"They've been in class all day, they've been in study hall, it's a challenging place to go to school," O'Brien said. "So when they come [to practice] it can't be all business. We have to have some fun. ... Football practice is intense, so we try to keep them moving, but also mix in some fun things, too." -O'Brien
One of the built in advantages we didn't see coming for The Next Penn State Football Coach is the swift, immediate and downright giddy response reporters would have to the obvious and harmless move of letting reporters see as little as 30 minute of practice. We're talking grown men, 10 and 20 year veterans, blushing with excitment here, about practice.
The result? Best Week Ever for good, clean fun. Oh, and Bill O'Brien is crowned the James Franco of college football coaches.
But can the Great Gatsby call his own plays? Speaking of veterans, David Jones latest column reads like a Sam Cooke lyric before getting to this bit:
He's not trying to snow-job anybody. He's not an obvious B.S. artist like so many major-college coaches have become these days (see: Todd Graham, Jim Tressel). He doesn't carry an air of self-importance like so many other of the nouveau-riche breed (see: Nick Saban, Urban Meyer).
O'Brien is not appear easily impressed with a lot of crap that modern society tosses around as important. But neither does he appear to be impressed with himself.
Everyone's favorite crankster might have just called Penn State's current coach the most "I'd have a beer with that guy" man in the profession.
I dare you to find one single negative thing about BOB written in the last week. Your Googles are futile.
The best defense is a good set of sturdy, expense gates. The 22-year-old who crashed into Beaver Stadium and stole a Paternoville sign is going to cost someone $23,000. This steel price thing is no joke, apparently.
And "that." Sandusky's request to have charges thrown out was denied by Judge John Cleland. More news for the legaly-inclined here. Those requests and other aspects of defense have reportedly cost Sandusy $200,000 so far, a figure that's apparently straining his resources and forced him to forego psychological testing.
It's a brave new world. The BLS says there were 240,000 coaches in 2010 -- growing "much fast than average" -- and that doesn't count the seemingly infinite number of adults involved in non-professional teaching and managing of other various competitive youth activities.
The 2011 sports story of the year is almost certainly the most high impact cause for change in the institution's history:
Since the Penn State scandal came to light in November, lawmakers in more than a dozen states, including New York, California and Pennsylvania, have introduced bills adding coaches, athletic directors or university officials to the list of "mandated reporters" of suspected child abuse or neglect. In the past month, such bills have been signed in Virginia, Washington and West Virginia, with several other states expected to follow suit.
And that's just the official business, which is probably not the most painful aspect of ongoing changes in culture. I can only imagine the weight people involved in hiring coaches and supervisors are feeling now. It's left a very self-conscious group of current coaches:
"And I am very careful with words and phrases that can have double meanings."
#Inscoresofothergames. Michigan is the second ever, guys. Brian makes me laugh and cry with his administrative description of "a bunch of MBAs" in "makework positions." #funnycuztrue. Some early informational-type-stuff for the B&W Game (plenty more to come here, by the way). And can something be both 8bit and NSFW? (Warning, potentially NSFW, mostly 8bit).
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