Penn State Football: 5 Best and 5 Worst Offseason Developments
It has been a busy offseason in college football and the Big Ten (mostly in Columbus), so you may have forgotten what has been going on at Penn State from time to time.
There was the months-long Rob Bolden Watch, some positive and not so positive injury news during spring football and Joe Paterno taking his recruiting chores online. And yes, what happened out at Ohio State does have an impact on Penn State and the rest of the Big Ten, but we will have to wait and see just how it all plays out.
Here is a brief look at five of the best and worst developments out of State College this offseason.
Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Twitter @KevinOnCFB.
Good: Robert Bolden on Campus
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We know now that Rob Bolden is on campus and prepared to work out with the football team this summer. Following months of speculation and curiosity, the idea that he could be on his way out of the Penn State program can be put to rest, for now.
Bolden is expected to compete for the starting job at quarterback with Matt McGloin. The two shared the duties last season, which led to many debates over which player is best suited for the job. We could be in for another round of debates this fall.
Bad: Robert Bolden Drama
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Rob Bolden's drawn out saga over his decision to stay or transfer was a bit distracting, and there is still no guarantee that Bolden will stick around in 2012. If he sees time on the sideline again this season could he reopen the idea of transferring?
What does this all mean for Paul Jones, who now seems to be buried on a depth chart for 2011 and who knows how much longer?
Good: Joe Paterno Using Skype
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Who says you can not teach an old dog new tricks? Joe Paterno has been using Skype this offseason to talk to recruits, and judging by the photo shared by his son Jay on Twitter, he is doing so in style.
It is good to see a legend adapt to today's technology in an area of the coaching world that he is often criticize for (recruiting). We don't expect to see Paterno whip out a BlackBerry or iPad any time soon. Let us know when he puts on a headset. Then we'll pay attention.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Bad: No Sign of Paterno Retirement
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This is a bit of a touchy subject but it has enough negatives about it to bring it up.
Paterno, entering his final season under contract at Penn State, has said he intends to coach for a few more years, something he has been saying for a couple decades now, but as he enters his mid-80s you have to wonder just where Penn State is heading.
Nobody wants to be the guy to tell Paterno he is done, but a plan should start to be formed now within the athletic department. Can Paterno be trusted to give the administration enough notice to prepare to execute their succession plan?
Good: Silas Redd Studies Game Film
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Sophomore running back Silas Redd has enough talent to get Pen State fans excited about the future of the running game, but word that he spends time watching film of past legendary running backs says a lot about his character.
Redd has been known to tweet his instant reactions to watching players like Curt Warner and Franco Harris as well as Waltor Payton on Twitter. The more often we see those comments, the more energized fans get knowing that one of their top players is learning by watching some of the top players at the position.
Bad: Jack Crawford Still Not 100 Percent
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Jack Crawford entered 2010 with some high expectations. Perhaps the expectations that Crawford would be the next Jared Odrick or even Aaron Maybin were over zealous, but Crawford had many people thinking he would be a factor on the defensive line.
Injuries had other plans for Crawford, who saw his season hindered from start to finish it seemed because of them. Crawford's health has been an issue in spring ball as he continued to work his way back on to the field. Crawford was held out of the spring game, and not because of the weather.
Will he be ready to go in 2011?
Good: Brandon Beachum Shines in Spring
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With Silas Redd and Stephfon Green ready to go out of the backfield in 2011 it was easy to overlook Brandon Beachum. Shame on us.
Beachum has come back looking pretty solid this offseason as he recovers from his own injuries from the 2009 season. If he is healthy Penn State will have three running backs of leading the running game, and that could be one of the more underrated aspects of the offense.
Bad: Pete Massaro Sidelined Again
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Defensive end Pete Massaro just can not seem to catch a break. For the second time in his collegiate career Masaro has been sidelined for the entire season before it ever came close to starting. An ACL injury to the opposite leg he suffered during the 2009 Blue White Game.
Massaro's loss is a significant one as the defensive line is looking to find some healthy players ready to shore up the defense up front.
Good: Ohio State Turmoil
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From an outsider's point of view, everything that has gone down at Ohio State has been an amusing sequence of events. In a matter of months we have seen Ohio State's image tarnished, the head coach resign, and the quarterback with an ego leave the program and hire Drew Rosenhaus to start his NFL career.
Ohio State has been through a lot over the past few months and there could be more to come with possible NCAA sanctions falling down from the top. Everybody in the Big Ten seems to think that the time to jump on the Buckeyes is right now. Can Penn State take advantage of an unfortunate situation in Columbus?
Bad: Ohio State Turmoil
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Interim head coach at Ohio State, Luke Fickell, says he will have the football team focusing on moving on and coming together to rally in 2011. If he succeeds, that could be bad news for the rest of the Big Ten.
There is no question that Ohio State's players are ready to prove to the rest of the country that they are still a very good team and one that should worry other teams on a weekly basis. The Buckeyes still have plenty of talent on the roster, and they will get some key players back in time for Big Ten play. If the Buckeyes can weather the storm early on they could still be the team to beat in the Leaders Division, and the Big Ten.
So the team we see travel to Miami in week two could be drastically better, and improved, by the time Penn State visits Columbus in mid-November.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
