Penn State Football: Bill O'Brien Will Disappoint Nittany Lions Fans

Bill O'Brien, given he's been an offensive coach for the New England Patriots since 2007, may seem like he's the right man for the Penn State coaching job, especially considering the school is being treated like Kryptonite these days.

But despite his NFL resume, he never had success at the college level. The last time he coached college, Duke went 1-22 with O'Brien as the offensive coordinator.

That's what makes Penn State's decision to hire him so odd, and seem so desperate.

On Thursday, Chris Mortensen of ESPN tweeted:

O'Brien hasn't had much success at all in the college ranks, dating all the way back to his days at Brown in 1993. He also has never been a head coach at any level.

Let's be clear: O'Brien hasn't just been a puppet on the Patriots with Tom Brady pulling the strings. But he still has been on an offense with Brady and Bill Belichick mainly in control. That's another reason why, despite being a part of the Patriots' success, he can't be given a ton of credit.

But his collegiate record speaks for itself. He never was able to find a head coaching gig in college because he didn't impress enough as a coach—period.

Perhaps by hiring a coach that is on the Patriots staff, Penn State thinks it can fool everybody on campus. That may be true, but it's not going to last long if the Nittany Lions start losing games.

On top of all of this, though, is that Penn State really needed a difference-maker after a nightmare year following former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky's arrest for allegedly sexually abusing young boys.

The school needed not only a positive influence, but a coach who could produce on the field and ease the sting of the scorn thrown at the football program.

Instead, Penn State hired someone who went 1-22 in his last two years coaching college ball.