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You take the good with the bad with Franklin— for me the positives outweigh the negatives

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Just got home from another game where fans feel so frustrated at lack of execution on part of players and coaches on just 4-5 plays that pulled defeat from jaws of victory.— similar to Ohio State loss and 13 Franklin losses. Many of these close losses were to OSU, and most other programs have gotten rolled by OSU. Franklin has built some advantages like no 1 punting and kickoff in country to keep the tough games close. We now need to knock the doors down to OSU level. Recruiting is how you do it and we are just about there with Franklin. You have to be shortsighted to start over with someone new, IMHO.

The good—Defense, Dotson, Stout punting and kicking off, the warrior spirit of Sean

The rest left much room for improvement and consistency— Lee and the Oline found a little rhythm in second half against a good defense.

Penn State will not part with Franklin— he has a superb recruiting class coming in, and I haven’t been as excited for two offensive players coming in as Allar and Singleton. Some good linemen, fast receivers also coming in. Franklin cares for players and works his tail off. Penn State needs to pony up and commit to modernizing Beaver Stadium- Chair backs, modern bathrooms and better concessions. It’s better to go down to 100k capacity and improve the fan experience as the old days of extorting high donations and inferior experience is done. Franklin needs to
Stop flirting for other jobs as a power move. We will know in 3 weeks, but people who are much more stable than message board mobs will make the call and Penn State doesn’t blink or panic in general. Penn State endowment grew from 4 billion to 5 billion with the market—- Football has improved the school and academics and it’s worth investing in.
 
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Just got home from another game where fans feel so frustrated at lack of execution on part of players and coaches on just 4-5 plays that pulled defeat from jaws of victory.— similar to Ohio State loss and 13 Franklin losses. Many of these close losses were to OSU, and most other programs have gotten rolled by OSU. Franklin has built some advantages like no 1 punting and kickoff in country to keep the tough games close. We now need to knock the doors down to OSU level. Recruiting is how you do it and we are just about there with Franklin. You have to be shortsighted to start over with someone new, IMHO.

The good—Defense, Dotson, Stout punting and kicking off, the warrior spirit of Sean

The rest left much room for improvement and consistency— Lee and the Oline found a little rhythm in second half against a good defense.

Penn State will not part with Franklin— he has a superb recruiting class coming in, and I haven’t been as excited for two offensive players coming in as Allar and Singleton. Some good linemen, fast receivers also coming in. Franklin cares for players and works his tail off. Penn State needs to pony up and commit to modernizing Beaver Stadium- Chair backs, modern bathrooms and better concessions. It’s better to go down to 100k capacity and improve the fan experience as the old days of extorting high donations and inferior experience is done. Franklin needs to
Stop flirting for other jobs as a power move. We will know in 3 weeks, but people who are much more stable than message board mobs will make the call and Penn State doesn’t blink or panic in general. Penn State endowment grew from 4 billion to 5 billion with the market—- Football has improved the school and academics and its’s worth investing in.
Good post and I agree for the most with your thoughts. However, I will add that he has to find an OL coach and start recruiting some 5star lineman.
 
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Just got home from another game where fans feel so frustrated at lack of execution on part of players and coaches on just 4-5 plays that pulled defeat from jaws of victory.— similar to Ohio State loss and 13 Franklin losses. Many of these close losses were to OSU, and most other programs have gotten rolled by OSU. Franklin has built some advantages like no 1 punting and kickoff in country to keep the tough games close. We now need to knock the doors down to OSU level. Recruiting is how you do it and we are just about there with Franklin. You have to be shortsighted to start over with someone new, IMHO.

The good—Defense, Dotson, Stout punting and kicking off, the warrior spirit of Sean

The rest left much room for improvement and consistency— Lee and the Oline found a little rhythm in second half against a good defense.

Penn State will not part with Franklin— he has a superb recruiting class coming in, and I haven’t been as excited for two offensive players coming in as Allar and Singleton. Some good linemen, fast receivers also coming in. Franklin cares for players and works his tail off. Penn State needs to pony up and commit to modernizing Beaver Stadium- Chair backs, modern bathrooms and better concessions. It’s better to go down to 100k capacity and improve the fan experience as the old days of extorting high donations and inferior experience is done. Franklin needs to
Stop flirting for other jobs as a power move. We will know in 3 weeks, but people who are much more stable than message board mobs will make the call and Penn State doesn’t blink or panic in general. Penn State endowment grew from 4 billion to 5 billion with the market—- Football has improved the school and academics and its’s worth investing in.
I agree.
 
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Just got home from another game where fans feel so frustrated at lack of execution on part of players and coaches on just 4-5 plays that pulled defeat from jaws of victory.— similar to Ohio State loss and 13 Franklin losses. Many of these close losses were to OSU, and most other programs have gotten rolled by OSU. Franklin has built some advantages like no 1 punting and kickoff in country to keep the tough games close. We now need to knock the doors down to OSU level. Recruiting is how you do it and we are just about there with Franklin. You have to be shortsighted to start over with someone new, IMHO.

The good—Defense, Dotson, Stout punting and kicking off, the warrior spirit of Sean

The rest left much room for improvement and consistency— Lee and the Oline found a little rhythm in second half against a good defense.

Penn State will not part with Franklin— he has a superb recruiting class coming in, and I haven’t been as excited for two offensive players coming in as Allar and Singleton. Some good linemen, fast receivers also coming in. Franklin cares for players and works his tail off. Penn State needs to pony up and commit to modernizing Beaver Stadium- Chair backs, modern bathrooms and better concessions. It’s better to go down to 100k capacity and improve the fan experience as the old days of extorting high donations and inferior experience is done. Franklin needs to
Stop flirting for other jobs as a power move. We will know in 3 weeks, but people who are much more stable than message board mobs will make the call and Penn State doesn’t blink or panic in general. Penn State endowment grew from 4 billion to 5 billion with the market—- Football has improved the school and academics and it’s worth investing in.

Thanks, good post.

The question in my mind is not whether Penn State will part with Franklin. Not happening.

Rather it's whether Franklin will part with Penn State. And the irony is that the last several weeks of futility may have greatly reduced the probability of that.
 
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I agree with you. PSU is not a football factory under this leadership. So this is the kind of year we need to expect. And this was our "up year" assuming SC leaves. We'll start next year with a very inexperienced QB. We haven't been able to recruit and develop a QB for almost 30 years. And the college game is all about the QB these days.
 
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he is not a consistently dominant coach like Saban or Meyer, but the game has changed so much that I am not sure I would even like it if we were like those programs.

He seems to run a clean program and has been to three NY6 bowls, so it does seem mostly fine to me. But last year was a losing season, this looks like 7-5, and if next year is 7-5 again I do not know what would happen to him.

Honestly who is consistently dominant in that mold during the playoff era? Saban, Meyer, Dabo. Day I guess but lets see how he sustains it. Riley has lost to an unranked team 3 of the last 4 seasons. 1 and done in every playoff. Dominant in his conference sure but not nationally.

Smart has only been to the playoffs once, is 0-4 against Alabama and their only playoff appearance was in a season where they avoided them in the regular season and SECCG.
 
I think next year will be a 6-6 type season but the one after could be a 10 win one provided they keep the recruits and hit the portal at a couple spots.

At purdue to start (go figure, on the road to start big ten play) probably an L
Ohio W
@ Auburn L
OSU L
UM L
Then every game after that is a 50/50 or better shot.

But in 2023
WVU at home W
Delaware, @ Ill, @ NW, Ind should be 4 W
@MSU, @OSU, Iowa, UM 2-2
Umass, RU, MD, 3-0

That would= 10-2 if they get Allar/Prybula experience next year, figure out a bell cow RB, Trautwein can get a group of 5 OL (Tengwall, Dawkins, Fashanu, etc?) to mesh and the young LB like Buddin and King develop into what they should be.
 
Just got home from another game where fans feel so frustrated at lack of execution on part of players and coaches on just 4-5 plays that pulled defeat from jaws of victory.— similar to Ohio State loss and 13 Franklin losses. Many of these close losses were to OSU, and most other programs have gotten rolled by OSU. Franklin has built some advantages like no 1 punting and kickoff in country to keep the tough games close. We now need to knock the doors down to OSU level. Recruiting is how you do it and we are just about there with Franklin. You have to be shortsighted to start over with someone new, IMHO.

The good—Defense, Dotson, Stout punting and kicking off, the warrior spirit of Sean

The rest left much room for improvement and consistency— Lee and the Oline found a little rhythm in second half against a good defense.

Penn State will not part with Franklin— he has a superb recruiting class coming in, and I haven’t been as excited for two offensive players coming in as Allar and Singleton. Some good linemen, fast receivers also coming in. Franklin cares for players and works his tail off. Penn State needs to pony up and commit to modernizing Beaver Stadium- Chair backs, modern bathrooms and better concessions. It’s better to go down to 100k capacity and improve the fan experience as the old days of extorting high donations and inferior experience is done. Franklin needs to
Stop flirting for other jobs as a power move. We will know in 3 weeks, but people who are much more stable than message board mobs will make the call and Penn State doesn’t blink or panic in general. Penn State endowment grew from 4 billion to 5 billion with the market—- Football has improved the school and academics and it’s worth investing in.
I agree with mostly everything you said, and I do like Franklin and the way he tries to mold his players as students and human beings…. But boy, has it been frustrating watching games like yesterday’s over recent years. If he could even cut the occurrence of such games in half I’d be much happier.
 
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Just got home from another game where fans feel so frustrated at lack of execution on part of players and coaches on just 4-5 plays that pulled defeat from jaws of victory.— similar to Ohio State loss and 13 Franklin losses. Many of these close losses were to OSU, and most other programs have gotten rolled by OSU. Franklin has built some advantages like no 1 punting and kickoff in country to keep the tough games close. We now need to knock the doors down to OSU level. Recruiting is how you do it and we are just about there with Franklin. You have to be shortsighted to start over with someone new, IMHO.

The good—Defense, Dotson, Stout punting and kicking off, the warrior spirit of Sean

The rest left much room for improvement and consistency— Lee and the Oline found a little rhythm in second half against a good defense.

Penn State will not part with Franklin— he has a superb recruiting class coming in, and I haven’t been as excited for two offensive players coming in as Allar and Singleton. Some good linemen, fast receivers also coming in. Franklin cares for players and works his tail off. Penn State needs to pony up and commit to modernizing Beaver Stadium- Chair backs, modern bathrooms and better concessions. It’s better to go down to 100k capacity and improve the fan experience as the old days of extorting high donations and inferior experience is done. Franklin needs to
Stop flirting for other jobs as a power move. We will know in 3 weeks, but people who are much more stable than message board mobs will make the call and Penn State doesn’t blink or panic in general. Penn State endowment grew from 4 billion to 5 billion with the market—- Football has improved the school and academics and it’s worth investing in.
Sorry but this reminds me of the dark years.

2020: 4 - 5
2021: 7 - 5
2022: 7 - 5 ???
 
I agree the good outweighs the bad with Franklin and I still believe he is the ideal coach for Penn State but if he is truly committed to Penn State when these rumors pop up about other schools he needs to shut them down unequivocally. If he isn't committed, then leave already.

You can't build a top 10 program without the full commitment of everyone including the administration, the fans but most importantly the coach.
 
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I agree the good outweighs the bad with Franklin and I still believe he is the ideal coach for Penn State but if he is truly committed to Penn State when these rumors pop up about other schools he needs to shut them down unequivocally. If he isn't committed, then leave already.

You can't build a top 10 program without the full commitment of everyone including the administration, the fans but most importantly the coach.
Franklin is not shutting down the rumors about other schools publicly because that would damage his bargaining power with Penn State. Supposedly he has been negotiating with Penn State on some things over the past few weeks and there is some talk that there may be an announcement/good news over the next week or two.
 
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Sorry but this reminds me of the dark years.

2020: 4 - 5
2021: 7 - 5
2022: 7 - 5 ???

Comparing it to the dark years is a little dramatic.

The record between 2000 and 2004 was 26-33. (.440). 4 losing seasons out of 5.

2020 was 4-5 during a royally ****ed season. Probably a winning record under normal circumstances but ok. This year isn't going to be a losing season, its unlikely the next 3 will be.

Assuming you're spot on for the remainder of this year and next he'll be 18-15 (.540) over a 3 year stretch. He could go 4-8 in 23 and 24 and still have a better winning percentage during the regular season. He'd need a 3 win season one of those years to actually do worse. 00-04 was baaaaaaaaaaaaad.
 
Franklin is not shutting down the rumors about other schools publicly because that would damage his bargaining power with Penn State. Supposedly he has been negotiating with Penn State on some things over the past few weeks and there is some talk that there may be an announcement/good news over the next week or two.
Well, if that is what he has been doing it is showing up on the field. He has a team that is injured and struggling and that’s where his focus needs to be.

Yeah, I know other schools are interested now. But there are prime jobs open every year. He should doing his negotiating with the school during the winter. Tell them show me the love or I will take the next great job.
 
I agree the good outweighs the bad with Franklin and I still believe he is the ideal coach for Penn State but if he is truly committed to Penn State when these rumors pop up about other schools he needs to shut them down unequivocally. If he isn't committed, then leave already.

You can't build a top 10 program without the full commitment of everyone including the administration, the fans but most importantly the coach.
Before y’all knee cap me I think the Coach Paterno knew what he built. Coach Franklin inherit a gem. How do you polish a gem? PSU should be his retirement plan. No other school on the Eastern Seaboard has PSU legacy.
 
Before y’all knee cap me I think the Coach Paterno knew what he built. Coach Franklin inherit a gem. How do you polish a gem? PSU should be his retirement plan. No other school on the Eastern Seaboard has PSU legacy.

However you want to describe what Paterno built, it was very much destroyed by the time Franklin inherited it. Absolutely no one would have described Penn State as a "gem" in 2014.
 
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Franklin is not shutting down the rumors about other schools publicly because that would damage his bargaining power with Penn State. Supposedly he has been negotiating with Penn State on some things over the past few weeks and there is some talk that there may be an announcement/good news over the next week or two.
Then I don't want him.

Tired of his bullshit about not shutting down rumors.
 
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However you want to describe what Paterno built, it was very much destroyed by the time Franklin inherited it. Absolutely no one would have described Penn State as a "gem" in 2014.
1) Joe definitely stayed too long
2) The dark years were miserable

That said...

Paterno's record was 66-20 from 2005 until he was fired. During that time PSU won two BiG titles and finished in the top 10 3 times.

The team Franklin inherited had great facilities and one of the best fan bases in the country. I was at the whiteout game where we beat Michigan in 4 OT. 106,000 fans dispute your argument that PSU was no longer a gem.
 
1) Joe definitely stayed too long
2) The dark years were miserable

That said...

Paterno's record was 66-20 from 2005 until he was fired. During that time PSU won two BiG titles and finished in the top 10 3 times.

The team Franklin inherited had great facilities and one of the best fan bases in the country. I was at the whiteout game where we beat Michigan in 4 OT. 106,000 fans dispute your argument that PSU was no longer a gem.
The week before Michigan PSU lost to Indiana 44-24 and the week after we lost to OSU 63-14.
The program was not in good shape
 
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1) Joe definitely stayed too long
2) The dark years were miserable

That said...

Paterno's record was 66-20 from 2005 until he was fired. During that time PSU won two BiG titles and finished in the top 10 3 times.

The team Franklin inherited had great facilities and one of the best fan bases in the country. I was at the whiteout game where we beat Michigan in 4 OT. 106,000 fans dispute your argument that PSU was no longer a gem.
I agree with most. Penn State's facilities were never great. As someone who has talked with some very high-profile recruits over the last five years every one of them says Penn State's facilities are the worst of any top program. The game day experience is far better but facilities are not top 20 for sure.
 
I agree with most. Penn State's facilities were never great. As someone who has talked with some very high-profile recruits over the last five years every one of them says Penn State's facilities are the worst of any top program. The game day experience is far better but facilities are not top 20 for sure.
I'm sure things have changed in the last 16 years but I visited Lasch in 2005 and Ganter bragged to me how this was among the best in the country. O'Brien got some upgrades and I think another $48 million was recently awarded.

Regardless, I don't think PSU was dead in the water. The biggest thing is the fan support which held up well through the sanctions. Before that PSU had to BiG titles in 7 years and a top 3 finish nationally.
 
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1) Joe definitely stayed too long
2) The dark years were miserable

That said...

Paterno's record was 66-20 from 2005 until he was fired. During that time PSU won two BiG titles and finished in the top 10 3 times.

The team Franklin inherited had great facilities and one of the best fan bases in the country. I was at the whiteout game where we beat Michigan in 4 OT. 106,000 fans dispute your argument that PSU was no longer a gem.

Couple things to unpack.

Our facilities weren't great then and aren't great now.

I was at that game as well. Doesn't change the fact that a program with 2 years remaining on a 4 year bowl ban and significant scholarship reductions isn't a gem in the eyes of any but the biggest of homers.

Franklin has 3 top ten finishes over the same time period. Based on what I'm reading here top ten finishes are meaningless once they're about 12 months old.
 
Good post and I agree for the most with your thoughts. However, I will add that he has to find an OL coach and start recruiting some 5star lineman.
James has an OL coach that has not been given the opportunity to work with the line in time frame needed. This isn't a muscle spasm drjc that can be cured with rest. It takes several yrs to develop OL linemen to play with unity and performance.

I seriously hope you are not a real doctor and just use the handle: DRJC
 
James has an OL coach that has not been given the opportunity to work with the line in time frame needed. This isn't a muscle spasm drjc that can be cured with rest. It takes several yrs to develop OL linemen to play with unity and performance.

I seriously hope you are not a real doctor and just use the handle: DRJC
I respect your opinion, but these linemen (Walker, Miranda, Wallace) have been together for several years already. How do other programs like Iowa and Wisconsin consistently turn out good OLs while PSU doesn’t?
 
I respect your opinion, but these linemen (Walker, Miranda, Wallace) have been together for several years already. How do other programs like Iowa and Wisconsin consistently turn out good OLs while PSU doesn’t?

Good seems aspirational, I'd settle for simply Ok at this point. They're almost as bad as the line that blocked itself.

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Paterno's record was 66-20 from 2005 until he was fired. During that time PSU won two BiG titles and finished in the top 10 3 times.
Curious as to the intent of this inclusion. Meant to just show significant improvement from the “dark years”, or meant to insinuate a return to PSU performances before Paterno turned 70?
 
The week before Michigan PSU lost to Indiana 44-24 and the week after we lost to OSU 63-14.
The program was not in good shape
The program was in great shape.

Fan Base/Alumni/game day atmosphere - #1 in country.

We were top 3 program in the 70s, #1 program in the 80s, Top 5 in the 90s, and had tailed off in the 2000s.

We had excellent facilities, the 2nd largest stadium in the country.

Stop making excuses for Franklin. It gets tiresome.

He's had everything he needs. Now he just needs to correct his own weaknesses, not have fanboys like you make excuses.

Franklin needs to look inside himself and ask "What can I do better?"

First step - he needs better advisors.

Perfect example was last year's treatment of Covid. His competitors treated it with contempt, as they knew it wasn't a problem for young, healthy athletes. He acted like it was the second coming of the bubonic plague. The last two years underperformance can likely be traced to his mishandling of the pandemic. Good advisors would have told him "Come on! These are tough, fit guys. If they can't handle Covid, they've got no place on a football field. Life is full of risks, this isn't a big one."

I remember posters on this board saying how nervous Franklin was about Covid. I was rolling my eyes. Franklin needs a better support group to guide him.
 
The program was in great shape.

Fan Base/Alumni/game day atmosphere - #1 in country.

We were top 3 program in the 70s, #1 program in the 80s, Top 5 in the 90s, and had tailed off in the 2000s.

We had excellent facilities, the 2nd largest stadium in the country.

Stop making excuses for Franklin. It gets tiresome.

He's had everything he needs. Now he just needs to correct his own weaknesses, not have fanboys like you make excuses.

Franklin needs to look inside himself and ask "What can I do better?"

First step - he needs better advisors.

Perfect example was last year's treatment of Covid. His competitors treated it with contempt, as they knew it wasn't a problem for young, healthy athletes. He acted like it was the second coming of the bubonic plague. The last two years underperformance can likely be traced to his mishandling of the pandemic. Good advisors would have told him "Come on! These are tough, fit guys. If they can't handle Covid, they've got no place on a football field. Life is full of risks, this isn't a big one."

I remember posters on this board saying how nervous Franklin was about Covid. I was rolling my eyes. Franklin needs a better support group to guide him.
not sure what the 70’s thru 90’s have to do with the state of the program post scandal in 2014.
Other than a big stadium I have never heard a recruit or anyone with knowledge describe our facilities as excellent.

But then again, you are the poster who thinks we should require a 7 year commitment from all coaches which is totally impossible in today’s world unless we hire HS coaches
 
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Just got home from another game where fans feel so frustrated at lack of execution on part of players and coaches on just 4-5 plays that pulled defeat from jaws of victory.— similar to Ohio State loss and 13 Franklin losses. Many of these close losses were to OSU, and most other programs have gotten rolled by OSU. Franklin has built some advantages like no 1 punting and kickoff in country to keep the tough games close. We now need to knock the doors down to OSU level. Recruiting is how you do it and we are just about there with Franklin. You have to be shortsighted to start over with someone new, IMHO.

The good—Defense, Dotson, Stout punting and kicking off, the warrior spirit of Sean

The rest left much room for improvement and consistency— Lee and the Oline found a little rhythm in second half against a good defense.

Penn State will not part with Franklin— he has a superb recruiting class coming in, and I haven’t been as excited for two offensive players coming in as Allar and Singleton. Some good linemen, fast receivers also coming in. Franklin cares for players and works his tail off. Penn State needs to pony up and commit to modernizing Beaver Stadium- Chair backs, modern bathrooms and better concessions. It’s better to go down to 100k capacity and improve the fan experience as the old days of extorting high donations and inferior experience is done. Franklin needs to
Stop flirting for other jobs as a power move. We will know in 3 weeks, but people who are much more stable than message board mobs will make the call and Penn State doesn’t blink or panic in general. Penn State endowment grew from 4 billion to 5 billion with the market—- Football has improved the school and academics and it’s worth investing in.
I was pretty frustrated Saturday as my posts indicated.
For the negative, he team attempted some surprising things and benefited from a few, but as has been the case in the Franklin era, attempted some things I wouldn't (second fake kick from inside the 2) and didn't (go for it on 4th at the 2) when I felt they should have. Sometimes it seems Franklin puts too much stock in surprise or gimmick calls, and the timing (or repetition of) just smells of desperation....as college football is a game of emotion and momentum, the risk can be very high...the failed fake field goal attempt AND the fumble recovery near the 30 negated 2 of 3 better outcomes for that drive-a touchdown or having the opponent start inside their 5.

Tackling has been an issue, and just like with BOB, I feel he has issues motivating some underperforming starters and even more so having and using consequences. I feel a benching for if nothing more than a series or two might send a message to players like Brandon Smith. Better tackling may not have completed stopped the Michigan's running back, but it would have stopped a number of drives.

The Oline continues to be a mystery. Other than Connor McGovern, no Penn State offensive lineman has been drafted reasonably high in the NFL draft or had a what is considered a career in the pros. There's effort and results....I didn't even see effort on Saturday.

I think we have and have been getting the raw talent to compete, more so under Franklin without the sanctions. I do wonder about the development of players in certain areas (O-line, some in the LB) and the management of depth in others (QB, RB, LB). I think Franklin got surprised by the long-term effect of the QB exodus-how hard is it to recruit a qualified back up...didn't the son of our former TE Kirk Bowman transfer as a graduate to Michigan to take NO game snaps after starting in Div 1?. There needs to be balance at the RB (and WR) spots, both the speed and shiftiness, and physicality. We don't have both at the WR and RB...could have used some speed and shiftiness in the RB spot, and physicality at WR (why losing types like Lonnie White was critical).

On the positive, beyond the recruiting, I like Franklin as a representative of the school and program...as are most of his players. Other than deep football knowledge, I think he is very sincere and doesn't talk out both sides of his mouth. I think if he cleans ups some planning and execution issues (some of which may be as simple as better talent...very curious how Allar does, and the types of players he brings along), as well as roster management-having complementary players at each position. I'm not one to focus on just the spend, spend, spend strategy. You can always spend more, and others will. I would hope the program avoids others that seem to be in a speculative bonanza. With what we have in facilities and environment, or even a little more or better, I think we can compete and win, just we were in every game this year....it's just about what is done to tip the scale more consistently in our favor.

LASTLY, I really feel for and admire players like Mustipher, Clifford, Brooks, and Luketa. One going down for the year, and the others playing, and performing well for the most part, with varying degrees of injuries and support from their teammates. In their own unique ways, they represent what Penn State football is all about.
 
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I respect your opinion, but these linemen (Walker, Miranda, Wallace) have been together for several years already. How do other programs like Iowa and Wisconsin consistently turn out good OLs while PSU doesn’t?
It's hard for an offensive line to shine when you play basketball on grass like Penn State does. Pansy ass finesse offensive scheme.
 
The program was in great shape.

Fan Base/Alumni/game day atmosphere - #1 in country.

We were top 3 program in the 70s, #1 program in the 80s, Top 5 in the 90s, and had tailed off in the 2000s.

We had excellent facilities, the 2nd largest stadium in the country.

Stop making excuses for Franklin. It gets tiresome.

He's had everything he needs. Now he just needs to correct his own weaknesses, not have fanboys like you make excuses.

Franklin needs to look inside himself and ask "What can I do better?"

First step - he needs better advisors.

Perfect example was last year's treatment of Covid. His competitors treated it with contempt, as they knew it wasn't a problem for young, healthy athletes. He acted like it was the second coming of the bubonic plague. The last two years underperformance can likely be traced to his mishandling of the pandemic. Good advisors would have told him "Come on! These are tough, fit guys. If they can't handle Covid, they've got no place on a football field. Life is full of risks, this isn't a big one."

I remember posters on this board saying how nervous Franklin was about Covid. I was rolling my eyes. Franklin needs a better support group to guide him.
Franklin needs to let his players determine the outcome of the game not him. His decisions - trick plays, going for it on4th down mid field etc - rarely work and are a liability to the team. Just play a traditional decision game. Franklin is caught up in his own head and he hurts the team. Mr Psychology is now predictable for doing the unexpected. Our defense is our strength - play to it. Punt mid field.
Take points. Understand games aren’t won in the first qtr or half.
Franklin needs to get over himself. Let the players win or lose the game.
 
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not sure what the 70’s thru 90’s have to do with the state of the program post scandal in 2014.
Other than a big stadium I have never heard a recruit or anyone with knowledge describe our facilities as excellent.

But then again, you are the poster who thinks we should require a 7 year commitment from all coaches which is totally impossible in today’s world unless we hire HS coaches
A program isn't determined by a static point. Was the Alabama football program a disaster in 1995? Of course not. It was one of the top programs in the country, going through a rough patch.

So, the total record matters a lot. It isn't just a case of the last year, or last five years.
 
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Franklin needs to let his players determine the outcome of the game not him. His decisions - trick plays, going for it on4th down mid field etc - rarely work and are a liability to the team. Just play a traditional decision game. Franklin is caught up in his own head and he hurts the team. Mr Psychology is now predictable for doing the unexpected. Our defense is our strength - play to it. Punt mid field.
Take points. Understand games aren’t won in the first qtr or half.
Franklin needs to get over himself. Let the players win or lose the game.
Are you telling me Franklin is a psychology major? In other words, are you telling me Franklin is not very smart?

I hope not.
 
To answer the main point of the post. Yes, the positives for JF grossly outweigh the negatives. The problem is all his negatives happen on game day when most of the eyes are on the team. I wonder how much of a "challenge" culture there is within the staff. I wonder if there is anyone of the staff willing to stick up and argue for something they believe in. I knew a high school football coach that surrounded himself with nothing but "yes" men and thus never had good dialogue with his staff.

Basically, I wonder if he has anyone on his staff that would stand up and say....."Take the points James.....you are a numbers guy and do you know what kind of odds you are looking at to successfully complete 2 fake special teams plays in the same quarter, please just take the dam points and lets let Stout kick it out of the endzone." Or maybe from MY "James, if we are going to go for it, for goodness sake let my offense try and get you two yards."

Here is the thing with the fake FG.....The Defense is probably in a Safe Mode because that short of a FG is pretty much a given of a make. Concede the 3 and don't get fooled with something that will give them 7. Also, it was TD or bust, no opportunity for a 1st Down.

For a guy that considers everything and goes by the numbers, he makes a lot of head scratchers during the game.
 
not sure what the 70’s thru 90’s have to do with the state of the program post scandal in 2014.
Other than a big stadium I have never heard a recruit or anyone with knowledge describe our facilities as excellent.
The 70s ' 90s doesn't have much to do with the state of the program in 2014 except for the fact that PSU had built a winning history, growing facilities, lots of players in the NFL, and one of the best fan bases in the country. None of that has gone away.

There's no doubt that the JS scandal was a setback but look at how we came through that. No losing seasons, 100,000 fans continued to show up, and a BiG Championship 5 years later. To act like everything JoePa built is long gone is ridiculous. Using that as an excuse for current results is even more ridiculous.

I remember Fran Ganter boasting to me that PSU had the best facilities in the country. That was 16 years ago and I know a lot has changed. It's become an arms race in college football. Perhaps we've fallen behind a bit but O'Brien got some improvements and $48m more has been approved. I can't imagine that facilities are holding the current team back.

P.S. Have you ever been inside the Lasch Building?
 
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Reactions: PSUEngineer89
To answer the main point of the post. Yes, the positives for JF grossly outweigh the negatives. The problem is all his negatives happen on game day when most of the eyes are on the team. I wonder how much of a "challenge" culture there is within the staff. I wonder if there is anyone of the staff willing to stick up and argue for something they believe in. I knew a high school football coach that surrounded himself with nothing but "yes" men and thus never had good dialogue with his staff.

Basically, I wonder if he has anyone on his staff that would stand up and say....."Take the points James.....you are a numbers guy and do you know what kind of odds you are looking at to successfully complete 2 fake special teams plays in the same quarter, please just take the dam points and lets let Stout kick it out of the endzone." Or maybe from MY "James, if we are going to go for it, for goodness sake let my offense try and get you two yards."

Here is the thing with the fake FG.....The Defense is probably in a Safe Mode because that short of a FG is pretty much a given of a make. Concede the 3 and don't get fooled with something that will give them 7. Also, it was TD or bust, no opportunity for a 1st Down.

For a guy that considers everything and goes by the numbers, he makes a lot of head scratchers during the game.
Yep, his game day management is terrible. Clock management, play calls, risk factors, time out use...... He should turn over the offense to his OC and stay totally out of it. Just talk to players, encourage them, keep them focused, ask players about game conditions, maybe make suggestions to YC with the full understanding that YC has final say.
 
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