I've heard Steve Jones say, "Joe was the right man at the right time. Bill was the right man at the right time. James is the right man at the right time."
What are your thoughts on Bill O'Brien now that time has passed?
- Thread starter Jerademan74
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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Who turned it down? Do you have a list? At best you could say maybe Richt from Georgia turned it down, but only because his Southern belle of a wife didn't want to move. Other than that, I think O'Brien was one of their top targets (along with Greg Roman and the QB coach from Green Bay). I cannot recall hearing anyone else getting a serious look (like Golden for example). That hiring committee was all about getting as far from 'Paterno-esque' as possible, which meant hitting the NFL assistant coach ranks, which is exactly what they did.
As a side note, are you just trolling the shit out of everyone with this stuff? Or do you actually believe we wouldn't have a program without O'Brien?
No doubt, please show me all these people who turned down the job for a guaranteed $3.6 million per year for 5 years (8 years after the sanctions conversion) AND who had ZERO HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE. What complete horse$hit that these nimrods are attempting to peddle that nobody would take the job for $3.6 million per year with a multi-year long-term guarantee especially interested candidates with zero Head Coaching experience (and their were plenty of those including Larry Johnson and Tom Bradley among others). In fact there is at least one guy who HAD HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE who almost certainly would have taken that offer - here's a hint, his initials were RV. Laughable nonsense, but fairly typical of the spin-meister fairytale weaving BS by BOT boot-licking nimrods on this site like LaJolla_Moron, pusguy04,pusnut, etc..., that PSU couldn't find any interested applicants with lots of experience at $3.6 million per year guaranteed long-term.
Are you Keith Eckel? You're support of FLO backstabbing the alumni-elected trustees and pure-fantasy FALSE NARRATIVE re-creationist history sure sounds like that hack - see article linked below:
Penn State football coach Bill O’Brien meets with trustees as university weighs proposal to NCAA for reduction of sanctions
Excerpted directly from article - isn't FLO's and corrupt BOT a-holes "Just here to say hello to some people" just so smarmily cute? NOT!! (FLO must have checked with the Mich-nitwit "family & friends" savant network on the use of the word "some".....LMFAO):
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After O’Brien’s presentation was over, a number of trustees sprang from their seats and gave him a standing ovation. One of those was Keith Eckel, who later praised O’Brien as a “great leader” who “sets a standard that we all should aspire to.”
As he was getting ready to leave the campus, O’Brien would only say that he was “just here to say hello to some people” and got into a Penn State van.
Trustees and administrators who came out of the room after the morning session in the morning were tight-lipped, too.
President Rodney Erickson didn’t respond when asked to comment about O’Brien’s appearance, and administrator Tom Poole said O’Brien “just wanted to see some folks.” Lubrano shook his head.
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I want to paste his picture to the car windshield to remind me how he saved Penn State football
Yeah right an attorney should not take a settlement from a defendant that meets all the requirements of the suit that was brought by his plantiff. That probably would be the dumbest attorney in the world. Are you an attorney?
Good football coach. Did a very good job on the field. Glad he left, would not have "worn" well over time, I think he played both sides against the middle and it would have caught up with him here.
the problem is all the guys you were talking about never had to play with 50 something players instead of 85.
maybe he was referring to the difficulties trying to recruit in the future to the newly dubbed pedophile University. What did you think everything's going to be peaches and cream if there were no sanctions levied against Penn State?
Yeah you can't do that, oops. Didn't we have an old coach that used to lash out at reporters who were just asking questions. It was the heat of the moment just like O'Brien.
how come you're not asking the other 90 percent of posters to this thread that agree with me if they are trolling? Why don't you just compete and leave the straw man troll tactic at home. I guess maybe the troll thing is all you got when you're being destroyed with reason by almost everybody else in this thread.
That is the beauty of this hypocrisy in this thread. Boohoo, BoB left, but it was ok for Franklin to leave Vandy for PSU. Franklin got pissed at the admin or media, but Joe never did that....LMAO. Basically you have a couple people who are butt burt Joe still isn't around and I get that. These same people are entrenched in their ways and didn't realize the game had changed in the last 60 years. If you get a HC for 10-20 years now you had a great run more than likely. This holier than thou crap that gets posted on here anymore is a joke.
OB did a great job and was snowed over by the NCAA and BoT, but he should have taken it even if he had great plans. How GD immature is that line of thinking. It's like a few here are finding out there is no Santa Claus.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Still, his contract provided for security in the event of sanctions. OB knew what he was getting into with this job. The uncertainty created by the BOT by firing Joe and not hiring OB for another month and a half gave recruits way too much time to second guess themselves and get sold on another program. A new HC is hire is sometimes a tough sell for recruits (they committed to Joe, and had no idea who OB is or what he's about). Thank God Mauti and Zordich were holding down the fort; could have been a real disaster by the time OB showed up (and even after).
[Q UOTE="Midnighter, post: 298899, member: 4160"]Still, his contract provided for security in the event of sanctions. OB knew what he was getting into with this job. The uncertainty created by the BOT by firing Joe and not hiring OB for another month and a half gave recruits way too much time to second guess themselves and get sold on another program. A new HC is hire is sometimes a tough sell for recruits (they committed to Joe, and had no idea who OB is or what he's about). Thank God Mauti and Zordich were holding down the fort; could have been a real disaster by the time OB showed up (and even after).[/QUOTE] How foolish would it have been to rush and make a bad hire? Your point about the players holding down the fort does not hold water due to the fact but none of them could have transferred at that time without sitting out for a year. I don't think you're thinking this through correctly.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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Not everyone here has an opinion that fits into your box of characterizations. My only issue with OB is that he left in the most classless manner possible and could have done real and permanent damage to an already fragile program. We rebounded with Franklin, but no one wants to thank the folks responsible for that. If OB goes out sans his petulant crybaby rant to Jones about 'Paterno people' (and I don't consider myself one of those people, but to me he was speaking to Penn State football fans in general) and simply says he's following his dream to the NFL, I don't mind. And whatever the BOT may or may not have done to him, his acting less than professional and lashing out to one of the biggest PSU critics on earth says a lot about his character IMO.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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To SEPATOPTEN:
My point is the program was fragile and too exposed during this time. The players did a lot, even before the sanctions, to keep team morale up. I'm not trying to make an airtight, irrefutable defense of my opinion - it is what it is. And since it's less exhausting than responding to your posts, I'm ignoring you going forward. Maybe do the same to me. Cheers.
Funny thing is 2 years later you can see the divide OB was talking about. Some people don't want to hear about it as it bothers them. Some of Joe's biggest cheerleaders hate any and everything not named Paterno. I'm not pointing that at you so don't take it that way, but there is a contingent of PSU fans who need to compare everything a new HC trying to make a name for himself to Paterno. It's idiotic and immature as they'll never be Joe.
OB dealt with more crap in his 2 years than most HC's will ever see in their lifetime. If your issue is he lashed out and wasn't PC 100% of the time, that is fine. I just happen to respect what he did during his time here and how he kept things together. I don't need to worry about Joe's name or legacy either as it's just fine with me. Too many people here are concerned about outside perceptions that won't change. I've gotten past that. I was always a fan of Joe and still have a ton of respect for him. That won't change.
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it was obvious that he was speaking to the people that wanted to have a Joe Paterno clone as coach.
your posts are always level headed and well thought out. keep up the good work.
I don't have anybody on ignore. I don't even know how the feature works. I'd like to know what people are thinking even if I disagree.
YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A BOOT LICKING, BOT BROWN-EYE LOVING, PATERNO-BASHING, SADISTIC SYCOPHANT.
O'brien was not and never will be Penn State. It was a stepping stone and he was in way over his head when it came to handling the crisis. The only thing that saved his but and allowed him to get out of Dodge was the leadership instilled in a number of men by his predecessor and staff.
5 thing you need to do to be a great college coach ...
Recruit (his classes were amoung the lowest ever at PSU)
Coach kids up (gets high marks in this area but it would not have made up for the poor recruiting if he stayed)
Gameday coach ... mediocre at best
Graduate kids ... no choice, this is Penn State
Smooze with alum ... see gameday coaching
1 A-, 2C's and 2 D's
5 thing you need to do to be a great college coach ...
Recruit (his classes were amoung the lowest ever at PSU)
Coach kids up (gets high marks in this area but it would not have made up for the poor recruiting if he stayed)
Gameday coach ... mediocre at best
Graduate kids ... no choice, this is Penn State
Smooze with alum ... see gameday coaching
1 A-, 2C's and 2 D's
His classes were in the heart of the sanctions and he was well on his way to a top 10 class his first year. He was a good gameday coach and you're exactly the type I referenced earlier. He's not Joe...boohooo. More like all A's without kissing your arse...so be it.
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I was disappointed he left as quickly as he did but I will be forever grateful for his role in keeping the program afloat. He may not be solely responsible for "saving" the program,but without him we don't get a guy like Franklin. He kept Penn State football relevant.
Fifteen out of the twenty-two starters this year were recruited by O'Brien. Not bad considering he was at Penn State only two years, his classes were small, and he had to recruit in the wake of the Sandusky scandal. Not bad at all.
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yours might be the least factual post I have ever seen on the rivals board. the absolute definition of delusion. truly an unbelievable post.
O'Brien was in a no lose situation coming to PSU. There were zero expectations of success. I am grateful that he held the majority of the team together during the transfer rules, recruited relatively well during sanctions, continued to emphasize academics, and made significant strides offensively with the team. I was not sold on his staff or gameday coaching, but I have no animosity whatsoever. It was pretty obvious, he was not a long term fit at a college program, so I didn't have expectations of a long tenure.
There are plenty of things to be pissed about and O'Brien is not one of them....
There are plenty of things to be pissed about and O'Brien is not one of them....
Well said. Overall, O,Brien will go down in the Penn State history books as the HC that saved the football program when it could have easily slid down a very slippery slope into a very long dark age. If not for BOB, CJF may not have come to Penn State. I believe that the same history book will praise CJF as the HC that took Penn State football into a newer era of "success with honor"!
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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Honestly, do you think that any of the other candidates for HC wouldn't have done as well or better than OB? 'Saving' our football program is a bit much. And OB had very little to do with CJF, who said this was his 'Dream Job'. If what everyone said is true, that OB had issues with the admin and obviously had issues with our fan base, why would he tell CJF to take the job? Moreover, why would CJF care what OB had to say? OB's actions said enough, didn't they? So, if you believe OB had all these issues with the admin and the job, and you believe he was essential in getting CJF to Penn State, how do you reconcile that? I don't get it. Don't you think OB's actions upon his departure could have done as much if not more damage to Penn State football as the sanctions? We were left high and dry after two years, during the most sensitive and important time from a recruiting standpoint. Sanctions weren't fully removed and OB putting the job and fanbase on blast as he left certainly didn't help. If anything, CJF and the admin at PSU who hired him saved Penn State football.
This. I don't like it much--but that is reality in today's world.
I was disappointed that BOB left so soon--but again, that's reality.. But we got what looks like a pretty decent coach.
It is really, really tough to be the guy after the guy. I saw that here in Columbus, as I came out here in Woody's last season. And Earle Bruce (who I like, BTW) was a Woody acolyte. But it was still tough for him. Same thing with the guys that replaced Wooden and Dean Smith--or the Bear. And what will happen at Duke when Coach K steps down??
I was very disappointed in the manner of his leaving--specifically the parting shot. I also do not view him as the savior of the program. That was as much Mauti and Zordich as BOB. However, BOB did play a very important role.
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You may disagree with me but delusional I am not. I gave 5 areas and graded him, IMHO, on those 5 areas. There is a pile more substance there that your emotional response. I don't believe he came to PSU for PSU ... only for a stepping stone in his career. I think he was lost at times in his first year and I believe the senior leadership led him more than he led them in the crisis. If you see it differently ... fine.
Emotional, you're the one that comes off as a bit emotional because he wasn't a PSU lifer. You disregarded the man went through the harshest time of any coach around (outside of SMU's DP) ever. He still managed to keep the team together and keep some pretty decent recruits including the top QB in the nation onboard in spite of everything. The leadership you talk about had a chance to leave PSU, but saw something in him. Oddly enough you can praise them for staying, but discount why they may have stayed. He coaches half a program with one arm tied behind his back after being blindsided by the school and NCAA, but he was the bad guy. Got it. You're the guy he was talking about to David Jones BTW.
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