Quotable Quotes

Civil Celebration

Here are some assorted comments in the aftermath of yesterday's announcement that the bowl band and scholarship sanctions would be lifted immediately:

Bill O'Brien:

"I think that’s great news for Penn State," said O'Brien, who spent the last two football seasons as the Nittany Lions' head coach. "Penn State is a fantastic place. It’s a great education, great football program, a lot of good people who have done a lot of great things over there over the last couple of years to make sure that they’ve learned from the past mistakes and understood that that’s a special place.
"And so I feel very happy for Penn State and, mostly, I feel happy for the players and the coaching staff that’s there now."

Some have focused on the latter comment as an intentional snub of administration and perhaps even the fan base, but I'm not going to nitt-pick here.

James Franklin:

"We are very appreciative of the opportunities the NCAA and Big Ten have provided with today's announcement," Franklin said. "This team plays for each other. We play for Penn State, our families, the former players, our students, alumni, fans and the community. We are so proud to represent Penn State and the Big Ten Conference and are working hard to prepare for our Big Ten opener at Rutgers." 

Can this be the spark that takes the level of play of this team to the NEXT level?  This could go either way--having something to play for may put more pressure on the players/coaches to win.  Or it might just fire them up!  We shall see this Saturday in prime time!

PS4RS:

"We are very happy that some of the sanctions have been rescinded. This is great news for the football team, and the entire unfairly punished Penn State community. However, there are still wrongs to be righted. The Freeh conclusions are not supported by evidence, and they never should have been used as a pretext for sanctioning Penn State. We are disheartened by false rationalizations that Penn State has somehow changed or atoned to deserve this “reward.” Penn State athletics programs have ALWAYS demonstrated the highest level of integrity. Three years after their indictment, the three Penn State administrators have yet to have their day in court due to mysterious appeals by Penn State and clandestine document sealing by the PA court system. Prosecutor Frank Fina has publicly stated that there was no evidence to support the Freeh Report’s conclusion that Joe Paterno was aware of or participated in a cover up. Further, the NCAA’s new sexual assault reporting handbook instructs coaches around the country to do exactly what Paterno did in 2001. There is no basis for ANY of the sanctions and they must be entirely rescinded.”

AMEN!

And last but not least, Admiral Yamamoto:

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

Paterno to O’Brien to Franklin. Is history on Franklin’s side?

It is hard to believe that I haven't posted since May 27th, but such is life.

A few weeks ago, a sports writer/historian sent me an article musing that Franklin may be in a better position than O'Brien if sports history has anything to say about it.

The article is reprinted below.  I thought I was pretty special, having a guest contributor, but alas, my site is not the only one Mr. Baranowski contributed.

Unfortunately, while the concept and comparisons are interesting, the situation at Penn State is unique.  None of the other programs discussed--Nebraska, Notre Dame, Alabama or USC--faced the near-death penalty and crippling sanctions that Penn State faced.  O'Brien's tenure must be examined from that perspective.  Hunk Anderson, Ron Zook, Ray Perkins nor Frank Solich faced the uphill battle that O'Brien faced.  And the fact that Bill was modestly successful despite those odds only argues to success rather than failure.  Moreover, the University did not "part ways" with Bill O'Brien nor was the fan base viewing his efforts as being "not good enough."  Bill O'Brien chose to leave.  That is not to say that there weren't some rumblings amongst some alumni, but most of Penn State's dissatisfaction was aimed at the NCAA, the sanctions, and the Board of Trustees that enabled that situation.

While I certainly was not happy to see O'Brien leave, I cannot understate how important his tenure was to the Penn State football program.  He held the ship together with some duct tape and a couple guys like Mike Mauti.  I think there are more than a few "successful" coaches out there who would have been unable to keep things together or who would have jumped ship altogether after the sanctions came down from Emmert Almighty and the Gospel According to Freeh.

That said, I do think James Franklin will benefit from being the next hire.  The situation is less "toxic" and the sanctions have already been reduced with whisperings of perhaps a reduction in the bowl ban to come in the next month or so, although I ain't holding my breath on that one.

But any success that Franklin has must be measured in terms of what he would be able to do if someone other than Bill O'Brien had been at the helm.  I don't think many coaches could have survived or done as well as Bill.  To call O'Brien's tenure less than a success because you measure him against Paterno is unfair.

But you may draw your own conclusions . . . read on:

Paterno to O’Brien to Franklin. Is history on Franklin’s side?

There is an axiom in sports that it is better to be the coach who follows the coach that followed a coaching legend rather than the coach that followed the coaching legend. I would venture to guess that Bill O’Brien and Lane Kiffin would concur with that notion.

There was no doubt that whoever followed Joe Paterno as Penn State head coach at Penn State would certainly have big shoes to fill. O’Brien went 15-9 in two seasons and bolted for the NFL. Kiffin at USC had a 28-15 record following Pete Carroll’s record of 97-19. Kiffin’s .651 winning percentage wasn’t enough to keep him from being fired not after losing nearly as many games in less than four years than Carroll did in nine. Beginning this season, Penn State’s new head coach James Franklin and Steve Sarkisian at USC will have the opportunity to test that coaching axiom. But how true is it really?

Looking at examples that support the axiom, in 1931, Hunk Anderson had the unenviable task of following Knute Rockne as head coach at Notre Dame. Anderson’s 16-9-2 record with a winning percentage of .630 at many schools would be welcome but not following Rockne’s coaching record of 105-12-5. In three seasons, Anderson lost nearly as many games as Rockne did in 13. Rockne’s winning percentage of .881 just happens to rank first among Division I coaches all-time. Good luck following that. Elmer Layden, the coach who took over after Anderson, had a 47-13-3 record. This was more to Irish fans’ liking.

At the University of Florida during the ‘90s, the Fun ‘N Gun offense was in full force as Steve Spurrier won 122 games in 12 seasons and racked up a winning percentage of .817. His successor, Ron Zook, lasted only three seasons going 23-14 and that set the stage for Urban Meyer. Meyer in six seasons as Florida’s head coach won 65 games and two national championships and had a winning percentage of .813.

The situation at the University of Alabama was slightly different. One can say that the shadow cast by Bear Bryant affected the next two men that succeeded him or at the very least set a near impossible standard to follow. In 25 seasons, Bryant won 232 games with a winning percentage of .824. Ray Perkins could relate to Anderson at Notre Dame as Perkins lasted only four seasons as his teams compiled a 32-15-1 record for a .677 winning percentage. That is not nearly good enough at Alabama, particularly after following the Bear.

Bill Curry followed Perkins and even with a 26-10 record and a .722 winning percentage, Curry lasted only three seasons. Gene Stallings followed Curry and despite having a slightly lesser winning percentage than Curry, .713 to .722, Stallings lasted seven seasons, no doubt aided by winning a national championship in 1992.

At Michigan, it was an interesting situation as well. Following Lloyd Carr proved to be more difficult than following Bo Schembechler. Schembechler paced the sidelines in Ann Arbor for 21 years and amassed a 194-48-5 record for a winning percentage of .796. Following Schembechler was not going to be easy. Gary Moeller did so for five seasons, winning three conference titles, and had a winning percentage of .758. Moeller resigned in May of 1995 and the head coaching job now belonged to Carr. Carr won five conference titles in 13 seasons and a national championship in 1997, Michigan’s first since 1948. Carr’s head coaching record was 122-40 for a .753 winning percentage.

Rich Rodriquez, “a non-Michigan man” succeeded Carr. Rodriquez brought a radically different offensive mindset to Ann Arbor and some might say a non-defensive mindset as well. After three seasons and a 15-22 record, Rodriquez was replaced.

There are numerous examples where a coaching legend’s successor did well but the following coach did not.

Perhaps a long-time successful coach creates such a well-oiled machine that it helps facilitate success for his immediate successor but by the time the next head coach comes along, significant fall-off begins.

John McKay at USC compiled a 127-40-8 record for a winning percentage of .749. One would think trying to match McKay’s winning percentage would have been very difficult. However, John Robinson nearly did just that succeeding McKay. Robinson’s record was 104-35-4 for a winning percentage of .741.

The fall-off at USC came following Robinson under Ted Tollner. Tollner, in four seasons from 1983 to 1986, went 26-20-1 for a winning percentage of .564. That is not going to cut it at USC.

Another example was at the University of Texas where Darrell Royal became a coaching legend winning 167 games losing 47 with five ties for a winning percentage of .774 over 20 seasons. His successor, Fred Akers, was 86-31-2 for a .731 winning rate over the next

The fall off in Austin came following Akers. David McWilliams managed only a 31-26 record over the next five seasons for a .544 winning percentage.

Meanwhile in Norman, Oklahoma, Chuck Fairbanks won 77% of his games compiling a 52-15-1 record. His successor, Barry Switzer, took that to an even higher level winning nearly 84% of his games with a record of 157-29-4. Switzer’s successor, Gary Gibbs, managed only 44 wins over the next six seasons going 44-23-2 from 1989-1994.

At Notre Dame, Ara Parseghian’s .836 winning percentage from 1964-1974 was followed by Dan Devine who produced a .764 winning percentage. Following Devine, who was under a hot seat following Parseghian until he won a national championship in 1977, proved too much for Gerry Faust. Faust’s 30-26-1 record just was not good enough for Notre Dame.

Then enters Lou Holtz, the last head coach to lead the Fighting Irish national championship in 1988, and his coaching record at Notre Dame was 100-30-2. Succeeding Holtz was Bob Davie and then Ty Willingham, and each had an identical .583 winning percentage in their short tenures as Notre Dame’s head coach.

Tom Osborne roamed the sidelines as Nebraska’s head coach for 25 years compiling a 255-49-3 record and a winning percentage of .836. Following the legendary Osborne would not be easy. Keep in mind that Osborne followed Bob Devaney who won national titles in 1970 and 1971 and had a 101-20-2 record in 11 seasons and a winning percentage of .829.

Osborne was succeeded by Frank Solich in 1998 and in six seasons Solich won 58 games losing only 19 for a .753 winning percentage and was fired by then Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson. Pederson hired Bill Callahan and over the next four years, Nebraska went 27-22-0, which definitely did not sit well with Husker fans.

So perhaps more importantly than simply being the coach who follows the coach that replaced a coaching legend, it is more important to have the right coach for the job.

Nittany Lion and Trojan fans hope and believe they do.

John Baranowski is a Sports Historian and contributor to newspapers, sports publications and sports websites.

OB Gone Completely

This post, with a title playing on Obi Wan Kenobi, is a day or two late, and more than a few dollars short.  But alas, I was away in Phoenix when the bad news broke, just another cracked brick in the wall of a rather regrettable 2013 year.

O'Brien on his way to Texas.

I honestly don't know how I feel about Bill O'Brien leaving the Penn State program, but like grief, my emotions are going through a five stage process.

Denial.

They are just rumors.  There were rumors last year.  Had he stayed, there would have been rumors next year. 

Maybe this is just a chess game to get more money, better facilities, a different AD--the rumors were nearly endless as the talks heated up between OB and Houston.

In the end, they weren't just rumors.

Anger.

Who wouldn't be angry?  OB was the best thing that happened to Penn State since the fall of Joe Paterno and the whole Sandusky Scandal surfaced.  While it would minimize the efforts of players like Mauti to say that Bill saved the program, it would certainly have been more difficult for the players to remain united if the coaching vacancy hadn't been adequately filled.

But OB was just on the cusp of greatness.  Hackenberg was progressing.  There was hope that Allen Robinson would stay as part of the revitalized Penn State offense (and hopefully he still will!)  There were rumors that perhaps even more sanctions might be reduced in the off-season, such as the bowl ban--already OB was armed with more scholarships than originally decreed.

The future was looking bright and there appeared to be some stability to a program that had more instability in the past two years than in the previous century.

Bargaining.

This is a stage of grief and has nothing to do with this situation at this point, so let's move on.  We will probably never know what went on behind the scenes and who did or said what.  OB apparently told David Jones of the Patriot News this:

“You can print this: You can print that I don’t really give a ---- what the ‘Paterno people’ think about what I do with this program. I’ve done everything I can to show respect to Coach Paterno. Everything in my power. So I could really care less about what the Paterno faction of people, or whatever you call them, think about what I do with the program. I’m tired of it.

“For any ‘Paterno person’ to have any objection to what I’m doing, it makes me wanna put my fist through this windshield right now.”

This talk with Jones apparently occurred on December 4th.  Reading that now, is it any surprise that O'Brien left?  With road rage like that, who would stay in a job that created such adverse emotion?

It does beg the question of WHO these Paterno people are that he refers to?  Sue Paterno?  Bloggers?  Fans?  Coaches?  PSU administrators?  BOT?  Again, we will never know for sure who pissed him off, but Bob was apparently a ticking time bomb with some anger management issues.

Depression.

The sky has fallen!  Woe is me!  The end is near!  Oh, the inhumanity!

Acceptance.

The dude has done moved on.  Let's get to work on a replacement before we lose any recruits.

Seriously, though, I'm not sure just how I feel about this.  I am obviously disappointed, but not surprised.  In an era where the average coaching tenure is 3.9 seasons, one would be blissfully ignorant to expect O'Brien to be coaching at Penn State 10+ years from now (and that article is from 2010 and Joe Paterno's years skew that number higher than it would be if recalculated today--and those numbers might include Tressel and Bobby Bowden as well, depending on their endpoints.)  It sure would have been nice for him to hang around another 2-3 years for Hack and the guys he convinced to stay with him, but then what can you say?  The NFL was HIS DREAM!  Isn't that what this is all about?

This is unfortunately the message being taught to our young people today.  It is OK to screw others if the self-benefit is above a certain level.  There is a price above which loyalty and courtesy have no currency.  It is OK for O'Brien to chase HIS dreams, even if in so doing, he may harm the dreams of others.  And the reality is this:  unless Penn State hires an unemployed coach, whoever replaces OB will be doing the same thing to the team they leave behind.  And Penn State fans, if we like the choice, will all be down with that, right?  Hypocrisy is often no further than the nearest mirror.

There are at least interesting choices available at this point (perhaps moreso than two years ago when O'Brien was named). . . Al Golden appears to be the front runner if you believe the Internet rumors.  James Franklin just guided his Vanderbilt team to a victory over Houston in their bowl game, so he has not even had the opportunity to interview yet, if he is even interested.  Mike Munchak was fired today as coach of the Titans.  Is that good/bad timing or what?  I have not even gotten over OB leaving yet, let alone started to worry about who the next coach should be.

But time is a valuable commodity and cannot be wasted.  We don't want to lose any players or recruits at this point, so there is some need for haste.  But haste makes waste, and we don't want to make a hasty choice we might later regret.

I would love to know if there have been inquiries from other coaches/agents around the country, but again, we will never be privy to that information as no current coach will want it known that they are pursuing a job opportunity elsewhere.  But it makes me feel better believing that a few great coaches out there would be interested enough in the job to reach out and touch someone, even if that someone is Joyner.

As an aside, I found it refreshing to hear that Mark D'Antonio doesn't have an agent--you need to call his wife.  I don't think we need to call her, but I wonder if she called Joyner and Co.?  It's fun to fantasize about things like that, and we could certainly do worse than him with whoever ends up with the job.

For O'Brien . . . None of this was his fault.  He took the job BEFORE the sanctions were announced, and I believe he did make the best of what he had to work with given the circumstances.  But he is being decidedly obtuse if he thought he would follow a legend like Paterno without there being loyalists who would criticize his actions. 

I do not wish him well, though.  I must admit that if he fails at Houston, I will feel a certain amount of pleasure, retribution, and justice.  I still cling precariously to the hope that good people will win out over evil or greedy people.  Maybe this is part of God's plan.  And perhaps wishing ill will is not a very Christian way to think, but my Ten Commandments don't have a Thou Shall Not Wish Ill on Thy Enemies commandment.  There is that whole Do Unto Others Golden Rule, but I'm okay with that.  Bill is certainly welcome to wish ill on me and take pleasure in my failings any time he wants.  It can work both ways.

In the long run, I think Penn State will be better off.  Things are certainly more stable now and while we might lose a few recruits, it will be more difficult for players to transfer, as the usual transfer rules will now apply, which they did not when Silas fled with others.  O'Brien said he considered the NFL the ultimate job, so in that respect, he has kept his word.  If he doesn't want to be a Penn Stater, and if people who support Joe Paterno annoy him, then good riddance.  We can do better than that.

After all. . . WE ARE . . . PENN STATE!

Was O'Brien here too?

The above picture apparently was taken in the Buckeye locker room after their loss to Clemson.  An angry player, Bill O'Brien, or the ghost of Woody Hayes?  You decide.

Facing off With Bill O'Brien

From a BWI poster.

College Football is Back!

So the 2013 season opens with some great games today . . . Indiana taking on Indiana State, Minnesota against the Rebels of UNLV.

Well, that was exciting, wasn't it.

At least the title was exciting.

Minnesota is currently leading UNLV 30-13 in the second half.

In a slightly more interesting, but with no Big Ten implications game, South Carolina is rolling over UNC 27-10 late in the third quarter.  You would think UNC would have some kind of advantage, given that the NCAA refuses to punish them for anything.  Oh, well, The Ol' Ball Coach will punish them tonight.  But even God is helping out the Tar Holes, as lightning has delayed the inevitable.

And Penn State kicks off the season against Syracuse this Saturday at 3:30 at Met Life Stadium.  TV coverage will be ABC/ESPN 2.  The Lions are favored by 7.5 points.

The big question on everyone's mind is . . . .will the sanctions be reduced?  Well, perhaps it is, but the big question that everyone is waiting for an answer to is WHO will be the quarterback.  (I'm thinking it will be Fergusen, but I wouldn't be surprised if Hack leads the charge.)

QB controversy is nothing new for Penn State fans.  In fact, I think Paterno took a perverse joy in stringing the media along with his "the job is wide open" rhetoric that almost always ended up with the more senior signal caller taking the field.  I know.  Rob Bolden started as a true Frosh.  Yeah, that happened a lot.  Give me a break.

The one thing you could count on was that the guy taking the field in the first game was not necessarily the best QB on the bench.  Paterno loved leadership, loyalty and brains--not necessarily in that order.  Hence, guys like Michael Robinson saw their talent wasted until their senior seasons, leaving a wake of less-than-stellar signal callers in their wake.  Now that is not to say that MRob lacked loyalty, brains or leadership, but for whatever reason, those skills were not evident until he became a senior.    Don't expect me to make any sense this early in the season.

But I will tell you one thing about O'Brien.  I have complete confidence that he will pick the guy that is best for the job as a quarterback.  He may not be the best leader.  Or the most loyal guy.  Or the one that has the highest GPA.  But he will be a guy that knows the playbook and can get the job done.  Hack or Fergie--you will see some points scored.

The magic he worked with McGloin last season was just short of miraculous.  McGloin still had his weaknesses (no real long threat, and sometimes threw into bad coverage,) but O'Brien seemed to minimize those faults and use McGloin's talents to the max.  If he can do half that job with EITHER of these two quarterbacks, I don't think we'll have any problem at the QB position.

Depth will be the biggest concern, mostly because of the scholarship limits.  As such, injuries early on--and even down the stretch, could be a huge difference between 7-5 and 10-2.

You read that correctly.  TEN AND TWO.  That's my prediction for the season.  I see Syracuse, EMU, UCF, Kent State, Indiana,  Illinois, Minnesota, and Purdue as victories.  Maybe I'm just overconfident.  Maybe I've been drinking too much Sam Adams.  Indiana is actually getting better, but to make an argument for an upset here is to take a loser's perspective.  That's the kind of crazy talk that ends up getting inside your head.  You lose football games.  You get your girlfriend pregnant.  You lose the lottery.  You get an STD.  You should have gotten Direct TV instead of cable.

So stop thinking like that.  You're Penn freaking State for crying out loud.  Indiana has never beaten you and this is not going to be that year.  Period.  We are not going there.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  Minnesota?  Are you watching the UNLV game?  Seriously?  We could beat most of these teams with 55 scholarships and O'Brien blindfolded.

Which leaves THEM, Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.  The usual suspects, and Ohio State players are used to being suspects.  I'd love to see this team run the table, but I have not yet had that much to drink.  I don't think there's enough in the house for that.  So I compromised on two of the four, while most sportswriters and pundits are saying 8-4 and 9-3. 

Losers!

I actually would like to see us beat THEM and OSU, and drop the last two.  We could blame it on the season being too long and not enough depth.  But more likely, the wins, if they come, will be against THEM and Wisconsin, with heartbreaking losses to the Huskers and Buckeyes.

Personally, I don't care how you slice it, as long as we win two of those games.  Hell, I'd even give up one of the "sure" victories to win 3 of those games.  If a loss to Syracuse means we win all four, I'll dress up like a piece of fruit this Saturday and pray for a Syracuse win.  But that's just not the way this thing works.

And besides, I don't look good in orange.


GO STATE!  CRUSH ORANGE!

Burn the Ships

Has it really been two weeks since I last posted? Actually it's been 16 days but who's counting?

I can assure you that my lack of posting has nothing to do with my enthusiasm for Penn State football. In fact, I'm really looking forward to this season. Despite being shafted by the NCAA, and the myriad injustices foisted upon Penn State under the guise of punishing pedophilia, I think this team is poised to have a great season.

How can that be?

Am I forgetting the sanctions?

Are we not a linebacker injury away from being Pitt?

Did anyone look at the schedule?  Ohio State (#2) , THEM (#17), Nebraska (#18) and Wisconsin (#23) are in the USA Today preseason poll.  And we all know how accurate those preseason predictions are, don't we?

How could I be so optimistic?

Coach O'Brien.

Coach Craig Fitzgerald.

John Urschel.

Christian Hackenberg.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

A football program is not the University anymore than the University is defined solely by it's football team.  It is not the tradition.  It is not the legendary coach who is no longer at the helm.  It is not what you did last year or fifty years ago. 

No.  It is the people that are here.  Now.  And what they can and will do.  It's not always the size of the dog that matters in the fight--mostly it's the size of the fight in the dog.

If you have a few minutes, I recommend you check out this Matt Hayes article on The Sporting News.   Here are a few highlights . . .

This is the way the NCAA wanted it, you know. After Jerry Sandusky was caught, after the outrage of his horrific crimes grew, the only thing left for the suddenly scrambling NCAA was to make it all go away with unprecedented punishment on those picking up the pieces.

“You’re going to hear people tell you that you have nothing to play for,” O’Brien says, his voice rising with each point he makes. “They’ll say we don’t have enough players; that we’re going to struggle. They’ll say we can’t win the Leaders Division. Bull---- we can’t win the division.”

Again, if you have the time, WATCH the Death Crawl Video O'Brien used.

You’ll never know just how good you can be until you give maximum effort.

It was Fitzgerald who came up with this 16th Century idea for the 21st Century world.  

Back in 1519, Conquistador Hernando Cortes convinced a small group of 500 men to take the world’s richest treasure by overwhelming the mighty Aztec empire. And to make sure they would, to further motivate his men to fight, Cortes had his men burn their own ships when they landed in Mexico.  

If they were going home, he said, they were going home using the Aztecs’ ships.  

The Penn State players sat in awe while watching the Death Crawl video, each wearing a stark white T-shirt with the words “Burn the Ships” emblazoned in navy blue on the back.  

The message is simple: all or nothing—complete and total commitment. No matter the sanctions. No matter the scholarship losses. No matter the odds.

Are you starting to feel excited yet?  The ships/scholarships parallel is fantastic.

“Five scholarship losses (a year) would be critical,” says one Big Ten coach. “Twenty is the death penalty. They just didn’t give it a name.”  

Technically, the Lions—who return 16 starters from last year’s eight-win team—could have more than 65 scholarship players this season. But a source told Sporting News the PSU administration wanted to get to 65 by the 2013 season for two reasons: to show the NCAA they were serious about abiding by the rules, and the hope that the NCAA would allow the program to begin the four-year run of 65 scholarship players this fall, thus giving the program one slight advantage in digging out from underneath itself.  

Like there’s any advantage to paying for someone else’s sins.  

“Why complain about it?” said Penn State linebacker Glenn Carson. “We can still control one thing they can’t take from us: we can win.”

Okay.  They technically took away Paterno's wins, but we know what Carson means.  Let the scoreboard do the talking.

Penn State won't be back because the NCAA or the Big Ten says they're back.  It won't be because I blog about it, or some sportswriter anoints it so.

Penn State will be Penn State because of the players, coaches and fans, and because of the professors, teachers, students, and alumni. 

WE ARE . . . PENN STATE!

A Midsummer Dark Night's Scheme

 

The Freeher: Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it! You know, I just, do things. The NCAA has plans, the Trustees have plans, the Paterno’s got plans. You know, they’re schemers. Schemers trying to control their worlds. I’m not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how, pathetic, their attempts to control things really are. So, when I say, ah, come here, when I say that you and your football team was nothing personal, you know that I’m telling the truth. 

It’s the schemers that put you where you are, Spanier. You were a schemer, you had plans, and uh, look where that got you. I just did what I do best. I took your plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did, to Penn State with a few innuendos and a couple of emails. Hm? You know what, you know what I noticed? Nobody panics when things go according to plan. Even if the plan is horrifying. If tomorrow I tell the press that like an ex-Florida player gets arrested for murder, or a truckload of academic fraud happened at North Carolina, nobody panics, because it’s all, part of the plan. But when I say that one, little old football coach covered up a scandal when he didn't, well then everyone loses their minds!

In case you are not aware, the tangled web of lawsuits continues . . .

Graham Spanier has filed a notice of intent to bring a defamation lawsuit against Louis Freeh.

Spanier, who has denied the allegations in the report, is suing Freeh and his firm, Freeh, Sporkin & Sullivan, for libel/defamation. Spanier is seeking monetary damages and is demanding a jury trial. 

Of course, you're probably already aware that the Paterno family, joined by former players, coaches, faculty members and Board of Trustee members have sued the NCAA to reverse the sanctions.

The suit, to be filed in Common Pleas Court of Centre County, Pa., alleges that the NCAA violated its own rules in meting out penalties in the wake of the child sex abuse case involving former Nittany Lions assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, penalties that were based on an investigative report by former FBI director Louis Freeh.

And recently, Coach O'Brien spoke behind closed doors to the Board of Trustees.

O’Brien addressed the trustees for more than an hour Friday morning behind closed doors during the board’s executive session at the Penn State Fayette branch campus. The presentation’s slides were visible from a hallway through several full-length glass-paned doors into the room where the session was held. 

But, one of the presentation slides had the heading “potential proposal to modify sanctions” and another had a heading concerning the impact of the scholarship reductions that are part of the sanctions. 

Another slide read “Individual lawsuits do not help us!” with the words “do not” underlined and in capital letters.

This latter slide has prompted a surge of Internet speculation drawing lines between those who support O'Brien's decision to reduce the sanctions and "move on:" versus those who still seek the truth, even if sanctions persist.

My Take:

Glass doors?  Seriously?  If that wasn't planned, for the effect that it is having, then I've never been a Penn State fan.

Look.  Bill O'Brien is stepping up to the plate for his team.  His slide about "INDIVIDUAL" lawsuits may not even be referring to the Paterno suit, since there are multiple parties involved.  He is concerned about his team--about giving his current players a level field to play on, to give his team depth so that his players aren't more susceptible to injury, and to enhance recruiting which gives more students a chance to earn a Penn State degree.

None of the players on this team have anything to do with what allegedly happened, and penalizing the program isn't helping a single victim one iota.  The NCAA over-stepped its authority.  The Freeh Report is flawed.  Not a single PSU administrator has yet been convicted of any wrong doing. 

Unlike the Governor's anti-trust suit against the NCAA, there is a better chance that the courts will allow the Paterno suit to proceed, i.e. that the plaintiff's have standing.  While that doesn't mean the NCAA will lose, it does mean that the next phase--discovery--will allow the representing attorneys the opportunity to subpoena NCAA records, which from what I've been told, could open up a significant can of worms.

It is probably true that pending lawsuits against the NCAA would probably deter the organization from reducing any sanctions currently.  But that may be part of the scheme.  The NCAA may be more likely to reduce the sanctions--if certain or all lawsuits are dropped.  Whether intentionally or not, the Paterno Suit actually gives the NCAA some ammunition to continue the sanctions despite the fact that Penn State has behaved and implemented most of the changes recommended by the Gospel According to Freeh.

So what do you think?

Has O'Brien sold out to the move-on proponents, just to make things go away without any regard to the truth?  Or is he just fighting for his team with no political agenda to further?

I lean toward the latter.

Something old, new, borrowed and Blue

Something old, new, borrowed and blue--the Spring tradition of the Blue White football game may be old, but Coach O'Brien spiced it up with some personal commentary and play calling in the second half, and Michael Mauti was borrowed, so to speak, to help announce on the air waves, while Blue (the defense) rolled to a 67-47 win over the White (the offense) before an estimated crowd of 28,000 fans who braved the cold and wintry mix of sun and precipitation.  This is the second year under O'Brien that Blue has won.

I won't belabor you with analysis of the "game" since the scrimmage is a far cry from the real thing, but I will pass on some first impressions I had from actually being at the game (i.e. not watching it on TV and having the ability to pause and replay.)

I think our running game will be pretty good.  Yards right up the middle were tough, and that may be more to the credit of the defensive line than a problem with the running game.  But I watched a couple of guys with some speed to the edge and some nifty moves.  Akeel Lynch ran for 83 yards and a touchdown and appears to be the "real deal."  I was particularly impressed with Deron Thompson (who added another 97 yards rushing.)

As for QBs, Bench came out throwing and looked pretty good in his opening drive.  However, he had less success as the game went on.  Conversely, Fergusen didn't look particularly good in the early going, but had some nice throws and got into more of a rhythm as the scrimmage progressed.  None of the other QBs really left any impression on me.

O'Brien came out in the second half and tried to thaw the crowd out.  He got the WE ARE . . . PENN STATE chant going and suggested they start the wave.  We complied.  He also piped his mic over the PA System for a series so we could hear the play calls.  I REALLY like this guy.

Zwinak left early with a hand injury, and Allan Robinson wasn't a major factor as a receiver, but he had a really nice reverse for twenty some yards where he actually doubled back (essentially a double reverse that wasn't drawn up as such.) 

All of the players who ran, caught or threw for a score today were freshmen or sophomores.  Depth may be an issue in the linebacker area, but I thought the D-line did a pretty decent job, and I thought the secondary held their own.

There were no punts in the game, but an extra point and a mid-range (37-yard?) field goal were missed. Concerned about the kicking game even though Ficken seemed to turn things around the latter part of last season.

Five Nittany Lions were recognized for their efforts during halftime of the game. Rising sophomore cornerback Jordan Lucas and junior defensive end C.J. Olaniyan were presented the Jim O'Hora Award. The defensive award is named in honor of Jim O'Hora, a long-time Penn State assistant coach who was a member of the coaching staff for 31 years.

Senior center Ty Howle earned the Red Worrell Award, presented to the offensive player whose spring contribution is most worthy of special tribute.  The Nittany Lion coaching staff singled out Lucas, Olaniyan and Howle as the defensive and offensive players, respectively, who have best demonstrated exemplary conduct, loyalty, interest, attitude and improvement during spring practice.

Junior guard Miles Dieffenbach and junior linebacker Mike Hull were recognized as co-recipients of the Frank Patrick Total Commitment Memorial Award.  This award goes to junior class squad members who consistently follow through with their responsibilities in all facets of the football program and do so in exemplary manner. This includes academic pursuits, off-season preparation, in-season commitment, demeanor and community service.

Full descriptions of the awards and some past winners can seen at the Penn State web site.

 

 

133 more days to go until the opener.

 

What were your thoughts on the Blue White Game scrimmage???

O'Brien Does THON

Video courtesy of GoPSUsports.com as seen on Youtube.

THON raised $12,374,034.46!  Congratulations Penn State! 

Next Man Up

It has been the mantra of Coach O'Brien since he took over the job as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

And when top-rated JUCO QB Jake Waters opted for Kansas State, O'Brien went with the next man up.  Welcome Tyler Ferguson.

Ferguson verbally committed to Penn State early Friday evening, becoming the team's 18th recruit in its 2013 class. Ferguson, though, will enroll in January and count against the Nittany Lions' 2012 scholarship numbers.

Ferguson is rated second only to Iowa Western's Kansas State recruit Jake Waters among national JUCO quarterback prospects by 247Sports.com.

We Are . . . Penn State!

What's a Mauti?

I don't know.  What's a Mauti with you?

Michael Mauti will likely go down as one of the best senior leaders in the history of Penn State football.  Before the season began, he was outspoken about the NCAA's decision to allow PSU players to transfer for any reason (even no reason) whatsoever, and he was upset by conference brethren coaches (well, one school anyway) who stalked PSU players on campus to recruit them away.  On Saturday, Mr. Mauti put his words into action as part of a good old ass whoppin' of Tim Beckman's floundering Illini.

Penn State beat Illinois 35-7 but should have scored more.  Oh, my kingdom for a kicker.

Mauti had two picks and returned one 99.5 yards for what could have been a touchdown but was just that much short.  Replay kept 7 points off the board, but gave PSU one second.  The lack of a kicking game kept three points off the board.  But you can't fault Mauti's heart or his effort.  He is all in.  He is all Penn State.  He may likely become one of my all time favorite players, and he may be now, though I'm not sure I can part ways with Michael Robinson.  MRob led the Lions to a fantastic 2005 season marred only by bungling refs and 2 freaking seconds, at a time when many had lost faith in Joe Paterno and Penn State football.

That's not so different from now, come to think of it.  Maybe there will be a tie at the top of that list.

I won't dwell too much on game details now, since I live-blogged the game in other entries.

And while Illinois is no Nebraska or Wisconsin, or USC or Alabama, this win was so huge to these kids that have stuck by Penn State and Coach O'Brien.  While the recruiting that Beckman did was not illegal, it was unethical and quite frankly, classless and unsportsmanlike.

Now, just to be fair, this Penn State team won't be mistaken for Alabama or Oregon either.  But I am encouraged by what I am seeing, the kicking issue notwithstanding.  We seem to be getting better every week.  McGloin has shocked a number of football fans, but he still has his moments.  I thought his performance against Illinois was a little below what he had been doing--missed some open guys, and took a sack with a ton of negative yardage.  On the other hand, he didn't throw the ball up for grabs and an INT or fumble it either, both of which would have been worse outcomes.

The secondary is still a little suspect.  We bit pretty easily on the trick play.  Our pass rush still doesn't consistently put pressure on the QB, and I am concerned that a strong offensive line giving a QB a lot of time could spell disaster. 

Yet, I remain cautiously optimistic.  Most people I talk to feel that O'Brien hasn't fully explored the offensive play book yet.  Could it be that we haven't unveiled all our defensive power yet?  Could there be some blitz packages we are saving for bigger games?  I certainly think that is possible.

And each week shows that the remainder of the schedule is not as daunting as we initially feared.  The Spartans showed that Ohio State is not invincible.  Nebraska looked really bad the first half of their game against the Badgers . . . and Wisconsin looked equally unimpressive in the second half as Nebraska overcame the shock of all those ugly uniforms on one field to come back and win impressively.

All in all, I am ectstatic over this win and looking forward to heading to Beaver Stadium next week to shock and awe the Northwestern Wildcats.

But I wonder . . . did Beckman tell his team in the locker room after the game that they could have won that game if he had replaced more of them with Penn State players?

BY THE NUMBERS:

Penn State won time of possession with 32:55 minutes of offensive control, thus giving PSU an edge in plays of 82 to 69.    The Lions only beat Illinois in total yardage by 18, but gained 173 on the ground to only 74 for Illinois.  Illinois had more passing yards, but also suffered 2 interceptions.  The Illini missed two field goals making Ficken not look so bad.  Ficken actually kicked a FG, but the points came off the board due to a roughing the kicker penalty that kept the PSU drive alive and enabled us to score a touchdown instead.

Mauti's 99 yard interception return was reminiscent of Harrison's return in the Superbowl for the Steelers, except for the fact that Harrison scored.  But the points weren't needed and Mauti made his statement.  I still wish he had gotten the score, though.

Penn State righted its penalty issues, logging only 2 flags for 17 yards.  The Illini were penalized 8 times for 69 yards, and had a player ejected.

INTANGIBLES:

The Blue Band made its one trip to an away game.  Not sure why they chose this one, as their audience was a meager 46,734 fans, and one sportswriter felt this number was "heavily inflated" (Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror.)

Illinois won the toss and deferred.  That worked out well for them, didn't it.

O'Brien won his debut Big Ten game.  I'm not sure why ESPiN had to keep reminding us that Urban Meyer won his debut conference game at Ohio State, even running it along the ticker all night during the Wisconsin-Nebraska game, while not even mentioning that Bill did the same, but whatever.  It's not like Meyer never coached against a Big Ten team before.

Our uniforms are uglier than yours!

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Purdue was still out of conference, but beat Marshall 51-41.

The Buckeyes beat Sparty 17-16.  Did you know that was Urban Meyer's Big Ten debut?

Northwestern defeated Indiana 44-29.

Iowa mirrored Minnesota 31-13 for the Gophers first loss of the season.

Nebraska trailed most of the game, but came from behind to defeat Wisconsin 30-27.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1.  Baylor.  Scored 63 points, but fell to WVU 70-63.  That's some fine defense there in the Big XII.  The 'Neers should fit right in.
2.  Ga Tech--beaten by Middle Tennessee State 49-28.
3.  Va Tech--beaten by Cincinnati 27-24 in a wild finish.
4.  Arkansas--lost to Texas A&M 58-10.  Wow.  Just.  Wow.  And they started out the season ranked 8th!
5.  Idaho--beaten 66-0 by North Carolina.  At least the Vandals scored 14 against LSU (63-14.)

LOOKING AHEAD:

The undefeated Wildcats bring their game to Beaver Stadium for a nooner next week.

The Mildcats are 5-0 with such impressive wins as these:

W Syracuse 42-41
W Vanderbilt 23-13
W Boston College 22-13
W South Dakota  38-7
W Indiana 44-29

They are ranked 22nd in the USA Today and 24th in the AP.

On the flip side, our wins are not any more or less impressive, and we could have/should have won the two that we lost.  It will be interesting to see the opening line on this game (and we know how much that means after thumping a 1.5 point favorite this weekend) but I suspect we might be favored, even though NW is ranked.  I also think we will win this game.

And for Mr. Beckman . . . (to Drive By by Train)
On the other side of a field I knew
Stood a coach that looked like you
I guess that’s déjà vu
But I thought this can't be true
Cause you coach out in Champaign, not  here in mid PA
Now you can’t ever get away from me
Oh but those recruits
We could not dispute
They didn't leave me
Cause  they could all see
That you were overwhelmed, and frankly scared as hell
Because we really beat you too
Oh I swear to you
I'll be there with you
This is just a drive by

The Other Ohio

In past years, I have previewed the season as a countdown from the game I felt would be the easiest to win to the game that I felt we were most likely to lose, or the most difficult game to win.

But as I look at this year's schedule, and contemplate the team we have, I realized something crucial . . .


The Old Paterno playbook.

I have no idea what to expect from this team.

For the first time since I have been following Penn State football, Joe Paterno is not at the helm.  And while there were games he missed the past few years due to health issues (or being unceremoniously fired without due process) his fingerprints were always discernible on the game plan.

With Joe, there was a certain constancy that was on the one hand comforting, and on the other hand terribly frustrating.  There was always a quarterback controversy--you never knew for sure who was going to start.  O'Brien has eliminated that doubt.  Barring an injury, McGloin will start the game.  It's crazy shit.  The man picked a starting QB.  Before fall practice even began.  I know!  Can you imagine this?!

I think it is safe to assume that we are going to see a different kind of offense.  While that may not necessarily mean a pass happy, fun and gun, kind of up-tempo offense that scores oodles of points, it is going to be different than the stodgy, vanilla excuse for an offense that has mired Penn State teams down since Fran Ganter "resigned." 

I expect the defense to be pretty good and perhaps more aggressive than what we Penn State fans are accustomed to.  Even though Bradley is no longer the defensive brain, the heart of those defenses--the defensive line and linebackers--should be solid, though depth issues may become a problem.  But those two areas should be okay due to the retention of Vanderlinden and Johnson.

Our kicking game took a hit with the transfer of Fera, but special teams can only be an improvement, as they have been sorely lacking for the past, oh, two decades?  I think we pretty much brought up the rear in kick off returns the past few seasons.  But I don't see a dedicated special teams coach, and I am not sure who or how many coaches will be involved in that aspect.  I still think things have to be better in this department, but maybe that is just wishful thinking.

With these issues in mind, I realized the task of assigning priority to games on a countdown became an exercise in futility.  Without some specific knowledge of how we stack up against teams, it is very difficult to predict outcomes.  We could beat Ohio State and lose to Indiana.  It's going to be that kind of year, I'm afraid to say.  Probably not, but I can wishfully think so here.  Actually, if we are going to wishfully think anything, then we'll think undefeated season.

So with a new staff and a boatload of unfair sanctions, I decided not to present a countdown, but instead to preview each game in order.  We are going to take this season one game at a time.

First off, the Ohio Bobcats.

This is the game of Successors.  Frank Solich succeeded Tom Osborne.  Bill O'Brien succeeded you know who.  Of course, Frank was modestly successful and still got canned, and Ohio is where he fell.  The verdict on O'Brien may take years to determine.

Ohio is picked by the Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook to win the MAC.

Ohio has a young team coming off perhaps the school's best season ever in the modern age of football.  According to SB Nation:

Solich has built the Ohio program the way he learned to at Nebraska: stock up on locals, redshirt like crazy, and bring in just enough outsiders to make things interesting.

Ohio has won at least eight games in four of its last six seasons, and not only did it bring home its first ever bowl win last December (in dramatic fashion, no less), but it did so with a ridiculously young squad.

Matt Zemek breaks down the Bobcat team and concludes that returning junior QB Tettleton is a key.

Bringing Tettleton back is big for the Bobcats and head coach Frank Solich, who has never had as good of a returning starting quarterback in place during spring camp in his eight years in Athens, Ohio. Tettleton threw for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, and was second on the team in rushing in 2011. Despite all of this, the offense has some retooling to do in 2012. The Bobcats need to replace two wide recievers including LaVon Brazill, and need to place two tackles on the offensive line.

On the defensive side of the ball, Ohio's 4-3 front seven lacked a bit of toughness last season, unable to apply consistent pressure on the quarterback. The biggest question mark for the Bobcats is that for the first time in four years they are without a stud middle linebacker. They lost Noah Keller to graduation. Despite this, they still do return nine starters on defense, including the entire secondary. If Solich and his staff can find someone to plug in the gaps at the middle linebacker position, they should be in good shape to once again challenge for the top spot in the MAC and claim the East Division flag.

On special teams, consistent junior Matt Weller returns to handle placekicking duties. The Bobcats must find replacements on kick returns, at long snapper, and at punter this spring.

This could be a dangerous first opponent.  But when I look at the out of conference schedule, only Navy didn't go to a bowl game, and of the three schools playing in bowls last year, only Virginia lost.  I vacillate between us going 4-0 and 0-4. 
But the die-hard, Kool-Aid drinking fan in me insists that we win this opening game, which may feature one of the largest opening crowds since Arizona came to Beaver stadium in 1999.

The game is key for a variety of reasons.  First, it is Bill O'Brien's debut.  Secondly, the whole world will be watching to see what happens at Penn State in the after-math of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. This game could set the tone for the whole season. 

I think our guys are going to come out on that field, to a full or nearly full stadium of fans anxious to put the past nine months behind us and MOVE ON, and score a solid victory for the Blue and White.  A win will do wonders to ease the pain of this past off-season.  Erickson can even apologize afterward if he feels the need--and he will.  The players can't control the sanctions.  They can't control the media.  But they can control their own destiny. 



Bobcats Like to Crack Nuts!



Penn State Will Rise

Pea-Nits Cartoon

A Special Coach

The issue won't be settled for a while.  Only time will tell, and history will document the answer.

But for some, perhaps many, Penn State fans, the question has already been answered.

Is Coach Bill O'Brien the right man for the job?

There is no doubt that Paterno left behind very big shoes to fill, albeit plain black ones.  It would have been a difficult job for anyone to come into, the expectations so high, the pressure to succeed so great.  Even under the best of circumstances, few would be up to that kind of task.

But when you consider the actual circumstances--the scandal, the firing of a legend, and then the death of that legend, one would think a difficult position had become nearly impossible.

But Matt Hayes of The Sporting News thinks Penn State just might have found the perfect man for the job--one who thinks that kind of stress is nothing compared to what he deals with day in and day out.

The episodes come so often and so random, are so mind-numbing in their frequency, there’s never really an opportunity to reflect on the sheer terror of it all.

Multiple times every day, Jack O’Brien stops breathing.

“I’m always waiting,” Colleen O’Brien says. “Please take that breath. Take that breath.”

A breath of life, a breath of perspective.

“People ask me about pressure in this job,” says Bill O’Brien, Penn State’s new coach. “Really? Pressure?”

Here is Bill O’Brien’s view of pressure: His son, Jack, is 10 years old and has the rare neurological disorder Lissencephaly. He can’t walk or talk, can’t feed himself, can’t do things typical boys can do.

And he has seizures, sometimes 10 a day, and as many as thousands a year. From episodes that last seconds, to those that last minutes. All feel like hours, and every single one takes another piece of he and his wife Colleen’s punctured souls while they wait for their son—rigid and non-responsive—to eventually emerge from the place only he knows.

One man’s pressure, it seems, is another’s perspective.

Someone had to follow Joe Paterno; someone had to sit in that office across from that big stadium and eventually be the first fresh face on the sidelines in Happy Valley in nearly five decades.

Bill O’Brien is the man following the legendary icon that is JoePa. To the degree that football allows, O’Brien is the man helping to heal a community ripped apart by horrific allegations of child abuse by former Penn State assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. The process of replacing Paterno began last November with the revelation of those unthinkable events.

The Sandusky trial begins Monday in this bucolic burg tucked in the central Pennsylvania mountains. The story, so distasteful and incomprehensible, is irreparably linked to Penn State football.

If ever there was a set up for failure, this is it.

Or is it?

Maybe, just maybe, this is the perfect situation: a cosmic convergence of the untenable beaten back by the unwavering. Who follows a coach who was the face of college football, who was fired in writing after the tentacles of the biggest scandal in college football history reached his office; who died from cancer (or was it a broken heart?) months later?

A man with a vise grip on perspective.

I have personally had the opportunity to listen to Bill O'Brien speak.  I have followed this transition with the same passion I have followed Penn State football for over three decades of my life.  I will be the first to admit that I was disappointed with the initial announcement.  I will also say that I have become impressed with this man who has taken the reins from Joe Paterno, or rather, picked them up in the void left after the unthinkable happened.  He has yet to actually coach a real game as the head coach at Penn State beyond a scrimmage, and perhaps he doesn't have the players we would like him to have on the field this fall, but I am excited to see what this man can do.

Maybe we're all just rationalizing things.  Maybe we're looking for the silver lining; grasping at straws, and hoping that the program we have known and loved, sweated and cried for, in success and in defeat, will once again rise from the ashes of this tragedy and bring pride back to Happy Valley--maybe bring happiness back to Happy Valley.

Maybe Matt McGloin isn't going to be Tom Brady.  Maybe the New England offense won't work at Penn State.  We don't have to look any further than South Bend for an example of a similar scenario gone bad.  The offensive guru of the Patriots comes in to a once-great program that has not been competitive for awhile, but then fails to get the train back on the tracks.

But the argument that McGloin isn't Tom Brady is as valid as the argument that Bill O'Brien isn't Charlie Weiss.  Penn State isn't New England, nor is it Notre Dame.

Maybe Penn State won't win the Big Ten Title this year.  Or the nest.  Or ever again.  Maybe National Championships are things we will talk about only in past tense, like the Irish.

But for now, it appears that we do have a good man for the job.

Nothing comes from nothing; nothing ever could.  But somewhere down the road, a good man will do something good.

Unfortunate Initials

Coach O'Brien played in the 16th Annual Coaches Vs. Cancer Golf Tournament today.  I hope he had a better game than I did this morning.

To make matters worse, I went to mark my ball on the green, and realized I had pulled an old ball marker out of my bag by accident.

No.  The JS does not stand for Jerry Sandusky--I swear!

Years ago, in the late 1990's. I operated at Jersey Shore Hospital in, um, Jersey Shore, PA.  I played in a charity tournament, where I got the ball marker.

Seriously, here is their logo:

I played in a charity tournament a few weeks ago and actually won a prize for the straightest drive.  I only hit one ball straight all day, and it was on that hole--only a couple of inches from the line they paint in the center of the fairway.  Every blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while.

I won a set of 4 DVDs--Rip it 300 Yards by Ben Witter.

I haven't watched them yet.  I also haven't driven a ball 300 yards, although I came close today at hole #6 at Sylvan Hills.  I was inside the 100 yard marker after my drive--and I was still on the fairway.  But my short game sucks and I still ended up with a six.  As one of our foursome quipped, "anyone can screw up a bad drive."  It's really special to muck up a good one.

Survey Says . . .

According to multiple sources, including GoPSUsports, Coach O'Brien has tabbed Matt McGloin as his starting QB for this season.

O'Brien cited McGloin's consistency running the offense throughout spring practice as the driving force behind his decision to name the Scranton native the starter heading into the season.
"He (McGloin) was the most consistent guy throughout the spring," Coach O'Brien said. He has good command of the offense at this point. He's a tough kid. He's a competitive kid. He's shown good leadership qualities. I just felt like he is the No. 1 quarterback."

O'Brien added that it was very important to make the decision prior to training camp.


"When you go into training camp you have to make sure that one guy is getting the bulk of the reps," Coach O'Brien said. "You don't have time to give three guys equal reps. Also, in the summertime when the coaches aren't allowed to be around, you need to have leaders on both sides of the ball. Matt, being a quarterback, is a leader on the offensive side of the ball...Mostly, it's because you have to get one guy ready to play. You can't get three guys ready to play. And it's really hard to get two guys ready to play. So you have to have a starter, and then you go from there."

On the field, Coach O'Brien said that consistency in numerous areas pertinent to success at the quarterback position separated McGloin during the spring.

"His completion percentage, getting us in and out of the right plays, knowledge of the offense, being prepared in meetings, cutting down on his interceptions as spring ball went on," Coach O'Brien said. "He completed about 65 to 70 percent of his passes during the spring. He ran some of our situational stuff pretty well. He just did a very good job of being consistent."

When was the last time Penn State football fans heard their coach announce who the QB for the first game or the season was, before August . . . or September?  The reasons for doing so make sense--the primary guy gets the reps.  You know who your leader is.  Trying to get three (or more) guys ready is not practical.

Yet, there are those that can't shake the cock-sure attitude of McGloin or his penchant for throwing McSix Picks.

I personally had been leaning toward Jones, but that may have been wishful thinking.  The back-up QB always seems to be the most popular.  But if a man who can coach quarterbacks like Tom Brady thinks that McGloin was more knowledgeable about the offense and more prepared in meetings and had the better completion percentage on the field, then McGloin is my man too.

We don't know how close the battle was, nor do we know how far behind Bolden was, presumably, in third place.

Congratulations Matt!  Bring on the season!

What say you?  Are you Going with McGloin, or do you wish McGloin was going?

O'Brien

Coaches Caravan

Pavlik, O'Brien and Gadowsky

I attended the Penn State Coaches Caravan at Penn State Altoona for breakfast this morning.  The event seemed well-attended with only a few seats empty here and there.  We did not see nearly the 1,000+ that reportedly showed up in Scranton.

Three coaches were present:  O'Brien (football), Pavlik (men's Volleyball) and Gadowsky (men's hockey.)

Pavlik spoke first, likening himself to a leek among the more popular vegetables (the other two coaches.)  But with his record as the volleyball coach, Gadowsky said that would make him a garnish.  O'Brien didn't bother to indicate what vegetable or food group he represented.

Now, if we can believe that he really means everything that he says--and there's no reason to doubt that--then I think we have a pretty special guy coming in.  Why would he lie?  How many coaches have told their team they are not leaving, while they have tickets in their back pocket to head elsewhere?  I don't get that sense from O'Brien.  He did indicate he would not coach until he was in his eighties, and he never guaranteed all those coaching years would be at Penn State.  But he sounds like a man who has found his dream job.

When asked why he took the Penn State job, his response was basically, are you serious?  This is the best job in college football.  The facilities are second to none.  He praised Joe Paterno for what he had built and confirmed a commitment to success with honor.  He is building his football program on 4 basic cornerstones or pillars:  academics, football, integrity and respect.  He admitted he won't be able to beat Ohio State with a 105 Valedictorians, but he is looking for student athletes that will be willing to work in the classroom, as well as excel on the football field.

In short, O'Brien respects the past and the ideals that set Penn State football apart from many other programs, and to some degree seems humbled and privileged to be where he is right now.  He sounds excited about the prospect of leading this team onto the field this fall.  His enthusiasm is infectious and his humor is reminiscent of Paterno.

When talking about Happy Valley, he noted that his team will be able to play in any weather.  He said the first day of practice was marked by 55 mph winds and the passing game was so bad that his wife questioned him after the scrimmage . . . "what was that?" she asked.  The next day it rained.  The following it spritzed snow.

He mentioned that the new NCAA "play-off" in the BCS might allow for a home game for the higher ranked team, prompting him to ask the crowd how they would like a game in Beaver Stadium in December.  The very fact that this man is thinking Penn State will be a participant in that scenario is refreshing alone.  Never once were fans asked to lower our expectations, even though it is certainly reasonable to expect the transition to a new coach and scheme to take 2-4 years, particularly since most of these players are not players he recruited.

All in all, I found the event positive and I am now more than ever looking forward to the opening game against Ohio on September 1st.

Respect the past.  Play hard in the present.  Plan for the future.

We are . . . Penn State!

O'Brien mingles with the crowd at Penn State - Altoona.

Bluish White Thoughts on a Gray Day

The weather called for scattered showers and cooler temperatures.  And while the thermometer did drop, the rain did not fall on Bill O'Brien's first Blue-White scrimmage.  Could that be a sign?

I tailgated with a friend at the new Lewis Katz Law Building.  As a physician, I felt like Daniel in the Lion's Den, or a shipwrecked survivor surrounded by sharks.  There were fins to the left.  There were fins to the right.  And I was the only bait in the building.  Actually, the food was great, the building is beautiful and I had a great time.  Nate Stupar's sister guided us on a tour of the building!

It is always a difficult task to break this scrimmage down and make any sense of it.  In almost every case, the results are meaningless; the pursuit fruitless.

But you don't want to stare at a blank screen.  Well, maybe you do.  Maybe that would be better than the actual blog.  But now we're waxing too philosophically for a blog devoted primarily to football.

So I will attempt to summarize my thoughts on the 2012 Blue-White Game.

The atmosphere.

The attendance was estimated at 60,000 and I think that would have been exceeded easily with better weather or less scary meteorological prognostications.  There also appeared to be significant numbers in the parking lots that did not actually go into the game.  All-in-all, it was one of the larger crowds for a day with less than pleasant weather.

I took comfort in seeing Larry Johnson, Sr. on the sideline.  Vanderlinden was probably there, but I did not personally see him.  I miss Joe.  For as much as I complained about his conservative play calling, lack of recruiting in these last few years, and various other sundry coaching decisions, I really felt his absence today.  Penn State football is just not the same.  Maybe never will be.  Maybe it will be better.  Who the hell knows at this point?

On the other hand, I saw a coach walk out onto the field after one of his QBs threw an INT (Bolden) and talk to the QB.  I saw him do some coaching.  In the past 10 years, I'm not sure I saw Joe do anything on the sideline but yell at the refs or McQueary or get hit.  I saw another QB (Jones) celebrate a big play with his head coach.  Like . . . Did you see that!  That's what I'm talking about!  I really liked to see that kind of communication and rapport between coach and players.   Whether that will ever translate into points on the scoreboard or wins in the record books, time will only tell.

Granted, Joe wouldn't have been on the sideline for this game anyway (he always was up in the pressbox), but you know what I'm talking about.  There is a hole left that will take time to heal, and I have not yet healed.

The Scoring System.

First impression?  WTF.  (That was my first impression when I heard the announcement that O'Brien was to become Penn State's 15th Head Football Coach.)  But just as I am growing to like O'Brien as our coach, I found the point system more interesting as the game went on.

For my readers who did not attend or see the game, Blue was the defense and White was the offense.  Unlike other years (since 1950?) the blue team did not take a snap on offense.  Rather, the defense scored points by making plays.  Hence . . . .



2 points for Gryffindor for an explosive play!

 7 points for defensive TD
6 points for a turn over
4 points for a sack
2 points for a tackle for loss
1 point for forcing a 3 and out

The score almost started at 1-0, but white converted a fourth down to take the 3 and out point off the scoreboard.

For the offense, the scoring was different as well . . .

6 points for a TD and 1 for the PAT
3 points for a field goal
2 points for a play over 15+ yards (an explosive play!)
1 point for the PAT

The final score was Blue (defense) winning 77-65 over the White (offense.)

The Quarterbacks.

All six QBs played in the game. I know!  Where did these other two come from????  Tyler Lucas (SO) and Garrett Venuto (SR)?  It makes my head hurt!

I don't think any single QB stood out over the others.  MacGregor actually had a really nice drive to put the first TD on the board.  Bolden threw some nice passes, but then he threw some bad ones as well, including at least two interceptions.

None of the QBs ran the ball.

There were 5 INTs and 8 "sacks" overall.  I put the sack number in quotes because all the defender had to do was touch the QB to down him and I think it was pretty clear that in an actual game situation, several of those would not have been sacks as the QB could have spun away.  But we have what we have to look at.

My gut feeling?  Paul Jones will be the starter, and McGloin will be the annointed back-up.

Here's what Coach O'Brien said about the QBs in his press conference:

I feel pretty good where we're at quarterback-wise. I really have to watch the film, I really do. I've got to see the film. It's hard to see from the sideline. But, all three of those guys (Matt McGloin, Rob Bolden, Paul Jones) made some plays today. And again, I have to reiterate, all three of these guys, we've asked a lot of them. We've asked them to learn a system that's totally different than anything they've ever learned, and that takes time. And different guys learn at different rates, and some guys get it right away, other guys get it the next day, other guys get it two days from now.

So we have to let it soak a little bit, let it soak for ourselves as a staff, and then we'll make a decision headed into training camp on who we're going with or who the top two are.

Paul Jones has gotten better every single day. Paul Jones and I have a unique relationship because we both have unique senses of humor. He's been a fun guy to coach, and I'll keep between he and I what he needs to do to win the starting job, but he made a lot of strides this spring, and he's doing better in school, and I've really enjoyed being around Paul Jones.

The offensive line.

I was not impressed with the o-line.  We could not run up the middle, although maybe that is because the defensive line is pretty good.  Who knows at this point?  Eight sacks is not a good stat for the o-line either, although as I said before, some of that was the fact that a mere touch brought the QB down and the QBs didn't run when they could have, but I think this will be a weakness heading into the season.  I could be wrong . . . new strength and conditioning program will play a role, and I think McWhorter (o-line coach from Texas) will do a better job than our old staff at getting these guys ready to play.

Other notes:

Enjoyed seeing Ki Jana Carter.
Limited playing time for Silas Redd.
Belton and Zwinak looked good at RB.
Robinson (So) led the team with receptions and looked good.
O'Brien stated in the post-game conference that fans only saw about 10% of the playbook today.  Whew!
Defense appears to be ahead of offense at this point but that is to be expected.
Defenders played up at the line of scrimmage on receivers.  Is that even allowed????

Awards:

Jim O'Hora - Stephon Morris
Red Worrell - Matt Stankiewitch
Frank Patrick Total Commitment Award - Steve Urkel  John Urschel