I Might Be Missing Something....

[klunderbunker]

But I'm watching ESPN2 and on the Bottom Line it's talking about the new Penn State coach. Apparently some of the players think Bill O'Brien is a bad hire and Lavar Arrington said something like "this isn't how we do this at Penn St."

How would Arrington know how it goes as far as hiring a coach there? The last time it happened was 12 years before he was born. I get what he's saying and all that, but it doesn't quite work the way he's saying it.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I guess it is because no one who Bill O'Brien was until he had that altercation with Tom Brady. They wanted someone who has cache and who is more recognized. That's just my take.

 

[Davi323]

Right now, I would think hiring a complete unknown is exactly what Penn State ought to be doing. They need to do everything they can to stay out of the spotlight for a few. The last thing they need is to hire some high profile coach who is going to keep the name Penn State in the news. The University needs to restore it's once pristine reputation before they need the publicity.

Penn State is probably my second favorite college football team after the University of Michigan, and I think they need to lay low for a while. Hiring a total unknown works for me.

 

[Stormtrooper]

to be fair, he is probably referring to how they hire COACHES at Penn State, not just football coaches. They have hired coaches for all the other sports.


Oh, and these dumbass alumni that think they should decide who replaces JoPa need to get their head examined. They needed to go outside the family so that they can get as far away from the child raping as possible.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

I don't know what Bill O' Brien is thinking taking that job. Now I know Penn St. has a great tradition but that would be the last job I'd want to take at this point. I could see if O'Brien was some washed up head coach and this might be his last chance at a Head Coaching job but I think he's only like 40 or 41 years old so he has alot of time ahead of him by coaching standards. Plus he's in a great situation right now, he's coaching under arguably the best football coach on the planet in Belichik and is coaching arguably the best QB on the planet in Brady. If the Patriots go on to win the Super Bowl(or even if they don't for that matter) he will probably be one of the more sought after assistants in football. So whether it be next year or the following year I'm sure he could get a more desirable job than this.

 

[Davi323]

I don't know what Bill O' Brien is thinking taking that job. Now I know Penn St. has a great tradition but that would be the last job I'd want to take at this point. I could see if O'Brien was some washed up head coach and this might be his last chance at a Head Coaching job but I think he's only like 40 or 41 years old so he has alot of time ahead of him by coaching standards. Plus he's in a great situation right now, he's coaching under arguably the best football coach on the planet in Belichik and is coaching arguably the best QB on the planet in Brady. If the Patriots go on to win the Super Bowl(or even if they don't for that matter) he will probably be one of the more sought after assistants in football. So whether it be next year or the following year I'm sure he could get a more desirable job than this.

Only thing I can think of is Milton.

Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.

O'Brien may be thinking that for as good as he has it in New England, that he does want to be a head coach. And given what went down, how much pressure does he really have to succeed? Nobody is going to expect him to replace Joe Paterno, the expectations should be fairly low for a few years, giving him time. Once you get a head coaching job in college, it's easier to get other head coaching jobs, even if you don't do very well. Gotta get your foot in the door. O'Brien got his foot in the door.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

Only thing I can think of is Milton.

Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.

O'Brien may be thinking that for as good as he has it in New England, that he does want to be a head coach. And given what went down, how much pressure does he really have to succeed? Nobody is going to expect him to replace Joe Paterno, the expectations should be fairly low for a few years, giving him time. Once you get a head coaching job in college, it's easier to get other head coaching jobs, even if you don't do very well. Gotta get your foot in the door. O'Brien got his foot in the door.

I agree that he needs to get his foot in the door somewhere but I just think he could do it in a better situation than this. He is taking over a program that was involved in the worst scandal in college football history, has to follow one of the most legendary coaches of all time and to top it off he doesn't he have the support of many of the schools alumni.(atleast it seems that way) It would be hard enough for him to recruit players with this scandal but it makes it even harder now that he has to compete for the same recruits as Urban Meyer and what appears to be a rejuvinated Michigan program. I would have to think a better situation would come up somewhere in the near future, even if it wasn't as high profile of school.

 

[Davi323]

And it still might. It's not like no coaches have ever left their school in the middle of a contract or anything...

I think, and this is nothing but speculation on my part, that he sees the PSU job as being a starter school. The expectations for him to succeed aren't going to be high right away, which buys him time to learn. Having never been a head coach before, he is going to make some mistakes...what better place to make them than a place where nobody expects you to do anything? Shoot, there were some sportswriters who even went as far as suggesting that Penn State simply shut it down. Just not play football for a season or longer. O'Brien cannot fail. If PSU wins, he is lauded as a hero, but if they lose, he has the built in excuse that nobody could have succeeded given the conditions he took the job under. He can't lose the PR battle. That's not a bad situation to be in for your first gig.

I think it was a mistake to leave New England personally. I wouldn't have done it. I would much rather serve in heaven. The Patriots are perennial Super Bowl contenders, seems like a more cushy job to me, one of the premier jobs in all of football, college or pro...O'Brien just may have other priorities.