Penn State Football: Tom Bradley's Dream Job Is Bittersweet

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley was named the interim head coach after the dismissal of legendary, now maligned, head coach Joe Paterno. Although this is a dream job, it comes with a heavy heart for the Penn State lifer.

"I have no reservations about taking this job," Bradley said while addressing the media Thursday.

"I take this job with very mixed emotions due to the situation at hand," Bradley said. "I will proceed in the matter that Penn State expects. I met with the players last night and today and told them that the expectations will remain."

For Bradley this is no easy task, but he is well qualified for what will be asked of him for the remainder of the season, for however long that may be.

Bradley has spent the past three decades within the program, learning what Penn State is really about on and off the field. He has established himself as one of the top defensive coaches in the country and has long been mentioned as a head coaching candidate for numerous jobs. Though he never landed a head coaching job somewhere else, it was only a matter of time before he embraced the opportunity.

"Back in 1999, it was an opportunity when Coach Sandusky was retiring and Coach Paterno asked if I would like to be the Defensive Coordinator," Bradley recalled. "It was a very different emotion back then.  I was excited. It was a challenge. This one comes with very, very mixed emotions."

Bradley will have three games to lead Penn State to attempt to finish what they started. At 8-1 and 5-0 in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions need to win two of their next three games to get in to the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis. While there is a dark cloud floating above the university and the football program, Bradley will be just the man to keep things moving forward as far as football is concerned.

"They know what they have to get done; I expect them to come out and play a good hard football game," Bradley said. "They’ve prepared themselves; they’ve worked awfully hard, and I would be disappointed if they didn’t."

Bradley will rely on his players to avoid distractions and take the lead.

"We have great leadership on this football team," Bradley said Thursday. "Once again, when I spoke to them this morning, it is their team. They are not here for me. I am trying to help them be as good as they can possibly be, and that is the direction we are going. If there is any problem, they will be focused. My job is to make sure they stay focused. Obviously, they have had a tremendous amount of distractions over the past week. It is a very resilient group. They will come to play on Saturday."

Penn State will play their first game without their iconic coach, Joe Paterno, on Saturday. The Bradley Era may be short lived, with sweeping changes expected. But while football is down on the list of priorities for Penn State to begin a healing process, Bradley will take on a role that even Paterno never experienced.

And it will be important.

All quotes provided by Penn State Athletics. Follow Kevin McGuire's Penn State coverage on Twitter.