Be excited about this coaching search!

by dbl5030 on Dec 21, 2011 1:10 PM EST

(I should preface this by saying I've only been following PSU football since 2006. I never cared a lick about college football until my HS' star QB, Brett Brackett, committed to PSU. I immediately fell in love with everything about the institution and graduated this past May. Feel free to "get off my lawn you whippersnapper" me in the comments.)

The pessimism begins. We've been spoiled with the most stable coaching staff in the country since before I was born, and now we're in uncharted waters. We're scared it might end poorly for us, and it very well could. Our on-field performance could easily suffer directly due to coaching deficiencies.

But more about pessimism. Pessimism has been something that's pervaded our entire fanbase as long as I've been following Penn State football. I've tried to figure out why the past couple years, and it seems pretty simple to me: PSU fans are pessimistic because we've always gotten what we expected, and we expect what we've always gotten. The last 5 years, our expectation has been to come out flat in just about every game. And when an equal or superior opponent capitalizes on this, we've lacked the willingness to move on to (or maybe even prepare) a Plan B. The game is over by the 3rd quarter. I haven't run the numbers, but a casual glance at our schedule/results the last 5 years shows an astoundingly low amount of close games. *

This is why I'm generally optimistic about the coaching search, and why I'll throw my support behind whomever Joyner hires. I can't wait to watch something new on the field. I'm excited to start experimenting, to potentially see drastically different looks. I'm excited about maybe seeing some man coverage. I'm excited to start making game-plans mold to the players and exploit matchups. I'm excited that even if next season is a disaster, the headaches will be different (and, we'll have a handy excuse!). I'll give a pass on a few bad seasons if it actually looks like the staff is trying. The only way I'm going to be dissatisfied with a hire will be if the new coach tries to mess with our tradition and history. I don't think that's going to happen. As badly as the top admin has been handling the Sandusky crisis, I just don't seem them hiring anyone without making sure they'll be loyal "to the brand".

TL;DR - Change is scary. Sometimes, change can be bad. But change is never boring, and that's why I'm excited about the coaching search.

* Note - There are a few exceptions, especially this year. And I know it's been argued ad nauseum on this site about what expectations are reasonable, what constitutes success, how you shouldn't get frustrated by losing the games you're supposed to lose, etc. I'm not trying to start this argument up here. There's a large portion of the fanbase who's been frustrated the last 5 years. You might be one of them, or you might think they're crazy. But they exist.

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Woo Hoo! Put your hands in the air and ride the coaster! agree it is going to be interesting, no matter what

I just read.

by BMAN13 on Dec 21, 2011 1:36 PM EST reply actions

Take care to remember that people would perhaps be more excited for the opportunities inherent in the coaching search if those opportunities hadn’t been created by Penn State giving four days of media bombardment followed by a firing to a man who had given sixty-one years of his life to Penn State and been the most important, most influential figure in the entire history of the university.

"Woop woop." - Waylon Jennings

by ReadingRambler on Dec 21, 2011 1:36 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

What's the purpose of this comment?

We’re all sad and upset about what happened to Joe. I never suggested that I wasn’t. I’m trying to salvage some sort of positive from an overwhelmingly negative situation, not diminish anything a great man has done for a great university.

"The only difference between a brown-noser and a shit head is depth perception"
-PSU_Lions_84

by dbl5030 on Dec 21, 2011 1:47 PM EST up reply actions

I believe his point is

that for many people (myself included), the reason for the pessimism is because everybody in a position of power has handled this terribly. One bad decision has led to another, even dumber, decision. So there is doubt that they’ll finally figure it out and make a great decision after a whole series of bad ones.

I, for one, plan to continue my life long contempt for the powers that be and I fully expect to be disappointed with whatever choice is made. ~PSUgirl

by jman07 on Dec 21, 2011 2:00 PM EST up reply actions

My point is that it doesn't matter what decision they make.

As long as one is made, it’ll be fun to watch.

"The only difference between a brown-noser and a shit head is depth perception"
-PSU_Lions_84

by dbl5030 on Dec 21, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions

If you consider a root canal fun

I understand your point, I just don’t find it fun. I’m eagerly awaiting to see who the new coach is, yet I have a feeling I will end up with nothing but disappointment when they finally do.

I, for one, plan to continue my life long contempt for the powers that be and I fully expect to be disappointed with whatever choice is made. ~PSUgirl

by jman07 on Dec 21, 2011 2:43 PM EST up reply actions

I'll run the risk of a root canal

for the potential reward of not having my head hit repeatedly with a hammer.

"The only difference between a brown-noser and a shit head is depth perception"
-PSU_Lions_84

by dbl5030 on Dec 21, 2011 3:31 PM EST up reply actions

Except hiring the wrong guy

would be the equivalent of hitting your head with a hammer every saturday 12 times every fall for about 2 or 3 years until we go through another root canal in the hopes that the hammering stops, but with no guarantee it does. So, yeah.

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by skarocksoi on Dec 21, 2011 5:31 PM EST up reply actions

jman adequately explained my point.

"Woop woop." - Waylon Jennings

by ReadingRambler on Dec 21, 2011 6:59 PM EST up reply actions

GET OFF MY LAWN!

I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.

by spakajewia on Dec 21, 2011 3:06 PM EST reply actions

The circumstances surrounding the coaching search are as bad as they could possibly be.

…and make it pretty hard to separate the emotion out of things.

That said; the offensive coaching has been downright crap since, well, forever, with a brief gasp for air in 2005 and 2008. Everyone here could predict the play calling 90% of the time based on down/distance/formation, and we haven’t had the physicality on the line or talent at QB to make up for that.

New blood on offense will be pretty relieving to watch. I do take some solace in that.

by SkellerDweller06 on Dec 21, 2011 3:14 PM EST reply actions

That'll teach you to try to bring positivity to this site these days dlb5030

Fortunately the grumblers and self-pity artists of this site were able to stop your dead in your tracks before you attracted any following. How dare you look forward to the future when we’re all still so pissed about the past!

Please focus your future posts on bashing ESPN and being giddy anytime another school/ organization has a sex abuse scandal (and if at all possible combine the two).

by jdgordo1 on Dec 21, 2011 10:41 PM EST reply actions

Yes. Exactly this

Thank you for thinking for me. It saves me the time and effort.

I, for one, plan to continue my life long contempt for the powers that be and I fully expect to be disappointed with whatever choice is made. ~PSUgirl

by jman07 on Dec 22, 2011 7:00 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs