OT: Bill O'Brien Interview
I know there is a new story everyday about PSU and all that is going on, but the interview that O'Brien did with ESPN is worth the 15 min. I know part of the job description for big time coaches is being a salesman, but I was pretty impressed with him. This was really the first time I've heard the guy for any length of time and he looks to be the real deal.
Hes in a shit creek without a paddle..
Meanwhile, Penn State coach Bill O'Brien said Wednesday that all of his players have been recruited by other teams' coaches, and several players have received as many as 50 scholarship offers to play for opposing teams.Yowza. Talk about a feeding frenzy.
yeah but 48 of those offers came from Nick Saban.
Actually read that Illinois had a whole gaggle of coaches in the parking lot in State College. That seemed a little tacky. But I guess "tacky" and "college football" recruiting frequently have a directly proportional proportional relationship.
I do think situations like this are something the NCAA needs to work on imroving or putting in some rules and limits of behavior forf outside coaches. Perhaps its just the timing, and maybe the stories of coaches waiting in parking lots of apartment complexes are exagerrated, but I do agree with some PSU fans who say these coaches descending on PSU don't really help the NCAA's case that PSU's punishment will help keep college football in some sort of healthy perspective..
"These kids don't want to leave Penn State," O'Brien said. "They want to play for Penn State. It is my opinion these coaches should leave them alone, but if they don't want to leave them alone, they should make sure they give me a call before they try to recruit them."
I have to admire O'Brien for essentially demanding respect in a period where, by ruling, other coaches don't necessarily need to show him any. Even under these circumstances, he is willing to fight for what he has and build with what he can keep. He's already planting the seed of tenacity that this program will definitely need in the years ahead.
If PSU is smart, they will stick with him, no matter how rough the next 8 seasons will be.
Still, if a PSU football player has NFL potential, IMO, it would be in their interest to leave and get the stink off them now. Bowl game performance can translate into big $$$$ and they will not have that opportunity.
The NFL will find guys wherever they are. Matt Cassel threw 33 passes in college and he's a starting NFL QB. And there are too many players from FCS or lower-division schools to count.
He's definitely saying the right things and not out of his league on the p.r. front. He did keep mentioning that he was telling his players that each home game, playing in front of 108,000, was like a bowl game. I'm not sure how far that will take him, especially if attendance starts to drop off. There has also been talk of the possibility of Penn State lining up a game at Hawaii as a 13th game to keep the fans and players happy.
I actually think that Penn State will stick with O'Brien because he's the right man for the job. I thought he was a good choice when he was hired and thought it would be tough because he'd be replacing Joe Pa. Now that the program has essentially been torn down, you have to believe that expectations are much lower and his job is to rebuild the program.
I already think he's had a good start. He's going to bring that offense into the 21st century. He's improved the weight lifting. He seems set on trying to make boys into men both with regards to education and personal development. I'm really impressed with him, and I think he'll have a lasting positive impact on Penn State.