JJ Husker

I think you got that right. I know a local HS senior O-Lineman very well (friend of my son and ex teammate) who signed intent for PSU for next year. I have not heard if he is changing yet but I would be extremely surprised if he doesn't. He is the most focused, dedicated, HS athlete I have ever personally experienced. A real class kid. I was originally happy for him to receive an offer from a top notch program like PSU but now I feel sorry that he will probably have to scramble for an alternate. I will put in another good word for the Huskers (if they're interested) to him.

To be successful, any D scheme requires the players to make plays. We don't get the dominating defense of prior years just by changing scheme. But, I do agree that the 2 gap scheme requires extraordinary athletes on the D line for it to work. I don't feel we have the athletes this year to effectively run a 2 gap system. Evidenced by the facts that we have gotten no pressure from our D line on any opposing quarterbacks and our run defense has invariably given up minimum 3-4 yard gains even when a run into the line can be anticipated. The 2 gap is designed to be a bend but don't break system and it has lived up to that for the most part even without extraordinary athletes. We have not given up many big plays but when we do it is ugly and we bend way too much otherwise. I think it is a great system when you have the correct personnel working it. Personally, I would like to see more of the amoeba. It has to be confusing for the offense to calculate and adjust their blocking schemes and it would help keep us fans from picking it apart because nobody can tell what the hell is going on with it.

^^^^This^^^^

Plus why should Joe believe some grad assistant over a defense coach that he has known much longer? It's like saying that a friend you had known for a very long time had done something terrible and yet some new guy comes up and tells you he did do something bad and yet you will believe the new guy? I think not. People always get a sense of something more could've been done after the fact. I'm sorry, but this is just plain stupid. What would have been the motive for the grad student to so graphically lie? Would Joe expect Sandusky to tell him the truth? When something this shocking occurs, you have to take extraordinary measures to investigate. Maybe the grad assistant didn't like Sandusky? People lie all the time. People have been known to say outrageous things so they will be heard. The grand jury investigation deemed him the most credible witness. His story, or rather the pattern of Sandusky's behavior, has been corroborated by 8-9-10-? and counting victims, a janitor, and a school principal among others. I'm all for giving people the benefit of the doubt but that ship has sailed.

Hopefully our team shows up and makes it as ungraceful as possible on the field, if he does in fact coach this game. My personal opinion is that PSU should fire him right now, yesterday. I assume that most people who do not want him held accountable immediately have not yet read the grand jury report. I will not get into if what he did was illegal or not but what he failed to do was definitely inhuman. If a grad assistant told you what he had witnessed in the showers and all you did was tell the AD and then not follow up and not do everything in your power (and JoePa has all the power in the world at PSU) to keep that guy away from your program, then I say you are a scumbag and at least partially responsible for all of the harm caused after that point in time. I cannot fathom the reasoning behind sweeping this deal under the rug or claiming you did all you were required to do. Unconscionable.

Searching for the weekly look-a-like(s) is always fun but just not in the mood for it this week. Even the most innocent posting could be misconstrued as taking a cheap shot when they're down. I read the grand jury report- football or humor are about the last things on my mind at this point. A suggestion- if you haven't read the report yet, don't. You'll feel better not knowing.

I'll try to help. All you need is some perspective. No need to be terrified of losing a football game. It really doesn't matter. If you want to know something you should be terrified about, try putting yourself in the place of those 10-12 year old boys or their parents.

I can't imagine they won't be. I feel for the fans because they had nothing to do with it. If you're a PSU fan how are you excited to make the trek to Happy Valley this Saturday? I wouldn't be. I'd be embarrassed for my school and a little depressed that something like this could happen. if a lot of them are catholics, it will not be anything new. I assume you thought that comment was cute or humorous when you typed it? If your goal was to offend Catholics, I think you probably succeeded.

Excellent article. Sums up my feelings exactly. There simply is no excuse for JoePa. He needs to go and now.

Agreed, some people have no common sense and can't see the forest for the trees. I struggle with all the people that put so much of this on the coaches and so little on other factors. Tom was a great coach (understatement of the day) but that mid 90's run was also due to factors that no one can duplicate, no matter how hard they try. TO put the system in place to allow it to happen and I give him all the credit in the world for the string of 9+ win seasons, bowl games, etc. but the 92-97 run we experienced is beyond anything we can ever expect to duplicate. I loved experiencing it and I miss that level of dominance greatly but some people need to realize when the glass is half full and when it is not half empty.

PS- I wasn't really confused.

I'm pretty sure he was serious... Well now I am confused. Originally I thought Badgerfan was being sarcastic because of the mushroom cloud arising from this board after the NW loss. But if there is any chance Peugot is not a mental patient, I may have to re-evaluate. You stick around Badgerfan. I like your posts and sense of humor.

It's like every 'scandal' we've had in the past 50 years all happening at once, x 100. I feel sorry for them. No matter what, the fans don't deserve this. And while some of them may have been defined as "criminal", none of them carry such a negative connotation and response as child molestation. Child molestation is one of the worst, if not the worst thing a person can do. But, witnessing it, not stopping it, and going about your business like nothing is wrong, is even worse in my opinion. That is what appears to have happened as pertains to JoePa and the assistant coach. What kind of human being simply reports that kind of thing up the chain? I've got no words for it.

I understand what you are saying but this situation is not that simple. The actions of Sandusky, while appalling and stomach turning, are no longer the real issue for Penn State football. The head coach, an assistant, the AD, and other(s) in the department knew about this and basically did nothing. The assistant who witnessed it and reported it to JoePa is still in the program. JoePa's story is disgusting-he told the AD and then forgot about it? WTF? I'm sorry but if you witness something like that and/or are made aware of it being committed by a direct employee, there is no way NO WAY you don't follow up and continue to give the perpetrator access. JoePa or the assistant not following up on this willful covering up and that is totally unacceptable. This scandal is so intertwined with what Penn State football is that I think it highly probable that they might cancel games and possibly season(s) going forward. And no it is not fair to the players, the fans, the PSU people who had no knowledge of this. Unfortunately innocent people will get caught up in the solution. It's a terrible situation and I feel horrible for those student athletes that will be impacted. I know, very well, a high school senior from my area that had signed a letter of intent to go to PSU nest year. No way he goes now but it is 100x worse for players that are already there. I'm not saying they should cancel the game this Saturday but it would not surprise me in the least. A self administered death penalty may be all that this program can do at this point.

If I'm not mistaken we're 1-0 in 11AM games so far this year. That's as good or better than any other time slot you can name. It's not real conducive to heavy drinking but if that is your main focus, you may (I did say may) have a slight problem. 11AM is definitely no fun for a home game but at PSU, I don't think it can hurt.

Yes, but are they still restricting access to the top of Oldfather Hall and the Capital Building? I don't think that jumping from the Nelnet building downtown will result in the desired effect... I don't know about that. I knew a guy who fell off an 8' ladder and got some pretty serious brain damage. I'm thinking Elephant Hall might be just high enough.

+10 to the OP. There is a difference between criticizing elements of the game (the D-line, the offensive play calling, defensive scheme, etc.) and calling for wholesale changes, the coaches head "Bo needs to go", etc. I have been one of the first to criticize our defense this year for specific reasons but I believe it is crossing the line when people come out and call for the coach to be fired with a 7-2 record especially given our recent history with coaching changes. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it sure does not look good when you see the threads explode with some of these ludicrous wishes and claims. I don't even want to start in on who is a "good" fan or who is a "fairweather" fan but, for me, a great number of the posts in the last few days have simply been revolting. It embarrasses me to think I may be lumped in with some of these other Husker "fans". I know I have the choice to come on these boards and read the comments or not to. Too many more meltdown weekends like this past one and I guess I'll just have to get my Husker football fix in another fashion. Can we start a petition to remove those "Greatest fans" signs on Memorial Stadium? Because it just simply is not even close to being the case anymore. Maybe Badgerfan had the best tongue in cheek suggestion; "burn down Memorial Stadium" because it seems to be the main source of a lot of these peoples problems. When a fan from another team notices how irrational some of the posters have become, it sure does no good for our reputation as fans. It's pretty bad when you can begin to make rational comparisons between some Husker fans and some Buff fans. Makes me ill.

I don't know, I think some of these fans on the ledge should probably go ahead and take the old fashioned way off and jump. It would seriously limit and shorten up these many meltdown threads.

I love people who rip on others and accuse them of thinking their "experts." Who do these people think they are, "experts"? I may not be an expert but it would sure appear that I have a lot more common sense and experience as pertains to this issue. It was one friggin loss to Northwestern. A Northwestern mind you who played their a$$es off while our team sat on theirs. Where was all this dissension 2 days ago? If Bo is such a rotten so and so, where were all these people calling for his head before this one single game? It is simply a meltdown, knee-jerk reaction that the melters are now trying to justify and rationalize. I was around in the late 70's when the same things were said about TO. In the mid 80's to mid 90's the story was he couldn't win the big game. We are still recovering from the decision to fire Solich after a season with a record that most teams would die for. Recruiting gets impacted. System continuity gets impacted. Bo has 2 losses in the first season in a new conference. But, the thing that really gets me are the people saying he can't motivate the players and prevent these types of losses to inferior opponents. I've coached a bit (not at the college level mind you) and I am of the belief that about the only way a coach can influence motivation is negatively. I don't see that with Bo for the team at large. Motivation has to primarily come from within the players themselves. Bo didn't fumble the ball. Bo didn't drop passes. Bo didn't play defense like a girl. I don't know why this team came out and stunk it up but I am pretty certain it is not very closely related to some shortcoming of Bo's not getting them motivated enough. I don't hold the coaching staff harmless. Sure there are things here and there that they can and should do better. We are a young inexperienced team with a relatively young coaching staff. For Christ's sake give them some time to develope their program and for the timing for all the pieces to fit together. A clue; this isn't the year. If your tolerance horizon is only 4-5 years and then you want change, I hate to tell ya that you're never going to get where you're going. And no I did not give Callahan the same courtesy of more time for obvious reasons. The difference is Bo has shown respect for our traditions and ex-players and has many things going in his favor as far as turning us around from the past debacle and the team showing improvement. It don't happen overnight people. And a change at the wrong time can put it off another 5-10 years. If we were to fire Bo at this point, I would not want for a coach the idiot that would be willing to take his place. I love people who get into a much larger discussion but instead choose to concentrate on some little side issue about experts rather than manning up and saying what they really feel about the issue at hand. I should have known jumping into this meltdown thread was a mistake and waste of time. It'll be some of the same people who, after the next victory, will be figuring out how we play in to the NC scene. Like I said- Kneejerk.

This is just an administrative idea for the mods. Maybe we should have an official designated place to archive these meltdown threads. Every loss it's the same story but with different leading players. Today it's Bo has to go. Wiscy it was Taylor has to go. Its really kind of comical. The biggest mistake this program ever made was firing a coach who had just completed a good winning season. That one boneheaded destructive move doomed us to mediocrity to about this point in time. Signs abound that we are improving but we still have much progress to make. It is totally un f'n believable some of you are calling for Bo's head. Anyway, I just think for posterities sake there should be a special place for these "special" bits of wisdom. Are the Huskers back yet? Hell no their not back to pre- Callahan form. That ought to be your first frikken clue why this program can not have another asinine coaching change at this point. Some of you calling for his job have not the slightest idea about jack. You can drink beer and watch the games and you think it's easy and you think you're some kind of expert. Pathetic.

Bo cannot get his players motivated even against good competition. NU plays about one complete game a year. This team was under-prepared again. Well then at least we have that one complete game left to look forward to cuz they haven't come close to a complete game yet this year.

When did they make an appearance? The invisible man cannot disappear.

Perfect analysis "this defense has been victimized between the tackles". Repo the blackshirts and burn em. It's not a viable tradition if the guys that have them play like b#tches.

You could hear a pin drop in the stadium.

OMFG.