December 20th, 2010 at 5:06 PM ^
are lying. That would be like someone saying the Fridge was out the door and Leach was walking in. Balderdash. I don't buy it. Not unless someone said it three times. Like Candyman...and they would have to spin while saying it.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:05 PM ^
I live in DC area. This came out of nowhere, but ultimately, it was the fiasco in landing the 8th of the ACC's bowls that shows the root problem. UM (Not Our UM) has NO support in the DC area -- Va Tech is way more popular and that's like 3 1/2 hrs away. UM plays in a dudsville conference, you can't even sell FSU or Miami (YTM) tickets. There is nooo buzz over this team, really hasn't been for years and years. That's why, when the bowls picked from the wreckage that is the ACC this year, UM fell to the 8th bowl game -- no bowl wanted to risk UM (NOUM) not selling tickets.
So Fridge maxed out, even though it meant a bowl game at least every other year, and the new AD thinks his program can be better. Hmm. Now, what AD thought that a few years ago... oh yeah, the idiot who fired Glen Mason. How'd that turn out for them?
Although... I bet I'm not the only one who thought this. Shouldn't they have waited until, I dunno, early January... because besides Leach, isn't there some iota of a chance another offensive genious might be on the market for a new team? Don't neg me to death, I'm not sayin', I'm jus' sayin'... UM (NOUM) didn't play its cards entirely right here.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:16 PM ^
Leach >>> Brewster
December 20th, 2010 at 5:18 PM ^
I grew up in suburban MD and yes, it really seems like there are lots of Va Tech and Penn St football fans, not so many Maryland fans. Penn St recruits well in MD, too.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:45 PM ^
Furman, Countess, maybe Frost...
I remember Illinois (Zook) stealing Aurelius Benn from the capital area. Md fans were apopleptic about how a no-name like the Illini could come poach a top-notch recruit from them. That's only one recruit, but it happens 30 times a year here. Md. could have a damn strong football team if they just kept all the DC-area recruits. (Apologies to LSU fans who have particular memories about that phrase.)
December 20th, 2010 at 6:28 PM ^
If I hit 3's at the rate I can accurately name the home states of recruits / hopefulls, I'd be starting for B-line.
Well, that and losing about 25 years and 100 pounds.... and my wife saying it's okay...
December 20th, 2010 at 7:06 PM ^
I was born and raied on Baltimore, and I thought it was always a matter of location. UMD (as I try to refer to it) was always on the DC side of the state, forever associated with DC, MoCo, and NoVa. I always thought if UMD was located in the heart of Maryland (and near a lot of the talent pool in Baltimore), they would have had an easier time becoming identified with the state's sports fans and become more of a central sports figure. It wasn't until I moved to Michigan that I realized how important college sports could be for a state. They wouldn't have had nearly the competition for recruits and still would have been able to reach out to the DC area.
But whatever. Either way, if MD breaks its streak of mediocrity then people in the state will start to notice. Even when Va Tech or Penn State have a mediocre year it's not a huge worry because you know they will be back. MD fans know that 8-4 is about as good as its going to get. That doesn't exactly fire up a fan base. That and of course being located in an area of the state made up of transplants doesn't help. But if they win, they will get the fans back, just like MD basketball did in the state.
December 20th, 2010 at 7:50 PM ^
Having lived in the DC area for decades, I have to somewhat disagree with you. When Maryland basketball is on a roll, the Terps catch very significant attention from a huge metropolitan area (Baltimore and DC are considered one contiguous demographic area).
Byrd Stadium, or whatever they call it these days, even with renovations is small and relatively meh. That area goes gaga on football, as long as you are the Skins. Give Maryland a few years of a really good team and my guess is the program will get lots of support. Having said that, there are six pro teams in a 40 mile area - lots of competition for the entertainment dollar.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:13 PM ^
I'm not sure that Leach can be too choosy given the way he exited from TTU. I doubt that many schools are too excited about a coach that some believed abused a player with a concussion.
And TTU is probably less able to attract recruits and fans than UMD. My understanding of TTU is that it is a little bit of a commuter school, and it has to live in the shadows of UT and TAMU.
Ultimately, I don't care who hires LEach as long as he is coaching somewhere (and if he gets to do the weather on the local evening news from time to time, and give dating advice), we would all be better for that.
December 20th, 2010 at 6:26 PM ^
My understanding of TTU is that it is a little bit of a commuter school, and it has to live in the shadows of UT and TAMU.
TTU and Lubbock is a dump. People don't commute from outside of Lubbock because there is nothing but barren Texas wasteland surrounding Lubbock. However, Lubbock is a sprawling suburbia-hell city, so you still have to drive for 20 minutes to get anywhere. But yeah, no one really cares about TTU around the rest of the state.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:13 PM ^
I hope Leach locks them all in closets until they win!
December 20th, 2010 at 5:15 PM ^
Nice.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:18 PM ^
He lost out to Michigan for Blake Countess. Not true but trying to rationalize why this isn't OT.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:23 PM ^
Does he have eligibility left? We could use a nose tackle in this class...
December 20th, 2010 at 5:27 PM ^
Saban already signed him and added the grayshirt.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:19 PM ^
there is any truth to the absolute BS acusations of Leach at TTU didn't bother to find out what really happened. They wanted to save money, fire him, and they found a way to do it with "cause." Shady as it gets, if you ask me.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:28 PM ^
I don't disagree with you. The issue is that to the typical football fan you only gets the news via the local paper or ESPN, Leach has not been given a favorable treatment.
Especially by ESPN.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:24 PM ^
Ralph was asked to bow out of his role in eclipsing the moon tomorrow as it violated NCAA rules. He told the AD to ,"FFFFFUUUUUU!!!!", as what happens tomorrow only comes around about every 320 years or so.
Seriously though, any thoughts on how Leach will tear up ACC defenses?
December 20th, 2010 at 5:42 PM ^
December 20th, 2010 at 9:18 PM ^
Am I the only one who thinks this guy is a dick with questionable character? I would not want him coaching Michigan. Craig James and the TTU administration were clearly out to get him, but TTU was out to get him, at least in part, because he acted like he and his football team were more important than the institution.
December 20th, 2010 at 6:32 PM ^
When he says he's going to "try" to go to "great lengths" to communicate his message to his team, and "some people will be inconvenienced," what's he referring to?
Locking them in woodsheds?
December 20th, 2010 at 6:41 PM ^
"fairly amazing lengths"
Nail on the head SS.
December 20th, 2010 at 7:48 PM ^
Calling the facility where Adam James was sent for ice and darkess to treat his concussion a "woodshed" is like calling Michigan Stadium an "intimate venue." I still think Craig James is the person who should have been fired. It really ruins most of ESPN's college football shows for me when he participates. I can't take anything he says seriously anymore.
James really is a master at stepping in feces and smelling like a rose. He still contends that he never took a penny at SMU when they were the highest-paying program in the country and he was the second-best recruit they bought.
December 20th, 2010 at 5:41 PM ^
I was really hoping no one would take a shot on Leach and he would be hired at Eastern. Unleash your inner Huron!
December 20th, 2010 at 5:43 PM ^
double post
December 20th, 2010 at 6:01 PM ^
Would totally root for Leach wherever he goes but can't bring myself to root for Maryland. :(
December 20th, 2010 at 6:09 PM ^
oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please....
December 20th, 2010 at 7:21 PM ^
+1 to any MD Terp/ Wolverine fan, my good man.
December 21st, 2010 at 3:36 AM ^
What makes you guys fans of both schools?
December 21st, 2010 at 10:30 AM ^
MoCo Maryland, born and raised. Michigan football/Maryland basketball.
December 20th, 2010 at 9:40 PM ^
He was named ACC Coach of the Year....and gets fired???, SCREWED!
December 20th, 2010 at 10:39 PM ^
He wasn't fired for getting "only" 8 wins. 8 wins is a very good season for Maryland. Friedgen was fired because his coach in waiting left for Vanderbilt and will be taking almost the entire coaching staff with him, leaving Friedgen to rebuild. Add that to the fact that Friedgen wasn't planning to coach much longer anyway, and it makes it tough to rationalize letting him put together a whole new coaching staff that probably wouldn't make it past another season.
Moreover, MD just finished major renovations to Byrd Stadium and after a year still haven't sold out the luxury boxes. There is no more cache to Friegen's teams. After an ACC title and 9 win seasons early on, this team has done nothing but tread around .500 and show no signs of mobility one way or another. Even this season's 8-4 record was built on smoke and mirrors, and comes right after a 2-10 campaign. The university needs someone to get the alumni excited, and unfortunately Friedgen's teams weren't getting it done.
December 20th, 2010 at 10:02 PM ^
Friedgen is just like, and thus worse, than Stewart's at WVU. UM thinks that they will never compete at a high level with him as coach. Like it or not, this is what big time CFB is becoming. Look at all of our/UofM coaching speculation this offseason. Our stitation probably is more legit, but nonetheless still some what comparable.
December 21st, 2010 at 5:48 AM ^
Interesting tidbits from the Baltimore Sun, reflecting how an AD's unwillingness to offer an extension can result in a "lame duck" status for a coach, effectively undermining the school's ability to recruit. It can also preclude the coach's ability to hire any new assistants. Anderson is the AD at Maryland.
"...[Friedgen] talked about a contract extension," Anderson said. "He told me at that time that he didn't want to be a lame duck. I told him I wasn't prepared to talk about or to offer him an extension."
Keeping Friedgen, Anderson said, would have created a huge recruiting hole because its top recruiter — Franklin — was leaving and the school would then have had a lame-duck head coach who couldn't commit to potential star players for more than one season.
Anderson also said Maryland could not have hired top assistant coaches.
"Nobody would come here and work for a year under those circumstances," he said. "What good coach would come in here just knowing he was only going to be here a year?" (emphasis added)
IMO, if DB decides to keep RR, he almost has to offer an extension. RR has 2 years left on his contract. Unfortunately, I think DB is in a similar position to Anderson - he may be unwilling to commit to an extension without seeing more improvement. Maybe they could work out an incentive-based extension, where UofM would have the "option" to pick up additional year(s), and that option would kick in automatically based on certain performance benchmarks (ie beating OSU, winning Big 10 championship, going to BCS bowl, etc.).
December 21st, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^
If DB keeps RR, he'll announce it as RR getting a new extension. It might be a paper tiger -- a toothless extension -- but publicly it will be an extension nonetheless. Anything short of that, and we are in a worse situation where the media is on the "RR watch" for 365 more days.
December 21st, 2010 at 10:01 AM ^
I agree that the perception of stability is important. If RR is retained, he needs an extension. Now, what they could negotiate is some form of extension that had X number of years, but the buyout was such that it wasn't as onerous as the original deal. It would provide the headlines of a contract extension yet effectively give the AD room to maneuver.
This assumes that high school football players and their parents don't actually dig into information, rather rely on the headlines of a story.