commercial where Kenny Tate glares into the camera and says: “We’re Maryland football. Gotta problem with that? Well, screw you! Fear the Turtle!”
5) Turn this disaster of a season into an Under Armor commercial that focuses on a program that is down and fighting the world to get back on top again. Theme should be “us versus the world”.
I agree with a lot of things you are saying
Give Randy at least 2-3 more years. Everyone is so negative, Yeah, Randy has the military style of coaching, which usually is not a players type coach, like Ralph. Give him a couple years to bring in some of his mentality guys. Unfortunately, they are not going to be 4&5 star guys.
Get over Leach. He is a total loser. He would have been like hiring Bruce Pearl for BBall. He’s a legend in his own mind. And a walking NCAA violation.
The trend in college FB for the past 10 years is to bring in flashy kids and pay them a bunch of under the table rewards. See where that got Miami and Ohio St?
I think the military style Lombardi coaching style (Coughlin) is coming back. Joe Pa had it and still does.
The athletic dept. cannot afford to change coaches for the next few years, and I don’t think they will have to. Patience is a virtue when talking about college athletics.
by Snappin Terp on Oct 31, 2011 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Home Run
Snapping Terp- Excellent post, you just crushed it. I’m behind the man for the next three years and I expect a great improvement in the program and a new defensive coordinator.
Ben – love the postings and information you deliver it is a daily ritual for me to check.
We all want results now but it’s going to take some time much like the BBall program. I fully expect Edsall to do good things and the names on the back of the jerseys, the logo on the helmet and his haircut will no longer be the issue. I fully expect half on this post to continue gripping even (if) after Edsall is successful. I expect that we will have talented players that want to play here from all over the metro area with the UA influence and the state branding. He is instilling discipline in the program which is something that I am all for but is not without growing pains. His commitment to the name on the front makes sense but it is a cultural swing from what has been the norm given the previous coaching style.
Finally, discipline seems to be a nasty word to many on the board but it will actually be of benefit to the player, the student and the future success of the individual. Many a parent (which has a great deal of influence over the student athlete) will take a liking to the Edsall style and I am hopeful that it will bring in talent that will make this program a success.
by LowcountryTerp1 on Nov 1, 2011 8:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Hope you're correct . . . . .
. . . . . about all those talented metro-area players flocking to Maryland because they and/or their parents crave discipline. But they aren’t exactly lining up for the nameless UA duds. And it should be no secret to anyone that Edsall runs a tight ship. Maybe all those talented players are holding back to make certain Edsall isn’t kidding about discipline.
by Runningcloud on Nov 1, 2011 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
would be great to see most if not all of bulletterps recommendations put in play. with a stubborn, hard headed dutchman from york county pennsylvania in charge none of it will happen. talked to grandmother of one RE former players at uconn and she said “thanks”. i guess she meant for stealing randy away.
i still think we cant really have this talk for another year or two
regardless of the feasibilty of firing edsall, he hasnt had time to do anything. sure we all agree with his methods right now, alot of games havent gone our way, to say the least, and our hopes for a sudden pick up and strong season have been dashed. this season/team has a ton of question marks and most of them are not edsall’s fault. the next couple seasons will reveal how effective edsall can be here at maryland and they have the chance to rebound and be great or we could get worse. either way we wont know how good of a fit edsall is for maryland until then. all we know right now is that he was not a great fit for the team fridge left us with last year and that alot of things have not gone our way.
Lets gooo Maryland
thanks ben
I thought for awhile I was the only one crazy enough to face the music, and know the reality is ‘this is the coach, and this is the way its going to be’. ‘Silly’ may be a negative phrase, but ‘a waste of time and energy’ is another – both possibly relevant, like it or not! Get on board, or don’t, your choice – but don’t expect a pleasant trip back to the top if we are all going to scream and yell the entire time. Can’t we just sit back and ‘enjoy the foliage’, even if we all know it means the onset of winter? Spring will come some day – in the mean time, get the Apple cider warm and wax the blades – we gotta get off the recruiting ‘bunny slope’ and start mastering a few black diamonds! Have faith, and remember, good will always helps.
by Terp2B on Nov 1, 2011 1:27 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Good article and some good feedback but lets touch on a couple points discussed here:
- Forget about Mike Leach; Crowton’s offense is almost identical and Texas Tech’s idea of defense was bascially “last team with the ball wins”.
- Recruiting the local area if you folks don’t stop all the negative we could have the best recruiter in the world and it might not matter.
- The “4-5” BS; Except for the 5’s and very top 4’s (i.e. Madaras as an example) many 2-3 are as good as the 4’s. As another example here in GA 2 of our commitments are not even rated but both are players and the WR is the number 2 receiver on a top 5A team and a sprint track star. The other non-rated kid has ideal CB skill sets. The other player down here Brigham (OL) is a top member of one of the top 4A teams in the state.
- Bottom line, as Ben noted here the potential for a very good team next year is there, if we can keep most of this team in tack, don’t have a rash of bad injuries like this year and can add a few very good recruits (i.e. Diggs, Darby, Goldman and Spence) would be great. Any of these kids would have an opporunity to play early.
Commitment
We, the alums and fans, need to see a major statement and actions from the administration about football. Either make a major commitment or not; but quite screwing with us. IF you do not want or believe in a big time program then just say so and we will take our money elsewhere. IF you do, then take the necessary steps to ensure that MD is a top program. Commitment funds to hire top DC and OC; not rejects from other programs. Make a commitment on recruiting and in facilities; Byrd is an embarassment and a total cluster of a design. MD prides itself on being a quality academic institution; which it is. But there is a total disconnect with the administration, faculty, and regents about the value of a top football program. Hell – Standord gets it! But MD cannot? Insane.
Maryland would never be able to justify the expense, because of a lack of fans...
… but I’ve always felt like extending the upper deck all the way around to Tyser Tower would give that end of the stadium more of the imposing feel that top-notch stadium environments like Penn State and Ohio State have.
by Tezcatlipoca on Nov 1, 2011 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Thanks, Ben
Your posting was excellent and said what needed to be said. It set off an excellent discussion. The reality is, we are very likely to have Edsall as coach for at least three years, unless some AD at a bigger football school decides he/she can’t live without his brand of discipline.
We must support RE when he deserves it. Maybe he will down the road, but so far he deserves much of the criticism he’s received. Criticizing the coach doesn’t mean fans don’t support the players. You can oppose a war or a general and still support the troops. If Terp players read this forum, they know that the fans posting here support them as a group. I’ve often wondered, though, whether Anderson, Edsall and the other honchos ever read what the fans are saying.
Would be be talking about firing Edsall
had we upset WVU and GT? Two wins against Top 25 teams would have tempered much of the negative rhetoric, even with losses to Temple and BC. And we were only a play or two away from winning those games.
We were also a play or two away from losing
to Miami and Towson. Your point? You can’t judge a team on “almost winning”.
Edsall really taking a beating in the Wapo
Even with their anti-UMD bias, this seems rougher than usual:
Kevin Anderson
Makes Debbie Yow look good !!! If thats even possible. After the Miami game a poll was posted about the new coach. At least 75% were all onboard. I was with the 25%. Edsall never should have been hired !! UCONN FOOTBALL ?? They were great in the Fiesta Bowl last year. Then doesn’t even talk to his team after the game ?? Jumps a jet to College Park.
So he’s takin the names off the jerseys, ( the name on the front means more than the one on the back) has already been said 1,000 times. The hat, do -rag, thing in the team house might be o.k., but wonder why the bigger,stronger,faster athletes don’t come to CP.
Edsall has already set the program back at least 4 years. THANX KA
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
