Dude was always looking for a head coach job in the NFL, but he was also pretty much chased away by the paterno camp and the not changing atmosphere at Penn State.

So basically the next guy will either be chased out quick as well, or be someone already ingrained in the culture. Hell let Franco Harris and Jay Paterno coach the team together.

Some good stuff right here:

“You can print this: You can print that I don’t really give a ---- what the ‘Paterno people’ think about what I do with this program. I’ve done everything I can to show respect to Coach Paterno. Everything in my power. So I could really care less about what the Paterno faction of people, or whatever you call them, think about what I do with the program. I’m tired of it.

“For any ‘Paterno person’ to have any objection to what I’m doing, it makes me wanna put my fist through this windshield right now.”

http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/01/bill_obrien_the_outsider_arriv.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medi

...what culture was O'Brien not preserving at Penn St.?

Sounds like he let some coaches go that were left over from the old era and the Paterno supporters were not happy about it.

But I'm sure by his reaction it was an every move he made type thing. NO matter what he did he probably heard about how Joe would have done it differently, or "around these parts...."

He sounds unintelligent

if they put a port o potty above his grave, that would be doing too much to honor him

O'Brien has done a great job and doesn't owe shit to anyone.

Like he came in, didn't bury the guy and alienate all his fans, didn't praise him as a god and anger outsiders, and just tried to do things his own way.

Unfortunately the Paterno camp never got off his back for 2 years which is pretty clear by the way he talks.

disingenuous about the situation. Of course there's going to be a vocal minority of fans/alumni who will never better be satisfied w/ Paterno's replacement. But he's lying to himself if he thinks the majority of PSU fans didn't support and respect the heck out him.

I thought he was a great coach given the circumstances. He revitalized the offense and even helped Matt McGloin look like a decent QB - that in of itself is a major accomplishment and testament to Bill O'Brien's ability to develop/coach QBs. He was able to land and help develop what looks to be the most promising true freshmen QB in the country - Christian Hackenberg.

His departure doesn't bother me because I knew it was inevitable. He never struck me as a college coach, and I'm sure he will be much happier in the NFL. Of course he will never admit it, but I'm sure deep down he never saw PSU as anything more than a stepping stone to the NFL.

Kudos and good luck to O'Brien. I will say this though - he better hope Wade Phillips stays on board as the D-Coordinator because his selection of d-coordinators was putrid.

and of course in here all sorts of dummies are piling on and taking the opportunity they so desperately want to piss on some guy's grave.

>disingenuous about the situation.

for the people who want to claim that O'Brien sold the kid's a bill of goods about being a PSU 'lifer' and whatnot...

Even if the old guard never gave him an ounce of trouble he would have been on the first train leaving.

http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2014/1/1/5263776/bill-obrien-didnt-get-it

What PSU fans dont get if you take away all the controversy and just think of this like any other job where there was no issue and the coach just left after being there forever is that guys like Paterno don't exist anymore. They were very spoiled by a coach like Paterno who spent his entire life there and Penn State is a stepping stone job to nearly every other coach out there (save a few PSU guys).

To think this is not going to happen over and over again is just blind arrogance.

That is how it works in a normal situation, let alone one like this.

it's hilarious and disturbing that they're still on their sanctimonious bullshit.

Sounds like that's exactly what they're going to get.

something like this... these people are all crazy...

They have 2 options... hire an asshole who's options are limited and needs a job that provides him career upside (Schiano) or one of paterno's players (munchak)

"I also take issue with the fact that O’Brien did not "give a ---- what the ‘Paterno people’ think" about what he did with the program. O’Brien didn’t have to coach according to JVP’s playbook, but he should have some respect for the fact that everything that the Penn State football program means is because of Paterno. Joe Paterno is the reason that Beaver Stadium holds 110,000 fans. Joe Paterno is also the reason the stadium was nearly full for almost every game. Season ticket holders bought season tickets because of what Joe Paterno did with the program. And if anyone thinks that there aren’t those who aren’t in the stands anymore because of the way the University ultimately treated Paterno, they are flat out wrong.

O’Brien had exactly the wrong attitude that the Penn State football coach should have. The next Penn State football coach should realize that he is in Happy Valley to do more than just coach the team. The football coach should mold boys into men of integrity. The football coach should be an example of Penn State’s values. The football coach should display the same loyalty that players and fans have for Penn State. And the football coach should respect the rich history of Penn State football - and the fact that it would be nothing without Joe Paterno.

I guess I’m one of those "Paterno people" that Jones implied O’Brien didn’t care about. So Coach, go ahead: put your fist through that windshield. At one point, we were all Paterno people. If you don’t care what JVP’s supporters think of the program, then you never got what Penn State is about."





I think about no one endeavoring to discover who the fuck that kid was in the shower. These fucks can roll up their fond memories of Paterno and shove it up their ass then swallow it again.


I fucks with O'Brien on the strength of this alone.












>http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2014/1/1/5263776/bill-obrien-didnt-get-it
>
>What PSU fans dont get if you take away all the controversy
>and just think of this like any other job where there was no
>issue and the coach just left after being there forever is
>that guys like Paterno don't exist anymore. They were very
>spoiled by a coach like Paterno who spent his entire life
>there and Penn State is a stepping stone job to nearly every
>other coach out there (save a few PSU guys).
>
>To think this is not going to happen over and over again is
>just blind arrogance.
>
>That is how it works in a normal situation, let alone one like
>this.

They treated him like a god until the evidence of him enabling a serial child rapist was too much to ignore, then they dragged their feet in firing him for what would have been immediate termination in other places.

If people are staying away because of how they did Paterno, it should be because they were too kind to him.

that's hardly dragging feet.

Factions, weirdly expressed loyalty to previous staff, internal politics

Cue uninspiriring Paterno assistant hire in 3...2...1..

But when you have a coach who was there as long as Joe Pa, you're going to have some deep rooted fan-boys that will be tough to overcome.




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goddamnit.

-----------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON BRUINS, 2011 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

2010 OKAY COLLEGE FANTASY CHAMPION

Dude stood up and was the best thing to happen to that program in a terrible situation.

Bunch of Paterno fanboy pricks doing the University a disservice. Terrible.

because his heart was always going to be in the nfl. reading between the lines, he doesn't want to shake hands with alumni, speak at lunches, and all the BS that college coaches need to do. he just wants to coach football, so he's better off in the NFL.

none of this makes paterno people any less moronic, btw. i don't know if we could've kept him even if we were perfect towards him, but the behavior of a certain key segment of psu's fan base all but ensures the next hire is going to be truly terrible.

Maybe he stays a 3rd year if they aren't around, MAYBE.

But he took that job as a stepping stone, it was pretty much a no lose situation for him.

this will hurt their bargaining power to convince a guy to stick around rather than use the school as a continuous stepping stone job.

they might need to go in the alumni barrel and hope he can put up with the paterno nuts.

Which is a shame because the school needs to separate from that entire era, but they refuse to let it happen.

BoB was the perfect hire for them other than not wanting to stick around long, their choices are basically outsiders who view it as a stepping stone or an insider who will do whatever the Paterno people want and never build a new identity. We're going to see the latter.

for this gig or one like it anyway. which is fine, that is how the world works.

hmmmmm

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Another rebuild project and dealing with sanctions? and probably a step down prestige wise.

But I get the feeling people are not happy with his job at Miami and getting taken out by Louisville left a bad taste. Would he be on the hot seat next year to compete for an ACC title and catch up to FSU and Clemson? If so then might as well head to PSU where you're basically safe for at least a long time there.

would be nice too. I'm not looking for sympathy. I get it. But just in case anyone would like a bit more clarity on O'Brien's statement, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind.

O'Brien's quotes were in response to the following question, 'What would you say to the Paterno people who were upset about Vandy (former linebackers coach Vanderlinden)leaving?' This was BOB's response to Davy Jones, who openly admitted he had called and asked this question multiple times over to BOB before he got this emotional response. Notice he was referencing a small minority of people about a specific incident. There's nothing to indicate that these were his true feelings about the majority of PSU fans.

Despite what ESPN, the original poster, etc. might say about the PSU fan base, the overwhelming majority of us support and appreciate BOB. Two of the top selling shirts at PSU are 'Billieve' and 'O'Brien's Lions.' The guy is/was revered - though obviously not to the extent of Paterno. It's not uncommon for coaches who follow legends to be unfairly criticized - there are tons of examples out there. BOB had to have known that he would never win over a certain segment of the fan base. In his case though, he was able to win over the vast majority of fans relatively quick.

I think it's pretty ridiculous for you and the majority of posters in here to assume that it was the fans who drove him out. The writing was on the wall. He interviewed for 2 NFL coaching jobs last year. He requested that his buyout fee be lowered.

I know plenty of silent majority people when it comes to PSU.

But I also know plenty of the loud crazy nut jobs, and I have 0 trouble believing those people never got off BoB's back.

I think he did a great job at PSU and I think plenty of people appreciated it, but I see these minority people everyday, I've known them my whole life growing up in this area, and I don't think O'Brien wanted to be around them anymore.

It was always a stepping stone job for him no question to it, and I think knowing that is what kept the Paterno people on him the entire time as well, they never fully bought in and trusted him because of that.

I've been relatively quiet about anything PSU related on this board bc I realize the vast majority of posters despise anything PSU related. But it's hard to sit back and read some of these posts that are wildly off base and simply not true.

I don't doubt for a second that some of the vocal Paterno fans drove him nuts. No one should have to put up with that. I'm sure the internal strife amongst board members bothered him as well. Likewise, I have a feeling he despised the politics of being a college coach and wanted to go the NFL where he could solely focus on football.

He is a local PA guy, but not a PSU guy, and I think that is what the school needed.

Now 4.5 Million a year for a guy that beat 4 teams with a winning record is a lot of investment, but the school is not exactly in a position of big bargaining power these days.

You don't think it's a lot of money for a guy who is not THAT proven as a headcoach for a school that considers themselves elite? Way more than O'brien got that's for sure.

The biggest difference between Pitt and PSU fans is the illusions of grandeur one of our fanbases has.

I know where Pitt lies in the college football atmosphere.

I thought this was a good ass hire. Dude clearly knows what he's doing but here is what I'm hearing:

"He's a scandal waiting to happen."

"He's Ty Willingham 2.0, guess Penn State hasn't learned anything from Notre Dame, Stanford, or Washington."

"Way to go Penn State. Way to hire another dumb dumb."

They're really complaining he's not a "Penn State" guy.


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If he earns it then he earns it, but it's a big investment.

He was the right guy, much better than bringing in Golden, or a Paterno guy.

I think by white people are saying these things you mean "Paterno People"

I live in PSU country, this is what I'm hearing.


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Yea there are a lot of PSU crazies who don't like the hire, but they pretty much wanted Al Golden or Joe Paterno's ghost only.

I'm hearing. In fact, I'd argue this is a 180 from the time Bill O'Brien was hired. Everyone I know is fired up and happy. Reading the local papers, the general consensus seemed to be that Franklin was the best available coach for the job. A lot of people speculated that he'd bypass PSU for the NFL. It seemed like he was 1-A and Al Golden 1-B. Then it was guys like Mike Munchak.

Folks have been buzzing about his press conference earlier today. Honestly, I'm not sure who you're talking to bc what you described is the complete opposite of what I'm hearing/reading.

There was a lot of hate on this hire. Folks wanted Golden. I think PSU got the better coach of the two.

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http://insider.espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10276518/is-james-franklin-fit-penn-state-college-football


After a relatively slow start, the college football coaching carousel began to spin wildly in the last few weeks. Many were shocked by Charlie Strong's move from Louisville to Texas and Bobby Petrino's back-to-the-future gig at Louisville.

But hardly anyone was stunned by Penn State hiring James Franklin away from Vanderbilt. Franklin had become one of the hottest coaches in the country after taking over a program that was 2-10 the season before he arrived to three consecutive bowls, while compiling an overall record of 24-15. And he did it with an engaging personality and outgoing style, generating excitement for the program and selling Vandy to anyone who would listen (including calling into radio shows as "James from Nashville"). It's no wonder he was on the short list for the jobs at Texas, Penn State, USC and a handful of NFL teams.

But the question now is no longer about whether Franklin is a good coach, or a hot coach on the rise. The real question is, "Is Franklin a good fit at Penn State?"

Sometimes the "hot" coach isn't the right fit for every school. In the case of Franklin and Penn State, I believe you have to look at two significant factors in order to evaluate whether it is a good fit -- recruiting, and Franklin's ability to get the most out of QB Christian Hackenberg – in addition to one off-the-field issue that could loom large in the coming months.


Recruiting

Clearly, recruiting is a major issue for Penn State for several reasons. The first is the scholarship restrictions placed on the school by the NCAA following the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. Even though the NCAA granted Penn State some relief from the original sanctions recently, the numbers are still tough: The Nittany Lions are limited to 75 scholarships in 2014 and 80 in 2015 before having a full allotment in 2016, and can sign no more than 20 players per year in 2014 and 2015. (Note: The norm is 85 total scholarships and 25 per season.) Additionally, PSU is banned from bowl games for the next two seasons.

Those reduced numbers mean that Penn State's scholarships are at a premium, and there is no margin for error, so the coaching staff needs to be right about the players who are signed, and also get star players to come aboard to make up for the lack of depth the program is facing. The head coach must be able to recruit great classes, even though they may be small classes. We saw how former USC coach Lane Kiffin was able to bring in top classes even while the Trojans were under sanctions (hey, the classes were great, even though the on-field performance was not).

Can Franklin recruit under these restrictions? Absolutely. He recruited consecutive top-25 classes at Vandy the last two years. Now, Vandy wasn't under NCAA sanctions, but Vandy's academic requirements might as well be sanctions because of the limited number of athletes who can qualify for admission to the school. Franklin has already dealt with a smaller pond of talent in which to fish. Moreover, he had to sell a vision, a dream about winning and bowl games at a place that essentially had no successful football tradition.

Granted, it won't be easy to get players from the Southeast, where he was recruiting for Vandy, to go to Happy Valley in droves. Penn State is in the middle of nowhere, in a really cold climate, and it won't be able to participate in a bowl game for the next two years. So he'll have to battle Ohio State's Urban Meyer and Michigan's Brady Hoke for the top recruits in the Northeast and Midwest.

But that's OK, because Franklin can hold his own in recruits' living rooms with Meyer and Hoke. He is a tremendous salesman and cheerleader, and he will be as passionate about Penn State as he was Vandy. If anyone can recruit for Penn State, it's Franklin. It's also worth noting that Franklin is Penn State's first African-American head coach, which can only help with recruiting. It shows a commitment to diversity and might help more recruits of color feel comfortable choosing Penn State.

HACKENBURG

Don't underestimate Hackenberg's importance to Penn State both now and in the future. He was the No. 1 QB recruit in the country when he took a leap of faith to stick with his Penn State commitment and learn how to become the next Tom Brady under Bill O'Brien. With O'Brien now moving on to the NFL after Hackenberg's true freshman season, that doesn't seem to be what Hackenberg envisioned when he came to Happy Valley – and if he ends up having a bad experience at Penn State, it will hurt the Nittany Lions' recruiting (good luck trying to get another elite QB recruit to go there) and morale since Hackenberg is the star of the football program.

At first glance, it does not appear that Franklin is a good fit with Hackenberg, since Hackenberg operated in a drop-back system at Penn State under O'Brien while Franklin ran a spread system at Vandy that relied on a mobile quarterback to be a big part of the rushing attack. Also, Franklin hasn't had an elite quarterback like Hackenberg as the focal point of his offense. Yes, Franklin coached Josh Freeman at Kansas State, but Freeman was not the focal point of K-State's offense, even though he went on to become a first-round pick.

But while it is fair to be concerned about Franklin's fit with Hackenberg, it may not be much of an issue after all. First, Franklin has shown the ability to adapt offensively. He has run different systems at Kansas State, Maryland and in the NFL with Green Bay. He's not a stranger to the pro-style offense and should not have a problem implementing a system similar to the one he used at Maryland with Danny O'Brien at quarterback. And even though Franklin isn't considered an offensive visionary on the level of, say, Bobby Petrino or even Bill O'Brien (Franklin's strengths are more as a leader of the program), it's important to remember that he does have an offensive background.

Perhaps the most compelling point, however, is that Franklin and Bill O'Brien have a connection, having worked together for two years at Maryland, and they remained friends, which should help Franklin with Hackenberg. And, despite his move to the NFL, O'Brien remains close to Hackenberg. O'Brien may very well be the glue that binds Franklin and Hackenberg together so that this transition works out very well.

Bottom line

In summary, Franklin has what it takes to continue to turn the Penn State program around and establish it as a future challenger to the top teams in the Big Ten. That is, at least with what he brings to the sideline and on the recruiting trail.

But there is a bigger off-the-field issue looming, which is the ongoing rape allegation involving four former Vanderbilt players. The four were accused of raping an unconscious 21-year old woman (a fifth player pleaded guilty to participating in a cover-up). Some believe that, in light of the Sandusky child molestation scandal at Penn State, the university should have avoided Franklin completely.

From a purely football perspective, Franklin is a good fit. If it turns out that Franklin is not in any way involved in the case, I think it's clear he has what it takes to be successful at Penn State. But if Franklin is connected to the case at all, then the "good football fit" will take a back seat. The focus will shift to Franklin's role in the case, and he'll face the same allegations Joe Paterno faced of being a coach who looks the other way and is willing to win at all costs. (And until the case is resolved, it figures to be an issue Franklin will have to deal with on the recruiting trail.)

That would be an awful outcome for Penn State, but it apparently is a risk that the school is willing to take.

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Rod Gilmore
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Rod Gilmore serves as an ESPN studio analyst on SportsCenter and College Football Live, and provides commentary on ESPN's Friday night game telecasts. He writes regularly for ESPN Insider.
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Comments

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Dude killed his press conference today. Everything I've heard about him has been great. Energetic, engaging, and driven. Hearing him speak and discuss his vision, he seems like a perfect fit for PSU and college coaching in general.

A good friend and former co-coach of mine was actually James Franklin's successor as starting QB for East Stroudsburg. The guy I know shattered every DII record at the time (over 600 yards passing in a game, 7 passing TDs in a game 3 times, etc.). He had nothing but extremely good things to say about Franklin. I have two other good friends who were teammates with Franklin for some of their career at East Stroudsburg and they too had nothing but great things to say about him.

Some have questioned his ability to coach up Hackenberg. I don't think that will be an issue. East Stroudsburg, his alma mater, ran an extremely complex offense that aired the ball out. He ran a pro-style offense as the offensive coordinator at Maryland (they're hating themselves for letting him go).

Personally, I think he will be one heck of a recruiter. He just seems like a very charismatic guy who kids would love to play for. He talked about putting a wall around PA and continuing to attract the best from MD, NJ, DE and the northeast. His PA roots (dad from the Hill District in Pittsburg and he grew up in the Philly suburbs) will definitely help too. I know he's gonna bring in his own coaches, but I sincerely hope he opts to keep LJ Sr. around (and LJ Sr. wants to stick around too).

realize how lucky they are.

i suspect a sizeable faction won't, but a lot will.

kinda shocked at this happening but would be a great get for OSU

>but I sincerely hope he opts to keep LJ Sr. around
>(and LJ Sr. wants to stick around too).