Good Offensive Head Coach Doesn't Mean Good Offense

I've said it plenty of times now, and it's not that I'm getting impatient, I'm just getting nervous.

Rex Ryan should be head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.

Now, out of love for my team, I did some research and you might be surprised at what I found. All of this is simple information displayed in a way that shows an interesting trend: offensive coaching hires have little or no bearing on offensive performance.

I was reading an article the other day on how offensive-minded coaching hires tend to turn out. Results are not good. Let's just put a couple hires out there: Cam Cameron, Bobby Petrino, Steve Spurrier, Norv Turner, Steve Marriucci in Detroit, and Brian Billick himself.

The only decent head coaches in the league right now that I can think of that had offensive backgrounds are Mike Holmgren, Joe Gibbs, Andy Reid and Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan. Interestingly enough, all of those guys are tenured and all of them except Gibbs falls under the Bill Walsh coaching tree. That doesn't seem to be a coincidence.

Let's delve further - The Top 10 offenses in the NFL this season vs. their head coach's background:

10) Bengals: Marvin Lewis, D-coordinator for the Ravens
9) Seahawks: Mike Holgren, O-coordinator for the 49ers
8) Browns: Romeo Crennell, D-coordinator for the Patriots
7) Jaguars: Jack Del Rio, D-coordinator for the Panthers
6) Eagles: Andy Reid, O-assistant/QB coach for the Packers
5) Colts: Tony Dungy, D-coordinator for the Vikings
4) Saints: Sean Payton, O-coordinator for the Cowboys
3) Cowboys: Wade Phillips, D-coordinator for the Chargers
2) Packers: Mike McCarthy, O-coordinator for the 49ers
1) Patriots: Bill Belichick, D-coordinator for the Jets

There are actually more defensive coaches (6) than offensive ones (4) on the OFFENSE LIST!

Plus, if you look at the bottom half of that same list, you should count 8 coaches (Gruden, Turner, Billick, Petrino, Linehan, Kiffin, Cameron, Jauron) with offensive backgrounds. What are these guys really contributing if their offenses aren't any good?

Alright, maybe that last statement was a little harsh, but what I'm trying to say is that hiring an offensive-minded head coach has little to no bearing on how that offense performs under his tenure. Brian Billick led an offense in Minnesota that set a record for scoring the year before he got hired. His offense finished in the top half exactly once.

Hiring guys like Jason Garrett, Rob Chudzinski, Jim Caldwell, Brain Schottenheimer or Josh McDaniels would be fresh and might get people excited, but first of all, none of those guys have a lot of experience. The only other thing that they bring to the table is offense, and that doesn't always pan out, does it?

The players want Rex Ryan. Maybe "discipline" is not so much the answer as bringing in a figure to respect. We know the players respect Rex Ryan and what he's done for the defense - and proving your worth is important to the clubhouse vets. He doesn't need to do anything more to prove himself to this team.

All I'm saying is that the Ravens are and will be a defensive team. We might as well get a defensive coach, like the Steelers did last year, or the Bears did with Lovie Smith, or the Titans did with Jeff Fisher, or the Jags did with Jack Del Rio. Defensive teams can do well with defensive head coaches.

Just step up and make the guy head coach already. Then step up and hire a big-time offensive coordinator to really get the offense rolling. You can do it, Bisciotti. I know you can.

Don't Peak Yet

Maryland women continued their dominance today, stomping Clemson 110-46.

Yes, you read that correctly. It was a hearty stomping - good for second best in team history. Brenda Frese called the game "thoroughly entertaining." What did the Clemson coach think?

I just would've liked to have competed a little better. They probably get more work done in practice than they probably did today against us because I just didn't feel like we competed like we wanted to.

Yes, I think it would've been reasonable to expect that your team would lose by less than 64 points.

The Lady Terps are on fire. This win follows an 83-49 victory over a competitive Wake Forest team. I'm not sure what to say - teams don't get beat this badly.

However, we aren't the only badass team on the block. UConn has beaten every team they've played this season by double digits. In fact, the only team that got within 25 points of them was then-No. 4 Stanford, who's already knocked off Tennessee. Speaking of Tennessee, they aren't as good as UConn, but they certainly not bad, with huge wins over good DePaul and Notre Dame squads recently.

All I hope is that the Lady Terps are playing with an eye to the postseason. I'm almost sure that they'll be able to pick up a high seed, most likely a No. 1 spot. So don't wear out the tires right now. Save some of that emotion for March, when it matters and when Frese will be off the court and in the delivery room.

We need that fire. Bring it against Duke. Bring it against UNC. Bring it in the ACC tournament. But save some madness for March. We don't need to peak in January.

It should be noted that this is my only negative observation of this team. That makes them pretty damn good. And for what it's worth, I definitely think they'll win a title this year.

Go Terps!

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun

Three Games is a Winning Streak

So Maryland men won again yesterday, taking out the Charlotte 49ers in a close game that wasn't so close most of the time, 76-72.

One important thing: It was a road game. It's the first game Maryland has won on the road or in a neutral site. And Charlotte is not terrible, either - they've beaten Davidson, Southern Illinois (NCAA tournament teams last year) and Wake Forest (an opponent we're eyeing next week). We would've had them beaten by a lot, but I understand we had a sloppy second half. I know Gary is probably upset, because good teams have complete wins - they don't let up with a big lead.

I wasn't there, I can only look at the box score. Some quick hits:

- James Gist finally came out of hiding with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Greivis was behind him with 24 points and 5 assists.

- We got outrebounded and lost the turnover battle again. This cannot keep happening. Boom had 5 turnovers and 5 rebounds. I'm willing to give him a mulligan, but he's gotta hold onto that ball.

- Apparently we either played defense or Charlotte's leading scorer Leemire Goldwire had the worst off-day ever, going 3-for-17 on the day. The Baltimore Sun said Greivis provided most of the defense on Goldwire.

- We went 6-of-16 from 3-point range. Not too bad ... until you consider James Gist made two of those. That won't happen every game. Recently only Vasquez has been a consistent deep shooter and Hayes has been the only other guy who can make them. No one else seems to be contributing in this area.

Well, we've heard all of that before. Now Maryland sets itself to play Holy Cross at home on Tuesday. This will be a test. Plus, I'm bringing my family to watch the game - let's see if the Terps can handle the added pressure.

Go Terps! Win one for my mom!

Photo Credit: AP

HUGE Terp Round-Up

Oh the things that are going on right now! It is a wonderful time to love sports at the University of Maryland! Being a Terp is not all about men's basketball. Let's look at what I mean ...

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The girls have quietly assembled one of the best seasons this year. They are the only team in the country so far with 16 wins, and they are showing that their record means something. They beat Wake Forest last night, 83-49, and led by 34 at the half. Wake Forest was previously 12-2. That's serious business.

Maryland is ranked No. 5 in the country, but they're about to be No. 4 at least after a Standford loss to UCLA. Their ranking also reflects their statistics in the entire country:

- No. 8 in scoring
- No. 9 in scoring margin
- No. 2 in field goal percentage
- No. 7 in rebound margin
- No. 1 in three-point FG percentage (a spicy 45.3%)

Kristi Toliver is one of the best players on the team (now that I think about it, the whole starting five is dominant) and has really kicked up her game. She is No. 3 nationally in assists, has better than a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnrover ratio, and is jacking up threes at over 47% accuracy, so I guess I should use a more graceful verb than "jacking."

This is a team of she-beasts (metaphorically and spiritually more than physically) that is looking to romp teams, not just beat 'em. If we tighten up defense, we have a good shot at the title. Beware, UConn, Tennessee and Rutgers will all be waiting for us in the NCAAs, and division foe UNC lurks in March as well.

Plus they work in the community and their coach is having twins! What's not to like about this team?

WRESTLING

Yes, I'm surprised they are making an appearance as well.

People who pay attention to wrestling noticed the program was coming around after the hire of much-ballyhoed Pat Santoro. Last season, the squad went undefeated in ACC play and set a school record for wins at 17-5. Now they're ranked No. 22 in the country and have two wrestlers in the top-10 of their weight classes.

The Terps currently sit at 7-3, with all their losses at the hands of ranked teams, with two now sitting in the top five. Out of their remaining matches, only one more team is ranked (No. 21 Navy) and the ACC championships are at College Park - sounds like another good season in the works.

Watch out for Mike Letts (174), Hudson Taylor(197) and Josh Haines(184) who are all ranked in their weight classes. They're young, too: two sophomores and a junior, respectively. Maryland is a wrestling power in the making. They compete in the same building as basketball. That should make it easy for you to remember.

RECRUITS

Terp recruits are doin' it up big this season in bball.

As Recruiting Report reports, Sean Mosley is having an excellent senior year at St. Francis, most recently dropping 34 points in a 70-54 beating of John Carroll. For those of you who aren't very good at math, that's almost half the team's points.

High school statistics are spotty, but two games ago, it was reported that he averaged 25.3 points per game, and with added totals of 30 and 34 since then, that puts Sugar Sean a little over 26 ppg with an extra 8 boards per game. Nasty. For reference, Cliff Tucker averaged 21.4 ppg his senior year and Adrian Bowie had 14.6 ppg. Former Terp Mike Jones averaged 24.6 ppg his senior year, and he was a Parade All-American. And Mosley is not just a potent scorer - he's earned a reputation as a hustler and a perfectionist. He's got a lot of promise and I don't think he'll be as disappointing as Jones was (in terms of potential).

Also, I've noticed that more than a few people out there have been looking for info on Terp 2009 prospect Jin Soo Kim, the Korean American coming to Maryland. Let me tell you, it isn't easy to find stuff about him. There doesn't appear to be a Connecticut newspaper that covers the games and no recruiting site has game-by-game stats.

After a good half-hour of searching, I finally examined South Kent's athletic page more carefully and they have summaries of most of their games with the leading scorers and contributers. All you do is click on the schedule sidebar for each game's summary. The good news is Jin Soo Kim is on most of them. His point totals in the last couple games: 24 against Bridgton, 11 against Patterson, 8 against Thomas More, 25 against Findley, 16 against Vanier. Inconsistent, yes, but he plays on an all-star team, so numbers will vary if you aren't the No. 1 guy. Also, in the Findley summary, the site says, "Jin Soo played an all-around great game, playing very good defense and rebounding the ball as well."

Also, in case you haven't heard, watch the U.S. Army All-American Game at 12 noon on NBC to get a glimpse of wide receiver and UMD target Kenny Tate. Matt Bracken talked about him in his feature on our site and there was some good chatter about him in practice sessions for the game.

See, there's always reasons to be optimistic about being a Terp. Sometimes you just have to look really, really, really hard.

Go Terps!

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun, UMTerps.com

Bill Cowher is not going to save the Ravens

Alright, I woke up to Bill Cowher on the front page of the sports section of The Sun, and that's just plain unpleasant. I went on to read Rick Maese's column about why The Chin is the best option for "a quick turnaround."

Alright, let's dispel the fantasies.

1) Bill Cowher said he's not going to coach next year, and even though people change their mind, that's never a good sign.

2) Steve Bisciotti would probably have to make Cowher the highest paid coach in the league, somewhere around $6 or $7 million a year. Unfortunately Bisciotti has the highest-paid non-coach in the league, to the tune of 15 million dollars over the next three years. That's the worst Baltimore contract problem since Albert Belle. He's not gonna spend the money.

3) Cowher was coach in Pittsburgh for 15 years. Don't doubt his loyalty to his former fan base or the Rooneys, his former bosses. He was the longest-tenured coach in the NFL for awhile, and since the Steelers are division rivals, he might have a sympathetic ear to some people back in Pittsburgh. Look at those pictures - you think that doesn't still make him feel emotional?

4) Even if he does become head coach, think about this: Kelly Gregg, Jonathan Ogden, Mike Flynn, Ray Lewis, Steve McNair, Derrick Mason, Trevor Pryce and Samari Rolle all are or should be thinking about retirement. I guarantee that if the Ravens hire Bill Cowher, a bunch of those guys don't come back. Our camps need to be harder, but veterans with older bodies, particularly Ogden, Gregg and Flynn, aren't going to want to submit themselves to a hard Cowher-coached camp. So even if we get the guy, we lose a lot of experienced personnel, thus making success harder to achieve next year.

5) Even the guys who aren't retiring: Do you think those veterans will take kindly to a tough camp after years of Camp Cupcake and being able to go home at night? I don't think a lot of players will respond to that. It's not Cowher's fault or Bisciotti's fault, I just think that's how it will be. The dreams of "discipline in Baltimore" are not legitimate because older players just don't give a damn. We have personnel that will respond to a player's coach. Let me pose it to you in a different way: If Cowher tells Ray to drop and give him 20, do you think Ray cares?

Cowher isn't coming, and he shouldn't come. There is a time and place for his style and I can't really argue with his success, but he's not going to come and even if he did, our team is structured in such a way that the response would not be as positive as Maese suggests.

Erin Henderson to leave for the NFL

Maryland linebacker Erin Henderson, a Butkus award semi-finalist, announced yesterday that he's throwing his hat into the ring of the NFL Draft. The move was definitely not expected - the possibility was lurking throughout the season and his exit was probably hastened by threat of injury and the idea that he has nothing left to prove. Plus, it was kind of a big hint that he just graduated at the end of last semester.

In a statement to the press, he said:

After the first four or five games [this season], I kind of already knew," Henderson said. "But I just didn't want it to be a media thing.

That makes sense. I think it shows a lot of maturity that someone could be so tight-lipped about such a personal decision to honor the interests of a team. I'm pretty sure he didn't talk about it at all until after the regular season. I felt that often, Erin Henderson seemed to be the only person on the field who wrapped up correctly and could stop the run. It says a lot about him that he always tried when he was on the field and played despite multiple injuries that could've endangered his future. Henderson led the ACC in tackles per game with 11.1 this season, as reported by the Diamondback. I only wish him a bright future and acknowledge that this is the smartest thing he could've done for himself.

Dave Philistin will likely be the replacement as leader of the linebacking corps and the defense. He, too, can tackle, as demonstrated by his 21 tackles against Georgia Tech this season. Actually, the Terps defense is set to lose a bunch of seniors at defensive tackle and in the secondary. We'll see how that one goes. I think the Fridge is going to have another interesting year in 2008.

Photo Credits: Washington Post, Washington Post Express

Freshman Review Updates

Tonight, I watched a blowout against Savannah State and I had a few things to add/revise to my earlier post since every Terp on the roster got to play. Plus, a few more observations. Here's the stats and away we go:
CLIFF TUCKER - I really mean it; this kid will be a star in this class. He's athletic and quick - witness 4 steals in the game, and he had other opportunities that he almost converted.

BRAXTON DUPREE - His minutes continue to shrink. He has moves but his inability to play above the basket hurts: On one play, he was blocked on layups twice in a row before throwing up a third try that clanked.

ADRIAN BOWIE - Actually one of the better backups tonight, going 3-for-4 and getting 3 steals. I was nervous when he was running the point. Also has some hops: Among his highlights were a fast-break dunk and a silky smooth reverse layup. He's 6'2, in case you're wondering ... and that might be a generous assessment.

SHANE WALKER - Reprised in his role as Gist's main backup, but only managed a personal foul and one made free throw. We'll see how he goes.
DINO GREGORY - I think he has more potential than I suggested the other day, but his size will probably be a factor in his minutes in the future. But still a great hustler and player. After Dave Neal graduates, he'll probably take the mantle of People's Champ.

JEROME BURNEY - I really question the logic of putting in one of your most impressive physical specimens in last, even after the walk-ons. I was with two friends for the game, and when Burney came in, one said, "Whoa, who is that dude? He's huge!" That's what I always think. But he only got two minutes tonight, the least of anyone. And yet he seems like the best candidate to fill in at power forward next season. We aren't even going to give him garbage minutes over Jason McAlpin?

Along those lines, Maryland recruiting classes are so congested right now, I heard it suggested here and there that someone might transfer from the team. I hope Gary is mindful of the talent we could lose if we don't play them enough over our walk-ons. I'm sure some players are mindful that we have a 4-star guard and a 4-star forward/center coming next year, and playing very limited minutes might discourage them. As a disclaimer, I offer no evidence that anyone is transferring, but don't be surprised if it happens. Only four guys "graduate"(the quotes indicate that I hope they graduate) in the next two years - that means the talent will be stockpiled in such a way that not everyone will get to play. Everyone wants to play.

P.S. - Burney just posted a Facebook status report (tacky, I know) that any rumors of him leaving are false. The guy does seem to like Maryland - I see him around and about all the time.

Other observations:

- Only 2-of-9 from 3-point land will not get the job done for the season. It's been a problem all year.

- This is one game that I wasn't actually totally satisfied with the performance of Greivis Vasquez. 13 pts, 6 reb and 6 dimes aren't bad, but his 4 turnovers were - most were just the result of poor concentration, which actually seemed to be a problem for the whole team in the second half, believe it or not. I mean, you can't be upset about how a team plays when they blow someone out, but a better team will take advantage of you if you let down as much as we did in the second half.

- Similarly, we shouldn't only have a 7-rebound edge against a team as small as Savannah State. They had four players on their roster taller than 6'7, and two of those guys were at the end of the bench. Some of those balls come down to hustle and concentration.

- A lot of good execution in the first half, however. Crisp passing to the post was a key and a lot of people did a good job finding the open man instead of jumping on bad opportunities to score themselves. Vasquez and Hayes had 6 dishes each.

I think overall, the performances are improving. But the Terps will have a trial by fire against a Holy Cross team that went to the NCAA tournament last year and is currently 8-3, including a win over Ohio University, a team we had trouble with already this season. Bill Simmons will be tuning in to watch his alma mater - it's the least we can do to disappoint him.

Go Terps!

Photo Credits: The Baltimore Sun

Oh, Chris Bosh

And we all thought Gilbert Arenas was desperate for trying to get into the All-Star game with an injury. Chris Bosh is having a decent year relative to other East forwards, but no way he'll beat out Lebron or Garnett, both of whom are leading voting this year and playing out of their minds, and I think Antwan Jamison (averaging 22 and 10 and leading the Wiz sans Hibachi) and Paul Pierce (Boston's leading scorer) will help fill out the rest of the All-Star roster. Bosh has a good shot of getting in, but ultimately, I think it's up to the coaches and not the fans.

But he's got my vote, based solely on that video.

Other links of note:

- Three Idiots on Sports has a ridiculously funny listing of best sports-related quotes of the year. My personal favorite: Charles Barkley on Michael Vick. Just read it.

- I'm beginning to love the New York Knicks more and more. An article on how Isiah Thomas the coach passed the two-week review of Isiah Thomas the GM and is not getting fired. I guess winning one game in that stretch was good enough. I think Knicks fans should save their money on games by buying tickets to a real circus instead.