We’re just a month away from the big App State game, and here I am, tickling mein Das Keyboard with some out-of-left-field bullshit about Penn State Football — and even a little bit about the beleaguered Urban Meyer, over at tOSU.
Will I be commenting on the season ahead? Yeah, a little, but I’m not going to do a game-by-game rundown this year. Time just isn’t available for it. (Like a lot of other retired people, I’ve found that I’m busier now than I was before I retired. I want to do lots of things I didn’t have time to do when I was working, so I wind up over-committing my time).
Will I be commenting on Urban Meyer’s plight over there at tOSU? Yeah, a little, but I’ve learned not to speculate on what university administrations will do. They love to insulate outsiders from the truth, so we’re probably getting only half a story. I have one though for those of you who think tOSU would never fire Urbz — this is the organization that fired all-time coaching legend Woody Hayes and that kicked Jim Tressel upstairs. Just because a head coach has a winning record does not guarantee safe conduct through the ivory tower in Columbus.
Will I be commenting about Christian Hackenberg? Yeah, a little, but I’ll do that after I make a few comments about the season ahead.
Concerns about the Season Ahead
Back to the season ahead, while the seemingly perennial concern over a sucky offensive line may have abated, those concerns have shifted to the other side of the ball. The defensive front seven are going to be a work in process, and we won’t know whether they’re any good or they suck until probably the Meyerless tOSU game on September 29.
The loss of Mike Gesicki at tight end gives me concerns. If there was a plan for filling the void left by his departure for the Miami Dolphins, it isn’t apparent to me. (St. Joe used to call me to discuss these things, but James Franklin does not, and I lied about Paterno, anyhow. But I digress.) Tight end will be another wait-and-see position. I hope there are some answers.
The good news, however, is that Trace McSorley — a quarterback who has exceeded by far the early book on him — will be back on the field for another season, barring injury. This is a guy who has the potential to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as he did in the Iowa game last year, stunning a Kinnick Stadium loaded with disbelieving Hawkeyes fans. McSorley is something special.
Are McSorley, a semi-solid O-line, and a few excellent returning starters good enough to produce the 10-2 season many pundits are predicting? I kind of doubt it. Although the schedule is somewhat kind to PSU this year — tOSU, Moo U., Iowa, and Wisconsin are home games at St. Joe Memorial Stadium at Beaver for the Lions — I believe I can see three regular season losses. You all know I err on the conservative side, so take my prediction with a grain of salt.
The Sad Tale of Christian Hackenberg
You all know that the New York Jets wasted a second-round draft pick on former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who never played a single regular season snap for the NFL franchise. In fact, he was the first second-rounder in thirty-five years who never played a snap in two years. The Jets, reluctant to admit Hack was a failed experiment, hung on too long. Finally, they traded Hack to Oakland during the off-season, for a mere conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2019. Will Hack’s be like the sad tale of Anthony Morelli, who kidded himself into believing he was pro material? Or will Hack quickly realize he doesn’t have NFL talent and find another career selling insurance or something? No one knows, but I can tell you that he visited with the New England Patriots the day after he was cut in Oakland.
Yep, the Turkey Is Back!
Anyhow, I’m back for another fun-filled season of Penn State football if you’ll have me. I hope my six readers will eventually check in and let me know you’re all alive and kicking. I have a road trip coming up for a couple of weeks in August, which will keep me from filling up these pages with my drivel until we are just about on the cusp of the big App State game. In the meanwhile, I hope all of you are enjoying your summer!
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Big Al says
Glad you’re still alive. Hope your August road trip takes you someplace cooler and less humid.
Your 9-3 prediction seems about right. The defense is going to take a step backward and a lot of the games will probably become fairly close shootouts. I don’t see anybody blowing out State, but I do expect State to lose around half of the one score games they play. Appy State, Kent State, Illinois, Maryland, and Rutgers should be wins and Michigan is probably a loss (Michigan has a bye the prior week and State usually plays like crap at the “Big House” anyway). A 4-2 record in the other six games is probably the best we can expect. However, I do think an 8-4 record is more likely than a 10-2 record.
After getting a slap on the wrist (such as a one game suspension without pay) for lying to the press, Urbz will be coaching the Suckeyes for the September 29 game. (He apparently followed tOSU procedures for reporting allegations of abuse – although the AD and/or Title 9 coordinator might be thrown under the bus.) That may actually benefit Penn State since Urbz seems to be intimidated by the Beav and plays not to lose instead of playing to win..
Hack’s pro football career is finished. IMO Your comparing him to Morelli is a bit harsh. Tony Sacca is a better comparator.
The Nittany Turkey says
Hello, Al!
I’m looking forward to some nights in the mountains, although the centerpiece of the trip is a ham radio meeting in Oklahoma, and if there’s anything hotter than Central Florida in the summertime, it’s Saudi Arabia and Oklahoma in the summertime. But it’s a dry heat…
I really leaned hard toward 8-4. I think there are too many holes to fill. Although the home schedule is favorable for State, I’m not going to know anything until we see how the White Out goes with the Urbzless Buckeyes.
I suppose Tony Sacca is a valid comparison with Hack. Sacca took some NFL snaps, with Phoenix, I believe, but never amounted to anything. Morelli is still waiting (or not) for his first snap in the NFL, which will never happen. I do hope Hack took advantage of his time at PSU by getting a good education in some useful field. I don’t recall what his major was, but I sure as hell hope it wasn’t “Parks & Recreation Management!”
—TNT
Joe says
Well it looks like at least three of us made it through another year. Glad that you’re still willing to do this and put up with our windbag rantings (speaking for myself here fellas).
Some brief thoughts:
-I agree with Al, Urbz will be back for another couple of years after finding some way to skate around this mess, but I am glad because I do think we can win this year due to the favorable placement of the game in the schedule and the fact it’s at home. Besides I do so want him to be on the sideline when that happens.
-I’m getting good vibes about the talent on this team, and while I don’t think they’re playoff ready yet, I do think they may surprise some folks and end up in Indy at the end of the season. A healthy McSorley will be the key. And gentlemen, I do believe we will have ourselves a certified B1G offensive line for the first time since I don’t know when. That’s going to make a “HUGE” difference.
-Bowen will play and that will solve a key part of the defensive puzzle. They are rock solid in the secondary and at D-end and I’m sure they’ll have some beefcakes ready to plug the middle. Defense will be fine if they come out of camp clean and can work out the kinks through those first four games.
-I feel bad about Hack. Would it have been different if BOB had stayed? Maybe. Was he really a pro-QB? I guess not. Would landing someplace other than the insufferable Jets have made a difference? I’m beginning to think not. So hopefully he got a great education from PS and will be able to use the alumni network to find himself a sweet job someplace.
I assume at some point you will send up the turkey sign for our official predictions. I’m looking forward to that and this season finally getting going (which will then blow by in what will seem an extremely short period of time).
On a separate note, how about the Bucs? Guess I did not expect them to be a couple games over .500 in August, but the NL Central appears to be the worst place to be if you want to try and snag a wildcard slot.
Joe Z
K. John says
Welcome back to the world of the living TNT. I have been busy catching up on all the off season nonsense surrounding the Big Ten East. I will not be commenting on the Urban Meyer/Ohio State (and now Maryland) situation as it has turned into a full blown three ring circus as only the sports media can. I will comment on the season and Hackenburg however but I must say, right now, I am on the pessimistic side.
I feel bad for #14. Honestly, he should have left in 2013. State probably wins a combined 6 games in 14 and 15 but he would have been better for it. The fact that he mastered an NFL offense during a 12 game season says he has NFL talent, both physically and mentally. The big question is what happened. He was a better developed QB when he arrived out of high school then when he left. That takes a special type of incompetence. Now the man most responsible is back in charge of the QBs and running the offense.
I am expecting a huge step back from the offense with Moorhead and Barkley. The offense as a whole looks to be almost entirely perimeter based. That is a problem. The line will improve but it wasn’t the problem people think it was last year or the year before. It is hard to consistently block 7 with 5, especially if you have to double team which gets me to the passing game. I would expect a significant rise in turnovers this season. The offense averaged 3 a game when defenses used a balanced approach and we’ll see a lot more of it without Barkley. The defense is also very small and inexperienced as key positions.
Then there is the schedule is significantly harder than last season. Ohio State is in a reloading year but we are in a rebuilding year. Michigan State and Michigan look like the class of the east. Sparty has the best QB in the conference, second best defense and maybe the most well rounded offense. Michigan has the best defense in the country and are a QB away from being solid on offense. Wisconsin is Wisconsin, Iowa should be better, same for Pitt. Appalachian State and Indiana are capable of springing upsets. Right now, I think 9 and 3 is absolute best case but keep thinking we are looking at 7 and 5 or 8 and 4. 6 and 6 wouldn’t shock me.
psudrozz says
Welcome back, Turk!
Vegas lines:
PSU regular season wins O/U is 9.5
O -109
U -121
PSU has serious questions at secondary, LB, and DL. OL still has issues and the new OC supposedly is much like the old, but we’ll see. MSU is improved, OSU retooled. Stay away from this bet this year.
Now if I were a gambling man (and a degenerate one at that), take Michigan under 9 at -130. Yes, they have a new QB, but they have a brutal schedule and always have the bad kind of upset potential. Safe bet. At worst a push.
psudrozz says
Also the added bonus of really rooting against Michigan.