Penn State Football: 10 Things We Learned from the Tom Bradley Press Conference

Penn State interim head coach Tom Bradley addressed a variety of different questions at his press conference this afternoon, concerning everything from the current attitude of his team to the future of the program.

Bradley divulged a lot of key information during his meeting with the media today.

Here are the 10 main things we learned from the coach's press conference.

Tom Bradley Has Talked with Luke Fickell

During the press conference, Bradley mentioned that he had spoken to Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell. The two friends are in similar positions, as far as being unexpectedly thrown into a head coaching position and taking over a team amid scandal.

While Ohio State’s Jim Tressel-Terrelle Pryor mess can’t even begin to compare to the type of scandal that Penn State is facing, Fickell likely gave a few words of encouragement and advice to Bradley when the two spoke.

The difference between Bradley and Fickell is that the Ohio State coach had a whole offseason to prepare for his role as head coach, while Bradley had about two days between being promoted and coaching his first game.

Fickell even joked with Bradley: “'At least I got my start in May.”

Fickell’s 10 games of experience will definitely be an edge for Ohio State this week.

During Fickell's weekly press conference he had this to say about the similarities between the two situations, "Not the exact time frame or exact situation, but you have to go with what you've got. Like we've said, life isn't fair. It's not about me or putting my stamp on the team. He's going to do what he feels is best for his team."

Bradley Is Not Worried About Players' Safety/Security

During their conversation on Monday, Luke Fickell assured Tom Bradley that the players would have no problems with safety and security.

The Horseshoe is one of the most hostile environments in college football, as you have over 102,000 screaming fans surrounding you.

It will surely be an intimidating environment for Penn State, and it’s one that the team has struggled with in recent years, but hopefully Buckeyes fans show the proper respect to the players who had nothing to do with the horrific scandal.

There may be a few signs that are made in poor taste, but from the sound of it, the players should have no concerns about their safety.

Bradley Did Not Watch the Jerry Sandusky Interview

Last night, Bob Costas conducted a strange and surreal interview with Jerry Sandusky, the former assistant coach at the center of this sex abuse scandal, for NBC’s Rock Center.

During the interview, Sandusky declared his innocence, but admitted that he had touched and showered with a few young boys in the past.

Bradley said he didn’t watch the interview, which is understandable given the circumstances.

In a strange twist of irony, Bradley is the man who replaced Sandusky as defensive coordinator when he retired back in 1999.

Bradley has said that his main focus this week is on Ohio State, and the coaches have been staying late at the facilities preparing, so it doesn’t come as a shock that he missed interview.

Bill Kavanaugh Is the New Recruiting Coordinator

Tom Bradley announced that Bill Kavanaugh will replace Mike McQueary, who has been put on paid administrative leave, as the new recruiting coordinator.

Kavanaugh is a graduate assistant who served as one of McQueary’s recruiting assistants before the promotion.

Many are wondering if Penn State will be able to keep its 2012 recruiting class—currently 15 commitments—intact in the wake of the scandal, but putting Kavanaugh in charge, a guy who has already developed a relationship and a bond with many of the recruits, is definitely a smart move.

Bradley Had a Conference Call with Recruits

Pertaining to recruiting, Tom Bradley said he and the staff held a conference call with all Penn State commits and their parents to discuss what’s been going on and answer any questions they may have.

It’s good to see Bradley reaching out to the recruits at this time and keeping them engaged with the program, but it’s likely that at least a few of them will end up decommitting, depending on who ultimately ends up being hired as the next head coach.

Matt McGloin Will Be the Starting Quarterback

When the topic of Penn State’s starting quarterback came up, Tom Bradley definitively said that Matt McGloin will be the starter against Ohio State.

The offense has struggled with McGloin at the helm these past few weeks, and the junior signal-caller only completed 47 percent of his passes in last week’s loss to Nebraska.

But Bradley has faith in McGloin, and since Rob Bolden has basically been a non-factor lately, the offense is going to have to rely on him to get things turned around and start putting points up on the board.

McGloin completed only 50 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions in a 38-14 loss to Ohio State last season.

Penn State Will Go to a Bowl Game

There was talk that Penn State may not be allowed to go to a bowl game this year, but Tom Bradley put those rumors to rest when he said that he had been informed that the team would be eligible for a bowl.
 
Since they’re currently sitting atop the Leaders division, the Nittany Lions still have a shot to win the Big Ten championship and make it to the Rose Bowl, but if they don’t, it will be interesting to see if any bowl officials are hesitant to invite them after all that’s gone on.

It will be interesting to see how the Big Ten bowl pecking order shapes up, and if Penn State ultimately gets passed over in favor of another Big Ten team.

There Will Be a Season Next Year

During the press conference, Tom Bradley revealed that he has been assured that there will be a season next year.

Some have been calling for Penn State to get the Death Penalty or at least suspend operations for a season, but since there were no NCAA violations committed, that won’t happen unless the university voluntarily imposes its own sanctions on the program, which, from what Bradley said, isn’t going to happen.

While some may want the Penn State football program to be punished for what happened, since this is a legal matter and not an athletics matter, there’s really nothing the NCAA can do.

Bradley Doesn’t Know His Future

While Bradley has been assured that Penn State will play football next year, he has no indication about whether or not he will be the head coach.

A lot could depend on how the team finishes the season, and ultimately what type of candidates show interest in the job in the offseason, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Bradley could be the future head coach of the program.

It’s not all that likely, though, since the school will probably want to cut ties with everyone that was associated with the Joe Paterno regime.

No Interviews with Players This Week

Tom Bradley has made players off limits to the media this week, and understandably so.

It’s obvious that reporters would only be asking about the scandal surrounding Penn State and not about the upcoming game against Ohio State.

Bradley wants to keep his players focused on the task at hand as best he can, and shielding them from prodding from the media is a wise decision.