Coach Friedgen, Coach Franklin, Coach Billick

With the loss today at Duke, MD has fallen to 2-6 overall, and 1-3 in ACC play.

While Duke has improved quickly under Coach Cutcliffe, losing to Duke is still embarrassing.

The remaining four-games of the 2009 season are at NCST, VaTech at home, at Florida State, and Boston College at-home.

It is extremely tough to envision Maryland winning any of those games. If you close this season out at 2-10 overall, and 1-7 in conference-play, how can Coach Friedgen return as Head Coach for the 2010 season?

In the pre-season, I projected this team to go 8-4, 5-3 in the ACC. Obviously I was completely wrong about this team. In my entire life of following-sports, I have never been more wrong about a team. I looked at the roster, and while I saw the obvious questions on both lines, I believed in the returning skill position talent, and that Coach Don Brown’s schemes would bring a more attacking defense.

Others did not share my optimism, but nor did they believe such a collapse was going to occur. I interviewed two National College Football writers in Mr. Phil Steele, and Mr. Todd Helmick. Mr. Steele projected the Terps to finish 6-6 overall, and 3-5 in the ACC. Mr. Helmick also projected MD to finish 6-6.

To me, 6 wins was the absolute worst that could be accomplished this year. It is simply unfathomable to me, that MD is 0-5 against Middle Tennessee State, Rutgers, Wake Forest, Virginia, and Duke. Out of that group, only Rutgers might have equal or better talent. Meaning MD has lost 5 games to teams with equal, or inferior talent. That is just not acceptable, and the Coaching staff has to be held responsible.

I have said this before, but I will state it again. If you are a fan of Maryland, you should be a fan of Friedgen. It bears repeating, that prior to his hire, Maryland had been to 1 bowl game in the 15 previous seasons. Since he was hired, the Terps have been to 6 bowl-games, and won 4. He helped improve the facilities, attendance, and fund-raising.

While people like to state that he was only able to compete with Ron Vanderlinden’s recruits, the truth is Friedgen’s recent recruiting has been better than advertised.

Here are the Terps annual recruiting-rankings according to Rivals.com, during the past-five years:

Maryland
2009: 28th
2008: 38th
2007: 35th
2006: 29th
2005: 16th

= Average class ranking of 29th.

If you think that is an unacceptable average-ranking, I believe you have expectations that are out of scale with reality for this program.

The HS talent of Maryland, and D.C. continues to improve, but this is not Western PA, or Ohio; let alone Georgia, Florida, Texas, or California.

The Terps are in a region that regularly competes against West Virginia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers for BCS D1 talent.

The Terps will continue to get their share of talent, but those other schools will continue to poach MD targets as-well.

I do not question the talent that is coming into College Park – I question the production, and progression of the talent that has been brought-in, which again falls on the Coaching staff.

Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow has a couple of ‘Chicken and Egg,’ arguments that she is going to have to weigh-out. The University has not sold all of the suites in the newly renovated Tyser Tower. As an Athletic Department, there is discussion if there will have to be a cut in some of the Athletic programs offered.

Even if Yow believed a Coaching change was in-order, is the Athletic Department financially sound enough to pay Friedgen to not Coach? If a change was made to Head Coach in waiting James Franklin, are Corporations going to line-up to buy the remaining suites? Are you going to gain additional season-ticket sales, with the promotion of Franklin? The offense is struggling. Does promoting the man in charge of the offense due anything to improve the morale of the fan-base?

If you wanted to look elsewhere from Franklin, does the Athletic Department have the ability to pay Franklin the $1M owed to him, pay Friedgen for not coaching, and sign another HC with any existing pedigree?

If the University of Maryland asked Coach Friedgen to step-down, and decided that Coach Franklin was not the man to inherit the program; I can only think of one name that could truly elevate the Terps to a new-level.

That man, is former Ravens Head Coach Brian Billick.

Billick is not an offensive genius, but he has all the tools to be a dominating college coach.

He is exceptional with dealing with the media, and I believe he would be a superior recruiter.
I can picture him going into the homes of recruits, and flashing his Super Bowl ring. Reminding those recruits of his 85-67 career record in the NFL, and how he has what it takes to prepare players for that next-level.

Billick is a master-motivator, whose teams always played hard. While stories get old at the professional-level, in college the players always change, and the stories stay fresh.

To me, Billick’s best Coaching job game with his youngest-team, two years after the Super Bowl, when he found a way to make that group competitive.

Billick has a lot of ties to local business, which could help with fund-raising.

After being fired by the Ravens, Billick has made the decision to continue living in Maryland, saying he loves it here. He has an existing relationship with Gary Williams, and him and Ravens owner (and major Terp contributor) Steve Biscotti have stayed friendly as well.

Biscotti obviously will not decide the next Maryland Head Coach, but his $$$ might let him give his opinion.

I guess the only problem with the scenario I have concocted, is that Billick told me directly he does not see himself stepping back to the College game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzxOjH78mV0

You can see Billick’s response to my question at around the 3 minute-mark of the above YouTube link.

I had limited time that night, but I think there is a further argument that could be made to him.

“Coach Billick, it has been said that you want to coach again. This is your 2nd-year out of the league, and there have not been numerous suitors banging down your doors. You could come to Maryland, and continue to live in your house. You would not make as much as you did in the NFL, but you would make more than you do combined working with the NFL Network, and Fox Sports. The other benefit is that you would not being working as obscene a schedule as you did at the professional-level. You wrote the book Competitive Leadership, which is certainly applicable to business; but also to young-men who need to be developed.”

Maybe you make that argument to Billick, and he turns you down. I still think it would be a worth-while discussion to have.

Regardless of who is the Coach next-season, I continue to believe a quick turn-around is possible. Check-out the link below for a look at what the roster could look like.

http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2009/10/terps-football-2010-what-roster-could.html