Assessing Terps football after Year 1

A 56-41 loss to NC State last Saturday capped off a worst case scenario's worst case scenario for Maryland football in Year 1 under new head coach Randy Edsall.

In a way, it was an appropriate end to the Terps' 2-10 season. Maryland led 41-14 in the third quarter before surrendering 45 unanswered points in 21 minutes.

Just 24 hours later, Washington Post columnist John Feinstein called for Edsall's head, saying he needed to be fired before he hurt the team even more.

Unfortunately, thanks to an unfathomable contract with no buyout clause, Maryland would be forced to pay Edsall the entire contract -- all $10 million of it -- to get him to not coach the Terps ever again.

Even worse, the school just cut eight varsity sports in an effort to save some money from an athletic department that is losing millions of dollars per year.

It's pretty funny when you consider that the Baltimore Sun wrote that "Maryland's contract with Edsall stipulates that Edsall must pay Maryland $2 million if he accepts another school's football job in the first two years of his contract."

Well, we won't need to lose much sleep about that.

This is what you get when you hire a guy with a 50-37 (22-26) record in the Big East. Edsall is now 1-18 against top 25 teams. How does former Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen's 12-19 comparative record look now?

The Terps went from 9-4 in Friedgen's last season to 2-10 this year, losing the last seven games of the season all by double digits.

Buyout be damned, Feinstein believes it's a tough one-time pill to swallow, but a necessary one. He cites lowering attendance and future season ticket sales as plenty of reason to kick Edsall to the curb.

Friedgen handed the keys over to a nine-win program that had been to seven bowl games in the last decade. The team returned two-thirds of its starters, including ACC Rookie of the Year Danny O'Brien. And though the transformation from Friedgen's team to Edsall's team was painful -- and one that Edsall called a "rebuild" at one point -- the worst part was that Edsall continued to blame players, throw people under the bus and alienate his own players.

He's already run off 13 players from last year's roster. That's an enormous turnover for an 85-man program. (Hat tip to Washington Times beat writer Patrick Stevens for compiling this list). They were: Ian Davidson (transfer to FCS Hampton), Jamarr Robinson (transfer to FCS Bethune-Cookman), Ben Pooler (transfer to Cincinnati), Taylor Watson (graduation), Haroon Brown (graduation), Zach Kerr (ineligible, dismissed), Justin Lewis (dismissed), Ryan Donohue (transfer to Connecticut), Tyler Smith (transfer to FCS Elon), Gary Douglas (transfer to FCS North Carolina Central), Derek Drummond (transfer to Division II Abilene Christian), Travis Hawkins (transfer to FCS Delaware) and David Mackall (released from scholarship).

And there may (will?) be more in the coming offseason, as players decide it's not worth the 9 p.m. curfews to play for a 2-10 team led by a militaristic coach.

Already, four players have been rumored to be transferring: wide receiver Devin Burns, safety Titus Till, fullback Rahsaan Moore and running back DJ Adams, though they have yet to be confirmed.

Everything that could go wrong in Edsall's first year at the helm did go wrong. It arguably went even worse than that. By the spring, we may see one-quarter of the roster turn over from Friedgen's last year for one reason or another. That is what's causing a rebuild. Edsall didn't need to rebuild.

Edsall now has to deal with this by cleaning house on his coaching staff. This team ranked 69th in total offense and 108th in total defense. Time to chase off offensive coordinator Gary Crowton and defensive coordinator Todd Bradford just as quickly as he chased off his players.

Next year's team may be looking at a four- or five-win ceiling. And Maryland simply doesn't have the money to admit it was wrong and move on quickly. Instead, it's like pulling off a Band-Aid over the course of five years.

Caps fire Boudreau, hire Hunter

Nearly four years to the day from being named the Washington Capitals' interim manager, Bruce Boudreau has been fired.

The 56-year old had led the Caps to the playoffs in all four of his seasons, and had Washington out to a 7-0-0 start this season. But things went sour in the nation's capital, as the team has struggled to a 5-9-1 record since then.

Boudreau was the quickest coach to reach 200 wins in the modern NHL era, and led the Caps to the conference semifinals twice. But he was just 2-4 in postseason series, and despite a world of talent, was unable to get Washington over the hump to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

Caps star Alex Ovechkin has also struggled this year, adding to the organization's growing list of reasons to switch things up. Ovechkin has tallied just eight goals in 22 games, and had scored 45-plus goals every season until last year. In 2010, he had a career-low in points scored (85), but is on pace for just 63 points this season.

So out went Boudreau and in came Dale Hunter, a former Capital himself. Hunter's number was retired by the Caps in 2000 after spending 12 years with the team.

Most recently, Hunter earned some coaching accolades of his own, becoming the first coach to 400 wins in the Ontario Hockey League. Hunter led the London Knights to their first Memorial Cup Championship in 2004.

Team owner Ted Leonsis commented on Boudreau and Hunter in a blog post on his site, tedstake.com.

"Dale was a tenacious player and great leader. The reins are his, and we are here to support him. More on Dale later, but first I wanted to express my appreciation for Bruce and what he has meant to our franchise and our community -- he not only won games but also created a tremendous brand awareness for us locally as well as nationally and even internationally," he wrote.

"Bruce was instrumental in the team’s success over the last four seasons. He won four division championships, a Presidents’ Trophy, an Eastern Conference banner, two playoff series and coached us to our best records in team history during the regular season. ... He is a good man. Thank you for four great years. I appreciate all you did for us as a franchise. I am grateful to you..."

Man breaks into house, defrosts lobster

This is not the face of the kind of guy you want to find rummaging through your belongings.

Wayne Field was arrested for breaking and entering Chicago White Sox manager Kenny Williams' house.

Field was found -- by police -- wearing Williams clothes and his 2005 World Series ring. Williams was out of town, "traveling last week to general managers' meetings and owners' meetings in Milwaukee," according to ESPN Chicago.

OK, living out a strange fantasy. Weirder things have happened. And weirder things did happen.

Field also drank Williams' beer, ate a frozen pizza, used his computer and sat on his bed. At some point, he decided to defrost a lobster. He also made the idiotic mistake of leaving a hospital bracelet with his name on it inside the house.

So when Williams called the police and they showed up, Field was peeking into the house. He identified himself as Wayne Field, the same name on the hospital bracelet.

You don't have to be Encyclopedia Brown to crack that case.

The Chicago Tribune also revealed that Field has a criminal record that includes assault, indecent exposure and sexual abuse. Who saw that coming?

Will Redskins claim Kyle Orton off waivers?

The Denver Broncos made an interesting statement on Tuesday, waiving veteran backup quarterback Kyle Orton.

Denver started the season with a 1-4 record behind Orton as its starter. Under controversial starter Tim Tebow, the Broncos have won four of their last five.

Orton is 33-33 as a starter through seven seasons, but just 12-21 in Denver, including a 4-14 mark in the last two years. Tebow, considered a mid-round pick entering the 2010 NFL Draft, came off the board in the first round.

In Chicago, Orton had an impressive three years from 2008 to 2010, tallying 59 touchdowns to 33 interceptions. So... could Washington take a low-risk flyer on the veteran?

It would seem to make sense. No, Orton isn't a franchise quarterback, nor is he a long-term solution. Yes, he's better than current Redskins quarterbacks Rex Grossman and John Beck. By a large margin. And yes, it would be a good thing to have Orton around while grooming a much-needed quarterback for the future.

Also, let's not forget Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was thisclose to trading for now-Bears quarterback Jay Cutler two years ago.

In terms of a possibility, the NFL's waiver process goes in order of worst record to best. That means Indianapolis (0-10) has the No. 1 priority, while Green Bay (10-0) has No. 32 priority.

With a 3-7 record, the Redskins rank No. 6. But Indianapolis has Peyton Manning. No. 2 Carolina has Cam Newton. No. 3 St. Louis has Sam Bradford. No. 4 Minnesota has Christian Ponder. No. 5 Arizona has Kevin Kolb. And tied at 3-7, Jacksonville has Blaine Gabbert.

Newton, Bradford, Ponder and Gabbert are all young quarterbacks recently drafted in the first round. Their teams are committed to them. Manning and Kolb have long-term contracts, so their teams are heavily invested in them, too.

There's been no whispers of the Redskins' interest... yet. But it would be surprising if Washington wasn't at least interested. And we should know more by the end of today.

2011: The Year of the Rookie

Arguably more so this year than in any other in recent memory, NFL rookies seem to be taking to the speed of the pro game quicker than the usual grace period.

For starters, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton is, oddly enough, tied for third in the league in rushing touchdowns. Though the Panthers are just 2-8, Newton has turned an anemic offense into the fifth-best in the league.

Fellow rookie and Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton wasn't given much hope to have a successful freshman campaign either. The Bengals were 100-to-1 to win the Super Bowl, ranked dead last in the league according to Vegas. But Dalton has sparked Cincinnati to a 6-4 record. If the season ended today, the Bengals would steal an AFC Wildcard spot.

In the NFC, Dallas Cowboys rookie running back DeMarco Murray has had tremendous success in Felix Jones' absence. Jones missed four games and Murray took full advantage, running for 601 yards and two touchdowns on 75 carries. With Jones back in the fold, Murray still got 20 carries against the Redskins last week.

One of the most impressive positions for rookies this year has been at wide receiver, where Bengals rookie AJ Green and Seahawks rookie Doug Baldwin lead their respective teams in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Falcons rookie Julio Jones leads Atlanta with yards per catch and yards after catch, having established himself as one of the league's best deep threats.

Defensively, Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller is making a strong case not only for defensive rookie of the year, but also a Pro Bowl spot. Miller has tallied eight sacks and two forced fumbles.

Closer to home, Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan has been a pleasant surprise in an otherwise depressing season. He and third-year linebacker Brian Orakpo have become a force to be reckoned with. Kerrigan, a jack of all trades, has notched five sacks, an interception (for a touchdown) and leads the league with four forced fumbles.

Just miles up the Beltway, Baltimore rookie receiver Torrey Smith's 20.3 yards per catch rank second in the league, and his five touchdowns lead the Ravens. Smith has already accomplished more in 10 games for Baltimore than fellow Terp receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey has in three years in Oakland.

Does the NFL's lockout have something to do with the rookies catching on quicker? It would seem they would be at a disadvantage, as they had less time to acclimate themselves with the playbook. But in a year where Buffalo, Cincinnati and San Francisco are playoff contenders -- and Indianapolis, San Diego and Philadelphia are cellar dwellers in their divisions -- it's been a unique season we won't soon forget.

A bizarre BCS weekend

It was a bad weekend to be a team with hopes of a National Championship game appearance.

First, on Friday, No. 2 Oklahoma State lost 37-31 in a double overtime thriller to Iowa State, giving the Cowboys their first loss of the season.

But Saturday was ridiculous for everyone except No. 1 LSU, which beat Ole Miss to a pulp, 52-3.

Otherwise, one-loss teams were dropping like flies. No. 3 Alabama needed the second half to put away FCS team Georgia Southern.

No. 4 Oregon lost despite a furious fourth-quarter rally to No. 18 USC.

No. 5 Oklahoma lost in a thrilling finish to No. 25 Baylor, 45-38.

No. 7 Clemson's title hopes were dashed with a 24-point loss at NC State.

And No. 8 Stanford nearly lost to unranked California.

What's up, BCS?

The absurd weekend in sports left LSU and Alabama as the top two teams in the BCS, followed by fellow SEC West team Arkansas at No. 3. That's right. The top three teams in the BCS rankings are all in the SEC West. And who said we don't need a playoff?

After all the chaos, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Stanford and Boise State round out the rest of the BCS top seven. Houston's record remains an unblemished 11-0, but the Cougars have no wins over ranked teams, meaning even a road win at Tulsa probably won't get them over the hump and into the National Championship game, unless everyone else falters.

Oklahoma-Oklahoma State has huge implications, as the winner gets a big boost on the resume.

LSU finishes the regular season with a home game against Arkansas. If the Razorbacks come out on top, it would be yet another reason to push hard for a playoff system. After all, several one-loss teams are fairly indistinguishable. How is a computer supposed to tell us what team deserves it over another?

Terps fall in lopsided loss to Alabama

It's hard to win a game against the No. 15 team in the country when you shoot 23 percent from the floor. So it was no surprise that Maryland lost 62-42 to Alabama in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

It wasn't the kind of offensive performance Terps fans will be remembering fondly. And after shooting 5-for-28 in the first half, Maryland trailed by 16. It was the kind of night where Maryland couldn't hit water if it fell out of a boat.

It didn't help that Alabama's Tony Mitchell couldn't miss in the first half, going 6-for-9, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, and had nearly as many points (15) as Maryland (20) through the first half.

Again lacking depth -- which I told you would be a recurring theme, at least until Christmas -- Maryland was forced to play two walk-ons, down 13 points in the first half. Not ideal by any stretch of the imagination.

But in a night where Maryland had arguably its worst offensive performance since the invention of the shot clock, fans can again remind themselves that this year is not going to be a postseason tournament type of year.

Just look to the future, consider the young and unproven players to be getting meaningful playing time, and ignore the fact that Sean Mosley, Terrell Stoglin and Ashton Pankey combined for 5-for-36 shooting.

You just won't win games when three of your starters struggle that much from the field. And down 20 points late, head coach Mark Turgeon made the right call in putting in five walk-ons, with the game well out of reach, to give his starters a rest, with two games in the next three days.

With such little depth, the Terps need to play a slowdown game, eating clock on offensive possessions and playing solid defense to eke out wins in the 40s and 50s. So a second half in which Maryland was outscored 26-22 was at least a partial success.

On the bright side, the Terps face off against a depleted Colorado squad that lost to Wichita State by nine points in its Puerto Rico Tip-Off opener. The Buffaloes lost their top four scorers last year and have been called a team in rebuilding mode by some analysts. It's a more favorable draw for Maryland than playing Wichita State, which returned plenty of experience and was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Peyton Manning next Ole Miss coach?

Football is everything down south in SEC territory. So it's no wonder that Ole Miss is shooting for the moon with its new head coaching search after firing Houston Nutt on November 7. Nutt was just 24-24 under the Rebels, and when you eat, sleep and breathe pigskin, that just won't cut it.

The Press-Register in Mobile, Alabama speculates that Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and out-of-work eccentric Mike Leach may be candidates to take over. Arkansas State head coach Hugh Freeze's name has been in the mix, too.

But there's another guy who fans have been clamoring for.

That'd be current injured NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, who, for the record, has zero coaching experience whatsoever.

Peyton's dad and Ole Miss legend Archie Manning is co-chair of the committee that will select the Rebels' next head coach, which explains the connection.

"I've gotten about 20 or 25 e-mails from people in that regard. And hey, since Peyton's got that neck injury and all, he's probably already forgotten more about offensive football than most candidates would ever know, why wouldn't he be interested?" Archie told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

"I passed that on to Peyton. He said, 'Just tell them that I'm 0-10 as an assistant for Indianapolis,'" Archie said.

Touché. Indeed, the Colts are 0-10, and he's been roaming the sidelines. But he's got a great personality and coaching is probably in his future. Just not next year, if he has anything to do with it.

You'd have to think Tennessee fans would get ticked off if Peyton took that job. Heck, the Vols are just 10-13 in two seasons under current head coach Derek Dooley. You'd have to think the timing of that would work out better, anyway.

Was dos Santos TKO bad for UFC?

The debut of the UFC on Fox on Saturday night probably didn't go how UFC CEO Dana White had hoped. And it certainly turn out the way people expected.

Junior dos Santos knocked out Cain Velasquez in the first round of the UFC Heavyweight Championship bout. Specifically, he caught Velasquez with a shot to the right ear, knocking Velasquez off his feet in the first minute of action.

Once Velasquez was on the ground, dos Santos pounced on him and finished the fight right away, officially winning by technical knockout in 64 seconds.

With the preliminary fights broadcast on Facebook, Fox showed just the championship fight, and allotted 60 minutes for the lead-up, the fight and the post-match breakdown. But from start to finish, Fox needed around 10 minutes for introductions to post-fight interviews.

And for the first-ever event on Fox -- which happened to be scheduled on the same day of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight -- it may or may not have been an overall success. White said before the fight that UFC was going to lose money. Despite 5.7 million viewers, it's hard to tell whether the quick fight helped or hurt the league in the long run.

Dos Santos (14-1, 8-0 UFC) earned the Knockout of the Night award and booked $65,000 for his trouble. For the award alone -- not including his actual fight money -- dos Santos earned more than $1,000 per second in the Octagon.

Check out the video below. The fight starts at the 3 minute, 15 second mark.

Boise State's title dreams vanish

Dan Goodale just might be the most hated man on Boise State's campus today.

Trailing 36-35 with three seconds left in regulation, Boise State trotted the redshirt freshman kicker for a routine 39-yard field goal attempt, perfectly centered between the hashes.

But in front of friends and family, the Boise-born-and-raised Goodale sent the ball wide right of the goalposts. And just like that, Boise State's hopes of a National Championship appearance disappeared.

Goodale is 44-for-50 on extra point duty this year, but just 3-for-5 on field goals, with a long of 32 yards.

That's not a typo. And that's what happens when your high-octane offense scores 50 touchdowns and attempts just five field goals in nine games. The poor kid has no experience whatsoever in kicking meaningful field goals.

TCU is no slouch, by the way. The Horned Frogs have won 10-plus games in seven of the last nine years (and could make that eight of 10 this season).

But if a perfect season ruined by a missed field goal sounds spookily familiar to Broncos fans, it ought to. Last year, kicker Kyle Brotzman missed a 26-yard field goal with two seconds left in regulation and a 29-yard field goal that would have won it in overtime during a 34-31 loss to No. 19-ranked Nevada.

So you can't really blame Boise State fans for flinching when they send out a kicker at this point. It's ruined their shot at a National Championship, considering there's no way you can argue the Broncos deserve a title shot over a one-loss Alabama, Oregon or Oklahoma team.

Watch how the play unfolded below.

Terps triumph in Turgeon's debut

The Mark Turgeon era started on the right foot on Sunday night when the Terps pulled out a 71-62 win over visiting UNC-Wilmington.

And while the season is just about as young as it can get, here are some thoughts to ponder after Maryland's season opener.

When Terrell Stoglin struggles, the team will struggle. Of course, that's not unique to any teams with one clear star player. But the Terps are clearly at a huge disadvantage if and when Stoglin's shot isn't falling. He finished 6-for-16 last night and the Terps won one of their non-conference shoo-ins by single digits.

The Terps will play a lot of low-scoring games this year. That shouldn't be a surprise, considering Maryland has seven healthy scholarship players. You don't push the tempo when you have razor-thin depth on the bench. The return of Pe'Shon Howard and Alex Len will be hugely important heading into the ACC season.

Walk-ons will play. It's scary, but necessary. John Auslander will be called upon to give Berend Weijs, Ashton Pankey and James Padgett a breather, and Arnold Richmond may pop in at moments to spell Stoglin and Nick Faust.

The bigs are capable... and need to stay out of foul trouble. With the aforementioned three scholarship big men rotating in and out of games, all three will need to stay out of foul trouble. Last night, Weijs committed four fouls in 11 minutes, prompting Padgett and Pankey to play 31 and 32 minutes, respectively. Can't keep that going in a 30-game season. On the bright side, getting a combined 25 points and 15 rebounds on 11-for-17 shooting is huge. These guys need to put together 20 points and 10 rebounds every night.

Nick Faust is going to grow up this year. He sort of has to. We're going to see Faust progress from wide-eyed kid to dependable ACC starter before the year's over. Point guard isn't his natural position, which will be awkward at first and probably result in some frustrating turnovers. That'll help him tremendously in the long run. And in a year where it's going to be a struggle to stay above .500, you've got nothing to lose by playing Faust a lot.

James Padgett and Nick Faust will be frustrating from the free throw line. The two were 5-for-12 from the charity stripe last night. Expect more of that going forward. Padgett is a career 46 percent free throw shooter, and that aspect was one of Faust's obvious weaknesses in high school.

It's going to be a long year. But it's going to be a fun year. Of course, if you're only happy when your team has a winning record, it might not be fun for you. If you're willing to let go of expectations this year and just prepare for the future, the season will be a lot more tolerable. The Terps aren't going to be sweating out Selection Sunday, but that doesn't mean this team won't be a lot better in March than they are in November.

Nats catcher Ramos kidnapped

Amidst all of the tragedy surrounding the Penn State scandal -- which may have turned into the story of the year -- there's another big story not getting nearly enough attention.

Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos has been kidnapped in his hometown in Valencia, Venezuela.

The 24-year old was taken from his home on Wednesday morning by four armed men, who drove away in an SUV. Yesterday, local newspapers reported he was alive, but still had not been released.

Ramos' family refuses to speak on the record to the media out of concerns for their safety.

And while Ramos may not be a household name in the U.S. just yet, he's famous enough in Venezuela to demand ransom.

USA Today's Jorge Ortiz reports that this is just the latest in a string of similar incidents involving Venezuelan baseball players.

"Once you become an established player, it becomes a bigger issue, as is the case with Wilson Ramos and with [Yorvit] Torrealba," said Venezuelan major leaguer Carlos Guillen.

Two years ago, Torrealba's son was abducted before eventually returning safely to his family. Three years ago, Rockies star Carlos Gonzalez was robbed at gunpoint. And six years ago, former Tigers pitcher Ugueth Urbina's mother was kidnapped, prompting a "gunfire exchange with the kidnappers," Ortiz reports.

Thoughts and prayers with Ramos' family.

MMA fighters stop armed robbery

Of all the things that could possibly go wrong with an attempted robbery, one that probably never crosses a criminal's mind is the idea of getting thwarted by a professional fighter.

So imagine 31-year old Luis Rosales' surprise when he held up a Comfort Inn in Los Angeles, only to run into a pair of trained mixed martial arts fighters.

Brent Alvarez and Billy Denney were walking through the hotel's lobby when they ran into the robber. That's when they took him down, got the loaded gun away from him, and held him down with a rear naked choke until the police arrived.

That's pretty much textbook Good Samaritan right there. Check out the video evidence below.

Penn St scandal becomes nat'l story

If you've been living under a rock for the past week or so, you may have missed the gut-wrenching scandal surrounding Penn State right now.

Former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has been charged with 40 counts of various sexual abuse acts on young boys. And even worse, Sandusky used his charity, Second Mile, for his abuse. Reports list that the charges span more than a decade and involve eight young boys.

But the true cherry on top is that, despite being discovered sodomizing a 10-year old boy nine years ago, the act went unreported.

"Despite a powerful eyewitness statement about the sexual assault of a child, this incident was not reported to any law enforcement or child protective agency, as required by Pennsylvania law," Attorney General Linda Kelly said.

If convicted, Sandusky faces life in prison. Somehow, even that doesn't seem severe enough.

Amidst the allegations, university president Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley have been asked to either resign or take leaves of absence. And now, longtime head coach Joe Paterno, who has played stupid to the point of senile thus far, is feeling some pressure.

As a result, Paterno's entire legacy could -- and arguably should -- be remembered for this, rather than his two national championships or record for most coaching wins in college football.

Penn State was scheduled to have a press conference yesterday to address Senior Day and the final home game of the season against Nebraska. But when the national media poured in, the university canceled the press conference altogether, causing even more uproar.

ESPN secured a PDF file of the 23-page grand-jury presentment, which you can read here. It's sickening.

Terps basketball season preview

It's been a whirlwind six months for Terps basketball. On May 10, Mark Turgeon was introduced as head coach, replacing legend Gary Williams, who will be honored with a court-naming ceremony this season.

Once Turgeon came on board, a recruiting class of three shrunk to one, as Baltimore City's Nick Faust kept his commitment, giving the Terps a deep-scoring threat. Faust, the No. 37 overall player in the 2011 class according to ESPN, has a good chance of becoming a four-year starter and should be one of the team's main pieces this year.

That gave the Terps eight scholarships (of a possible 13). So in August, Turgeon dipped into the European pool to pluck out 7-foot-1 big man Alex Len (pictured, cartwheeling), who averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in 29 minutes per game in the European U-18 Championships. Some have called him raw, others have called him a surefire NBA Lottery pick in a year. There's no way to tell for sure. But adding a kid with that kind of upside in August, with scholarships to spare, is a terrific move.

Len's eligibility was in question, as is often the case with Europeans (see: West Virginia's Deniz Kilicli and Kentucky's Enes Kanter). But last week, Len heard back from the NCAA Clearinghouse and landed a 10-game suspension for playing a few games of pro ball in Europe. Terp fans, having seen Kilicli suspended 20 games and Kanter never even take the court at Kentucky, will gladly take the 10 games.

Based on Maryland's early season schedule, Len will miss the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against Illinois, the BB&T Classic game against Notre Dame and a handful of cupcake non-conference games. He's eligible to come back on December 28 versus Albany. He'll get a few warmup games against Samford and Cornell before the Terps dive into the ACC schedule, where he'll be needed even more.

But it's not just the Alex Len show. The Terps suffered a blow when point guard Pe'Shon Howard broke his foot in late October. He's expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks, and could redshirt, depending on how things are shaking out for a Maryland team that loses four of its top five scorers from last year.

Freshman ace Terrell Stoglin will be counted on heavily to shoulder the load. He averaged 11.4 points per game last season and could potentially double those numbers while Maryland trots out a seven-man lineup. He's joined in the starting lineup by senior Sean Mosley, a key veteran piece to the team's success.

Outside of Stoglin and Mosley, who may play close to 40 minutes per game each, the Terps return untested big men in redshirt freshman Ashton Pankey (who hasn't played since his junior year of high school), junior James Padgett (who played nine minutes per game last year) and senior Berend Weijs (who transferred in last year from a junior college and played just five minutes per game).

Make no mistake, this is a program rebuild. Turgeon inherited a fairly bare cupboard, with so few players returning. But the future core of the team is built around Stoglin, Howard, Faust as well as the current high school seniors who have committed.

Turgeon turned Jacksonville State around from 8-18 in his first season to 17-11 in his second season. He took Wichita State from 9-19 in his first season to 15-15 in his second season. And by the sixth season, Wichita State was 26-9 and reached a Sweet 16. And he never missed an NCAA Tournament in his four years at Texas A&M. He's got some work ahead of him. But it's going to be a fun ride.

ACC basketball season preview

It's hard to believe, but college basketball is just about to get underway.

It's been just over seven months since UConn topped Butler to cut down the nets. Just one ACC team -- North Carolina -- made the Elite Eight, an off year for the league. Let's take a look at what to expect from each team this year. (Full Terps preview coming tomorrow.)

Boston College -- It's not going to be a fun season for second-year head coach Steve Donahue. The Eagles lose all five starters from last year. Sophomore Danny Rubin is the team's leading returning scorer at 4.1 points per game. Look for a long year up in Boston.

Clemson -- In head coach Brad Brownell's first year, the Tigers finished fourth in the ACC. And despite losing their top two scorers, they'll probably finish somewhere around that again this year. Clemson returns three starters, and its top players are all juniors and seniors, led by guard Andre Young.

Duke -- Competing with UNC for yet another ACC championship, Duke loses three stars from last year's No. 1 seed team. Unfortunately for the rest of the league, the Blue Devils have reloaded with a terrific recruiting class. On top of that, Duke returns Seth Curry and both Plumlee brothers.

Florida State -- Like much of the ACC, Florida State lost its top scorers from last year's team. Like much of the ACC, Florida State will be fighting for a middle-of-the-pack position in the league. The loss of big man Chris Singleton stings, but the Seminoles return plenty of experience throughout the rest of the roster.

Georgia Tech -- It's not the best situation for first-year head coach Brian Gregory. He steps into a team coming off a 13-18 season, which lost three starters. So don't be surprised to find the Yellow Jackets with a losing record in conference play. Georgia Tech will largely be a non-factor this year.

Miami (FL) -- The bulk of Miami's success will fall on the shoulders of first-year head coach Jim Larranaga's transition to South Beach. The Hurricanes return four starters, including multi-talented big man Reggie Johnson, who averaged nearly a double-double last season. Miami should be in the mix for an NCAA Tournament appearance if things go well. Worst-case scenario is probably another NIT bid.

North Carolina -- The odds-on favorites to win the ACC, UNC returns all five starters, a handful of key reserves and another solid recruiting class. The Tar Heels lost one reserve from last year's team. That's a striking similarity to the year Tyler Hansbrough led the Heels to a National Championship. Not that UNC is a sure thing to get there again this year, but all the pieces to the puzzle are there.

NC State -- Head coach Mark Gottfried is yet another new face in the ACC in the last few years. He's bringing in impressive recruiting classes, and inherits a roster that includes some talent, headlined by forward C.J. Leslie. Leslie will be counted on heavily if this team is going to be successful, and Gottfried has a chance to make the Wolfpack a top five team this year.

Virginia -- The Cavs return most of last year's roster, and get a bonus in star forward Mike Scott's return. Scott missed last year with a medical redshirt, and as a result, Virginia should be in the top half of the ACC this year. Head coach Tony Bennett has this team headed in the right direction, but an ACC championship is still a ways off.

Virginia Tech -- Despite losing All-ACCers Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen, it looked like a pretty good year in store for the Hokies. Virginia Tech just lost J.T. Thompson for the season -- again -- recently, which will set the team back. There's enough talent on this roster for coach Seth Greenberg to make the Hokies a competitive team.

Wake Forest -- The Demon Deacons will compete with Boston College for last place in the ACC. They return most of last year's team... which finished 8-24. Though Wake has no doubt improved from last year, there will still be plenty of growing pains for this still-young team.

Hillis latest victim of Madden curse

We're just halfway through the 2011 NFL season, but it's safe to say that Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis was unable to escape the annual curse of appearing on the Madden video game cover.

Until 1999, John Madden appeared on every cover of his popular video game. But Electronic Arts switched to featuring a star player and ever since, that player has seemed doomed to fail the following season.

In 2001, Eddie George appeared on the cover. That season, he averaged just 3.0 yards per carry and reached the end zone five times (down from 14 the year before).

It was Daunte Culpepper in 2002, who then threw a career-high 23 interceptions en route to leading the Vikings to a 5-11 record.

Michael Vick broke his fibula and missed 11 games when he appeared on the 2004 cover, as the Falcons went 5-11. And Donovan McNabb tore an ACL against the Titans in 2006 and missed six games that year after he was the Madden cover boy.

Similar stories for Shaun Alexander in 2007, Brett Favre in 2009 and Troy Polamalu in 2010. At this point, some tinfoil-wearing fans suspect players are turning down the offer just to escape the "curse."

Not Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis. After a 2010 campaign in which Hillis tallied nearly 1,700 all-purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns, the Browns rusher earned the people's vote, beating out Vick for the cover.

And while Vick has seen his share of struggles this year, it's Hillis who has gotten hit the worst. Like many former Madden models, Hillis has struggled with injury this season. He's missed three of his team's seven games due to a strained hamstring. But even when he's been healthy, the 25-year old rusher's yards per carry are way down from last season.

He doesn't even lead the team in rushing. But back in May, he joked about the superstition.

"I don't even believe in curses. It's really sad how many people believe in curses. This is football; everyone gets hurt. If you run the ball 40 times a game, you're going to get banged around and get nicks and bruises here and there, but I don't pay too much attention to that," he told ESPN.

Maybe he should believe in curses. After all, the odds are in his favor. As for me? I'd like to see a three-man cover between Vick, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on the cover of every copy of Madden for the next five seasons. Make it happen, EA.

Boudreau benches Ovechkin

Late in the third period of Tuesday's exciting 5-4 overtime win over Anaheim, Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau made a gutsy -- and unpopular -- decision: he benched all-star Alexander Ovechkin.

Needing a goal, down 4-3 with 1 minute, 27 seconds left, Boudreau called a timeout and elected not to send the struggling Ovechkin, who is making $9 million this year, back in the game.

It predictably ticked Ovechkin off.

"Of course I want to be in that situation on the ice, and you know it doesn’t matter who I said it (to) and what I said. It look funny on TV. It's right now a big story. It's just a little bit frustrating because I’m a leader on the team," Ovechkin said.

But it was Boudreau's call to make.

"I thought other guys were better than him and there was just a chance other guys might score the goal. Ninety-nine percent of the time Alex is the guy I think is going to score the goal. I just didn't think he was going to score the goal at that time tonight. You go with your gut feeling. I got lucky," Boudreau said afterwards.

The Caps went on to get a goal from Nicklas Backstrom with 42 seconds remaining in regulation. And it was Backstrom again in the overtime period who netted the game-winner (this time, off an Ovechkin assist).

Watch Ovie's reaction as he doesn't take the ice again late in the game. Clearly, some not safe for work language comes out of his mouth.

What if the Colts get the No. 1 pick?

We're at the halfway mark of the 2011 NFL season, and certain teams have turned the league upside down this year.

A great example is the Indianapolis Colts, who Las Vegas rated the odds-on favorite to win the AFC South and expected to be one of the most competitive teams in the league before Peyton Manning was sidelined indefinitely just before the season started.

Peyton exited stage right and backup Curtis Painter has done a not-so-Peyton job of leading the Colts to an 0-8 record.

And while some teams are gearing up for a playoff push, others (read: Redskins) are starting to pay a little more attention to the college ranks to figure out what to do with a top 10 pick next year.

But something interesting is happening with the 2012 NFL Draft. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who has been touted as a slam-dunk No. 1 overall pick for a few years now, is the cream of the crop.

Make no mistake, there's a ton of talent in the upcoming draft. But if you're a team in need of a quarterback and you get the No. 2 pick, it's like being the second guy to grab a lifejacket on a one-man dinghy.

With the Miami Dolphins (0-7), the St. Louis Rams (1-6) and the Arizona Cardinals (1-6) all competing with Indianapolis for the No. 1 pick, things could get interesting. Clearly, St. Louis and Indianapolis have their franchise quarterbacks, and Miami (and arguably Arizona) desperately needs one.

So what happens if the Colts end up with that coveted top pick? As I see it, there are three options...

1) Draft Luck and stash him behind Peyton until Peyton retires. This is called Aaron Rodgersing someone. And it sucks for Luck for a few years until Peyton rides off into the sunset, where Luck takes over the reins. This scenario equals 25 years of elite quarterbacking for the Colts. Life's not fair.

2) Trade the No. 1 pick for a truckload of other picks. This is probably the most likely scenario, and benefits Indianapolis even more than the first scenario would. Trading out of the top 10 could easily net the Colts a couple first-round picks, a couple second-round picks and maybe even more than that. Hell, Indianapolis could probably swap with whatever pick Miami ends up with (probably No. 2) and still grab a future first-round and second-round pick or three out of it.

3) Trade Peyton for a bunch of picks to a dumb team (read: Washington). It seems unfathomable, I know. But Peyton is 35 years old. He's got maybe three or four more seasons ahead of him -- if he stays healthy. And teams like Washington and Oakland have historically mortgaged the futures by overpaying for veterans past their prime. As unlikely as it is, drafting Luck, trading Peyton and netting a few first- and second-round picks isn't the craziest thing ever.

Like I said, there's plenty of season ahead of us. This is just a fun hypothetical. What do you think would happen if the Colts got the No. 1 pick? Vote on the poll below.

Humphries, Kardashian split up

This blog isn't TMZ, nor does it try to be.

That said, every once in a while, a little sports-related celebrity gossip is entertaining enough to merit a National Enquirer-esque post.

Hollywood's power couple, Kim Kardashian and that guy on the Nets who looks like Frankenstein, are divorcing after just 72 days of marriage.

So much for 'til death do you part.

Meanwhile, brother in law Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian have -- surprisingly -- have stuck together for more than two years. In possibly related news, Odom has two (NBA Championship) rings. Kris Humphries has none.

Spending $2 million for 72 days of marriage means Humphries spent $27,777 per day to prevent Kardashian from sleeping with another athlete.

He spent $2 million on a 20.5-carat engagement ring. His salary in 2009-10 was $3.2 million. And with the NBA on lockout, here's hoping he kept that receipt.