The Edsall Factor

[ccbird]

Edsall is a jackass and very bad football coach to boot. I can't believe some relatively good posters here actually are defending him in any way.

[Todd-O]

We are seeing that right now with Edsall, and we aren't even sure of his abilities as a coach.

This is the thing that has me scratching my head... I agree with you 100% that Fridge's issues were recruiting related. But, at the end of the day, MD still had a very good to possibly great football coach. Enter KA. He turns everything upside down. Fires the very good coach... and after all of the insanity, we are left with Edsall. And as you stated... we aren't even sure of his abilities as a coach. My question is: HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? To come from where they were... to this.

Edsall fans tout the fact that he schlepped UConn into the D1 football world. But then you read stats... such as the fact that he was 1-16 against top 25 teams at UConn and has never beaten a football team that has finished the year ranked in the AP Top 25. Seriously???? They fired Ralph who brought some of the best college football seen in College Park since the early 1980's for a coach that we "aren't even sure" about?

I don't wish Edsall to fail. I wish him to win, because it would be fun to watch. But, geese! This is craziness!

[allstar1579]

This is the thing that has me scratching my head... I agree with you 100% that Fridge's issues were recruiting related. But, at the end of the day, MD still had a very good to possibly great football coach. Enter KA. He turns everything upside down. Fires the very good coach... and after all of the insanity, we are left with Edsall. And as you stated... we aren't even sure of his abilities as a coach. My question is: HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? To come from where they were... to this.

Edsall fans tout the fact that he schlepped UConn into the D1 football world. But then you read stats... such as the fact that he was 1-16 against top 25 teams at UConn and has never beaten a football team that has finished the year ranked in the AP Top 25. Seriously???? They fired Ralph who brought some of the best college football seen in College Park since the early 1980's for a coach that we "aren't even sure" about?

I don't wish Edsall to fail. I wish him to win, because it would be fun to watch. But, geese! This is craziness!

Hence my problem with KA. It was an ego thing, he wanted to come in and reshape the entire athletics department in the mold HE wanted, he wasn't interested in working with anything we had. He shoved Ralph out the door, paying him a ton of money to do it. Shoved Franklin out paying him a ton of money, and then paid EVEN MORE MONEY for a coach that was inexperienced for the position, and some assistants that had no clue what they were doing. The hires he made were based on having a stern military-like presence in charge and not about having the right people to run an ACC football team.

[Slappy]

Interesting quotes from UMd president Wallace Loh to the Sun

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/bs-sp-cowherd-column-0301-20120229,0,2164902.column

He doesn't exactly defend Edsall or Anderson like you would expect. His support was best described as "tepid". And it's pretty clear he wasn't a fan of blocking O'Brien's transfer.

I've always been a little conflicted on how much to blame Loh for this mess. On one hand, he did hire Anderson, who is the captain of this Titanic. But at the same time, he probably wasn't expecting Yow to leave or the athletic department to be in the shape she left it.

[Munson]

This is for the Fridge supporters. If he was kept on, do you think he would have improved the program from his previous seven seasons? Sure his first three seasons were great, but the last seven were pretty mediocre. He had a 24-32 ACC record and 44-42 overall record. He went to four mid-tier to lower level bowls. Could the Terps improve anymore under Friedgen? I had no problem with a coaching change. Maybe Edsall isn't the answer. I know this past year was a disaster, but I'm willing to give the guy another year or two. I'm not ready to hold his record against top twenty five teams against him. How many teams are going to have success against ranked opponents when they just moved up to D-1A? UConn didn't even play in a conference until 2004. IMO, he probably didn't have the same resources at UConn that he has at MD either.

[allstar1579]

Interesting quotes from UMd president Wallace Loh to the Sun

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/bs-sp-cowherd-column-0301-20120229,0,2164902.column

He doesn't exactly defend Edsall or Anderson like you would expect. His support was best described as "tepid". And it's pretty clear he wasn't a fan of blocking O'Brien's transfer.

I've always been a little conflicted on how much to blame Loh for this mess. On one hand, he did hire Anderson, who is the captain of this Titanic. But at the same time, he probably wasn't expecting Yow to leave or the athletic department to be in the shape she left it.

I've been to a meeting with Loh this year where he did a Q&A for some alumni and this mess was brought up more than once. He said he expected the questions after the results of the season but he didn't seem very committal to either. Just kept saying that they wanted to give things some more time before evaluating anything to avoid any knee jerk reactions.

[allstar1579]

This is for the Fridge supporters. If he was kept on, do you think he would have improved the program from his previous seven seasons? Sure his first three seasons were great, but the last seven were pretty mediocre. He had a 24-32 ACC record and 44-42 overall record. He went to four mid-tier to lower level bowls. Could the Terps improve anymore under Friedgen? I had no problem with a coaching change. Maybe Edsall isn't the answer. I know this past year was a disaster, but I'm willing to give the guy another year or two. I'm not ready to hold his record against top twenty five teams against him. How many teams are going to have success against ranked opponents when they just moved up to D-1A? UConn didn't even play in a conference until 2004. IMO, he probably didn't have the same resources at UConn that he has at MD either.

That's really the problem I had with Edsall from the beginning though, he wasn't really qualified for a football job at an ACC school to me. I feel like he had a good little run and a terrible football school, and should have gotten bumped up to a lower conference in D1 to let him show what he could do before getting some ACC or SEC job.

If you are going to go back and judge Fridge for 7 years you have to do the entire body of work, not just conveniently leave out the great first 3 years. Seeing that he was coming off a great season, I'd say yeah, he would have done just fine. Especially if they would have brought Locksley in to pair with him, but I'll also say I think Franklin would have been just fine as a HC as well. The whole scorched earth idea was a little stupid to me.

[Birds of B'more]

Interesting quotes from UMd president Wallace Loh to the Sun

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/bs-sp-cowherd-column-0301-20120229,0,2164902.column

He doesn't exactly defend Edsall or Anderson like you would expect. His support was best described as "tepid". And it's pretty clear he wasn't a fan of blocking O'Brien's transfer.

I've always been a little conflicted on how much to blame Loh for this mess. On one hand, he did hire Anderson, who is the captain of this Titanic. But at the same time, he probably wasn't expecting Yow to leave or the athletic department to be in the shape she left it.

If I recall the timeline of events, Loh had not actually assumed the role of president when KA was hired. Loh had been appointed, and did have a chance to interview Anderson while still at his old job....but at that point wasn't KA already identified as "the guy," and Loh was pretty much in a situation where he was just expected to rubber-stamp his hiring, and not even in an official capacity? That to me would indicate that Loh probably doesn't feel a great deal loyalty or ties to Anderson.

[Flosman]

That's really the problem I had with Edsall from the beginning though, he wasn't really qualified for a football job at an ACC school to me. I feel like he had a good little run and a terrible football school, and should have gotten bumped up to a lower conference in D1 to let him show what he could do before getting some ACC or SEC job.

If you are going to go back and judge Fridge for 7 years you have to do the entire body of work, not just conveniently leave out the great first 3 years. Seeing that he was coming off a great season, I'd say yeah, he would have done just fine. Especially if they would have brought Locksley in to pair with him, but I'll also say I think Franklin would have been just fine as a HC as well. The whole scorched earth idea was a little stupid to me.

Just what conference are you talking about? He was qualified if you thought he is a good coach. I even grant this and I don't like what I saw from the coaching last year. I think Ralph was a better x's and o's guy, but it had gotten stale in CP. I have great doubts that Edsell is the right guy but his resume did not need a stint in another D1 program to make his bones, IMO. He had success at a school thats is located in some of the worst high school football in the country at a school with no real history.

[Munson]

That's really the problem I had with Edsall from the beginning though, he wasn't really qualified for a football job at an ACC school to me. I feel like he had a good little run and a terrible football school, and should have gotten bumped up to a lower conference in D1 to let him show what he could do before getting some ACC or SEC job.

So your saying he should have taken a step down in conference from the Big East? I hate to tell you, but the Big East and ACC are pretty comparable in football.

If you are going to go back and judge Fridge for 7 years you have to do the entire body of work, not just conveniently leave out the great first 3 years. Seeing that he was coming off a great season, I'd say yeah, he would have done just fine. Especially if they would have brought Locksley in to pair with him, but I'll also say I think Franklin would have been just fine as a HC as well. The whole scorched earth idea was a little stupid to me.

I didn't conveniently leave out anything. I ackowledged his first three years. The last seven years are more of an inidcation of where the program is at, which is mediocrity.

[o's fan 14]

I was really hoping Mike Leach would get the Maryland job, if nothing else he would have brought some excitement and buzz to the program. I wonder where the program would be at today with him on board... Instead they went with Edsall probably thinking he would be a safer choice especially with the DC media scrutiny...and so far it's been a disaster.

[Todd-O]

This is for the Fridge supporters. If he was kept on, do you think he would have improved the program from his previous seven seasons? Sure his first three seasons were great, but the last seven were pretty mediocre. He had a 24-32 ACC record and 44-42 overall record. He went to four mid-tier to lower level bowls. Could the Terps improve anymore under Friedgen? I had no problem with a coaching change. Maybe Edsall isn't the answer. I know this past year was a disaster, but I'm willing to give the guy another year or two. I'm not ready to hold his record against top twenty five teams against him. How many teams are going to have success against ranked opponents when they just moved up to D-1A? UConn didn't even play in a conference until 2004. IMO, he probably didn't have the same resources at UConn that he has at MD either.

I think you are right, to a point. Fridge's achilles was his inability to bring in athletes that could make his system work. I do think, though, that he was a great coach. Given some changes in his recruiting tactics, I think the answer to your question is yes.

Let's not forget, though, that your point about his record over his last 7 years not to mention the fact that attendance was just getting it done... there were a lot of good reasons to move him along.

My problem is, if you're going to get rid of a guy like the Fridge, you don't go out and make a lateral (or, possibly in this case) backwards move. You need to be pretty darn sure of what you are getting. It just doesn't seem like Edsall was an obvious upgrade. I know the state of Maryland has terrible budget issues... and the alumni giving to the football program is sub-par compared to the heavy hitters, so it could be that Edsall was really the best they could afford.

Again, I feel very disappointed in how things have gone --- not because of the transitionary position the team has found itself in, but because of the Edsall has handled it.

I'm not rejecting the guy outright. I want him succeed. It's just painful as heck watching.

[ccbird]

This is for the Fridge supporters. If he was kept on, do you think he would have improved the program from his previous seven seasons? Sure his first three seasons were great, but the last seven were pretty mediocre. He had a 24-32 ACC record and 44-42 overall record. He went to four mid-tier to lower level bowls. Could the Terps improve anymore under Friedgen? I had no problem with a coaching change. Maybe Edsall isn't the answer. I know this past year was a disaster, but I'm willing to give the guy another year or two. I'm not ready to hold his record against top twenty five teams against him. How many teams are going to have success against ranked opponents when they just moved up to D-1A? UConn didn't even play in a conference until 2004. IMO, he probably didn't have the same resources at UConn that he has at MD either.

I was ok with going in a different direction. Yes, to an extent Ralph had gotten stale here, though firing him after a 9-4 season and an ACC Coach of the Year honor wasn't good PR right off the bat. My problem was and is if your going to go in a different direction, if your shooting for "tranformative excellence" and going from "good to grea"t how in the blue hell do you decide Edsall is the guy for the job. We can argue Edsall's credentials to a point but there is no way anybody should have nor did they get goose bumps over the hire or the feeling that the program was pointing up. Best case scenario is Edsall is exactly what Fridge was from 2004-2010. He gets you some 6, 7 and maybe an 8 win season here or there and some minor bowl games. So you fire an alum coming off a 9 win season and COY award to hire a guy who in a best case scenario is going to give you what that guy you just fired gave you. That isn't tranformative excellence or going from good to great.

And I'll note one thing after the above. That is that there are rumors out there that KA wanted Leech and had been told that Leech was willing to come here but some of the other bigwigs at the school wouldn't allow it. Now, that gives KA some small pass but bottom line is you have to have your ducks in a row before you fire Ralph. You have to know that Leech is going to be accepted and approved by the other powers that be at the University.

[o's fan 14]

A little off the Edsall topic but didn't want to start a new thread. Adam Breneman, the #1 TE prospect in 2013, from Pennsylvania is deciding next Friday March 9th between Penn State, Ohio State, Notre Dame and MARYLAND! Odds are he goes to Penn State but he has reportedly been to College Park half a dozen times or so. He would be a huge get for the Terps. Imagine, Maryland lands the #2 WR in the country from the 2012 class and then the #1 TE from 2013??? One can hope.

[Todd-O]

I hope he comes...