There seems to be a lot of strange hostility toward Edsall flying around after this Brown deal and I can't understand why. Edsall applied for a vacant position at Maryland, got it, and has been calling it his "dream job" to anyone who will listen ever since. He didn't try to poach UConn recruits, he hasn't said an ill-word about his predecessor at Maryland or his prior employer at UConn, so in my view he has conducted himself with dignity throughout. So why do so many people respond to Don Brown quitting by saying "screw edsall"? I predict that Edsall will offer Dorleant, Bowers, Clark, Foreman etc their release if that's in fact what they want. That would be in line with the way Edsall has handled this entire process. If 2-star Alex Twine thinks he's been treated unfairly, it's Brown's fault, not Edsall's, and as far as I'm concerned Twine can back out and go to one of his other offers -- Towson, Rhode Island and Maine, or whoever it was. Same with Dorleant and Foreman and Bowers (who was the leader of a DeMatha-caliber team down here and who I really, really  like). These guys did not choose Maryland over FSU or Miami, they chose Maryland because we looked good relative to their other similar options. It's not like they did us all some massive favor by coming here. If they want out, let 'em go. I'd rather keep the kids we landed, but we'll find others if we need to. It's certainly not Edsall's fault. Edsall didn't recruit them, Brown did. Edsall honored their recruitment when he didn't have to, Brown reeled them in and then bailed on them.

I've already said this -- Brown was an average recruiter (better than most on UM's staff, but average none the less) who pulled in average recruits. The best thing about him was that he made inroads in Florida, but he still only came back with 3-star players, which you can get from any state. Our defense was awful in 2009 and then decent most of the time against a very soft schedule in 2010 (but still got roasted big time by Navy, WV and Clemson). It was not a great defense and his recruits were not great recruits. Ben, you are a fantastic blogger and I really enjoy reading your stuff every day so don't take this as a jab, but you called losing Brown a "dagger" and called him, I think, a fantastic coordinator and great recruiter. I disagree. He was a solid recruiter by Maryland's suspect standards, and he showed improvement as a DC in 2010 when compared to 2009, when his defense was straight pathetic. He wasn't great or fantastic at either of those roles. Locksley got on Cyrus's short list at NEW FREAKING MEXICO .... that's great recruiting. Virginia, those sorry-ass middle-of-nowhere never-won-anything snobs, took away half the best recruits from right out under our nose ... that's great recruiting. What Don Brown did was not great. It's laughable to call it that. Just like it's laughable for anyone to call Franklin a good recruiter when he got beat for every single meaningful local recruit he targeted in his last two years here.

Anyway, Don Brown's third-rate quitting episode is not about Edsall, it's about Don Brown. He should have left with Friedgen instead of suddenly quitting on his kids and colleagues three days after NSD.

Edsall is here, for better or worse. I wanted Leach or Malzahn much more, but the entire search committee liked Edsall and so I'm willing to give the man a fair chance. If anyone deserves to take fire here it's Kevin Anderson -- I won't waste two words defending him. But Edsall is my guy now and I got his back until he shows me a reason why I shouldn't. Time for the guys to get in the weight room and get ready for an ACC championshsip in 2011.