In Defense of Joe Paterno

It is time for somebody to stand up and defend Joe Paterno around here. For reasons unknown, Paterno has been the recent subject of some blatant attack articles with little to no credibility backing them. Why? For the number of readers?

Blasting Joe Paterno because of his age has become as common as articles blasting the Big Ten. To some, the two go hand in hand.

The critics are quick to point out the style of football in the Big Ten that is sometimes referred to as archaic or old fashioned. Often those terms will be used to describe the styles of Joe Paterno but let us point out some of the common rants about Paterno and shoot them down once and for all.

Joe Paterno is old. Really? Who knew? Does that make him a bad coach? Not by a long shot. While his age is often used by competing coaches to deter recruits to going to Penn State Paterno will admit to the recruits' faces and their parents that he does not want a kid to come to Penn State to play for a legend. Paterno has been telling kids for years that he does not know how much longer he will be around.

It is not all about Joe Paterno. It never has been in his eyes and it never will be in his eyes. Did you know that Paterno makes a fraction of what other Big Ten coaches make? Compare his salary with some of the big name coaches in college football and you will be amazed.

Now consider that Paterno has a long history of donating a lot of his paycheck back to the university to fund academic scholarships, the campus library, and any number of other resources for students to use.

It is not Paterno's job to make NFL players. It is his job to help develop good men and nobody does it better on his level. Check to see how many of Penn State's football players graduate and then look to see how many academic All Americans he produces.

Paterno lacks control over his players. If you have watched a certain ESPN piece, then you probably feel that Paterno is letting the inmates run the prison. Enough of that! 

Paterno is always upset to learn that one of his players has committed a crime or performed other suspicious activity and he is not afraid to discipline him to the level he can. He has thrown players off the team. He has removed players from the starting lineup and made it hard for those players to return to the starting spot. Paterno will not sacrifice the character of his team for wins.

Paterno is behind the times. Because Paterno does not wear a headset is not a reason to believe that Paterno is out of touch. People should realize that coaching is done not just on Saturday but the rest of the week as well.

How do you think Paterno hurt his hip this year? He was trying to demonstrate what to do on an on-side kick in practice. Paterno preaches to his team all week and again on Saturday. The head coach's job is to make sure his game plan is being executed. It is up to the assistants and coordinators to perform those plans. If Paterno does not like what is going on, he will let them know about it.

Paterno does not recruit. Never mind the fact that Penn State is currently set up for a recruiting class that already ranks in the top 10 in the nation and could go up considerably with one or two more recruits committing to Penn State on signing day.

And look at the players that have come in and performed well in reestablishing Penn State as a force to be reckoned with. Maybe Penn State does not get the top players in the country, but when was the last time they did? Truth is they get players they need and do not sacrifice academic standards in the process.

If you want to bash Paterno, then go ahead. Just do not think that Paterno should retire just because he does not wear a headset, or he has coached from the booth, or because he is just old. The man has done a lot for college football and Penn State. He has touched many lives in ways we do not know about. The man is an icon in the sport and has earned the right to retire when he feels ready.

He is not immune to criticism though bu the fact is that the time to bash Paterno has passed. The team plays well again and is not the same school that struggled in the earlier part of the decade.

Would you fire or force retirement upon a coach who has put together 40 wins in the past four years, including two conference championships and two BCS bowl appearances and three bowl wins? Probably not, I am guessing.