Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Decision Revision

Picking a Quarterback or Child's Game?  You decide!
What is that brown splotch?
Going into this season, the staff of Penn State was faced with a very big decision:  who is going to be quarterback?  It looked like a three-headed monster with no clear cut winner.

You had Rob Bolden.  Much heralded.  Won the starting job last year.  Injury.  Shaken confidence.  Let's face it, this is the reason Paterno doesn't like to play freshmen.  He couldn't make it back into the starting line-up and now carries a chip on his shoulder.

Matt McGloin.  The gunslinger.  Afraid of nothing.  Sparked the team.  Looked lousy and confused in the bowl game.  Is he the answer or the question?  Who knows?

Paul Jones.  The only one of the three that looked good in the wet scrimmage this spring.  But that doesn't mean anything.  Talented?  Probably.  But has less experience than the other two.

Well, the game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets the starting position has just gotten easier.  According to The Post-Gazette and other sources, Paul Jones will miss 2011 for academic reasons.

"Paul's got a problem academically," Paterno said. "He's not had a good run. He needs to get caught up on some things. ... I think he could be eligible [this fall], but he would just barely be eligible. In all fairness to him, he's young, so we'll probably sit him down."

I was looking forward to seeing this kid play, but this setback may have a silver lining.  The staff now only has two choices, which means there is less of a chance of making the wrong one!  Seriously, I think it takes some pressure off a volatile situation, although it would be nice to have three options if injuries occur.

Lot's of people making bold(en) predictions this year.  I'm going to go with Robo leading the team on the field against Indiana State, and hopefully getting some redemption (and pass protection!) against Bama.

2 comments:

Eric said...

"The only one of the three that looked good in the wet scrimmage this spring."
I think you're confusing the 2010 and 2011 Blue/White games. Jones looked the best in 2010 (5/8, 67 yards, 2 TDs) and only attempted one pass this year. McGloin definitely looked the best (5/10, 109 yards, 1 TD) in the rainy 2011 game.

psudoc90 said...

Eric: Acutally, I went back and reviewed my BWG write-up: "Bolden opens with an interception on the very first play. Newsome fumbled on the next series. McGloin fumbled it right back two plays later. . . Paul Jones threw only ONE pass. Bolden threw five and the only completion was his game opening INT. Overall, the QBs went 10 – 26 – 1...."
Maybe I should have said Jones looked less inept. No one really had good stats.
But I see your point.