The Maryland Terrapins saw nothing special in the way that Randy Edsall was running it’s football program last year. Midway through the season, they got so sick of season nothing special, that they let him go to get a new jump-start on the program with a new face leading the way at head coach.
Apparently, the Lions feel that there is still some special sauce in the gas tank for Edsall, who will join the Lions front office as the director of football research — special projects.
What in the heck does that mean?
Edsall will be in charge of providing information to either the coaching staff, football administration, or front office personnel when asked upon. He will also play a major role in all aspects of game preparation during the season.
Another major role for the new director of football research will be aiding in helping the coaching staff and front office make decisions in the draft, free agency and and on the day of the game.
So how does Edsall fit the bill?
He’s spent plenty of time evaluating talent in the college game. Before spending four years at the University of Maryland, Edsall was the head coach of the UConn Huskies for 12 seasons. At both schools, it took evaluating lower-tier talent to find the best players to develop into higher level competitors.
What’s unique about the hiring (and a bit worrysome), is that Edsall’s only NFL experience outside of this position is working for the Jacksonville Jaguars as a defensive backs coach from 1994-97.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Edsall’s job goes beyond the title and we eventually find out that he is doing some scouting for Bob Quinn and other tidbits to help him out as he transitions to being a full-time general manager.
Quinn was a graduate assistant in the University of Connecticut’s Athletic Department in 1999, when Edsall took over as the program’s head coach.
When breaking down the hiring further, as the Lions look to expand how they use analytics to evaluate talent and situations on gameday, this hiring is a bit puzzling. Edsall has never been a numbers type of coach and I would guess, does not have much experience delving into that side of the game.
That is a background you would expect to see from your director of football research.
The move is good one for Edsall and will allow him to make the transition from coach to front office employee, after a tumultuous ending to his coaching career. Before being fired at Maryland, after starting 2-4, his team had a players-only meeting that he was not aware of. There were plenty of rumblings as well that the former Syracuse grad had lost his team for good.
This is definitely a unique hiring by the Detroit Lions and leaves plenty of room for growth, if Quinn and Edsall are full on-board in expanding this role beyond just a consulting type situation for Edsall, until he gets back on his feet as a head coach.
