Has Jay Paterno pinned his career and reputation on Daryll Clark?

Interesting take from the Altoona Mirror's Cory Giger this morning -- not really anything we haven't seen before, but rather shocking to see it published by a local newspaper:

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If Devlin wins the starting job and succeeds, he simply will have met peoples' expectations. And fair or not, Jay Paterno probably will not get much credit for working with and helping Devlin.

If, however, Devlin is like Anthony Morelli and fails to develop or struggles during his career ... oh boy! The JayPa criticism might reach an all-time high.

In a sense, Devlin presents almost a no-win situation for Jay.

Clark, on the other hand, presents a golden opportunity for Paterno to prove he is capable of developing a quarterback.

Clark has a reputation for being a good runner who must prove he can throw the ball. He was more of a project when he came to Penn State than Devlin was, so if Clark turns out to be very good, JayPa will deserve a lot of credit.

He may not get the credit - some people seem to hold an unreasonable grudge against the guy - but he will have earned it.
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I admit to thinking there's a certain chicken / egg conundrum taking shape here. Was the offense designed around Clark as soon as the Alamo Bowl ended last season, before an actual QB competition could be waged?

about 1 year ago Run Up The Score 30 comments 0 recs |

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Interesting take...

One of my friends and I were talking about a similar thought this morning. Clark represents a few things to me…but foremost among them is that he is without question a JayPa guy. Jay recruited him, Jay stuck with him throughout his prep year, Jay advocated for him last year when Morelli was struggling. To think that there was ANY doubt about who was going to start this year, well, it now simply doesn’t make sense. This was a Clark’s job from the start.

I beleive Clark can throw the football…he made some decent throws in the BW game. If he simply plays within himself, this offense should be good enough to put a boatload of points on the board. if he tries to do to much or panics in the pocket, we could be in for a tough one.

State High Class of 92 Penn State Class of 96

by NittanySteve on Aug 25, 2008 11:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I feel bad for Clark already, actually.

Whether he likes it or not, he’s keeping the all-time PA passing leader on the bench and is hopelessly linked with Jay Paterno. Kind of like Michael Robinson three years ago, but I have no reason to think that Clark is the same type of player Robinson was. Or even close.

I hope he does well. I really do. He’s in a bad position right now.

by Run Up The Score on Aug 25, 2008 11:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know how bad of a spot Clark is in. If he is the chosen starter, he has the opportunity to prove what he is made of. I think the Jury is still out on what kind of player he is going to be. I think he has the ability to be an impact player and a leader of the offense, but only time will tell. At the very least, being in the drivers seat gives him the opportunity to prove his critics wrong. I think it is unfortunate that he is linked with JayPa, but I don’t see any way around that.

by bmg125 on Aug 25, 2008 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They both have to play

If they go exclusively with Clark and he struggles it won’t take long before the boo birds start fluttering around Beaver Stadium. There is a large contingent of PSU fans, expecially from Philly and New Jersey, who want to see their local kid get a shot. Jay can favor whoever he wants, but ultimately the fans will let him know who they want. And of course knowing Jay and Joe, the more vocal the fans become the more stubborn they will get.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Aug 25, 2008 11:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Not gonna happen.

They’ll both play against Coastal, but I’ll be shocked if Clark doesn’t get 90% of the snaps against Oregon State. The die has been cast, my man. And the fans will murmur after every incompletion. There won’t be any patience for Clark’s mistakes, and he’s going to have to mentally brace himself for that.

by Run Up The Score on Aug 25, 2008 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dead on

by ReadingRambler on Aug 25, 2008 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

didn't JoePa

make it clear that he sort of regretted sticking with Morelli last year when he struggled? It seems to me that he was aware that it was a mistake to stick with him. So that would make one think that he wouldn’t make that same mistake two years in a row.

As fans in the stands I think we need to be extremely patient with whoever is at the helm early on. It’s going to take a couple games for the offense to find their groove…I think it’s reasonable to expect that.

by 4thand15 on Aug 25, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And this is my problem with Joe

It’s things like this that make me question how much control he really has. He’s the head coach. He has final say on who plays. But his quarterback coach talked him out of making a switch. The assistant coaches are basically running the team. On the defensive side of the ball we have some great football minds. On the offensive side of the ball the results speak for themselves.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Aug 25, 2008 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's get this straight once and for all

Not saying that you’re wrong, 4thand15, I just want to get this on the record somewhere.

Joe wanted Morelli pulled from the Michigan game. Jay talked him out of it. Despite that Morelli kept playing as he threw away the Illinois game and nearly gave away some others.

The preseason spin right now is Joe repeatedly (!) saying that it was JAY who tried to talk him into pulling Morelli last season. And that’s bullshit. He’s protecting Jay (which is what a good head coach will do, but it doesn’t change the facts of 2007).

by Run Up The Score on Aug 25, 2008 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

I was not aware of that angle. This makes more sense than any other version of the story I’ve heard before…

by millzners on Aug 25, 2008 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed...

I hadn’t heard that angle either.

Still, regardless of how he’s spinning it…he knows he was right in thinking Morelli should have been pulled. Hopefully he won’t make the same mistake this year. Then again, hopefully he won’t be in a position to make that mistake.

by 4thand15 on Aug 25, 2008 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I for one won't boo or call for Devlin

I think Clark is the man and as long as we win, he deserves the benefit of the doubt just like MRob got 3 years ago. I see this situation as identical to 2005 and the staff needs to approach it as such.

Patiently waiting for the return of Penn State Football

by ReadingNitFan on Aug 25, 2008 11:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

JayPa's last stand

Joe will eventually stop coaching. When he does Jay Paterno will finally be judged on his performance instead of his genetics — and that must scare the living crap out of Jay.

In Jay’s mind, he needs something to put on his resume — you can put lipstick on a pig (ie. all those meaningless pass yard records Mills and Morelli set) — but he’s been a part of 1 successful year and that isn’t enough.

Jay desperately needs something to point to and say ‘there, I did that — that was my baby’. Clark is that baby — and this year is the year for Jay to finally prove whether or not he’s the big bag of suck I believe him to be.

No one hopes for success for this program more than me — and if all along I’ve been wrong about Jay then I’m willing to accept that. But this is the year — we have every conceivable advantage over all but 2 teams on our schedule — and if we lose more than those two games Jay will be coaching PeeWee leagues in a few years.

by millzners on Aug 25, 2008 12:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Conundrum

Jay is screwed either way. If he plays Clark and he sucks or even just ok people will say he picks favorites and can’t develop talent. If he plays Clark and he’s great then people will look at Devlin, another star QB, and ask what happened? The Jay Paterno adversaries will always find their angle.

Right now expectations are low for Clark outside of Happy Valley. I would think Jay’s only chance at redemption is the play Devlin and prove he can take a good quarterback and make him great by developing his potential. Taking a questionable quarterback and making him good won’t win him any points.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Aug 25, 2008 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is it just me...

Or does almost every PSU fan assume DC will be MRob because they look similar.

Just because he is a big/mobile black dude does not make him the same type of athlete MRob was. Don’t forget Mike was our best WR and is a NFL running back. If DC was that type of athlete they would have found a way to get him the ball like they did for MRob in 04.

by SweepTheLeg on Aug 25, 2008 1:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I main reason why MRob played all those positions is because he was our best (only?) option. That’s saying more about our lack of talent at the time then it is about Mike’s ability. I’m not saying Clark could play any of those positions but he doesn’t need to either, the QB is surrounded by talent.

the idiot formerly known as "joepadon"

by nittanyroar on Aug 25, 2008 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Amazing that nobody has made that point yet

If DC was that type of athlete they would have found a way to get him the ball like they did for MRob in 04.

Although at the same time, given the WR’s available during the early part of Robinson’s career, the coaches really didn’t have much of a choice than to get him on the field. But I still think you have a really good point. Nobody has been saying, either publically or “behind the scenes”, that we have to get the ball in Daryll Clark’s hands somehow.

by Run Up The Score on Aug 25, 2008 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

When we needed to score in the Alamo Bowl....

Did we trust our Sr QB or did we trust Clark? Yeah, I think the coaches are high on Clark’s ability. As noted before, we needed MRob to play WR/RB prior to his Sr season. We didn’t need that from Clark.

I don’t base any of my faith in Clark on his appearance. Clark has been in the system for 4 years now. He’s a good runner as we saw in the Alamo Bowl. He’s got good arm strength and he was a good passer in HS and not the project that many are making him out to be.

Patiently waiting for the return of Penn State Football

by ReadingNitFan on Aug 25, 2008 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thats my point

You don’t hear anyone claiming DC is the great athlete we are all hoping he will be…if he was that good, they would have got him the ball before the Alamo bowl. I know Joe is big on loyalty but he was probably not much better than AM, if he was there would have been a bigger push to get him playing time.

Reading NitFan – Think about it…he was in the system for 4 years and barely sniffed the field, I know LJ was in a similar boat but you have to worried. It will be interesting when team load the line and make him throw…the season will be great or a horrible…should be fun to watch

by SweepTheLeg on Aug 25, 2008 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If you believe what we're told then...

there was a push to get Clark time but that was shot down to Paterno. IMO there were certain promises made to Morelli when he committed to us over Pitt. I think that Paterno was loyal to a fault with Morelli rather than due to necessity.

Patiently waiting for the return of Penn State Football

by ReadingNitFan on Aug 25, 2008 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Morelli

I think Paterno knew he had a basketcase on his hands with Morelli. If he benched him he knew it would get ugly and rip the lockerroom apart. Making him a team captain pretty much tied Joe’s hands. He couldn’t bench him after that. All he could do is maybe work Clark in for a play or two, and even then he would probably have to split Morelli to the outside wide receiver just to spare him the shame of walking off the field.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Aug 25, 2008 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If that's the case

I think Joe Paterno severely misread his team. Benching Morelli would’ve brought the team together, IMO.

by Run Up The Score on Aug 25, 2008 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe so

But the team seemed to be off balance all year long. Paterno had to decide between maintaining the status quo or rocking the boat. In the old days I don’t think he would have hesitated to bench the senior and shake things up, but in his old age he’s changed. He’s much more concervative now. Maybe he just doesn’t want to deal with the drama. Whatever it is, I think it’s evidence he has lost touch with his team.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Aug 25, 2008 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In 2004

Everybody thought Paterno was out of touch with his team when he said Morelli wasn’t ready to play. In fact he knew exactly what he was talking about. When he says player X is good or player Y needs to work harder, he is usually not full of shit.

I understand that it is scary as hell to think that neither Clark nor Devlin had the ability to beat out Morelli, but it is a very real possibility. I know, I know Jay wanted to play but Morelli was too immature to handle being benched. Assuming this is true, it seems that Paterno made the decision that the benefits of playing Clark did not outweigh the cost of eroding Morelli’s confidence. No matter what that says about Morelli, it’s hardly a ringing endorsement for Clark.

My experience is that Joe Paterno doesn’t have any patience for prima donnas unless he needs them to win. If he was a bad as everybody thinks in terms of performance and attitude, the only reason he wasn’t on the farthest part of the bench is that Clark & Devlin both suck on ice.

For the Glory; National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on Aug 25, 2008 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is all very interesting

Another wrinkle to add in is that it’s really hard to recruit top-tier QB’s if you have a perceived habit of benching them — especially if the result isn’t marked improvement.

What I’m saying is that, had we benched Morelli, put in Clark, then lost the game anyway we would be in a worse position then had we allowed Morelli to choke the game away. At least you can tell the next kid that ’you’re our guy through thick and thin, we’ll stick with you thru it all’ — and it’ll be the truth.

by millzners on Aug 25, 2008 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pay attention Tate Forcier

When we say you’ll be the starting quarterback your junior and senior year, we actually mean it.

For the Glory; National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on Aug 25, 2008 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why, no, it's not just you...

I’m a PSU fan and I assume DC will be MRob because they look similar; they’re both black, right?

And almost every fan is like me; we all like Penn State, right?

Convivite Nudem!

by jtothep on Aug 26, 2008 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why

would Tate Forcier come to PSU, he won’t see the field for 3 years.

by SweepTheLeg on Aug 25, 2008 6:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If every player

had that attitude then teams wouldn’t take QBs all the time. Why did Dayne Crist go to ND?

The Nittany Tide

by psuphiman80 on Aug 25, 2008 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good point...

But if Crist is better than current QB he will play. At PSU, it does not always work like that…I am still sticking to my point that if DC was that good, why didn’t he play? If he was such a great athlete why didn’t he sniff the field?

I hope he is good…just not sold on him or JayPa.

by SweepTheLeg on Aug 25, 2008 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs