2011 PREVIEW | Judging Edsall might — and should — take awhile

Ralph Friedgen led the Terrapins football team to an ACC Championship and the Orange Bowl in his first year as the Terps' head coach.

Randy Edsall might not have the same immediate success, but whether he does or doesn't, it won't necessarily mean he was the right or wrong choice to replace the Fridge.

The former Connecticut coach will find himself under a microscope the size of Byrd Stadium after replacing one of the most successful coaches in program history. The fact that Edsall wasn't the popular choice to take over — all signs pointed to the bombastic Mike Leach getting the job — will only increase the scrutiny.

Take into consideration that the Terps had a surprisingly successful 2010 season, and the expectations may be too lofty from the fan base in Edsall's first season.

The Terps could very well take that next step and be in contention for an ACC title in 2011. They could just as easily finish with a record similar to last year's 8-4 mark, or even take a step back and fall to .500 or worse.

Barring an epically disastrous season, basing any long-term judgment of Edsall on his first season in College Park would be ill-advised.

"One game doesn't make a career, one season doesn't make a career," Edsall said. "To me, it's about trying to develop that consistency."

Using the first year of a coach's tenure as a predictor for future success is generally pretty foolish. It takes several seasons and recruiting cycles for a coach to really make his mark on a school. Twelve games isn't nearly enough time for a coach to have an impact on a program, and it isn't unusual for a program to have a hiccup during a regime change.

For the Terps in 2011, a step back wouldn't be all that surprising.

Yes, the Terps went 8-4 last season. But it's hard to pick out any truly impressive wins other than an inspired victory over Navy in the season's first week. They basically won every game they were expected to, but faltered in games that could have sent the Terps to a better postseason berth than the Military Bowl. A win against Florida State would have kept the Terps in ACC title contention, but a late Danny O'Brien interception killed that hope.

To O'Brien's credit, it was one of the few major mistakes he made in a freshman season that launched him onto the national radar as one of the ACC's best quarterbacks. Consistently solid, he has the potential to etch out a special place in history at this university and is a major reason some say the future is bright for the Terps.

Still, there are questions all around him, and Torrey Smith's move up I-95 to play for the Baltimore Ravens isn't the only blow to the offense. The offensive line is thin in numbers, and it's uncertain whether Davin Meggett is ready to be a workhorse back. D.J. Adams was impressive in short-yardage situations last season, but whether he can be any more than that is uncertain — and getting suspended for the first game of the season isn't a great way to get more carries.

Kenny Tate, the team's best defensive player, returns for his senior season at the aptly named "star" position, a linebacker-safety hybrid. But will that be enough to make up for the losses of Adrian Moten and Alex Wujciak in the heart of the defense?

In the mediocre and top-heavy ACC, the Terps can compete. They're just not yet on the same level of Virginia Tech and Florida State.

It was a certain pirate-loving coach from Lubbock, Texas, who many Terps fans envisioned taking them there. Many didn't want Edsall because, quite honestly, they simply didn't know who Edsall was. Athletic Director Kevin Anderson himself mentioned Leach by name as a possibility during the coaching search, leaving many in College Park with dreams of his "air raid" offense and press conference hilarity.

Then reality drowned out the fantasy. Hiring Leach would have been a massive PR headache, and it might not have even been a sound coaching decision.

Leach's offensive mind is undeniably impressive, but O'Brien might not have been the quarterback to run it. No matter how creative he got, this team is limited by its roster.

And maybe the big name hire grabs headlines, but does it outweigh the complications of hiring a coach in the midst of lawsuits with the NCAA and ESPN?

Edsall knows how successful Friedgen was in his first year, and it had to be near-impossible to ignore the dissatisfaction of the fan base when Leach was passed over. But he says he's letting other people worry about his legacy.