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.
"Edsall's not exciting; fans aren't going to start flocking in droves for 8-4 runs to the Champs Sports Bowl," Hinton wrote in this post on his Dr. Saturday blog. "But if he gives Maryland the decade Friedgen did -- that is, six eight-win seasons, seven bowl games and rare conference championship -- this is a good hire."
It was not a sexy hire, though, which Hinton believes is the biggest drawback to the hire.
"Well, he isn't Mike Leach," he wrote. "In fact, Edsall is more like a younger version of [former Maryland coach Ralph] Friedgen. ... For a program allegedly looking to spark dwindling interest and attendance, it's a steady-as-she-goes hire; at least Leach -- who was reportedly one step shy of measuring Friedgen's office for pirate drapes before Christmas -- would have been a wild card, which is only one of the reasons he would have immediately energized the apathetic fan base with the promise of the most wide-open offense the ACC has ever seen."
Hinton pretty much nailed this one (I wrote this back when Edsall was hired). But I'd make a slight alteration to the letter grade and give Maryland a "B-" for replacing Friedgen with a young, sleeker version of the Fridge.
Now that we've had a few weeks to let this all settle in -- and Edsall has had time to fill out his staff -- how would you grade the hire? Vote in the poll on the left rail and leave your explanation in the comments section.