Penn State Football: Spring Cleaning for Bill O'Brien

Spring is known as a time of rebirth. Flowers bloom, grass has a fresh aroma and people take time to clean up their homes. For football programs, though, spring is when work begins for the upcoming season.

At Penn State, it is an opportunity to embrace a fresh start—in more ways than one. Bill O'Brien is the new head coach in charge and he remains focused on just worrying about what is in front of him now, rather than reflect on what happened before his arrival.

"First of all, I have no idea what they did in the past," O'Brien said Wednesday during the Big Ten's annual spring coaches conference call. "I have a lot of respect for what went on here before, but I don't know anything about what they did offensively."

Offense, of course, is what O'Brien will concentrate most of his coaching energies. After years as an offensive assistant coach in the ACC and SEC, as well as as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, expectations are high moving forward with him at the helm.

"All I can tell you is that usually when you put in a new system, the running game comes along a little faster than the passing game because there's different terminology and different protections." The quarterback position remains up in the air, but the basic theme across the board is that everyone has a clean slate with the new coaching staff.

"Of course, everything is new," O'Brien said Wednesday. "The terminology is new. The coaching styles are new. The tempo might be different. Things that we stress might be different than what they stressed before. I have no idea. All I know is that it is new. That is what change is all about. These guys have embraced it and they are doing the best job they can to this point."

Penn State is not the only program undergoing significant change within the program this spring. Elsewhere in the Big Ten Ohio State and Illinois are each transitioning to new head coaches, with Urban Meyer in Columbus and Tim Beckman in Champaign Wisconsin, two-time reigning Big Ten champions, still have Bret Bielema but are working with a slew of new assistant coaches after Paul Chryst left Madison to take the head-coaching job at Pittsburgh.

"I know that this is a great conference with a lot of great coaches and great players so it will be a huge challenge for us next fall," O'Brien said.

Quotes provided by Penn State Athletics.

Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast, managing editor of Nittany Lions Den and a member of the Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook and add him to your Google+ circle.