Who Lurks?

Bill O'Brien is the head football coach at Penn State.

And, as a Penn State alumnus, I think it was a good choice. He was the best coach available that wanted the job.

Here are some reasons why I believe this is true ...

1. If the scandal had not occurred, then Tom Bradley would have likely been the head football coach (full time) heading into the 2012 Regular Season. Joe Paterno is dealing with serious health issues, and I believe he would have walked away after the 2011-2012 season. The Penn State staff would have remained intact, but Paterno was/is done. And that staff would have deserved the job, because at the time of the scandal they were the top Big 10 team (by record) - and I honestly believe they would have played Michigan State for the Big 10 title, and finished the season with only 2 or 3 losses if you include the bowl game. [Note: Penn State was 8-1 before the scandal, with the lone loss being to Alabama in a non-conference home game. Granted, all of their big games were at the end of the season.] However, that being said ...

2. Bill O'Brien is a better hire than Tom Bradley. I'm a firm believer in bringing in new energy, hiring "outside" of the family, and rolling the dice with someone who brings a different perspective. Bill O'Brien is that person for Penn State. He'll retain enough of Paterno's staff to keep the recruiting train moving, but he'll bring some much-needed modernization of the offense to the team. I also think Bill O'Brien has a much better "presence" than Tom Bradley. He is a big, confident, and well-spoken person. And, even with the questions over and over about the scandal, he has always talked about moving forward.

3. If the allegations against Sandusky are true (and I believe they are), then he and his family need to get a grip on reality and Sandusky needs to "fall on his sword." Let the victims and their families get on with the healing process, don't make them testify, etc. [If Sandusky is innocent, then he obviously needs to fight the allegations with all of his resources, but again I don't believe he is innocent.]

4. Joe Paterno is probably 2-3 years away from death (given that he is 85 and dealing with cancer). I wish him a long and healthy retirement. He needs to spend some time with the grandkids and perhaps travel - once he beats cancer. In 10-15 years his legacy will not be stained with Sandusky, because after Paterno dies, then he will generate more sympathy, etc. But he needs to realize he will not generate that sympathy while he is still alive. [Note: This could obviously change if it comes out that he knew more about the incidents than he let on to the police, grand jury, and media.]

5. Former Penn State players (particularly LaVar Arrington) need to shut up. Bill O'Brien is the best coach Penn State could hire. I'm not particularly interested in Arrington (and former players) because they represent such a small part of Penn State. Penn State is one of the largest schools in the USA, and according to some sources has the largest alumni association, etc. etc. Which leads me to my next point ...

6. Penn State will be fine. Is this a hurdle to jump over? Yes. Were the right people fired? *Yes. (More on that in a minute.) Will the alumni support the university and team? Yes. Former players may get more TV time on ESPN, but there are plenty of CEOs and Board Members who write the big checks - and those people all understand that Paterno (and most of his staff) had to go.

7. Do I believe Paterno should have been fired? I am still contemplating this issue. At first, I thought he should be allowed to resign at the end of the season (and I thought he was going to anyway). But once he was fired, then I realized that perhaps it was the best move (considering what he knew from the Grand Jury Testimony, etc.).

However, Jim Boeheim is still the coach at Syracuse (and he even called the potential victims of that scandal liars, etc.) - and I don't see anyone asking for his resignation? So perhaps Joe Paterno being fired that quickly (before all the facts are out - which will take years - if ever) was a mistake, but it wasn't a big mistake. Here's why:

• i) Penn State was getting killed by the press. Firing all of the individuals allowed the organization to save some face.
• ii) Penn State's football team was in contention for the Big 10 title, but was not a 'lock' to win it, and Penn State (the university) needed to show that football wasn't #1 when it came to these crucial administrative issues.
• iii) In basic statistical theory, there are two types of error. One (the type everyone understands) is incorrectly keeping a bad apple. The second (the false-positive) is incorrectly tossing a good apple. Penn State's Board of Trustees opted to live with the second kind of error, knowing they could not be called to task for making the first kind of error (by the media, alumni, fans, etc.). Thus, Penn State may have incorrectly fired Paterno (and perhaps we will never know), but no one can say they didn't act!
  

8. So where does this leave Penn State's football team? I say, Penn State will be an above-average Big 10 team. I'm thinking in a 10-year cycle, the expectations of Penn State football should be:

• one or more Big 10 titles
• three or more Big 10 title game appearances
• two or more 10 win seasons, four or more 9 win seasons [counting bowl game]
• no more than one season of 6-6 or worse

9. McQuery is (and was) in a horrible situation. He was a graduate assistant (which if that makes him a student - it means that he had special laws pertaining to him) and the whistle-blower of this entire situation for that one victim (read the grand jury report for issues related to the other victims). I don't know how I would have reacted if I were in that situation, and I pray I never have to find out.

10. McQuery and Paterno will lose in the eyes of the media and public, but they legally met their obligations. They told their boss (or boss's boss) - who is also in charge of Penn State's police. Penn State (like most universities) has its own police force; thus, (in legal terms) they did tell the police. It may not have been an "official" report, but I don't see how they can be held legally responsible for any of this mess. (They may be responsible of some moral issues, but that is another matter.)

11. I do believe this is a cover-up issue that goes beyond Penn State. I wouldn't be surprised if (when it is all said and done) this goes a lot higher up the political food-chain than what we've seen so far. How Sandusky wasn't charged back in the 90's (read the grand jury report) when he admitted on a tapped telephone to a mother that he showered with her teenage son --- is beyond my comprehension. Even if he is tried (in a trial) and acquitted, there is no way he is working with Second Mile, Penn State, or getting near a kid if he is even charged with a crime in that situation. Someone(s) dropped the ball 15-20 years ago ... and unfortunately it has impacted many more victims.

12. Where I work and live - I may be the only Penn State alumnus that people encounter on a routine basis. And a lot of them have asked me what I think about the situation ... and my one word answer is "disgusted."

13. Ending on a positive note and getting back to Bill O'Brien ... I think he was the best coach available, and I think he'll do well. If he is 10-20% as good as the previous Brown University graduate head coach, then Penn State (university) and Penn State (football) will be just fine!