Here are some thoughts on Maryland basketball's offensive surge and Maryland football's most recent hire:
• Is it just me, or has Maryland basketball sort of reinvented itself offensively? Is this Terps 2.0?
Consider that in its first 10 ACC games, Maryland averaged 71.4 points. But in the past three, the number has risen to 82.7. Terrell Stoglin and Dino Gregory have both upped their scoring significantly, and Pe'Shon Howard looks increasingly confident.
I'm curious to see whether Maryland can sustain these numbers as it makes its push for an NCAA tournament bid. One of the happiest guys has got to be Jordan Williams, who had been carrying much of the scoring load himself.
• One of the memorable reader posts of the past few months was this one after defensive coordinator Don Brown left for Connecticut on Feb. 4: "Beginning of the end of the Edsall era."
Wasn't Edsall just hired on Jan. 2? The man hasn't coached a spring practice yet. He's barely had time to hang photos of the wife and kids in the football office or determine the best place on campus to get lunch.
I know some fans were disappointed that Randy Shannon or Larry Johnson Sr. didn't end up replacing Brown as Edsall's top defensive guy. Maryland considered Shannon and Johnson because it had good reason to believe there was (or in Johnson's case might be) interest from them in the job. But the staff would dispute the perception that it doesn't have absolute confidence in Todd Bradford.
Here's the thing about Bradford -- you may not have heard of him.
I know fans will ultimately form judgments about him and debate the merits of his defense. That's what passionate supporters do. But is criticism warranted because he's lesser known? I get that fans want to see more excitement surrounding the program. If they were merely looking for a name, they could hire Britney Spears. But if winning is the ultimate goal, it seems fair to give the guy a chance.
