Some random/possible inside information

[PSUisBack2017]

I have a work associate who has a few contacts at Penn State. I am not saying any of this is 100% accurate, but felt I'd share.

1 - The special teams coach, Joe Lorig, does not really get a long with anyone else on the coaching staff. Apparently he is pretty close with Memphis coach Norvell who is in the running at FSU. Don't be surprised to see him bail, which would be unfortunate, because I personally felt they might have been our strongest and most consistent unit all year.

2 - Fumi Franklin and Ricky Rhane's wives are apparently very close. This could make a change at OC less likely to happen.

3 - Some Wide Reciver parents are unhappy with both Rhane and Clifford because they feel the offense centers around Hamler and Friermuth. (not in agreement, just repeating what he said).

4 - Surprising most of us, Slade is staying. Even more surprising because he is/was Shorter's roommate.

Enjoy!

 

[Lavar5150]

I think some people( including WR parents) forget that Clifford is starting for the first time. He has exceeded expectations but part of his growth is definitely to see the field better. This is true of most QB's not named Fields.

Good Info by the way and sounds about right.

 

[JayWye]

I have a work associate who has a few contacts at Penn State. I am not saying any of this is 100% accurate, but felt I'd share.

1 - The special teams coach, Joe Lorig, does not really get a long with anyone else on the coaching staff. Apparently he is pretty close with Memphis coach Norvell who is in the running at FSU. Don't be surprised to see him bail, which would be unfortunate, because I personally felt they might have been our strongest and most consistent unit all year.

2 - Fumi Franklin and Ricky Rhane's wives are apparently very close. This could make a change at OC less likely to happen.

3 - Some Wide Reciver parents are unhappy with both Rhane and Clifford because they feel the offense centers around Hamler and Friermuth. (not in agreement, just repeating what he said).

4 - Surprising most of us, Slade is staying. Even more surprising because he is/was Shorter's roommate.

Enjoy!

Maybe if the wide receiver parents could teach their sons how to hang onto the ball, things would be different...

 

[ClarkstonMark]

2 - Fumi Franklin and Ricky Rhane's wives are apparently very close. This could make a change at OC less likely to happen.
Enjoy!

This friendship will have 0% influence on Franklin's decision to fire Rhane

 

[ram2020]

This friendship will have 0% influence on Franklin's decision to fire Rhane

Could not disagree more. Franklin has stated innumerably that relationships are his most important asset.

 

[NitneLiun]

Fry and Hamler can get open and hold onto the ball. Maybe that's why there is a focus on them.

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

Maybe if the wide receiver parents could teach their sons how to hang onto the ball, things would be different...

or some stickum in their stockings...

 

[JWB389]

I hate to post this, because I would have to look back through the games to get specific instances, but I thought there were a lot of special teams mistakes this year. A penalty on any good return we could muster, Chisena hitting the Pitt returner too early might have been a bad call, down field blockers getting hit by the ball, very few returns by KJ because gunners were on top of him. Honestly, I was expecting a better show. Bright spots were a punter with a strong leg and a kickoff guy knocking it out of the end zone.

 

[Texas Lion]

I was mad at Rahne and Clifford as well and would scream at my tv that they needed to at least try to throw to someone else once in a while....then they would throw to someone else and I would yell....why didnt we throw it to Hamler or PF?

 

[lionville]

I hate to post this, because I would have to look back through the games to get specific instances, but I thought there were a lot of special teams mistakes this year. A penalty on any good return we could muster, Chisena hitting the Pitt returner too early might have been a bad call, down field blockers getting hit by the ball, very few returns by KJ because gunners were on top of him. Honestly, I was expecting a better show. Bright spots were a punter with a strong leg and a kickoff guy knocking it out of the end zone.

You should probably compare this year's ST plays to last year's to get an indication of whether there was any improvement as well.

 

[AWS1022]

Could not disagree more. Franklin has stated innumerably that relationships are his most important asset.

I read on here the same thing about Donovan and how CJF would never get rid of him. Franklin is not going to jeopardize his career or his program for his wife’s friend.

 

[AWS1022]

I was mad at Rahne and Clifford as well and would scream at my tv that they needed to at least try to throw to someone else once in a while....then they would throw to someone else and I would yell....why didnt we throw it to Hamler or PF?

Seems to be a constant on this board as well. Why don’t they run the ball? Then they run for no gain, they should have passed!

 

[danvillenit]

I am almost certain that one of the issues Shorter brought up to Franklin is the fact that the offense was almost totally Hamler and Friermuth. JF came directly to his press conference from the Shorter meeting and one of the first things he mentioned was the need to spread the ball around. It was obviously on his mind

 

[ram2020]

I read on here the same thing about Donovan and how CJF would never get rid of him. Franklin is not going to jeopardize his career or his program for his wife’s friend.

It was a different time then, if you remember, Franklin was squarely on the hot seat with many calling for his head after a few 7-5 finishes and awful offensive performances. Today, he is billed as an elite coach in desperate need of a new contract commensurate with the highest paid coaches in the country. Very very different climate.

 

[sluggo72]

I read on here the same thing about Donovan and how CJF would never get rid of him. Franklin is not going to jeopardize his career or his program for his wife’s friend.

maybe CJF will be like Andy Reid when he had to fire Sean McDermott, he just made someone else (Ron Riveria) hire him first.

 

[Sooner Lion]

Franklin can’t fire 2 OC’s in a 4 year period. Does not meet the “look” test.

 

[AWS1022]

It was a different time then, if you remember, Franklin was squarely on the hot seat with many calling for his head after a few 7-5 finishes and awful offensive performances. Today, he is billed as an elite coach in desperate need of a new contract commensurate with the highest paid coaches in the country. Very very different climate.

But he still wants to win and has stated he wants to win a NC...he’s not going to hurt his own chances to do that because his wife is friends with someone. Come on folks.

 

[lein]

Maybe we can bring in JayPa as a grad assistant to tutor Rahne

 

[ClarkstonMark]

It was a different time then, if you remember, Franklin was squarely on the hot seat with many calling for his head after a few 7-5 finishes and awful offensive performances. Today, he is billed as an elite coach in desperate need of a new contract commensurate with the highest paid coaches in the country. Very very different climate.

Very different indeed .... and Franklin is not letting wives influence a decision that is potentially necessary to move from good/great to elite.

 

[fastlax16]

Could not disagree more. Franklin has stated innumerably that relationships are his most important asset.

Franklin is also paid millions of dollars to make the hard decisions. He was friends with John Donovan. Slightly unrelated but found this article on Donovan's dismissal and it really hasn't aged well.

https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2015/11/penn_state_football_john_donov.html

 

[AWS1022]

maybe CJF will be like Andy Reid when he had to fire Sean McDermott, he just made someone else (Ron Riveria) hire him first.

There are definitely ways to get someone out of a job without firing them...bottom line, if CJF doesn’t think Rahne is right for the job, he will make a change regardless of who his wife is friends with. I happen to think Franklin believes Rahne is the right guy.

 

[ram2020]

But he still wants to win and has stated he wants to win a NC...he’s not going to hurt his own chances to do that because his wife is friends with someone. Come on folks.

Good point, I don't mean to suggest he protects an outwardly awful O-Coordinator because his wife hits Starbucks with the guy's wife once a week. I am looking at the entire picture. They were 10-2 this year, very different than 7-5, with the exception of Minny, they beat everyone they really should have/could have hoped for. That, in addition to a very personal and loyal relationship with Rahne and his wife= Rahne isn't gettin fired.

 

[PSU Dave]

Franklin isn't going to fire Rahne.

Whether personal friendships have anything to do with it.... or how much they have to do with it..... would only be known by CJF (and maybe not even him)

If personal friendships influence Franklin’s Staffing decisions, then we have the wrong Head Coach.

 

[BBHorn86]

Maybe we can bring in JayPa as a grad assistant to tutor Rahne

Aw yes the magical return of the “spread HD”

 

[Ceasar]

I hate to post this, because I would have to look back through the games to get specific instances, but I thought there were a lot of special teams mistakes this year. A penalty on any good return we could muster, Chisena hitting the Pitt returner too early might have been a bad call, down field blockers getting hit by the ball, very few returns by KJ because gunners were on top of him. Honestly, I was expecting a better show. Bright spots were a punter with a strong leg and a kickoff guy knocking it out of the end zone.

Without trying to assess the job Lorig did - perhaps he was great - Stout, Pinegar, Gilliken and Hamler can make special teams look very good. Stout had a very high percentage of kickoffs go for touchbacks and Gilliken had a high percentage of punts downed inside the 20. Pinegar only missed 1 FG. But for some foolish pernalties KJ would have had returns for TD's against both Michigan and MSU. That said, coverage was good on both punts and KO when there was a return.

 

[danvillenit]

Rahne isn’t getting fired this year. I think Franklin believes they can get the championship with him. That being said, if the offense isn’t a lot better next year he will make the change

 

[JJTopp99]

But he still wants to win and has stated he wants to win a NC...he’s not going to hurt his own chances to do that because his wife is friends with someone. Come on folks.

They got buckets of money for multiple trips to and fro, vacations, etc. so they can easily be "long-distance" friends.

 

[AWS1022]

Franklin is also paid millions of dollars to make the hard decisions. He was friends with John Donovan. Slightly unrelated but found this article on Donovan's dismissal and it really hasn't aged well.

https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2015/11/penn_state_football_john_donov.html

Shocking...a Dave Jones article didn’t age well.

 

[AWS1022]

Good point, I don't mean to suggest he protects an outwardly awful O-Coordinator because his wife hits Starbucks with the guy's wife once a week. I am looking at the entire picture. They were 10-2 this year, very different than 7-5, with the exception of Minny, they beat everyone they really should have/could have hoped for. That, in addition to a very personal and loyal relationship with Rahne and his wife= Rahne isn't gettin fired.

They were 10-2 this year, which is why he believes Rahne is the right guy.

 

[MJG-90]

Rahne might accept a demotion to Co OC with someone else if that decision was to be made. The TE's were pretty good under Rahne (Gesicki) as well. So maybe some shuffling happens, but I doubt it unless assistant coaches choose to go elsewhere.

During spring practice, the staff should remove 1 and 87 from the lineup and force Clifford to find somebody else open. Maybe that even means playing 9 on 9 -- without anyone at those positions on offense and defense -- and run the plays exactly the same except with two receivers and two defenders missing from the field.

 

[Lion84]

Well h

Maybe we can bring in JayPa as a grad assistant to tutor Rahne

Well does have the right last name for some on this board.

 

[MJG-90]

Well does have the right last name for some on this board.

And first name too, if you were to look at his birth certificate.

 

[PSU2UNC]

I really don't understand the dissatisfaction with Rahne.

I thought he generally called good games this year. Were they perfect? No. But no one calls a perfect game.

Regarding targeting only KJ/PF...we have no idea who is the primary (or secondary read) on a given play. We also have no idea if/when someone runs the wrong route, or if the coverage does something that the WR (or QB) wasn't expecting. Beyond that QBs (especially young QBs) often develop habits where when things are going badly the throw it to a certain guy because they know he will catch it. That is Pat. Note that on both "dribble the ball before throwing it" plays, Sean threw it to PF.

 

[Lyons212]

Good point, I don't mean to suggest he protects an outwardly awful O-Coordinator because his wife hits Starbucks with the guy's wife once a week. I am looking at the entire picture. They were 10-2 this year, very different than 7-5, with the exception of Minny, they beat everyone they really should have/could have hoped for. That, in addition to a very personal and loyal relationship with Rahne and his wife= Rahne isn't gettin fired.

In the Minnesota game the offense had over 500 yards and still lost. Really can't blame Rahne for that loss. Granted the redzone offense was horrible, but there were also some horrible officials calls that went against PSU. Then you have Clifford throwing 3 passes to the other team and two of them were intended for receivers other than Hamler and Fry. The last INT, had the pass gone to Hamler PSU wins the game since he was open.

 

[hagberg]

3 - Some Wide Reciver parents are unhappy with both Rhane and Clifford because they feel the offense centers around Hamler and Friermuth. (not in agreement, just repeating what he said).

Some WR need to get more separation.....from their parents.

 

[danvillenit]

I don’t think Rahne is without criticism but I do believe a more experienced QB would have made the passing game look alot better. Clifford missed a bunch of open deep throws and didn’t seem to look at a secondary receiver. The running game wasn’t bad imo

 

[PSUisBack2017]

I forgot to mention one other interesting piece of info, that might also add to Franklin's "loyalty"

Apparently after the bowl game against Georgia, there was a 90 minute delay of some sort and it was caused by a fight between Shoop's wife and Fumi Franklin.

Again, can't confirm, but I do feel she plays a bigger role than some might think.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

So the parents are upset that the game plans are centered around getting the 2 best players the ball in their hands. WTF....did they think this was little league and they were entitled to so many passes a game? You either earn it or you don't.....and some are just sophs. Way to pass on that sense of entitlement....good grief.

 

[danvillenit]

I forgot to mention one other interesting piece of info, that might also add to Franklin's "loyalty"

Apparently after the bowl game against Georgia, there was a 90 minute delay of some sort and it was caused by a fight between Shoop's wife and Fumi Franklin.

Again, can't confirm, but I do feel she plays a bigger role than some might think.

That would explain Shoops departure because of an unhappy wife. Which was the rumor at the time. And his lawsuit about working conditions

 

[BBrown]

I have a work associate who has a few contacts at Penn State. I am not saying any of this is 100% accurate, but felt I'd share.

1 - The special teams coach, Joe Lorig, does not really get a long with anyone else on the coaching staff. Apparently he is pretty close with Memphis coach Norvell who is in the running at FSU. Don't be surprised to see him bail, which would be unfortunate, because I personally felt they might have been our strongest and most consistent unit all year.

2 - Fumi Franklin and Ricky Rhane's wives are apparently very close. This could make a change at OC less likely to happen.

3 - Some Wide Reciver parents are unhappy with both Rhane and Clifford because they feel the offense centers around Hamler and Friermuth. (not in agreement, just repeating what he said).

4 - Surprising most of us, Slade is staying. Even more surprising because he is/was Shorter's roommate.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the info.
Hope thats not true with Lorig because we were so much better than last year. Although we really didn't do much in the return game on either Punts or Kickoffs soooo.....I don't want to see him go but I'm sure there are other good ST coaches available.

#3 makes sense, especially if the parents are Justin Shorters. Although I could see Dotson's parents not being happy either. And I hope thats not the case because I really think Dotson is pretty good.

I hope there is a concerted effort by both RR, Franklin and Parker to re-tool, revise, rework, tweak, pick any word you like, the passing scheme. It needs some love.