Early Penn State Football Preview

Penn State kicked off its spring practices last week with the culmination of those practices ending April 16^th with the Blue and White Game. There are plenty of questions for head coach James Franklin heading into this spring and looking ahead to the fall. Here are just a couple of those questions.

• Who is going to replace the plethora of NFL talent the Nittany Lions lose. (Austin Johnson, Anthony Zettel, Carl Nassib, Christian Hackenberg, and Jordan Lucas just to name a few)
• Who is going to be the starting QB? And will it be the same one who gets the reps in the spring/summer?
• How many sacks will the offensive line give up? (Last year it was 39. Yikes)
• Will Paris Palmer still be starting at left tackle?
• How many carries/yards will Saquon Barkley get?

James Franklin and his staff will have plenty of other questions to answer. That staff has some new faces in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, offensive line coach Matt Limegrover, and Tim Banks who will be the safeties coach along with co-defensive coordinator along with Brent Pry after the departure of Bob Shoop. Moorhead comes from Fordham where he was the head coach and led his team to a record of 38-15 from 2012-2015 where they averaged 36.5 points per game. Which is two touchdowns more than what Penn State’s offense did last year.

The Lions lose a lot of talent that will surely end up playing on Sunday’s. Perhaps the biggest loss, but the least surprising, is quarterback Christian Hackenberg. The junior left after two years under James Franklin which were two years too many as he endured the constant scrutiny of not only Penn State fans, but football fans across the country. He flourished under then head coach Bill O’Brien his freshman season, who could potential draft the 6 foot 4 quarterback to backup Brock Osweiler. The defense loses four potential NFL draftees in the nation’s sack leader in defensive end Carl Nassib, tackles Autin Johnson and Anthony Zettel, and cornerback/safety Jordan Lucas. Replacing those guys will no doubt be difficult for the Lions because of their leadership both on and off the field but players like Garrett Sickels, Nyeem Wartman-White, and Marcus Allen will be looked at in the same light.

Perhaps the biggest bright spot last season was the emergence of freshman running back Saquon Barkley. The TRUE freshman rushed for a Penn State freshman record 1,076 yards and 7 touchdowns. Barkley also made news during the team’s winter workouts where he had an incredible 390 power clean while also running a 4.3 40-yard dash. The 5’11” 222-pound sensation will carry the load for an offense that no doubt needs a spark, and if he can duplicate the success he had last season and then some the Nittany Lions can build on that going forward. There is talent behind Barkley so his carries should not be a concern for Penn Staters.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the biggest eye sore for the team was the offensive line. To say the unit has been pathetic the last two seasons is an understatement giving up 83 sacks. I’ll say again, 83 sacks. The group has been made up of former defensive lineman, offensive lineman who have switched positions, and a junior college transfer who could barely bench press 185-pounds. With a year under their belt and a year in the weight room we all hope to see a change in whoever is protecting the quarterback.

Speaking of quarterback, the most important question other than who is protecting the quarterback is who will be the quarterback. By all accounts there are three quarterbacks who will compete for that starting job: redshirt junior Trace McSorely who came in when Hackenberg got hurt in the team’s bowl game, redshirt sophomore Tommy Stevens, and true freshman Jake Zembiec. McSorely might be the front-runner based on the “experience” he has. The quarterback competition should heat up quickly will no doubt be a focal point heading into the summer. Good luck to them.

Other things to keep an eye on: Is Paris Palmer going to remain the starting left tackle or will someone like Andrew Nelson or Sterling Jenkins step up and anchor the line. Who will be behind Barkely? Nick Scott moves to cornerback which frees up another spot which could be filled by incoming freshman Miles Sanders. The receiving core could be the deepest it has ever been, but who will be the main group outside of Daesean Hamilton and Chris Godwin?

This could be the season where you start to see glimpses of James Franklin’s vision is and what we all hope it is. Winning.

Stay tuned.  

The Most Emotional Investment

With the first round of the NCAA Tournament over and the tears of joy and tears of defeat being cleaned up we can reflect on what was a wild, wild first round.

When you sit down and fill out your bracket you think in your head that you should probably pick a couple upsets, but you never pull the trigger. You NEVER think to pick a 15 seed over a 2 seed, right? You have that 2 seed going to the Elite 8, the Final Four, and potentially have them winning the National Championship. That was the case for many of us when we picked Michigan State. Sparty can’t lose to a 15 seed, could they? Tom Izzo, who many think is the best coach in March but only has one title to show for it, wouldn’t let his team look ahead and dismiss Middle Tennessee State. Michigan State was one of the heavy favorites to cut down the nets in Houston come April. They had a 95% chance to beat Middle Tennessee State. That’s when the emotional investment takes over.

When you fill out your bracket there are certain teams who you feel strongly about because they are the teams that can give you that near perfect bracket. The bragging right that your bracket was better than your friends and co-workers. Which is what we all hope for come March. On ESPN.com, their Tournament Challenge will update you after every game with the percentile you’re in and that’s really what has dragged me in year after year. To know where I stand against everyone else on ESPN.com, and there are roughly 13 million brackets that were filled out, It’s an extreme attachment.

I was at a bar watching Friday’s late afternoon games and while I was watching Michigan State’s title hopes slip away, I was torn between being a true fan of the sport and the spectacle that is March Madness and enjoy this improbable upset, and being devastated that one of my Final Four teams lost in the first round to a team who probably had no business being victorious. I stood there looking at the TV with a feeling of anger towards Michigan State because they messed up my bracket. Let me repeat that so you can understand how crazy I am; I stood there looking at the TV with a feeling of anger towards Michigan State because they messed up my bracket. Sports, right?

I’d be willing to bet that I wasn’t the only person who watched the end of that game and was angered that your bracket, and likely your money, was going down the drain. I stood there thinking, “how in the hell did this just happen?” It was like I became a real fan of Michigan State and could feel the pain of Spartan nation everywhere. The part that might be even worse is that Middle Tennessee State will likely lose next round to Syracuse.

March is a time of year where the temperatures hopefully start to rise, and with this whole global warming thing it’s going that way, people start to feel good because of the weather, spring breakers are doing shots of things they’ve never heard of, and March Madness brackets are being busted. With those busted brackets brings an emotional investment for teams you have never and will never cheer for other than this one time. Why can’t we enjoy the games? Why can’t we just sit there and enjoy moments like this. We get so wrapped up in this that is completely takes over. Let’s just sit back, relax, control our heart-rates, and enjoy arguably the best time of the year in sports.  

NFL Combine: Winners and Losers

The 2016 NFL Combine has wrapped up and now it's time teams gather all the numbers and watch hours of more film in preparation for the NFL Draft in April. The Combine is a time for those players who are at the top of most teams boards to prove why they're at the top with blistering 40's, fluid hips, and precision throwing. Then there are the players who come to the Combine in need of a strong performance to show teams why they should pick them or take a risk on them. Some guys needed that strong performance, here are some winners and losers from the 2016 NFL Combine.

WINNERS:

Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State: Wentz passed all the tests from the 40-yard dash to the on-field. Measuring in at 6 foot 5 and 237-pounds and clocking a 4.77 forty Wentz could very well be the first quarterback chosen come April. On the field, Wentz's throws looked easy. His throws were on the money and the deep balls were in great positions. There weren't too many negatives with Wentz over the weekend other than can he adapt to the NFL coming from FCS North Dakota State. He isn't Andrew Luck and I wouldn't put stock in him turning a franchise around like Luck did in Indy, but Wentz can become a consistent starting quarterback in the NFL.

Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame: Fuller was another prospect that passed the eye test. He isn't the biggest receiver coming out, 6 feet and 186-pounds, but he's fast. In fact, Fuller had the fastest time at Combine with a blazing 4.32. He also looked good in the gauntlet and was smooth going through all the catching drills. LaQuon Treadwell will likely be the first receiver chosen in the draft, and maybe the first round, but Fuller is making a case for that second spot.

Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss: This isn't a real surprise to anyone that Tunsil showed everyone why he's the likely number one pick. The heigh and weight checked out; 6 foot 5 and 310-pounds, and he can move. During the on-field drills Tunsil's change of direction and his quickness was that of a tight end. There isn't much more to say about the Ole Miss product other than if the Titans want to protect Marcus Mariota, Tunsil is the guy.

Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State: Apple was a prospect who came into the Combine as a potential first-round pick on many people's mock drafts, I wasn't so high on the former Buckeye. I think he'll still be an early second rounder but he helped his case as a first-round pick. Apple clocked a 4.40 and looked very good during the drills. The knack on him is his tackling and not always bringing his body through the tackles which you couldn't breakdown at the combine but with his size at 6 foot 1 and almost 200-pounds that has to be something he brings to the next level.

LOSERS:

Noah Spence, OLB, Eastern Kentucky: I still believe Spence will be a first-round pick but could slip to day two. If you're looking for comparisons for the former Ohio State Buckeye, Von Miller comes to mind. I'm not suggesting that Spence will be a Super Bowl MVP but he does have some of the same skill set as a Miller. Miller had much better combine numbers and those numbers that Spence put up could hurt him. His forty time came up a 4.80, slow for a player in his position.

Christian Hackenberg, QB, Penn State: Hackenberg was on my 'Players to Watch' list and he didn't do a whole lot to help his stock. The ideal situation for Penn State product would be in Houston under the tutelage of Bill O'Brien. O'Brien, as many know, was Hackenberg's coach his freshman year at Penn State. Which was his best year. While he ran fast, 4.78, the on-field drills weren't his best performance. He missed some throws high and his deep ball wasn't as great as many predicted. He didn't have the worst combine as it was overall pretty solid, but he needed an A+ performance to get people on his side. The question now will be, if Bill O'Brien doesn't take a chance on Hackenberg, who will?