I had fios installed today, and what was supposed only take an hour took four, so this ended up being a lot longer than what I had originally anticipated. Because of that, you get the first chapter of what might someday become a book below.
For fun, he's a TD of Barkley scoring in the Rose Bowl, because why not.
It's funny how the traditional powers of college football shift from decade to decade. Whether it's coaching changes, sanctions, or scandals there's not a program out there that hasn't been through it. We're also at an interesting turning point. Does Miami continue their climb back to national prominence? Does Florida State continue their demise? Does Dan Mullen give the Gators their chomp back? What's up with Oregon & Oregon State, did they forget how to play football and give their skill recent success to the W schools across the northern border? Is that why WAZZU & UDub have life? What about Michigan? Is Harbaugh the answer? How did the loss of 1 player cripple Florida State's season when they've recruited with the best of them for 20 years straight?It's funny how TCU in Texas, UCF in Florida, & arguably WMU in MIchigan have things in better shape than the traditional powers in those high school football enriched states.
That's where I'll begin with this rant i'm about to go on... this is a long post, my apologies up front.
Why is it a shock when a coach who finishes with double digit wins gets a call from all the schools that were supposed to finish with double digit wins & didn't the day after the championships wrap up? The meltdown that ensues every time Franklin gets a call from another program with interest is not a time when we should be questioning his loyalty. He'd be an idiot not to take those calls. This is business and wouldn't you know It's Free Shoes U who creeps in to put doubt in not only committed recruits, but our loyal fan base. Take a xanax, calm down. When Franklin STOPS getting the calls, that's when we worry.
We can't get all bent out of shape when the coaching carousel comes around every bowl season, this is simply how the modern day game is played. On the phone, and on the internet. It's part of American culture as a whole, we're always ready to be out with the old, in with the new, our inability to do that in the past is what makes us slip. If college football programs fail to evolve with the times, the'll slip as well.
Looking at the last 20 years, (with the benefit of hindsight), maybe we can better speculate at what really went on during the "dark ages" of Penn State football with a better perspective of the whole picture. The dark ages are behind us, with exception of USC, we've beaten every team we've faced at least once in the last two seasons, and we're looking at back to back double digit win seasons, a feat surpassed only once since 93-94 here in 16-17. The Penn State of the Union is sound my friends. So crack a Yuengling and enjoy the ride. With the recruiting classes we have coming in, we'll be in the final four very soon. Hell yeah i'll have another blue and white kool aid, make this one a double.
First thing I wanna talk about is Tennessee. Is there an uglier state of college football than the one you see in Knoxville right now? I mean seriously, they're located in a town that resonates with a famous Jackass.
Keith Jackson said it during the 3rd quarter of the Rose Bowl last season, the downfall of college football will stem from "too much coverage". Media Bias aka bullshit. Or Rat Poison as they like to call it down in Tuscaloosa.
At Dear old State, Jerry Sandusky has the ability to rear his ugly head even with him behind bars, which could impact recruiting for years to come. When the likes of Tennessee get besides themselves because their inept administration might hire a former pedophile enabler? ... COME ON....
Maybe the real story here is down in the Tennessee hills, not in Columbus Ohio. A lot of the time the things that cause a reaction like a protest, are the ones this hit us closest to home. The UT scene was a mockery of a potest... for once, I applaud ESPiN for not making it a bigger event by giving it the coverage they gave our idiotic students back in 2011. Baby steps for Disney, 2 points.
These "protests", were about 100 or so students if you can call them that.. ..who took advantage of the viral social media epidemic. (Yes i'm calling it that) It's not hard to get into Tennessee (acceptance rate of 77%) and it showed with the announcement of intent to hire Schiano. Was I watching ESPiN or Duck Dynasty? Is there a difference anymore?
UT students effectively thwarted their administration's ability to lead the University by undermining officials with a using a ridiculous reason to have an offer pulled. Someone who's proven their ability to develop & WIN.
Instead of exposing Schiano, they exposed themselves.... instead of getting one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, who in my mind is in his prime to build a program of his own. Now you have no other option but to take your rivals defensive coordinator? You look like amateurs UT... rats on a sinking ship.
Why doesn't loyalty matter anymore? "I'm a Pennsylvania guy with a Penn State heart."
Anyone see Frost's presser about how he's going to fix Nebraska? That right there is likely the beginning of a college football story of success that people will want to learn about years down the road. At Tennessee it's: "Well nobody we wanted wanted the job, so we panicked and hired from our hated rival, who we can beat .... in 11 straight tries.
The loyalty we got from Joe was so established that him leaving the program for anything other than his retirement was unthinkable. Then the unthinkable happened. We were spoiled (or maybe cursed) due to Joe's undying dedication to Penn State guiding his grand experiment to the grave.
1 week after conference championships and you're getting the phone calls... That's a good thing.
Biggest change in the sport is what's changing society in general. Social media gives EVERYONE a voice and platform, (myself included) ... I keep thinking about Joe's response to the question "How much longer ya gonna coach"...and he ... like a refined politician he handled the question with what seemed like ease... giving us first a joke, or a growl (Italian style)... depending on who asked him, then questioned how much longer that reporter had a job making everyone laugh. Cutting the tension, "I hope that people would tell me if I overstayed as the coach. I hope that people would tell me if I wasn't any longer an asset to the program... But I feel great, and I'm so lucky to be doing what I'm doing, so I plan to see where we're at after we work our way into the Spring....."
In hindsight, the answer to the question became so uniform over the course of 20 years... it lost it's meaning. The NIttany Nation should have questioned lackluster recruiting and off the field incidents.. (bow and arrows, Rashard Casey, and something happening with Stefon Green maybe Silas Redd come to mind...)
In hindsight... Having listened to a lot of Franklin's pressers, I know now what it's like to have a coach who truly runs every aspect of his program. The answer to the repeat questions in Joe's pressers irked him because it was the same shit, different day. He also didn't give anything useful, so his press conferences were the same cadence, same tone, week in week out. Cue Judy from Muncy.
Joe's lack of detail around his program maybe were due to his lack of knowledge around his program? We should have been getting "Myself and my staff are doing this," or "The recruiting class coming in is ranked this, and we're looking good here...." Instead we got that he felt good, and after 60 years, I think it was comforting to our fan base that he honestly felt that way.
But he really never told us anything. Maybe bad Journalism just didn't ask the right questions... looking at you Jonesey @ Penn Live.
In the late 90s, things started to shift for Joe, the focus of football was there... but what was missing was the focus around running all the other aspects of a major college football program. Joe started answering questions more with I's and less with We's and if you need a reference any good corporation will tell you the way you right the ship is not with I, It's with Us or WE ... or WE ARE, Penn State. Right?
Our recent success stems from the talent on the field, which is still mind boggling that as of July 2017 rivals has us at:
21. PENN STATE
Ranks last 5 years: 12, 23, 15, 25, 42 -- 23.4
Judge Farrell: ACHIEVED. The fact that Penn State is in the top 20 is impressive considering the NCAA nightmare. A Big Ten title helps offset some lean years.
PS - you wanna know why bama is successful, #1 in recruiting last 4/5 seasons.
What happened to our recruiting rankings in the late 90s, early 2000s? I think Joe may of been having some issues with relating to his players, which lead to: The class that enrolled in 2000 could provide a major key in determining what has caused the downfall of Penn State football over the past few years. This class was considered by most recruiting services as a top-10 group nationally, with Bill Hodge ranking it at No. 6 overall. The class had 29 members, many of whom were highly ranked out of high school. However, 15 of those players, or 52 percent of the class, left the program prematurely due to injury, transfer or other reasons. This was a major impact on the program and essentially diluted the contribution of the class dramatically.
We did have some good classes, but they weren't consistent and I'm pretty sure you ask any professional what makes them a Pro and it's consistency.
When the scandal broke, I inadvertently compared Joe's state of mind/thought process to my aging Grandfather's because to the month, they were the same age. Very similar in many ways. My Grandpa was a solid baseball player in the minors during the 1940s for the life of him could not understand how they could have fired Joe.
They never met, but you talk to my pops about Joe Paterno and it came off like they were close pals. I loved that about my Grandpa, he had an endearing way of making strangers seem like friends. It's a characteristic of that generation.
Like many my Grandpa truly loved Joe Paterno. His death broke his heart. When the story aired and Joe was fired, and students were protesting, the agony of having to explain this to my Pap over and over again was as bad as the realization of the situation. It was almost as if a gear was out of place or even missing altogether in his 84 year old mind. He didn't understand it, definitely couldn't retain it... or maybe it was just that he didn't want to.
The scope of what Sandusky allegedly did, was something grown men of that era didn't discuss. Which is why it happened in the first place. Now that there's dialogue, hopefully we've put an end to monster like pedofiles who infiltrate situations they know they can take advantage of many. Maybe the scandal is the atomic bomb that will end society sweep under the rug mentality regarding sexual assault. We're already starting to see that happen.
Joe Paterno was stubborn, and held grudges and it got worse the older he got. My grandfather retired from Bethlehem Steel, 20 years before he died, and he used to comment on how he just didn't understand how Joe was able to do all that is required of a head football coach. Turns out he wasn't. Nobody else picked up on Joe's slacking attention to detail for the last 20 years of his career? Where was Jay or Fran or LJ Sr. someone who could have stepped in and gotten Joe to a point where he could see the forest through the trees. He wasn't in charge of the program like he needed to be.
Not a hard sell...
It's been 60 years, there's a Library in your name, hang up the Nike's with dignity. You deserve a decade minimum of retired years. Yes, we know you don't like to golf, that's your problem. Play with your grandkids. Dedicated some time to spend with your 5 children and 17 grandchildren. My grandfather was retired almost my entire life, and when he passed away in February of 2012, a few weeks after Joe, I was so thankful to have gotten that time with him. Weekends spent in front of the tele all through the late 80s and 90s watching "our hog mollies lick their hog mollies", in the Happiest of Valleys is most certainly why the Diploma says my name today. Joe's work ethic not only inspired his players, in a way it was the driver to arguable every verse we sing in unison twice a football game now.
Anywhere else, the Penn State scandal destroys a football program, it may even bankrupt the institution, ruin the reputation, decrease enrollment. Why didn't that happen at Penn State?
It was never about football in the first place. So heartbreaking for so many Penn Staters, but just like in the lit Joe would read before a bnig game, or after a tough loss; Shakespeare in Hamlet "just when we thought we had it made, disaster was just around the corner, so dig deep inside of yourselves to find that thing that you're destined to do."
Throughout history, there are countless examples of a legendary public figures who died thinking they were failures. We study history so we never fail to acknowledge this fact. It might have been why Paterno taught it to his players during times of turmoil or distress. Joe's dedication was hi double edged sword and might end up being the gift he gives to generations of Penn Staters for decades to come, the tragic story to a remarkable career.
Joe's love for his players and Penn State is ongoing now through Franklin, and it's growing stronger and stronger every season.
In the 90s, "we don't know the fu**king words was how the alma mater went. Now it connects 100k swaying back and forth to the four profound verses. We now singing our love and Loyalty, because our hopes they're bright and free, so.... where no act of ours brings us shame. From childhood throughout the rest of our lives, let it swell the fame.
Pre- scandal "We don't know the fuc*ing words"
Post-Scandal It's sung once before, and once after the game
Maybe Joe's father's disapproval in 1950 is what lead to his single focus of making the Pennsylvania State University what it is today. As Franklin builds his own legacy, Paterno's resurfaces long after his death. Hopefully, it was Joe's way of proving to himself and to his father that coming to Penn State was the best decision of his life because it enabled him to affect the lives of millions. Joe did everything he could to make sure he not only developed football talent, but also "turned the boys into men" using Hamlet to explain the trials of conflict both in life and on the football field. I guess I too benefited from his ideals.
I think all Penn Staters would benefit from taking a step back when the F$U's & MIssissippi State's come calling know they aren't a threat. There's no way they'll ever be able to duplicate what we have at PSU. The inches we need are everywhere around us... which is a Quicken Loan's "ISM" thought up by one of Paterno's former players. Bill Emerson. I know that because I used to work for an affiliate and during orientation they call out Joe Paterno for his approach to providing leadership to the masses. He actually retweeted me during the event, geek moment, I know.. but it was cool.
The inches we need are everywhere around us, means that if we do everything in close proximity extremely well, our competitors can't mimic what we do, because EVERYTHING we do is better than what the attempt. Sounds a little bit like takin care of the little things so the big things start taking care of themselves doesn't it?
It took a man 60 years to build the foundation of what would be the ongoing "Grand Experiment", no Bulldog or Seminole is going to easily replicate it. Maybe the Paterno legacy that has been in question is just that, the product we all have enjoyed on the field AND in the classroom.
I think Franklin in many ways is a modern day Paterno. Obviously, I only have old film to see how Paterno tackled building our football program in the mid 1960s, but I'd like to think Franklin's work ethic is similar to that of what got us here in the first place. As for him taking a call from someone who wants to give him an offer? What person in their right mind wouldn't take that call? Paterno took five of them and never left, I hope Franklin gets 20.
It's like in staffing/looking for a new job... you should ALWAYS connect with ANYONE who will talk to you because you never know what it might lead to. Franklin has proven to be a bit unpredictable with the media, yet steadfast on the morals.
Sure you want to offer me millions to come do what I do for you? Go right ahead, it makes it all the more gratifying when he declines them. If Franklin is truly dedicated to Penn State, there's no harm in hearing them out. And if he ups and leaves, we can't hold it against him. It's just how the college football world works these days. In Franklin's first two seasons I'm guilty questioning level of sincerity because it was 0 to 100 starting from the moment he stepped off that plane.. What does he know about Family and basic blues and whites? This Philly accent didn't dedicate 60 years of his life to Penn State, he can talk about family commitment and love and loyalty after he goes through what Joe did.... almost 7 decades with the program.....
Then it occurred to me... his old school dedication is what failed to resonate with modern day American's and their views... He out coached his own legacy....
Joe needed someone to explain that twitter, and email, and facebook wasn't a fad, it was the new method of communication and he wasn't receiving it.... Social media hit the internet in the early 2000s which is precisely when Joe's legacy takes a turn to what we now know as "the dark years".
(Hindsight) You see the signs of the focus slipping, in the early part of 99... Pitt, Miami, Purdue... all could have been losses... Then finally the grand experiment nose dives, and we end 1999, a season that had so much promise with three consecutive losses. Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, and the #1 ranking ending after a victory over A&M where they ironically mocked his age, at lucky number #13...
The irony... #13......
Then Holy Toledo, Joe's lost it.... We start 2000, 1-4 and now looking back at the timeline of the scandal, maybe it wasn't only the football he lost his grip on.... long story short, Penn Staters need to get used to people knocking on Franklin's and his assistant's doors. In modern day college ball that's the only way we know he's doing his job. Keep up the double digit win seasons back to back to back, get us into the big dance, and maybe we're not as far away from the Grand Experiment as the Disney Corporation would lead us to think... Let's just keep taking care of the inches, and the little things... the big things will come soon enough.
For fun, he's a TD of Barkley scoring in the Rose Bowl, because why not.
It's funny how the traditional powers of college football shift from decade to decade. Whether it's coaching changes, sanctions, or scandals there's not a program out there that hasn't been through it. We're also at an interesting turning point. Does Miami continue their climb back to national prominence? Does Florida State continue their demise? Does Dan Mullen give the Gators their chomp back? What's up with Oregon & Oregon State, did they forget how to play football and give their skill recent success to the W schools across the northern border? Is that why WAZZU & UDub have life? What about Michigan? Is Harbaugh the answer? How did the loss of 1 player cripple Florida State's season when they've recruited with the best of them for 20 years straight?It's funny how TCU in Texas, UCF in Florida, & arguably WMU in MIchigan have things in better shape than the traditional powers in those high school football enriched states.
That's where I'll begin with this rant i'm about to go on... this is a long post, my apologies up front.
Why is it a shock when a coach who finishes with double digit wins gets a call from all the schools that were supposed to finish with double digit wins & didn't the day after the championships wrap up? The meltdown that ensues every time Franklin gets a call from another program with interest is not a time when we should be questioning his loyalty. He'd be an idiot not to take those calls. This is business and wouldn't you know It's Free Shoes U who creeps in to put doubt in not only committed recruits, but our loyal fan base. Take a xanax, calm down. When Franklin STOPS getting the calls, that's when we worry.
We can't get all bent out of shape when the coaching carousel comes around every bowl season, this is simply how the modern day game is played. On the phone, and on the internet. It's part of American culture as a whole, we're always ready to be out with the old, in with the new, our inability to do that in the past is what makes us slip. If college football programs fail to evolve with the times, the'll slip as well.
Looking at the last 20 years, (with the benefit of hindsight), maybe we can better speculate at what really went on during the "dark ages" of Penn State football with a better perspective of the whole picture. The dark ages are behind us, with exception of USC, we've beaten every team we've faced at least once in the last two seasons, and we're looking at back to back double digit win seasons, a feat surpassed only once since 93-94 here in 16-17. The Penn State of the Union is sound my friends. So crack a Yuengling and enjoy the ride. With the recruiting classes we have coming in, we'll be in the final four very soon. Hell yeah i'll have another blue and white kool aid, make this one a double.
First thing I wanna talk about is Tennessee. Is there an uglier state of college football than the one you see in Knoxville right now? I mean seriously, they're located in a town that resonates with a famous Jackass.
Keith Jackson said it during the 3rd quarter of the Rose Bowl last season, the downfall of college football will stem from "too much coverage". Media Bias aka bullshit. Or Rat Poison as they like to call it down in Tuscaloosa.
At Dear old State, Jerry Sandusky has the ability to rear his ugly head even with him behind bars, which could impact recruiting for years to come. When the likes of Tennessee get besides themselves because their inept administration might hire a former pedophile enabler? ... COME ON....
Maybe the real story here is down in the Tennessee hills, not in Columbus Ohio. A lot of the time the things that cause a reaction like a protest, are the ones this hit us closest to home. The UT scene was a mockery of a potest... for once, I applaud ESPiN for not making it a bigger event by giving it the coverage they gave our idiotic students back in 2011. Baby steps for Disney, 2 points.
These "protests", were about 100 or so students if you can call them that.. ..who took advantage of the viral social media epidemic. (Yes i'm calling it that) It's not hard to get into Tennessee (acceptance rate of 77%) and it showed with the announcement of intent to hire Schiano. Was I watching ESPiN or Duck Dynasty? Is there a difference anymore?
UT students effectively thwarted their administration's ability to lead the University by undermining officials with a using a ridiculous reason to have an offer pulled. Someone who's proven their ability to develop & WIN.
Instead of exposing Schiano, they exposed themselves.... instead of getting one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, who in my mind is in his prime to build a program of his own. Now you have no other option but to take your rivals defensive coordinator? You look like amateurs UT... rats on a sinking ship.
Why doesn't loyalty matter anymore? "I'm a Pennsylvania guy with a Penn State heart."
Anyone see Frost's presser about how he's going to fix Nebraska? That right there is likely the beginning of a college football story of success that people will want to learn about years down the road. At Tennessee it's: "Well nobody we wanted wanted the job, so we panicked and hired from our hated rival, who we can beat .... in 11 straight tries.
The loyalty we got from Joe was so established that him leaving the program for anything other than his retirement was unthinkable. Then the unthinkable happened. We were spoiled (or maybe cursed) due to Joe's undying dedication to Penn State guiding his grand experiment to the grave.
1 week after conference championships and you're getting the phone calls... That's a good thing.
Biggest change in the sport is what's changing society in general. Social media gives EVERYONE a voice and platform, (myself included) ... I keep thinking about Joe's response to the question "How much longer ya gonna coach"...and he ... like a refined politician he handled the question with what seemed like ease... giving us first a joke, or a growl (Italian style)... depending on who asked him, then questioned how much longer that reporter had a job making everyone laugh. Cutting the tension, "I hope that people would tell me if I overstayed as the coach. I hope that people would tell me if I wasn't any longer an asset to the program... But I feel great, and I'm so lucky to be doing what I'm doing, so I plan to see where we're at after we work our way into the Spring....."
In hindsight, the answer to the question became so uniform over the course of 20 years... it lost it's meaning. The NIttany Nation should have questioned lackluster recruiting and off the field incidents.. (bow and arrows, Rashard Casey, and something happening with Stefon Green maybe Silas Redd come to mind...)
In hindsight... Having listened to a lot of Franklin's pressers, I know now what it's like to have a coach who truly runs every aspect of his program. The answer to the repeat questions in Joe's pressers irked him because it was the same shit, different day. He also didn't give anything useful, so his press conferences were the same cadence, same tone, week in week out. Cue Judy from Muncy.
Joe's lack of detail around his program maybe were due to his lack of knowledge around his program? We should have been getting "Myself and my staff are doing this," or "The recruiting class coming in is ranked this, and we're looking good here...." Instead we got that he felt good, and after 60 years, I think it was comforting to our fan base that he honestly felt that way.
But he really never told us anything. Maybe bad Journalism just didn't ask the right questions... looking at you Jonesey @ Penn Live.
In the late 90s, things started to shift for Joe, the focus of football was there... but what was missing was the focus around running all the other aspects of a major college football program. Joe started answering questions more with I's and less with We's and if you need a reference any good corporation will tell you the way you right the ship is not with I, It's with Us or WE ... or WE ARE, Penn State. Right?
Our recent success stems from the talent on the field, which is still mind boggling that as of July 2017 rivals has us at:
21. PENN STATE
Ranks last 5 years: 12, 23, 15, 25, 42 -- 23.4
Judge Farrell: ACHIEVED. The fact that Penn State is in the top 20 is impressive considering the NCAA nightmare. A Big Ten title helps offset some lean years.
PS - you wanna know why bama is successful, #1 in recruiting last 4/5 seasons.
What happened to our recruiting rankings in the late 90s, early 2000s? I think Joe may of been having some issues with relating to his players, which lead to: The class that enrolled in 2000 could provide a major key in determining what has caused the downfall of Penn State football over the past few years. This class was considered by most recruiting services as a top-10 group nationally, with Bill Hodge ranking it at No. 6 overall. The class had 29 members, many of whom were highly ranked out of high school. However, 15 of those players, or 52 percent of the class, left the program prematurely due to injury, transfer or other reasons. This was a major impact on the program and essentially diluted the contribution of the class dramatically.
We did have some good classes, but they weren't consistent and I'm pretty sure you ask any professional what makes them a Pro and it's consistency.
When the scandal broke, I inadvertently compared Joe's state of mind/thought process to my aging Grandfather's because to the month, they were the same age. Very similar in many ways. My Grandpa was a solid baseball player in the minors during the 1940s for the life of him could not understand how they could have fired Joe.
They never met, but you talk to my pops about Joe Paterno and it came off like they were close pals. I loved that about my Grandpa, he had an endearing way of making strangers seem like friends. It's a characteristic of that generation.
Like many my Grandpa truly loved Joe Paterno. His death broke his heart. When the story aired and Joe was fired, and students were protesting, the agony of having to explain this to my Pap over and over again was as bad as the realization of the situation. It was almost as if a gear was out of place or even missing altogether in his 84 year old mind. He didn't understand it, definitely couldn't retain it... or maybe it was just that he didn't want to.
The scope of what Sandusky allegedly did, was something grown men of that era didn't discuss. Which is why it happened in the first place. Now that there's dialogue, hopefully we've put an end to monster like pedofiles who infiltrate situations they know they can take advantage of many. Maybe the scandal is the atomic bomb that will end society sweep under the rug mentality regarding sexual assault. We're already starting to see that happen.
Joe Paterno was stubborn, and held grudges and it got worse the older he got. My grandfather retired from Bethlehem Steel, 20 years before he died, and he used to comment on how he just didn't understand how Joe was able to do all that is required of a head football coach. Turns out he wasn't. Nobody else picked up on Joe's slacking attention to detail for the last 20 years of his career? Where was Jay or Fran or LJ Sr. someone who could have stepped in and gotten Joe to a point where he could see the forest through the trees. He wasn't in charge of the program like he needed to be.
Not a hard sell...
It's been 60 years, there's a Library in your name, hang up the Nike's with dignity. You deserve a decade minimum of retired years. Yes, we know you don't like to golf, that's your problem. Play with your grandkids. Dedicated some time to spend with your 5 children and 17 grandchildren. My grandfather was retired almost my entire life, and when he passed away in February of 2012, a few weeks after Joe, I was so thankful to have gotten that time with him. Weekends spent in front of the tele all through the late 80s and 90s watching "our hog mollies lick their hog mollies", in the Happiest of Valleys is most certainly why the Diploma says my name today. Joe's work ethic not only inspired his players, in a way it was the driver to arguable every verse we sing in unison twice a football game now.
Anywhere else, the Penn State scandal destroys a football program, it may even bankrupt the institution, ruin the reputation, decrease enrollment. Why didn't that happen at Penn State?
It was never about football in the first place. So heartbreaking for so many Penn Staters, but just like in the lit Joe would read before a bnig game, or after a tough loss; Shakespeare in Hamlet "just when we thought we had it made, disaster was just around the corner, so dig deep inside of yourselves to find that thing that you're destined to do."
Throughout history, there are countless examples of a legendary public figures who died thinking they were failures. We study history so we never fail to acknowledge this fact. It might have been why Paterno taught it to his players during times of turmoil or distress. Joe's dedication was hi double edged sword and might end up being the gift he gives to generations of Penn Staters for decades to come, the tragic story to a remarkable career.
Joe's love for his players and Penn State is ongoing now through Franklin, and it's growing stronger and stronger every season.
In the 90s, "we don't know the fu**king words was how the alma mater went. Now it connects 100k swaying back and forth to the four profound verses. We now singing our love and Loyalty, because our hopes they're bright and free, so.... where no act of ours brings us shame. From childhood throughout the rest of our lives, let it swell the fame.
Pre- scandal "We don't know the fuc*ing words"
Post-Scandal It's sung once before, and once after the game
Maybe Joe's father's disapproval in 1950 is what lead to his single focus of making the Pennsylvania State University what it is today. As Franklin builds his own legacy, Paterno's resurfaces long after his death. Hopefully, it was Joe's way of proving to himself and to his father that coming to Penn State was the best decision of his life because it enabled him to affect the lives of millions. Joe did everything he could to make sure he not only developed football talent, but also "turned the boys into men" using Hamlet to explain the trials of conflict both in life and on the football field. I guess I too benefited from his ideals.
I think all Penn Staters would benefit from taking a step back when the F$U's & MIssissippi State's come calling know they aren't a threat. There's no way they'll ever be able to duplicate what we have at PSU. The inches we need are everywhere around us... which is a Quicken Loan's "ISM" thought up by one of Paterno's former players. Bill Emerson. I know that because I used to work for an affiliate and during orientation they call out Joe Paterno for his approach to providing leadership to the masses. He actually retweeted me during the event, geek moment, I know.. but it was cool.
The inches we need are everywhere around us, means that if we do everything in close proximity extremely well, our competitors can't mimic what we do, because EVERYTHING we do is better than what the attempt. Sounds a little bit like takin care of the little things so the big things start taking care of themselves doesn't it?
It took a man 60 years to build the foundation of what would be the ongoing "Grand Experiment", no Bulldog or Seminole is going to easily replicate it. Maybe the Paterno legacy that has been in question is just that, the product we all have enjoyed on the field AND in the classroom.
I think Franklin in many ways is a modern day Paterno. Obviously, I only have old film to see how Paterno tackled building our football program in the mid 1960s, but I'd like to think Franklin's work ethic is similar to that of what got us here in the first place. As for him taking a call from someone who wants to give him an offer? What person in their right mind wouldn't take that call? Paterno took five of them and never left, I hope Franklin gets 20.
It's like in staffing/looking for a new job... you should ALWAYS connect with ANYONE who will talk to you because you never know what it might lead to. Franklin has proven to be a bit unpredictable with the media, yet steadfast on the morals.
Sure you want to offer me millions to come do what I do for you? Go right ahead, it makes it all the more gratifying when he declines them. If Franklin is truly dedicated to Penn State, there's no harm in hearing them out. And if he ups and leaves, we can't hold it against him. It's just how the college football world works these days. In Franklin's first two seasons I'm guilty questioning level of sincerity because it was 0 to 100 starting from the moment he stepped off that plane.. What does he know about Family and basic blues and whites? This Philly accent didn't dedicate 60 years of his life to Penn State, he can talk about family commitment and love and loyalty after he goes through what Joe did.... almost 7 decades with the program.....
Then it occurred to me... his old school dedication is what failed to resonate with modern day American's and their views... He out coached his own legacy....
Joe needed someone to explain that twitter, and email, and facebook wasn't a fad, it was the new method of communication and he wasn't receiving it.... Social media hit the internet in the early 2000s which is precisely when Joe's legacy takes a turn to what we now know as "the dark years".
(Hindsight) You see the signs of the focus slipping, in the early part of 99... Pitt, Miami, Purdue... all could have been losses... Then finally the grand experiment nose dives, and we end 1999, a season that had so much promise with three consecutive losses. Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, and the #1 ranking ending after a victory over A&M where they ironically mocked his age, at lucky number #13...
The irony... #13......
Then Holy Toledo, Joe's lost it.... We start 2000, 1-4 and now looking back at the timeline of the scandal, maybe it wasn't only the football he lost his grip on.... long story short, Penn Staters need to get used to people knocking on Franklin's and his assistant's doors. In modern day college ball that's the only way we know he's doing his job. Keep up the double digit win seasons back to back to back, get us into the big dance, and maybe we're not as far away from the Grand Experiment as the Disney Corporation would lead us to think... Let's just keep taking care of the inches, and the little things... the big things will come soon enough.
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