Bill O'Brien

[btowngopher]

Is anyone else impressed with the quietly successful season he's had in his first year at PSU? They won 8 out of their last 10 after dropping the first 2 games. Internet chatter is saying that he might leave for an NFL job.

 

[Gopher07]

Him leaving for the NFL would destroy whatever Penn State has left. I am impressed with the job he has done but I do expect them to decline pretty fast in the coming years as a result of the sanctions.

 

[tikited]

Him leaving for the NFL would destroy whatever Penn State has left. I am impressed with the job he has done but I do expect them to decline pretty fast in the coming years as a result of the sanctions.

Penn State will be fine. They will be back bowling before you know it.

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

Penn State shouldn't have even played football this season (or next for that matter). That the NCAA couldn't even bring themselves to cancel their season and make a true example of them is pathetic.

That said, Bill O'Brien has done well under the circumstances. And he appears to be a very solid coach.

But I question his judgement on matters of PR. Last week he should have known better than to honor Michael Matui (#42) in the way he did. Putting the kid's # on the team helmets was a disgrace, as it completely overshadowed their already meaningless gesture of 'blue ribbons' on the helmet. He blew out a knee people, that's it. Now we honor people for that. At least he wasn't diddled in campus building though.

 

[lakesgopher]

Penn State shouldn't have even played football this season (or next for that matter). That the NCAA couldn't even bring themselves to cancel their season and make a true example of them is pathetic.

That said, Bill O'Brien has done well under the circumstances. And he appears to be a very solid coach.

But I question his judgement on matters of PR. Last week he should have known better than to honor Michael Matui (#42) in the way he did. Putting the kid's # on the team helmets was a disgrace, as it completely overshadowed their already meaningless gesture of 'blue ribbons' on the helmet. He blew out a knee people, that's it. Now we honor people for that. At least he wasn't diddled in campus building though.

Bs the football program didn't do anything wrong and shouldn't have been punished at all. The individuals involved should all be locked away but it's f'ing bs to punish kids and coaches that weren't involved. And I for one am still hoping Sandusky and others involved go to a prison that brings them more pain then one can imagine.

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

Bs the football program didn't do anything wrong and shouldn't have been punished at all. The individuals involved should all be locked away but it's f'ing bs to punish kids and coaches that weren't involved. And I for one am still hoping Sandusky and others involved go to a prison that brings them more pain then one can imagine.

I don't want to start a battle here on this topic, but you couldn't be more wrong. The culture of football first on that campus is what facilitated the entire scandal. It was what made sure that a decade plus of criminal sexual behavior was allowed to continue. The reset button should have been pressed on the entire program, its the only way to prevent something like that from happening again. It doesn't matter if you are punishing other kids and coaches when the culture was part of the scandal. They are simply collateral damage to something much more heinous.

Were I Bill O'Brien, I'd get out while my stock was high. The people who run that school and support it are almost like cult leaders.

 

[lakesgopher]

I don't want to start a battle here on this topic, but you couldn't be more wrong. The culture of football first on that campus is what facilitated the entire scandal. It was what made sure that a decade plus of criminal sexual behavior was allowed to continue. The reset button should have been pressed on the entire program, its the only way to prevent something like that from happening again. It doesn't matter if you are punishing other kids and coaches when the culture was part of the scandal. They are simply collateral damage to something much more heinous.

Were I Bill O'Brien, I'd get out while my stock was high. The people who run that school and support it are almost like cult leaders.

I will battle this because you are trying to engage "guilt by association" and its bull *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#. Those involved need to be prosecuted and put in prison. But for those not in the cover up, those players that busted their ass to get a schollie, the fans, etc are punished for a non football crime? Bs you are joking, this attitude pisses me off so much. I'm so sick of punishing everyone because of a few, it makes me sick.

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

I will battle this because you are trying to engage "guilt by association" and its bull *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#. Those involved need to be prosecuted and put in prison. But for those not in the cover up, those players that busted their ass to get a schollie, the fans, etc are punished for a non football crime? Bs you are joking, this attitude pisses me off so much. I'm so sick of punishing everyone because of a few, it makes me sick.

By your logic, I assume you think the NCAA should have done nothing. You're simply not getting it. This was the biggest collegiate sports scandal of all-time, in terms of coverup and the heinous nature of the crimes committed. IT DOES NOT MATTER that the players and some coaches were innocent of any wrong-doing. Innocents are impacted by crimes everyday. It's not their fault, and its not their choice, but they are punished by the choices of others. The NCAA was gracious enough to allow for immediate transfer for any who wanted to. It's not guilt by association, its the guilt of the entire football culture that allowed Sandusky free reign all over that campus, despite knowledge of his issues and even some witnessing what he did to young boys. No, an individual player or coach may not have been aware or party to any of this, but they are part of the larger culture that had become 'too big to fail', and those in charge wouldn't allow for the true problem to be exposed.

Was it fair when people lost their jobs at Enron? Or any other mismanaged company? No. It is not. But that doesn't mean that those hardworking people got to keep their jobs. Grow up and try to have a more thoughtful position on this topic.

Are you sure Franco Harris didn't hack your account?

 

[lakesgopher]

I felt the school needed to fire everyone involved and pursued legal action. You say this was created by "football culture" and the program needs to be suspended for a year...who are u punishing? Certainly not the perpetrators, your punishing student athletes, fans, the school. What fixes this from happening again...the school continues to go after those involved until they are all in prison or dead.

Now if the football program is paying players, there is some illegal gambling ring, illegal recruiting that's a different story because that directly involves the program that leads to a competitive edge. Raping children doesn't qualify as an NCAA infraction, that's criminal and those involved need to burn IMO

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

I felt the school needed to fire everyone involved and pursued legal action. You say this was created by "football culture" and the program needs to be suspended for a year...who are u punishing? Certainly not the perpetrators, your punishing student athletes, fans, the school. What fixes this from happening again...the school continues to go after those involved until they are all in prison or dead.

Now if the football program is paying players, there is some illegal gambling ring, illegal recruiting that's a different story because that directly involves the program that leads to a competitive edge. Raping children doesn't qualify as an NCAA infraction, that's criminal and those involved need to burn IMO

It's hard for me to comprehend that anyone outside of Happy Valley could be so thick on this. Being able to systematically cover up a former coach raping children in football facilities can and would lead to a competitive edge. In that they could maintain their pristine mystique that convinced kids to come and play there after being recruiting. There was a reason this was covered up by a number of people. They feared to lose this competitive edge, and wanted to continue to propagate the myth that Penn State was this idyllic plaece to play football. Please try to understand this.

 

[Maximus]

By your logic, I assume you think the NCAA should have done nothing.

The NCAA should have done nothing until their investigation was complete (oh wait, they didn't bother investigating). That investigation would probably have included talking to Paterno, McQueary, Curley, Spanier and Schultz, ya know, every key figure in this "cover-up"?

The NCAA used the Freeh Report, ya say? Well the Freeh Report didn't bother talking to anyone actually involved in this "cover-up".

Why doesn't the NCAA just use Charles Robinson's investigation of Miami and levy penalties? Why are they investigating it themselves?

Why doesn't the NCAA just use the Raleigh Observer's investigation of North Carolina and academic fraud? Why are they investigating it themselves?

 

[GopherInPittsburgh]

Bill O'Brien did an awesome job at PSU. However, I don't think PSU will maintain success. I think people underestimated the sanctions' effect at USC. They were preseason #1 after all. USC had bad depth in the trenches and went 7-5 this year. PSU's sanctions are much worse.

 

[GopherRock]

It's hard for me to comprehend that anyone outside of Happy Valley could be so thick on this. Being able to systematically cover up a former coach raping children in football facilities can and would lead to a competitive edge. In that they could maintain their pristine mystique that convinced kids to come and play there after being recruiting. There was a reason this was covered up by a number of people. They feared to lose this competitive edge, and wanted to continue to propagate the myth that Penn State was this idyllic plaece to play football. Please try to understand this.

This. When the football coach is more powerful than either his AD, the President of the university, or the university's board of oversight, something is wrong.

Quite frankly, the PSU administration is lucky that the entire university hasn't been shut down. And if the current president hadn't agreed to this plea bargain with the NCAA (and let's not fool anyone, that was a plea bargain), the NCAA would have tacked on at least two years of completely shutting down the football program in addition to what they already face. Depending on what gets unearthed in the trials of Spanier and Curley, the US DoE might still slap a huge fine on PSU. Or worse, they shut off a portion of PSU's federal funding. This isn't over.

An unprecedented scandal calls for equally unprecedented action.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Bill O'Brien did an awesome job at PSU. However, I don't think PSU will maintain success. I think people underestimated the sanctions' effect at USC. They were preseason #1 after all. USC had bad depth in the trenches and went 7-5 this year. PSU's sanctions are much worse.

I agree he had talent to work with this year. His stock is very high and it will be interesting to see what he does.

 

[RodentRampage]

I will battle this because you are trying to engage "guilt by association" and its bull *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#. Those involved need to be prosecuted and put in prison. But for those not in the cover up, those players that busted their ass to get a schollie, the fans, etc are punished for a non football crime? Bs you are joking, this attitude pisses me off so much. I'm so sick of punishing everyone because of a few, it makes me sick.

It's not guilt by association. The players aren't being punished, the organization is. When you have money in the bank, the bank has to give you your money when you ask for it, even if there are no employees remaining from the time that you deposited your money. Beaver Stadium is owned by Penn State, even though the people who built it are gone. If organizations couldn't be held responsible, then they couldn't even own property.

 

[lakesgopher]

It's not guilt by association. The players aren't being punished, the organization is. When you have money in the bank, the bank has to give you your money when you ask for it, even if there are no employees remaining from the time that you deposited your money. Beaver Stadium is owned by Penn State, even though the people who built it are gone. If organizations couldn't be held responsible, then they couldn't even own property.

Again I don't think the psu "organization" is guilty. A few a-holes did a disgusting act and because of that the "organization" I being punished. It's not an NCAA issue its a criminal issue. All involved except paterno will sit in prison for the rest of their lives and IMO that's not enough punishment. So it is guilt by association. These players are being punished because they aren't allowed in a bowl game or the big ten championship. Osu broke NCAA rules and they deserved what they got, psu didn't cheat or anything like that, individuals who worked at psu broke the law and again I believe it's bs

 

[Iceland12]

It's hard for me to comprehend that anyone outside of Happy Valley could be so thick on this. Being able to systematically cover up a former coach raping children in football facilities can and would lead to a competitive edge. In that they could maintain their pristine mystique that convinced kids to come and play there after being recruiting. There was a reason this was covered up by a number of people. They feared to lose this competitive edge, and wanted to continue to propagate the myth that Penn State was this idyllic plaece to play football. Please try to understand this.

This. Everything was done to protect the football program. That's where the punishment should go too.

The Miami investigation is just damned puzzling. Hope it's not another Clarett-like clamming-up of witnesses.

 

[Rosemountian]

If there was child rape going on at a high school football programs youth camp amd it was covered up by the schools administation, would you ban the football team from playing the next year?

 

[Iceland12]

If there was child rape going on at a high school football programs youth camp amd it was covered up by the schools administation, would you ban the football team from playing the next year?

You're read about the e-mails between Paterno, the A.D. and the Administration and you think that is analogous?

 

[Iceland12]

double post

 

[gopher7]

Penn State has two big selling points right now: 1. You will play. 2. Our coach can get you to the NFL. This year was huge for Penn State in that O'Brien proved that he can get kids to play up to their potential. If you can find a kid who wants to get to the NFL as much as playing the post season then Penn State might not drop off as much as we think, although the lack of numbers will undoubtedly cause damage.

 

[CP Gopher]

The funniest thing about O'Brien's success is how he shut up those former players who were so vocal with their dislike of his hiring. Those idiots haven't been heard from in months.

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

I'm glad to see there are at least a few people on this board with their head on straight regarding the PSU scandal. As Iceland12 said, unprecedented scandal deserves unprecedented punishment. And it isn't over, not by a long shot. Wait until the civil suits start rolling in too. If you think the NCAA jumped the gun here or stuck their nose in where it shouldn't have been, you're insane. That program should have self-imposed burning itself to the ground, led by the PSU trustees if they had a shred of decency. Those of you who don't get that the football culture that created a bubble around Happy Valley is responsible for these crime going unreported for 10+ years, need to think long and hard how you would feel if people of authority did nothing when they knew YOUR kids were being violated, because it was too important to maintain PSU's football brand identity and (apparently) faux integrity. Sickening.

O'Brien is best served to bolt that Jonestown while his stock is high.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I disagree with the whole "football culture" that surrounded Penn State. Is everyone insinuating that the majority of people associated with Penn State would have covered this up? I have more faith in humanity than that. This was the result of a handful of sick and twisted people associated with the university and in no way represents the corrupt "Football culture" of Penn State.

The Paterno supporters, for the most part, wanted a just trial and didn't want the man burned at the stake without proof. Nobody, aside from the small handful of people, actually supported the cover up.

I agree with the punishment. The football program needed to be punished, but don't lump the fans and everyone into it by blaming it on the "football culture." A handful of people do not create the culture. The hundreds of thousands of fans, players, and administration do.

 

[Rosemountian]

You're read about the e-mails between Paterno, the A.D. and the Administration and you think that is analogous?

So if a head football coach of a high school emailed with the AD and the head principal and they all agreed to cover it up they should ban the team from playing the next season after all the people involved in the email were gone?

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

I disagree with the whole "football culture" that surrounded Penn State. Is everyone insinuating that the majority of people associated with Penn State would have covered this up?

I'm not insinuating that at all. I'm stating that administration and Paterno felt that football was so important to Penn State's identity, that they couldn't risk a serious scandal breaking, as it might tear down or blemish what they had perceived to have built. That perception, that the football program was too important to fail was what forced the coverup, and whether PSU fans acknowledge it or not are partly guilty for creating. Their slavish devotion to that team, and the money they poured into the University's coffers was so enticing, that a group of powerful people felt that Sandusky having run of the campus with his kids was an acceptable behavior. A new perspective was needed, not just for PSU football, but ALL college football programs in the country. Slamming PSU with an inability to generate revenue via football would have sent that message to every other school in the country. Don't hide crimes because you fear it may cause a downtick in your schools football success and revenue generation. Don't let your program become a slave to success, as morality will end up your first victim.

 

[Dr. Lloyd Christmas]

But I question his judgement on matters of PR. Last week he should have known better than to honor Michael Matui (#42) in the way he did. Putting the kid's # on the team helmets was a disgrace, as it completely overshadowed their already meaningless gesture of 'blue ribbons' on the helmet. He blew out a knee people, that's it. Now we honor people for that. At least he wasn't diddled in campus building though.

I also thought this was awful. Not only did they wear his number on the helmets, but another player wore his #42 jersey as a tribute. Pretty pathetic for just a knee injury. I'm guessing it was the idea of the players, but O'Brien should have nixed it.

 

[MNfootballfan]

In my opinion the penalties will get stiffer each year. This year there was virtually no penalty except for the fact that players could transfer immediately. Each year after this the job is going to get tougher because of lack of recruiting and depth - see USC. There first 11 are as good as anyone else in the country, unfortunately after the 11 the subs get to slim pickings.

 

[Maximus]

I'm not insinuating that at all. I'm stating that administration and Paterno felt that football was so important to Penn State's identity, that they couldn't risk a serious scandal breaking, as it might tear down or blemish what they had perceived to have built.

And if Spanier, Curley and Schultz are acquitted?

 

[lakesgopher]

So if a head football coach of a high school emailed with the AD and the head principal and they all agreed to cover it up they should ban the team from playing the next season after all the people involved in the email were gone?

Perfectly said! IMO again it had nothing to do with football it was the greed of a few that needed to be publicly humiliated and then sent to prison for ever. If this happened to the U those thinking te NCAA was too soft would be outraged. NCAA over stepped and screwed psu over.