According to Joepa presser.  Seems like a case of he knows something the rest of the world doesn't, since they are moving the expected nickel back to #4 wideout (assuming he will not pull a Troy Brown).  Personally, I'm not a fan of this move.  However, I guess either the Drake injury is worse than expected, the young receivers are not as good as thought, the young secondary guys are really good, or a combination thereof. 

As we approach the Blue White game, I got to thinking about the fledgling evaluation of the commercialization of the spring game and the general direction of where things are headed.  Five years ago, the Blue White game, for example, was broadcast on local TV, usually airing at some ridiculous hour like Sunday morning at 10am.  This year, Penn State joins the ranks of a number of other high-profile universities with a game broadcast live and nationwide.  My question is, where do we go from here?

Commercialization evaluation:

Step 1 – national TV – already there

Step 2 – networks pressure schools for competitive games

In Alabama’s scrimmage this year, Saben chose to play starters as well as prominent players for a large portion of the game.  For example, Ingram was featured by one team’s offense and Richardson by the other.  McElroy, the starting quarterback, also played his fair share.  Compare this personnel usage to Penn State, where Royster will probably not even suit up, Green will see little action, and if we had a solid starting QB like we did last year, he would also not even dress.  Now, I am not accusing Alabama of anything here, but when will the networks exude pressure on the universities involved to put a competitive product on the field?  Could non-Penn State fans be enticed to watch a game featuring starters, punt returns, and a clock that stops on change of possession?  We may be a few years away from this eventuality, but if TV networks dangled a few extra dollars for a competitive game, the schools would surely oblige (Penn State under Paterno would probably not and that’s why he’s awesome).

Step 3 -  NCAA approves scrimmages against other teams

My question here is, are we really that far off?  The schools would be for it ($), the networks would be for it ($), fans would be for it (thinking that schools would not shy away from quality opponents given the meaninglessness of the game) and the players would probably be for it.  The only opponents would be the coaches, since they would have to waist practice time preparing for an opponent versus working on fundamentals.  With the proponents mentioned and potential money involved, who could stop this from happening?.... godaddy.com Penn State vs Oklahoma spring classic here we come