tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114471292024-09-09T20:13:37.009-05:00Musings, Rants, Odes and Testimonials to Maryland SportsEsquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.comBlogger782125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-84543509514370751352014-05-02T16:04:00.001-05:002014-05-02T16:04:23.418-05:00

With the news breaking that junior-to-be guard Seth Allen has asked for, and been granted, his release it seemed appropriate to address the chaos and disarray that surrounds the Maryland program at the moment. After the mass exodus of a few weeks ago when Shaquille Clear, Roddy Peters and Nick Faust left the program Maryland fans may have hoped for a quiet offseason in preparation for their move

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-57227909002221431072014-01-28T16:06:00.000-05:002014-01-28T16:08:44.023-05:00

One of the major criticisms of Gary Williams' teams towards the end of his era at Maryland was that his teams never seemed to emphasize the 3-point shot. It was no secret that Williams despised the introduction of the 3-point shot in college basketball. Even decades after the rule was instituted he would still bemoan the over emphasis of the perimeter shot compared to old fashion basketball that

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-58304009592229977402014-01-03T12:18:00.002-05:002014-01-03T12:18:42.164-05:00

It has been longer than a while, friends. In truth my long absence has been as much to do with a rising apathy regarding Maryland's revenue sports as it has with life and work getting in the way of my writing on this blog. Where to begin? I have missed so much that perhaps it would be best to just discuss a few things I have been thinking about and perhaps touch more strategic issues in the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-44265257005645738742012-11-19T17:50:00.001-05:002012-11-19T17:50:05.971-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted on this blog but in light of today's events I felt the urge to add my thoughts to the collective on Maryland's move to the Big Ten. Back in 2010 when the conference realignment was kicking into high gear I wrote that Maryland could not and should not refuse an invite from the Big Ten if one was offered. It seems that Notre Dame's laughable half in and half

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-21155116874032486512012-02-14T11:40:00.000-05:002012-02-14T11:40:19.982-05:00

I've probably used that turn of phrase before regarding Maryland sports but I'm too lazy to look it up. Morale in Terrapin Nation is not at all time high levels. The 18 point loss to Duke in basketball reminded everyone how far the Terps are from being a top team in the ACC. The friction between Terrell Stoglin and Mark Turgeon bubbled over after the game with Stoglin taking to twitter to

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-84830721780224555812012-02-10T11:30:00.000-05:002012-02-10T11:30:05.558-05:00

Has the hype regarding the finish to the North Carolina versus Duke game gone a bit overboard? It is as if that was the first time a 3-point shot in the closing seconds won a game for a team, or the first time anyone ever came back from 10 points behind to win. The game did demonstrate that both of these squads have serious deficiencies that will probably prevent them from a deep run in

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-85982507351151638472012-02-02T11:33:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:33:38.277-05:00

Maryland's two overtime loss to Miami has to be one of the most bizarre games the Terrapins have played in the last decade. Four technical fouls were called, 47 total fouls, 5 players fouled out, Miami coach Jim Larranaga looked like he was about to keel over at any moment, and Mark Turgeon was tossed out of the game. Anyone who was worried that Turgeon was too Milquetoast for the ACC

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-37978233590549849732012-01-30T15:42:00.002-05:002012-01-30T15:46:41.080-05:00

It was an eventful week for Maryland basketball with Duke coming to College Park on Wednesday on the night when the court at Comcast Center would be named after former coach Gary Williams. The game itself turned out to be a bit of a letdown as Duke used its superior talent and Coach K out maneuvered Mark Turgeon to post another in a string of wins against the Terps. As I have written

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-38290907795912766882012-01-17T16:09:00.000-05:002012-01-17T16:09:17.020-05:00

It hasn't been pretty but Maryland has managed to squeeze out two home wins to improve their ACC record to 2-1. There have been a number of people on the radio and in the sports journalist world who have expressed surprise that Maryland is 12-4 and 2-1 in the ACC. I think Maryland has merely beaten the teams that they should have and expecting this team to lose 12 or more conference games in a

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-10456456399992038292012-01-11T11:06:00.000-05:002012-01-11T11:07:27.831-05:00

Sorry for the lack of writing the last few weeks. The holidays and a bad back have kept me from writing very much. The basketball squad had a good December against some questionable mid-major teams. Alex Len and Pe'Shon Howard returned to the lineup from suspension and injury respectively. Len proved from the start that he is a very skilled player. Len still has work to do in almost all 

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-31368000696084276372011-12-16T17:46:00.000-05:002011-12-16T17:46:13.591-05:00

In the movie Clear and Present Danger there is a scene in which the CIA's Jack Ryan is in a briefing with the President and there is a discussion among the political operatives of how to handle a potential scandal. Ryan ends up giving contrary advice and summarizes his strategy by saying, "there is no point in defusing a bomb that has already gone off." The dreadful 2-10

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-28058211998884136752011-12-05T17:27:00.001-05:002011-12-06T15:46:58.899-05:00

I thought that the game against Notre Dame would go a ways toward informing Maryland fans where this squad is in early December. Most assumed it would be a work in progress at this point even before the injury to Pe'Shon Howard and the NCAA docking Alex Len 10 games of eligibility. There have been more lows (noncompetitive losses to Iona and Alabama) than highs (the Colorado Comeback) but

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-46606430916627395722011-11-30T10:08:00.001-05:002011-12-02T15:51:12.080-05:00

I have girded myself for many news stories about a "feisty" or "scrappy" performance in a losing effort for the basketball team. It would be easy to trot out those cliches after the Terps loss to a mediocre Illinois squad last night. Certainly the effort was good for most of the game which you would expect for a primetime game on ESPN (one of only three Maryland games on the prime ESPN channel

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-49286185937557329692011-11-14T15:57:00.001-05:002011-11-14T17:08:34.967-05:00

The game against Notre Dame was a prime opportunity for the football team to get a quality win and try to end the season on a positive note. Instead the effort and execution was dreadful in a 45-21 drubbing that wasn't even that close. Starting QB Danny O'Brien was largely ineffective before breaking his arm on a scramble in the 2nd half. He is done for the year and may have played his last game

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-65278889505989312702011-11-09T17:04:00.000-05:002011-11-09T17:04:38.556-05:00

It has been a rough time recently for Maryland supporters. Gary Williams shocking retirement, the bitter divorce from Ralph Friedgen, the failed courtships of Mike Leach and Sean Miller, the hiring of Randy Edsall, the dismal performance of the football team and the prospect of a long slog of a basketball season must have most fans more than a little weary. I know personally it has been a

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-18987366977624220022011-10-28T14:47:00.002-05:002011-10-28T14:48:26.128-05:00

If you are a head coach of a revenue sport at the University of Maryland and the Washington Post's sports page is running opinion pieces about your program you had better duck and cover. Just over half way through his inaugural season in College Park Randy Edsall has learned that this media market isn't like Storrs, Connecticut. The level of scrutiny in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore&nbsp

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-7792537223273105632011-10-27T16:53:00.002-05:002011-10-27T16:53:24.203-05:00

Another year another Q&A with longtime guest of Boston College blogger Bill from Eagle In Atlanta. Check out his blog for some interesting tidbits regarding Maryland head coach Randy Edsall and his connections to Boston College.1. Boston College started off the season with 3 losses but it would be hard for any ACC program to win at Clemson and Virginia Tech which were the last two opponents

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-23350871062537204282011-10-26T12:05:00.002-05:002011-10-27T16:44:03.051-05:00

Maryland looked helpless last Saturday while getting crushed by Florida State. The defense had as bad a performance as any Maryland team since the getting run off the field by California in the 2009 opener. The game went downhill right from the kickoff as FSU scored two straight touchdowns on drives of 7 and 9 plays to open the game 14-0. This Seminole team is not stacked with NFL athletes

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-78885142200597785072011-10-18T16:35:00.001-05:002011-10-26T12:10:28.565-05:00

I think most Maryland fans anticipated a level of continuity going into this season even with longtime coach Ralph Friedgen being forced out in the offseason. Truth is very little has carried over since last season's 9-4 record. Everything from the staff, multiple starters and even the uniforms has changed. Many fans viewed QB Danny O'Brien and defensive star Kenny Tate as cornerstones of their

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-4392678152244608102011-09-30T13:52:00.000-05:002011-09-30T13:52:37.703-05:00

After the debacle against Temple head coach Randy Edsall made his first major gaffe by suggesting that the football program was undergoing a major restructuring that would take time. To be fair he never said the words "rebuilding" as some had suggested but it was a foolish thing to say on the heels of such a shambolic performance by his team in losing 38-7 at home. Edsall has taken some thinly

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-52966387019478812962011-09-20T10:02:00.001-05:002011-09-20T10:07:53.511-05:00

The loss to West Virginia was illuminating. Maryland fans learned a few things about their team in the process not all of which was negative. It is clear Danny O'Brien is still learning. Though the hype was off the charts for the quarterback coming into this season he has looked shaky the first two games. He threw for a bunch of yards against a depleted Miami defense but also had an awful

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-44937424029914014922011-09-06T09:34:00.000-05:002011-09-06T10:23:56.760-05:00

The weather may have been atrocious at Byrd stadium last night but the play on the field demonstrated there could be bright days ahead for Maryland under Randy Edsall. The new offense under Gary Crowton showed a dynamism that Maryland has not had since maybe the early years under Ralph Friedgen. It was fitting that senior Ronnie Tyler, a player who has been a personal favorite of mine, scored the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-10869049228414263962011-07-13T13:50:00.000-05:002011-07-13T13:50:33.984-05:00

If you continued to wonder how Randy Edsall was hired as the head football coach at Maryland instead of Mike Leach read this and you should have a better idea. Regardless of the merits of Leach's claims against Craig James, ESPN and Texas Tech no AD in the country would hire him with this kind of monkeys-at-the-zoo-poo-fight going on in the background.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-11941228588032586862011-05-11T10:41:00.001-05:002011-05-11T10:42:21.412-05:00

I'll certainly have more thoughts on the hire of Mark Turgeon to replace Gary Williams as the head basketball coach at the University of Maryland. My initial reaction is this is a very good hire. Calling him a "solid" hire has a whiff of condescension to it as he is almost certainly the best hire by any ACC program this off season. The only coaches in the league that have more NCAA

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-84409572654968948102011-05-09T11:28:00.000-05:002011-05-09T11:28:28.183-05:00

I was as shocked as everyone else by the sudden retirement of Gary Williams as head basketball coach at the University of Maryland. When I received a text message from a friend who is a fan of a rival ACC school I thought it was their idea of a joke. Turns out it wasn't. I still have a hard time accepting that after 22 years Gary Williams will not be coaching the basketball team this fall.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com4