Blue & Whit Roundtable - message board style

It was my turn to ask the questions this week and I brought the pain! Here’s the carnage – feel free to add your opinion in the comment section below.

Roundtable theme for the day – tired old message board clichés

Back when I used to peruse the message boards there were often “discussions” that kept popping up over and over and over until you wanted to puke. So I thought: let’s bring them up one more time and put them to bed for good – feeling sick yet?

Is Jay a good QB coach? While you are answering this, keep in mind that Michael Robinson went from a jack-of-all-trades athlete to a pretty decent quarterback in one year – one high school coach was even quoted as saying that Michael’s mechanics were 100% better between his junior and senior seasons. On the flip side we have to consider Zack Mills’ regression.

I’ve argued time and time again that we have no idea what kind of coach Jay is. I’m not defending Jay, I just don’t know. Under his reign Mills got worse, but there was also an injury to his throwing arm so which was it: Jay or the injury. I do know this, if you are going to use Mills as an example of Jay’s futility then you must consider Robinson’s amazing senior season. Again, I have no idea if Jay is a bad coach I just wish he would move on so people could pick another scapegoat.

Should Penn State forget about loyalty and sign a “name” coach when Paterno finally hangs it up in 20 years or should they stay the course and go with someone they trust?

Yes and no. How’s that for an answer? If a name coach has ties to the program and he understands Paterno’s grand experiment, then yes go for the outside guy. I’m really torn because I think Bradley has put his time in and deserves the first shot but I don’t want Penn State to just give it to him by default. But without a doubt, Penn State must hire a head coach that understands PSU’s unyielding dedication to student first athlete second; it’s what separates Penn State from other programs.

Which is more important – total athletic superiority or college football superiority? In other words is it more important for Penn State to try and be world class in all the sports it competes in or should the football team keep more of the money it generates at the expense of the less popular sports?

This was a stupid argument that kept coming back for more– without a doubt all sports in the athletic department deserve their piece of the pie. The football team’s revenue keeps the other departments running and I’m fine with that. There’s a reason the fencing team has won a bazillion national titles. The wrestling team was just able to finish a brand new wrestling facility in Rec Hall that is the envy of other programs and is already paying off in recruiting. I want Penn State to excel in all the athletic programs.

Let’s assume the Lions have another sub .500 year next year – should Penn State fire Paterno or has the old man done so much for Penn State that he deserves to go out on his own?

I love Joe Paterno but he can’t have free reign to bring the program down. I would hope that he has done enough to deserve a chance to retire, forced or not, before they get rid of him. I just hope it never comes to that.

My favorite – Penn State uses HIT (high intensity training) instead of Olympic or freestyle weight training because of the reduced risk of injury. HIT focuses on intense circuit style training instead of just lifting large amounts of weight and is used by other college and pro teams such as Michigan and the Steelers, but is highly criticized because of its lack of focus on building muscle mass. Should Penn State use this form of weight training or should they go with the more “traditional” style and is it one of the problems with the offensive line (these two are always linked in the message boards)?

Ahh yes, this argument was like a hemorrhoid; it would go away for a while but always come back and usually bigger and more painful. Considering the Steelers and Michigan use it and don’t seem to have any ill effects makes me believe it’s not the system but the individuals. I believe the offensive line problems are due to the coaches, but I have no proof. They keep getting blue chip recruits (Stefen Wisniewski anyone?) but they don’t seem to pan out.

Lightning round (message board rumor style)

Was there a secret meeting a couple years ago between Paterno and members of the administration where Paterno’s resignation was asked for?

Yes there was but Sue’s cookies won them over.

How many times has Rick Neuheisel been spotted in State College and how long until he’s hired to take over Jay’s job?

I just saw him Saturday buying a Derrick Williams jersey for a loved one at the Student Bookstore.

Remember when Tom Bradley was going to step down as defensive coordinator?

I still laugh every time I think of this, I remember Bradley actually telling a reporter during an interview: Hey, I’m not going anywhere – trust me! Hilarious.

Is Kirk Ferentz in super-secret contact with the Lions administration waiting for Paterno to announce his retirement so he can become the next head coach?

Kirk Ferentz and Greg Schiano are both in contact and waiting for the old man to go. When he does an open structure will be constructed similar to the dome in Beyond Thunderdome and the two will fight till one can no longer stand. Mel Gibson and Michael Richards will be in attendance to spew anti-Semitic and racially charged slurs.

We don't need another hero...

That’s it for this week, head on over to Black Shoe Diaries and Run Up The Score to see their responses. I can’t wait to see the responses from Mr. Curmudgeon over at RUTS.