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I just watched the Maryland Football Media Day interview with Coach Friedgen, and jotted down a few notes for those of you who don’t want to watch the half hour presser.  Today is after all the start of the football season for the Terps, but the first practice is going to be delayed until 7:00 PM due to the extreme heat in the area.  I know it must be hot down there since it got over 90 up here in Boston today.  He also noted at the beginning that Emani Lee-Odai will miss the first week or so of practice with an ankle injury.  With all the depth at WR this year, you can bet he will be out there as soon as he can so he doesn’t get left behind.  So with out any more delay here are some notes from the Terps head man.

• Also mentioned Dion Armstrong is still waiting to see if he passes a current summer class to see if he is eligible.
• He is very encouraged by the offensive line so far.  Rick Costa and Bruce Campbell impressed him during the spring and in the gym this summer.  No shocker here, but Friedgen also said the offensive line is the key to the Terps having a successful season.
• He was asked about his diet, and so far it has been great.  He has lost 105 lbs, and is hoping to hit 150, but he admits the pounds are not coming off as fast now as they once did.
• Friedgen was then asked about Maryland’s new defensive coordinator, and had nothing but all around compliments for him.  He remarked how Don Brown is intense, but patient and encouraging.  Friedgen also liked how he was a head coach and has tremendous leadership qualities.  From all indications fellow coaches and players alike think Maryland Football has gotten a great person and coach in Don Brown.
• When asked about the youth on the defensive line he talked about how well A.J. Francis played in the spring, and guys like Joe Vellano, and Ian Davidson also had great springs.  Also mentioned this was the year Jarred Harrell really needed to step it up.
• Friedgen is really hoping Chris Turner will help with some of the offensive lines inexperience, by making better, quicker reads and decisions.  Also spoke about how well Jamar Robinson played in the spring, and really needs to get some game time to see if he can lead them next year.  One last thought on the QB’s was they need to see which of the incoming true freshman are ready to help this year if need be.
• This was an interesting question, but he was asked if Friedgen had any rules for the Maryland players about what they can and can’t post on the social networking websites.  Friedgen basically said he needed players to enforce themselves and not post anything that could embarrass them.
• When asked about the schedule, he really just said they need to be consistent week in and week out.  Each game counts the same.  He really expects the lack of preseason respect to be a motivating factor for the players.  They were all amped up about it during a team meeting last night.
• When asked about the running backs he said they have three quality running backs, and who ever has the hot hand will get the most carries.  Also mentioned DJ Adams having an impressive workout.
• Ralph also expects new special teams coach Charles Bankins to have an impact.  Is very excited to have Torrey Smith returning kicks.  Thinks Tony Logan is going to return punts as of now, but with freshman like Caleb Porzel and Travis Hawkins coming in, they may compete for a spot on both return teams.
• Final question was about kickers, and he brought in three, but is going to get it down to 2 very quickly.  Mike Barbour won the spring (barely) over David May, and is expecting incoming scholarship freshman Nick Ferrara to compete right away.

So there you have it, Coach Friedgen’s first official press conference for the 2009 Maryland Football season.  He didn’t really give up any great information, but when you listen to him, you getting the feeling the program is trending upwards.  I will see if I can find any information on the practice later and post that.  Chances are I won’t see anything until the Morning, but I will look.  Practices are open to Maryland Grid Iron and Terrapin Club Members, so feel free to stop by.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 5:43 pm and is filed under Maryland Terps Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.