Edsall: Terps Fans Should Be "True Fans"

[Flosman]

I was a real fan today, but the there was not a real coaching effort, IMO. That was a pathetic effort today.

[Pedro Cerrano]

guys chanting that were right in front of me. I wasn't joining in, but it was said fairly often.

The coaches made no adjustments at half time and as a result were shut out the final 30 minutes. They were still running the ball, and had cj brown at qb, in the 4th quarter. O'brien wasn't on his game, but he's still the best chance they have to win in those circumstnaces. The coaches don't seem to realize that.

zomg it's all the coaches' fault!!!!!

[BaltimoreTerp]

The good news is, according to Edsall this team is essentially transitioning from 1-AA to 1-A, so...

[Birds of B'more]

The good news is, according to Edsall this team is essentially transitioning from 1-AA to 1-A, so...

Oh goodie. Does that mean the Big East might consider us as an expansion candidate? I mean, I know we're no UCF in terms of competitiveness, but at least we have a bigger TV market.

[Flosman]

I was a real fan again but again there was not a real coaching effort.

Seriously the NBC (ND homers) were hard to take today constantly talking about Edsell needing time to get things on track, he did not take over the Little Sisters of the poor. Then they were praising Edsell's 33-19 record at the end of his time at UConn, I want more than a 8-5 record every year.

[Birds of B'more]

I was a real fan again but again there was not a real coaching effort.

Seriously the NBC (ND homers) were hard to take today constantly talking about Edsell needing time to get things on track, he did not take over the Little Sisters of the poor. Then they were praising Edsell's 33-19 record at the end of his time at UConn, I want more than a 8-5 record every year.

I would welcome an 8-5 record at this point.

[SteveA]

Looking at this as an outsider:

1) Anderson, with a background at Army and a reputation for stressing academics, was brought in for a reason. Both the basketball team and football team had poor graduation stats or APRs or whatever they are called under Williams and Fridgen. Anderson was brought in by the administration to change that.

2) It's pretty obvious that even though the team had a winning record last year, Edsall was hired to "rebuild". To tear down what was there, to bring in as many of his own players as quickly as possible, and to get rid of Fridgen's guys as quickly as possible. We have seen the drill seargant type rules designed to make less disciplined players want to quit/transfer/or just break the rules. We have seen the constant promotion of freshmen into starting roles over veteran players.

Basically, I have no doubt that Edsall is doing what Anderson wanted. They are getting rid of Gary's players and guys who were with the program when it had academic and disciplinary problems as quickly as possible, and phasing in guys who either were recruited by Edsall or who have known no other head coach but Edsall, as quickly as possible.

They are deliberately taking a hit record-wise this year, whether they admit it or not. There will be benefits down the line when some of these freshman forced into starting roles are not only bigger and stronger as juniors and seniors but extremely experienced.

But for all the fan dissatisfaction, I think waht is happening is completely by design. I think the administration (new president too, right?) wanted to improve the academic image of the sports teams and hired an AD who would do that, and he hired a football coach who would do that. And they are willing to take a bad record hit in the first season to make that happen.

Say they hadn't chased away or benched all the veterans they have? They mi ght be 5-7 this year. Then next year, if they went 5-7, it would seem like treading water. Now they go 2-10 this year, and 5-7 next year is seen as improvement. And the next year, with a lot of juniors and seniors who have been starting for THREE YEARS, they have a winning record and make a bowl. And maybe they woudln't have done that if they didn't take the hit this year. I think that's the plan... take a deliberate hit this year to rid the team of as many Fridge holdovers as possible, to accelerate the process of making it "Edsall's team".

Now will "Edsall's team" wind up being a winner in the long run? I have my doubts. His laundry list of rules (no earrings, no names on uniforms, etc) might turn off potential recruits. He might find that competing in the ACC, in Maryland, where you are fighting of VT & UVa & Penn State even for the best recruits in-state, might be a lot tougher than competing inthe Big East and having a recruiting territory that isn't impinged on by many powerful teams.

I do think Anderson made a good hire in Turgeon, though.

[JohnD]

The graduation rate among athletes is higher than the general student population. I think that's the same for GPAs, too. That covers all athletes though, and not just the revenue sports.

If tearing down the team, going 2-10, and pissing off the fanbase by being unlikeable and seemingly disdainful of the fans is part of the plan, they timed that horribly bad. Athletic revenue is already way down, they're on track to be almost 5mil in the red and are cutting teams, and so it's a bad time to tick everyone off so that season ticket renewals seem ready to plummet next year. That won't raise you more money. Disastrous season.

[SteveA]

The graduation rate among athletes is higher than the general student population. I think that's the same for GPAs, too. That covers all athletes though, and not just the revenue sports.

If tearing down the team, going 2-10, and pissing off the fanbase by being unlikeable and seemingly disdainful of the fans is part of the plan, they timed that horribly bad. Athletic revenue is already way down, they're on track to be almost 5mil in the red and are cutting teams, and so it's a bad time to tick everyone off so that season ticket renewals seem ready to plummet next year. That won't raise you more money. Disastrous season.

Wasn't the football team one of the few in 1-A that was docked scholarships due to academic performance?

I agree on all aspects of Edsall's personality, and like I said, I don't expect him to be successful either... that type of personality is more suited to turning some small school bunch of underachievers into giant killers than it is to building a real program in a real conference.

But I am pretty sure that the new president saw a football team that had some disciplinary issues, some scholarships docked due to poor APR, some limitations on practice for some minor recruiting violations, and a men's basketball team that had a 0% grad rate for several few years before they finally graduated someone -- and decided a change in emphasis was needed. T hat was why he brought in Anderson with his background, and that is why Anderson brought in Edsall. Maybe they didn't quite realize what a jerk he was.

And now they are going to be stuck with him for a while. No way will they fire a coach or AD and pay off a longterm contract while facing the deficits the program is facing and the elimination of varsity sports that appears to be taking place.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Looking at this as an outsider:

1) Anderson, with a background at Army and a reputation for stressing academics, was brought in for a reason. Both the basketball team and football team had poor graduation stats or APRs or whatever they are called under Williams and Fridgen. Anderson was brought in by the administration to change that.

2) It's pretty obvious that even though the team had a winning record last year, Edsall was hired to "rebuild". To tear down what was there, to bring in as many of his own players as quickly as possible, and to get rid of Fridgen's guys as quickly as possible. We have seen the drill seargant type rules designed to make less disciplined players want to quit/transfer/or just break the rules. We have seen the constant promotion of freshmen into starting roles over veteran players.

Basically, I have no doubt that Edsall is doing what Anderson wanted. They are getting rid of Gary's players and guys who were with the program when it had academic and disciplinary problems as quickly as possible, and phasing in guys who either were recruited by Edsall or who have known no other head coach but Edsall, as quickly as possible.

They are deliberately taking a hit record-wise this year, whether they admit it or not. There will be benefits down the line when some of these freshman forced into starting roles are not only bigger and stronger as juniors and seniors but extremely experienced.

But for all the fan dissatisfaction, I think waht is happening is completely by design. I think the administration (new president too, right?) wanted to improve the academic image of the sports teams and hired an AD who would do that, and he hired a football coach who would do that. And they are willing to take a bad record hit in the first season to make that happen.

Say they hadn't chased away or benched all the veterans they have? They mi ght be 5-7 this year. Then next year, if they went 5-7, it would seem like treading water. Now they go 2-10 this year, and 5-7 next year is seen as improvement. And the next year, with a lot of juniors and seniors who have been starting for THREE YEARS, they have a winning record and make a bowl. And maybe they woudln't have done that if they didn't take the hit this year. I think that's the plan... take a deliberate hit this year to rid the team of as many Fridge holdovers as possible, to accelerate the process of making it "Edsall's team".

Now will "Edsall's team" wind up being a winner in the long run? I have my doubts. His laundry list of rules (no earrings, no names on uniforms, etc) might turn off potential recruits. He might find that competing in the ACC, in Maryland, where you are fighting of VT & UVa & Penn State even for the best recruits in-state, might be a lot tougher than competing inthe Big East and having a recruiting territory that isn't impinged on by many powerful teams.

I do think Anderson made a good hire in Turgeon, though.

This all makes too much sense for the people that want Edsall to be a scapegoat.

[OregonBird]

We knocked her up, now we're stuck with her.

Edsall isn't going anywhere so we might as well get behind him. People can stop begging for Plank to step in and fund his buyout, it ain't gonna happen.

This year will be 2-10, next year 5-7, then 7-5 in 2013. Unfortunately I don't see the program getting much better than that b/c to do so requires getting some special athletes and we've seen no sign of Guny Edsall being able to do so.

[NewOwnerNeeded]

This all makes too much sense for the people that want Edsall to be a scapegoat.

HA! Makes way too much sense.

We knocked her up, now we're stuck with her.

Edsall isn't going anywhere so we might as well get behind him. People can stop begging for Plank to step in and fund his buyout, it ain't gonna happen.

This year will be 2-10, next year 5-7, then 7-5 in 2013. Unfortunately I don't see the program getting much better than that b/c to do so requires getting some special athletes and we've seen no sign of Guny Edsall being able to do so.

You are exactly right. Why people won't get behind him knowing he will stay is beyond me. Players certainly aren't going to come if the fans don't support the team. And your record projection looks right too. What will be interesting is if that 7-5 teams shows any promise, or if that's the ceiling he can bring. That will determine if he stays much beyond that.

[JohnD]

HA! Makes way too much sense.

You are exactly right. Why people won't get behind him knowing he will stay is beyond me. Players certainly aren't going to come if the fans don't support the team.

My support for the school is pretty close to unconditional. My support for him doesn't have to be, especially when my money is involved. I want the guy to prove me wrong and do better than I think he can. But he has to prove it. I got behind him early on and he lost me. His attitude, his statements, all of it. I don't think he's a good person, nor do I think he's a good coach. I can get behind him again, but I'm not just going to fall him like a loyal lap dog because I have no choice. I DO have a choice. I know he's not going anywhere anytime soon, which means he can win me back. But for now, he's lost me, and a lot of others. And unlike the players, he can't just run me off and replace me.

[NewOwnerNeeded]

My support for the school is pretty close to unconditional. My support for him doesn't have to be, especially when my money is involved. I want the guy to prove me wrong and do better than I think he can. But he has to prove it. I got behind him early on and he lost me. His attitude, his statements, all of it. I don't think he's a good person, nor do I think he's a good coach. I can get behind him again, but I'm not just going to fall him like a loyal lap dog because I have no choice. I DO have a choice. I know he's not going anywhere anytime soon, which means he can win me back. But for now, he's lost me, and a lot of others. And unlike the players, he can't just run me off and replace me.

Fair enough.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Looking at this as an outsider:

1) Anderson, with a background at Army and a reputation for stressing academics, was brought in for a reason. Both the basketball team and football team had poor graduation stats or APRs or whatever they are called under Williams and Fridgen. Anderson was brought in by the administration to change that.

2) It's pretty obvious that even though the team had a winning record last year, Edsall was hired to "rebuild". To tear down what was there, to bring in as many of his own players as quickly as possible, and to get rid of Fridgen's guys as quickly as possible. We have seen the drill seargant type rules designed to make less disciplined players want to quit/transfer/or just break the rules. We have seen the constant promotion of freshmen into starting roles over veteran players.

Basically, I have no doubt that Edsall is doing what Anderson wanted. They are getting rid of Gary's players and guys who were with the program when it had academic and disciplinary problems as quickly as possible, and phasing in guys who either were recruited by Edsall or who have known no other head coach but Edsall, as quickly as possible.

They are deliberately taking a hit record-wise this year, whether they admit it or not. There will be benefits down the line when some of these freshman forced into starting roles are not only bigger and stronger as juniors and seniors but extremely experienced.

But for all the fan dissatisfaction, I think waht is happening is completely by design. I think the administration (new president too, right?) wanted to improve the academic image of the sports teams and hired an AD who would do that, and he hired a football coach who would do that. And they are willing to take a bad record hit in the first season to make that happen.

Say they hadn't chased away or benched all the veterans they have? They mi ght be 5-7 this year. Then next year, if they went 5-7, it would seem like treading water. Now they go 2-10 this year, and 5-7 next year is seen as improvement. And the next year, with a lot of juniors and seniors who have been starting for THREE YEARS, they have a winning record and make a bowl. And maybe they woudln't have done that if they didn't take the hit this year. I think that's the plan... take a deliberate hit this year to rid the team of as many Fridge holdovers as possible, to accelerate the process of making it "Edsall's team".

Now will "Edsall's team" wind up being a winner in the long run? I have my doubts. His laundry list of rules (no earrings, no names on uniforms, etc) might turn off potential recruits. He might find that competing in the ACC, in Maryland, where you are fighting of VT & UVa & Penn State even for the best recruits in-state, might be a lot tougher than competing inthe Big East and having a recruiting territory that isn't impinged on by many powerful teams.

I do think Anderson made a good hire in Turgeon, though.

First of all, if you want an athletic director who is going to help turn the academic image of the program around, you do better than the head of a program at the edge of Division I who has essentially zero experience working in this kind of environment and who has much of the academic issues already taken care of by his school.

If you are hiring a principal to turn around a poorly-performing gigantic inner-city high school, do you hire the headmaster of the little ultra-competitive prep school out in the exurbs? Or do you look for a principal, or highly-regarded assistant, from a school that has already overcome similar problems?

Second, if you want to replace the coaches, you do a much better job of handling the changes. Especially in football, where he angered half of the fan base (including a lot of the boosters) by firing Friedgen at all, and angered many of them and many of the remaining group with the search and result. Even in basketball with Williams retiring he angered a lot of people with how that search went.

Third, I do think that in an ideal college athletics world academics would be number-one. I fully support moving in that direction. However, Anderson's way of doing that is undercutting himself by angering not only the fans in general, but specifically those with the money. So not only does he try to force a seismic change in the revenue sports that would take several years to realistically work anyway, he's now forced to cut teams whose athletes are already doing very well academically.

Fourth, for all the talk about this being Edsall's dream job, and even giving him the benefit of the doubt for coaching elsewhere for a while, he came in with a "my way or the highway" attitude and manner of talking down to the fans that shows a severe lack of knowledge of the culture at Maryland. This is a fan base that at best has high expectations in most sports and at worst has unrealistic expectations in football. So to come in with a plan to tear the program down and rebuild it yet fail to communicate properly with the fans (again, many with a lot of money) is not good. Especially, again, coming off of a coach like Friedgen.

So this is an issue on three different levels: the university administration, the athletic department, and the football program. If any of them want anything to get accomplished, there had better be some progress soon or else the money dries up and the fans leave and barely a decade after the Friedgen hire the school is back to square one.

I actually am hoping they turn it around on all sides, even if it may not seem that way.