Breaking down the Penn State Quarterbacks

This season, Penn State is in a similar situation to Michigan circa 2008. For those of you who haven't undergone multiple sessions of therapy to forget the QB situation in Ann Arbor for the 2008 season, it comprised of Steven Threet, Nick Sheridan, and Justin Feagin ( I actually forgot that he played in 4 games). For the offense Rich Rodriguez runs, Threet was hardly an ideal option. He's 6'5'', 237 pounds, and is only considered fast when compared to the migration patterns of the grey fieldslug...

His 40 time is still being tabulated

Nick Sheridan was a coach's kid, walk-on who would have never seen the field if Lloyd Carr and Ryan Mallett had stayed. Justin Feagin was a very athletic (read: raw) QB prospect brought in at the last minute to give RR some semblance of a spread QB. In other words, the cupboard was fairly bare.

This brings us to 2010 and the PSU situation.  They came into the season needing to replace their 3rd all-time leading passer Daryll Clark. They returned former Michigan commit Kevin Newsome who played in 10 games last year. He completed 8 of his 11 passes for 66 yards and 0-0 TD-INT. They also returned former walk-on Matt McGloin who saw action in 2 games.  They recruited the position well, signing two top ten QB prospects in Paul Jones and Orchard Lake St. Mary's Rob Bolden. Bolden actually beat out the pack to start the season opener against Youngstown State. He's thrown for 1307 yards and a TD/INT ratio of  5/7 in his 7 games this year. Not bad for a true freshman in the Big Ten. The problem is that he is injured and may not see the field against Michigan on Saturday night. He was apparently concussed in the Minnesota game, and was still having memory problems as of Tuesday.

McGloin and Newsome are both 6-13 on the year with McGloin having thrown 2 TDs. Newsome is a more dangerous runner, and has more overall experience at the college level. Before Bolden's injury, I would have guessed that the RB triumvirate of Royster, Green, and Redd would do most of the damage. If Bolden misses the game, I'm not sure Penn State will attempt 15 passes unless they get down big.  Even with the way teams have gashed the under-manned Michigan secondary. It will be interesting to see how much info gets leaked in the coming days regarding Bolden's status. Paterno is 176 years old a veteran coach who knows not to give any information away.

If I had to make a guess, I would say Bolden starts, but we see a mixture of all 3 QBs in the game. Bolden just hasn't shown enough to scare anyone. Of course, neither had Justin Siller in 2008. (What is it with young QBs from the state of Michigan going away for college and terrorizing the Wolverines?) If Michigan can keep the Nittany Lions at or around their level of QB production, they have a good shot at ending their two game losing streak.

Here's to hoping Greg Monroe starts slow

It sounds crazy that I would want the Piston's #7 overall draft pick to have a somewhat steep learning curve. It's nothing personal, hell I'm sure he's a fine young man. But this year has been emotionally draining when it comes to Detroit rookies. Take Brennan Boesch for example. He hit .342 with 12HR and 49RBI posting a .990 OPS before the All Star break this year. Everyone was crowning him the Rookie of the Year and comparing him to Ted Williams (not kidding, heard it more than once on 97.1). What did he do after the ASB? He hit .163 with 2HR, 18RBI, and a .459 OPS. Wha? Will the real Brennan Boesch please stand up?

Now let's take a look at Jahvid Best. After 2 games he racked up 268 total yards and 5 TDs. In his last 4 games he has 266 total yards and 0 TDs. Don't get me wrong, his overall stats are impressive. I'm not trying to hate on what he's done. But his first two games were so impressive that people were thinking Pro Bowl. Now? Not so much.

I am obviously ignoring what Ndamukong Suh and Austin Jackson bid this year. I will argue that their performance has been steadier without the unexpected breakout that Best and Boesch had. I hope Monroe becomes a solid contributor this year. 12ppg and 6rpg maybe? Am I setting the bar too low? I'm fine with it if I am. I have seen first hand what the expectations of an unbelievable start can bring.  

So apparently .247=11,500,000

On the day my bank gets robbed, my day gets worse and worse.  Detroit Tiger's all time strikeout king, Brandon Inge, has swindled  re-signed with the team for $11.5M over two years. The same Inge who has hit .237 for his career. The same Inge that strikes out in....lemme see, carry the 3, roughly 23% of his plate appearances. Look, I appreciate the fact that he is the longest tenured Tiger. I empathize with him when I remember he was on the historically bad 2003 team. This is a team that has a strong enough core and passionate enough owner to compete for World Series appearances. I understand that the free agent market is projected to be slim. There has to be better options available via trade.

So where does that leave the team? Who the hell knows anymore?  If Ilitch is serious about spending money this season, I hope he has his sights on a premier starting pitcher and impact bat at a corner OF spot that can keep Miguel Cabrera from getting walked thrice a game. Will it happen? Only time will tell, but history says a significant trade may happen. Dombrowski has traded for Cabrera along with Scherzer and Austin Jackson recently. I just hope the team realizes that Boesch was thoroughly exposed after the All-Star break and Avila needs to be pushed in spring training.

The Vicious Cycle

For the first time this year, the football teams I root for both lost. Michigan to Iowa and the Lions to New York. Normally, losses to two very good teams would just be a bummer. But after the start the Wolverines had, and the performance of the Lions last week, I expected more. I wanted more. Hell, I needed more.

Investing personally in the performance of 18-23 year old college students and millionaire NFL players is a dangerous proposition, but isn't that what being a fan is all about?

Fanatical is defined as A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause. Unreasoning enthusiasm sounds about right. Yelling, complaining, and cursing are perfectly normal reactions to many happenings.  Bang your thumb with a hammer? Let loose an unprecedented stream of curse words. Get cut off in traffic and get stuck at that extra slow red-light? Complain as loud as you can to the invisible passenger sitting next to you. Watch a Michigan DB get another face mask penalty? Watch Cliff Avril draw another personal foul? Watch back to back kickoffs sail out of bounds? See Fox show a close up of Drew Stanton warming up on the sideline? What is a reasonable response to these travesties? 


For me, anything short of going DeNiro in The Fan is within the realm of possibility.  I have cursed. I've thrown things. I've turned off my cell phone to ignore texts. I believe on September 24, 1994, I ran outside and starting crying. One would think that in the 16 years since then, I would have learned to take these losses in stride. Not So Fast My Friend. With age comes wisdom, and knowing more about these games makes the tough losses worse.


Being a kid watching football, there is feeling that some things are just bound to happen. You don't realize that your team is getting dominated on the line of scrimmage, or that on 3rd and 10, you don't throw a 5 yard out to the TE. I say again, on 3rd and 10, you don't throw a 5 yard out to the TE. Maybe it's the internet. Maybe it's the amount of money these sports generate forcing the information to the forefront. Until about 2004 or so, I knew nothing of the players Michigan was recruiting. If they weren't playing prominent roles for the Wolverines, I knew nothing about them. But I can watch an NFL Draft and hear a guys name, and 95% of the time I know what college he attended, and 40% of the time, I can name his High School. So unreasoning enthusiasm is an understatement.  I got happy yesterday hearing that Michigan officially offered a junior in high school a scholarship. I was excited because I know he has strong interest in becoming a Wolverine, and not long after getting his driver's license, he is a talented athlete. Is it wrong for me to get excited about someone who won't contribute to my favorite school for another 3 years? Unreasonable to ask in my honest opinion.


So what does any of this have to do with the previous weekend? Nothing. Everything. These gentlemen have played 13 games combined. Both have suffered injuries, both serious and nagging. They need this bye week. I need this bye week. This will be the first weekend since August that I know for a fact that neither of my teams will lose. That sound you hear is me exhaling. I can go shopping on Saturday afternoon. I can do homework at 1:00 on Sunday. It's a glorious feeling. I used to look at bye weeks as an inconvenience. As a fantasy football player, it usually meant having to pick up a kicker or defense to fill in for my starter. This season however, it couldn't have come at a better time. I can use this time to catch up on some long neglected reading. I can finally clean out the spare bedroom that is still unusable due to clutter after 2 months. Maybe I will take up building those ships in the bottles. Either way, it's nice to have a break.


Or maybe I will study the Penn State defense, and see if they can make Denard beat them through the air. The vicious cycle continues.

This Just In

I really don't know what to say. I.......They.......Ok. Don't blame me when you can't get this out of your head.
Thanks to BHGP, the greatest Iowa blog out there...



My rooting interest is now divided.

This Week in Great College Football Names

Yourhighness Morgan

Yourhighness Morgan is a redshirt freshman LB for the Florida Atlantic Owls. He currently has 7 total tackles including one tackle for loss and one sack on the season.

FAU is off to a 1-4 start, but has a winnable game this afternoon against 2-4 Arkansas St. Let's hope Morgan and wonderfully named teammates Tavious Polo and Nexon Dorvilus can pull off the W.

Quickie Preview-Iowa

The overwhelming strength of the Hawkeyes is their defense. They are #1 in the NCAA in scoring defense giving up only 10.2 points/game. They have only been tested by Arizona, their one loss of the season. They are coming off a 24-3 win against a fraudulent Penn State team. Let's see what they do against Michigan, assuming Denard Robinson can get his mojo back.

The Iowa defense is led by the following BAMFs:

1. Tyler Sash
2. Broderick Binns
3. Jeremiha Hunter
4. Karl Klug
5. Jeff Tarpinian
6. Christian Ballard
7. You
8. Get
9. The
10. Idea

And the best player on their defense is probable first round draft pick Adrian Clayborn.  The only thing he terrorizes more than taxi drivers, is opposing quarterbacks. Let's hope the Michigan tackles get some help from a TE or 3.

As for Iowa's offense, it starts and ends with this guy...

And he loves America more than you...

Don't believe me?

Aiding Stanzi the Manzi on the offensive side of the ball are RB Adam Robinson and the improbably named WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. Meh. Good, not great, players that benefit from a stellar defense.

Fun Facts

Iowa QB John Weinke was once a Michigan commitment.

Snake Alley in Burlington, IA is the world's crookedest street.

Prediction

I think this game will go one of two ways. 

1. Iowa's defense shows that it truly is dominating, and used the bye week to prepare for Denard Robinson. If this happens, I say 28-17 Iowa.
2. Denard Robinson show that last week was a fluke, and takes out some frustration. He shows how wrong all the bandwagon jumpers were. I'm looking at you ESPN "experts". When if this happens I say 42-35 Michigan.

I will go with the latter, only because I don't want to think about the negative press that will surround Rich Rodriguez and to a lesser extent, Denard Robinson.