Dexter McDougle
When he addressed the media for the first time this season Aug. 5, Terrapins football coach Randy Edsall often spoke of his desire for accountability from his players. He could see it already, with players holding not only themselves to high standards but also one another.
In the early days of preseason practice, it’s shining through.
After Tuesday’s practice, cornerback Dexter McDougle led his fellow defensive backs in pushups because he and another player had miscues during the session.
“It’s a lot of intensity out there,” McDougle said. “Guys flying around to the ball. I feel like we’ve come more together as a team, especially as a defense. We’re holding each other accountable out there, more accountability.”
McDougle said the idea didn’t come directly from the coaches, but the coaches wanted the team to do it themselves. Instead of coaches riding the players on mistakes, the players put the onus for success on one another.
“We hear it from the coaches all the time, but when you hear it from one of your teammates, you don’t want to let your teammate down,” McDougle said. “I just feel like it’s one of the staples of our team now. We don’t want to let each other down. We don’t want to take a play off when you know your teammate is going hard. You don’t want to be that reason, so the accountability is definitely something that we feel like is going to help us this year.”
TERPS NOTE: The Terps hosted four families from the Casey Cares Foundation at practice Tuesday. Casey Cares provides personalized programs for critically ill children and family members. The families watched practice from the sideline, met and took photos with Edsall and ate dinner with the team in Gossett Team House.
