put me in the disappointed camp. I thought the team had the talent to win one or two more games and perhaps even more, though that $50 I put down at Caesars's for the Nits to win the playoff, 100 to 1odds, was truly a pipe dream!
First, let me start with Hack. Like many others, I respect and appreciate what he did for us when not many were willing to stand up for PSU. But as a player, he has been disappointing. He has all the physical tools, anyone can see that, but he doesn't seem to have live game skills. I think Callahan just came out with his analysis and he highiights how well Hack did against MSU when he was able to get rid of the ball quickly. I haven't looked back at the games from two years ago, but I think the reason he did so much better under BOB is that BOB's schemes got receivers open. When Hack's first read is open, he is very good. Unfortunately, the high school schemes we have been running the last couple of years didn't produce open receivers; these schemes required the receiver to actually beat their man to get open and we haven't had receivers capable of doing that on a regular basis. When Hack's first read is covered, he struggles to find the second and third options. Couple that with the pressure he regularly faced and it led to two years of inconsistency. Will it get better for him in the pros? who knows. it just may be that he is a 7 on 7 camp star who has trouble transitioning to live game situations.
not much to say about the o-line that hasn't already been said. they were pretty bad most of the year. surely Franklin knows this has to be the focus for next year. I'm sure the kids are trying their best, but we just have too many plays get blown up in the backfield or guys missing assignments. we need an infusion of talent to say the least.
Barkley. think what this kid could do with a solid o-line. wow. interesting to see what Robinson will be able to do. he was as highly recruited as barkley, but we have heard very little about him so far. if he lives up to his billing, I think we lose two of Lynch, Scott, Allen and Thomas to transfer or graduation (Lynch). especially if Sanders stays committed.
The receivers were a mixed lot. some progressed and some regressed. Several years ago, Carter looked like he could have been counted on to catch 5 or 6 balls a game. Have no idea what happened to him, but it sure looked like he was not in the good graces of the coaching staff. probably had to due with his inability or unwillingness to block. Hamilton also regressed this year after having a breakout year last year. this probably had more to do with the ascension of Godwin as the #1 receiver. As mentioned above, if Hack's first option is not open, he often struggles to find another receiver. Last year, Hamilton was the first option most of the time; this year it was Godwin. Not really sure what #13 brings to the table. doesn't seem particularly fast or physical and with all the glowing reports of the two big freshmen receivers, can't understand why one of them didn't get this playing time. receiver is one position where freshmen across the country routinely make an impact. and the size they bring would have helped in beating the press coverage that always seems to shut our passing game down. also not sure why we never sent our speedsters, polk and thompkins, on the fly or tried to get them matched up on a strong safety or a linebacker out of the slot. finally, Gisecki, after all the pre-season hype, was a huge disappointment. but don't give up on the kid yet. about 15 years ago we had a kid by the name of Bryant Johnson. his first two years he dropped everything; the kid couldn't catch a cold. but then it clicked for him. here's hoping the same thing happens for Gisecki, sooner rather than later.
Now for Franklin. you cannot diminish what he has done from a recruiting standpoint, nor can you diminish two winning records during what we all presumed were going to be the worst of the sanction years. with that being said, I still wonder about his game day coaching ability. even with all the talent in the world, the coach still has to make the right calls on game day. and to date, I have seen two glaring deficiencies: clock management and in game adjustments. On the latter, there isn't much to discuss as there just don't seem to be any. One thing that made Paterno so great was his ability to adjust, especially at halftime. Franklin hasn't yet shown the ability to adjust at any time during the game, and we now have a two year sample size. That's concerning. perhaps even more concerning is that with all of his years in football, as a player, an assistant, and as a head coach, he doesn't seem to understand the simplest aspects of clock management. I'm sure many of you have sat watching the games the last couple of years like I have and have found yourself screaming to call a timeout when none is called, or wondering why one was called when it shouldn't have been. this is basic stuff and that the head coach of a major football program continually struggles in these situations to do the obvious raises serious concerns. He certainly deserves two more years to get in a full complement of his kids and incorporate an offensive coordinator who knows what he is doing. But during that time period he needs to improve his performance as much as the players need to improve theirs.
I'll post thoughts on the defense later, assuming the masses here don't slay me for this post.
First, let me start with Hack. Like many others, I respect and appreciate what he did for us when not many were willing to stand up for PSU. But as a player, he has been disappointing. He has all the physical tools, anyone can see that, but he doesn't seem to have live game skills. I think Callahan just came out with his analysis and he highiights how well Hack did against MSU when he was able to get rid of the ball quickly. I haven't looked back at the games from two years ago, but I think the reason he did so much better under BOB is that BOB's schemes got receivers open. When Hack's first read is open, he is very good. Unfortunately, the high school schemes we have been running the last couple of years didn't produce open receivers; these schemes required the receiver to actually beat their man to get open and we haven't had receivers capable of doing that on a regular basis. When Hack's first read is covered, he struggles to find the second and third options. Couple that with the pressure he regularly faced and it led to two years of inconsistency. Will it get better for him in the pros? who knows. it just may be that he is a 7 on 7 camp star who has trouble transitioning to live game situations.
not much to say about the o-line that hasn't already been said. they were pretty bad most of the year. surely Franklin knows this has to be the focus for next year. I'm sure the kids are trying their best, but we just have too many plays get blown up in the backfield or guys missing assignments. we need an infusion of talent to say the least.
Barkley. think what this kid could do with a solid o-line. wow. interesting to see what Robinson will be able to do. he was as highly recruited as barkley, but we have heard very little about him so far. if he lives up to his billing, I think we lose two of Lynch, Scott, Allen and Thomas to transfer or graduation (Lynch). especially if Sanders stays committed.
The receivers were a mixed lot. some progressed and some regressed. Several years ago, Carter looked like he could have been counted on to catch 5 or 6 balls a game. Have no idea what happened to him, but it sure looked like he was not in the good graces of the coaching staff. probably had to due with his inability or unwillingness to block. Hamilton also regressed this year after having a breakout year last year. this probably had more to do with the ascension of Godwin as the #1 receiver. As mentioned above, if Hack's first option is not open, he often struggles to find another receiver. Last year, Hamilton was the first option most of the time; this year it was Godwin. Not really sure what #13 brings to the table. doesn't seem particularly fast or physical and with all the glowing reports of the two big freshmen receivers, can't understand why one of them didn't get this playing time. receiver is one position where freshmen across the country routinely make an impact. and the size they bring would have helped in beating the press coverage that always seems to shut our passing game down. also not sure why we never sent our speedsters, polk and thompkins, on the fly or tried to get them matched up on a strong safety or a linebacker out of the slot. finally, Gisecki, after all the pre-season hype, was a huge disappointment. but don't give up on the kid yet. about 15 years ago we had a kid by the name of Bryant Johnson. his first two years he dropped everything; the kid couldn't catch a cold. but then it clicked for him. here's hoping the same thing happens for Gisecki, sooner rather than later.
Now for Franklin. you cannot diminish what he has done from a recruiting standpoint, nor can you diminish two winning records during what we all presumed were going to be the worst of the sanction years. with that being said, I still wonder about his game day coaching ability. even with all the talent in the world, the coach still has to make the right calls on game day. and to date, I have seen two glaring deficiencies: clock management and in game adjustments. On the latter, there isn't much to discuss as there just don't seem to be any. One thing that made Paterno so great was his ability to adjust, especially at halftime. Franklin hasn't yet shown the ability to adjust at any time during the game, and we now have a two year sample size. That's concerning. perhaps even more concerning is that with all of his years in football, as a player, an assistant, and as a head coach, he doesn't seem to understand the simplest aspects of clock management. I'm sure many of you have sat watching the games the last couple of years like I have and have found yourself screaming to call a timeout when none is called, or wondering why one was called when it shouldn't have been. this is basic stuff and that the head coach of a major football program continually struggles in these situations to do the obvious raises serious concerns. He certainly deserves two more years to get in a full complement of his kids and incorporate an offensive coordinator who knows what he is doing. But during that time period he needs to improve his performance as much as the players need to improve theirs.
I'll post thoughts on the defense later, assuming the masses here don't slay me for this post.
