It’s that time again. Can you feel it? Nothing quite like the run-up to football season. Sometimes it’s almost more exciting than the actual football. Especially if you’re a Maryland fan.
But don’t let my sardonic wit derail you. Terrapins Rising sure doesn’t. The reality show that follows the Terps through the spring scrimmage season and into summer training camp aired its second episode last night. As I did last year, I intend to recap each episode here. Except the first episode, which I overlooked due to DVR issues. I’ll return your subscription check shortly.
For those not familiar, here’s the official primer. And “official” is the operative word here. It’s produced by Terrapin Sports Marketing, a CBS affiliate that basically handles all marketing for the athletic department, from the UMTerps Web site to ticket booths at games. It’s directed by Maryland grad, ex-Redskin, and general homer Jess Atkinson. It’s sponsored by Under Armour, which every moron knows has plenty of ties to Maryland.
In a nutshell, it’s like Hard Knocks, only the team is directly controlling the show. Directors receive special access to coaches, players, practices, meetings, sidelines, and the like, but in return create what appears to be an informercial for the program. (The first episode, for example, focused heavily on the importance of academics.) This arrangement certainly isn’t new or unique to this television show — especially these days, when for many reasons the line between news and public relations is increasingly squiggly.
But enough with the Journalism 101. Last night’s episode focused mainly on the field of play. The first seven minutes, for example, highlighted the Oklahoma drill, a kind of scrimmage-in-a-bottle where the offense tries to move the ball about three yards for a “score,” and the defense tries to stop them. For seven minutes this segment went on, with Kenny Tate talking repeatedly about how it was like a war out there, and he takes it personal, and no one has scored on him yet, but then Torrey Smith said in an interview that he kinda doubted that claim, but then Tate’s safety teammate Antwine Perez saying that no, nobody scores on them. Glad we got that settled. Lots of footage of tackling and jawing, including noted jawing expert A.J. Francis noting that people should refrain from allowing puppies to enter the area where the full-grown adult dogs live and work. Although his delivery was better than mine.
Tune in next week, when they’ll air five minutes of blocking sled footage. It’s just like real life, says one player. I’m trying to improve my technique, says another.
The next segment was a lot more interesting, and is the reason I like to watch this show. We were introduced to Joe Vellano, a sophomore defensive end who was apparently unblockable in spring scrimmage. I colored myself skeptical at first, given that (a) the Terps offense had one of the worst lines in the country last year and apparently can’t even score in an Oklahoma drill, and (b) Joe’s father Paul had his number retired for the Terps, which allowed Ralph Friedgen to wax poetic about The Maryland Tradition, thus raising questions over the aforementioend squiggly line. But I did some digging, and Vellano seems legit, and could be a starter this fall on the interior of the line. Thanks, Terrapins Rising. I think everybody just won there.
Until next week.
