Baltimore Sports Blitz
Gary Crowton openly campaigning to leave Maryland
Less than a month after the disaster that was the 2011 Maryland football season ended, offensive coordinator Gary Crowton is making it no secret that he wants out of College Park. Crowton, who joined Randy Edsall's staff at Maryland after four seasons at LSU, is openly campaigning for the Colorado State head coaching job. Read more ...
Who will win more games in 2012: Edsall or Leach?
In his first season at Maryland, Randy Edsall took a wrecking ball to everything Ralph Friedgen had built at his alma mater. Edsall overhauled the offense from pro-style to a spread. He ripped the names off his players’ jerseys and the doo-rags off their heads. He chased a bunch of players from the football program, including David Mackall and maybe soon Danny O’Brien. And he lost a lot of games, including eight straight to finish 2-8. Read more ...
Maryland, Notre Dame meet in the Ugly Helmet Bowl
Notre Dame announced this week that the Fighting Irish will wear special green jerseys and gaudy 24-carat gold leaf helmets for Saturday night’s “Shamrock Series” game against Maryland at FedEx Field in Landover. Read more ...
Jerry Sandusky could have been Maryland's coach
Penn State, the State College community and the stunned sporting world outside of the Happy Valley bubble is reeling from the sex abuse allegations involving the school's former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. Read more ...
Randy Edsall calls out fans of his 2-6 Maryland team
Attendance at Byrd Stadium on Saturday for Maryland football’s 28-17 loss to Boston College was a season-low 29,945 fans. That’s paid attendance, not the actual number of lunatics who braved slushy conditions -- weather that would make postal carriers rethink their occupation -- to watch the Terps lose to the then-one-win Eagles. Read more ...
Mike Krzyzewski on Gary Williams: 'I'll miss him'
For the first time in more than two decades, the Atlantic Coast Conference's annual men's basketball media day was held without Gary Williams there to represent the University of Maryland. Williams retired in May, and at Wednesday's media day, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski talked about the void left at Maryland and in the ACC. Read more ...
Should Danny O'Brien stay at UM or should he go?
A transition period was expected when Randy Edsall arrived at Maryland to take over the football program from Ralph Friedgen. Every new coach wants to slap his stamp on his new team, even if it was one that went 9-4 in the previous season with a bowl game win. But I'm sure few saw this transition at quarterback coming. Read more ...
Davin Meggett on moral victories
"You win or you don't. Either she's pregnant or she's not." Read more ...
Which Maryland QB should start against Clemson?
The Maryland football team enters Saturday’s game against No. 8 Clemson with a 2-3 record (they probably would be 1-4 if Miami was at full strength in the season opener). At least one player has voiced his displeasure with Randy Edsall. And former coach Ralph Friedgen recently said he was ready to set his diploma on fire). Read more ...
Five for Friday: Replacements for Hank Williams Jr.
Hank Williams Jr. will have more time to spend with all of his rowdy friends now that he and ESPN have parted ways after the country music star attempted to make some sort of analogy involving Barack Obama and Adolf Hitler. ESPN says a permanent replacement for the "Monday Night Football" intro isn't likely to be named this season. In the meantime, Matt Vensel has five suggestions for a fill-in in this week's Five for Friday. Read more ...
Maryland's new uniforms have the sports blogosphere buzzing
A day after the Terps unveiled another set of new uniforms during their 32-24 win over the Miami Hurricanes, the sports blogosphere is still buzzing about Maryland’s fashion sense and not star quarterback Danny O'Brien, new head coach Randy Edsall or even Cameron Chism opting to score a pick-six instead of taking a knee. Read more ...
Am I the only one who doesn't like Maryland's new uniforms?
The Maryland football team unveiled its shiny, new Under Armour uniforms on Monday night, and at last count, Randy Edsall's squad will have 2,576 color combinations to choose from when the season begins. Read more ...
Video: Former Terps coordinator James Franklin goes bowling
One-time Maryland "coach in waiting" James Franklin is now the head football coach at Vanderbilt, where he recently decided to give his team a break from practice by taking them bowling. When he announced it, the team went crazy. No one went more bonkers than Franklin himself. Thankfully, we have video of it. Read more ...
What's the biggest question mark the Terps must answer in 2011?
The Maryland football team began practicing this week, and the debut of Randy Edsall's Terps is less than a month away. Besides their new coach, whom Maryland lured away from Connecticut, the Terps have a pair of new coordinators, new uniforms, new standards of conduct, even a new football designed by Under Armour. Read more ...
Is taking names off the backs of Maryland jerseys a big deal?
It didn't take long for new Maryland football coach Randy Edsall to lay down his laws -- and stamp out any individuality -- by telling his players that they weren't allowed to wear do-rags or hats inside the Gossett Football Team House, have their ears pierced or forget to leave their dorms and apartments without a fresh shave. Read more ...
Terps football team getting no respect from the rest of the ACC
The Maryland football team hasn’t been getting much love this offseason. In case you missed it, the Terps were picked to finish fifth in the ACC's Atlantic Division -- just one spot ahead of lowly Wake Forest -- and safety-turned-linebacker Kenny Tate was their lone representative on the preseason all-conference team. Read more ...
Is Randy Edsall a name-on-the-back-of-the-jersey guy?
If you were wondering if Randy Edsall was a "name-on-the-back-of-the-jersey guy," you now have your answer. The Maryland football coach told The Washington Post on Friday that the team will unveil its new Under Armour jerseys in late August, and they will not have the last names of players on the back of them. Read more ...
Icelandic Terps forward Hawk Palsson goes off in Sarajevo
Pe'Shon Howard isn't the only Maryland men's basketball player who has been turning heads this summer. Read more ...
Gregg Doyel says he 'went too far' while bashing Gary Williams
Remember Gregg Doyel, the CBS Sports columnist who called Gary Williams a "little bitty tiny coward runt of a man" and accused the former Maryland men's basketball coach of influencing Debbie Yow's coaching search at N.C. State? He said Monday that he "went too far and got angry and made a jerk out of myself" back in April. Read more ...
Maryland to play Kentucky at the Nets' new arena in 2012-13?
The last time the Maryland men's basketball team faced off against Kentucky was back in 2002, when the Terps beat the Wildcats, 76-68, in the Sweet 16 en route to the program's first and only national championship. Read more ...
Former Terp Kristi Toliver talks about elbowing Ketia Swanier
Former Maryland women's basketball star Kristi Toliver made it on to "Pardon the Interruption" last week, but it wasn't for the kind of sharp shooting or the slick passing she showed while leading the Terps to the national title in 2006. It was for an elbow Toliver, now with theLos Angeles Sparks, delivered in a WNBA game. Read more ...
One-time Maryland coaching candidate Mike Leach swings his sword
Six months after narrowly missing out on the Maryland head coaching job, controversial former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is back in the news. This week, Leach, who was fired at Texas Tech following alleged player misconduct during the 2009 season, released a tell-all book titled Swing Your Sword. Read more ...
Here's video of Prince William playing street hockey in Canada
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are touring Canada this week, and I imagine it's slightly less exciting than when the Beatles came across the pond back in the day. On Tuesday, Prince William, with new bride Kate Middleton standing on the sidelines, picked up a stick and challenged a 20-year-old Canadian goalie to a street hockey shootout. He was as bad at hockey as you would expect a British prince to be. [Via Deadspin] Read more ...
Maryland offensive coordinator Crowton might be fool's gold
Gary Crowton might be fool's gold. The new Maryland offensive boss comes in with a shiny resume. The man won a national title at LSU. He directed the offense for Oregon’s 2005 squad that went 10-1 and won the Fiesta Bowl behind Kellen Clemens' savvy play. Simply put, he seems like a home run. Read more ...
Mark Turgeon wants the Terps to play in Baltimore annually
Baltimore hasn’t hosted a Maryland basketball game since November 1999. But new men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon, who has already started to beef up his recruiting presence in Baltimore by meeting with city officials, is interested in bringing the Terps back to Baltimore if the university can swing it financially. Read more ...
Your turn: The best landing spot for Jordan Williams?
Chances are Maryland forward Jordan Williams will hear his name called at some point during Thursday night’s NBA draft, though you might already be in bed by the time it happens. The majority of NBA draft experts have Williams, who was named all-ACC first team as a sophomore, pegged as a second-round pick. Read more ...
Did ESPN's Scott Van Pelt tell Jordan Williams to go pro?
After a workout with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday morning, former Terps big man Jordan Williams said that ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, a Maryland grad, was among those who advised him while he mulled over entering the NBA draft. Van Pelt “was a big factor in helping me make my decision,” Williams said. Read more ...
Gary Williams on his recruiting record: 'I think it worked out OK'
To my knowledge, former Maryland men’s basketball coach Gary Williams had not commented publicly about the additions made to new coach Mark Turgeon’s staff -- specifically super recruiter Dalonte Hill -- until he appeared on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. to promote the Melwood Prince George’s County Open. Read more ...
Five for Friday: Baltimore sports bucket list
Crazy religious nut Harold Camping falsely predicted that the world would end last Saturday -- it probably wasn't a coincidence he picked Preakness Day -- but Camping has readjusted his doomsday prophesy, saying that "The Rapture" is actually going down Oct. 21. So here at Baltimore Sports Blitz, we're talking nothing for granted. In this week's Five for Friday post, Matt Vensel suggests five Baltimore area sporting events you have to attend before you die -- whether it's Oct. 21 or another doomsday. Read more ...
Turgeon talks about Hill, says he doesn't want a 'stiff' big man
New Maryland men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon is holding a teleconference Tuesday afternoon, but he chatted with Ed Norris and Steve Davis of 105.7 The Fan on Tuesday morning about what he has been up to since he was introduced as Gary Williams’ replacement two weeks ago -- and it has been a lot. Read more ...
Gary Williams to Mark Turgeon: 'You can be competitive' in ACC
At his introductory press conference last week, Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon revealed that he chatted with his predecessor, Gary Williams, before accepting the job offer from Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson. Now we have a better idea of what Williams told Turgeon. Read more ...
Did Texas A&M's new coach take a shot at Mark Turgeon?
Texas A&M introduced its new men's basketball coach, Billy Kennedy, on Monday. During the press conference, the former Murray State coach, who has made 13 stops in his 26 years on the college circuit, praised his predecessor, new Maryland coach Mark Turgeon. He then explained why the Texas A&M gig was his "dream job." In doing so, he made an interesting reference to Turgeon. Read more ...
Torrey Smith is going to miss Gary Williams' fist pumps
When I chatted with former Terps wide receiver Torrey Smith on Monday about his future with the Ravens, I had to get his take on the retirement of Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams. Read more ...
Ravens' Torrey Smith: Baltimore 'was the place I wanted to be'
When Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith lasted through the first round of last month’s NFL draft without hearing his named called, he didn’t freak out. For Smith, considered to be a fringe first-round prospect by many draft analysts, it didn’t matter when he was selected; it was which team selected him. Read more ...
Lefty Driesell thinks Mark Turgeon was a 'great choice'
Maryland men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon impressed many people -- this sports blogger included -- during Wednesday’s introductory press conference. But he made a strong impression on Lefty Driesell, who coached Maryland from 1969 to 1986, long before Turgeon was picked to replace Gary Williams. Read more ...
Getting to know new Maryland basketball coach Mark Turgeon
Before Mark Turgeon became a blip on Maryland’s radar during its frantic four-day coaching search, I admittedly knew way more about former NHL center Pierre Turgeon than I did about the former Texas A&M coach who was introduced as Maryland’s men’s basketball coach on Wednesday afternoon. Read more ...
Turgeon: Maryland is a 'a top-10 or 15 job in the country'
We haven't heard much from Mark Turgeon since Maryland tabbed him to replace Gary Williams as the school's men's basketball coach. But in an interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt on Tuesday, Turgeon said that he left Texas A&M because coaching at Maryland would give him the best chance to reach the Final Four. Read more ...
Greivis Vasquez on Gary Williams: 'I will always love him'
Former Maryland star Greivis Vasquez has never been afraid to gush about now-retired basketball coach Gary Williams and the impact he has had on his life and his career. The shimmying sharpshooter often expressed his love and adoration for Williams during their four years together in College Park. Read more ...
Five for Friday: Five dream candidates for the Maryland job
Legendary Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams earned the right to leave on his own terms, but those terms have left the Terps scrambling to find a new coach in the middle of May. We are hearing whispers about big-name coaches the school might consider for this high-profile opening. Well, here are five totally dreamy candidates for the job (hopefully Maryland AD Kevin Anderson reads my blog): Read more ...
The 'PTI' guys sound off on Gary Williams' sudden retirement
Shortly after the news broke Thursday that Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams was retiring, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" discussed his legacy. Read more ...
Your turn: What lasting image will you have of Gary Williams?
Having spent my first 24 years in Pennsylvania and given that I went to college at Penn State, where a NCAA tournament game takes a backseat to the spring football scrimmage, I didn't really begin to appreciate what outgoing Maryland coach Gary Williams had accomplished on the college basketball scene until I arrived in Baltimore five years ago. Read more ...
Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams is retiring
UPDATE: Read the Baltimore Sun story on the retirement of Gary Williams Read more ...
Jordan Williams is coming to an NBA bench near you
Maryland big man Jordan Williams is leaving College Park. The sophomore more or less confirmed on his Twitter account this afternoon the reports that he has hired an agent and is going pro, something that has been speculated the past several weeks. Read more ...
Columnist calls Williams 'a little bitty tiny coward runt of a man'
Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams passed on the opportunity to get into a verbal steel cage match with N.C. State athletic director Debbie Yow yesterday after she accused him of "sabotaging" her search for a new coach. Apparently, Yow wasn't the only one taking shots at Williams yesterday. Read more ...
Feeling the draft: Four receivers the Ravens could target
In the weeks leading up to April's NFL draft, I will highlight four players at each position whom the Ravens could target at different stages in the draft -- from their top pick to their Mr. Irrelevant. In this post, I will focus on wide receivers. Read more ...
Yow claims Williams sabotaged N.C. State coaching search
North Carolina State athletic director Debbie Yow, who feuded with men's basketball coach Gary Williams while holding the same position at Maryland, has accused Williams of sabotaging the Wolfpack's recent search for a new men's basketball coach. Read more ...
McShay thinks Ravens can land Terps' Smith in second round
Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith has been mentioned as a potential first-round pick by the Ravens in many mock drafts due to his speed, big-play ability and local ties. In his latest mock draft, ESPN's Todd McShay also projected that the Ravens would select Smith -- in the second round of the draft. Read more ...
Tourney talk: Morehead's upset, more Packer and the Tweetup
The first real day of the NCAA tournament hasn't disappointed. We've seen a few close games, a couple of buzzer-beaters and one Cinderella step forward with a big upset. And I got paid to watch it all while eating chicken wings at Hightopps, so today has been a blast (sorry if you were stuck in a cubicle). Read more ...
NFLPA's DeMaurice Smith to speak at UM commencement
DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association before it dissolved on Friday, will deliver Maryland's spring commencement address in College Park on May 19. Read more ...
Gary Williams says Terps will be in NCAA tournament in 2012
Less than 48 hours after the Terps were snubbed by the NIT selection committee -- how sad is that? -- Maryland coach Gary Williams is already looking ahead to the 2012 NCAA tournament. Read more ...
Bracket breakdown: NCAA sleepers, Cinderellas and more
The 2011 NCAA tournament officially tips off tonight with a pair of play-in games -- I'm still scratching my head at UAB and Clemson playing for a No. 12 seed -- but the bracket bonanza for most pools begins Thursday afternoon with the Round of 64. That means we have approximately 48 hours to sort through statistics, break down matchups and finalize our brackets. Read more ...
Billy Packer says Terps 'should never be out of the top 25'
The Maryland men will be heavy underdogs tonight when they play Duke in the second round of the ACC tournament. The Terps are closer to the NIT bubble than the NCAA bubble, and unless they win four in a row this weekend, they will likely be making their fourth NIT apperance in seven years. Read more ...
Your turn: Three things that must go right for the Terps
The final result was closer than it should have been, but Maryland advanced to the second round of the ACC tournament last night by beating N.C. State, 75-67. Jordan Williams carried the load offensively, scoring 16 points and adding 13 rebounds. Read more ...
Photo gallery: Angry Gary Williams pictures
The Terps will take the court tonight for the opening round of the ACC tournament. But first, let's take a look back on the regular season with this photo gallery of Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams channeling his inner Hulk. Read more ...
Maryland's Jordan Williams 'not even thinking about' the NBA
Maryland big man Jordan Williams, who was named to the all-ACC first team on Monday, is in Greensboro, N.C. prepping for this week's ACC tournament. His sophomore season nearly over, Williams said Wednesday that he isn't thinking about his NBA prospects at the moment. Read more ...
Your turn: Are you done watching the Terps this season?
The Maryland men's basketball team lost to lowly Virginia on Saturday, the Terps' third straight loss. Now at this week's ACC tournament, the Terps (18-13, 7-9 ACC) will have to go on an improbable run to the title to avoid a trip to the NITs. Read more ...
Terps still have fight left in them, but time has run out
Written off by many a couple of weeks ago, Maryland kept fighting, like always, and picked up a pair of critical wins over N.C. State and Florida State. The Terps kept slugging away Sunday night, but they had no answer for the Tar Heels' size and length. Read more ...
Torrey Smith 'anxious' to show off his skills at the NFL combine
Torrey Smith has been gearing up for the NFL's pre-draft festivities since the Terps' season ended in December. The Maryland wide receiver talked about what he needs to do to impress scouts at this week's scouting combine during a Wednesday appearance on ESPN Radio's "The Scott Van Pelt Show." Read more ...
Randy Edsall's recruiting pitch for Maryland's top prospects
In the last few years of the Ralph Friedgen era, Maryland struggled to lure the top local talent to College Park. That's something new coach Randy Edsall, who transitioned Connecticut from Div. I-FCS to a BCS bowl, will try to change as he places his stamp on the football program. Read more ...
Williams and Stoglin could be dynamic tag-team for Terps
Terrell Stoglin poured in 25 points Sunday during Maryland's critical 87-80 victory over N.C. State, stealing a little bit of the spotlight from Grievis Vasquez, who was on hand at Comcast Center to see his jersey go into the rafters. Read more ...
Video: Here's J.J. Redick getting his ankles broken
It's been a rough week for Terps fans with Randy Shannon turning down an offer to be Maryland's defensive coordinator and the men's basketball team losing to Virginia Tech. This video of J.J. Redick getting juked out of his sneakers should cheer you up. Read more ...
Get your red pens out: grading the Randy Edsall hire
Many angry Maryland fans handed out a big red "F" when the Terps hired Randy Edsall to be their football coach last month -- mainly because they wanted Mike Leach and his high-flying offense. But Yahoo's Matt Hinton liked the move, giving them a "B" for the hire. Read more ...
Maryland men must make a statement against Virginia Tech
With their NCAA tournament window rapidly sliding shut, the Terps need a win over the Virginia Tech Hokies tonight to prevent it from slamming on their fingers. Read more ...
NFL mock draft: Who will the Ravens select at No. 26?
The 2010 NFL season is over and it's unclear if and when the 2011 season will start, but I have good news for Ravens fans (well, besides the Steelers losing to the Packers in the Super Bowl). Read more ...
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