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 Archives for Anthony Morelli

Morelli to Coach Close to Home

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Former Nittany Lions quarterback has accepted a job at Plum Senior High School, near his home town of Penn Hills, where he says he’ll stay only until the next NFL offer comes along. This Turkey believes that Morelli will be a high school assistant coach for a long time, as that offer will likely never arrive.

Nate Mink, of The Daily Collegian, writes:

“…it’s the perfect locale for Morelli, the former Penn State quarterback and ex-NFLer more maligned for his shortcomings instead of praised for leading the Nittany Lions to 18 wins and two bowl victories as a two-year starter.”

First, let me say that I hope Mink’s grammar and usage improve during his Penn State career. Here’s another gem:

“Everywhere you turn, the horizon is lined with treetops. This is a place no one can bother you, no one can rag you.”

I wrote some hackneyed crap like that on a freshman comp paper and was nailed to a cross for it. I didn’t even omit a “where” or incorrectly use the colloquial “you” instead of a third person noun or pronoun more appropriate in formal prose. However, I pedantically digress.

Beyond that, the article is skewed in defense of Morelli. I suppose that’s fine, even though it seems to take precedence over reporting the simple story of Morelli finding work.

This Turkey wishes Anthony a fine career as the quarterbacks coach for Plum’s head coach Frank Sacco.

Morelli Cut by Cardinals

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Saturday was cut-down day in the NFL, and unfortunately, this Turkey must report that fleeting Arizona Cardinal quarterback Anthony Morelli inevitably succumbed to the final roster pare-down to 53 players. The former Penn State bust has probably seen the last of the NFL, but ya nevah know! For those of you who would like to follow Morelli’s descent into obscurity, visit his web site. Sadly, he still lists himself as a Cardinal.

Just in case you want one more taste of what we lost when Morelli graduated, view the pre-season play that might have cemented his ultimate fate in (or out of) the NFL. Here is a video of what might be Morelli’s final overthrown 89-yard pick-six, the Denver Broncos being the beneficiaries. He might have been able to save the TD (and possibly his ass) if he could have managed to tackle the defensive back who intercepted his errant pass, but nooooooooooooooo…

Battle of the Third-Stringers

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Morelli alert!

Former PSU quarterback Anthony Morelli is waging the fight of his life for the Arizona Cardinals #3 quarterback position.

Matt Leinart is listed as first on the depth chart, and Kurt Warner is second. Those two might switch places several times during the pre-season and into the regular season. Although they are battling for the starting slot, hey both have guaranteed jobs. Not so #3. That’s where the real battle is.

The two contenders for third-string quarterback are Brian St. ??? ???? ????? Pierre and Penn State’s own Anthony Morelli. St. Pierre, whom you Nittany Lions fans might remember as one of the fine quarterbacks produced by Boston College, has been a career third-stringer in his six year NFL career, mostly with the Steelers, but including a brief stint with the Ravens. ????? ??? ???? He has been played very little, unless you count scout team service. As a Steeler, he played for Ken Whisenhunt, former Steelers offensive coordinator and current Cardinals head coach. The Cardinals signed him to a one-year contract this year. Some would say that this gives him the inside track.

I don’t know about that. After all, St. Pierre can hardly be described as an experienced NFL quarterback, and Whisenhunt did not regard him highly enough to give him any reps in Pittsburgh. Indeed, he was cut twice, and relegated to the scout team on another occasion. To Whisenhunt, Morelli is something new and strange. ???? ????? Very strange.

From the Arizona Republic, August 15:

“That’s been one of our strongest competitions in camp, as far as guys stepping up and getting better,” the coach said. “I can sit up here and say all the time that I think competition makes us a better team, but in that area, I’ve really seen it. I’ve seen dramatic improvement in all of those guys in terms of what we’re trying to get done.”

Morelli stepping up and getting better? What the hell took him so long? I wonder if his dad is telling Whisenhunt how to coach his son. As I saw no quote by Morelli, I’ll assume that Dad is still not allowing him to talk to the media.

Will I ever stop bashing Morelli? Or will Morelli prove that it was not his lack of talent, brains or football acumen, but rather the crappy quarterback coaching at Dear Old State that was to blame for his failure at PSU.