409 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

The result today was bad enough that I think Edsall should have to win 3 of the remaining 4 to stay on next year. Not going to beat Michigan State, so talking about winning at Penn State, at Michigan, and beating Rutgers at home.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Today was a perfect illustration as to why the general attitude towards the program is one of apathy. Seems every time in recent years that they have a nationally broadcast game against a brand name opponent they not only lose, but they don't even look like they belong on the same field. They don't give anyone a good reason to take them seriously.

At the risk of rekindling the firestorm, I'm pretty much sold that this is all they will ever be under Edsall....get enough wins against lower and mid-tier teams to go to a bowl many years, but never competitive against upper echelon teams.

[BSLZackKiesel]

Like Chris mentioned in the game thread, the difference is in the trenches. I don't have much of a problem with the defensive line, they're very talented. Darius Kilgo, Andre Monroe, and Keith Bowers is a solid starting line. Losing Quinton Jefferson definitely hurt a lot. Roman Braglio has been really good.

 

But the offensive line has been pretty bad. Obviously you didn't expect Mike Madaras to up and leave the program, but you have to recover from that. You also expected to have Larry Mazyck, and that didn't happen. Derwin Gray enrolled early and was supposed to make an impact, but he got hurt in the spring and wasn't able to participate in camp until summer.

 

One thing I'll put on Edsall and his staff is the lack of offensive line depth/talent. It's taken them about 3 years to finally recruit some solid linemen (Prince, Gray). That's disappointing. Michael Dunn and Ryan Doyle are not Big Ten offensive tackles. The skill positions are on par with any Big Ten school, but the offensive line makes the entire offense fail. I think Greg Studrawa is a talented coach, but doesn't have much talent to work with.

 

However, the Terps are still expected to land Quarvez Boulware and are still very much in on Isaiah Prince. Those two guys along with Damian Prince and Derwin Gray would be a huge step in the right direction. Improve the lines, and you'll improve the entire team. I'm not ready to give up on Edsall. Not that I don't understand why others are, I just see things going in the right direction, and I'm not sure that would continue if you blow up the program by hiring someone new.

[BSLChrisStoner]

The D-line has talent, but not enough depth.  Sucks that Monroe, Kilgo, Bowers, Spencer will be gone. Lot to replace for a group with limited depth as is.

 

Boulware and Prince would be big additions to the O-line. No doubt there. I'm not quite as optimistic about getting either... but hopefully.

[BSLMikeLowe]

The result today was bad enough that I think Edsall should have to win 3 of the remaining 4 to stay on next year. Not going to beat Michigan State, so talking about winning at Penn State, at Michigan, and beating Rutgers at home.

Are you saying that's what he will have to do to be back, or what he should have to do? I think he'd have to lose all 4 remaining games to be fired now, but anything short of winning all 4 he should not get a new contract.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Are you saying that's what he will have to do to be back, or what he should have to do? I think he'd have to lose all 4 remaining games to be fired now, but anything short of winning all 4 he should not get a new contract.

 

What he should have to do imo.  Going to be hard for MD to make the decision to part ways.  Financial issues still exist... paying for him and staff, and paying for a new staff is hard to envision.

Odds definitely tilt in his favor for a return in '15.

[bnickle]

This is what happens when MD plays a quality program under Edsall. It's embarrassing. Hell, Wisconsin isn't even ranked, though they are likely still one of the best 25 teams in the country. Still, they're not an elite college football team this year and they just murdered us.


As I said before, the absolute worst case scenario is for Edsall to beat Penn St and or Mich. Two programs that you know will be better but are just having down years.


Edsall jumping on 3 good programs in Michigan, Iowa, and Penn St in a down year for wins is so bad for us. Once they get back to being consistent Top 30 teams they'll run a train on this goof.

[PD24]

I couldn't stand Edsall since the day he was hired...but an even bigger problem than Edsall himself is the fact that in year 4, he is still trotting out CJ Brown. CJ Brown is not a legitimate Big 10 caliber quarterback. He simply can't throw the football. Like, he really can't complete a regular pass that's not a screen play. He can't throw the football...you can't win with that. You can't win when a WR is running wide open down the sideline and your QB blows his load and throws it 15 feet too long or out of bounds. 

 

But yeah, this is what Edsall has always been in his career. That's why no one wanted him hired. He was the definition of mediocre when he was hired and he still is. He developed UCONN to a level to where they would beat teams worse than them and get about 3 conference wins a year and that would get them to a low level bowl or a middling one on good years. Or, in the worst year ever for a BCS conference, he got them to a BCS bowl against a real team and got trounced. Shame on the MD administration then for being fooled by the BCS appearance and shame on them now for being fooled by the "year to year improvements." Yeah, he tears down a 9 win team down to 2, and then improves each year and pats himself on the back.

 

He's beaten 1 Top 25 team in his career. This is just who he is. If MD wants to be a team that goes 6-5, 7-4, 6-6 every year by beating up on lesser teams, then hey, good for them...just don't expect to ever be relevant or ever even have a good season that takes you to the next level. You look at the Big 10 and OSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Nebraska have all played for the Big 10 title in recent years. That's 8 teams. MD will never be able to play for the title under Edsall..just won't happen.

 

Again, I can see some programs just accepting being average. Edsall is perfect for that. Personally, I'm not going to support a team that just wants to be average/respectable. MD has the resources to be well above average...and if the administration doesn't believe that, then they all should lose their jobs as well.

 

Kevin Anderson talked like he had big balls...could have easily had Mike Leach and Sean Miller leading their 2 major sports. Instead, we have a loser in Edsall and a guy in Turgeon who is 0/3 and very well could be 0/4 this year. How Anderson still has a job is beyond me. 

[PD24]

I mean Randy Esdall is now 88-89 in his head coaching career. How many college football coaches are under .500? I mean coaches under intense fire like Will Muschamp and Brady Hoke are well over .500 in their careers. How can you be under .500 when you play so many patsies and when he coached in arguably the 2 weakest BCS conferences up until this year? 

 

He's 56 years old. Has 1 win in his CAREER....this is his 15th year...and is under .500 in his career. Where in the world is the upside? Where's the logic and upside that says hey, you know what, this guy could lead us to 9-3 or 10-2 and a spot in the title game in 2016? He's never done it and he's had 15 years to do so. 

 

It's not like he's a young guy who hasn't yet had a chance to prove himself...he's just never ever been better than mediocre in his career. He has 3 bowl wins in 15 years. International Bowl, Papa Johns Bowl, and the Motor City Bowl. 

 

Props to him for making 25+ million dollars coaching and fooling people for 15 years. He's not a fraud because he can't employ himself...but somehow he's skating by without producing anything worthwhile. He'd be much better off at a loser school with no expectations where going 7-5, 6-6 is acceptable. I really hope MD isn't becoming one of those schools. 

[BSLMikeLowe]

I'm not so sure Sean Miller was in the bag if UM wanted him. We just don't know all the facts surrounding his meeting with Anderson. But yeah, Leach was definitely UM's if they wanted him, whether Anderson himself backed off or someone above his pay grade made him do it.

You could ask 10 different people what MD's realistic ceiling is for football and probably get 10 different answers, but I would think they'd mostly say better than what we've seen. You can point to the potential and the incremental improvement, and say starting over would be a step back, all you want....at some point the results you were hired to achieve must be reached, and I don't think its unreasonable to expect those results in the 4th season. But I'll withhold final judgement until this season is over.

[Mike in STL]

Watched college gameday this morning. How often does a coach from D-III make it to D-I? They highlighted the guy who coaches UW-Whitewater who is 100-6 with 5 D-III national titles. I mean, that tells you a lot about his coaching ability, right? Its not like UW-Whitewater can just go out and get the best players and trot them out there.

[bnickle]

Pete find the numbers I posted in a thread after the Oh St game. They're truely disgusting. He has something like a .300 winning percentage in conference games at MD and those teams that he has beat have a combined sub .300 winning %. There was some other disgusting numbers as well. If I remember when I get off my phone I'll link to the post.


Anyway, you're right that it ultimately falls on Anderson. How can you not be shitting your pants at who he would hire next when he already bungled both the football and basketball hirings the first time. Now, I still believe Turge was and will prove to be a solid hire but you can't deny Sean Miller was the Grand Slam hire.

[bnickle]

I'm not so sure Sean Miller was in the bag if UM wanted him. We just don't know all the facts surrounding his meeting with Anderson. But yeah, Leach was definitely UM's if they wanted him, whether Anderson himself backed off or someone above his pay grade made him do it.

You could ask 10 different people what MD's realistic ceiling is for football and probably get 10 different answers, but I would think they'd mostly say better than what we've seen. You can point to the potential and the incremental improvement, and say starting over would be a step back, all you want....at some point the results you were hired to achieve must be reached, and I don't think its unreasonable to expect those results in the 4th season. But I'll withhold final judgement until this season is over.

MD can be what they were throughout Fridges tenure here. There were a few very good years. Some mediocres and just one poor year.


The thing about the Fridge years was I knew MD would more often than not compete. Sure, they got blown out sometimes but it was almost always when they faced an elite team. When they faced these teams ranked say 20-40 it feels like they always competed and they certainly won their share. Fridge certainly didn't just beat up on the bottom tier Div 1 and 1-AA schools.


Edsall had 1, I repeat 1, win over a winning Div 1 school at MD coming into this year. That was at Virginia Tech last year who I believe finished 7-5.

[BaltBird 24]

Edsall had 1, I repeat 1, win over a winning Div 1 school at MD coming into this year. That was at Virginia Tech last year who I believe finished 7-5.

I can't stand Edsall, but didn't he beat Miami in his first game in College Park?

[Mike in STL]

I can't stand Edsall, but didn't he beat Miami in his first game in College Park?

I can't remember if that was his first game here, but I was at that game. Practically all of Miami's first string was suspended. At least the major players were, QB definitely.

[bnickle]

I can't stand Edsall, but didn't he beat Miami in his first game in College Park?

They were ranked at the time. They ended up being a bad team. Finished under .500.

That's like Indiana this year. When we played them they were 3-1. Now, they've lost every B10 conference game and look like a pretty bad team.


It does seem likely Iowa will finish above .500 this year. So that will be two for Edsall.

[BaltBird 24]

While I feel Maryland will never be an elite football team, there's no reason they can't sneak into the top 25 from time to time. They won't be able to do that under Randy Edsall.

As much as I dislike Edsall, there's no reason to expect Kevin Anderson to make a solid hire. They both should be shown the door.

[BSLMikeLowe]

I can't stand Edsall, but didn't he beat Miami in his first game in College Park?

Yep, it was his first game. It was also on Labor Day night, so they had a national TV audience practically to themselves. And they unveiled the first version MD Pride uniforms that night, which regardless of good or bad they were the talk of the sports world for a day or two. We can probably mark that date down as the high point of the Edsall era.

[BSLMikeLowe]

They were ranked at the time. They ended up being a bad team. Finished under .500.

I think Miami finished 6-6 that season, but they did not play in a bowl since they self-punished themselves because it was the season right after the Shapiro scandal came out....which is also why they had like 7 or 8 starters suspended for the MD game.

[BaltBird 24]

Yep, it was his first game. It was also on Labor Day night, so they had a national TV audience practically to themselves. And they unveiled the first version MD Pride uniforms that night, which regardless of good or bad they were the talk of the sports world for a day or two. We can probably mark that date down as the high point of the Edsall era.

Well at least we can say he started out with a bang, even if it quickly went and stayed as a dud.