When the Terrapin football team kicks off its spring practice slate today, the uncertainty and questions surrounding the Terps won’t be much different from those faced by other programs across the country.
But after a roller-coaster offseason, the Terps’ situation is a unique one. The team’s practice this afternoon will mark its first time in pads under coach Randy Edsall, who is charged with sustaining the progress former coach Ralph Friedgen built with last season’s 9-4 finish before having his contract bought out.
Despite the considerable pressure, Edsall was brimming with confidence as he addressed the media Friday.
“As we look at that, I’m excited about the direction we are heading, what we’ve accomplished thus far since we got this started,” said Edsall, who was named Terp coach in January after leading Connecticut to its first-ever BCS bowl appearance. “Would I like to be farther along? Yes. But as a perfectionist, it doesn’t happen overnight.
“It’s a process that we have to continue to go through. But I’ve been very pleased with the process and these young men in terms of their ability to grasp and understand what this program wants and stands for as we continue to move forward.”
Known in recent years for a pounding, grind-it-out running game that catered to the strengths of star running backs Donald Brown and Jordan Todman, Edsall said he wasn’t locked into any style of play. Instead, he explained, he’s searching for “Maryland’s system.”
“We’ll find out — what do we do best? And that’s what we’ll find out this spring,” Edsall said.
QUALITY UNDER CENTER
The Terps have spots left vacant by departures of one kind or another up and down their roster. One position that Edsall feels comfortable with, though, is perhaps the most important on the field.
ACC Rookie of the Year Danny O’Brien is set to return at quarterback for the Terps after a breakout year in which he finished sixth in the conference in passing yards per game.
While O’Brien’s favorite target, wide receiver Torrey Smith, is among the departed after forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL Draft, a continuation of the redshirt freshman’s solid play down the stretch last season likely would establish O’Brien as the team’s unquestioned offensive leader.
The young signal caller will become all the more important under Edsall, who built a prolific passing attack at Connecticut with former quarterback Dan Orlovsky.
“He’s a guy who is a student of the game. He’s a leader,” Edsall said of O’Brien. “What he’s got to do is go out there and work to be better, learn a new system and be a leader on the football team. Everything I’ve seen from him so far I like.”
Quarterback Jamarr Robinson, who started the first three games last season before yielding the starting job to O’Brien, has left the program, but Edsall said that he’s also comfortable with backups C.J. Brown and Tyler Smith.
TATE ON THE MOVE
Even as Kenny Tate was listed as the Terps’ safety for all of last season, the playmaker rarely found himself deep in coverage.
On Friday, Edsall announced a switch in position for the All-ACC selection that would further cement him as a threat around the line of scrimmage. The junior, who checks in at an imposing 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, will play a hybrid linebacker-safety position, known as a “star,” in the upcoming season.
Tate, who passed up an opportunity to enter the NFL Draft after a breakout season in which he amassed 7.7 tackles per game, three interceptions and 3.5 sacks, has shown a nose for the ball around the line of scrimmage throughout his career, most notably with his game-clinching, goal-line tackle against Navy in September.
“When you watch the tape of Kenny from a year ago, almost 90 percent of the time he was playing down,” Edsall said. “He wasn’t playing back in the deep half, the quarters or a post player. When you take a look at his abilities, he’s better suited to being a linebacker.”
Also on the move will be David Mackall (linebacker to defensive line) and Mario Rowson (defensive back to linebacker).
INJURY REPORT
The early injury report for the Terps largely concerns those charged with protecting O’Brien, as three linemen and two tight ends will be either limited or held out when practice starts today.
Tackle Pete DeSouza is the most notable name on the early injury list that Edsall presented Friday. DeSouza is still recovering from multiple leg fractures suffered in a scooter accident in October.
On the defensive side of the ball, Edsall said end Marcus Whitfield will be limited initially, while defensive back Avery Graham will miss spring practice due to a shoulder injury.
Graham, Edsall said, will instead spend the spring working out with Terp track and field coach Andrew Valmon, who was recently named the coach of the U.S. men’s track and field team for the 2012 Olympic Games. Graham was an acomplished sprinter at Clarksburg High School.
“That’s all part of my team concept here,” Edsall said. “I want to utilize all the resources that we have available to make our student-athletes the best they can be.”
cwalsh@umdbk.com
