Class Act

by BSD on Dec 27, 2007 9:48 AM EST in Football

The end of the Anthony Morelli era can't come soon enough. It's like we're stuck in a bad marriage. Both parties want to split and get on with their lives but we're stuck with each other until the kids go to college. Yesterday the latest chapter of the Anthony Morelli drama unfolded when he didn't show up for the scheduled Alamo Bowl press conference.

Penn State senior starting quarterback and team captain Anthony Morelli pulled another no-show on a news conference.

The latest disappearing act happened Wednesday during a media session for Penn State offensive players. Most of the main cogs appeared, including running back Rodney Kinlaw, center A.Q. Shipley and receiver Derrick Williams.

For awhile, it seemed like Morelli would show up, too. His name appeared on the program and there was even a placard made out for him for the dais.

But a team official was notified an hour before the news conference started that Morelli would not attend. He hasn't spoken with the media since the Nov. 10 win at Temple.

His teammates were left to take the questions.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your senior captain. I hate to be hard on college kids, but Anthony Morelli is a loser. This has been a pattern all season long. He didn't talk to the media after the Michigan loss. He didn't talk to the media aftr the Illinois loss. He pointed fingers at the coaching in the Ohio State loss. Now he hasn't talked to the media since the Temple game. Instead he lets his teammates go out there to tell the media how this team that thought it was going to compete for a national championship managed to lose four games.


Anthony...are you crying?

Way to go, Morelli. You're a real classy guy. Hope that degree in recreation, park and tourism management serves you well because you have no future in football. Luckily park managers don't have to give many press conferences.

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This Won't Be Popular.......

but how could the coaching staff have whiffed so badly on this guy. They must have sat in his house and been overwhelmed by his family. I refuse to believe that with all the experience this coaching staff has and the 1000s of kids they have collectively recruited that they had no idea that he didn't have it between the ears.

Who knows.......maybe he is waiting to talk to the media after the game because he is so focused on preparation right now. Maybe he'll come out and throw for 300 yards and 4tds. Maybe.

Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.

by ech2os on Dec 27, 2007 10:18 AM EST reply actions

The whiff

Wasn't he a desperation signing right after Henne 'decommitted' from us to Michigan? Maybe people got too caught up in the "we need to show we're good enough to attract recruits away from somebody else, too" game.

by M1EK on Dec 27, 2007 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

Big day or Short day

I think it will be one or the other. There is no reason to keep this kid happy anymore after this game and if it goes badly for him he will be pulled and will sit the rest of his football career on the bench watching his backup QB or QBs lead the team.

It's been nice down here in San Antonio, I got here Monday morning, have not seen a lot of PSU fans yet, but then again we are out in the RV at a campground near Sea World.

by PSUinTN on Dec 27, 2007 10:34 AM EST reply actions

i can't wait

I can't wait for Morelli to be gone even though I'm sure Jay Paterno has already ruined Clark and Devlin. If I was Devlin, I'd have already started working on transferring because Joe believes in the seniority system to the detriment of actually winning games.

by kmblue on Dec 27, 2007 10:50 AM EST reply actions

I don't get it

I would love to know the reason why Joe handles #14 with kid gloves. I know there are a lot of theories out there, but I'd love to know the real reason.

Angelo

by nittanyroar on Dec 27, 2007 10:58 AM EST reply actions

Maybe it's because Joe knows

the kid's a loose cannon and doesn't want him to go off the deep end and start shooting people.

by ignition719 on Dec 27, 2007 11:32 AM EST reply actions

What is He Thinking?

Presumably this guy wants to play in the NFL.

What's he thinking? That along with the questions surrounding his play and judgment now there's going to be some surrounding his character?

The Alamo Bowl isn't exactly Watergate. How many people does he think are going to actually read what he has to say? Who really cares what any of these guys are going to say in this press conference, beyond a few hundred people at most.

Unfortunately, Anthony has a difficult time perceiving reality. I'm not sure that's something you can discern from a kid of 17 or whenever they recruited him. He's still acting like he's 17.

by CDRS on Dec 27, 2007 11:57 AM EST reply actions

Won't Somebody 'Take a Chance On Him?'

Isn't this what PSU did in recruiting him? This is one of the great many cliches in pro football, and fits him to a 't'. Presumably, NFL coaches will look at, and see, the same raw talent that PSU saw, but will also see where PSU's coaches failed to teach him leadership & decision-making--two of the hardest aspects to teach a QB. And they will have a bit of sensible confidence that their organization will have some coaches who are better equipped to successfully convey these things to a young talented arm. The league is littered with failed and average QB's who are being experimented with in this way every week.

by jtothep on Dec 31, 2007 11:32 AM EST up reply actions

OT

It kinda sucks that the Pats/Giants game is on as the same time as the Alamo bowl. This will surely take away from the ratings when you consider that the NFL has decided to simulcast the game on CBS, NBC AND NFL Network. That's a lot to compete with.

Angelo

by nittanyroar on Dec 27, 2007 12:14 PM EST reply actions

Killin' Me

cuz of the Pats game the Alamo bowl isn't on TV in Canada at all.

I'm dying trying to find some place to watch the game. It's saturday night so the Leafs will be on in every bar, and the Raptors are playing too.

Here in Toronto we have 3 sports only Cable stations and not one of them is carrying the game.

by platnumkid on Dec 27, 2007 9:40 PM EST up reply actions

Morelli...

is not a smart guy. Let me take you back to when he announced his decision to become a Nittany Lion: "I am going to the University of Penn State" or something along those lines, is what I believe he said. Perhaps he is actually smart enough to know he'll look like a moron or perhaps the coaching staff keeps him away so that he doesn't embarrass himself and the university. Whatever the reason, I'm happy I don't have to read his whining and I'll be happier about 11:30 pm EST when I see him leave the field in a PSU uniform, for the last time.

by Jen on Dec 27, 2007 4:14 PM EST reply actions

Didn't Number 14 jaw at Michigan fans?

I seem to recall that.

by MarkoMancuso on Dec 27, 2007 4:23 PM EST reply actions

Cmon Fellas

Could this blog be any more downbeat than it is right now? Honestly. Morelli is no star, but we're talking about him like hes the worst thing that happened to Penn State football. Face it, this team had other flaws beyond the QB. Cut the kid a break and thank him for keeping us out of the dumper.

God Created the World Out Of Nothing, Paterno Built A National Superpower On Cow Fields...

by Adam Bittner on Dec 27, 2007 5:47 PM EST reply actions

One time...

...is excusable. But when it becomes a pattern (bad games, taunting fans, throwing the coaches under the bus, skipping Q & A's with the press, etc.) is when the kid doesn't really deserve our undying support. I can accept bad play as long as the guy is accountable and does things the right way (a la Mills), but # 14...well...he's just a baby.

Btw, he did NOT keep us out of the dumper. The evidence is quite the contrary, but then again...he didn't put himself in the game.

by Cpiritual27 on Dec 27, 2007 6:06 PM EST up reply actions

All Things Considered..........

I think Morelli brought Penn State down to 8-4...he didn't lead Penn State to 8-4.

Eric Watters Atlanta, Ga.

by ech2os on Dec 27, 2007 7:20 PM EST up reply actions

morelli

I agree w/ Eric %100

I just figured it out, AM is PSU's version of Ryan Leaf

Rocket arm and Box of Rocks for brain/common sense.

Strike First...Strike Hard...No Mercy

by SweepTheLeg on Dec 27, 2007 10:25 PM EST up reply actions

How exactly did he

keep up out of the dumpster?

Angelo

by nittanyroar on Dec 27, 2007 6:04 PM EST reply actions

us not up

Angelo

by nittanyroar on Dec 27, 2007 6:05 PM EST up reply actions

The coaching staff

might have succumbed to something that happens in every sport, they fall in love with a player's physical talent and how good he looks in uniform. If any of you get the Football Letter electronically, there's some still photos there of Morelli and he looks great throwing the ball, it's just picture-perfect, the physical talent is obvious. But his worst performances have been in the biggest conference games, he's been good enough to lose because his performance is never quite bad enough to make you think the backup will automatically be better, but never gets to the "next level" either.

I've always rooted for Morelli, bleacher bums saying he's dumb are a dime a dozen, but this failure to attend press conferences has become inexcusable.

by Joe 96alum on Dec 27, 2007 6:15 PM EST reply actions

Yea

I made a point about that too, he looks like a pro dropping back and throwing the ball in stills, it's just the results are not good.

He's to slow with decision making and timing routes, whose to blame? I say it goes both ways, he stunted his own growth and coaching staff(qb coach) didn't help him develope and read the coverages and etc.

WE ARE, PENN STATE!

by LinebackerU on Dec 28, 2007 6:13 PM EST up reply actions

As an RPM major...

...I regret having Anthony Morelli as a soon to be fellow Alum.

Especially when I had classes with "Boom Boom" David Kimball.

by stonewall435 on Dec 27, 2007 6:32 PM EST reply actions

If Joe had some stones

Joe should sit down this punk and start clark/devlin, you can let the inmates run the jail. Joe lost control of the team, he is more concerned w/ catching Bowden than actually teaching young kids how to be responsible men. I remmeber when he sat some big name players against Florida in the bowl game for being idiots, but he lets this kid act a fool and do whatever he wants.

AM was everything you could ask for in a qb recruit lots of raw talent, big frame, fairly athletic, and rocket arm. If he has proper coaching and disapline he would have had a much better career.

I hate this team...

Strike First...Strike Hard...No Mercy

by SweepTheLeg on Dec 27, 2007 6:48 PM EST reply actions

Your All Right

Morelli is a DB, but I'm trying to create some positive vibes here. Its been like a church on this message board since MSU.

God Created the World Out Of Nothing, Paterno Built A National Superpower On Cow Fields...

by Adam Bittner on Dec 28, 2007 12:42 AM EST reply actions

While this team had other flaws,

it still all falls on Morelli (or any QB, but he's the one under the gun here) because he handles the ball on every snap. Look at the pick-sixes in Columbus in 2006, the fumble in Ann Arbor, and the cornucopia of turnovers in Champaign. When he has absolutely, positively, no bullshit about it had to get something done RIGHT NOW or we lose, he has failed every time. But then he doesn't show up and face the media? Fugimaster is right, he is a kid and while in college they're supposed to learn. Part of growing is learning to look people in the eye and say "My fault. I am responsible for what went wrong here." And he has not shown that at all.

by Ab4PSU on Dec 31, 2007 8:51 PM EST reply actions