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Posts Tagged ‘Penn State’

Roman Pops Up on Penn State’s Radar

The more you know about Greg Roman the more you like, beginning with the fact that he’s now been a finalist for two B.C.S. conference jobs over the last two seasons. The first was Vanderbilt, which was looking for an offensive-minded, energetic, young coach to replace interim head coach Robbie Caldwell, a one-year replacement for Bobby Johnson. The Commodores went with James Franklin — hard, if not impossible, to quibble with that choice — but loved Roman, as did Pittsburgh, which interviewed Roman for its own open position last winter.

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    My 2011 Defensive All-American Ballot

    Picking all-American teams isn’t easy, believe it or not. You only have so many slots to fill: 11 starters on a defense, 11 players you can pick. So it’s only natural that a player or two — or three, or four — fall by the wayside, and for every 11 players you pick for your team it’s only natural that there are at least another 11 players worthy of heavy consideration. There is no second-team on a voters’ ballot; just 11 guys, and pick ‘em as you see ‘em. I filled out the defensive half of my all-American ballot yesterday — three days late for the deadline, so it may not even count. Here are the picks:

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      Prayer to Put Things In Perspective

      The circumstances surrounding the moment does, in fact, detract from the moment itself. There’s no escape: football doesn’t matter in State College, not when held against all that has occurred over the last seven days. That’s doesn’t mean it wasn’t a magical moment, perhaps the most memorable moment of this or any college football season. It was, even if you had to stop and remind yourself that yes, there are bigger issues at stake. But that there were these overriding issues may have, in a way, made the moment all the more memorable.

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        A Prescient Look Ahead Needs an Update

        Many questions remain unanswered. Not all will be answered; some will remain unknown, as while countless rocks will be overturned there’s no way to truly get to the bedrock of the allegations that have knocked Penn State to its knees. This bedrock involves a violation of the university’s core values, a sort of shattering of the ethics and standards which governed Penn State long before Joe Paterno took charge of the football program in 1966. In the search for answers, those with ties to the university need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and attempt to answer the most difficult question: Was all this — our view of ourselves, our university, our community — a lie?

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          Just What to Do About Nebraska

          At some point over the next 24 hours, Penn State needs to decide what to do about Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are coming: they’re coming fast, but the team itself is not the issue. The issue for Penn State is whether to play at all, as the university could very well opt to forego not just Saturday’s date with Nebraska but the final four or five games that remain on the 2011 schedule. And if Penn State does decide to play on Saturday, can the game even be held in Happy Valley?

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            It’s Still O.K. to Cheer. You’re Allowed.

            You’ve resigned yourself to the following truths:

            Penn State will never be the same again; what we think of Penn State will never be the same again, more correctly.

            What happens from here on out takes a backseat to all that has come to light in Happy Valley.

            The 2011 season has taken on an entirely different feel.

            For a few of us, college football itself may never be the same again.

            For all of us, the search for distractions has never been more vital.

            I can tell you four things with certainty: one, it’s important to never forget what has happened at Penn State, those whose lives were changed and those who did nothing to stop the atrocities; two, I’m not sure you could forget if you tried; three, there are stories happening in college football worthy of your distraction; and four, and most importantly, it’s O.K. to cheer. You can be a fan again, even if Happy Valley remains first and foremost in your mind.

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              A Roar, A Riot, A Time for a Clean Break

              The Penn State University Board of Trustees could have avoided the damage and destruction by simply scheduling last night’s press conference in the morning, but beware: putting difficult decision off for another day, one might say, is what put the university here in the first place. So the Board met, announcing that it would have a press conference at 10 p.m., and trustees don’t open up discussions to the media at that time of night to merely read the night’s minutes. What had to be done had to be done, and the riots and anger — which went long into the night — are merely the byproduct of a thousands-strong clique that, somehow, can’t see the forest for the trees.

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                Would You Shed a Tear for the Players?

                But what about the players? These are student-athletes who did nothing wrong, and we can say that with a high degree of certainty; we can’t say the same of several key administrative figures at Penn State, including Joe Paterno. Silas Redd did nothing wrong here, nor did Matt McGloin or Drew Astorino, and not playing against Nebraska on Saturday — or ending the season altogether — would penalize those in Happy Valley who seem the least culpable in the developments that have rocked Penn State to its core. It would be a shame, but if the 2011 Nittany Lions are collateral damage in the university’s quest to rebuild its tarnished reputation, should we really shed a tear?

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                  The Countdown

                  A bottom-to-top assessment of the F.B.S. landscape heading into the 2011 season.