Okay, so maybe it isn't quite the event for us that it is for fans of some other teams, but it's still a fairly big deal. The ACC's 2011 Football Kickoff started earlier today in Pinehurst, NC (and yes, the name of that location does nothing to contradict the "North Carolina country club" reputation of the league's elite). Representing Maryland, in addition to head coach Randy Edsall, will be Danny O'Brien and Kenny Tate.
Luckily enough, the ACC will be airing most of the media segments online. Right now, commissioner (and sometimes-public enemy #1) John Swofford is talking, but unsurprisingly he said little of anything important.
Maryland's player interviews are starting in a matter of minutes, and will be aired on TheACC.com starting at 3:10 today. I'll have a post up after the interviews, which are generally pretty generic but still worth watching. Perhaps more interesting will be Randy Edsall's interview, which is tomorrow, also a 3:10. Maybe he'll address the red-button issue of player jersey names.
UPDATE: Maryland just finished up. My favorite quotes:
On the new policy of running stairs if you're late to a meeting: Danny O'Brien: "Oh, it does [give an incentive to not be late]. The punishment is unbelievable. It's 300 flight of stairs if you miss a meeting. Knock on wood, I haven't missed one yet, I don't plan to."
Kenny Tate: [dead blank stare] "Don't miss a meeting. ... Hopefully, knock on wood, I don't miss a meeting. I'm not trying to run 300 stairs. That just doesn't sound good." More past jump.
On the potential of the new offense. DOB: "Sky's the limit for us. We've got a lot talent at receiver that no one knows about. We have two great running backs that are proven, and we've got a great o-line. That's all you can ask for."
On breaking in new wide receivers. DOB: "I'm very excited. We have guys who have made big catches in big game. This is nothing new to them. Maybe they weren't #1 guys with the spotlight always on them, but they're used to the spotlight."
On the favorite thing about the new staff. KT: "The down-to-earthness, definitely. They're not always serious. We can talk about off-the-field issues, just have fun. ... We can talk about video games. They're very fashionable sometimes."
[ed's note: Yeah, when I look at Greg Gattuso I think, "Damn, that's one fashionable dude. I'd like to discuss Uncharted 2: Among Thieves with that guy."]
On his new position. KT: "Yeah, I don't see it as a change in position. I see it definitely as a different place on the field. I'm closer to the line and closer to everything. This type of position I'll play hybrid, I play LB, I play safety. I'm starting around the ball so I'm definitely a LB but I'm dropping into coverage, blitzing, doing safety things."
On expectations for the season. KT: "Hopefully an ACC Championship. I just have to say, though, we're gonna take it one game at a time, and hopefully when Miami comes we'll be 1-0."