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Coach-In-Waiting Plan Needs to Go

Posted: Feb 7th 2009 5:00PM by Kevin Blackistone (author feed)
Filed under: Florida State, Maryland, Coaching

Haste always invites waste. Such was the case with my 30-second rant last Friday at the end of Around the Horn against the trend of college coaches designating successors.

I expressed my amazement that Ralph Friedgen, the football coach at Maryland where I started teaching last semester, announced last Friday that he was tagging one of his assistants to be the program's coach when his contract ends in three years. I argued that I didn't think Friedgen had earned that right.

More important, I suggested that the growing movement of naming a head coach-in-waiting undermined equal opportunity in coaching.

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Week Four Proposition Bets for the College Football Junkie

Posted: Sep 18th 2008 9:00AM by John Radcliff (author feed)
Filed under: ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, MAC, SEC, Gambling

1 COMMENT

Prop Bets for the College Football Junkie is a weekly post that cares not for your silly point spreads. If you have the money and the gumption, we'll lay down a weekly gauntlet of propositions that'll take you from the penthouse to the outhouse faster than you can guess the number of times Lee Corso will say "not so fast my friend." As always, this is for entertainment purposes only.

-Back in the good old days of eastern football, before the Big East, Joe Paterno used to wear us out with ramblings about a winless Temple team that was much better than their record indicated. Naturally, Penn State would win by 50+. But as we care not for point spreads or actual outcomes, we'll look at something more intriguing. Like the over/under on the number of times the off field incidents at Penn State will be brought up by the announcing crew. Given that this game could get out of hand quickly, we'll put that number at +/-10. Just as a way to make your money back, I'll give you a straight up prop on if Joe will make an impromptu run to the bathroom while the game is going on.

-Literally a half hour after I wrote this post I was out and helped a person move their broken down diesel truck out of an intersection. I only had to push it about 20 feet, but was completely out of breath by the time it was safely out of the intersection. Given West Virginia's total lack of respect for the effects of the change in altitude, I'm putting the over/under on the number of Mountaineers that pass out during the game at 15.

Continue Reading Week Four Proposition Bets for the College Football Junkie

There's Always Next Year -- Maryland After Thoughts

Posted: Nov 28th 2006 10:54PM by Kyle Decker (author feed)
Filed under: Maryland Football, ACC

7 COMMENTS

Tough loss on Saturday night. However, with the defense Maryland played against Wake, they didn't deserve to win. They just couldn't get a hold of those misdirection plays. And for crying out loud, if the opposing quarterback is throwing blocks, nail him! Put the fear of God in him! Their poor defense showed up after taking a month off, and that's where the game was lost.

But enough about that game. There's no real need to keep stressing game play when the next game is months away. However, I'm not going to starting talking about a bowl game now, especially because we don't know who the Terps will be playing. I think it's more prudent to see what could happen next year. Obviously, this is all my speculation. Let's take a look.

Offensively, the first thing I think we'll see is the Fridge signing an offensive coordinator. It's just too much work to do two jobs at once. When those jobs are head coach of a national football program and offensive coordinator, it's even rougher. College kids should think about that when holding down a job at a TCBY and an internship during the summers. Supposedly, Friedgen loves to work with young QBs, but honestly, his strong suit was always the running game. Scott McBrien was a good QB, but it took him forever to show that on the field. Sam Hollenbach never really reached his potential. If the new offensive coordinator could help mold these QBs, it would add a nice aspect to the offense.

Continue Reading There's Always Next Year -- Maryland After Thoughts

Terps Play For ACC Title Shot Tonight, Heyward-Bey Might Too

Posted: Nov 25th 2006 4:15PM by Kyle Decker (author feed)
Filed under: Maryland Football, ACC

1 COMMENT

Tonight's game is possibly the last game of the Terps season -- if they don't win. Last reports were that it's still uncertain if Terp's big offensive playmaker, receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, will play.

I say he plays. He suffered a concussion last week during the last place of the first half against BC, but Coach Friedgen didn't really elaborate. He did say that he hopes he plays and the doctors think he'll be ready. That's all you need. It's all on the doctors. If he gets the green light, he's going to play. Maybe if this were an early game in the season, the Terps would air on the side of caution, but this isn't. It's the last regular season game. If they win this game, they go to the ACC title game. If they lose, the go -- or in this case stay -- home. He'll play.

And let's hope he does. During Friedgen's postgame conference, which you can always watch on FridgeTV.com, he talked about Sam Hollenbach's interception returned for a TD. Fridge didn't fault Hollenbach for the pick but instead, faulted Heyward-Bey's replacement Danny Oquendo. Apparantly it was a poor route and not a poor throw. The coach said that he would hope Sam would make that throw each time.

If that interception is on the receiver, then we need Heyward-Bey back. He and Hollenbach have a good rapport. The other receivers dropped balls in the end zone last week, which I doubt Heyward-Bey would have. He's too important to the passing game to be missing tonight.

Wake Forest is a tough team, so Maryland will need all their weapons to beat them. I expect this to be an exciting game since Maryland has the homefield advantage to even the score. Both teams will be leaving everything on the field since is the last game of their regular season.

I hope that after tonight, I'll have another week to write about before bowl season. Win or go home games are always fun and exciting and often promote high blood pressure. Enjoy the regular season finale, Terp fans. May it not be the last game this year.

Will Maryland's Close Calls Help or Hurt Against BC?

Posted: Nov 17th 2006 8:53PM by Kyle Decker (author feed)
Filed under: Maryland Football, ACC

0 COMMENTS

Maryland hasn't blown out anyone this year. Every win has been hard fought and close until the end. Except for the West Virginia loss, the losses were close too. It didn't matter if the wins were on the road against strong ACC teams -- Clemson -- or at home against a drained team -- Miami -- the games were close until the end. In fact, the two games I just mentioned were both one point games. So does this style of play help or hurt Maryland?

Ralph Friedgen mentioned that in these close situations, his players have confidence. Actually, he called them "cocky." Confidence is always a plus. I don't expect this team who has played in so many pressure situations to be easily rattled on the road in a big game. This team is different than the team that was wowed by the big lights of a Thursday night game against WVU. They will not be affected by the situation tomorrow. In that sense, the team has matured greatly over the season.

On the other hand, the Terps keep putting themselves in these pressure situations. When the Terps were bad, their MO was that they would get a lead and blow it late in the game. They're still blowing leads, just not enough to lose the game. At this final stretch of the season, the Terps cannot do that any more. Their luck is going to wear out. The team has used so much of it that it can't last forever. They lead Miami 14-0 but won 14-13. They lead FSU 27-14 but won 27-24 (on a blocked kick.) Soon or later, one of these teams is going to come back enough to rout the Terps. This is a huge game for both BC and Maryland, so if Maryland gives the momentum to BC, they'll run with it.

Continue Reading Will Maryland's Close Calls Help or Hurt Against BC?

Darrius Heyward-Bey is the Next Two Name Superstar

Posted: Nov 16th 2006 9:11PM by Kyle Decker (author feed)
Filed under: Maryland Football, ACC

4 COMMENTS

Finally, the legacy of Nik Caner-Medley is gone. Well, at least his legacy as last Maryland player to be good and have two last names is gone. Darrius Heyward-Bey, the Terps stud wide receiver, will become the next Terps star to take that title. And I'm thankful. Nik Caner-Medley, the basketball forward, was way over rated. He was a ball hog who could ruin a game with poor shots. I'll admit that he had some good games, but all in all, he was not that good. When ESPN talked Terps basketball the last three years, they talked Caner-Medley, when there were always more consistant players. Plus, I heard that he was a jerk in real life from people who had been around him.

Darrius Heyward-Bey will be a star. He runs a 4.21 40 and as we all saw against Miami, speed kills -- in this case, killed the defenders. Heyward-Bey and Quarterback Sam Hollenbach hooked up twice for long passes, the only scoring all game. The better news? Both he and Ralph Friedgen think he's going to get much better. They want him to improve his style of catching and to make his routes crisper.

Imagine next year when Heyward-Bey improves his techniques. As long as Jordan Steffy can improve to a decent QB, Darrius will be a star. Plus, he seems like a personable guy. Watch the segment on FridgeTV where he takes you through his "crib." He's got a down-to-earth personality that fans can get behind. Everyone kind of had the idea that Caner-Medley was a jerk. Even if he wasn't, he gave away that cocky personality -- remember his public drunk tantrum in Maine where he screamed "I'm from Maryland! No one can beat me!"? I just don't see that from Heyward-Bey.

So look out, Terp fans. We've got a potential superstar on our hands, and if he stays most of the time, I bet they'll be Heisman talk his final year. Heyward-Bey is what's in at Maryland. Deal with it Caner-Medley.

Pimping FridgeTV.com

Posted: Nov 14th 2006 10:52PM by Kyle Decker (author feed)
Filed under: Maryland Football, ACC

0 COMMENTS

I was still in school when Ralph Friedgen and the athletic department came up with FridgeTV.com. Unfortunately, they didn't really advertise it well. They'd show a few clips of the team and then flash the words "FridgeTV.com" on the video screen at football games. My friends and I had no clue what it was. Instead of investigating it, we just assumed it was some disgusting pornographic site featuring the Fridge, and only the Fridge.

But alas, there's nothing that disturbing on the internet. Well, actually, there is. There's a lot of messed up stuff on the internet, but this is not one of them.

FridgeTV.com is Ralph Friedgen's idea of letting the students and fans into the world of the team. It's more than most fans usually get. There are press conferences with Ralph after the match and some previewing the match. There are highlights from each game. Friedgen talks about recruits and there are some high school videos of them. My favorite parts are the parts that interview the players. There was a cool movie about how the team mobbed kicker Dan Ennis after the Clemson win and about how being on the bottom of a pile of huge ass football players just hurts. FridgeTV also features a Cribs style feature where the players will take you through their dorm rooms. You can see back up runner JP Humber's ugly green skulls shirt or the weird guy wearing a grim reaper outfit who hangs in Heyward-Bey's dorm. And at the end, they always kick the camera guy out.

It's really fun times. Fans should get a nice peak into what's going on with the players so they have a closer connection to the team. Friedgen is an innovative coach and this is a proof of that. So check it out if you haven't already. It's a good inside look at the team and Friedgen is clothed the entire time. What else could you ask for?

Looks Like Friedgen Trusts Hollenbach After All

Posted: Nov 6th 2006 11:45PM by Kyle Decker (author feed)
Filed under: Maryland Football, ACC

0 COMMENTS

For the longest time, I thought that Friedgen was trying to win ball games in spite of Sam Hollenbach. All the plays were run plays except for really short passes for the last few games before the Clemson game. But with the Tigers defense completely shutting down the Terps running game, it was all on Sam Hollenbach to make some plays. And after he had his fair share of that, he started calling them.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Friedgen let Hollenbach call his plays as he saw fit during the last drive of the game. Hollenbach took Ralph's freedom and made the most of it. The final play before setting up the field goal, as we all remember it, was a 12 yard pass to tight end Joey Haynos to set up a 31 yard field goal. Turns out that Friedgen's play call was a running play but Hollenbach had better ideas.

With the way that Maryland had been running, it's possible that Hollenbach made the call that saved the game. Maryland was getting stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage plenty of times during the game, and I wouldn't be surprised if Clemson geared for the run on that play as well. Instead of a 12 yard gain, imagine they got barely any yards. It would have been a 43 yard field goal instead of a 31 yard field goal. That's certainly a makeable kick for all kickers not named Mike Vanderjact, and Ennis has had a great second half of the season. However, there's more of a chance that he'd miss the field goal from 43 than 31. Hollenbach insured the win with that last play call.

The Clemson game took Hollenbach from an offensive care taker to a real quarterback. He's making decisions and making plays on the field -- he had his first good long pass in a long time, a 56 yarder to Jason Goode. From here on out, we should all be less weary when Hollenbach takes the field. When the run game was shut down, he proved he could take the game himself.

And speaking of Mike Vanderjact, former Terp and current Redskins kicker Nick Novak hit the game winner against the Cowboys. Sure, he had missed one just minutes before that he should have made, but as I predicted before he even walked on the field, Vanderjact missed a 35 yarder and gave Novak another chance. Must feel good to hit big kicks against, Nick.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your #23/24 Maryland Terrapins!

Posted: Nov 6th 2006 9:57PM by Kyle Decker (author feed)
Filed under: Maryland Football, ACC

1 COMMENT

I knew it! A win over Clemson would get Maryland that ranking that seemed unthinkingable weeks ago. The team that everyone figured was done is now one of the best 25 teams in the country for the first time in years. That itself is huge for Maryland. I guess Coach Ralph Friedgen's job is safe.

As the adage goes, with good ranking comes great responsibility. People are talking about Maryland for the first time in a long time. In the New Jersey Star Ledger, hundres of miles away from College Park, they've had multiple mentions of Maryland and a big article about their win over Clemson. Maryland has been doing excellent while no one's been talking about them. Can they live up to the hype now that there is some?

They've got Miami in College Park on Saturday at 3:30 this week. Miami has really sucked it up this year, but they're still Miami and they still have a sick defense. Since they're the only non-ranked team left on the schedule for Maryland, it would be wise for Maryland to win this game. We don't want to just be ranked for one week. More importantly, Maryland need to win the game they should because the next two -- at BC and then back home against Wake -- aren't going to be any walks in a park. Miami isn't a walk in a park either so the Terps better not over look Miami. Luckily, since it is Miami, just the name Miami should pump up the Terps.

Miami is never a given game. I think that's a law of nature or maybe it's in the Bible. So Terps fans, we need to enjoy this ranking now because the rest of the schedule is not going to make it easy to keep it.

Terps Over Come Clemson, Refs to beat Tigers by 1, Spread by 18

Posted: Nov 4th 2006 4:36PM by Kyle Decker (author feed)
Filed under: Maryland Football, ACC

7 COMMENTS

I'm lucky that I don't have vocally record these blogs because I just don't have a voice. I screamed, yelled, and swore for ten minutes after the refs overturned that safety. I threw a chair too. That was a horrible call. I'm a fair fan who will admit when a call is OK against my team. That wasn't. That call could have cost Maryland the game. Terps fans should thank Sam Hollenbach that it didn't.

Sam Hollenbach looked the best I've ever seen him. On that last drive, he was threading a needle with some of the balls he threw. The last one to Joey Haynos (my homeboy) was beautiful. He had one interception on a misread late in the first half, but otherwise, he played beautifully. The pressure was on and he didn't falter in that last drive. Dan Ennis was cool as could be when he hit the game winning 31 yarder.

If we're going to talk about Hollenbach, we have to talk about the offensive line that protected him. He was sacked a few times, but the Clemson defensive line is pretty sick. Adams was going to get his sacks. Except for the one time in the second half when the Terps settled on a field goal after Hollenbach was sacked within the Clemson 10, they protected him well all game. Weren't you just expecting him to take a nasty sack on that final drive, like against Georgia Tech? Well, this is a different team than it was against Georgia Tech. It's a good team. On a day when the running game that Ralph Friedgen loves so couldn't get started, Sam Hollenbach took it upon himself and his receiving core to do enough to beat the Tigers.

Continue Reading Terps Over Come Clemson, Refs to beat Tigers by 1, Spread by 18