Penn State Spring Battles - Quarterbacks
by Run Up The Score on Mar 22, 2010 2:22 PM EDT
in Football
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PrintYes, it's time. The smoldering crater that is the Penn State men's basketball program is, until further notice, directly in our collective rearview mirror as we look ahead toward our one true love: dissecting spring position battles that are likely to look substantially different when Youngstown State comes knocking on September 4.
Of course we're looking at quarterbacks first. They're a group of very young, very talented signal callers who have an opportunity to nail down a starting job for three or four years.
The Likely
You're doing it wrong. Photo credit: PennLive.com
#12 Kevin Newsome - SO 6-2/220 - Played sparingly in ten games as a true freshman last year, mostly while Penn State was running out the clock in the fourth quarter. Newsome ran 20 times for 121 yards and lost a total of 26 yards on a variety of comically disasterous plays, for an overall average of 4.8 yards per carry. He also scored two touchdowns on the ground. Newsome's legs have never been the issue, though. Can he throw the ball? Count us as firmly undecided on that one, although he did complete 8 of 11 passes for 66 yards last season. His longest completion was for 14 yards. Newsome is the solid favorite to be the starter in the fall unless he struggles mightily and one of his backups vaults over him. With an army of capable RB's at his disposal (Royster, Green, Suhey, Curtis Dukes) and an emerging group of wide receivers, Newsome will at least have plenty of talent around him.
The Lurking
#11 Matt McGloin - SO 6-1/204 - "Little Red" is a walk-on from Scranton, and appears to be on track to be the Paul Cianciolo of his little Penn State generation. McGloin appeared in two games last year, throwing two incomplete passes. He may be able to provide the Trent Dilfer style of "just don't lose the game", but counting on him to come off the bench and shred opposing secondaries is rather ridiculous. Still, by all accounts he's a good guy to have on the practice field and in case of emergency on Saturdays. Not sure if he can hold off his freshman competition should something happen to Newsome.
#10 Paul Jones - FR 6-3/220 - One of the crown jewels of Penn State's most recent recruiting class, Jones was a five-star recruit from the Pittsburgh area. In terms of running styles, he bares more of a resemblance to Daryll Clark as opposed to the much more elusive Newsome. That's not to say he's Drew Bledsoe in the pocket -- he has more than enough athletic ability to keep a play alive and gain some yardage when things break down around him. As a passer, he's one of the more refined quarterback recruits Penn State has seen in a while, Pat Devlin excluded. Jones enrolled at Penn State early, which gives him a chance to learn the playbook and experience the rigors of major college football sooner than his true freshman quarterback counterpart...
#XX Robert Bolden - FR 6-4/205 - Bolden hasn't enrolled yet, hence the lack of jersey number. Bolden is the lesser-known of the incoming freshman quarterbacks, but don't sleep on him. He's regarded by some as a better pure passer than Paul Jones, and impressed many scouts at last summer's Elite 11 camp:
Scout.com director of scouting, Scott Kennedy:
He is a better passer at this juncture mechanically than Michigan State verbal Joe Boisture. He's not quite as good an athlete and hasn't showed the same type of production that Michigan verbal Devin Gardner has. But he has one of those real flexible releases. He seems to be able to bend (his arm) in almost any direction and release from all different angles with velocity. He's one of those guys that looks like he just whips the ball around and is able to get something on it no matter where he is throwing it from.
Scout.com midwest analyst, Allen Trieu:
Bolden has had an excellent summer. Every camp he has gone to, he has been impressive. There seems to some misconception about his style of play. I think the Elite 11 and other camps have shown that he is a polished quarterback who can stand in the pocket and make all the throws. Yes he can throw on the run and he can escape the rush and make plays with his feet, but he is much more of a passer than runner.
The Lost Boys
#16 Shane McGregor - SO 6-1/197 - Preferred walk-on from Central Cambria H.S., who had previously been considering schools like Harvard, Princeton, Duquesne, and Georgetown.
#19 Garrett Venuto - FR 6-0/215 - Another preferred walk-on, from Ithaca, N.Y. Good lacrosse player, turned down a preferred walk-on gig at Wake Forest to attend Penn State.
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THANK THE HEAVENS, IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT FOOTBALL
I’m happy BSD covers all PSU sports, but I can’t take another flame war over that other sport.
…
I’m confident we’ll put Newsome in a good spot. He’ll have a solid line, fantastic WR, and an all-conference RB. If he doesn’t pull it together by the time we head to Iowa, he has no one else to blame but himself. We’ll probably run the ball a lot, but… I have confidence in Jay developing Newsome. After the last two seasons, Jay is off my sh*t list indefinitely.
Do you want the mustache on, or off?
Too bad.
Agreed about Jay for now
Lesson number one will be how to hold the ball while running. I was terrified on several occasions last season.
by Illegal Formation on Mar 22, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Fencing?
'People are about as happy as they decide they want to be'
by Pete the Streak on Mar 22, 2010 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions
curling
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
by letsgopsu on Mar 22, 2010 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That sport of Kings...
Right?
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
? hunting with foxes
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
Bill Cosby
Otherwise, you're pursuing mice and shrews.
Bacon is almost as great as being a Penn Stater
by NittanyTide on Mar 23, 2010 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
If you look at the QBs under Ja's watch
it would appear his “strength” is in working with dual threat QBs.
Just a guess.......
I would bet McGregor scores the highest on the Wonderlic test!
Seriously, this should be a fun year to watch the “Big Three” develop. I think Newsome has all the raw tools. But Jones and Bolden are studs. We should have a good O-Line, and other supporting members on offense.
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Vince Lombardi
We should start him, but only if he changes his name to Rob Roy
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 22, 2010 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
the thing about the oline
is that the Big Ten has some nasty dlines, which make that statement relative. I still think we’re going to have to have a game that goes way far away from center if we want to have a chance at winning the conference.
But I’m sure we’ll get to that in good time…
I know about your diabolical plan.
...pronounced
SpreadHD with a durable and moblie QB…
" When you cross that Blue Line, you are mine...Across the Blue Line, it's all football. " " And what you need to do in your life is paint Blue Lines everywhere. " - Joe Paterno 2009
by BlueWhiteLife on Mar 22, 2010 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
SumSnrk4U
Youngstown State can knock?
Let’s all hope PJ doesn’t ‘bare’ his DC resemblance.
In a battle of the Lost Boys, Venuto’s far more Penn State than the Texas-sounding McGregor
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
KNews job to lose...
Entering his 2nd year in the system, along with the confidence and cohesion of a better OL, WR’s and RB stable = a much better mindset for his kind of talent.
PJ would have to have ‘IT’ out of the box to beat out #12; not saying he doesn’t / or can’t; I just want the BEST man in!
Starting next month and then peaking again in the June/July preseason mags, nearly all reports will have PSU way back in their rankings…“sooo what!”
Alabama’s QB last year was a 1st yr starter, and I like our situation on offense better than what he stepped into; PLUS I believe KNew, PJ and Bolden are all better QB’s than that kid is…
" When you cross that Blue Line, you are mine...Across the Blue Line, it's all football. " " And what you need to do in your life is paint Blue Lines everywhere. " - Joe Paterno 2009
MrSnrk4U
My money’s on Devlin.
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
sleep deprivation?
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
I think PJ can turn it into a two QB system if he proves he is
a better passer than Newsome, but Newsome a better runner. It was not that long ago we had such a system and I don’t think Joepa would shy away from it just because it is no longer trendy.
Good post
The thing that scares me about Newsome is he fumbled on about four of those 20 carries. We don’t necessarily need a guy with the “IT” factor right away. We just need a guy that can control the ball, find the open man and get the ball there on time. Let Royster and the offensive line do the heavy lifting. If he’s got the IT factor, that’s a bonus to me.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
Fumbling is something that can be corrected though.
Hopefully that will be something that he works on. Otherwise I think he’ll be pretty good next year. This being his second spring will be huge.
"I'm colonel cool! And I'm the captain on this rocket to the stars!"
Never got A. Scott corrected!
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Vince Lombardi
Shonn Greene played in the Rose Bowl?
For reals?
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 23, 2010 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Kinda wish he had
Didn’t we lose three RBs that game? I know we were down to Carter or Beachum at the end, but I can’t remember if we had to go 4th string or not.
not always - QB#14 never learned
“You can’t fumble the ball,” Greg Morelli said. “You gotta take care of the ball. He knows that, he’ll rectify that.”
Ok then
Well if Newsome has Morelli or Scotts attitude PSU has bigger problems. Luckily I don’t think he does.
"I'm colonel cool! And I'm the captain on this rocket to the stars!"
The play in your photo...
…was a scramble on 4th down where he had to reach for the sticks — a fumble was no worse than holding onto the ball and coming up short.
He had a miserable game in Illinois, but it bothers me when people bring that one up.
Me too, but for a different reasons.
That whole second half was a disaster, but I saw Morelli making that run and thought “good for him, he’s going to come up huge on this play.” And then, that.
"When it’s third-and-10, you can take the milk drinkers and I’ll take the whiskey drinkers every time" - Max McGee
by Run Up The Score on Mar 22, 2010 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
If it were only JUST the Illinois game
Morelli probably scrambled past the line of scrimmage eight times in his career, and I think he fumbled on six of them at the end of the run.
Mike
Black Shoe Diaries
I always thought the problem with him was
he really thought he could run. Also, the ND game where they attempted to run the option with him may have made me vomit.
I think his only thought was
“F*%k it, I’m going deep.”
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
by psume06 on Mar 22, 2010 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Temple. Enough said.
Settle it on the field!
by PSUncle1981 on Mar 23, 2010 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Question..
Is a fumble worse than a 1st down? Because he had a 1st down on that play.
by catesinator on Mar 23, 2010 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
I remember watching that play live
and saying, “no worries, he had to be down”, then watching the replay and saying, “oh god, he wasn’t”
I agree, just avoid catastrophic mistakes and this team is going to be just fine. I hope Clark left Newsome with some lasting impressions of how to handle the position, the same way MRob did for Clark. That passing of the torch I thought was a big part of Clark’s confidence and success coming into 2008, and with Alabama on the horizon Newsome is going to need to have a strong foundation.
Do you want the mustache on, or off?
Too bad.
I would not be surprised if that is the case
seems like a real DC like thing to do
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
I agrreee DC was a stand up guy and can see him being a very good mentor
I'm sorry, Bruce. These boys get that syrup in 'em, they get all antsy in their pantsy. Captain O'Hagan
by psu in the w-b on Mar 22, 2010 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Funny post...
“…and lost a total of 26 yards on a variety of comically disasterous plays…” I really needed a laugh today and that had me chuckling out loud! Usual great writing!
I gotta tell ya
I am scared to death of having Kevin Newsome under center. I hope he is great, but I just don’t have a great feeling about it. I don’t even particularly know why.
Black Shoes. Basic Blues. No Name. All Game.
same here
I’ve seen tons of Newnew around campus…he still has the high school kid mentality. We gotta give him time to grow though
PJ seems more mature
I've been out of High School for
20 years. What is High School Kid mentality nowadays?
One man doing the work of 100's for the good of 1000's
I've been out of high school almost ten years and i still have that mentality
(but usually only when drinking)
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
Almost 4 years out of high school for me
I have the same mentality, but that was because I was waaaay to mature for my age in middle and high school, and unfortunately still am a bit too mature for a college student.
this coming from the guy who admits he laughs at poop and fart jokes ;-)
who am I kidding. Everyone laughs at poop and fart jokes.
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 30, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Spring practice is going to be huge for these guys
Should be interesting to see how it turns out. This is basically PJ’s chance to narrow the gap between him and Newsome and get a real shot at the starting job. I still think Newsome starts the season, but should things go poorly or if we can’t seem to get it done, PJ has a shot and coming in to see if something sparks.
Spread HD 2010: Punting Is Winning.
"When it’s third-and-10, you can take the milk drinkers and I’ll take the whiskey drinkers every time" - Max McGee
by Run Up The Score on Mar 22, 2010 3:57 PM EDT reply actions
2010:
If the offensive line goes south again, we go full Dantonio Cro-Magnon football.
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 22, 2010 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh Thank God!
and the Gods of BSD. Finally.
Also, it is thundering and lightining at my house, does that mean it is officially Spring?
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
Yes it does.
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 22, 2010 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions
thank God it is not thundersnow
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
thundersnow is cool tho
I'm sorry, Bruce. These boys get that syrup in 'em, they get all antsy in their pantsy. Captain O'Hagan
by psu in the w-b on Mar 22, 2010 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions
HEAR ME NOW
The future formation of the Spread HD 2010: The Wishbone.
Except replace the RB’s with QB’s, and those WR’s with TE’s. With that PSU staple FB in use, we’ll have a spread power football formation for the ages.
That reminds me way too much of the Omar Easy
Eric McCoo, and why can’t I think of the third guy formation. Definitely an era of PSU football I want to forget.
Yeah, I was actually thinking Drummond
although LJ was part of that ridiculousness at some point as well
I can never forget Drummond
how many plays where he was a good 10 yards past the DB (when he was a WR) and the ball sailed perfectly into his hands, only for him to drop it. Ugh.
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 23, 2010 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
2001 Ohio State:
Mills throws it to the flat, Drummond tries to catch it, the ball somehow ricochets off his hands several feet in the air, is caught by an Ohio State defensive back, touchdown OSU.
Maybe his hands were cursed.
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 23, 2010 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions
No, we’re going to the original spread (as JoePa said)
Single wing time, baby!
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 22, 2010 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Believe it or not...
I remember major college teams running the single wing. I can remember UCLA running it. They may have been the last major.
I remember Princeton ran it into the mid to late 60’s. They had an all-american fullback named…get this …Cosmo Iacavazzi.
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Vince Lombardi
It's in Florida's package on NCAA 2010
*package jokes welcome
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
Did you call UPS
To check the status of their package?
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
I'm guessing he's more of a hands on package kind of guy
why let someone else handle the packages when psume06 could handle it personally?
Submit it to
the NOTY competition: nameoftheyear@gmail.com. Hosted here: http://nameoftheyear.blogspot.com/
Nohjay Nimpson is a mortal lock for the 2010 title and is going to make a strong run at name of the decade.
Oklahoma in the '70s
Some guy named Galen Hall was the OC back then.
by Frank O'Brien on Mar 22, 2010 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
wasnt he a quaterback at some college in the middle of a farm filed
I'm sorry, Bruce. These boys get that syrup in 'em, they get all antsy in their pantsy. Captain O'Hagan
by psu in the w-b on Mar 22, 2010 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Introducing the HyperSpread HD 3D.
Just try and stop it
by Mr. Rosewater on Mar 23, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Alternate offense:
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 23, 2010 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
New defensive playbook:
Run middle D
Run right D
Run left D
(that center field guy picks up the fumble and runs it back for a TD)
And Oh It’s Just Temple D
(Nose-Backer makes the tackle every time)
I know about your diabolical plan.
by KevinHD on Mar 23, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
how great would that be
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
There are SOOOO many blitzes going on here. Totally not PSU's style.
If I knew how to draw like that, I’d make them all go into zone coverage.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
lol, this might not be too far from the truth!
Brackett and The Drake were both QBs and are WRs now. Who knows what we might do with Newsome/Bolden/Jones in the backfield.
hopefully Venuto gets in some games
I want to hear the play-by-play guys talk about how he was a good lacrosse player.
Shame we don't have anyone else on the team
who was an excellent HS laxer.
by Tailgate Shogun on Mar 22, 2010 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I can think of at least
one ex-laxer.
One man doing the work of 100's for the good of 1000's
by rahpsu92 on Mar 23, 2010 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Didn't he play for Brown?
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
I remember he was real explosive through the cracks
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
Wasn't a big fan of brownies, tho
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
Not saying it's written in stone
But I’ve heard that PJ may have a better shot than a lot of people think.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
And that's not meant as a "Newsome isn't good enough" thing, but a "PJ is better" thing.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
May the B E S T man win...
that’s whom I want!
" When you cross that Blue Line, you are mine...Across the Blue Line, it's all football. " " And what you need to do in your life is paint Blue Lines everywhere. " - Joe Paterno 2009
by BlueWhiteLife on Mar 23, 2010 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Hooray for wild speculation! It's spring football season again! Yipee!!!
But BWLife has it right. Whoever makes it out of Spring and Summer practices as the leader is who I want, and the (most likely) right choice for the job.
Questions
QB is one of few questions this team has, but whenever it’s a question it’s a big one. If Newsome (or whoever) plays well in the games PSU is probably predicted to lose (Alabama, Ohio State, Iowa) and well enough in the others, this could be a special year.
The losses on the front 7 on D may be the bigger issue, but we’ve got more talent at LB than anyone, and until LJ Sr. has a bad D-line, I’ll have faith that they’ll always be good.
Punter is a bigger question than most people think. I don’t know how good the guys coming up are.
Reach out; touch faith.
Whatever happens
with the quarterback position it will be fun to watch. Also whoever wins the job will be , in my opinion, delegated to handing the ball off to Royster and Green for a while.
Let's hope they send some Relegates
to handle that assignment.
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
For the first time that I can remember
We’re loaded with talent at QB! It’s gonna be hard for us to screw up at QB this year with 3 highly talented QBs. Odds are one of them is going to have the head to match the physical ability. I’m confident we’ll be fine. If we didn’t have a good OL, good WRs, and a very good RB around the QB then it might spell trouble but we’ve got a lot of talent around whoever lines up under center so the staff will bring them along slowly as they should, while relying on the proven talents of the other players on Offense.
We’re gonna be just fine and I see another 10+ win season on the horizon. I think we should start getting used to winning 10 games again and stop worrying like it’s 2004.
Wow
Appreciate the optimism but you will be shredded for it.
by Mr. Rosewater on Mar 22, 2010 10:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, me too
But this part is just not true:
It’s gonna be hard for us to screw up at QB this year
Nothing about having more options at the position conveys to me ‘hard to screw up.’
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
Somehow I'll get by
It’s going to take a few years for this generation to get back into the mindset that we’re one of the kings of college football but make no mistake about it, we’re back.
Now that we’re loading up with talent again our system will guarantee us a certain amount of wins each year and when the stars align we’ll have magical seasons just like we did when I was growing up. It’s the Penn State way and we’re back on track.
The negative posters can cry in their beer all they want but I’d rather smile on Fall Saturdays!
WE ARE!!
by LionsandBear on Mar 23, 2010 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Just because we're one of the kings of college football doesn't mean we don't have less than stellar seasons.
See: 1983 squad which JoePa called “a bunch of babies”.
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 24, 2010 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
We hike it, we run it, we score and people love it
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 24, 2010 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions
sigh
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 24, 2010 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Reasons why we're screwed
And a brain fart or two somewhere down the road.
God Created the World Out Of Nothing, Paterno Built A National Superpower On Cow Fields...
by Adam Bittner on Mar 23, 2010 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Eh, I don't know.
I think we’ve proven in the last few years that we’re out of the Dark Years era. We’re playing some damn good football the last two years. We had an extremely weak secondary in 08 that got torched by a very good QB for one quarter. We had a very weak offensive line that got torched by two of the strongest defensive front 4’s in the nation. And our Special teams were truly Special last year.
If there is one thing we’ve been doing lately, it’s not making a lot of stupid mental mistakes. The only big one that really comes to mind is Bowman getting juked by Pryor. But even then, it’s not like it was Pick 6 Morelli that got by him. If there’s one thing Pryor can do besides armpunt, it’s run with the best of them.
I’d say Ohio State and Iowa will be our only two real “challenges”. I feel like Alabama is losing enough on the defensive side that as long as our defense can contain their rushing game, we’ll be in it to the end. Whether or not that means a victory, I honestly feel we have a better shot at knocking off Bama than we do Ohio State. But even with a new QB, I don’t expect Penn State to be playing like a Northwestern, or hell even Iowa, where you are constantly just shooting yourself in the foot.
Speaking Of The Arm-Punter...
Does anyone else see him bolting for the NFL after this season? Attitude and character wise, I think that he is already there, but he still has a boatload of work to do with regards to actual performance on the field. Do you think that The Vest will be able to keep him in Columbus, or will it be like Slippery Pete losing Sanchez (which obviously worked out extremely well for Sanchez)? I don’t really see Pryor wanting to stay around to mentor the younger players on the team if the league is calling him.
by Bob Sacamano on Mar 23, 2010 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions
I thought about this. I think he will be gone. I also don’t see him concerned about a diploma
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
Totally Agree
I see earning a diploma as the last thing on his mind
by Bob Sacamano on Mar 23, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
That depends
What’s the WR class looking like for next year?
………. he is going as a WR, right?
by smashtheguitar on Mar 23, 2010 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
hahaha, he won't leave THINKING he's going to be a WR
which will make his disappointment all the more schadenfreudaliscious
Well theres really no reason for him to stay
I mean, he’s already won the next two Heisman Trophies in advance, and since the Big Ten is no longer allowed in the MNC, he’s got nothing more to do in college football.
He's gone
But he’ll be a TE/WR. He just won’t admit it until he’s destroyed his remaining eligibility.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
Speaking of Iowa...
Some of my BHGP friendoes are giving me the impression that they are Penn State fans circa August 2009. “We don’t need an offensive line, the skill players and the defense will make up for everything while they gell!” “Playing a great defense will help them in practice!”
This is almost, to a dime, what we were saying last year. Though there are plenty there who have bad memories of Iowa’s poor 2007 line, we won’t know who is in the majority until the summer.
Guess I’m just giving you all a schadenfreude heads up.
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 23, 2010 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Wow
good memory Rambler (unless you hit the archives; & in that case – way to dig in!)
Unfortunately, two of those cliches sound like something I would say – or did type.
/ head hangs in shame … I guess you can keep my dime … I’ll go without my milk today
" When you cross that Blue Line, you are mine...Across the Blue Line, it's all football. " " And what you need to do in your life is paint Blue Lines everywhere. " - Joe Paterno 2009
by BlueWhiteLife on Mar 23, 2010 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah, I pointed that out to them in a thread a couple months ago
and how their comments are almost word for word what we were saying prior to 2009. Doesn’t seem to phase them one bit. Granted, our O-line wasn’t that bad, they just happened to go against 2 of the best D-lines/front 7 in the country.
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 23, 2010 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Two valid points to be made here:
(1) Our O line was that bad against Temple, Cuse, etc. in the early going. There’s no reason we don’t run for 250 AND pound it on from the g-damn 1 yd line.
(2) I go to BHGP, don’t post, but as we saw of the Brewster quote, its entertaining… They ARE saying the exact same things, which makes me feel a little better. Only thing is… while we put out good linement, Iowa and Wisconsin basically have a stranglehold on OL of the Year type players. That worries me.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
"Iowa and Wisconsin basically have a stranglehold on OL of the Year type players"
And that’s why there’s not more panic in IC. Certainly, it’s not going to be a seamless transition and I expect the line to struggle early, perhaps even costing the Hawks a game (@ Arizona, Iowa State?). By Big Ten season, however, I expect a little bit of gelling to have taken place. Even last season, the Iowa OL was not fully intact for more than one game because of suspensions, injuries and a truly strange thyroid condition for Bulaga. But Ferentz takes more pride in his OL than any other position. Still, Iowa fans expecting a National Championship run are likely to be very disappointed.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Mar 24, 2010 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
screwed is a little harsh...... slow goings maybe or some angina
I'm sorry, Bruce. These boys get that syrup in 'em, they get all antsy in their pantsy. Captain O'Hagan
by psu in the w-b on Mar 23, 2010 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Great talent surrounding the QB
Sounds like the same argument that was used to describe the 2006 team. DWill, Norwood and Butler at receiver. Tony Hunt at running back. Levi Brown at left tackle.
So a new QB coming in is surrounded by talent and that should enable him to succeed right. How did that work out that season?
by catesinator on Mar 23, 2010 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
i think it's pretty safe to say
that we’ll be better off with Newsome, Jones or Bolden under center. Morelli had all the physical tools to be successfull, but he just didn’t posses the neccessary mental tools. and probably most important of all, Morelli just completely lacked the leadership capabilities to be the quarterback at Penn State. I’ve always thought that the one thing needed for us to have a great year was a leader at qb and everything i’ve seen out the three we have now leads me to believe that we’ll be better off in that department at least in the next few years
Morelli bashing aside
I think having a choice of Newsome, Jones, or Bolden is what will save us this time. With Morelli it was him or “no one” (I use quotes, because that no one obviously worked out pretty well, even though he wasn’t good back then).
Now if Newsome is a bust, then we try out PJ. If PJ is a bust, then we try out Bolden. If he’s a bust…then we’re just really unlucky, cuz one of them is bound to at least be decent.
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 23, 2010 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
"no one"
I think even the most die-hard DC-17 supporters (I’ll put myself in that group) would agree that he was probably too raw of a QB in 2006, and Morelli really was the only realistic option (that and every PSU fan would have sh*t a brick that we were benching a 5* QB in favor of a JuCo QB). 2007, however, was probably a different story from what we saw of 2008 and Clark.
I'm not necessarily saying that Clark would have been better than Morelli in 2007
but we should have at least gotten him some game experience since he was going to be starting in 2008 most likely.
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 30, 2010 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I forget whose idea this was
but we need to have a formation where Newsome, Bolden, Jones, Brackett, and Drake are all on the field at the same time and call it the Voltron HD or something.
Anybody could throw the ball, anyone could run, Brackett and Drake could run out to catch passes. It would be CHAOS. And if you decided to redshirt Jones or Bolden, you can stick the man-child Curtis Dukes in their place to give a power threat right up the gut.
Why the hell not, right?
We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER.
Right!
/( just couldn’t let Waxy’s post hang there…)
" When you cross that Blue Line, you are mine...Across the Blue Line, it's all football. " " And what you need to do in your life is paint Blue Lines everywhere. " - Joe Paterno 2009
by BlueWhiteLife on Mar 23, 2010 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions
for more fun I say put McGloin in there too
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
ah yes, a true quarterback
what say ye, put him at tailback, just to really screw with the opposing d-coordinator?
We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER.
start him at tackle a few times just to keep them honest
I'm sorry, Bruce. These boys get that syrup in 'em, they get all antsy in their pantsy. Captain O'Hagan
by psu in the w-b on Mar 23, 2010 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions
That was mine from a few months back.
I wanted to line Drake, and our two QB’s up in a shotgun backfield with Moye, Royster and Zug on the wings. Basically anything out of that formation could be a direct snap to anyone who could run or throw. And as Wxman said, for super fun confusion you swap Royster into the backfield with Dukes split wide just to keep the defenses honest in the middle.
I think it would be similar to how we used Dwill in “his” formation in 2008. Most defenses just couldn’t deal with having that many variables thrown at them on a single play.
QB Battle...
should be interesting. I hope that the QB is “developed” enough for the Bama game for the offense to be more than run, run, short pass, punt. Since the dark years, PSU has been a pretty good road team. I would like to see them be very aggressive, but that usually only happens when Joe Pa has confidence in the QB.
Also, please let their be some blowouts that allow guys like Jones (if he isn’t the starter) and Bolden to get quality game reps.
Never mistake effort for achievement.
Ah, beer, my one weakness. My Achille's heel, if you will. - HJS
by Esteban d' Amur on Mar 23, 2010 7:32 AM EDT reply actions
Road Games
We’ve lost 1 road game in 2 seasons. That is seriously amazing to me.
Do you want the mustache on, or off?
Too bad.
And in some of those games
We’ve even opened up a can on the other team (see Wisconsin ‘08, Michigan ’09 as prime examples). It’s not like we’ve always been playing hyper-conservatively. I’m no longer deathly afraid of how PSU will perform in big road games, just healthily nervous. Kudos to the coaching staff for tending to be more aggressive on offense on the road in the last couple years than they were in the past.
Let's Go State!
by Gopher Broke on Mar 23, 2010 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Michigan 07 was pretty painful
puckerpuckerpuckerpuckerpucker
We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER.
QB Thoughts
When Newsome first committed to Penn State I was thrilled and thought that we were pretty much set at the QB position for quite some time, but then PJ and Bolden came along. From everything that I have read here and elsewhere, and because I have not seen any of those three guys play anything meaningful, I started to trench over to the PJ camp. I like everything that I have heard about him and I think that he can give us the best shot of winning the conference and a prestigious (MNC?) bowl game as well. It’s weird that I was dead-set on having Newsome under center taking snaps, until All-Everything PJ came along. Logically, I think that Newsome will be the starter come fall, given his seniority over the others, but my gut is screaming PJ. To toss in a bit more drama, I see either a transfer or a position change from one of these guys down the road as well. This is a problem, but it is a good problem to have.
I think we are in for a few years of, "the quarterback controversy"
Kevin Newsome is only a sophomore who has never started a game. I’d hardly call that a death grip on the first string. I think PJ and RB have a tremendous opportunity this Spring. They have this one chance to grab the starting role and hold onto it for 3-4 years, barring injury. My worry is that Newsome will prove to be Morelli-esque in terms of effectiveness, which means he will not be awful enough to bench (God knows you’ve got to be a completely awful QB in order for JoePa to give you the hook), resulting in PJ and/or RB pulling a Devlin/Hostetler. If PJ or any of the new QBs are clearly better than Newsome, I hope they are given a real shot. Based on my limited view of Newsome this season, I am not filled with confidence.
Here's the question you need to ask: do you trust Joe Paterno?
Do you trust Joe Paterno to put the best kid on the field? The man’s got a quick temper and mountains of pride. Oh, throw in some good (really) old-fashioned stubbornness. Do you trust him to judiciously decide what’s in the best interests of the entire team?
An even better question: how do you think Joe defines the best interests of the team?
- best chance to win?
- best leader?
- least likely to make a catastrophic mistake while trying to ‘make a play?’
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
Joe's won how many games?
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 23, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
are. you. seriously. questioning. Joe.
"There are only three certainties in college football: all players will eventually leave, the ACC will be bad, and Joe Paterno ", Clay Travis, CNNsi Fanhouse
Not quite
I’m questioning you all, tho. Who thinks, from a leadership standpoint (Joe being the leader) that he ‘handled’ the Pat Devlin situation well? The QB14 situation? And both those were basically just two-quarterback situations (notwithstanding standard Joespeak regarding the third-stringers). Here we now have a three-quarterback situation. I very seriously would like to hear from my fellow BSD’ers on their guesses, given Joe’s personnel-decision track record, and through their own experience as a fan, as to how much they trust JoePa to ‘handle’ this 3QB situation from a leadership position.
And keep in mind I’m a semantics guy. Please posit your own definitions of the parameters that should be used in measuring a successful navigation of this quite delicate situation. And please, please spare me the trite ‘more options are better’ and ‘having too many QBs is a problem I sure like to have’ responses.
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
Keep going back in time
Rashard Casey and Kevin Thompson situation
Zach Mills and Michael Robinson
so
because JoePa created this delicate situation of too many QBs means that he doesn’t have the faculties to pick the best out of the ill gotten group? Does one really have to do with the other?
by Mr. Rosewater on Mar 23, 2010 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Silly Rosewater, kicks are for trids
You’re better than this. Man up, son and put words in somebody else’s mouth.
I haven’t postulated my opinion. And the interrogatories are intended to be more sincere than rhetorical, tho I acknowledge they, here, can be both. I don’t know what qualities he’ll look for in a starter this year, given he’s got 3 talents. Also not sure how he might handle playing time. Does the presence of a third talent change his thinking? I legitimately don’t know.
The only thing I can guess for certain is that it’s going to be messy. Penn State’s not the only place where the most popular player is the backup QB, but with three cats this young and raw, this offseason is gonna feel like none before it.
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
You talk big words. Me no feel like reading all words and comprehending full sentence.
Joe win many game. Me trust Joe. Joe win back-to-back 9 win season with Dumb Pittsburgh caveman. Me trust Joe.
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 23, 2010 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Me think we start John Shaffer
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 23, 2010 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
hey, I was just questioning the question
But I wonder if this is really JayPa’s decision-making-prowess that’s on the line and not JoePa’s.
by Mr. Rosewater on Mar 23, 2010 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
to elaborate
I think JayPa has more input than we think, a la his insistence on QB14
by Mr. Rosewater on Mar 23, 2010 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually, it was JoePa that was insistent on QB14
Joe’s owned up to Jay pushing for DC sooner than we saw him, and ignoring his input on the matter, like the good old stubborn Brooklyn I-talian he is.
We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER.
And admitted it was a mistake to leave DC17 on the bench for so long.
We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER.
huh
thought it was the other way around
by Mr. Rosewater on Mar 23, 2010 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions
the way brazillian says it is how it is most often recounted (and how JoePa said it)
but the conspiracy theorists out there say that Joe just made that up to make Jay look better
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 23, 2010 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I trust Joe to start Kevin Newsome because he has seniority.
That’s just the way things are. If one of them transfers, oh well. I also trust us to be good anyway, because our boys are a fundamentally well coached football team.
I also remember that Joe Paterno has changed his ways in the past if he thought it was needed.
"Based on my estimates, it appears that Stanzi shall transcend the ages." - Cairo
by ReadingRambler on Mar 23, 2010 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
^This
" When you cross that Blue Line, you are mine...Across the Blue Line, it's all football. " " And what you need to do in your life is paint Blue Lines everywhere. " - Joe Paterno 2009
by BlueWhiteLife on Mar 23, 2010 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Jim Kelly would have been a helluva linebacker
I’m sure a lot of you weren’t born yet but there was a time when Paterno had commitments from Todd Blackledge and Jeff Hostettler. He was heavily recruiting Jim Kelly but, as Kelly tells it, Paterno was upfront that Kelly would not get a shot at QB. Kelly went to Miami, Blackledge got a leg up on Hostettler and Paterno stuck with Blackledge all the way through the ’82 MNC. Hostettler transferred to WVU and, unlike Blackledge, had a little success in the NFL.
The 81 and 82 teams were loaded with talent and I believe any of those three QBs would have been successful. If history repeats itself, the first of these three to have some success will enjoy a long ride as the starter.
by Frank O'Brien on Mar 23, 2010 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not old enough
But I’ve heard Jim Kelly described as playing the QB position “like a linebacker.”
"I'm colonel cool! And I'm the captain on this rocket to the stars!"
I would agree...
Except for the DC thing was the first time I’ve ever heard him say “I should have listened to the other coaches.”
Maybe he’ll remember that, and when JayPa or Hall tells him “Play PJ against Bama,” Joe will listen.
"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."
-J.V.Pa.
Wait a minute...WAIIIIIIT just one minute!
Isn’t anyone going to ask me???
" When you cross that Blue Line, you are mine...Across the Blue Line, it's all football. " " And what you need to do in your life is paint Blue Lines everywhere. " - Joe Paterno 2009
by BlueWhiteLife on Mar 24, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm with jtothep
Joe has won all those games, and I like the way he’s done it as much as anyone. but damn, if he doesn’t make some questionable personnel moves at times. and yes, at times those questionable personnel moves are exactly why we love him (sticks it out with upperclassmen, character guys stay in the doghouse, etc).
I can't get enough of those words
’I’m with jtothep.’ Bummed we never caught up at the Rose Bowl; would’ve loved to have a beer and a chat with you.
"We just forgot our pants. Nothing against the team or anything like that." -- take a guess
how I envision things will play out
it is Newsome’s job to lose, and if history is any indicator, he will have to mess up pretty bad to lose it. If he doesn’t mess up, then it probably doesn’t matter how good PJ or Bolden are, for the next 3 years, it will be Newsome (again, barring catastrophic meltdown).
I imagine one of PJ or Bolden will wind up transferring after a year or 2 when they realize they’re solidly in third place and have no real shot at moving up.
I hope that Joe at least gives PJ and Bolden (though I hope one of them redshirts) some ample backup time. I thought that was going to happen this past year, with having to protect Clark, and having to get Newsome some snaps (especially after Joe even admitted to not giving Clark enough playing time behind Morelli), but that didn’t happen. Now Newsome is a bit more raw than we’d like, and I think will be given even more cushion this coming season.
I love Joe, and trust him to do the right thing and the best thing, but I’m sure there will be plenty of criticism of his handling of the QB situation these next few years.
by The JuggerNitt on Mar 23, 2010 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions
The problem
I agree with your logic, and for the purpose of this comment, I will assume Newsome takes the reins for three years. One of two things happens:
1) One FR redshirts, creating one year of separation between all three. That means one year of PT for each FR if they both stay. One of them will not like this and transfer.
2) One FR redshirts and then transfers, or transfers right away, leaving us with the remaining FR.
The problem arises when Newsome finally leaves, assuming its after he exhausts his eligibility, the remaining FR that did not redshirt is still left with one year. The best outcome would be (and still assuming Newsome keeps the job for three years) for the redshirt FR to stay, while the non-redshirt transfers. That creates two years of separation for Newsome’s backup, while keeping us with a viable backup this year. However, I don’t see a scenario where this plays out.
Either way, and as I’ve said in the past, this is the best problem to have – arguing over which highly touted QB is going to be the QB of the future. If KNew loses the job, I see him as the transferor, and we run into another problem with the other two, namely separation.
Milk-a-what?
by Jeff Junstrom on Mar 23, 2010 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions
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