Dan Connor, is a very rich man.

Connor officially became a Panther when he signed a four-year, $2.49 million contract last week. The deal includes a $789,000 signing bonus.

The former Penn State linebacker said he's not sure what he's going to do with the money yet, adding he's just glad to finally get the deal done.

"I'm happy with the deal," Connor said. "I wanted to get a contract signed before training camp and we were able to do that."

Unfortunately it may be a while until he sees the field.

And while there's a slight chance Dan Connor could make the move to weakside linebacker, some scouts believe he's a tad slow to play outside in the NFL. His future rests in the middle, meaning Dan Connor will most likely have to spend his rookie campaign relegated to special teams and being a backup.

"He has to earn his way on the field and he knows that," Jim Connor said. "Everyone out there is just as good or better than he is, so the work has just begun."

Dan Connor said he doesn't really mind having to play the role of understudy. His playbook is thick and he said has a lot to learn, adding he can only benefit from playing behind linebackers such as Beason.

"I'm still trying to learn the playbook," Dan Connor said. "It's a lot more complicated than I've ever seen, so I've had to study a lot, but I should be OK.

I added the emphasis there just because it stuck out to me. We tend to think of college football players on almost the same level as the pros, but we forget they have classes and exams and girlfriends and social lives and they only get to practice one or two hours a day. When they get to the NFL, football becomes their job and their entire life revolves around it. Best of luck, Dan.

Our Big Uglies are Bigger and Uglier

So says ESPN. And so it shall be.

If you haven't seen already, ESPN is slowly branching into the world of blogging. Adam Rittenberg is running a fantastic Big Ten blog for the World Wide Leader which is quickly becoming a daily read for me. Anyway, Adam recently ranked the offensive lines of the Big Ten, and our Nittany Lions came in #2 on his list.

2. Penn State -- All five starters return to a unit that mirrored Ohio State in both sacks allowed and rushing production last season. Shipley and guard Rich Ohrnberger solidify the interior line along with Stefen Wisniewski, who last year became the first true freshman offensive lineman to start at Penn State since 1999. Hopes are high for whip-smart left tackle Gerald Cadogan.

For those of you too lazy to click through to read the article, Ohio State was number one and Wisconsin was number three.

Ladies Night

It's been ten years since I graduated from Penn State (ed. - Dear God, has it been that long? Am I really 34 years old and running a friggin' blog? Shouldn't I be grown up by now?) so I've never even heard of this place, but apparently the State College bar Lulu's Nightspot is pretty popular with the ladies.

This past weekend, the State College Police Department responded to four separate incidents at Lulu's Nightspot.

A woman will be charged with harassment after fighting with Lulu's staff at about 1 a.m. Saturday, and a man will be charged with underage drinking and disorderly conduct after police said he caused a disturbance while being refused entry to the bar at midnight Saturday.

Two incidents at about 1:47 a.m. yesterday were similar: a student's 19-year-old sister will face underage drinking and disorderly conduct charges after being accused of fighting with a female student in front of Lulu's, and a 23-year-old student will face disorderly conduct and harassment charges after police say he challenged Lulu's staff to a fight after he was asked to leave the bar for apparently fighting with a woman, police said.

That's right, ladies. If you want to go hang out at Lulu's you better be ready to throw down. Don't sing it if you can't bring it.

Like I said, I've never been to Lulu's, but I figure a cat fight in a college bar at 1 AM on a Saturday night would probably look something like this. (SFW, but better close the door to your office so people don't hear you laughing.)

If you're not already, make sure you follow Ron Bracken's fairwell tour at the Centre Daily Times. It's been a good read so far. This weekend he covered his top ten Penn State games of his career.

Penn State 35, Illinois 31

When Penn State took possession of the football that November night in 1994 there was 6:07 left, the Lions had the ball on their own 6, they were trailing Illinois 31-28, it was raining and the wind had picked up in Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.

No problem at all. Kerry Collins ignored all of those factors and marched the team down the field for the 35-31 win in as flawless a drive as you’ll ever see. There was no margin for error, no room for an off-sides penalty, a botched handoff, a dropped or errant pass or a wrongly run pass route. It all had to be perfect and it was, completing Penn State’s recovery from a 21-0 first-quarter deficit and guaranteeing a trip to the Rose Bowl.

I'm afraid I was too young to remember most of the games on his list, but I remembered this one. Reading Bracken's recollection of the 1994 Illinois game brought back a lot of memories for me. I remember falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter and not even worrying about it. That offense was so amazing you knew they were going to score 30 points before the day was over. So when Brian Milne crossed the goal line I really didn't even jump off the couch. That team was amazing.

Need More Proof Mel Kiper is an Idiot?

Remember last year Kiper had Dan Connor listed as the best linebacker in the draft and a sure fire top ten pick? Then he sat around on draft day and didn't go until the third round on day two. If that doesn't make you scratch your head about Mel Kiper, take into consideration that James Laurinaitus tops his big board for 2009.

1. James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State (6-2½, 242)

If he had declared for the 2008 NFL draft, Laurinaitis most likely would have been a top-10 pick. In addition to being extremely athletic, he has a great nose for the ball and plays with a great deal of intensity. In 2007, he had 121 tackles (8½ for loss), five interceptions and two sacks. What separates Laurinaitis from USC's Rey Maualuga is his week-to-week consistency.

Yeah, he has a great nose for the ball alright. That's because teams run right at him all the time. And he usually makes the tackle about five or seven yards down field from the line of scrimmage. And of course it helps to have a generous home field score keeper who gives you credit for a solo tackle any time you jump on a pile.

Student Ticket Changes

If you're a student hoping to get student tickets next year you better listen up. You'll only get one shot  to get them.

Despite what was written in an e-mail about the 2008 student football ticket allocation, students can only purchase 2008 football season tickets during one sale period.

 

Although the e-mail, sent Thursday night, suggests upperclassmen will have multiple opportunities to purchase tickets, that is not the case, Greg Myford, associate director of marketing and communication, said Friday.

Tickets were so much less confusing when I went to school. There was no internet. you just mailed in your form with your check within a week of getting it in the mail and you were set. This getting up at 7 AM and mashing the mouse button really sucks for the students today. I feel bad for you guys. But I think tying the student tickets to the ID cards is going to help a lot next year.

Great Scott

I know it's hard to believe this, but some people actually want to poach our assistant basketball coaches. And last week someone actually succeeded.

Assistant Nittany Lion basketball coach Hilliary Scott has been named the new head coach at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va.

The NCAA Division III Hornets introduced Scott as their new head coach Thursday afternoon. Scott will be taking on his first head coaching position after 11 years as an assistant coach, 10 under Nittany Lion head coach Ed DeChellis. Scott has served the last five years on DeChellis' Penn State staff and spent the previous five years helping DeChellis guide East Tennessee State University to three straight Southern Conference North Division titles and the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade.

This is a huge loss for the men's basketball program. Scott was our best recruiter on the staff and will be very difficult to replace. But it sounds like he left for personal reasons, so we wish him the best of luck in Lynchburg.

Etcetera

Purdue safety Torri Williams is arrested for shoplifting. That in itself is funny, but it's what he was busted trying to purchase with the five finger discount that takes the cake. This is why you will never read about a Purdue football player paying for prostitutes. They can't even afford to buy condoms.