That crossed my mind. One example is #87 who admitted he came back to win the Mackey and set records. Well you don’t win awards by blocking and his effort on that front is not what it was imo.
Somethings not right with Franklin.
- Thread starter CaryPSU
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Wearing a patch or discussing BLM matters in their Twitter account isn’t “giving advice” to you, me, or anybody here.
It’s an expression of personal feelings about being a young black man in today’s world.
If that expression offends you (not YOU personally, but anybody in a generic sense), that’s probably your problem more so than theirs.
I do find it ironic that this demographic rightly lambasts young leftist activists for being snowflakes because they can’t deal with opposing views, and yet display the same tendency on racial issues.
Cael has the results to back it up.
There are hundreds of college football teams. If they can handle any "distraction" from BLM or SJW's, PSU should be able to as well. I'm not buying that as the problem.
My guess, and it's purely a guess, too many key departures, too many freshman, too many new coaches. It isn't soup yet. At this point, it might not become soup.
Having said that, it doesn't explain #71 standing up straight as a log getting bent backwards...... I can't that out of my head.
And it doesn’t explain #18 jogging at half speed after the MD RB on the 3rd td of the game. I can’t get that one out of my head.
Yeah, there's no real evidence -- at least as far as I can tell -- that social justice issues are proving to be a distraction.
I'd bet half or most of CFB players in the P5 are black. This isn't an issue unique to PSU. For those complaining about the Wades and Sheltons sounding off on BLM matters.......they might want to take a look around and recognize that it's happening at Clemson and Alabama, too.
There's something else going on. Honestly, I think the IU loss was a total killer -- particularly given the manner in which they lost. CJF really struggles to focus his teams coming off of losses, and when you start off the season in the hole -- and you've got a bunch of new coaches and key players opting out or getting hurt -- that compounds the problem.
Had Penix's 2PC been ruled out of bounds, my guess is that this season would have taken a dramatically different turn. Still would have lost to Ohio State, but at least we'd have fight. That loss popped the balloon early, and now, it seems as though some are giving up.
But I'd be very, very surprised if BLM issues are at the core, here. That smells a lot like a convenient excuse for people who would like nothing more than to blame social justice issues for our problems.
Mr. Wade has done more than that. I saw him front in center on the news many times for another issue that happened in the Pittsburgh area in recent years, so no I did not seek out to follow him on twitter.
His Clairton HS team he was the leader of also had multiple games with altercations, including an ugly finish in a playoff game they lost that was televised.
He also entered the portal.
Look what the other poster wrote about a Cael S. theory for college athletes.
What I care about for PSU football players is they stay out of trouble and perform well on the field. Mr Wade is failing at 50% of that. I do hope they graduate for their own future’s sake since not many will make a career in the NFL.
I don't disagree with you there. Wade is an enormous liability. But he was a liability before George Floyd.
I also have the same expectations for our program, and we're not meeting that mark. Period.
I just think that we're seriously overrating the social justice factor, here. Hell, Ohio State had players arrested for violating curfews because they went out and marched in support of BLM. Doesn't seem to impact their team dynamic one bit. For some teams, that dynamic has brought them closer together.
It's up to the coaches to ensure their teams are focused. Very clearly we are not. That's on our coaches, not on any social justice causes.
Franklin is more of a program builder/game planner/CEO-type coach. I think he's done a pretty good job at that. He's not a good game day coach, especially at adjusting to what the opponent is doing or what he's seeing from his own team. He seemed to have no answers yesterday. Levis should have gotten some looks as Clifford clearly wasn't playing well.
I think the social justice causes can be virtuous and necessary, but at these guys relatively immature age it can be poison. I think it makes them unhappy, I think it resigns them to injustices and inequality when those aren't the factors. I think it makes them resigned and angry at the world. I think some of them don't regard their opportunity to play for penn state and get this education. Shelton for example has called out the fans and the school as being racist. Who would want to play hard for racist fans and for a racist school? They don't regard their teammates who aren't down for the same causes, leading to divisions. Its an ugly cycle and franklin has let it go too far.
You raise some valid points.
But do you know for sure that this is the problem, and that "Franklin has let it go too far"?
Again.....sounds like folks are making this assumption without evidence. But admittedly, I'm not in the loop on these things.
That’s the one play that signaled to me they’ve packed it in. Toney half heartedly jogging after him says it all.
Franklin's inability or unwillingness to properly discipline certain players could very well be a contributing factor. IMHO, Shelton should have been dismissed from the team after last season. The lack of tough love coaching is coming back to haunt Franklin.
I found the following information from last years' game vs MSU. Is it any surprise that three of the laziest players on PSU's roster are all mentioned?
"Shelton’s penalty (spitting) was one of three unsportsmanlike conducts on the Nittany Lions in the fourth quarter. The first was called on safety Lamont Wade, and the third came against safety Jaquan Brisker after he celebrated an interception by miming shooting an arrow".
I found the following information from last years' game vs MSU. Is it any surprise that three of the laziest players on PSU's roster are all mentioned?
"Shelton’s penalty (spitting) was one of three unsportsmanlike conducts on the Nittany Lions in the fourth quarter. The first was called on safety Lamont Wade, and the third came against safety Jaquan Brisker after he celebrated an interception by miming shooting an arrow".
Thats reasonable, im speculating to be sure which i think we all do from time to time on blogs. That said, the team is clearly fractured and no idea if it is because social justice stuff or not
This could be part of the issue as well as Franklin is a program builder that is used to being the hunter instead of the hunted maybe he does not have the DNA to be that type of coach.
Maybe it all goes back to Franklin simply failing to run down the clock against Indiana. Whether it was miscommunication or not, that was the ultimate example of a coach blowing an almost certain win. And I could see that fracturing a team.
Good Lord, all this overanalyzing. Couldn’t it just be as simple as the players being over rated and not as stellar as we were led to believe, and Franklin not being a great coach. That’s a deadly combination. Now fixing it is quite a bit more complicated.
It's simply bad coaches doing a bad job coaching bad players
If Shelton isn't playing hard, then the coaches shouldn't play him. Period. It's football.
Watching Dabo Swinney last night provided an amazing contrast --- engaged with his players, engaged with his coaches, engaged with the referees, engaged in every aspect and relationship involved in the game. Franklin was incredibly stoic and disengaged the entire game. The players have to notice and feel that. Something is wrong.
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No, they might not win a game this year after winning 11 last year l, did all the talent leave?
I’m wondering if it’s the Covid thing. I also think he’s the only coach I’ve seen who never takes off his mask
First yes these guys are my personal entertainment since 1967, and if you or they don't like it too bad. I as well as many other fans pay money to attend games, it's not free. Please like a half dozen other posters don't shove politics down my throat, i'm here for football and some sensible conversation. Don't tell me how bad other people have it, not all white people are born into money nor are they bigots , i along with my father and family have done more for blacks, hispanics, chicanos, American Indians, and poor whites then you can conceive.
To the point CJF has over 100 players on the team, if and i say (if)there are instigators , they would be watching on TV which i doubt they would. I'd play Nebraska with freshmen and walk- ons if i had to, every other home game sit the bench, get in trouble off the team.
Just out of curiosity what if Penn State had as many white players as Wisconsin, would that cause you to protest in some sort of quota rant. They would lay 70 point on this team in a heart beat.
I noticed that too...NEVER takes off his mask. I haven’t seen him utter a word to anyone during the game. Fricking bizarre!
The constant blank stare up to the scoreboard replay is a tremendous contrast from virtually all the other successful coaches in the business. Saban, Dabo, Day, Brian Kelly......hell, watch Tom Allen. A bit crazy at times, but he's in it 100%.
This does speak to Franklin being the CEO so to speak. He's not the first to take this approach, and others have done it successfully. But clearly his assistants aren't getting it done. And it becomes Franklin's responsibility to step in and ensure everybody is on the right track.
But even by his detached standards, he seems out of it.
I really respect him as a man. A high character guy, and I wish him all the best in life. So, I hope everybody's okay. Clearly, something is up.
Nobody is shoving anything down your throat. Least of all these young men.
If you view them solely as faceless mechanisms to entertain you, that's perfectly fine. Don't throw a hissy fit, however, when they have the audacity to express their perspectives on race -- particularly as young black men. That's what snowflakes do. I'd assume you're not a snowflake.
I'll admit that I underestimated the degree to which a patch calling for racial unity on a football uniform would create so much animosity. Disturbing in a way, but to each their own.
To be honest what is the cause of the lack of focus. Of course if too many players spent this week following election news instead of watching Maryland film....
I have no idea. And I suspect few if anybody on this board knows, either.
Which is my point. A lot of people here are blaming social justice issues for the distraction. Without any evidence, apparently.
Of course, that election was probably just as much on the minds of the Maryland roster as on ours. Didn't seem to impact them.
Not saying this is the case with you, but there's some serious overanalyzing going on here.
In 1956 my father was having a beer in a place called the Club House, a once minor league field, now as many baseball fields obsolete. A black minor league pitcher sitting next to my father said " i got to go get something to eat on the other side of town". My father said "no you don't, you'll eat Sunday dinner with us", i was 4 and i remember him well. There were no blacks where i lived, and no one made an issue. It's up to individuals, on both sides, ( it has to work that way or it's poison) to be kind and welcoming to all humans, because i see some individuals on this team that are on the bubble between justice and hate and that's bad.
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The commentary on "CEO type coach" is not helpful to diagnosing why it's gone so wrong at PSU.
However, it IS very helpful in understanding why corporate America, once a strength and now a shell of its former self, declined so rapidly.
The idea that you don't have to understand a business to run it - laughable. But that's where we are.
However, it IS very helpful in understanding why corporate America, once a strength and now a shell of its former self, declined so rapidly.
The idea that you don't have to understand a business to run it - laughable. But that's where we are.
He said a lot more than that which was very team and teammate oriented. Let's get it right and be fair here.
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This is starting to remind me of the 92 team. They accepted a bid to the Blockbuster bowl before the season started (they were going to get shut out of the good bowls because of conference obligations and PSU was in the last year of being an independent). Team started 5-0 and then lost to Miami, John Sacca threw a horrible pick 6 and then the team packed it in. Lost to BC the following week, had a horrible uninspired loss to BYU a few weeks later and then did the no show in the bowl game against Stanford. They played so bad against Stanford that Bill Walsh said he was surprised a team with as much history could play so poorly.
This team looks like after losing to Ohio State and the CFP being out of reach that they have packed it in.
Didn’t read this entire thread so sorry if already written but a few things. There is zero emotion on this team . Zero passion. Say what you want about franklins X’s and O’s But he brought passion. Now nothing. I don’t buy the my wife and kids are away excuse. He’s a grown man, he knows this pandemic won’t last forever and he’ll be with them again. Two when he was on the sideline arms crossed and shaking his head, it looked like he was as pissed as I was. Fine. The difference is I can’t do anything about it. He could get in someone’s face. Scream at a coordinator. Scream at a player. Show some f—-ing passion. Anything!!!!!!
I read your post and laughed. I know the following mis spelling was unintentional, but it struck me as funny. I think you meant “pitcher” not “picture”. If a picture spoke to you’re dad and came home and ate dinner, now that would be one hell of a story. Anyway good for your dad.
And the election results would not have been important to players on other teams as well --- nonsense.
Your father is/was a good man. And I'm sure you are too.
All I ask is that we consider how many of these young black men view the dynamics of their situation. We don't have a window into their lives -- I used to assume that the racism issue was overblown until I began listening to stories from black men and women about some of their routine interactions in society, and it's a deeply personal and emotional issue. For them to sound off on BLM issues......we don't have to agree with them. But I do hope we can at least respect them as people and recognize that there are bigger things in their lives than football.
But that's impacting virtually all programs. It's not unique to us.
Which leads me back to my central thesis: something else is afoot. Perhaps it's a contributing factor, but very unlikely THE factor. Ultimately, this staff has serious issues, and we have major deficiencies in our personnel that go well beyond distractions about race or elections.
I agree with 1-6 (although with #6 I don't think it's "more than he should have", it is just a distraction. It is what it is).
I don't agree that they have mailed it in. I think team leadership has the opportunity to right the ship. And disagree with your second three.
It's been a weird, tough year on everyone. I'm sure Franklin is extremely stressed in ways we can only imagine.
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