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It’s obvious the players absolutely love Franklin

LMTLION

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Mar 20, 2008
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It’s quite appropriate that we won our first playoff game on Joe’s birthday, which then turns into the players’ celebration of Franklin’s 100th win. I think it’s time to admit that this is the closest analog we could’ve ever hoped for to Joe Paterno. Yeah, he’s still learning how to win big games , but he seems to do everything the right way as Joe would’ve wanted as well. I feel very fortunate that he’s our head coach. And it’s obvious our players feel the same way, which is what this is all about.
 



It’s quite appropriate that we won our first playoff game on Joe’s birthday, which then turns into the players’ celebration of Franklin’s 100th win. I think it’s time to admit that this is the closest analog we could’ve ever hoped for to Joe Paterno. Yeah, he’s still learning how to win big games , but he seems to do everything the right way as Joe would’ve wanted as well. I feel very fortunate that he’s our head coach. And it’s obvious our players feel the same way, which is what this is all about.
 
Think the pregame booing for CJF from some of the a-holes in the stands will ever stop? It's insane, especially before a PLAYOFF GAME.
I find it horrible. We don’t understand how lucky we are to have come back from the damn sanctions with a coach that in many ways mirrors JoePa in terms of the approach, ethics, and success. We haven’t won a Natty since the 1986 season (or 1994 depending on how you’re keeping count.) That has created this desperation with the fanbase that translates into very negative behaviors. Joe experienced it himself over the last 10 years.
 
I hope he stays at PSU long enough to see if the next wave of NCAA changes create opportunities for PSU.

It's super helpful that there's a change coming that will let PSU use general football revenue to supplement NIL. It let PSU leverage that huge stadium and giant fan base to be able to keep up with the Ohio States and SMUs of the world.
 
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I hope he sticks for a long time. Just dont go for it on 4th down in your own half, especially inside the 20.

PS. Obrien went for it on 4th down at the 20 vs Syracuse in 2013. Equally dumb.
 
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I hope he sticks for a long time. Just dont go for it on 4th down in your own half, especially inside the 20.

PS. Obrien went for it on 4th down at the 20 vs Syracuse in 2013. Equally dumb.
Agreed it was not a good call, but I still think Allar got the first down.
 
I hope he sticks for a long time. Just dont go for it on 4th down in your own half, especially inside the 20.

PS. Obrien went for it on 4th down at the 20 vs Syracuse in 2013. Equally dumb.
Joe Paterno did it in his first bowl game as Head Coach. Didn't make it in a tie game vs FSU. Don't remember exactly what yardline we were on, but was absolutely inside the 25.
 
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It’s quite appropriate that we won our first playoff game on Joe’s birthday, which then turns into the players’ celebration of Franklin’s 100th win. I think it’s time to admit that this is the closest analog we could’ve ever hoped for to Joe Paterno. Yeah, he’s still learning how to win big games , but he seems to do everything the right way as Joe would’ve wanted as well. I feel very fortunate that he’s our head coach. And it’s obvious our players feel the same way, which is what this is all about.
And those are real people who actually know him unlike some trolls and haters we have come to know on this board.
 
Think the pregame booing for CJF from some of the a-holes in the stands will ever stop? It's insane, especially before a PLAYOFF GAME.
I'm old enough to remember the 1981 season, when PSU was #1 but lost at Miami. Worse yet, we got creamed at home by Alabama - and yes, this included the Tide D stuffing us at the goal line - and there were plenty of fans who wanted Paterno gone. Paterno had lost to the Tide in the 1/1/79 Sugar Bowl and there was plenty of "can't win the big one" "too stubborn" and "too conservative" complaints about him at the time.

I think the 1981 48-14 game against Pitt (when even most PSU faithful expected the Lions to lose) was a turning point, and that's what I keep hoping for with JF, that one big "turning point" win. Maybe yet this year in the playoffs.
 
I am too remote to travel to games and too arthritic to stand for over three hours. But seriously? Some fans booed at the start of their first playoff game? That is over-the-top.

I can understand the Franklin love-fest. These are kids that just escaped their parents (if they had parents), and their HC is like a best bud. Anything goes. You can beat your chest after making a routine tackle. Bow for the crowd. You can disparage your opponent. Vulgar street slang? No problem. It's the Brotherhood. Franklin will probably add a hug on your way to the sidelines.

Let's see if this actually leads to elite performance. I have my doubts.
 
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I am too remote to travel to games and too arthritic to stand for over three hours. But seriously? Some fans booed at the start of their first playoff game? That is over-the-top.

I can understand the Franklin love-fest. These are kids that just escaped their parents (if they had parents), and their HC is like a best bud. Anything goes. You can beat your chest after making a routine tackle. Bow for the crowd. You can disparage your opponent. Vulgar street slang? No problem. It's the Brotherhood. Franklin will probably add a hug on your way to the sidelines.

Let's see if this actually leads to elite performance. I have my doubts.
Who you know what in your Wheaties Mr. Sunshine? Geez.
 
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I just don't understand the hate towards CJF by some of the PSU following. He's a top 5 to 10 HC that many other schools would love to snatch away from PSU.
I am convinced it’s rooted in cultural and racial bias. My Dad really didn’t like Franklin. His arguments never really made sense. They were all about how Franklin’s players did this or that. American culture has changed. The people who cannot accept that or find that objectionable try to pretend that a coach could make his players conform to bygone standards.

Where I think racial bias applies is when I think of guys like Bob Knigbt or Mike Krzyzewski. Knight was a horse’s ass. There was nothing to be admired in his “old school” approach. He was a bully. I sat at a Duke/Temple game and listened to Coach K curse constantly. One F bomb after another. In mostly every other way Coach K was a great coach. People aren’t perfect.

I have expressed this here before, but I have had some dealings with Nick Saban. Complete dick. Franklin treats people the right way. His kids graduate and, with very few exceptions, are good people. White coaches are held to a different standard by a lot of the older guys who are critical of Franklin.
 
I am convinced it’s rooted in cultural and racial bias. My Dad really didn’t like Franklin. His arguments never really made sense. They were all about how Franklin’s players did this or that. American culture has changed. The people who cannot accept that or find that objectionable try to pretend that a coach could make his players conform to bygone standards.

Where I think racial bias applies is when I think of guys like Bob Knigbt or Mike Krzyzewski. Knight was a horse’s ass. There was nothing to be admired in his “old school” approach. He was a bully. I sat at a Duke/Temple game and listened to Coach K curse constantly. One F bomb after another. In mostly every other way Coach K was a great coach. People aren’t perfect.

I have expressed this here before, but I have had some dealings with Nick Saban. Complete dick. Franklin treats people the right way. His kids graduate and, with very few exceptions, are good people. White coaches are held to a different standard by a lot of the older guys who are critical of Franklin.

The longer that JF continues to have sustained success ...the further and further the JF detractors will continue to move the goalposts. They are dangerously close to running out of real estate though.
 
I'm old enough to remember the 1981 season, when PSU was #1 but lost at Miami. Worse yet, we got creamed at home by Alabama - and yes, this included the Tide D stuffing us at the goal line - and there were plenty of fans who wanted Paterno gone. Paterno had lost to the Tide in the 1/1/79 Sugar Bowl and there was plenty of "can't win the big one" "too stubborn" and "too conservative" complaints about him at the time.

I think the 1981 48-14 game against Pitt (when even most PSU faithful expected the Lions to lose) was a turning point, and that's what I keep hoping for with JF, that one big "turning point" win. Maybe yet this year in the playoffs.
Starting about the mid-eighties I can't tell you how many times I heard "fans" tell me that the game had passed him by, and he kept proving them wrong.
 
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I am convinced it’s rooted in cultural and racial bias. My Dad really didn’t like Franklin. His arguments never really made sense. They were all about how Franklin’s players did this or that. American culture has changed. The people who cannot accept that or find that objectionable try to pretend that a coach could make his players conform to bygone standards.

Where I think racial bias applies is when I think of guys like Bob Knigbt or Mike Krzyzewski. Knight was a horse’s ass. There was nothing to be admired in his “old school” approach. He was a bully. I sat at a Duke/Temple game and listened to Coach K curse constantly. One F bomb after another. In mostly every other way Coach K was a great coach. People aren’t perfect.

I have expressed this here before, but I have had some dealings with Nick Saban. Complete dick. Franklin treats people the right way. His kids graduate and, with very few exceptions, are good people. White coaches are held to a different standard by a lot of the older guys who are critical of Franklin.
Is your father Knights Who Say Nit?
 
I am convinced it’s rooted in cultural and racial bias. My Dad really didn’t like Franklin. His arguments never really made sense. They were all about how Franklin’s players did this or that. American culture has changed. The people who cannot accept that or find that objectionable try to pretend that a coach could make his players conform to bygone standards.

Where I think racial bias applies is when I think of guys like Bob Knigbt or Mike Krzyzewski. Knight was a horse’s ass. There was nothing to be admired in his “old school” approach. He was a bully. I sat at a Duke/Temple game and listened to Coach K curse constantly. One F bomb after another. In mostly every other way Coach K was a great coach. People aren’t perfect.

I have expressed this here before, but I have had some dealings with Nick Saban. Complete dick. Franklin treats people the right way. His kids graduate and, with very few exceptions, are good people. White coaches are held to a different standard by a lot of the older guys who are critical of Franklin.

Are you suggesting that intolerance to a decline in standards of behavior, including coaching performance, is somehow about cultural and racial bias?

I could easily show that we live in a society that is far more tolerant of racial under-performance than it is of having higher standards for blacks. For one we could start with a critical look at Franklin's contract.

I don't like tats, long hair, braids, beards, street-speak, taunting, side-shows, and so on. But that is not racial bias unless you can say that only one race exhibits those characteristics. It is more likely that these correlate with deficiencies in personal development. Appearance becomes a way to make statements that are otherwise difficult to exhibit through a long period of good standards in conduct. Immaturity and low self esteem -- caused by a lack of discipline and encouragement during child development -- then manifest themselves in the taunting, celebrations, and side-shows. Does this new "cultural norm" mean that we should accept it? I hope not.

I don't follow basketball, so I don't know anything about Coach K other than knowing that he had a great record. As for Knight, even I had enough exposure to know that his antics were embarrassing. If I had been his AD he would have been reprimanded, if not fired.

I also don't know Saban personally but I would distinguish his insights on the mental part of the game. To sum up, he has said to "play with emotion, but do not get emotional." He has stressed preparation. These are things I have never seen stressed by Franklin. Saban had a record to show that what he was saying is probably not only true, but important.

In Franklin most of the time post-game we see a coach staring at his cheat sheet for stat comparisons, or citing "analytics" without accounting for the strengths/weaknesses of the teams on the field. Anyone can do that. It has been these things, the tolerance of behaviors, the lack of preparation when given extra time, the apparent lack of depth in his thinking, that have guided perceptions. It isn't skin color, though that becomes an easy deflection by those who want reduced standards.

Most of us were upset by Joe Paterno's refusal to retire. We were even more upset by the nepotism. I did not care for Joe Moorhead. Decent OC but not HC material at this level. Last I checked, those guys were not black.

Standards of conduct are standards of conduct. Using race to deflect criticism will lead to more of what we have seen -- a degradation of standards in our society. In short, we need to be color-blind in everything. It is the only way.

We shall see in the next few weeks whether the Franklin-approach works. I am hoping to be proven wrong. With success I would celebrate like any other PSU fan/alum. But the history, the statistics, suggest we should not have high expectations. We should expect to be rather challenged in the Fiesta Bowl, lose the semi-final game, then rinse and repeat next year. Meanwhile we will watch celebrations after each play as if some sort of championship had been achieved. We will celebrate 2nd or 3rd place. Other teams will have done worse.
 
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