SB Nation User Blog: jtothep

Awesome Article on Russ Rose

jtothep — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:11:18 -0000

I've been 'following' the women's vball performance on BSD, but had never read much about the man behind the success: Russ Rose. What a vintage Penn Stater! Here's a cool article on him in the NYT, which I hope doesn't scare any readers away. It reports on his collection of his own performance stats and his coaching on and from them. Also mentions his predilections for Cuban cigars and swearing. And gives a few of his interesting personal estimations of The Streak. The money quote:

I’ve heard people say that maybe we’d be better served had we lost,” Rose said. “I was kind of wondering what profession they were in. I wouldn’t want a lawyer representing me to think like that. I wouldn’t want a doctor operating on me to think like that.

(also hope the decision to use a 'post instead of a 'shot doesn't get too much flak; peace--jp)

I Liked This Season

jtothep — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:29:57 -0000

Aside from my team crumbling under pressure, at home, to two huge rivals. And my pickem performance. But I thought this season was Cool Football. It’s weird to say there were no Elite teams when four finished undefeated, but Millzners may be right in the traditional sense of the word (with apologies to Bama, whose top-down dominance is looking more old-school than modern ‘elite’). And I could care less about a relative dearth of ‘Heisman-worthy’ players, mostly cuz that designation seems so twwl of the past few years, and because it continues to ignore the best players on ‘the other side of the ball.’ What I liked about this year is what it reminded us about good football.

Look, I understrand it’s difficult to shake off the cerebral helmet the MSM has tried to place over our heads these past 5 years. We get that scheduling is weird--a competition pool of 120 teams is ludicrous, and even more so when there are few rules about including (semi-including?) the other 100+ D1-AA teams. And most of us understand that it’s the Economics aspects that are the true rulers over college football’s structure, dictating the limits and boundaries of who can compete and who may have the best chances to win.

But it’s not a complete cage. A maze, maybe, but there are exits! Competition still exists. Old traditions still run head-on into new upstarts, allowing the landscape to remain organic, both on the field and in its coverage. Fine players can still shine. Good coaches can prove their worth, inspire young men and have success on stages big and small. And even strong, independent writers, with astute insights and fresh perspectives, can have their thoughts and words consumed by an ever-growing (and ever-smarter) readership.

On the field, 2009 brought back some older ideals. The importance of trench warfare caught up to the glamour of the ‘skill’ positions. Penn State fans learned it again the hard way (tho many acknowledged it as a big concern in the offseason). Our poor young Oline got mauled early and late in our two losses, and the week after getting schooled by Cam Heyward and Thad Gibson, we watched Iowa’s more-talented line hold up rather fine against the same squad. It was the difference in our game, but not theirs. The Big Ten showcased some unbelievable talent on Dline this year. In addition to the aforementioned, Adrian Clayborn also dominated us and made one of the plays of the year to turn that game around. Brandon Graham was a one-man (perhaps literally on that defense) wrecking machine, and Jared Odrick impressed enough coaches who had to gameplan around him that he was worthy of their vote as Defensive Player of the Year. And that’s all just Big Ten. Anybody who tuned in to the games yesterday saw one of the more dominant, if not the most dominant, individual defensive performances of the year. Ndamukong Suh was a man among boys and he put on a show that was so impressive and entertaining, it just made me appreciative to be a college football fan.

The other seemingly long-lost art that made a return this year, at least to my eye, was coaching. Both the presence and the absence. That Bama victory yesterday was thorough, just like their coach. It was physical and fundamental and poised. Just like their coach. There are probably very few aspects of football analysis that cannot be overstated, and Daniel-san and Drunken Verne did plenty of repeating it, but this is one: the importance of a running back falling forward upon being tackled. Mark Ingram does this regularly, and it’s freakin studly. Big portions of that are the kids’ DNA, but evidence of coaching is there too. Their whole team is so tough, and mentally, too. They were only up 19-13, when a big screen by Ingram led to a ridiculously difficult, roll-right, throw-left, over-the-shoulder TE catch thrown perfectly by Greg McElroy, another excellent example of top-shelf coaching. There may be more than two dozen starting D1 QBs with more athletic ability out there, but he knew the stakes, knew he had to make plays, went out there and worked the gameplan (a dandy), and dropped a 12-18 for 239 w/a TD and no INTs on one of the most experienced and talented defenses this decade. Then he took the mic in post-game interviews and demonstrated an understanding of what was needed of him physically and mentally, gratitude to his teammates and coaches, and an appreciation of his program’s history and the players that came before him. Championship performance from top to bottom.

Bad coaching was aplenty as well. Charlie Weis never learned how to be a leader of men, and the team’s on-field performance showed it. Brian Kelly’s squad yesterday seemed underprepared, or at least out of focus early, and made mistake upon mistake to give up what seemed an insurmountable lead to a physical and focused Pitt squad. Thing is, that’s a squad coached by Dave Wannstedt, who has a resume full of campaigns cut short by a lapse of mental stamina. Kelly kept his men cool and composed, found ways to get his playmakers in the game and climbed back in. Wannstache’s lads kept fighting, but their kicker of all people, took a page from his coach’s mental fortitude, and choked an extra point. Epic Pitt. Epic Wanny. Epic fail.

I just felt that the games and personalities I saw and read about this year were compelling. I really enjoyed watching the trench battles (even ones PSU was clearly losing) and really dug watching these coaches on the sidelines, both the good and the bad ones. And a bunch of matchups were interesting too. The Civil War was awesome, it’s fun watching Paul Johnson’s offense, early OSU/USC was good theatre. OU battling through crippling injuries was interesting to me (even with, they nearly derailed the Horns in the Red River), and Iowa’s run (and awesome coverage) was maybe the most fun. And I’m looking forward to the Bowls as well. Being so familiar with hated Brutus, I’m extremely interested to see how these defensive studs and pressure fare against the always-entertaining Quack Attack. The McCoy-McClain square-off will be fun to watch. If Iowa gets Boise, the lead-up coverage is gonna be insane, and the game could possibly match. I’m gonna do everything I can to peep TCU’s bowl game to see what they’re all about; everything I read indicates they’re wickedly balanced and superbly coached. And whoever our own Penn State lads end up with is gonna be fun, be it the Sexy Bayou Bengals or the Wreck’s Triple Option.

Now I know this is all pretty rose-colored, and I kinda got lucky with the weather yesterday to end up watching ball for 12 hours and contemplating the season so positively, but I hope some of you can share some appreciation for another fine season of our favorite sport. I know my buddy Rambler had a rough finish last night, and I can appreciate the frustration in some of this resultant predictability, but to borrow one of my least favorite cliches of the past few years, the situation is indeed what it is. How we view it is our choice. I hope some of you can join me on the sunny side.

Pax et amor,

jtothep

Doc Saturday on the 'Game(s) of the Century'

jtothep — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:24:26 -0000

Doc Saturday on the 'Game(s) of the Century'

In case anybody comments, add'l linky. What I found most interesting in this article was this little nugget reference to our history as a 'Mid-major:'

"No. 1 Texas 15, No. 2 Arkansas 14 (1969)
Michigan's upset of No. 1 Ohio State two weeks earlier made this SWC showdown -- the only major game scheduled for Dec. 6 that season -- one of the most watched, most hyped college games in history, leading President Richard Nixon to award Texas with a plaque declaring the Longhorns "national champions" in the locker room after the game. (Good thing they backed him up by beating Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl.) All of which came to the eternal chagrin of Joe Paterno, whose second straight undefeated season at Penn State -- something of the Cincinnati of its day -- was rewarded with a plaque for owning the nation's longest winning streak."

Some Fat Charlie Obituaries

jtothep — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:28:37 -0000

Some Fat Charlie Obituaries

Extra linky to same spot (CFN). These are all pretty good and pretty fair. I like that they didn't skimp on references to his arrogance.

Some of my favorites:
Fiutak:
"He was what the program needed as far as an Xs and Os coach, but he lacked the personality, the people skills, and the recruiting ability to make Notre Dame a superpower again. He failed to let others into his program to provide insight and to try to help, and because of the BCS runs in his first two seasons, it was impossible to convince him, or anyone, that the whole thing needed to be torn down and rebuilt to get to the level that Notre Dame wanted to be at."

Cirminiello:
"With no head coaching experience or experience at this level, he wound up being out of his league, yet the arrogance, not to be confused with confidence, always found its way to the surface with Weis."

Bradley (who inexplicably finished with 'he's rich, but he's unemployed'; umm, who cares, dude? Why are people employed in the first place? Cuz they're not rich)
"Weis’ "schematic advantage" never materialized, and he only won big with Ty Willingham’s players. He paid scant attention to the defensive side of the ball, while trying to load up the offense with playmakers who could make him look more smart. But his biggest sin was in having never led a program at any level. That made him susceptible on the recruiting trail and during the operation of a game."

Unbelievable Senior Day Interview with DC

jtothep — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:54:38 -0000

Unbelievable Senior Day Interview with DC

Wow. My favorite interview with Darryl Clark ever! Sorry, I'm a yakarse and can never tell which BWI articles are premium or not, so hopefully posting this one quote won't be verboten:

"How do you want everyone to remember you?

Clark: Well, I definitely want to be remembered as a guy who gave a 100 percent effort on that football field every single time we take it. Off the field as well. A gentleman, class act, a very humble guy who has appreciated everything Penn State has given me and the road that I took to get here. I just want to be remembered as a good guy, a good football player, one who didn't slack in the classroom and just took advantage of every situation that was given to me and a person that stayed very humble with everything that's been put my way, accolades and all."

Dag, has this kid ever grown! Vintage, Classic Penn Stater. I'll miss you DC. Have a great Senior Day!

A Lesson in Hate

jtothep — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:15:39 -0000

A Lesson in Hate

While Cairo has helped us all learn to hate a little better, and Michigan week always helps, check out Tennessee Hate Week down at Roll Bama Roll. My favorite: 'Also, keep your redheaded, diseased children at least 15 feet from our fans as we don’t want acquire any of those God-forsaken sicknesses that plague your backwoods state. I swear to God they shouldn’t allow some of your repugnant children to leave their home, much less the state.'

Coaching Player Arrogance

jtothep — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:47:39 -0000

Coaching Player Arrogance

This is a really thoughtful piece on something we Penn Staters talked quite a bit about before and after the Rose Bowl last year: player arrogance. Matt Zemek takes twin swipes at both USC and Va Tech onfield player boastfulness, while simultaneously chastising the coaches who allow it and praising those same coaches for all of their positive work on the CFB landscape. It's number 3 on the list, and aside for a few unfortunate over-alliterations, contains some real nice thoughts like this one:
"If college sports is to fulfill its promise, the people who teach on the frontlines of practice fields and gymnasiums must do more to mold their players into better citizens. Making a distinction between healthy celebrations and arrogant behavior would be a mighty fine place to start. "

Man, I freakin Hate Eastern Illinois

jtothep — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:09:10 -0000

Man, I freakin Hate Eastern Illinois

thusspakejtothep.org

With wifey struggling through the first trimester, I had to cancel plans to attend the Akron and...

jtothep — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:17:40 -0000

With wifey struggling through the first trimester, I had to cancel plans to attend the Akron and Syracuse games. But she surprised me opening day by asking me if I'd like pancakes for breakfast. And when this appeared on the plate delivered to me in front of the tube, the room got a little dusty.

Cheerleader of the Week

jtothep — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:19:23 -0000

Cheerleader of the Week

Lizzie. From Kansas. Here's hoping her celebrity crush never happens. Literally.