Wednesday, November 12, 2008

PSU Review: who gives a crap anymore?

My wonderful company gave me Veterans Day off so I took vacation on Monday to make it a four day weekend. I'm just now waking up from one of the worst four day benders I've been on in a long time. I remember about 5 hours out of the last 96 thanks in large part to the team that is now dead to me. It could have been an awesome weekend of Jager bombs and chasing loose women but instead it was just a weekend of Jager bombs and deep depression. I could pick through the pieces of this train wreck of a football game but really what does that accomplish? Nothing. I've totally given up on what is left of the 2008 Penn State [team that is dead to me].

Penn State 2008

This wasn't an ordinary loss. This wasn't just a team overlooking an overmatched opponent. This was history. This was Paterno's last chance at an undefeated team and a national championship and the players couldn't get up for three last games. Totally fucking inexcusable. Each and every one of the players should look at themselves in the mirror every morning and say to themselves "I'm personally responsible for screwing up a national championship for the greatest coach of all time. I did it. I'm responsible." I'm not saying this team would have definitely won a national championship, hell they may have been passed over again but they DEFINITELY have no chance now. You can blame the officials, you can blame the play calling, you can point the finger in many directions but in the end it was the players' inability to execute that caused the debacle in Iowa. Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from Iowa, they played tough, made few mistakes and deserved the win, but it was the horrific execution by the Penn State players that was their downfall. Jordan Norwood and Andrew Quarless, you two specifically have a major role in this loss. If I were coaching both of you would be picking splinters out of your ass for the rest of the season from riding the bench. You would never see the field again. You're dropped passes at the most inexplicable times are completely unfathomable and utterly inexcusable. You not only dropped away a pass you dropped away a drive and a season. You two make those catches the drive continues and the [team that is dead to me] scores and wins. I officially hate both of you.

So where do we go from here? "We" don't. What's left of this shell of a team moves on to try and win a Big Ten championship and I move on to other things. I'm done covering this team I haven't the energy or the desire to watch a bunch of players that couldn't beat a team that lost to Illinois (who lost to directional Michigan this weekend by the way). If you want your [team that is dead to me] fix go on over to BSD or TINNOMJ or any one of the other great Penn State blogs because I quit. I'm moving on to wrestling season which begins in earnest this Sunday. I've been saying for some time now that this Iowa team is very good and much better than their record and if [team that is dead to me] doesn't take them serious and doesn't come to play they would lose, and they did.

Now PSU gets a week off to rest and get ready for Iowa. Some morons are predicting that Penn State is going to run the table and that is dangerous thinking. The popular notion right now is that Michigan State is Penn State's toughest opponent left and I've been saying this for about a month now, that's not true, Iowa is. Iowa has a great defense and the best back in the Big Ten (yes I said that). Shonn Greene is very tough and if Penn State isn't ready for him they're going to lose. Iowa is much better than their 5-3 record shows…

So there you have it. This is one time I hate being right. If the [team that is dead to me] was playing anybody but lowly Indiana they would lose this week. Look for them to lose to Michigan State next week and not even get a share of the Big Ten. I'm so fucking angry words cannot describe it.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

I know it's tough but it is time to pick up the pieces and look forward. Win the next two games and we go to the Rose Bowl, which is not exactly the Champs Sports Bowl. They are still a good team and who knows. They aren't out of the BCS Title picture yet...although they need a lot of help. Crazy things have happened before (See Ohio State).

Anonymous said...

I'm going to take your advise.

If Norwood should be benched for dropping a pass, I'm never reading anything you post again because this article sucks.

Galen said...

Anon,

The difference is, my post didn't cause Penn State to lose a game, Norwood's drop did.

Anonymous said...

Let PSU be dead to you...You'll be back! Its obvious that youre upset. But really how can you put Norwood in the same fingerpointing sentence as Quarless? Quarless should ride the pine. But how many SICK catches has Norwood made for us? How many times did he make our sub par QB's look good? you might give up on our boys, but I'll be there to cheer them on the next 2 weeks! GO STATE!

Anonymous said...

Lighten up, francis.

Anonymous said...

Galen,
No, seriously, how do you really feel about this team? Don't hold back and don't sugar-coat it.
Ken

drozz said...

nobody likes a quitter, galen.

shake off the hangover, take a few breaths, and relax. watch the indiana game. better yet, go up to state college, grab a ticket, and watch the game. remember why you love PSU football again.

if that doesn't work, then quit. because if you are done with psu football this year, and I say this with all respect, we don't need you this year.

i'm sorry to have to put it in such terms, but i am not bailing on this team when they need our support most.

Anonymous said...

and you called yourself a fan... this article is like slapping in the face.

PSUgirl said...

Look people it's just the quarter talking -

If Galen wants to be ticked off - then let him - it's his blog. He's put a lot of effort and emotion into covering this team - and he feels let down.

And, the Nittany Lions are ranked #7 in the pre-season polls (for wrestling, that is) - and we need for someone to be paying attention.

Anonymous said...

Galen, take it from a State College native who's been following the team since he was in 2nd grade (and used to bawl like an infant after losses like these) -

I felt the same way as you on Saturday. I wanted to give up following this team b/c they had let me down for the last time. That's why I made my first blog post this week about the upcoming basketball season.

However, I just can't stop watching the games...I'm just too attached to my PSU fandom to do so. I have a gut feeling that such is the same for you.

Besides, JoePa may very well retire at the end of this year which means we might finally start "playing to win" in critical road games.

Anonymous said...

If so, please change the name to: "the Nittany line without football" At least people should know what they are getting. I personally would be sad to never read your articles on football. I live in Israel with all that goes with it. A little proportion here.
Aluf

Anonymous said...

Jordan Norwood, if I were coaching you would be picking splinters out of your ass for the rest of the season from riding the bench. You would never see the field again.

Then thank goodness you're not the coach!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from Iowa...

Nice preface to saying Iowa didn't win the game, Penn State lost it. We lost to a pretty good team, on the road, on a cold, windy day, and with a foggy QB. That's football. The Hawkeyes are on scholarship too.

I officially hate both of you. So where do we go from here? "We" don't. What's left of this shell of a team moves on to try and win a Big Ten championship and I move on to other things.

Too bad you haven't learned anything from JoePa about handing defeat gracefully.

If I told you before the season that we had a chance to win our last two to go to the Rose Bowl, you'd have been ecstatic. Things didn't work out perfectly (they rarely do), but we still have to chance to win the Big Ten for the second time in four years, and that's something to be celebrated.

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty much in agreement with Galen. They totally and completely pooped the bed. There is no legitimate excuse for this loss. Joe-Pa refuses to hurt his quarterback's feelings and bench him when his performance definitely warrants it. He allows his idiotic son to call plays that a 5th grader playing Playstation wouldn't call, (and he calls them 10 times a game).
Quarless is the biggest disappointment since Austin Scott. Given the benefit of the doubt multiple times, yet continues to under-achieve.

Can somebody please explain to me why you would make Lydell Sergeant (who was quickly becoming a shut-down NFL corner) play 15 yards off the ball on what could be the last drive of the game? Is there some thing wrong with playing Man-Press?

Oh and was there some sort of mail-in rebate on time outs last week? Boy I sure am glad we saved those things, they really came in handy when......oh wait, crap, nevermind.

Galen said...

Timeouts aren't like cell phone minutes, they don't roll over.