Seriously, nobody is impressed with Maryland that they got rid of Ralph Friedgen only to replace him with Connecticut's Randy Edsall, who is--in a joke already stolen by several people around the internet--a younger, thinner Ralph Friedgen. The story is that Maryland "got cold feet" about the Mike Leach hire and decided to play it safe.
This makes no sense. The only reason they fired ACC Coach of the Year Friedgen was to build excitement in their fanbase. The only reason! You don't make a move to create excitement and then back off the most exciting part. There are other reasons to avoid hiring Mike Leach--his ongoing legal battles with Texas Tech and ESPN, the unattractiveness of his "system" offense for kids who want to go into the NFL--but those reasons existed two weeks ago.
The conclusion I've come to is the one I've made all the other times Leach seemed to get close to a new job, only to get turned down at the last minute. The man must give the world's worst job interview. We all know that he comes across really awkwardly on TV and as a weirdo in print interviews. Maybe when an AD faces down Leach's whole weird deal across the desk, he can no longer focus on the man's resume.
C'mon, ADs of the world. I know the whole "pirate fetish" thing might not appeal to you, but your student body will love it.
As a friend of mine pointed out: "Listening to Mike Leach talk about football is like hearing an autistic kid talk about World of Warcraft: you know he knows what he's talking about, but it's awkward as hell to listen to."
ReplyDeleteSeriously! I was so disappointed when I saw they hired someone else. I was all set to become a Maryland fan. I can't even imagine how bad his interview must be, but I'm sure it's borderline autistic. Does the fact that he can create a winning program from nothing not appeal to anyone?? Lame.
ReplyDeleteHe is a great coach who can wins games with less talented players. I dont care what kind of interview skills he lacks, the guy can win football games. Isn't that what a coach should do. The school that takes a chance on Leach will increase their record on the field and the revnue of the school
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