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What If MD Doesn't Get Leach?


JohnD

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Will it still be a good move to fire Friedgen?

Seriously, the way Kevin Anderson has botched this whole thing so far, there's no reason to think Leach is a slam dunk. I mean, I still expect him to get the job, but what if something breaks down? Then what?

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Yes it's still a good move. Unless you'd prefer extending Fridge, which was basically just delaying the inevitable. Would've still had issues with recruiting and hiring coaches since everyone knows Ralph's time was ticking down.

And LOL at Anderson "botching" this. As of last Wednesday Ralph was a willing participant in Anderson's plan. Then between Wednesday and Friday Ralph bucked and that left Anderson in an awkward place. Yeah it sucks how things went down, but the program is better off by making this move now.

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I'm not "in the know" but I'm guessing Leach already has this job.

This is no different than when any company already has their candidate identified for a job but has to go through the formality of posting a job, taking apps, doing interviews, etc. It's a "check the box" HR thing for legal reasons.

And yes, it was still a good decision. RF's ACC record and record vs. Top 25 opponents the past 7 years wasn't good.

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I'm not "in the know" but I'm guessing Leach already has this job.

This is no different than when any company already has their candidate identified for a job but has to go through the formality of posting a job, taking apps, doing interviews, etc. It's a "check the box" HR thing for legal reasons.

And yes, it was still a good decision. RF's ACC record and record vs. Top 25 opponents the past 7 years wasn't good.

Oregon right on all accounts.

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Will it still be a good move to fire Friedgen?

Seriously, the way Kevin Anderson has botched this whole thing so far, there's no reason to think Leach is a slam dunk. I mean, I still expect him to get the job, but what if something breaks down? Then what?

You keep saying this but I don't understand why. Once Franklin was going to leave, the program was losing it's main coordinator, a bunch of assistants, while leaving a coach who has had a sub .500 record against top 25 teams in his career.

The only misstep I saw was when he announced Friedgen would be back a month ago. That was obviously premature, but things do happen to change things and I truly believe Franklin leaving was the last nail in the coffin. It was time for a change and although Friedgen was a Terp guy thru and thru, it was time to get some new blood and some new excitement back into the program.

Friedgen is the one who made this into a mess. At his age and weight, he's probably better off just retiring anyways. I'm sure he could have worked a deal to get his money and step aside with all the fanfare of a retiring coach, instead, he was fired.

Friedgen would have been fired last year if not for the $5 million total they would have had to pay him and Franklin to step aside. Now it cost them $2 million and they can use that money to bring in a guy like Leach.

If Leach doesn't come, I'll be disappointed, but it won't change the fact that it was time for a some new blood into the program.

Friedgen made the program into a good football program and now we need someone that can make them a great program.

One question for you, In his last 7 years Friedgen was 24-32 in the ACC and 40-42 vs. D1 opponents. Was that acceptable to you? Is that good enough?

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They still went to bowl games about half the time, which is more than they ever went before he got there.

So change for the sake of change is fine? Even if whoever replaces him ends up being worse, it's ok, because they had to get him out pronto?

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Please answer the question: Do/did you think extending Friedgen was a good idea?

And just becaues Ralph went to bowl games more than his predecessors doesn't mean it was acceptable. Ralph raised the expectations for the program. I guess it's OK to be happy being a 6-7 win team on average, but some people want more than that.

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They still went to bowl games about half the time, which is more than they ever went before he got there.

So change for the sake of change is fine? Even if whoever replaces him ends up being worse, it's ok, because they had to get him out pronto?

So going to a Bowl game every other year and having a losing record against ACC and D-I teams is good enough for you? I'm not sure anyone is trying to take away anything that he did for the program, and you certainly won't get any argument from me that he's left the program better off then when he got here, but it's time for someone else to take the next step.

If he's not the long term answer, then you don't bring him back for his last year, especially when recruits want to know who their coach will be over the next four years.

Once Franklin left it was the perfect opportunity to make the switch. Personally, I appreciate and respect Friedgen, but I also respect that Anderson wants to take the program to the next level and is willing to take a bit of a risk to do just that. I honestly just wish Friedgen would have made the entire process easier. He's not going to get another major college head coaching job and he should have enough money to have a great retirement.

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They still went to bowl games about half the time, which is more than they ever went before he got there.

So change for the sake of change is fine? Even if whoever replaces him ends up being worse, it's ok, because they had to get him out pronto?

So you were ok with 7 to 9 win seasons, middling bowl games, with some losing years mixed in for good measure? That's fine, but I think Maryland is capable of better. And it isn't change just for the sake of change if you think the program isn't reaching its potential....and judging by all the empty seats at Byrd I'm not the only one. And agree with the others that Kevin Anderson didn't "botch" this. Friedgen was on board, then changed his mind...which is his prerogative, but don't blame Anderson for that. I do agree that he has an awful lot at stake here with the new coach, whether it's Leach or someone else. If the new coach doesn't exceed Fridge's overall results, both the new coach and Kevin Anderson may have short-lived tenures in College Park.

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I think some of you are overinflating the ceiling at Maryland. Maybe the school will start really trying to be a football school. But right now it's a basketball school with a football program. Go read the Post article about the basketball team today and try to argue differently. The resources go to hoops first, and elsewhere second. But it'll be several years before Maryland's ceiling is higher than what it just hit this year.

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I think some of you are overinflating the ceiling at Maryland. Maybe the school will start really trying to be a football school. But right now it's a basketball school with a football program. Go read the Post article about the basketball team today and try to argue differently. The resources go to hoops first, and elsewhere second. But it'll be several years before Maryland's ceiling is higher than what it just hit this year.

Like I said in an earlier thread, the only ceiling that ultimately holds any college athletic program back is how much money they're willing to spend. Oregon is a perfect example of that. Their stadium barely seats more than Byrd, but it is packed to capacity for each game. The state itself produces a few decent players out of high school each year, but they're few and far between....so much so that only 1 starter on U of O's team is from Oregon. The rest come from California, Texas, and other parts of the country. Why do they come? Because players love the system (high-scoring offense, aggressive defense), they love the full stadium, and they love the lavish facilities that are available to them. Uncle Phil is primarily responsible for their recent success. Maybe Uncle Kevin is interested in doing the same thing for his alma mater too? And getting a coach in there who will sell those luxury suites and generate more excitement around the program is a good start.

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Why do they come? Because players love the system (high-scoring offense' date=' aggressive defense), they love the full stadium, and they love the lavish facilities that are available to them. Uncle Phil is primarily responsible for their recent success. Maybe Uncle Kevin is interested in doing the same thing for his alma mater too? And getting a coach in there who will sell those luxury suites and generate more excitement around the program is a good start.[/quote']

They don't come to Oregon for the sunshine, that's for damn sure! :mad:

Nike/Phil Knight/Oregon football have done a great job at creating an exceptional college football brand. Nobody does it better IMO. This is a chance for MD to create their own brand, if they are simply smart enough to pull it all together rather than focusing on only 1 or 2 pieces.

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