Just 85 days remain between now and Maryland’s Sept. 5 season opener at California.
Not that anyone’s counting.
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In any case, there’s only so much you can do to pass the lazy summer days. Well, besides trying to figuring out just what Greivis Vasquez is going to do.
So today’s timewaster nugget? A rundown of the preseason magazines’ take on the Terps.
Is it meaningful? Not particularly. But since there isn’t anything better to do at this very moment, here’s a look at who is making some preseason first-, second-, third- and (yes, thanks to Phil Steele) fourth-team all-conference teams:
TEAM
* Athlon picks Maryland 57th nationally, last in the Atlantic Division
* Lindy’s picks Maryland last in the Atlantic Division
* Sporting News picks Maryland fifth in the Atlantic Division
P TRAVIS BALTZ
* All-ACC first team (Athlon, Lindy’s, Sporting News, Phil Steele)
* All-America second team (Athlon)
* All-America fourth team (Phil Steele)
C PHIL COSTA
* All-ACC third team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
RB DA’REL SCOTT
* All-ACC first team (Phil Steele)
* All-ACC second team (Athlon, Lindy’s)
S TERRELL SKINNER
* All-ACC fourth team (Phil Steele)
KR TORREY SMITH
* All-ACC first team (Athlon, Phil Steele)
* All-ACC second team (Lindy’s)
* All-ACC third team as a wide receiver (Phil Steele)
* All-America third team (Athlon)
* All-America fourth team (Phil Steele)
TE LANSFORD WATSON
* All-ACC fourth team (Phil Steele)
CB ANTHONY WISEMAN
* All-ACC fourth team (Phil Steele)
LB ALEX WUJCIAK
* All-ACC first team (Athlon, Sporting News, Phil Steele)
* All-ACC second team (Lindy’s)
And that’s about it.
One irreverent thought on the list. From a national standpoint, the best things Maryland has going for it are its punter and kickoff returner.
Those are the exact two positions you want to log the least amount of work. Punters don’t trot on unless the offense sputters, and kickoff returners (with the exception of starting a half or after a safety) aren’t used unless the team just yielded points.
No knock on Baltz and Smith —- they both enjoyed fine seasons a year ago, and figure to again in 2009. But Maryland has to be the only team in the country that wants to use its best weapons as little as possible.
—- Patrick Stevens
