Penn State gets their man...

[coachcap]

Bill O'Brien, off. coordinator of the Patriots, agrees to accept the head coaching job At Mount Nittany.

 

[upstater]

Underwhelmned. I'm a Patritos fan. Not a fan of O'Brien. I predicted Munchak or Tom Bradley. Since Munchak wasn't coming, should have given it to Bradley.

Well, at the very least, they'll be throwing the ball constantly.

 

[Sean]

Stunning to me that they'd let this guy coach in the playoffs for the Pats first.

 

[B1GEast]

Meh. Penn St fans not happy at all. Wonder how it will affect their recruits.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Stunning to me that they'd let this guy coach in the playoffs for the Pats first.

Something tells me that PSU wasn't negotiating out of a position of strength on this one. They were more than happy to have found any one willing to take that job right now.

Being the first coach to follow a legend is hard enough. Following a fallen legend and an uncertain future is exponentially more difficult.

 

[upstater]

Stunning to me that they'd let this guy coach in the playoffs for the Pats first.

That's how it works in the NFL. You don't leave your pro team in the lurch. Remember, in the NFL, there are no recruiting periods. That's reason #1 why college coaches abandon their players. Notre Dame allowed Charlie Weis to coach the Patriots well into February--that was a Super Bowl year for the Patriots.

 

[B1GEast]

He better keep Larry Johnson at some capacity just for recruiting, but I doubt he will, the BOT most likely told him to get rid of everyone and if that's the case say good bye to the 2012 class.

 

[huskyblooz]

You dont want to be the guy who follows Paterno . You want to be the guy who follows the guy who follows Paterno.
Has he ever been a Head Coach at any level? Now he is thrust into a the national spotlight answering so many non-football questions.
The media is already looking for dirt on him. The guy BETTER be squeaky clean.

 

[noeynox]

Something tells me that PSU wasn't negotiating out of a position of strength on this one. They were more than happy to have found any one willing to take that job right now.

Being the first coach to follow a legend is hard enough. Following a fallen legend and an uncertain future is exponentially more difficult.

Agreed. It will be allot easier for PSU to bring in a big name coach to follow Obrien. PSU to could not have been an easy sell given the circumstances.

 

[upstater]

He better keep Larry Johnson at some capacity just for recruiting, but I doubt he will, the BOT most likely told him to get rid of everyone and if that's the case say good bye to the 2012 class.

Larry Johnson and almost all the key coaches joined PSU in the 2000s, after Sandusky had left. Tom Bradley was one of the few who were there before.

 

[FDNY99]

This hire is not good for PSU what so ever! When a high profile alumni who was qb on a national champ team questions it in national tv...doesn't bode well for overall alumni support at all! He was OC at Duke and won 1 game in 2 yrs...now he is gonna carry the NE Patriot OC/DC curse as a head coaching failure. Let's hope we can pick up our recruiting against PSU the next couple of years. Things were bad enough in Happy Valley...this hire makes them worse in terms of donations and season ticket sales! My bet is he is fired in 3-4 seasons.

 

[Dann]

i think this may be good news for us. in both recruting and building a program.

 

[B1GEast]

Larry Johnson and almost all the key coaches joined PSU in the 2000s, after Sandusky had left. Tom Bradley was one of the few who were there before.

yeah, but I get the feeling that the BOT wants to purge everything and start new

 

[UCHuskies08]

/care

 

[kibblesnbits]

Larry Johnson and almost all the key coaches joined PSU in the 2000s, after Sandusky had left. Tom Bradley was one of the few who were there before.

That's after Sandusky was no longer on the payroll, not that he left. He had an office in the building and was around frequently. He was a legendary coach in a small town - it's not like he was someone that the entire staff didn't know and rarely saw.

In the end is it fair to tar all of the staff with the same brush? Probably not, but given the horrific events that were covered up (either by omission or commission), the BoT has probably decided that a scorched earth policy is best to distance themselves from the past.

 

[traitor71]

I guess LaCanfora had good information after all. It's unfortunate for this guy that he's being doubted publicly as you would hope that Penn State fans would realize the spot they are in but if he wins a few games right away I am sure they will warm up to him.

 

[gioff23]

He will be to PSU what Shula was to Alabama - clean things up, don't step on your *&^%, win a few games, and we'll find our Nick Saban come 2014.

This is a real opportunity for this staff to take advantage of what should be a diminshed PSU in the short term. Let's start with Golden!

 

[ZooCougar]

This thread is titled unfortunately.

 

[FDNY99]

Listening to Bill King on Sirius...just had Phil Steele on. He said that this hire will hurt PSU in recruiting for at least the next 3-4 years unless the Patriots win the Super Bowl this year. His lack of experience, not having any attachment to the PSU program, and his personality won't help him with alumni/fan base. Let's hope we can take advantage of this recruiting wise!

 

[ktuck911]

Honestly, from the sounds of things guys, Edsall might've been a better option... (ha ha ha)

 

[FDNY99]

Honestly, from the sounds of things guys, Edsall might've been a better option... (ha ha ha)

I agree Ktuck...best line from a reporter...Ron Jaworski "Bill O'Brien will bring discipline to that program". I didn't know the inmates ran the asylum in Happy Valley.

 

[upstater]

I guess LaCanfora had good information after all. It's unfortunate for this guy that he's being doubted publicly as you would hope that Penn State fans would realize the spot they are in but if he wins a few games right away I am sure they will warm up to him.

The problem with PSU fans is that they believe Bradley, Vanderlinden and Johnson are more qualified. I can't say I disagree, and I'm speaking as a Patriots fan as well. O'Brien has left me cold the last few years. Whereas the other 3 guys have a wealth of experience. This is precisely why I predicted Munchak or Bradley a few weeks back.

But, if the administration gets rid of the assistant coaches, that will mean they wanted a clean slate. I don't believe they will oust the assistants. I think they will remain on staff. Which means O'Brien was brought in for PR, not for football. And that's why most PSU fans are unhappy.

 

[FDNY99]

Upstater I can't see Bradley staying around, especially if it is true he was not notified of the hire before it was reported by the press. I can also see Johnson leaving for another DC job somewhere else. Same with Vander Linden. On an interesting note. ..George O'Leary had named O'Brien OC at Notre Dame before he got caught falsifing his resume and was forced to resign. O'Brien went back to Tech...worked under Chan Gailey for a year...then hightailed it to Duke where he was OC for 2 seasons and the Blue Devils won 1 game. Rough times ahead for PSU fans.

The problem with PSU fans is that they believe Bradley, Vanderlinden and Johnson are more qualified. I can't say I disagree, and I'm speaking as a Patriots fan as well. O'Brien has left me cold the last few years. Whereas the other 3 guys have a wealth of experience. This is precisely why I predicted Munchak or Bradley a few weeks back.

But, if the administration gets rid of the assistant coaches, that will mean they wanted a clean slate. I don't believe they will oust the assistants. I think they will remain on staff. Which means O'Brien was brought in for PR, not for football. And that's why most PSU fans are unhappy.

 

[Palatine]

This is a tough spot no matter who walks in. But for a first time head coach, it seems especially difficult. If he goes under .500, which is a possibility after seeing them get man-handled by Houston, the program may take a number of steps back from here.

Plus they have the Sandusky trial coming up. That should keep the black cloud over the program into next season.

It should take years to dig out from this mess. Which considering the depth of the crimes and the conspiracy of silence, seems right.

 

[FDNY99]

The fan confidence poll on the Nittany Lions Den went from 50% after the Houston game to 0% yesterday with the news O'Brien will be named HC.