A Belated Farewell to Two Terrapins

Us at Around the Harbor are very late in commenting on the departure of Josh Portis and Darrius Heyward-Bey (damn those Ravens and their playoff run), but these losses warrant some discussion. As I'm sure most if not all of you know, Josh Portis has announced that he intends to transfer to California University of Pennsylvania and Darrius Heyward-Bey has announced that he will declare for the NFL Draft. These are two vastly different situations so let's take each in its turn.

Josh Portis
Josh Portis transferring should be a shock to noone, but it is an oddly fitting end to what has been a bizarre and disappointing run at the University of Maryland. Josh Portis initially transferred to Maryland after his freshman season at Florida, and was greeted with immense hype and expectation. During his first spring practices, onlookers were wowed by his strong arm and electric open field running and Terp nation waited eagerly for his opportunity to play after sitting out for one year due to NCAA rules on transfers. The following season, when he was poised to make a run at the starting quarterback job, he gets caught cheating on an exam and had to miss yet another season as a result. Again, Terp fans waited expectantly and watched him place third in the quarterback competition behind Jordan Steffy and Chris Turner. This season Josh played sparingly and ineffectively, and drew terrible reviews from coaches who did not trust him to execute the offense in a game situation.

Given the lack of playing time and comprehension of the offense, it makes perfect sense that Josh transfer. There was no way that Portis would be in the starting role next season, and it's hard to blame him to look for playing time elsewhere. He'll go to California University of Pennsylvania and be able to show off his athletic ability and just play football. Unfortunately his career at Maryland will leave nothing but thoughts of what could have been, given his immense natural talent, but I believe he is making the right choice in getting out and going somewhere where he can play. I wish him all the best in the future.

Darrius Heyward-Bey
Darrius recently announced that he will declare for the NFL Draft, now that he has completed his redshirt junior season at Maryland. Unlike Josh Portis, Darrius was a relative unknown coming into College Park but exploded once he found his way onto the field as a redshirt freshman. Darrius has been the Terps most dangerous and prolific receiver in each of the three years he has played, and has only improved over time. Certainly his numbers were not outstanding this year, but those are not representative of his performance as defensive coordinators shut him out at the expense of leaving other Terrapin receivers free. With more receiving talent coming in along with an improved backfield and an average quarterback in Chris Turner, Heyward-Bey's numbers would most likely only go down next year, making this the right time to get out for the NFL Draft.

As an NFL prospect, Darrius is rated very highly, most likely a second round pick or possibly a low first round pick. He has a good combination of size (6'2"), hands, and elite speed to be a top receiver. Heyward-Bey is also known as a 'high character'-type player who is very coachable, and given the fact that he only started playing football in his sophomore year of high school has a good deal of upside. The downside to Darrius is that while he shows good hands on game day he does not always show them consistently in practice, and there are games when he disappears entirely. So, while Darrius Heyward-Bey is an excellent prospect, he still is a step below the top prospects such as Michael Crabtree and Hakeem Nicks (in my opinion). That being said, I would love to welcome Darrius back to the Harbor as a Baltimore Raven. Fans are allowed to dream, aren't they?

(Photo Credit: Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

Free Kicks

Whew, is it the evening already? Are there still sports to report? Not the Orioles at least. The Ravens are short a quarterback (or three), the Terps can’t decide what to do with their quarterbacks (though Jordan Steffy’s hand is helping clear that up), and Shun White is so good Navy might not even need a quarterback. Oh well, I guess the quarterback position is overrated. Or at least if you are a Maryland sports fan you should hope that’s true… You know, back in the 50’s even the quarterback would line up for the kick.

The Redskins are NOT Ready for Some Football
The Giants/Redskins opener to the NFL season was… disappointing. All of this 365 day a year coverage of the NFL and we get that on day one? I mean, everyone is always clamoring to cut the number of NFL preseason games, but with all that extra practice (Coach Zorn actually elected to play his starters into the 4th preseason game), Jason Campbell didn’t complete a pass until deep into the second half! Do you think the Giants are missing Michael Strahan much? If you watched that defensive line it didn’t look like it. This defense might be thin, but last night they looked absolutely dominant. It could be that Jim Zorn is still adjusting to being a head coach, it could be that the offense hasn’t had sufficient time to be installed, or maybe the Redskins are not that great after all. I know it’s only Week One, but the Redskins haven’t been consistently good since the 1980’s and without am emotional run over the last 6 games last year, they would not have even made the playoffs.

Are the Yankees Done?
Yes, let’s move on.

Choosing the Right Option
In the most predictable move of the Orioles offseason checklist, the front office has elected to exercise Dave Trembley’s option for 2009, adding an option for 2010. This is great news if you are an O’s fan, but was it too little? I mean, will we be having the same conversation next year? Things are likely to get worse before they get better, or at least that is what we signed up for. The job of a major league manager is about far more than in-game management. Rarely is a team a bad team because of the manager. The manager is more important in how he is able to relate to the players, connect with their needs and get them to play hard every day. He is essential for the morale of the club more than anything else- though Trembley’s emphasis on fundamental exercises has certainly helped the club more tangibly. Qualities like that are necessary for a losing ballclub like the O’s. If the front office believes in this man, they need to lock him up to a longer deal. After the Mazzilli and Perlozzo failures I understand the caution over a long term deal, but a 2 or 3 year guaranteed deal would have gone a long way with Trembley and the team. Still, in the meantime it was enough. I have questioned a good number of his moves, but he is too good a manager and too good a man not to be retained. He deserves a trip to the postseason one day, and I hope the O’s can give that to him.

Thinking Outside the Pocket
Has it ever occurred to Ralph Friegen that perhaps there isn’t one quarterback who can do everything? I mean, Jordan Steffy is great in practice but an emotional mess in games. Chris Turner can win when the odds are against him but not when he is handed a cupcake opponent. We keep being told that Josh Portis can’t seem to grasp the offense but is such a great athlete (I recommend just have someone next to him with the call and he will instinctively cheat off their paper). Why doesn’t Ralph rotate QB’s according to the situation? I mean, clearly the offense isn’t working that well so who cares whether Josh can completely understand it? Put Steffy in to protect a lead, put Turner in when you are down, and put Portis in when you need to keep that drive going and change the pace. With Virginia Tech doing it successfully last year and countless other college programs breaking the old adage that “If you have more than one quarterback you don’t have any quarterbacks,” why can’t Maryland? We constantly hear that none of these quarterbacks have come out and taken the job. Fine, don’t let any one of them have it.

Déjà Vu

Or, I think I’ve heard this before somewhere… I’m sorry everyone but something very strange is happening. It’s been very uncanny recently, I keep hearing sports stories that I could swear I must have heard somewhere before. Possibly in a dream… (a bad one)

(1) The Orioles desperately need a fourth (and fifth) starter, tempted to bring up a young buck before his time. (2) The Terps, because of his fantastic practices, make the unpopular decision of naming Jordan Steffy their starting quarterback. (3) The Ravens have a tough decision (or indecision, if you choose to look at it that way) at the quarterback position.

Now let’s put them in perspective, and try to lose the angst (not to mention headache) brought on by each strangely familiar story.

Where oh where is the pitching?
The struggles of the O’s pitching staff have certainly been well document. Now that Garrett Olson has been removed from the rotation in what is regrettably a necessary move, the Orioles are left with only three starters. THREE. And the third? Chris Waters. No offense, but that’s a lot of pressure for a rookie who has only had one quality start, albeit against the best team in baseball in his debut. So where do the Orioles go from here? Simply put they need to go to Hayden Penn for- what? He’s injured and most likely shut down for the year? There’s that funny feeling of déjà vu again… isn’t it creepy? In all seriousness, the Orioles are only left with the option of dipping into the farm system, as there are no bullpen arms to insert into the starting staff(Lance is too necessary in the rotation and JJ is now the closer, so there’s that.). The O’s most likely options include Andy Mitchell (not a prospect, more of a stopgap option a la Chris Waters), Radhames Liz, Brian Burres, Bradley Bergesen, and David Hernandez.

O’s management has played their minor leaguers, for the most part, far better than in previous seasons. Despite the struggles of Liz and Olson, both callups were the right move at the time. Olson was dominating AAA and Liz had made significant strides (though again, they had originally wanted to bring up Penn and give Liz more time). For that reason I doubt they go straight to AA for their fourth starter. Andy Mitchell might be a safe move, but I’m leaning toward the organization bringing back up Liz for the fourth starter’s role. For this Friday’s start (when they will need the starter) Liz will be on regular rest, and he’s coming off of a dominating performance at AAA. There is something to be said for momentum, and keep in mind when he originally came up from Norfolk this season while he was on a roll he started exceptionally strong. I can see the O’s bringing up Brad Bergesen as a fifth starter. I wouldn’t agree with this move, as major league hitters will absolutely hammer him if he does not keep the ball down. He does not have room for error; I’ll leave further elaboration on Bergesen to Expatriate, who has a scouting report from Bergesen’s Sunday start. Also shameless plug, you can reference my earlier prospect report for a more detailed breakdown.

Jordan Steffy? But… but why??
College Park is famous for sports riots. But rarely before school has started. Message boards and sports show call-in lines have exploded as of late, as the bulk of Terp fans have conducted a riot of sorts in wake of the announcement of Jordan Steffy as starter. There is no question that Jordan Steffy is a fantastic guy and has had some terrible luck. But last year he was named the starting QB coming into the season over the popular Florida transfer Josh Portis, and disappointed in the regular season. While he took care of the ball effectively, Jordan far too often settled for check downs and was indecisive on taking the ball deep. A common opinion was that while Jordan could manage a game, the team could never be great with him at the helm. After he suffered a concussion, the second of his career, Chris Turner exploded onto the scene and enamored himself with College Park fans.

But consider the flip side; it’s easy to forget that Chris Turner faded badly down the stretch, despite the victories against Rutgers and Boston College. While head coach Ralph Friedgen has not accomplished enough to be beyond reproach, he certainly would not put in a quarterback he didn’t think could win. He would catch very little flak for starting Turner or Portis instead of Steffy and unlike last year there was no unspoken understanding that it was Steffy’s turn to take over. Coach Friedgen repeatedly expressed frustration at Jordan’s inability to take the ball deep in games, and one can only think that he has seen enough to feel that that has changed.

Jordan Steffy has all the tools to be a very good quarterback, and this year represents a fresh slate. Terp fans should give him a chance; after all, it’s about the team winning, not about ‘being right’. Riiiiiiight?

Who’s willing to hang on to the hot potato?
“Hot potato, really? That’s the pun you’re going with?” Yes, I am. Because both times a Ravens quarterback has been given the limelight of starting this preseason they’ve thrown it away, let’s be very honest. As of yet neither Troy Smith nor Kyle Boller has shown that they want this job when the chips are down. There’s no doubt that both of them want it, but it’s about performance. You do have Flacco in the mix, but the coaching staff has made it relatively clear that he will be holding a clipboard to start the season. Kudos to the organization on that, it is possible to learn from mistakes.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Troy Smith must be the starter to begin the season. Yes; Kyle has looked better in practice, and is certainly the better pure thrower. However, this season the team needs a leader they can believe in, and a quarterback who can mask deficiencies in his supporting cast (O-Line anyone?). The team’s confidence in Troy (and lack thereof in Boller) has been the most poorly kept secret in Baltimore. Neither will set the league on fire, but Smith has the versatility and leadership to elevate the team.

Let’s try to keep our heads up and take a deep breath. This time it could be different. Wait, haven’t we heard that be– oh forget it.

(Photo Credit: AP, Nick Wass)

Maryland Media Day: Quarterback Situation (ATH Report)

Maryland Media Day was yesterday, as official practice for the 2008 Maryland football season began. Ralph Friedgen had his first press conference and players lined up for their first official interviews of the season.

The big question is with the quarterback situation. Though general thought is that it is Chris Turner's job, Friedgen got upset with a reporter when a question of his suggested that Turner was the clear starter. Friedgen says that between Turner, Steffy, and Josh Portis, it is "like 1A, 1B, and 1C." Working for WMUC, I talked to all three quarterbacks.


Chris Turner (1V Junior: Simi Valley, CA)
Turner immediately earned fans after replacing an injured-Steffy in the MD-#10 Rutgers game and leading the Terps to a huge upset 34-24 victory with second half drives, getting the starting role for the rest of the season. Turner is probably the safest quarterback, his decisions won't lose games, but at the same time isn't a big offensive playmaker. Of the big three quarterbacks, Turner was the one that said outright he should be the starting quarterback at media day. Friedgen says that Turner needs to be more consistent on the field.


Jordan Steffy (3V Senior: Leola, PA)
A big recruit out of high school, Steffy has suffered a number of injuries at Maryland, but has stayed in College Park, earning Friedgen's admiration. Steffy rarely throws any passes past 15 yards, and some of his mistakes can cost the Terps games. However, rumor is that James Franklin's (offensive coordinator) system works better under Steffy. Friedgen says that Steffy needs to relax, that "he wants it so bad it hurts him." Steffy was very calm during media day and says he's been a "friendly competition."

Note: Players that are important and expected to see a lot of media attention didn't get placed next to their locker, instead in the center of the locker room where there was a lot more space. Darrius Heyward-Bey was there as one of them. Maryland had both Turner and Steffy in that area, a clear sign that the starting quarterback isn't clear and the competition will continue.


Josh Portis (Florida transfer, junior: Woodland Hills, CA)
Portis will be able to step onto the gridiron for the first time in three years this season after transfer and academic rules sat him out his first two seasons in College Park. Portis is the most physically talented of the three, but has difficulty with the playbook. He emphasized that he was just happy to be able to play football again in interviews. It is possible that if he doesn't start at QB, he still could be used as a running back due to his blazing speed. Friedgen says Portis can do some things that the other two can't.


Maryland is used to quarterback controversy. With the exception of Sam Hollenbach in 2006, the Terps haven't had a hands-down starting QB in the last few years. But, there is reason for optimism. Darrius Heyward-Bey, the Terps star wide receiver, has said this competition has
brought out the best in these three. Based on media day, it is clear that a starter hasn't been chosen, and it is possible one won't get picked even after their first game against Delaware. But all three bring something to the table, and it will be interesting to see how this pans out for Maryland.

Maryland faces Delaware to open its season August 30th at 3:45 PM at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.