Penn State Football: 5 Weakest Positions to Worry About

With spring practice and the Blue White Game in the books, the time to assess what Penn State's strengths and weaknesses are now. What was put on display last Saturday in Beaver Stadium revealed just a glimpse of what was to come, with Bill O'Brien saying that the plays shown represented just a fraction of the playbook he intends on utilizing in the fall.

Today we take a closer look at which positions on the team are most worth getting nervous about.

Let's start with the most obvious, shall we?

Quarterback

Not to be a dead horse, but the quarterback position is under the brightest of spotlights leading up to the 2012 football season. With the three viable candidates in Rob Bolden, Matt McGloin and Paul Jones all getting a chance to play in the Blue White Game, none were able to really place their name in the pole position heading in to the summer.

McGloin will probably be considered the favorite at this point, even though Bill O'Brien has said before he is not taking into account anything that happened before he arrived. McGloin seems to be the most capable of picking up and adjusting to a playbook, and that could be what eventually separates McGloin from Jones and Bolden.

Jones is still considered by many to be the savior for the position at this point, but his spring game performance did not do too much to establish him as a clear favorite.

Bolden's performance was rough, but even after throwing three interceptions in the spring game, Bolden was not lacking in confidence after the game, saying he feels the starting job should be his.

Cornerback

Aside from the quarterback position, Penn State fans should be rather concerned about the secondary positions on defense. In fact, the defensive backfield may even be more of a concern for Penn State once the season gets started. The team lost three starting players to graduation, and Chaz Powell is leaving one starting job at defensive back vacant.

Fortunately, Penn State has Stephon Morris back and ready to man one side of the field, but who will fill the other side, and perhaps take on the bigger or taller wide receivers in the Big Ten?

Morris can be a decent player, but his size is lacking compared to some of the elite receivers in the Big Ten.

The good news for the secondary is the defensive line and linebackers should be able to take off some of the pressure, but as was shown in the TicketCity Bowl against Houston, Penn State's defense is a target to throw all over with the right players throwing and catching.

Tight End

Much has been made about how the tight end position is going to be a key to Bill OBrien's offense, but the question remains whether or not the players on the roster are ready to take the offensive scheme by the horns.

More importantly, will they remain healthy?

"That's a very important part of what we're going to do offensively," O'Brien said of the position and its importance in the offense. "The more you have, the more difficult it is on a defense."

Penn State will have some options to work with at tight end this season, with Garry Gilliam looking to be healthy and ready to play a role and Kevin Haplea and Jesse James hoping to do the same under O'Brien's play-calling and tutorship.

Safety

Like the defensive backs, Penn State was decimated at the safety position after last season's departures. Replacing Drew Astorino and Nick Sukay—a couple of players who had plenty of playing time in the backfield—is no envious task for any team, especially for one working in a new defensive coordinator.

Penn State opened some eyes a the Blue White Game by playing Adrian Amos at the safety position, a move showing that Amos seems to be more than open to if it means getting a chance to play.

Amos had been playing at corner for Penn State before this spring, but Amos says the safety position is more natural to him and he is ready to play whatever position is asked of him, according to Greg Pickel of The Patriot-News.

Offensive Line

All spring long we have seen multiple stories about the new strength and conditioning program at Penn State, and how the offensive line has seen some of best results. So when the Blue White Game was played, naturally there was some attention placed on the production of the offensive line.

Quite frankly, the anticipation was built up a little more than it should have been.

Penn State's offensive line—widely considered a weak unit in recent years—gave up a number of sacks to the defensive linemen that had been singing the praises of the counterparts in the trenches all spring.

As time goes by and the training continues, the offensive line will continue to get stronger and more cohesive, so that is the bright spot looking forward to the fall. New offensive line coach Mac McWhorter has also established a pretty solid track record, but the success of the entire team may actually start and end with the offensive line.

If the offensive line is shaky, then the running game will be hurt and quarterbacks will be rushed under more pressure. 

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.