PSU - Purdue thoughts

[MacNit07]

And WE recruit? Or do the guys we get all moist between the legs about, leave with this staff?

And the bitching and moaning will continue.....

The only one bitching and moaning is you…constantly. Oh, I forgot - “ 10 more years!” Do you add anything to the discussion? We all get your are a Franklin apologist (or is it what is your other contribution? - calling people fanboys).

Rather than bitch and moan all the time, why not add to the dialog? We all have heard you used to coach? Others here have as well. And others like Franklin and also remember Joe fondly.

What did you see that you like? Dislike?

Or it just be the ‘10 more years’ and everyone who doesn’t believe Franklin does everything right is a ‘fanboy’?

To each her/his own but does that not get boring? And yes, we know you like to come here ‘laugh everyone here.’ When is enough of that? It might be fun to exchange ideas. But again, your time/life.

 

[marshall23]

Well, whoever cooked that up should have been fired instantly (Sandy is the one that gets the public credit)…10 year commitments to mediocrity from a school that can and does seat 110,000 fans at a home game is an abomination of management.

You can blame the members of the compensation committee of the BOT....I suppose.....

 

[marshall23]

We used to have football success above their level…was it that long ago? Perhaps.

A long long long time ago

 

[marshall23]

Thboe only one bitching and moaning is you…constantly. Oh, I forgot - “ 10 more years!” Do you add anything to the discussion? We all get your are a Franklin apologist (or is it what is your other contribution? - calling people fanboys).

Rather than bitch and moan all the time, why not add to the dialog? We all have heard you used to coach? Others here have as well. And others like Franklin and also remember Joe fondly.

What did you see that you like? Dislike?

Or it just be the ‘10 more years’ and everyone who doesn’t believe Franklin does everything right is a ‘fanboy’?

To each her/his own but does that not get boring? And yes, we know you like to come here ‘laugh everyone here.’ When is enough of that? It might be fun to exchange ideas. But again, your time/life.

How do you add to "We deserve better?"
No coach that ever lived "did everything right."
I remember Joe "fondly" as well. Did he ever have losing seasons?
What I saw Thursday was a conference come from behind victory.
Apparently winning isn't good enough.

I coached my last game in 1986. The game has evolved and changed a great deal since then.
Here's what I do know to be fact:
It's an incredible achievement to advance to the division one level of coaching.....requiring vast amounts of knowledge and talent.
I understand the challenge of taking a group of young men and training them to engage in a contest where they match their skills against another similar team. They too are coached and prepared.
Factor in officials, weather and injuries.....and how the odd shaped ball bounces.......oh and did your star player get dumped by his girlfriend.....and what about the young man whose mother is dying with cancer?
But none of that is considered by the rank and file fanboys here.
They want to insist that zone blocking should be employed instead of man blocking or vice versa. Like they actually have more insight than an entire staff of division one coaches.
Or that the player on the bench is really better than the starter......keeping in mind that they've never been to a single practice, never coached or played the game themselves. Just think how utterly insane that is for just one moment!
I've stated many times that I like Franklin because of the way he represents the university. Because I believe him to be a good role model and educator/coach. As an admirer of Joe, I believe James preserves many of the basic tenets Joe stood for.
Do I wish we could win every game? Hell yes! But this coach allowed me to attend 3 NY6 bowls.
I understand the impact of tearing everything down and starting over......and who is this sainted coach we are bringing in who will do everything better......and how long will it take for the same fanboy geniuses to pick him apart?
No, I prefer to stick with the guy who has won the conference and finished in the top 10 three times.
I'm being patient to see what happens with the excellent recruiting classes he's bringing in. I also know that with the portal that blue chips like Allar are gone from PSU when CJF and MY are replaced.
I believe that all the noise CJF created last year about university commitment to the program was legit.
As a PSU fan, why would I not support this and an upgrade in facilities to at least get us into the top 20?
He took a stand......that is leadership.
As an athletic director, I sometimes had the difficult task of replacing a coach. I understand that it was only at the high school level.
Assuming that the decision wasn't made for me (the coach committed an egregious error), I had to ponder some of these questions:
Am I 100% certain that a new approach, leadership,message, energy is needed ? Believe it or not, losing isn't an automatic criteria for dismissal.
Can I be certain that I have a better candidate available to fill the position?
What are the qualities beyond the x and o that this new coach must possess? Educator first, patient, professional and disciplined, honest, accountable and empathetic. Just to mention a few.
So yes, this year marks 51 consecutive years I've either coached, been a high school AD or a public high school league administrator. This experience has given me an abiding respect for how difficult and complex competitive athletics can be. I can't begin to imagine how challenging it must be to run a division one football program today.

But hey...."WE DESERVE BETTER!" and NNNNNCAC couch coaches know best!

 

[Online Persona]

take away two touchdown drives from most teams and the stats aren’t going to look as good…

Has no impact on Iowa

 

[manilion]

How do you add to "We deserve better?"
No coach that ever lived "did everything right."
I remember Joe "fondly" as well. Did he ever have losing seasons?
What I saw Thursday was a conference come from behind victory.
Apparently winning isn't good enough.

I coached my last game in 1986. The game has evolved and changed a great deal since then.
Here's what I do know to be fact:
It's an incredible achievement to advance to the division one level of coaching.....requiring vast amounts of knowledge and talent.
I understand the challenge of taking a group of young men and training them to engage in a contest where they match their skills against another similar team. They too are coached and prepared.
Factor in officials, weather and injuries.....and how the odd shaped ball bounces.......oh and did your star player get dumped by his girlfriend.....and what about the young man whose mother is dying with cancer?
But none of that is considered by the rank and file fanboys here.
They want to insist that zone blocking should be employed instead of man blocking or vice versa. Like they actually have more insight than an entire staff of division one coaches.
Or that the player on the bench is really better than the starter......keeping in mind that they've never been to a single practice, never coached or played the game themselves. Just think how utterly insane that is for just one moment!
I've stated many times that I like Franklin because of the way he represents the university. Because I believe him to be a good role model and educator/coach. As an admirer of Joe, I believe James preserves many of the basic tenets Joe stood for.
Do I wish we could win every game? Hell yes! But this coach allowed me to attend 3 NY6 bowls.
I understand the impact of tearing everything down and starting over......and who is this sainted coach we are bringing in who will do everything better......and how long will it take for the same fanboy geniuses to pick him apart?
No, I prefer to stick with the guy who has won the conference and finished in the top 10 three times.
I'm being patient to see what happens with the excellent recruiting classes he's bringing in. I also know that with the portal that blue chips like Allar are gone from PSU when CJF and MY are replaced.
I believe that all the noise CJF created last year about university commitment to the program was legit.
As a PSU fan, why would I not support this and an upgrade in facilities to at least get us into the top 20?
He took a stand......that is leadership.
As an athletic director, I sometimes had the difficult task of replacing a coach. I understand that it was only at the high school level.
Assuming that the decision wasn't made for me (the coach committed an egregious error), I had to ponder some of these questions:
Am I 100% certain that a new approach, leadership,message, energy is needed ? Believe it or not, losing isn't an automatic criteria for dismissal.
Can I be certain that I have a better candidate available to fill the position?
What are the qualities beyond the x and o that this new coach must possess? Educator first, patient, professional and disciplined, honest, accountable and empathetic. Just to mention a few.
So yes, this year marks 51 consecutive years I've either coached, been a high school AD or a public high school league administrator. This experience has given me an abiding respect for how difficult and complex competitive athletics can be. I can't begin to imagine how challenging it must be to run a division one football program today.

But hey...."WE DESERVE BETTER!" and NNNNNCAC couch coaches know best!

You must have too much time on your hands. Lol for longest post.

 

[Tri-Power65]

We used to have football success above their level…was it that long ago? Perhaps.

Unfortunately, yes. At least 25 years now...

 

[fastlax16]

Has no impact on Iowa

Iowa had more 25 yard plays than osu.

 

[Woodpecker]

Take away the last series in each half and this is your offensive output....

31 rushes for 90 yds, 2.9 avg... 1 TD
15-32 passes for 169 yds, 5.3 avg... 2 TD
63 plays for 259 yds, 4.1 avg... 3 TD’s

That’s not good and a “rinse and repeat” from a yr ago.

Other than that, how did you like the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

 

[AWS1022]

We used to have football success above their level…was it that long ago? Perhaps.

It seems like forever ago and we had a much better recruiting base back then.

 

[AWS1022]

How do you add to "We deserve better?"
No coach that ever lived "did everything right."
I remember Joe "fondly" as well. Did he ever have losing seasons?
What I saw Thursday was a conference come from behind victory.
Apparently winning isn't good enough.

I coached my last game in 1986. The game has evolved and changed a great deal since then.
Here's what I do know to be fact:
It's an incredible achievement to advance to the division one level of coaching.....requiring vast amounts of knowledge and talent.
I understand the challenge of taking a group of young men and training them to engage in a contest where they match their skills against another similar team. They too are coached and prepared.
Factor in officials, weather and injuries.....and how the odd shaped ball bounces.......oh and did your star player get dumped by his girlfriend.....and what about the young man whose mother is dying with cancer?
But none of that is considered by the rank and file fanboys here.
They want to insist that zone blocking should be employed instead of man blocking or vice versa. Like they actually have more insight than an entire staff of division one coaches.
Or that the player on the bench is really better than the starter......keeping in mind that they've never been to a single practice, never coached or played the game themselves. Just think how utterly insane that is for just one moment!
I've stated many times that I like Franklin because of the way he represents the university. Because I believe him to be a good role model and educator/coach. As an admirer of Joe, I believe James preserves many of the basic tenets Joe stood for.
Do I wish we could win every game? Hell yes! But this coach allowed me to attend 3 NY6 bowls.
I understand the impact of tearing everything down and starting over......and who is this sainted coach we are bringing in who will do everything better......and how long will it take for the same fanboy geniuses to pick him apart?
No, I prefer to stick with the guy who has won the conference and finished in the top 10 three times.
I'm being patient to see what happens with the excellent recruiting classes he's bringing in. I also know that with the portal that blue chips like Allar are gone from PSU when CJF and MY are replaced.
I believe that all the noise CJF created last year about university commitment to the program was legit.
As a PSU fan, why would I not support this and an upgrade in facilities to at least get us into the top 20?
He took a stand......that is leadership.
As an athletic director, I sometimes had the difficult task of replacing a coach. I understand that it was only at the high school level.
Assuming that the decision wasn't made for me (the coach committed an egregious error), I had to ponder some of these questions:
Am I 100% certain that a new approach, leadership,message, energy is needed ? Believe it or not, losing isn't an automatic criteria for dismissal.
Can I be certain that I have a better candidate available to fill the position?
What are the qualities beyond the x and o that this new coach must possess? Educator first, patient, professional and disciplined, honest, accountable and empathetic. Just to mention a few.
So yes, this year marks 51 consecutive years I've either coached, been a high school AD or a public high school league administrator. This experience has given me an abiding respect for how difficult and complex competitive athletics can be. I can't begin to imagine how challenging it must be to run a division one football program today.

But hey...."WE DESERVE BETTER!" and NNNNNCAC couch coaches know best!

Very well said. I would not have the same opinions on coaches if I had never done it myself. It gives you a whole different point of view.

 

[marshall23]

Very well said. I would not have the same opinions on coaches if I had never done it myself. It gives you a whole different point of view.

Very well said. I would not have the same opinions on coaches if I had never done it myself. It gives you a whole different point of view.

Its amusing that couch coaches think the most important aspect of coaching is the x&o's and knowing them will make you successful. The easiest and most enjoyable part of coaching is the time spent "on the field."

 

[PSUQBKeeper]

sure Penn State used to have more football success overall but man some of you guys would have flipped the hell out watching John Shaffer play and he led us to a national title

 

[ryoder1]

The point is get rid of the outliers. Coaches actually do that when they analyze their opponents to better understand what they will do on the average play. This is a proven advanced metric that most coaches believe in. Throw out the big plays because they are mostly the result of mistakes (unless you have players of Barry Sanders, Rocket Ismail or Calvin Johnson on the roster) and quantify the rest. Take out the big plays during the first part of last season and our averages were very much in line with .500 Big Ten teams. The numbers from Thursday are likely more of the same.

Yes anything good is a freakish outlier and anything bad is typical performance. Got it, so we should expect.....two or three pick 6s, absolutely no run game, 10 dropped passes and of course we will have a bunch of penalties even though we did not have many vs Purdue because that is what .500 teams do. All in all expect a loss on Saturday in fact I'll be surprised if Franklin and the team can even find the stadium.

 

[marshall23]

Yes anything good is a freakish outlier and anything bad is typical performance. Got it, so we should expect.....two or three pick 6s, absolutely no run game, 10 dropped passes and of course we will have a bunch of penalties even though we did not have many vs Purdue because that is what .500 teams do. All in all expect a loss on Saturday in fact I'll be surprised if Franklin and the team can even find the stadium.

Yeah...Nick Saban says explosive plays are "rat poison."

 

[scrivener]

Yes anything good is a freakish outlier and anything bad is typical performance. Got it, so we should expect.....two or three pick 6s, absolutely no run game, 10 dropped passes and of course we will have a bunch of penalties even though we did not have many vs Purdue because that is what .500 teams do. All in all expect a loss on Saturday in fact I'll be surprised if Franklin and the team can even find the stadium.

While your sarcasm is noted, the notable example u mention has come to fruition the last two seasons...absolutely no run game. That isn't an outlier, it's the norm since 2020.

 

[PSU Soupy]

sure Penn State used to have more football success overall but man some of you guys would have flipped the hell out watching John Shaffer play and he led us to a national title

We needed Kinzner to get us over the hump...........Joe just like CJF would not listen.

 

[PSU Soupy]

Yeah...Nick Saban says explosive plays are "rat poison."

Explosive plays can cover a lot of mistakes......... like Barry Sanders running the ball...
first down -3, 2nd down loses 1, 3rd down runs for 22 yards and a first down and a six yard average per carry.

 

[GregInPitt]

Just watched the game in 60 I had recorded. A couple last observations.

- I tried to focus on King at LB to see if he had any better performance than Elsdon. Didn't really see him impact a play. He crashed a gap on a running play but the back was by that gap in the backfield before he got there and turned up for positive yardage.
- Vanover looks like a contributor at DE. He made a great play/tackle 10(?) yards down field by hustling and following the play, and impacted another play. He looks pretty athletic and carries the 266 lbs he's listed as very well. Almost looks fluid enough to play Mike LB.
- Purdue's 2(?) star RB made about 4 times the defenders miss tackles than PSU's collection of 4 and 5 star RB's
- I thought Singleton hit the holes decisively on his first few carries and then seemed to hesitate on most of his later carries. He was tackled in the backfield by a CB on the one time he tried to go wide, but he needs to be decisive and be the missile that Franklin described....
- Clifford could have kept the ball a few times on the read option and scrambled a couple of times to make the LB's and DB's look back to him more so in coverage, and his couple of runs might have helped both the running game and passing game. He looked like he was moving without issue, but we have to wonder why he was wearing the knee brace. Probably good he had the brace on for that roughing call as he got bent up pretty good.

 

[MacNit07]

How do you add to "We deserve better?"
No coach that ever lived "did everything right."
I remember Joe "fondly" as well. Did he ever have losing seasons?
What I saw Thursday was a conference come from behind victory.
Apparently winning isn't good enough.

I coached my last game in 1986. The game has evolved and changed a great deal since then.
Here's what I do know to be fact:
It's an incredible achievement to advance to the division one level of coaching.....requiring vast amounts of knowledge and talent.
I understand the challenge of taking a group of young men and training them to engage in a contest where they match their skills against another similar team. They too are coached and prepared.
Factor in officials, weather and injuries.....and how the odd shaped ball bounces.......oh and did your star player get dumped by his girlfriend.....and what about the young man whose mother is dying with cancer?
But none of that is considered by the rank and file fanboys here.
They want to insist that zone blocking should be employed instead of man blocking or vice versa. Like they actually have more insight than an entire staff of division one coaches.
Or that the player on the bench is really better than the starter......keeping in mind that they've never been to a single practice, never coached or played the game themselves. Just think how utterly insane that is for just one moment!
I've stated many times that I like Franklin because of the way he represents the university. Because I believe him to be a good role model and educator/coach. As an admirer of Joe, I believe James preserves many of the basic tenets Joe stood for.
Do I wish we could win every game? Hell yes! But this coach allowed me to attend 3 NY6 bowls.
I understand the impact of tearing everything down and starting over......and who is this sainted coach we are bringing in who will do everything better......and how long will it take for the same fanboy geniuses to pick him apart?
No, I prefer to stick with the guy who has won the conference and finished in the top 10 three times.
I'm being patient to see what happens with the excellent recruiting classes he's bringing in. I also know that with the portal that blue chips like Allar are gone from PSU when CJF and MY are replaced.
I believe that all the noise CJF created last year about university commitment to the program was legit.
As a PSU fan, why would I not support this and an upgrade in facilities to at least get us into the top 20?
He took a stand......that is leadership.
As an athletic director, I sometimes had the difficult task of replacing a coach. I understand that it was only at the high school level.
Assuming that the decision wasn't made for me (the coach committed an egregious error), I had to ponder some of these questions:
Am I 100% certain that a new approach, leadership,message, energy is needed ? Believe it or not, losing isn't an automatic criteria for dismissal.
Can I be certain that I have a better candidate available to fill the position?
What are the qualities beyond the x and o that this new coach must possess? Educator first, patient, professional and disciplined, honest, accountable and empathetic. Just to mention a few.
So yes, this year marks 51 consecutive years I've either coached, been a high school AD or a public high school league administrator. This experience has given me an abiding respect for how difficult and complex competitive athletics can be. I can't begin to imagine how challenging it must be to run a division one football program today.

But hey...."WE DESERVE BETTER!" and NNNNNCAC couch coaches know best!

I might remind you that others on this Board have coached and have had admin experience. Still thers are executives and accomplished managers and leaders….and may have coached as well.

Good post. You might not know, but I and many others respect your opinion - even if we disagree with it.

I might remind you that others on this Board have coached and have had admin experience. Still others are executives and accomplished managers and leaders….and many have coached as well.

I agree with so much of what you have posted. There is so much to admire about CJF. But I think we are past the point where PSU can be patient. This is not high school…this is a CFB blue blood that is taking on water. The program is stagnating and is going in the wrong direction. At some point, the record is what it you are. And the record is undeniable.

It’s not “we deserve better” but “can we do better?”

As a coach, do you think the line play is acceptable based upon the collective talent (especially compared to lesser talented teams)? Do you not see Penn State get stalemated or even pushed around - even by much less talented teams ? Coaches that I speak with (and me) say emphatically ‘no.’ And if they are correct, this team will continue to be mired in mediocrity.

I will pulse some Lettermen over the next few weeks, but my last touch base was not feeling the warm and fuzzies on CJF. And they were not impressed by or happy with the Sandy, et al extension.

Does that make you wrong and them/me right? Not necessarily - but the record, direction, and momentum of the program is looking very conclusive.

Curious - is there any point where you might change your mind? How many more years of .500 football is sufficient patience?

In any case, made the trip to West Lafayette, enjoyed the trip, the campus, and the game. And kudos to the kids for pulling it out. But you could see the same major flaws that have been present for most of Franklin’s - lack of physical toughness. Just not getting any better.

 

[marshall23]

Good post. You might not know, but I and many others respect your opinion - even if we disagree with it.

I might remind you that others on this Board have coached and have had admin experience. Still others are executives and accomplished managers and leaders….and many have coached as well.

I agree with so much of what you have posted. There is so much to admire about CJF. But I think we are past the point where PSU can be patient. This is not high school…this is a CFB blue blood that is taking on water. The program is stagnating and is going in the wrong direction. At some point, the record is what it you are. And the record is undeniable.

It’s not “we deserve better” but “can we do better?”

As a coach, do you think the line play is acceptable based upon the collective talent (especially compared to lesser talented teams)? Do you not see Penn State get stalemated or even pushed around - even by much less talented teams ? Coaches that I speak with (and me) say emphatically ‘no.’ And if they are correct, this team will continue to be mired in mediocrity.

I will pulse some Lettermen over the next few weeks, but my last touch base was not feeling the warm and fuzzies on CJF. And they were not impressed by or happy with the Sandy, et al extension.

Does that make you wrong and them/me right? Not necessarily - but the record, direction, and momentum of the program is looking very conclusive.

Curious - is there any point where you might change your mind? How many more years of .500 football is sufficient patience?

In any case, made the trip to West Lafayette, enjoyed the trip, the campus, and the game. And kudos to the kids for pulling it out. But you could see the same major flaws that have been present for most of Franklin’s - lack of physical toughness. Just not getting any better.

My support isn't conditional.....nor does it have an expiration date. I do know that regardless of what anyone thinks, including yours truly....he's here for at least 3 additional years.Unless you know someone who has 70 million to burn. So why even discuss something so far in the future? He's the coach....I like him. Period.
Actually looking forward to 10 more years!

 

[scrivener]

Good post. You might not know, but I and many others respect your opinion - even if we disagree with it.

I might remind you that others on this Board have coached and have had admin experience. Still others are executives and accomplished managers and leaders….and many have coached as well.

I agree with so much of what you have posted. There is so much to admire about CJF. But I think we are past the point where PSU can be patient. This is not high school…this is a CFB blue blood that is taking on water. The program is stagnating and is going in the wrong direction. At some point, the record is what it you are. And the record is undeniable.

It’s not “we deserve better” but “can we do better?”

As a coach, do you think the line play is acceptable based upon the collective talent (especially compared to lesser talented teams)? Do you not see Penn State get stalemated or even pushed around - even by much less talented teams ? Coaches that I speak with (and me) say emphatically ‘no.’ And if they are correct, this team will continue to be mired in mediocrity.

I will pulse some Lettermen over the next few weeks, but my last touch base was not feeling the warm and fuzzies on CJF. And they were not impressed by or happy with the Sandy, et al extension.

Does that make you wrong and them/me right? Not necessarily - but the record, direction, and momentum of the program is looking very conclusive.

Curious - is there any point where you might change your mind? How many more years of .500 football is sufficient patience?

In any case, made the trip to West Lafayette, enjoyed the trip, the campus, and the game. And kudos to the kids for pulling it out. But you could see the same major flaws that have been present for most of Franklin’s - lack of physical toughness. Just not getting any better.

Excellent post....nicely done. Being critical of the team, development, where we are as a program, isn't being a hater as you allude...it's reality.

 

[MacNit07]

My support isn't conditional.....nor does it have an expiration date. I do know that regardless of what anyone thinks, including yours truly....he's here for at least 3 additional years.Unless you know someone who has 70 million to burn. So why even discuss something so far in the future? He's the coach....I like him. Period.
Actually looking forward to 10 more years!

I don’t know…it’s a discussion board.

Who knows what will happen. I like Franklin too. But he is not getting tbe job done. Unfortunate, but it happens.

As players quickly transition to minor league professionals, their accountability will rise too…supporting “college kids” for the glory of dear ole State will likely become a thing of past.

In the interim, he will be subject to critiques - he is a football coach and a well paid one. Some critiques will be reasonable and well-thought out and fair. Others will not be. Comes with territory.

Not looking forward to 10 more years like the last few. Would be nice to think it is just a learning curve but it’s seems more systemic. In a game like football, success comes by dominating line play. Penn State under Franklin not only does not dominate but often is dominated.

As the game transitions to NFL minor league, “doing things the right way will become less and less important (sadly) and poor results will be magnified. Not a good place for the business of Penn State football.

 

[PSU20]

Just watched the game in 60 I had recorded. A couple last observations.

- I tried to focus on King at LB to see if he had any better performance than Elsdon. Didn't really see him impact a play. He crashed a gap on a running play but the back was by that gap in the backfield before he got there and turned up for positive yardage.
- Vanover looks like a contributor at DE. He made a great play/tackle 10(?) yards down field by hustling and following the play, and impacted another play. He looks pretty athletic and carries the 266 lbs he's listed as very well. Almost looks fluid enough to play Mike LB.
- Purdue's 2(?) star RB made about 4 times the defenders miss tackles than PSU's collection of 4 and 5 star RB's
- I thought Singleton hit the holes decisively on his first few carries and then seemed to hesitate on most of his later carries. He was tackled in the backfield by a CB on the one time he tried to go wide, but he needs to be decisive and be the missile that Franklin described....
- Clifford could have kept the ball a few times on the read option and scrambled a couple of times to make the LB's and DB's look back to him more so in coverage, and his couple of runs might have helped both the running game and passing game. He looked like he was moving without issue, but we have to wonder why he was wearing the knee brace. Probably good he had the brace on for that roughing call as he got bent up pretty good.O

On that one play wide to the left, the CB was standing practically at the LOS and we never accounted for him. He ran free to make the tackle. Hard to believe that before the snap a CB would be a the LOS and PSU does not account for him, but it happened. With Singleton running sideways, it was an easy tackle. Everyone else had an OL or TE on them, but not the CB.

 

[Texas Lion]

Just watched the game in 60 I had recorded. A couple last observations.

- I tried to focus on King at LB to see if he had any better performance than Elsdon. Didn't really see him impact a play. He crashed a gap on a running play but the back was by that gap in the backfield before he got there and turned up for positive yardage.
- Vanover looks like a contributor at DE. He made a great play/tackle 10(?) yards down field by hustling and following the play, and impacted another play. He looks pretty athletic and carries the 266 lbs he's listed as very well. Almost looks fluid enough to play Mike LB.
- Purdue's 2(?) star RB made about 4 times the defenders miss tackles than PSU's collection of 4 and 5 star RB's
- I thought Singleton hit the holes decisively on his first few carries and then seemed to hesitate on most of his later carries. He was tackled in the backfield by a CB on the one time he tried to go wide, but he needs to be decisive and be the missile that Franklin described....
- Clifford could have kept the ball a few times on the read option and scrambled a couple of times to make the LB's and DB's look back to him more so in coverage, and his couple of runs might have helped both the running game and passing game. He looked like he was moving without issue, but we have to wonder why he was wearing the knee brace. Probably good he had the brace on for that roughing call as he got bent up pretty good.

Don't all PSU QB's wear a knee brace on their left leg?

 

[Woodpecker]

Don't all PSU QB's wear a knee brace on their left leg?

Eventually

 

[Texas Lion]

Eventually

No, I mean I think that is protocol since MY got here......pretty sure they all have to wear it.

 

[marshall23]

I don’t know…it’s a discussion board.

Who knows what will happen. I like Franklin too. But he is not getting tbe job done. Unfortunate, but it happens.

As players quickly transition to minor league professionals, their accountability will rise too…supporting “college kids” for the glory of dear ole State will likely become a thing of past.

In the interim, he will be subject to critiques - he is a football coach and a well paid one. Some critiques will be reasonable and well-thought out and fair. Others will not be. Comes with territory.

Not looking forward to 10 more years like the last few. Would be nice to think it is just a learning curve but it’s seems more systemic. In a game like football, success comes by dominating line play. Penn State under Franklin not only does not dominate but often is dominated.

As the game transitions to NFL minor league, “doing things the right way will become less and less important (sadly) and poor results will be magnified. Not a good place for the business of Penn State football.

Criticism does indeed go with the territory. That doesn't mean its legitimate, valid or has any rational basis.
Coaches learn early on to tune it out as simple noise. Run blocking needs to improve. Although the days of "firing out" and creating a new line of scrimmage.....have gone away.
I"ll continue to enjoy the incredible knowledge on display here almost daily.

 

[cntblvitsbutter]

The point is get rid of the outliers. Coaches actually do that when they analyze their opponents to better understand what they will do on the average play. This is a proven advanced metric that most coaches believe in. Throw out the big plays because they are mostly the result of mistakes (unless you have players of Barry Sanders, Rocket Ismail or Calvin Johnson on the roster) and quantify the rest. Take out the big plays during the first part of last season and our averages were very much in line with .500 Big Ten teams. The numbers from Thursday are likely more of the same.

Would they still be in line with .500 B1G teams if their big plays are taken out as well?

 

[GOLDBANGER]

Why do you think this continues to be a problem? The problem is glaring as other fan bases have commented. In fairness Purdue had this issue too which resulted in a couple TD's for us.

I'm only speculating, but during the O'Brien days, they said that they couldn't do live tackling drills for fear of injury, which was an acceptable excuse based on roster limitations. I have to assume that live tackling drills are not a consistent part of practice currently, for what reason, I don't know.

 

[NoBareFeet]

Need more snaps from under center. Runs work better that way, and the play action off of that brings big plays.

I like getting the 2 TE in there also. Those guys need to be involved in the passing game more.

 

[marshall23]

I don’t know…it’s a discussion board.

Who knows what will happen. I like Franklin too. But he is not getting tbe job done. Unfortunate, but it happens.

As players quickly transition to minor league professionals, their accountability will rise too…supporting “college kids” for the glory of dear ole State will likely become a thing of past.

In the interim, he will be subject to critiques - he is a football coach and a well paid one. Some critiques will be reasonable and well-thought out and fair. Others will not be. Comes with territory.

Not looking forward to 10 more years like the last few. Would be nice to think it is just a learning curve but it’s seems more systemic. In a game like football, success comes by dominating line play. Penn State under Franklin not only does not dominate but often is dominated.

As the game transitions to NFL minor league, “doing things the right way will become less and less important (sadly) and poor results will be magnified. Not a good place for the business of Penn State football.

Its will be easy for me....when doing things the right way, no longer is a trait or characteristic of PSU Football, I will no longer give a shit.

 

[ryoder1]

I don’t know…it’s a discussion board.

Who knows what will happen. I like Franklin too. But he is not getting tbe job done. Unfortunate, but it happens.

As players quickly transition to minor league professionals, their accountability will rise too…supporting “college kids” for the glory of dear ole State will likely become a thing of past.

In the interim, he will be subject to critiques - he is a football coach and a well paid one. Some critiques will be reasonable and well-thought out and fair. Others will not be. Comes with territory.

Not looking forward to 10 more years like the last few. Would be nice to think it is just a learning curve but it’s seems more systemic. In a game like football, success comes by dominating line play. Penn State under Franklin not only does not dominate but often is dominated.

As the game transitions to NFL minor league, “doing things the right way will become less and less important (sadly) and poor results will be magnified. Not a good place for the business of Penn State football.

This year and the next couple with Franklin are huge. If he cannot turn around the decline over the last two years then he won't last 10. With Allar taking the helm next season that is the season to deliver a B10 title and a playoff berth.

I agree the lines need to be more physical. On defense I am hoping Diaz ratchets up the aggressiveness and the physicality. Not sure what Miami looked like on D the last 3 years and then the teams before that where he was DC. Hopefully physicality was a common trait but I don't know.

Offensive line is the $70 million question. Franklin may be too enamored with explosive plays and that makes him too finesse and not enough power. Not sure what can be done if we don't see improvement this year. We have good talent and Trautwein was an accomplished, well respected O-Line coach so we should be better. Perhaps the running backs help out the O-Line more this year and next since they are better than last year's. I would love to hear what Mike Munchak thinks of our O-Line and why we have trouble as well as get his take on how to fix it.

 

[fastlax16]

No, I mean I think that is protocol since MY got here......pretty sure they all have to wear it.

Allar wasn't wearing it on his series. Going back to last year, CV didn't wear it vs Rutgers nor did Roberson in the Iowa game.

 

[AWS1022]

Just watched the game in 60 I had recorded. A couple last observations.

- I tried to focus on King at LB to see if he had any better performance than Elsdon. Didn't really see him impact a play. He crashed a gap on a running play but the back was by that gap in the backfield before he got there and turned up for positive yardage.
- Vanover looks like a contributor at DE. He made a great play/tackle 10(?) yards down field by hustling and following the play, and impacted another play. He looks pretty athletic and carries the 266 lbs he's listed as very well. Almost looks fluid enough to play Mike LB.
- Purdue's 2(?) star RB made about 4 times the defenders miss tackles than PSU's collection of 4 and 5 star RB's
- I thought Singleton hit the holes decisively on his first few carries and then seemed to hesitate on most of his later carries. He was tackled in the backfield by a CB on the one time he tried to go wide, but he needs to be decisive and be the missile that Franklin described....
- Clifford could have kept the ball a few times on the read option and scrambled a couple of times to make the LB's and DB's look back to him more so in coverage, and his couple of runs might have helped both the running game and passing game. He looked like he was moving without issue, but we have to wonder why he was wearing the knee brace. Probably good he had the brace on for that roughing call as he got bent up pretty good.

Purdue’s RB didn’t make too many people miss…he had 57 yards on 15 carries.

 

[BBHorn86]

Like the Fox announcers said at the end of the game “where has this been all game”! Keep the uptempo and stop the looking to sidelines for the entire play clock.

You play up-tempo when you need it. Otherwise goal is to control the line of scrimmage and the clock. All up tempo you tire out your defense and then often can't slow it down and grind the clock when the game is on the line. Exhibit A, Purdue in the last five minutes... Exhibit B, Ohio State running the ball down ND's throat for an 80+ yard TD score to ice that game. As Ryan Day said post-game, that was the drive we needed and the statement we needed to make. We controlled the trenches. That my friend is why PSU is not elite. An up tempo offence 24/7 is not what we need.

 

[AWS1022]

You play up-tempo when you need it. Otherwise goal is to control the line of scrimmage and the clock. All up tempo you tire out your defense and then often can't slow it down and grind the clock when the game is on the line. Exhibit A, Purdue in the last five minutes... Exhibit B, Ohio State running the ball down ND's throat for an 80+ yard TD score to ice that game. As Ryan Day said post-game, that was the drive we needed and the statement we needed to make. We controlled the trenches. That my friend is why PSU is not elite. An up tempo offence 24/7 is not what we need.

When only three teams in the country are “elite” then I would say it comes down to stock piling talent more so than style of play that makes a team elite. Ohio State could run down ND’s throat because they had the talent to do it, not because that’s the coaching philosophy.

 

[royboy]

I'm only speculating, but during the O'Brien days, they said that they couldn't do live tackling drills for fear of injury, which was an acceptable excuse based on roster limitations. I have to assume that live tackling drills are not a consistent part of practice currently, for what reason, I don't know.

In their PSU -- Purdue wrapup on BTN, Revsine and DiNardo talked a lot about nearly everybody no longer doing live tackling drills -- due to injury concerns and reduced practice time. They said it particularly showed up when Purdue missed tackles on PSU receivers KLS when he scored a TD and Tinsley with his late game catch near the sidelines.

As the schedule goes on, presumably teams can improve their tackling just from game experiences.

 

[bdgan]

In their PSU -- Purdue wrapup on BTN, Revsine and DiNardo talked a lot about nearly everybody no longer doing live tackling drills -- due to injury concerns and reduced practice time. They said it particularly showed up when Purdue missed tackles on PSU receivers KLS when he scored a TD and Tinsley with his late game catch near the sidelines.

As the schedule goes on, presumably teams can improve their tackling just from game experiences.

It seems to me you can do tackling drills if you have depth.

 

[Texas Lion]

Allar wasn't wearing it on his series. Going back to last year, CV didn't wear it vs Rutgers nor did Roberson in the Iowa game.

maybe it is just practice then. I know I read at a time they were required and it might be just practice.