Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but should Edsall have gotten more credit for last year? I know they basically had to fire him after the Holy Cross game, but if we're going to laud Mora for squeezing a competitive team out of a minimally talented roster last season, it's kind of hard to turn around this year and pin it all on the players.
I mean, the guy was a very uninspiring coach, but he did have a penchant for spotting premium talent in unlikely places. If I were Mora, I'd be careful boasting about not letting the program fall back to "where it was" until I was sure I'd actually taken it somewhere. His two most recent predecessors also experienced some modest success early in their tenures and flamed out shortly thereafter. Last year was a big improvement, but it'll be forgotten about faster than he thinks if he goes 2-10 the next two years.
(This post is not an endorsement of Edsall, nor is it a critique of Mora. I think he's brought some much needed credibility to the program and figures to recruit, as pretty much anyone would, at a higher level. But if this program is ever really gonna have a pulse again, I think he's more likely the bridge to the guy than the guy. He's basically the coach we hoped Pasqualoni would be - steady, competent, and well-respected enough to at least buy the program some time and keep the arrow pointing up. Maybe that means three years from now he wins eight games with his recruits, or maybe it means somebody else comes in and wins eight games with his recruits. Either way, sometimes you have to dig deep for hope in the absence of linear progress.)