Scathing Grantland article....guy is on some sort of mission.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2015-college-football-penn-state-james-franklin/
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2015-college-football-penn-state-james-franklin/
Grantland's Weinreb calls Franklin a BSer....
- Thread starter Victor E. Bell
- Start date
We talked about this in the Den today. The article sucked. Weinreb has no idea what he's talking about, but he's not about to let that stop him. Extremely toolish.
I think he suspects a little bit of what we all do. I don't appreciate this article, but honestly, I see the viewpoint. I said it in another thread, this program is hanging by a thread, and this new administration is not helping. Franklin is BS'ing, and I understand why, he knows if this thing gets real negative it could all unravel. From the players psyches(Hack) to recruits bailing(Sanders/hill), to the program loosing money(think 85k at these games moving forward) I'm beginning to think Franklin's task is far greater than O'brien's was. Everyone associated with the program was desperately clutching to the program and players and felt we had been wronged, but that emotional zeal has sort of run its course and now we just want to go back to winning. I'm guilty of it, we're all guilty of it, but we need to be honest here. This program went through a nuclear air raid meant specifically to bring the program to its knees. It was orchestrated by the media, our own administration, and the NCAA and maybe let's all admit we thought we were out of the wood when the sanctions were dropped. One look at our O-line and watching a CJF presser and its pretty obvious we were just in the eye of the storm for a bit. I don't think Franklin is directly disingenuous or diluted, I think he knows that keeping happy valley positive for the next few years otherwise it will be another 15 years until it starts to look like old again, and it may be to late by then.
My deal is the guy supposedly wants everyone to know he grew up here and followed PSU all his life, yet everything he says is a hatchet job on PSU. I get that, a lot of people are pissed at PSU including me, and people have their reasons. But if he can list for me the names of viable head coaches available today who are willing or able to take (or have taken) this pus case of a program over when O'Brien bailed and have it looking like OSU today? Please do. Please give me a list of these coaches and then you can hammer Franklin all you want. Until then, get in line like the rest of us until this rights itself or bottoms out.
This Weinreb fellow has no idea the level of stress CJF is under right now dealing with sanctions, the BOT, OSU, UM, MSU. But I cannot wait until CJF shows all these naysayers how good of a coach he really is. He is very close to dominating the B1G. Were it not for the sanctions this team would be contending right now.
yeah, well, to Weintraub I would state the "man in the arena". WTF has some obscure writer from "Grantland" ever accomplished? Just a guy, sitting in the corner, remote in one hand, penn in anther, dreaming of hot chicks and watching a football game.
Big deal.
Franklin, love him or hate him, good 2015 or bad 2016, inherited a dumpster fire. Nobody has ever coached a team under these circumstances. I said three years ago this would be our worst year under sanctions, and its going to be true. We are playing with a ton of kids that should be seasoning under upper class-men and we have several offensive lineman, try as they will, who are just not very good.
You've got to give the guy a couple of more years to see if his program works. You can't judge him crappy recruits under sanctions and a bunch of kids flipped from Vandy. I've been critical of the staff, but this is way over the top. Give it a break. Hell, what's Texas' excuse?
Big deal.
Franklin, love him or hate him, good 2015 or bad 2016, inherited a dumpster fire. Nobody has ever coached a team under these circumstances. I said three years ago this would be our worst year under sanctions, and its going to be true. We are playing with a ton of kids that should be seasoning under upper class-men and we have several offensive lineman, try as they will, who are just not very good.
You've got to give the guy a couple of more years to see if his program works. You can't judge him crappy recruits under sanctions and a bunch of kids flipped from Vandy. I've been critical of the staff, but this is way over the top. Give it a break. Hell, what's Texas' excuse?
Oh, and I agree with everyone here, I think this author likes being from state College in terms of what it can do for his career, but loves taking the anti-fan position. It's pretentious and obvious, he'll be a welcome addition to modern journalism.
Notice he said "Someone asked Franklin...." re: the Temple game and point spreads, etc. Well anyone from around here knows it was Cory Giger, whom we can surmise is a pal of Weinreb, and by default Dave Jones so we have another de facto "beat writer" on Grantland now who is looking to jam PSU at every opportunity. That's exactly what we need...more balance. Let's get another 5 or 8 people on that side of the see-saw.
Not sure what bothers me more about this whine:
a tone of wishing problems.....last I checked, Sanders and Hill are PSU commits, but de-commits are a fact of life for any program these days
"loosing" -- right up there for most misused term on message boards
Franklin deserves patience and support instead of this passive-aggressive nonsense. Buck up, man.
Totally unfair article. Franklin has a massive rebuilding job which may take five years or more.
He needs patience and support.
He needs patience and support.
One of these cows is a writer.
Always keep this in mind.
Weinreb has written some decent stuff but this is poor quality. Boils down to simple fan impatience. It's way too early to write Franklin off as a coach -- give the guy 5 years at least and then see if things are going in the right direction. No team in football was as depleted as PSU was 2 years ago when Franklin took over. Now they're not so depleted but they're very young and all learning their positions on the fly.
Yes of course he's a salesman -- every coach has to be and Franklin is a very good one. But saying he's "just" a salesman because they're not a great football team yet -- silly. It's a team of freshman and sophomores.
Certainly nothing wrong with wondering about the offensive coaching -- the offense looks terrible. But you have to give Franklin time to be patient with Donovan. He needs to review Donovan's performance after the season and then decide whether to give him another year. If the offense continues to look poorly coached and the offensive gameplans continue to look predictable and stale, there will have to be changes -- we all know this.
Yes of course he's a salesman -- every coach has to be and Franklin is a very good one. But saying he's "just" a salesman because they're not a great football team yet -- silly. It's a team of freshman and sophomores.
Certainly nothing wrong with wondering about the offensive coaching -- the offense looks terrible. But you have to give Franklin time to be patient with Donovan. He needs to review Donovan's performance after the season and then decide whether to give him another year. If the offense continues to look poorly coached and the offensive gameplans continue to look predictable and stale, there will have to be changes -- we all know this.
Franklin is 11-7 with half a team that was crippled by the worst (and most unfair) sanctions in NCAA history.
nuff said.
nuff said.
I think you missed what I was saying entirely. Let me review my few main points and see if they align with you "Buck up" version.
1. Franklin has a tough job
2. I can see why he tries to stay so upbeat
3. Of course he has to BS a little because frankly, the sanctions and IT have taken a toll on the program
4. He deserves patients and a fan base that isnt just obsessed with immediate winning, which I am guilty of.
I really am not quite sure what I said that made my post a whinny post. Oh, maybe your are talking about the "program hanging by a thread" part? Okay. well, it is. If you don't see that then you are a naive fanboy that is totally out of touch with the program. Hack is headcase, our O-line couldn't block for the local high school team, and perception can become reality quick. If we don't win another game this year, you don't think that begins to change perception of the program...of Franklin? Not like 16-18 year olds care about perception.
I agree Franklin deserves patience and admitted as much. I root for this program as much as ANYONE else, trust me, I don't wish it's demise at all, it would personally crush me. I am worried a bit and I think that's okay, I think its okay for a lot of us to admit we are a bit worried about the program after what has happened. Paterno was defaced....BOB bailed on the team, now we have a coach, in the hardest part of the sanctions that really needs to be a success here as far as I'm concerned. I get that maybe that doesn't make me the message board tough guy you are, but at least I'm honest.
He writes as if he is an authority - and writes well too - but as you say, " has no idea what he's talking about." I guess he has to write something.
I completely understand the sentiment of the article, but I do think it was written in a very acerbic way. Franklin is basically trying to Steve Jobs this whole thing until the products really are good. It make sense. The approach is known as "reality distortion" and it can work, especially if Penn State pulls off a few close wins, Franklin will look as though he is marching them towards the top. If he loses some games, he can keep selling the future - either way he can stay positive and bide time. It will only work through this year, however. This method has a definite shelf life before results are going to be demanded. By results, I mean minimum 8-win seasons that build toward Big Ten titles within a year or two past that 8-win season.
Read you column twice once before and once after reading the poster remarks and have to agree somewhat with your summary of your own article. You are right, season is coming down to "make or break" time and that makes everyone a bit more tense. Tough for and on everyone I guess.
We have a depth chart littered with 4 star players, young players, at every position. The ad hominem tacked on to your argument doesn't make it any more convincing.
Penn State is one of the kings of college football. We have a huge fanbase (2nd largest, according to the NYT), great tradition. Like Alabama, USC, Texas, Notre Dame we will have down times but will always rise again. Our athletic department is perennially in the Top 10 in the Director's Cup.
So as much as you HOPE for the apocalyptic scenario in your post (please, your sPitter delusions shine through loud and clear), it is only a matter of time before Franklin has Penn State back on top. Just imagine how miserable that is going to be for you.
In a profession littered with whining assholes with below average intellect, Weinreb is one of the lead dogs.
With respect to understanding the game, Weinreb couldn't find his own ass...not even with two hands, a map, and a flashlight.
He's a douchenozzle.
Other than that.........
This is just so ridiculous. My father played for Paterno, my mother grew up in State college. Read my post history and don't be so lazy. If you think is all is just fine at PSU, then god bless you man, but please don't tell me I am a spitter....please dont do do that. Feel free to disagree with my assessment of the program and how vital these next 12 months are for the long term direction, but don't call me a pitt troll. It is unfounded and more than a little insulting.
Coach Franklin knew about "the stress he would be dealing with" ---- shoot, he's getting paid $4MM a year to deal with said "stress." He's in the top 0.01% of America in terms of the yearly compensation he is getting. All to coach football.
Let's not act like this guy is a single Mom trying to support 3 kids on $35K a year. That is "stress."
It's perfectly legitimate to criticize Franklin for Hackenberg's implosion since Franklin has arrived in town. In November 2013, Hackenberg was passing for 4 TDs and 350 yards and beating Top 20 teams on the road while looking absolutely spectacular doing so. Now, Hackenberg can't complete a damn screen pass.
Sorry about the "stress" I am creating for Franklin by pointing out the regression --- and how the primary difference between November 2013 and now is Franklin.
One thing Weinrieb got right is his classification of "Paterno Loyalists" as relentlessly vocal.
As in THEY. NEVER. SHUT. UP.
That dynamic is going to potentially be difficult for PSU head coaches going forward. O'Brien just wanted to coach football. He didn't want to answer "litmus test questions" (e.g., what do you think about naming the football field "Paterno Field"?) as regards his feelings on now-dead former football coaches.
If all of PSU head coaches going forward are going to be subject to these "litmus test questions" from the "Paterno Loyalist camp", it will make our rebuilding task even more difficult. Honestly, I tend to think even Franklin is annoyed by these questions.
As in THEY. NEVER. SHUT. UP.
That dynamic is going to potentially be difficult for PSU head coaches going forward. O'Brien just wanted to coach football. He didn't want to answer "litmus test questions" (e.g., what do you think about naming the football field "Paterno Field"?) as regards his feelings on now-dead former football coaches.
If all of PSU head coaches going forward are going to be subject to these "litmus test questions" from the "Paterno Loyalist camp", it will make our rebuilding task even more difficult. Honestly, I tend to think even Franklin is annoyed by these questions.
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Such drama. A new coach less than a season and a half into a major rebuilding job, and you're seeing gloom and doom. The results on the field have been good considering a roster that is young and short on veteran talent, esp. on the OL. The results in recruiting have been outstanding. You're defensive when others take issue with your views; get over it.
I just don't understand why people can bit*h an
Okay, understood. No honest/measured dialogue about the status of the program. Again....I said Franklin should be positive, has my support, and deserves some patience from the fan base and somehow I am writing like a pitt troll.
I'm sure we are allowed to all bitch about the team on Saturday though right?
Okay, understood. No honest/measured dialogue about the status of the program. Again....I said Franklin should be positive, has my support, and deserves some patience from the fan base and somehow I am writing like a pitt troll.
I'm sure we are allowed to all bitch about the team on Saturday though right?
The only issue you took with my point of view was that it was whinny even though I embrace many of the same arguments you made? For the 10th time....Franklin is doing well, I support him, he should remain positive, but I think a collapse this year in the big ten could have long term consequences on the program and recruiting. I am sorry if this is an inflammatory point of view.
Hack was 9th in the Big Ten in passing efficiency in 2013, at 134. Let's not turn him into the 2nd coming of Johnny Unitas.
And he showed steady improvement over the course of 2013.
Capped, of course, by the spectacular performance in a hostile environment against a Top 20 team, when he led us to victory as a 24-point underdog.
It is what it is: the undisputed "high point" of Hackenberg's Penn State experience (thus far) came immediately before Coach Franklin showed up in town.
People --- including me --- will make judgments based on such.
"I think he knows that keeping happy valley positive for the next few years otherwise it will be another 15 years until it starts to look like old again, and it may be to (sic) late by then."
This is the same dumb horseshiat we heard about the sanctions. If you are a Penn State fan, it's time to turn in your season tickets because you are too dumb to follow this team.
How did Hack do in the bowl game last year under Franklin?
Last I checked PSU has a 1-0 record in conference play and the second game is Saturday. You apparently consider yourself and the author of the linked article to have some great insight, or uncanny foresight. Seems more reasonable to me to recognize the progress that has been made and at least have enough patience to watch a few games before seeing a looming collapse.
I'm done here -- feel free to have the last word if you like.
Okay, fair......I will be nothing but effusive in my praise for everything penn state and the football team. I will promise to never be negative about the offense, the administration, or the direction of the program. I will bury my head in the sand and act like the sanctions never happened or had any consequence on the program. I will never post anything about the team that is less than glossy, even on game-days. You do realize that if we all play by those rules that you and Royboy will be the only posters left on this board right? I suspect that really what you want, because you clearly are not interested in other points of view.
Franklin knows how tough this job is at the moment, and is doing a great job, but even he doesn't view the program this way.
Hackenberg did well. Of the 18 games Hackenberg has played under Franklin, the Bowl game is among his top 2.
Not even close to as well as he played vs. Wisconsin in 2013 though. I was at both games --- the Wisconsin game is incredibly under-appreciated by our fanbase for how incredible and sharp we looked.
1. I seriously doubt you think. About anything.
2. If you don't want to hear people, you can always turn down your hearing aid, walk away...or....get this...don't post on this board. No one is forcing you to be here.
In a profession [On a message Board] littered with whining assholes with below average intellect, Weinreb [MichNittWitt] is one of the lead dogs.
With respect to understanding the game, Weinreb [MichNittWitt] couldn't find his own ass...not even with two hands, a map, and a flashlight.
He's a douchenozzle.
Other than that.........
There, that was easy!!
He can count well and is entertaining as his alter ego The Count. He also intuitively understood the concepts of existential and universal quantification. He also is closer to a Michigan man than a PSU man. They are the "Harvard of the Midwest" after all. He might be a misunderstood genius wasting his time with swine like us.
