BleacherCoaches.com

After what has been happening up at State Penn recently, regarding the quickly-growing cancer in the media about Paterno's ability and status, we took yet another punch on the chin today when 4-star CB Darrell Givens, straight out of PSU territory in Maryland, committed to Ohio State. This is another in the growing saga of our shrinking recruiting ability in Maryland. The main reason for that is the new recruiting genius at the Univ. of Maryland, who is doing an incredible job. Penn State is also out of the sweepstakes for 5-star LB Dorian Bell, a local kid who is from the same HS as Justin King. That kid will be attending Ohio State in 2009 (my opinion).

In case you missed it, the press-conference transcript after yesterday's Blue / White Game is available on Rivals.com, or under the thread I posted yesterday called "How Bad Can this Get: The Paterno Fiasco". As a PSU fan, make sure you read that transcript. It is the defining proof of the state of Penn State's football program.

If you are sitting there waiting for a great monolith to take place up there, like in 2001: A Space Odyssey where the monkey realizes he can use that bone as a club, you are wasting your time. Nothing is going to change (field production, recruiting, anything) until Joe Paterno leaves that place. We are all going to have to ride this out until he realizes how selfish he is, or he gets fired. Latter will happen sooner than former. Then there will be an amazing ****-storm until they hire some other idiot to take that job. I'm sure the new coach will feel VERY safe (yeah right).

So what are we looking at here? 15 years until they beat Michigan? Maybe Tressel will retire and we can win one in Columbus, which it seems is Paterno's only strategy to win out there: Pray the coach leaves.

It is a complete joke, it is a travesty, and there's no way out. It is a combination of things. Nostalgia clouded the alumni and the trustees and they overlooked the red-flag alerts and signs, since that Minnesota game in 1999. Add that to Paterno's insane selfishness where he publicly states that even after 60 years of coaching and never being there for his children (his own words) he doesn't even have a desire to do anything else. Now you have players out of control and sub-par field performances. The High Command has jumped ship on him, finally, and so have tons of fans.

So what is the outcome? Sit and wait. Things are about to get very uncomfortable, and interesting.

TAE- I usually agree with you, but lets lay off the man for a bit. Record over the past 3 seasons is one of the better records in the nation. They have a team up there this year that if they can win a tough game in Columbus could play for a Big Ten championship and maybe a National Championship. Yeah the troubles off the field are getting a little out of control. You are in a panic because they didnt have a top ten recruiting class but thats fine by me. Look at the star players recently Hunt, Kinlaw, Norwood, Butler, Pozluzney, Scriratto, ect. not big time recruits. Its a better thing to be able to develope talent. These big name players come in and think that just because they were a 5* recruit their work is done. Look at Morelli, Williams, Scott, Bell, ect. all havent done crap in their time in Happy Valley. So to sum this up lets not act like the sky is falling in right before a season with a lot of potential. The word up there from a pretty reliable sources that even with the loss of Sean Lee that this is the best defense Bradley has ever had and maybe one of the best Paterno ever had. Be a little more optimistic. I know I can be rough on JoePa and the Program up there too but I am going to give them a chance first this year.

I'm actually not in a panic, believe it or not. I'm just saying that the fireworks show is about to start. And I don't know where you are seeing evidence that this season is going to be special. I'll give them 7 wins. You have to understand that every team in the conference is moving forward except Penn State and maybe Northwestern. Every thing that guy asked Paterno in that press conference transcript was a valid point, and he wants no part of it. That's my problem. I don't care if he stays until he's 115 years old, I just want other people running the show, i.e. non Paterno people who have been associated with him for 25 years.

I hope you're right and I hope they win 12 games, but I think 8 is wishful thinking. It's gonna be another offense who calls poor plays and can't move the ball through the air, and a defense who can beat everyone except an offensive coordinator with a brain in his head. It's not necessarily the players, Apbk, it's the coaching mentality. How can you justifiably tell me that all of a sudden this is the year that it all clicks? And how can you tell me that PSU isn't losing their recruiting grip? Shuffling people around and developing them is nice, but it also shows that they can't recruit position players anymore. How much evidence do you need?

Justin King is 5 times better than Lydell Sargent and Justin King was terrible last season for PSU. The number 1 CB is Sargent now. Ohio State didn't punt the ball one time last season in that game against Penn State, because Ohio State knows that any team on Earth can beat PSU if they run short passing routes in the flats. The corners can't cover anybody. That's why Bradley had King and Sargent 15 yds. off the ball all year, and why King gave up 150 yds. receiving to James Hardy in the IU game. How many times last season were those corners made to look like fools?

It is going to take a influx of new blood to get Penn State to the top of the conference. They might get lucky and beat Michigan this year, but they'll never lose to them again with the current staff in place. It is coaching mentality that keeps this program from advancing, and that starts at the top. They are not recruiting the right players for today's game. And when they DO target them, those kids go elsewhere. That is a direct reflection of the coaching staff.