That stubhub price from August doesn’t look too shabby now.

It’s apparent to me that something has been up since the offseason. With all of the talk of Paterno saying he would coach without a contract and Spanier accepting that answer and waiting for the end of the season to resume discussions, the issue seemed to fade away as the season started. But I think that before the opening kickoff, Paterno & Spanier reached a mutual understanding that this was to be Joe’s last season. And for noble purposes, they didn’t publicize it. The last thing Joe would want is for the focus of the college football season to be on him and not on his team. He doesn’t want to be a distraction to these kids.

I think it’s the last ride for JoePa, and my ass is going to be firmly planted in that seat in the Beav for the final curtain on Nov. 22.

that JoePa will live forever. I’m going to stubbornly hold onto that until something proves me wrong. He’s a fighter and it looks like things aren’t going to well with his health lately, but betting against Joe Paterno remaining head coach makes losers out of all of us.

I have said since May that all I want for Christmas is my bowl trip….I have believed for awhile this was, one way or another the end of the road for Joepa. It is sad…I have studied the man, and his methods for a long time…I emulate the way I coach my high school team after him and to see one of my true heros go will be a tough tough day…you will see alot of grown men cry that day…myself among them.

Enjoy the ride. Here’s hoping the grand old man rides into the sunset.

I was having a good Monday. . .until now.

I have also always silently thought this was the last season for JoePa. It was an interesting point that maybe he has already decided this with Spanier and that explains the lack of contract. That actually makes great sense to me.

To take that Idea even further, maybe only the team/staff knows this and that is why they are playing their asses off? I mean it would be hard to keep 100 some kids from blabbing, but maybe just a select group of seniors know. I think just as much as any other players he has coached, this senior class’s fate is intertwined with Joe’s, they are the ones who brought us back to relevance. He basically himself admitted to hinging this resurgence onto the recruiting of Derrick Williams.
Maybe Bradley has already been named coach also? Perhaps that is making it easier for Joe to leave, I have to think he would only want one of his own to take over for him and who better than the man who came here to play for Joe and then never left?

I don’t want to get too caught up in conspiracy theories, but I absolutely love the idea of D-Will and the boys sending Joe off into the sunset with another perfect season. Just to have Joe say “Surprise!, I’m done, Tommy is taking over now, see you at the stadium renaming ceremony.” Im a sucker for these types of things.

RUTS and I are planning to attend this game, I would be shocked if it’s not his last home game as HC.

Probably turn the keys over to TB and let Jay run the show on O. Let that play out, if it works great…if not plan to see someone from outside. I don’t think TB/Jay will have a long leash, about 4 years to produce.

I want to point out that it is a true testament to Joe’s mythical/superhuman status that the fact that an 80 year old man has arthritis and needs help changing shoes is big news.

And while Joe is notoriously proud, he is also quite honest. I feel that if there were worse problems to his health than this, we would know about it.

I’m just taking this day to day. Granted, he’s 81, almost 82, so it isn’t quite the same, and recovery time is different, but the guy injured his leg. I know I’ve had plenty of knee injuries in my life, and I’m only 28. I know for a while afterwards I’m not the most willing to go running around and standing for long stretches of the day. Yeah, he also has the arthritis flaring up, but that is manageable, and perhaps once his knee heals up he’ll be back to his old self. Or maybe he’ll just decide to ride on the golf cart in practice and coach from the box for a few more years.

With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if htis is his last year, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him back next year, as well.

I hope now that we are going out on a winning note he can pick his own replacement.

that we would go for a out of program hire for the next coach, but if this season is sucessful (hopefully MNC) we have to go with Bradley to keep the ball rolling. I don’t want someone to come in (like DickRod at Mich) and totally change the enviroment.

The perfect Joe Paterno quote.

All I know about football was gleaned from trying to figure out why Joe Paterno did what he did. If you roll with Joe Paterno everytime, you are right about 80% of the time. I am not a homer for Penn State, I roll with the odds.

Odds are, Joe Paterno is right, and I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. If you agree with Paterno every time, you seldom sound stupid. That’s free advice.

Assuming this is Joe’s last season…I’d like to hear what everyone thinks regarding renaming the stadium Paterno Stadium…He already has the statue, but his naming belongs ontop of that Scoreboard.

and he gets College Avenue. The stadium remains the same, I bet he insists on it.

What better way to end the Grand Experiement than with a NC game. I think I would really cry. Talk about pure poetry…

Joe will announce to the team about 5 minutes before the bowl game and it will come out after at the press conference.

Talk about being fired up as a player, you gotta send Joe out as a winner.

1. So much for everyone who had their panties in a bunch thinking Spanier was going to fire or force out Joe. WRONG, and you were dumb for thinking this would happen. Joe is the university’s biggest fundraiser, and like it or not is the public face of the entire university. Spanier would have had his house firebombed if he tried to force Joe out. Now, if we went 2-10, I admit things might be slightly different, but no one would dare fire Joe and expect to keep any sort of approval rating.

2. Who annointed Schiano beside the media and some fringe fans? No one who wields any power, last time I checked. But the media is right – why pay Schiano for losing seasons when we can get a winner at presumably less cost?

3. RUTS, this is some of your best writing yet.