Penn State Football: 10 Training Camp Priorities

Penn State opened up their camp last week and started increasing the intensity level right off the bat. While the lone injury being reported was that of the head coach, the tone for the season is being set now with harder practices than in past years.

It is a new era for the Big Ten and everybody is taking the opportunity to get off on the right foot this season, including Penn State. What should be the priorities for the Nittany Lions? Here are 10 areas to focus on before the start of the regular season.

1. Settle on a Starting Quarterback

Just about every position on the team appears to be pretty solid as camp is a few days in, but the quarterback situation once again takes center stage in State College.

Regardless of the news about Kevin Newsome (transferring) and Paul Jones (academically ineligible), this was always a two-person race between Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin. Joe Paterno said back before the Blue White Game that there was a 98 percent chance the starting job will go to one of the two players.

Bolden was named the starting quarterback prior to the 2010 season and he held onto the job until being knocked out of a game against Minnesota with concussion symptoms. Bolden sat out the following week against Michigan but he returned to the starting spot the following week against Northwestern. His time as the starter though failed to reach halftime when he was blindsided and fumbled the football. McGloin took over and was under center as Penn State rallied to give Paterno his 400th career victory.

McGloin started the rest of the season, including the Outback Bowl despite having moments that made fans scratch their heads. Bolden was turned off by not being given a chance to play a significant role and was public about a desire to transfer, but he entered camp last week as one of the favorites for the starting job in 2011.

Do not expect any decision on the starting job to be made anytime soon. The coaching staff has said numerous times that they will take their time in evaluating their options and the starter may not be named until the week of the season opener against Indiana State.

2. Create Stability on Offensive Line

The offensive line got better as the year progressed last season. One of the main problems in 2010 was the fact that they could not provide adequate protection for the running and passing game early on after having some players adjust to new positions. The line also loses a couple of quality players such as Stefen Wisniewski and Lou Eliades.

But before fans get overly concerned with the offensive line, consider this: The offensive line this season is projected to have three seniors along with a junior and rising sophomore. When offensive lines have more returning starters than not, good things usually happen. That could be the case this season for Penn State.

Seniors Quinn Barham, Chima Okoli and Johnnie Troutman will provide one side of the line with a veteran presence while Matt Stankiewich and John Urschel should fill out the remaining spots on the line. Another senior, De'Ontae Pannell, could also work into the mix on the offensive line, which could give Penn State four seniors in the trenches, and that could carry some weight for a offense that appears to have players capable of doing some good things this season.

Penn State's main offensive numbers have decreased in each of the last three seasons, going from 38.9 points per game and 449 yards per game in the Rose Bowl season of 2008 to 24.5 points per game and 372 yards per game in 2010. In that time frame, the offensive line has shuffled players all over. If they can get a solid line established early on, those numbers could curve back in the other direction this season.

3. Focus on Bringing Pressure from Defensive Line

Just as the offensive line needs to get on track early, so do their defensive counterparts. As camp opened up last week the defensive line was already down one man, a significant loss, with Pete Massaro suffering an ACL injury in spring practices. With Massaro gone for the year, the opportunity for a couple of younger players to break into the starting lineup has become a reality.

Jack Crawford had plenty of attention given to him leading into the 2010 season, but he battled nagging foot injuries down the stretch and became a non-factor. Those concerns continued into the spring so it remains to be seen just what kind of impact can be expected from him this season. Despite those concerns, Crawford was still named to the Hendricks Award watch list, which honors the nation's top defensive end in college football. No Penn State player has won the award since it was introduced in 2002.

Defensive tackle Devon Still came on strong at the end of the season and had a decent showing in the Outback Bowl, and he may be the centerpiece of the defensive line in 2011. In order for Still to be a legitimate threat on the line though, he will need to have a strong supporting cast. Maybe Crawford has a bounce-back season, but look for guys like Jordan Hill and Sean Stanley to prove what they can bring to the line this season. Hill recorded 36 tackles last year, more than double what Crawford ended up with in his injury-plagued season.

4. Get Tougher

Penn State was bullied around last year. Not only did Alabama, Iowa and Ohio State show an ability to push around Penn State, but schools like Michigan State, Illinois, Temple and Northwestern all showed that it was possible to control the tempo against Penn State. When schools like those come into Beaver Stadium and exploit weaknesses in Penn State, you know there is a serious problem.

With no disrespect intended toward any of those programs, most who have followed Penn State for a while now know that there was something different about the Nittany Lions last season. Whether it was confidence or tenacity, Penn State just did not have it in 2010.

With Alabama, Nebraska, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa all on the schedule this season, it is clear that Penn State needs to get tougher if they are to have a shot at winning any of those games.

That was the message that Joe Paterno was stressing as camp got underway. Players were found tweeting about how hard practice has been so far, and it certainly appears that a new attitude is being instilled in the team right from the start.

5. Prepare Silas Redd for Increased Workload

Silas Redd has many Penn State fans excited about the running game for the first time since Larry Johnson was lining up in the backfield and pursuing a 2,000-yard rushing season. Redd may not come close to that mark but the sophomore is expected to carry the bulk of the running game on his shoulders this season.

Redd is flying under the radar nationally but has everything it takes to start making a name for himself early on. The anticipated starter will take over the starting job from Evan Royster, Penn State's all-time leading rusher and even Royster believes his school record does not stand much chance as long as Redd stays healthy.

And that is the concern. Redd carried the ball 77 times last season compared to Royster's 208 carries. Will Redd be ready for the increased workload? Will he have a supporting cast with a bounce-back season from Stephfon Green and Brandon Beachum?

Redd is an important piece of the offensive puzzle for Penn State and if the offensive line is gelling early on, then Redd should be able to lead the offense on the ground. If he is ready for at least 150 carries, then Penn State should be in good shape.

6. Develop Justin Brown into Top Receiver

Wide receiver Justin Brown had just one touchdown in 2010 (against Ohio State) and was the third-leading receiver with 452 yards. This year his role figures to increase as a second option behind Derek Moye, Penn State's leading receiver in 2010.

With Brett Brackett no longer on the roster, it will be up to Brown to do a better job holding onto the football when it is thrown in his direction. Regardless of who the quarterback is, Brown's success will help take some of the pressure off of Moye to do it all in the passing game.

The good news is that Brown has already experienced plenty of time as a starting wide receiver and he started to have a solid second half of the season in 2010, paving the way for the next stage of his development.

Brown is expected to start this season for Penn State. He should be a dependable second option, and has potential to become a go-to receiver in the offense, but he will need to show he can be counted on more often in order to have that kind of role in 2011.

7. Ensure Secondary Is as Good as Hyped

The bar has been set for the Penn State defensive secondary. Once ESPN.com Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg named them the top secondary in the Big Ten the buzz was underway. Phil Steele also ranked Penn State's defensive backs as the top unit in the Big Ten's Leaders Division, showing that Rittenberg was not alone in having high praise for those players.

It is certainly easy to take a look at what Penn State has to offer in the backfield and come up with a reason to like them overall. Penn State has some good upperclassmen defending against the pass in cornerbacks D'Anton Lynn and Stephon Morris, hero Drew Astorino and free safety Nick Sukay, but they also have some players who could also fill in if needed with Chaz Powell and Derrick Thomas looking like suitable backups.

If Penn State's defensive line and linebackers are playing at their full potential, then the secondary becomes that much better because quarterbacks will be pressured to get rid of the ball and may not have an accurate pass lined up.

8. Stay Healthy

This one should go without saying, but it is vital to get out of training camp without any number of added injuries. The fact that the practices are reported to be harder than usual is good news, but if it ends up knocking out players before the first game it will be hurting the team more than it helps.

Last year cornerback Stephon Morris was the victim of a mild concussion. Pete Massaro has already been lost for the season. Jack Crawford was limited in spring practices due to his foot injury. 

So far, the only significant injury Penn State has experienced has been that of the head coach, who was run into by receiver Devon Smith on Sunday. Paterno was taken to the hospital where it was revealed he had hairline fractures in his pelvis and right arm. But Paterno will be back on the practice field on Wednesday.

Maybe that has something to do with his message to the rest of the team to get tough this year.

9. Stay out of Trouble off the Field

The NCAA world has been polluted by a number of off-the-field problems over the last year. Players from North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Ohio State, Auburn, Oregon and more have been linked to a variety of issues that have had at least some kind of impact on their respective programs.

Fortunately for Penn State, none of those problems have been creeping up in or around State College for as long as Joe Paterno has been the head coach. But that is not to say Penn State's players are free from making negative headlines. A number of police incidents have been reported over the last few years and while many have been somewhat minor infractions according to the legal system, they have been added headaches for Paterno and the coaching staff and team.

Paterno does not take kindly to infractions out of his control and is not afraid to take any required disciplinary action, but if the team truly wants to achieve success with honor, they should be doing the right things once practice is done for the day. Focus on staying in good shape and don't put yourself in harm's way or in a bad position in the late-night hours.

Nothing good ever comes from being out late when you are a college football player.

10. Set the Goal Now

Things are a little bit different this year. The path to a Big Ten championship is much different than it used to be, and for the first time in conference history every school has a fair chance to win an outright conference championship.

For Penn State, the goal should not only be to improve from a seven-win season, but aim for making a trip to Indianapolis, the site of the Big Ten Football Championship Game, and returning with the trophy, which is named in part after their own head coach. Not that this is not the ultimate goal every season, but with the dawning of a new era in the Big Ten, the energy around the conference has increased. Win five division games and you are guaranteed a spot in Indianapolis.

Every school is starting with that goal, but only two will achieve it. Why can't Penn State be one of those teams?

Set the tone now with a rough camp, come out firing on all cylinders in the first couple of weeks and maybe even score an upset against Alabama at home. Do that and the Big Ten schedule plays in their favor, although the final two games of the season could be tricky, but it is a long season.

Related Links

• Penn State Football: Predicting the Offensive Depth Chart
• Penn State Football: The Seven Best Offensive Players
• Penn State Football: Twitter's Top 10 Reasons Rob Bolden Deserves Another Chance
• Penn State Football: Joe Paterno Takes a Licking, Keeps On Ticking

Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Google+ and Twitter. Become a fan of him on Facebook.