Nitt Picks Is Comfortably Numb

Should he show more respect to the man who built this program...yes but Joe no longer cares about the future of this program and is to stubborn/power hungry to let go.  

PSU is losing tons of recruits to other programs all the time. he is killing the future of the program...that being said I think PSU will be very good this year...in 2 years we will suck.

PSU = PA is a great football state

and Here ARE the problems w/ your argument...stupid fat fingers!

With the recruiting damage he's doing, we're going to be an 8-9 win team next year; then perhaps one more year at that level; then back to the Dark Ages (bottom of the conference).

Seriously.

2008 outlook
I would not say I am overly optimistic but I do think we may have a good chance at a BCS bowl this year.  College football starts with your line.  I don't care how good your specialty people are, if the O and D lines are not good you are in for a long season.  If the line is solid they make every one around them better.  Running backs have holes, QBs have time, Line backers don't have as many options to choose from, DBacks don't have to hold single coverage that long and when they play zone they know when the qb is throwing the ball because if he does not the line will collapse on him.  It all starts with the line.  Throw in the fact that we have a lot of talent and speed in the other positions on offense and our D is pretty strong with the exception of some holes in our DBackfield we may be looking at pretty strong season.  Our Schedule is pretty favorable also (although it was last year, there in lies the doubt).  Ohio State looks like a National title contender again this year.  I think Penn State can come in second and we may have what it takes to get off the shnide against Michigan.  Catch a few brakes and we could win the Big Ten.  I can easily see us with a 10 - 2 or better regular season.  I hope I am right!  :-)

Nebraska, OSU 05', UT, a few splits w/ Wisconsin...can not think of many more.  I don't consider A&M a big win even though it was a bowl game...they are not a top tier team.

Many of the 8-9 wins PSU obtains are against less than stellar programs...cupcake city.  We do well against mid level and worse teams, but stink against the big boys...real elite program.

By the way - I love PSU and because you criticize the program does not make you less of a fan, I want this program to be elite again.

As for 08....don't know where all the negativity is coming from on this site and others....but the B/W game showed we should be better than ok.  Yeah we were 9-4 last year.....with three horrible losses (Michigan, Illinois and Michigan State).  Where any of those schools better than PSU....Michigan would be the only argument.  But the overwhelming answer for Illinois and Michigan State is NO! So if PSU played to its ability last year and even assuming losses to OSU and Michigan we would have been 10-2 going into the post season.

2008 will be a good year for Penn State and we will be back to the point we were in 2005, with everyone on the bandwagon again.

If we stay healthy on defense this year it will be a special year!

However, you're forgetting that Joe Paterno is a great FOOTBALL COACH.  Is he the best recruiter in his twilight?  No.  But, as long and you hand the man and his staff capable talent, I feel confident that he can turn the 2,3, and 4 star recruits into great players.  He always has.  If football games were won on the number of 5 stars you recruit, we should have sucked for about 10 years now.  But they're won on hard work, determination, and great teaching by the coaches.

Yes, sometimes his conservative gameplans cost us, but I'd argue that the things we saw the last few years were sprung out of having no confidence in Anthony Morelli.  He didn't have it against Michigan last year, and you could make the arguement that it cost us the game.  So Joe decided to give the people what they wanted.  He put the ball in the hands of Anthony Morelli at Illinois and Michigan St., and Anthony Morelli failed.  So can you blame the man if he was a little more conservative than many of us would have liked?

I think we're going to see a new offense this season, and I'm pretty excited to see what happens.  I have confidence in Joe, and I'm optimistic.

They can't be a PSU football player if they can't be a PSU student, first.  

If that translates to 8 or 9 win seasons with the occasional lightning in a bottle (2005) peppered in there, then fine by me.

I think what you define as "effort" and what I define as "effort" are two totally different things.  You see "effort" as texting players all afternoon and following them to every game they play aka ass kissing.  I think its utterly ridiculos that Joe Paterno should have to do that to get a kid to come to Penn State.  Personally, with the success hes had, I think Urban Meyer should be above that as well, but he does things how he sees fit.

My point is, if your a self respecting program, or a self respecting coach, you don't bend over backwards like that for a kid.  The good players, who more importantly have good heads on their shoulders, will find their way to Penn State.  If you "count the texts" with a school, then you're just the kind of asshole I can live with out.

As a football recruit, I consider an invitation from Joe Paterno to come to Penn State an see him as a request for an audience with the Pope.  Sure, for special occasions, he leaves the Vatican (University Park), but only for very special people.  If Joe Paterno wants to meet you, its a big deal, and that should really be enough for a kid to want to at least check out Penn State.  

I think people confuse his style of recruiting with a lack of effort.  I think he puts in the effort.  He knows every kid, and he knows a lot about them as well.  For that to be true, he has to know their backround as well.

I think you can get 5 star recruits this way, without treating them like false gods.