For Maryland to be successful, Edsall needs to reinvent himself
Listening to Randy Edsall dissect his team’s latest defeat last Saturday night, watching his body language as he sat at a table inside a room at BB&T Stadium after Maryland’s 31-10 loss to Wake Forest, I couldn’t help but think of the line about the old, crusty ballplayer who warmed up to his teammates and the media right before he retired.
“He learned to say hello when it was time to say goodbye,” someone wrote.
Edsall is not going anywhere after the Terps finish their dismal season Saturday at North Carolina State, likely with another loss and a 2-10 record that would equal the most defeats in a season in school history. But like the old ballplayer, I wonder if it’s too late for Edsall to repair the damage from the past few months.
With the expected departure of several of the most talented players from this year’s team – including defensive end David Mackall, tailback D.J. Adams and possibly quarterback Danny O’Brien – and the prospect of a mediocre (if that) recruiting class, the Terps are going to be ACC bottom-feeders again next season and probably for a while.
Edsall has talked about how what he did at Connecticut will help him in College Park. Edsall continued the building process in Storrs begun by Skip Holtz; at Maryland he now has to rebuild a program that he tore apart in less than one season.
He has always sounded as if he was rebuilding a mess left by his predecessor. But Ralph Friedgen revived the Terps from a dismal 2-10 season in 2009 to a 9-4 season last year that culminated with the Fridge being named ACC Coach of the Year and Maryland being ranked No. 23 in the final poll.
Now Edsall is faced with rebuilding a team that has few impact players left on its roster and a fan base that has eroded rapidly. So what can Edsall do to change his image that has now been cast as a rigid, self-righteous control freak who only begrudgingly took responsibility for the way things imploded this season? What can Edsall do to have any chance for future success?
Start by apologizing to Friedgen’s supporters, if not to The Fridge himself, for saying that the players he inherited had no accountability before he arrived. And apologize for criticizing the rest of the fans who didn’t show up in an October snow-shower to see Maryland play Boston College. Start taking accountability yourself for your player’s actions, and your team’s performance.
Admitting your errors go a long way to being given a second chance. Being humble doesn’t hurt either. Edsall should look to see how his counterpart in the basketball program – first-year coach Mark Turgeon – is being treated because of the way he has treated others, including Gary Williams. Turgeon is tough on his players, but it’s the kind of discipline that doesn’t come off as heavy-handed and driven by ego.
More importantly, Edsall should also bring in a group of the team’s veterans, perhaps even a few of the players with whom he had problems, and ask them for input on how to change the us-against-him mentality that has pervaded the Gossett Team House, or Gossett Team Penitentiary, as some players refer to it on Twitter. In your my-way-or-the-highway world, the highway appears to be approaching gridlock.
Maybe even change some of the rules, understanding that, as the father of two college-age kids, these are still college kids you’re coaching. Start with putting their names back on the back of their uniforms. Fans are also not happy with the fact that the Terps have become an endangered species on the new uniforms, and the players aren’t buying into it either.
Not to say that Edsall isn’t trying. It is obvious that someone has reached Edsall about his relationship with the media. After the Wake Forest game, and during his regular Tuesday session before the N.C. State game, he was honest, engaging, even emotional rather than secretive, standoffish and robotic. He also seemed worthy of a little sympathy.
I know of many coaches over the past 30 years who were cut some slack by the people who covered them because they were accessible, and didn’t just give the kind of coachspeak answers that became the norm this season. It would have been nice to hear from the two coordinators, Gary Crowton and Todd Bradford, to get their take on what went wrong, rather for them to be off-limits since August.
Many people who I’ve talked to this season who have known Edsall in the past say that he’s a nice guy and a good coach. You wouldn’t know it by how he operated during his first season in College Park, but it’s not too late to try and turn this around. It’s going to be challenging, because not many will be showing up for games until the team starts winning again and not made blue-chip players are going to be buying into your approach either.
Unless you’re walking away from a contract that will pay you $2 million a year over the next five years, you’re stuck with the players, fans and media that you alienated. Doing it your way – or at least the way you did it this season – won’t work. Even your mentor, Tom Coughlin, changed when it looked like he was going to get fired by the New York Giants. All his team did was win the Super Bowl.
One more thing: think about some of the comments you make before you make them. You said last week that reading comments by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft reinforced what you are trying to do in College Park. His franchise has won three Super Bowls. Your team will probably not even win three games.
Comments
An albatross that Kevin Anderson has placed around Maryland's neck.It will take a decade for Terps' football to recover. Maryland wasted an opportunity to bring a top major college coach to College Park to take the program to the next level. Instead, an unproven small college coach with one successful season was chosen. What an incredibly reckless choice.
Posted by: RC Fillmore | November 24, 2011 5:17 PM
Don first of all Happy Thanksgiving, i was trying to stay away from any negative remarks today, but your posting made it impossible to do.With this horrible hire AD Anderson has set this school back for a very long time.With the departures of many more players at years end this program will look like the NCAA imposed the death penalty.I have already canceled my 12 season tickets for next year,they have been in my family for over 35 years. I refuse to support this coach and feel so sorry for this program.
Posted by: blancione | November 24, 2011 5:29 PM
I don't know why everyone is so upset. Who needs success, wins or credibility when you can have diversity? Loh gave us Anderson, who spawned Edsall. Gary Williams resurrected the basketball program in the wake of another spawn of diversity, Bob Wade. It's going to take a football equivalent of Gary to stop the embarrassment the football team has become. I'd say all the fans can take about a 10-year hiatus, and check back then to see if things have gotten any better. Odds are they won't be as long as Anderson is here.
Posted by: easywriter01 | November 25, 2011 1:52 AM
My sympathy doesn't lie at all with Randy Edsall,which kind of reminds me of another word I can't and won't use.My sympathy lies with the players,many who will leave and have to forfeit a year of eligibility because of a horrible hire by the clueless Kevin Anderson,who seem's to be getting a bye in this whole fiasco.None of the players are buying into his self righteous spiel and no one at Connecticut shed a single tear over his leaving.If anything the other ACC coaches applauded the move,knowing he was,and will ever continue to be over matched in the ACC.I feel sorry for the D.J.Adams,and the Kenny Tates,and the Danny O'Brien's of this team,whose careers may be irreparably damaged.While Edsall will collect his money whether he's here or not in 4 years,8 sports teams have been cut and maybe more to follow due to the lost revenue from the football team and the 6 year contract they are saddled with at 2 mill a year.Kevin Anderson,if you had any decency at all,you would fire yourself.And take your buddy Wallace Loh with you.I'm sure Debbie Yow could use some help.
Posted by: Burt from Essex | November 25, 2011 4:20 AM
Anderson is responsible for this mess called Maryland Football. No, wait a sec, I take that back - Loh is the guy who started the ball rolling - downhill, and Anderson gave it a big shove. Edsall is in way over his head, much like Ron Vanderlinden, Mark Duffner, Joe Krivak, et al. I never thought I'd say this, but Debbie Yow is looking like a pretty good AD at this point.
Posted by: terpinleesburg | November 25, 2011 8:19 AM
DM this is a solid article. The knucklehead is in over his head? #FireEdsall. FREDTERP
Posted by: FREDTERP | November 25, 2011 8:19 AM
They need to start by getting rid of the tight-ass, Anderson, who looked into the mirror and fell in love with another tight-ass, Edsell. They both need to go before the Terps turn it around.
Posted by: david g | November 25, 2011 8:44 AM
Gossett State Penitentiary(GSP)
Posted by: Michael | November 25, 2011 10:12 AM
Penn State needs a new coach, AD, & president. Maybe we can arrange a package deal.
Posted by: Mike Agriesti | November 25, 2011 10:42 AM
I gave up my season tickets this year and I won't be looking to get the back unless there are major changes in the football program. You are so right, he needs to learn from his mistakes and the corrrections you offered are just the start. There has to be big change with this ridiculous contract Anderson gave him. As much as I disliked Yow, Anderson seems to really want to kill Maryland Athletics, something that brought me to Maryland in the first place. If Edsall doesn't change his ways, Maryland football will be facing the dark ages for years to come, and I can't imagine any coach coming to College Park and pulling us out!
Posted by: Mitch Salor | November 25, 2011 10:47 AM
Terps fans are disappointed, but not all are abandoning ship. I'll renew my season tickets for next year, although likely there will be fewer renewals then this past season. Now it's time for Mr. Anderson to do something to appease renewing season ticket holders. And it's this: relax the requirements to upgrade to better seats. Drop or reduce the cost for the licensing fee (it cost a great deal for the right to buy good seats, outside of the cost for season tickets). And drop the requirement for 4 seats minimum. I have lower deck seats for more than a decade, but only buy two. Why should I have to buy 4 seats to sit at the 25 or 30 yard line, it's only two of us.
As for Coach Edsall, he has work to do. And part of it is recognizing these are college kids who want some self-expresson options.
And Mackall and all the rest of the team who quit this year can go. They are not needed. And better work really hard at getting C.J. Brown to get a better touch at throwing the ball--at every distance.
Posted by: Ron | November 25, 2011 11:04 AM
Kevin Anderson had us believe he was going to take Maryland football to another level. The fan base was buzzing with the thought of Mike Leach coming here, but instead he gave us Randy Edsall. Come to think about it, Anderson did take us to another level, another level down. :-(
I guess we will have to rely on the Maryland uniforms to recruit players. Oh wait, their names won't be on them. Yeah that will have them coming to Maryland in droves...NOT!
Posted by: bachdog | November 25, 2011 1:22 PM
I feel very sorry for all Maryland fans! I am from Texas, and had the privledge of my team being coached by a man that most in my school loved and still love. I was hoping and praying that your school would make the right choice and allow Leach to dominate the East Coast. I was ready to become a Terp fan, but instead the administrators made the cowardly decision, and now you are stuck with what you are stuck with. Unfortunately administrators are often politicians and as a result let their egos get in the way. Leach is severely missed at Texas Tech, and I hope sometime soon, a major school will be brave enough to make the right decision. I can only imagine what Leach could have done with the recruiting base in Maryland. I saw what he could do in Lubbock, and it was amazing!
Posted by: chand298 | November 25, 2011 11:08 PM
Any one know where we can find another Bobby Ross?
He left when he realized Maryland was not serious about playing football
Ralph can take some bittersweet satisfaction cause Edsall sure seems like a bad choice by some people with bad judgement
Posted by: ch3r0k33 | November 26, 2011 5:26 PM
What a disgrace at Maryland. It should have been anticipated when the coach put more effort into designing uniforms than into teaching his players how to tackle. This man belongs nowhere near a major college program.
Posted by: calibanpb | November 26, 2011 10:10 PM
It seems to me that the coch has lost the team with his style of coaching. The incomming class is nothing to write home about; so I am concern where this program is headed. I do not know if we need three years to evaluate the new staff. After one year it is an "F" and I do not see it getting bettter in the short term.
Posted by: Bill Pritchard | November 27, 2011 2:05 PM
Here, here! Your article hit my feelings right on the mark. And if I remember right, wasn't he too cowardly to properly tell his CT players in person he had accepted the MD job? He has some lame excuse about why he did not instead of manning up. for the record, i loved the fridge, even with the 2 loss season. I remember the history of MD football and bowl appearances before the fridge!
Posted by: csquare | November 28, 2011 8:10 AM
I feel bad for Terp Nation - can Edsall reinvent himself? Will capable student athletes and their families/ coaches buy into his tear it down, build it up mentality - only time will tell. Right now looks very bleak.
Posted by: Henry | November 28, 2011 10:55 AM
I agree with chand298. Terps had the opportunity to hire one of the best coaches in college football, but settled for Edsall. The Pirate will now be coaching in Pullman Wash, not in College Park, Md.
5 years from now, compare the w/l results from both schools, it will not even be close. Oh what could have been.
Posted by: Gedwas | December 4, 2011 9:35 AM