Ralph's Message to Booing Fans

It sounds like Ralph is so emmotionally invested in Jordan that he is unable to choose another player for the QB position even if warranted.

This is a math problem that even CCSCULLY could solve. Play the best QB Fridge. Emotional favorites are for the "home". FREDTERP

Third!

It doesn't take many people booing, to be heard, I thought it was over the top. I hope the Fridge knows a lot of us are appreciative of what coach has done for the program,& who plays QB is his call.

that's great that Ralph thinks that Steffy is such a great person. i'm sure that he is.

but that's not the point! you don't start the QB who is the best person. you start the QB who is the best QB!

the fact that that is not obvious is a very bad sign. Ralph has been great for MD but he cannot be putting his personal relationships ahead of what's best for the team.

Ralph! We understand that he is a great kid. He is just a terrible quarterback!!! Your job is to win football games, not to make friends with your players!

If Fridge wanted a son, he should've kept trying. We don't want Fridge's son on the field, we want the best QB to give us a chance to win games.

It's SO obvious that Ralph is playing favorites and is too emotionally involved with Steffy to see the real truth that Turner is the better QB on the field on game days.

I don't know what happened to the Friedgen of old, but this old Friedgen has become emotionally and mentally unstable over the last several years and it has impaired his judgement.

It seems to me that he can't handle the pressure anymore and is making decisions based on what makes him feel better.

Maybe he should get to know Turner as well as he knows Steffy, cuz he'd find out what a great kid Turner is too...

The people who booed are complete jerks. This is college, folks. You don't boo a bunch of college kids who are doing the best job they can. Who in hell is that helping? Post it to a message board or picket Fridge's house if you like, but don't boo a 20 year old kid who's working his ass off for your team. Jesus. You're as bad as NC State fans.

the booing, as heartfelt as it may have been, was purely Bush-league. if anyone watched the kid from UCLA throw 4 interceptions against Tennessee, they didn't hear any booing from the Bruin faithful. that's because "faithful" is what they were. in the meantime, Byrd Stadium sounded like it was filled with a fine collection of spoiled chumps.

Two points:

1) Every starting D1 QB has every one of their passes critiqued.
2) The BOO's are not pointed at Steffy, their pointed at Ralph.

Kate the booing was targeted at the Fridge? FREDTERP

I agree with a few posters here...Ralph really does seem like he's lost the handle on the Steffy/QB thing. Reading his remarks when asked about replacing Steffy, you could almost expect that Ralph just burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. My gosh, it's a normal question, one that needs asking. He should just answer the questions concerning Steffy's injury and performance, and leave all that "he's such a good kid stuff" out of it, because it doesn't belong there. It does seem that the offense is a completely different team with Turner in there. I would expect that the stats from last year would prove that. I hear what Ralph is saying, and I find myself worrying about Ralph. When he talks about it, it sounds like he has really lost his grip. He sounds like he's totally lost his perspective.

Kate, come on ... get real! College football is not as innocent as it used to be. The stakes are higher. Fans pay good money to see their team WIN.

There are several almunus who make significant financial contributions to help better the University of Maryland and the football program as well.

The problem with Jordan is that he just have the "it" factor. He has been given more opportunities than anyone else to prove he can play at the college level. Sad but true - he has failed. He is on this team purely because of Coach Ralph's affection for him, and not because of his talent.

I think it's commendable that Jordan Steffy is a quality person. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, he has NO RIGHT to be on the field.

Plus Steffy has already had four concussions and RF is risking his future by continuing to put him in harm's way.

You never hear Friedgen talk about the good qualities of Chris Turner or Josh Portis. But guess what, they mean just as much to the program as your beloved son, Jordan Steffy.

Big Ralph is so in the tank for Steffy it's nauseating. We all get it--Steffy is a great guy who could date Ralph's daughter with his blessing. Steffy is not a great QB, a good QB, a serviceable QB, a mediocre QB, or even a bad QB. He is a panicky, dump off prone, sack prone, fumbling prone, interception prone, bad decision prone QB who would not even start for Delaware. He has been put in the position of being a division 1 QB in the ACC and therefore is subject for whatever scrutiny or accolades that come with the position. Fans can boo if they choose or cheer--their money--their decision. What Eric Prisbell needs to do is make Ralph aware the he got what he asked for Saturday--the fans were booing him and not Steffy, who cannot be faulted for his coaches bad decisions.

steffy IS a great kid, will be successful in life, maybe as a coach, BUT........ not as the Terp QB no matter how hard anyone hopes. I already know the 2 plays Portis runs, so even if Midd. Tenn. hasn't figured it out yet, they will by play 3. That leaves Napolean D

I appreciate what the coach has done for the program. As an alum, and a lifelong fan, I've had to deal with alot of bad coaches and bad teams (Krivak, Duffner, Vanderlinden) over the past 25 years. However, it seems like Fridge has squandered his chance to really build a special program in College Park, especially after his early success. With the league down this year, there's a chance for this team to do something. I just wish Fridge would do the right thing and play Turner, or give Portis a chance. I know when Portis came here, he was very highly touted. In the past, we have seen what a mobile QB with a strong arm can do.

LOl at people not recognizing that the booing is for Fridge and Steffy's play. People pay a lot of hard earned money for tickets and TC membership...and at $2M, Fridge is not earning his salary. He's made a lot of bad decisions in the past 4 years and the fan base will drop AGAIN and we'll have trouble selling the suites if Fridge keeps making emotional decisions for the good of the team. We have a ton of talent on offense and he's squandering the opportunity. there were concerns from the high $$ seats...he might be losing control of the program.

Oh, please. I'm sure to the kids on the field, it's entirely clear that the booing is directed at Fridge and not at Steffy. That's just ridiculous. There's no excuse for booing, other than that fans are spoiled brats who feel entitled to a winning season. Congrats on being those fans, Terps - good luck with that.

Newsflash...this is big time college football, a multi-billion dollar business. Ralph makes $2M in a recession and people still pony up thousands for TC memberships, donations and tickets...you're not in the rec league. A 5th year senior that fragile cannot be our QB if we are to not waste the talent around him. The game doesn't slow down all of a sudden for a 5th year senior and he better not let a smattering of boos over the coach and his play get to him. They play Div.II ball down the street.