I will begin by stating unequivocally that in my opinion, the jury is still out on James Franklin's game day coaching ability. From what I have seen thus far, I believe there is much to question and I think he has a long way to go. Additionally, I find the offensive play calling to be predictable and very unimaginative. Having said all of that, I have a few points of perspective I would like to share -
1. I had the privilege of sitting in Beaver Stadium and watch about 25-30 years worth of Joe Paterno coached teams. I cannot think of one...NOT a single game, after which we filed out of the stadium talking about unpredictable, imaginative, and exciting offensive play calling. Year after year, we all bemoaned the lackluster play calling of Fran Ganter and then the endless criticism of Galen Hall and Jay Paterno. Hell, we never even ran the shot gun until Rashard Casey and the most exciting play ever run in State College was the flanker reserve that we'd see ONE time a game. (Even the illustrious offensive "genius" Bill O'Brien was questioned about his game day play calling). By contrast, the vast majority of the Paterno wins came as a result of great defenses, dependable special teams play and well EXECUTED offensive play calling. The fact is that during many seasons, outstanding player talent allowed for offensive success despite lackluster and often archaic offensive play calling. At other times, even that wasn't enough -- hence the 6-4 Iowa loss.
2. Speaking of "execution," the oh-so-boring" screen play can turn into a 75-yard explosion when the QB doesn't overthrow the receiver, the receiver actually catches the ball, and the rest of the team blocks. We all know that countless times this year already, our QB bounces or overthrows the receiver, our receivers have dropped passes and our line hasn't blocked. That is lack of execution. And if you can't execute the simple plays, defenses can "cheat" and don't have to give you anything. If and when those simple, boring plays are executed more consistently and get us 3, 4, 5, yards, on a consistent basis, the play book can be opened and we can try more things. Just look what happened when Barkley has been in the game. A true "superstar" running back, who merely threatens a defense, completely changes the complexion of the game.
3. Some fans have been lulled into a false sense of optimism that we survived the sanctions unscathed by decent records in 2012 and 2013. However, those teams were full of Joe Paterno recruits who committed before the sanctions were announced. Truth be told, 2014 and 2015 were ALWAYS going to be the toughest years. The upper classmen on these teams are mostly Bill O'Brien sanction-scandal era recruits, and frankly, the overall ratings of these players was not fantastic, with only a few exceptions. The top talent was not committing to PSU when everyone knew O'Brien was leaving before his coffee got cold and at the time, there would be no bowl game until they were seniors. To be fair, next year and truly the year after, when the upper classmen are all Franklin recruits, will be best indication of what he is able to do with true PSU-level talent.
1. I had the privilege of sitting in Beaver Stadium and watch about 25-30 years worth of Joe Paterno coached teams. I cannot think of one...NOT a single game, after which we filed out of the stadium talking about unpredictable, imaginative, and exciting offensive play calling. Year after year, we all bemoaned the lackluster play calling of Fran Ganter and then the endless criticism of Galen Hall and Jay Paterno. Hell, we never even ran the shot gun until Rashard Casey and the most exciting play ever run in State College was the flanker reserve that we'd see ONE time a game. (Even the illustrious offensive "genius" Bill O'Brien was questioned about his game day play calling). By contrast, the vast majority of the Paterno wins came as a result of great defenses, dependable special teams play and well EXECUTED offensive play calling. The fact is that during many seasons, outstanding player talent allowed for offensive success despite lackluster and often archaic offensive play calling. At other times, even that wasn't enough -- hence the 6-4 Iowa loss.
2. Speaking of "execution," the oh-so-boring" screen play can turn into a 75-yard explosion when the QB doesn't overthrow the receiver, the receiver actually catches the ball, and the rest of the team blocks. We all know that countless times this year already, our QB bounces or overthrows the receiver, our receivers have dropped passes and our line hasn't blocked. That is lack of execution. And if you can't execute the simple plays, defenses can "cheat" and don't have to give you anything. If and when those simple, boring plays are executed more consistently and get us 3, 4, 5, yards, on a consistent basis, the play book can be opened and we can try more things. Just look what happened when Barkley has been in the game. A true "superstar" running back, who merely threatens a defense, completely changes the complexion of the game.
3. Some fans have been lulled into a false sense of optimism that we survived the sanctions unscathed by decent records in 2012 and 2013. However, those teams were full of Joe Paterno recruits who committed before the sanctions were announced. Truth be told, 2014 and 2015 were ALWAYS going to be the toughest years. The upper classmen on these teams are mostly Bill O'Brien sanction-scandal era recruits, and frankly, the overall ratings of these players was not fantastic, with only a few exceptions. The top talent was not committing to PSU when everyone knew O'Brien was leaving before his coffee got cold and at the time, there would be no bowl game until they were seniors. To be fair, next year and truly the year after, when the upper classmen are all Franklin recruits, will be best indication of what he is able to do with true PSU-level talent.
