409 replies to this topic

[BSLZackKiesel]

You all know how I feel about the subject. Here's what I'll add:

 

I was looking at Brady Hoke yesterday evening, thinking about how much praise and love he got in his first few seasons at Michigan. They were unbeatable at home, Denard Robinson was a freaking star, and Brady Hoke was all smiles. But over the years, his teams got worse, especially offensively. They lost their edge, and now people are calling for his job. He did great with Rich Rodriguez's recruits, but his own have proven to be lackluster performance-wise.

 

Completely different from Randy Edsall. His tenure here in College Park started off rocky even before he was hired. Ralph's departure was handled poorly by everyone, and Randy started off with an incredibly skeptical (and even angry) fanbase. He wasn't the best public speaker, he rubbed people the wrong way, and drove a good numbers of players away from the program. But he kept his head up and went about his business. He admitted how poor his 2011 season was, and went out and revamped his coaching staff. Mike Locksley paid immediate dividends, and the entire staff has improved on the recruiting front in every season. Brian Stewart is one of the most underrated coordinators in all of college football, and somehow agreed to a contract extension. Players and coaches constantly cite how much they love Randy, and how great he is in the locker room. They say that fans don't understand the Randy Edsall that they know. His players want to win for him, and it shows.

 

I know people haven't warmed up to Randy Edsall yet. I know people have some sort of contempt for the man. But he's built this program up to what it is today. He's not winning with someone else's guys. These are his guys. And it looks like he'll improve his win total each year. Sure, 2011 was bad. 2012 would have been a hell of a lot better if they hadn't had to start a LB at QB for the last 4 games of the year (remember, the team was 4-2 before Hills got hurt). They won 7 games in 2013 despite being without their best two players for half the season, and they've won 7 games this year in a brand new conference against brand new opponents.

 

That's why Randy deserves an extension. He's earned it. Steady improvement year after year, building a solid foundation for great things to come both on the field and on the recruiting trail. The players believe in him, the coaches believe in him, and the administration believes in him. And I think there are a few fans who believe in him.

[DJ MC]

But he's built this program up to what it is today.

 

He's rebuilt this program to what it was when they fired the last guy.

[BSLMikeLowe]

 
That's why Randy deserves an extension. He's earned it. Steady improvement year after year, building a solid foundation for great things to come both on the field and on the recruiting trail. The players believe in him, the coaches believe in him, and the administration believes in him. And I think there are a few fans who believe in him.

So you're fine with the team's embarrassing showings against ranked opponents? And not just this season, but pretty much every ranked team they've faced in Edsall's tenure? Ok, that's your opinion. In my opinion, MD can do better (they have before). And until Edsall proves it, he hasn't earned anything. I'm not saying fire him now....that won't happen. But I'm not committing another $10-15 million to him now either. You can talk about promise and potential until the cows come home, I want results.

[bnickle]

He's rebuilt this program to what it was when they fired the last guy.

Not even. Fridge beat his share of good teams. Edsall has beat none.

And winning over the fan base is a factor that has to be taken into account anyway. They fired Fridge because apathy was setting in. That needle hasn't moved one bit in the Edsall era and it won't.

[DJ MC]

I'm not saying fire him now....that won't happen.

 

I think this is a key part of the argument. It's no longer "Keep Edsall" vs. "Fire Edsall", it's "Extend Edsall" vs. "Let Things Play Out". That's a major shift, and it shows the different place the program is in today than a year ago. Yet the sides are still there, because the program simply isn't where it could be right now.

[BSLMikeLowe]

I think this is a key part of the argument. It's no longer "Keep Edsall" vs. "Fire Edsall", it's "Extend Edsall" vs. "Let Things Play Out". That's a major shift, and it shows the different place the program is in today than a year ago. Yet the sides are still there, because the program simply isn't where it could be right now.

Right. The whole reason you gave him a 6-year deal is so he'd have the security of knowing he has 5 years to achieve the goals you set for him. So let's allow that 5th year to play out and see what happens. I don't see any big harm in that.

Edit: And I couldn't care less that Edsall can be an ass at times. 90% of these coaches are that way, and considering what they have to put up with at times it's not that surprising. Strip away the lovable fat guy image and that he was an alum, and you'd know Ralph Friedgen was an ass occasionally. If you're a great guy that everyone loves, you might get one more bad year than another coach would before getting canned. But if you're an ass that wins big, they'll be throwing money at your feet to stay.

[bnickle]

There is no harm in it but Anderson is an idiot.

[glenn__davis]

I think one of the biggest issues here is that the local 2016 class is supposed to be very very good (following a pretty weak local class for 2015).  I think they need to have their house in order one way or the other.  With the conference switch, the indoor facility, etc., they need to hit on that 2016 class.

[Greg Pappas]

I think one of the biggest points being overlooked in the Edsall debate is the number of bone-headed, head-scratching decisions he's made as our Head Coach. He seems to be respected by his coaches and players, and is a good guy from all accounts, but he's not the most respected game manager in college football-- for a reason.

I'd be lying if I said that Edsall has been an utter failure thus far, because that's simply untrue. I think it's fair to say that he's a decent HC, but that's not -in my opinion- good enough. It comes down to this for me--- he's not that dynamic, strong game manager, recruit-magnet-type of coach that this program needs as we usher in a new era of Terps football. 

[You Play to Win the Game]

The reality of an 8 or 9 win season, regardless of if MD realists truly understand it's merit, is that it's a huge selling point for recruiting, especially given it was our first year in the Big Ten. Recruits aren't going to sit there and push back and go game by game and say, well, Michigan and Penn State sucked... and you got ran out of the building by Michigan State and Ohio State, etc. Let's see how this staff leverages this season on the recruiting trail. Not to mention the indoor facility, etc. These are 16-18 year old kids they're meeting out on the trail - there's a lot to sell right now.

[Mackus]

Just don't give him an extension that you can't get out of if we get to the point he needs to be fired.

[Greg Pappas]

Here's a question that best sums up how I look at things...

Do you want Randy Edsall being the guy leading us against the likes of Urban Meyer?
Not "Are you comfortable with..." or "Are you okay with..."

[BSLMikeLowe]

I think one of the biggest points being overlooked in the Edsall debate is the number of bone-headed, head-scratching decisions he's made as our Head Coach. 

 

Every coach has taken gambles that backfire on them, and then get second guessed. I'm sure there are people in Alabama who would still bring up attempting that potential game-winning FG against Auburn if they were face-to-face with Nick Saban.

 

But yeah, Edsall has had his fair share of WTF decisions, and maybe then some. Going for it on 4th-and-long on the opening drive at Wisconsin, and declining a penalty that would have moved Penn St out of FG range are two good examples of decisions that not only backfired, but made no tactical sense at all to me.

 

The one that still irks me is having CJ Brown throw the ball deep in their own territory just a minute or so before halftime against Ohio St after the Terps had cut the lead to 14 and forced the Buckeyes to punt for the first time all game....and would receive the ball to start the 2nd Half. I can even remember saying to myself before they lined up for the snap "don't turn the ball over here...just run out the clock" (I don't think OSU had enough TOs left to even force a punt). If you base it off the body-language of the players, it sure seemed that INT to set up an easy OSU touchdown ended any thought in their heads that they could win the game. In that situation, I think there was just way too much more likelihood that something would go bad than good to take such a risk.

[Oriole85]

Here's a question that best sums up how I look at things...

Do you want Randy Edsall being the guy leading us against the likes of Urban Meyer?
Not "Are you comfortable with..." or "Are you okay with..."

Who do you want that would realistically come to CP tomorrow?

[Mackus]

Haha.  "Earned an extension".  Hadn't noticed that before.

[Pedro Cerrano]

8-4 in the first year in the Big 10.  Finally winning with his recruits (after having a bad season with historically bad injuries and the former coach's recruits), about to go to two straight bowl games including a pretty reputable one this year.  Coaching a program that is historically mediocre.  And people can't run him out of town fast enough because he replaced a mediocre coach who was doing nothing to actually advance the program and because he made a few gaffs while speaking to the media when he first arrived.

 

Tough freakin' crowd.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Also, and I don't have anything to back this up other than my supposition, but isn't Randy already bringing in better recruits than Fridge ever did?  How many 5 stars did Fridge get in his tenure here?  Randy already has two under his belt (Diggs and Prince).

[BSLChrisStoner]

Also, and I don't have anything to back this up other than my supposition, but isn't Randy already bringing in better recruits than Fridge ever did?  How many 5 stars did Fridge get in his tenure here?  Randy already has two under his belt (Diggs and Prince).

 

No, he's not.  Classes have been similar overall. Though the classes under Edsall have been good, based on where the program has been. Would think with improving results on the field, and with the new facility... (and improving relationships with the local powers) that recruiting will only go up from here.

[DJ MC]

8-4 in the first year in the Big 10.  Finally winning with his recruits (after having a bad season with historically bad injuries and the former coach's recruits), about to go to two straight bowl games including a pretty reputable one this year.  Coaching a program that is historically mediocre.  And people can't run him out of town fast enough because he replaced a mediocre coach who was doing nothing to actually advance the program and because he made a few gaffs while speaking to the media when he first arrived.

 

Tough freakin' crowd.

 

7-4. Still has to beat Rutgers

[BSLMikeLowe]

We were promised "good to great." It took Edsall 4 years just to get the program back to where it was when he inherited it. He gets next season. If there's no greatness emanating from Byrd, I'm on the bandwagon driving him out of town.