A paraphrased recap of James Franklin's 30-minute weekly appearance on the Penn State Coaches Show from Primantis.
Throwback uniforms...
An idea he had for a long time. Went down to Spider room in the locker room and he had stuff from 1905 and he learned a lot. First team defense used to be in one color, second-team was in a different color, third-team another color, fourth-team and on offense and so on. There were like six different colors out there at practice so it was kind of crazy. The pants with the stripes on them PSU already had. Spider already had them. Had talked about using them before. Had a helmet in the office when JF was hired. That had a number on it for Mauti. JF remembers doing numbers on the helmet for each recruiting class and having the recruits sign it. Tweeted a picture out and people went crazy about putting numbers on it. Realized the sensitivity with the uniform then. Does think it was a unique way to look at all the subtle differences that PSU has had, the gray facemarks for example, so the guys are excited. Coach Galt told him they’re going to have a conversation with the players on Sunday. Why? Because they love the white cleats. JF said listen, you can convince me, not the 106,999. Black cleats. Don’t worry about it. Do think the guys are excited. Do think they appreciate it. It’s cool to have Spider and all the people involved to tie the historical elements together. It’s funny though because inside program/community it’s a big deal. But people on the outside are like I thought you were changing up the uniform? It doesn’t look like much of a change to the outside people.
Preparing for Indiana…
On special teams PSU identifies an issue, a guy who can change the game. like it does on O/D. Indiana’s PR has two PR for TDs already. Broke Indiana’s record. He’s first in the Big Ten and he’s second in the country for PR yards. JF is proud of PSU special teams for indenting a guy like that each week. Look at USC and Adoree Jackson and now he’s returning punts for TDs in the NFL and they identified him as a problem, as well as other guys. Been really good at reducing the impact of problem players. On offense it’s the QB and Simmie Cobbs. On defense it’s Scales, an All-America MLB. Identify problems/issues but what’s impressive about Indiana is how hard they play. They had Ohio State on the ropes for the first half to open the season. That was at home for them. Beaver Stadium will be different. A challenge and PSU has to play well.
Power formation?
This Saturday, just so JF never gets asked this question again, he’s going to line up under center with four FBs and they’ll run that the entire game. Then media/fans can complain they’re running that style of offense. Not going under center. Not using a FB. Need to be more efficient at what they’re doing. PSU has the fourth-ranked offense in the country, averaging 40-something points. Can nitpick forever. Can get better on third down and short-yardage, but if you go to that style people will say they’ve got throw the ball down the field more. Always can improve/nitpick. But no under-center snaps, no fullback. Needs to be efficient with plays that are being run.
Recovering from previous game during practice week…
It’s an art, becoming more of a science having Dave Hamilton and sports science. They can tell how guys have recovered. The WHOOP wristbands from a sleep perspective, the navigation systems show how much they’ve run. They can show which guys have used the most energy during the game and their speed/impact levels. Who to cut back the reps for in practice to make sure they recover? It’s a combination of the art of what you’ve been doing for 23 years but now it’s a scientific element that’s been added to it. A nice blend of both worlds. Saquon did a lot on Saturday so they limited him on Tuesday/Wednesday. Same with Jason Cabinda and some other guys. Good week of preparation. What’s nice is they have a different training model for freshmen/sophomores who don’t play much compared to juniors/seniors. Try to modify those things.
FG unit…
Need to be better on FG no doubt about it. FB-block unit has been improved. Starting to get a little more production there. Reality is you shouldn’t block a kick unless the kicking team makes mistakes in terms of the ball comes out low, lack of protection, bobbled snap, you just have to be ready to take advantage. For PSU’s FG unit, without having Chasz Wright and having some moving parts, the guys who were in there just didn’t do a good job, to be honest. Needs to do better coaching fundamentals/techniques to make sure that doesn’t happen. A lot of confidence in Tyler Davis. Need to protect better. A new snapper, a new holder, just need to hold up better. Spent a lot of time emphasizing that this week.
Game-winning play vs. Iowa…
Juwan Johnson was Trace McSorley’s first progression. After the game in an interview, JF was asked why Trace changed the play to. He didn’t change the play; he changed the protection. One thing they didn’t do great was, guys rushed their routes. The backside routes were supposed to work their width and work the back end-line. They got anxious and tried to make a play, and that almost messed them up because there were too many people, including defenders, around the ball. PSU was able to make the play. It was a great example of a game of inches. That ball went over the LB’s finger when another guy was converging. That’s the theme this week. A game of inches. Using the speech from Al Pacino from Any Given Sunday.
Coaches in booth…
Graduate assistants are up there as well as Ricky Rahne and Tim Banks. Moorhead has a guy charting coverages, fronts and blitzes. They’re charting not only what the team is doing but also field position, formation and down and distance. So he can ask on third down, what are they getting? When they line up in a specific formation, what are the opponent’s tendencies? At halftime Joe spends little time with the players. It’s him trying to get as much information for his adjustments. Brent does it more in a traditional model. Gets together with the defensive staff and goes over the same things and then gets with the players and makes adjustments. Trying to figure out as early as possible, are the opponents playing the way PSU expected them to play, or are they breaking tendencies and have gone to a different game plan? That’s what the people in the booth are doing. You can be a coordinator on the field, if you have really valuable people in the booth who give you the info you need. If not the coordinator is in the booth so he can see for himself.
When JF was a coordinator…
He was in the booth most of the time. What it comes down to, there’s no doubt the best place to call a game is from the booth. Clear view and emotion’s out of it. Hungry? You can eat a hot dog. It’s really good up there, but you have to have someone on the sideline to give you feedback about how the players are. What’s their body language/demeanor/confidence? What’s the emotion? Do they need juice? When a coordinator is on the sideline you can get info from the booth and provide leadership needed. If an OC is in the booth, you better have a OL/RB coach better inspire the team and get them going if you’re not there. In the perfect world you want to be on the sideline so you can handle more issues/solve more problems, but the people in the booth need to be good.
Managing coaching dynamics on game day…
For JF, it’s feeling all those things with the O/D/ST and how they’re all working together. If JF feels like Brent is getting conservative, or aggressive, he’ll say something, or if he’s doing it great, keep doing it. If they’re discussing something on a third-down, JF will tell him his perspective as an OC. He’ll do the same thing on offense. On ST, JF and Charles Huff talk things out together. On third- and fourth-down situations, want to know are they in FG range based on pregame? Go for it on 4th down? Talking about those things based on ST and also how the offense has been in short-yardage. JF also tries to keep the team loose. Joe Moorhead does a good job of that. Brent is very intense. So JF tries to be a good cop/bad cop to balance and complement. If Joe is aggressive, then JF is the light guy. If Brent is being aggressive, JF tries to break the mood and loosen up with a joke. Always complementing. Tells the coaches they have to complement him in practice if JF gets worked up.
Role of head coach on sidelines, thinking ahead to situations…
Typically why JF stands away. He usually stands 15-20 yards ahead/behind offense/defense so he can see things, hear what they’re talking about, what the defense is doing and watch coaches on other sidelines. If it’s third-and-8 and they’re in an area that’s just out of FG range, JF has to tell Joe before his third-down call, to tell him he has two plays to go. You don’t have to get the first down on 3rd, because JF is telling him he’s going to go for it on 4th. That’s going to change how the play is call and the game is managed.
National spotlight creating pressure…
Why they keep approach the same each week to insulate players from it as much as possible. Talked about it once before the season, discussing goals for the season, and haven’t talked bout it again. Don’t talk about rankings, B1G championships, playoffs. Don’t talk about articles being written. Don’t talk to Saquon about Heisman trophy. Did that before the season but during the season focus on things they can control. If you do that, the other things will take care of themselves. For the most part the team is good at it. They haven’t stuck their head in the sand and don’t know what’s going on, but they don’t make it a big deal. Saquon did an interview with Tiki Barber the other day and JF thought Saquon’s answer about the Heisman couldn’t have been better.
Throwback uniforms...
An idea he had for a long time. Went down to Spider room in the locker room and he had stuff from 1905 and he learned a lot. First team defense used to be in one color, second-team was in a different color, third-team another color, fourth-team and on offense and so on. There were like six different colors out there at practice so it was kind of crazy. The pants with the stripes on them PSU already had. Spider already had them. Had talked about using them before. Had a helmet in the office when JF was hired. That had a number on it for Mauti. JF remembers doing numbers on the helmet for each recruiting class and having the recruits sign it. Tweeted a picture out and people went crazy about putting numbers on it. Realized the sensitivity with the uniform then. Does think it was a unique way to look at all the subtle differences that PSU has had, the gray facemarks for example, so the guys are excited. Coach Galt told him they’re going to have a conversation with the players on Sunday. Why? Because they love the white cleats. JF said listen, you can convince me, not the 106,999. Black cleats. Don’t worry about it. Do think the guys are excited. Do think they appreciate it. It’s cool to have Spider and all the people involved to tie the historical elements together. It’s funny though because inside program/community it’s a big deal. But people on the outside are like I thought you were changing up the uniform? It doesn’t look like much of a change to the outside people.
Preparing for Indiana…
On special teams PSU identifies an issue, a guy who can change the game. like it does on O/D. Indiana’s PR has two PR for TDs already. Broke Indiana’s record. He’s first in the Big Ten and he’s second in the country for PR yards. JF is proud of PSU special teams for indenting a guy like that each week. Look at USC and Adoree Jackson and now he’s returning punts for TDs in the NFL and they identified him as a problem, as well as other guys. Been really good at reducing the impact of problem players. On offense it’s the QB and Simmie Cobbs. On defense it’s Scales, an All-America MLB. Identify problems/issues but what’s impressive about Indiana is how hard they play. They had Ohio State on the ropes for the first half to open the season. That was at home for them. Beaver Stadium will be different. A challenge and PSU has to play well.
Power formation?
This Saturday, just so JF never gets asked this question again, he’s going to line up under center with four FBs and they’ll run that the entire game. Then media/fans can complain they’re running that style of offense. Not going under center. Not using a FB. Need to be more efficient at what they’re doing. PSU has the fourth-ranked offense in the country, averaging 40-something points. Can nitpick forever. Can get better on third down and short-yardage, but if you go to that style people will say they’ve got throw the ball down the field more. Always can improve/nitpick. But no under-center snaps, no fullback. Needs to be efficient with plays that are being run.
Recovering from previous game during practice week…
It’s an art, becoming more of a science having Dave Hamilton and sports science. They can tell how guys have recovered. The WHOOP wristbands from a sleep perspective, the navigation systems show how much they’ve run. They can show which guys have used the most energy during the game and their speed/impact levels. Who to cut back the reps for in practice to make sure they recover? It’s a combination of the art of what you’ve been doing for 23 years but now it’s a scientific element that’s been added to it. A nice blend of both worlds. Saquon did a lot on Saturday so they limited him on Tuesday/Wednesday. Same with Jason Cabinda and some other guys. Good week of preparation. What’s nice is they have a different training model for freshmen/sophomores who don’t play much compared to juniors/seniors. Try to modify those things.
FG unit…
Need to be better on FG no doubt about it. FB-block unit has been improved. Starting to get a little more production there. Reality is you shouldn’t block a kick unless the kicking team makes mistakes in terms of the ball comes out low, lack of protection, bobbled snap, you just have to be ready to take advantage. For PSU’s FG unit, without having Chasz Wright and having some moving parts, the guys who were in there just didn’t do a good job, to be honest. Needs to do better coaching fundamentals/techniques to make sure that doesn’t happen. A lot of confidence in Tyler Davis. Need to protect better. A new snapper, a new holder, just need to hold up better. Spent a lot of time emphasizing that this week.
Game-winning play vs. Iowa…
Juwan Johnson was Trace McSorley’s first progression. After the game in an interview, JF was asked why Trace changed the play to. He didn’t change the play; he changed the protection. One thing they didn’t do great was, guys rushed their routes. The backside routes were supposed to work their width and work the back end-line. They got anxious and tried to make a play, and that almost messed them up because there were too many people, including defenders, around the ball. PSU was able to make the play. It was a great example of a game of inches. That ball went over the LB’s finger when another guy was converging. That’s the theme this week. A game of inches. Using the speech from Al Pacino from Any Given Sunday.
Coaches in booth…
Graduate assistants are up there as well as Ricky Rahne and Tim Banks. Moorhead has a guy charting coverages, fronts and blitzes. They’re charting not only what the team is doing but also field position, formation and down and distance. So he can ask on third down, what are they getting? When they line up in a specific formation, what are the opponent’s tendencies? At halftime Joe spends little time with the players. It’s him trying to get as much information for his adjustments. Brent does it more in a traditional model. Gets together with the defensive staff and goes over the same things and then gets with the players and makes adjustments. Trying to figure out as early as possible, are the opponents playing the way PSU expected them to play, or are they breaking tendencies and have gone to a different game plan? That’s what the people in the booth are doing. You can be a coordinator on the field, if you have really valuable people in the booth who give you the info you need. If not the coordinator is in the booth so he can see for himself.
When JF was a coordinator…
He was in the booth most of the time. What it comes down to, there’s no doubt the best place to call a game is from the booth. Clear view and emotion’s out of it. Hungry? You can eat a hot dog. It’s really good up there, but you have to have someone on the sideline to give you feedback about how the players are. What’s their body language/demeanor/confidence? What’s the emotion? Do they need juice? When a coordinator is on the sideline you can get info from the booth and provide leadership needed. If an OC is in the booth, you better have a OL/RB coach better inspire the team and get them going if you’re not there. In the perfect world you want to be on the sideline so you can handle more issues/solve more problems, but the people in the booth need to be good.
Managing coaching dynamics on game day…
For JF, it’s feeling all those things with the O/D/ST and how they’re all working together. If JF feels like Brent is getting conservative, or aggressive, he’ll say something, or if he’s doing it great, keep doing it. If they’re discussing something on a third-down, JF will tell him his perspective as an OC. He’ll do the same thing on offense. On ST, JF and Charles Huff talk things out together. On third- and fourth-down situations, want to know are they in FG range based on pregame? Go for it on 4th down? Talking about those things based on ST and also how the offense has been in short-yardage. JF also tries to keep the team loose. Joe Moorhead does a good job of that. Brent is very intense. So JF tries to be a good cop/bad cop to balance and complement. If Joe is aggressive, then JF is the light guy. If Brent is being aggressive, JF tries to break the mood and loosen up with a joke. Always complementing. Tells the coaches they have to complement him in practice if JF gets worked up.
Role of head coach on sidelines, thinking ahead to situations…
Typically why JF stands away. He usually stands 15-20 yards ahead/behind offense/defense so he can see things, hear what they’re talking about, what the defense is doing and watch coaches on other sidelines. If it’s third-and-8 and they’re in an area that’s just out of FG range, JF has to tell Joe before his third-down call, to tell him he has two plays to go. You don’t have to get the first down on 3rd, because JF is telling him he’s going to go for it on 4th. That’s going to change how the play is call and the game is managed.
National spotlight creating pressure…
Why they keep approach the same each week to insulate players from it as much as possible. Talked about it once before the season, discussing goals for the season, and haven’t talked bout it again. Don’t talk about rankings, B1G championships, playoffs. Don’t talk about articles being written. Don’t talk to Saquon about Heisman trophy. Did that before the season but during the season focus on things they can control. If you do that, the other things will take care of themselves. For the most part the team is good at it. They haven’t stuck their head in the sand and don’t know what’s going on, but they don’t make it a big deal. Saquon did an interview with Tiki Barber the other day and JF thought Saquon’s answer about the Heisman couldn’t have been better.
