The Nittany Turkey

Primarily about Penn State football, this is a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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Home 2011 Archives for August 2011

Archives for August 2011

Get Off the Pot, Joe!

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As the season opener against the mighty Sycamores of Indiana State looms, two big questions remain: will Paterno coach from the sidelines or the booth, and who will hold the reins to the offense?

I can understand the former being a game day decision, but holy crap! Doesn’t the offense deserve to know who their starting quarterback is at least prior to mid-week of game week? The team is electing captains now, and it is traditional for the starting quarterback to be a captain. The depth chart says OR, but you can’t have Captain Bolden OR McGloin. Perhaps this is already decided and is being kept under wraps. There’s been nary a tweet.

When I feel like writing more, I’ll be back with the preview of the season and the Sycamores game, I think. I have to pay some bills first.

Stephfon Back on Team?

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It’s usually a long road back from Joe Paterno’s doghouse, but according to Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror, Stephfon Green has successfully navigated that long, lonesome highway and is back on the team.

At least that’s his conjecture after having seen a couple of tweets last night.

Green is not likely to be very high on the depth chart if he is indeed back. Obviously, he hasn’t attended practice. Brandon Beachum is Silas Redd’s present backup at running back, but for the good of all that is Christmas, it appears that Penn State will once again have its Redd and Green backfield, possibly, maybe. The Nittany Lions will need both Green and Santa Claus with Alabama looming on its schedule in just two weeks.

Just a week ago, this didn’t look at all likely, especially in light of Paterno’s comments at Media Day: “Stephfon has had some problems with me, and right now I think for the benefit and especially the good of the football team, it might be better if he backs away right now.” He said that it was doubtful that Green would return.

This is one of the few times this Turkey can recall when stubborn old Joe has flipped a Uey so quickly with respect to a player so resoundingly on his bad side. However, the players held a team meeting where they voted to allow Green to rejoin the team; Joe respects that sort of thing and he went along with it.

Last night, Green tweeted, “Just glad everything worked out and im [sic] back with my team!!”

Welcome back, Stephfon. Keep your nose clean.

Kerry Collins Unretires

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It seems like yesterday that this Turkey was writing about former Nittany Lion quarterback Kerry Collins retiring from the NFL. Now, I get to write about his return. The Indianapolis Colts have signed Collins, now 38, to back up Peyton Manning.

Manning is a doubtful starter for the first game of the new, for-real season following his off-season neck surgery. His rehabilitation is coming along slowly, somewhat hindered by the lockout. Meanwhile, his backup, Curtis Painter, whom you might remember for his Purdue exploits, has not shown that he is worthy of moving up the quarterback ladder.

So Collins is likely to start the first game instead of Manning for the Colts.

Kerry has played for several NFL teams and has started for all of them. His former stints were with Carolina, New York (Giants), New Orleans, and Tennessee.

As for his Penn State credentials, he is widely recognized as the best quarterback in the university’s history, having led one of the NCAA’s all-time most prolific offenses to the Rose Bowl in 1994-5.

Read more here.