A portrait in indecision

Randy Edsall has made plenty of bold decisions in his first year as coach of the Terrapins football team. Putting All-ACC safety Kenny Tate at linebacker is one. Essentially benching running back D.J. Adams is another.

But for some reason, Edsall just can't decide on a quarterback.

Danny O'Brien drew the start Saturday in the Terps' 31-13 loss to Virginia but found himself replaced by C.J. Brown intermittently throughout the game. Edsall has tried this strategy in the past few games, but never to this degree.

Lo and behold, the two-quarterback system didn't work. The offense had no rhythm. The Terps managed only 13 points.

Can Edsall honestly still think this ridiculous game of musical quarterbacks will work? After a week of practice and hours and hours of watching film, he determined that the best course of action was to switch quarterbacks nearly every other series?

"I would love to just be able to play one guy," Edsall said. "That's what I'd love to do. But I think the other thing is, the two that we have, there might be times when you might be able to do some things with the other one to help you."

Quarterbacks aren't like running backs or defensive linemen. You can't just swap one out on a whim. They need to develop a rhythm within the offense, get a feel for the defense and adjust throughout the game. Terps quarterbacks aren't getting that chance, and it shows.

A team's quarterback requires confidence in himself and the backing of his coach. Fearing that your next bad pass lands you on the bench is the last thing you need. Edsall should know this. He was a quarterback.

The two-quarterback system works in some situations. Typically, you have two quarterbacks with two separate skill sets. O'Brien is the pocket passer. But what does Brown bring to the table? Ever since a stretch of good running games, he hasn't done much. Teams are gearing up to contain him on the ground, and he's been underwhelming through the air. If your quarterback can't throw a decent out route, chances are you aren't going to be picking up many first downs.

Edsall's indecision at quarterback has to be frustrating for O'Brien, but he's not using the game plan as an excuse.

"I trust the system," O'Brien said. "I have no other option."

This season's biggest mystery has likely been O'Brien and his struggles. He'll start out looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC, only to throw boneheaded interceptions that change the course of the game, all in one afternoon.

O'Brien is well aware of his struggles. He just can't completely explain them.

"Some of it, I think kind of the main thing we've got to be able to do is kind of adjust to in-game adjustments, what we're trying to do," O'Brien said. "Might switch something up, or run something relatively new for the first time."

Rather than let O'Brien work through those struggles, Edsall has kept Brown in his rearview mirror. Instead of giving him more snaps in practice in hopes of recapturing last year's excellent form, he's split them between the two quarterbacks.

The shock of having Brown play worked for a while, but it's stale now. It's not working. The Terps are now out of bowl contention, playing for nothing but pride for the final three games of the year. There isn't any reason O'Brien shouldn't be out there, trying to get back on track. While he's shot down talk of possibly transferring, it wouldn't be surprising if the thought's crossed his mind. If you're in charge, you give him a reason to stay in College Park.

"We'll reassess it, just to see where we're at," Edsall said of the quarterback situation. "A lot of the things that we're doing is based on who we're playing, what the defense is. Because again, I think that we have two guys that can help us win, two different skill sets. But we'll continue just to see which one particularly during that week is the guy that can really help us get a win."

It doesn't sound like it will happen, but Edsall just needs to make up his mind. Pick O'Brien, or go with Brown. Just decide. No more of this game-time decision nonsense.

Edsall may be trying to keep the opposition guessing, but for now, it seems like he's just confusing his own quarterbacks.

schneider@umdbk.com