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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Is it a figment of my imagination?

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I watched the first quarter of the Cowboys vs. Raiders pre-season game just to check out the former Penn State guys. Otherwise, I have no interest in either team. But this was the night that Dan Connor was to get his first start alongside Sean Lee for Dallas, so I didn’t want to miss that debut.

Oakland got the ball on the first series, which meant that Stefen Wisniewski would get some camera time, as he was starting at center. He was called out by ESPN announcers Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden, who mentioned that he played guard all last year and thought the chances were good that he’d be the next big thing as an offensive lineman. They didn’t bother to mention that he was a Penn Stater.

Meanwhile, Connor and Lee were in there at linebacker for the ‘Boys. Tirico and Gruden gave them some significant shout-out time, talking about how Connor came from Carolina and Lee was viewed as being a great leader in the locker room and on the field. They mentioned that Connor and Lee had played together and were reunited. That would have been the perfect time for a plug for Linebacker U., yet there was nary a mention of Penn State.

Was this my imagination? Penn State paranoia? You’d be inclined to think so if it weren’t for the fact that our buddies in the booth mentioned college affiliations for many other players on both teams, not only rookies, but also long-established NFL players. I might be over-sensitized, but when I hear the wonks talking about so-and-so, who is “an eight year pro out of LSU,” but haven’t heard a single mention of Penn State with three ex-Nittany Lions in starting positions, it almost feels as they are deliberately avoiding saying the poisonous two words, “Penn State.”

Before you say it is SEC bias, let me assure you that Tirico and Gruden mentioned schools such as Southwest Missouri State and Temple in connection with other players, so it has nothing to do with region, conference, or NCAA division.

Because the game was so boring, and because the starters were all pulled during the first quarter, that’s all I watched. (The final score was 3-0.) This leads me to ask two questions of you readers:

  1. Did any of you see the entire game, and if you did, was there any mention of Penn State?
  2. Do you think I’m paranoid? Just plain crazy?

Tell me what you think.

Austin Scott a Brown; Morelli Meanders

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In a humongous sweep of draft leftovers, the NFL Cleveland Browns signed 23 free agents. Among them was ex-Nittany Lion tailback Austin Scott.

Unfortunately, Austin Scott will be better remembered around Penn State circles for his off-field exploits than for his accomplishments as a running back. However, he never lived up to the promise of his high school career.

Scott’s penchant for dancing around behind the line of scrimmage before moving forward was a great hindrance to his success in the faster moving college game, where opposing linebackers were in the backfield before Scott could get his ass in gear.

It is important to distinguish Scott’s actual performance from his potential, but that is all water under the bridge. He’s the Brownies’ problem now for a year, if he survives all the cruel cuts of the NFL pre-season.

Jamal Lewis is the Browns’ feature back. It is unclear how Scott will fit in to the Browns’ offensive scheme.

A Cleveland Plain-Dealer reader posted the following comment:

I’m excited about Austin Scott. This guy is amazing…if he can stay out of trouble. I never like taking questionable character guys..I leave that to the Bengals…but I’m glad the Browns are taking a flyer on him. Remember, Jam Lewis was in trouble and actually had his career derailed for a time by it…[even] serving time in prison Maybe Lewis can serve as a mentor to Scott. Go Browns!

Scott signed a one-year contract, but it is conditional on his making the team, which is to say that he must be on the final, 53-man roster.

“I’m going to turn it up another couple of notches,” Scott vowed. “I just want to get ready for the preseason minicamps and make an impression to make the final cut, to make it to the season, actually. I want to make sure that they understand they can use me and that I’m a good athlete to have on their team. I want them to know that I can help the Browns. I want to make an impression on special teams.”

Full story at theMorningCall.com.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, at Arizona Cardinal mini-camp, Anthony Morelli continues to struggle with apprehending the playbook, as he vies with Brian St. Pierre for the third-string job behind Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner. Par for the course, eh?

On the other hand, Dan Connor was impressive lining up at middle linebacker with the Carolina Panthers second and third teams. Having scant time to master a complex defensive playbook, Connor was still able to make some decent reads.

Thoughts on the 2008 NFL Draft

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Of five ex-Nittany Lions eligible for the draft, two were selected in middle rounds and three were undrafted. Dan Connor was 74th overall pick; he’ll be going to the Carolina Panthers. Justin King was 101th overall and he’ll become a St. Louis Ram.

Just about all the experts expected that Connor would go in the first or second round, and that King would be a second or third round pick. They were wrong. What happened?

I suppose for one thing, the pseudo-experts cannot possibly watch what happens in every player’s games during an entire season. Their assessments are based partially on scouting reports they read, partially on NFL Scouting Combine results, and partially on media hype.

Justin King hurt himself by coming out early. This whole thing about potentially getting injured in one’s final year of eligibility makes it all seem a little too mercenary; yet it is a valid concern for one who would otherwise have to make his living selling insurance. There’s a lot of money to be made in the NFL and you ain’t worth a dime if you’re hurt. However, King’s on-field performance in his last campaign was anything but impressive. The pseudo-experts of ESPN, etc., saw stuff like Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. They apparently did not get the opportunity to see King (PSU’s supposed shut-down corner) being buried by wide receivers throughout the season and, particularly at the end, picked on by opposing quarterbacks. If they saw that, they would have ranked King lower.

Connor to a lesser extent exhibits some deficiencies that might impede his NFL potential. NFL scouts and coaches see these things. Media hypists ignore them. Connor’s lower body strength is somewhat deficient by NFL standards, as is his speed. He is much better at stopping the run that in peeling off in pass coverage. Another issue that might have caused NFL clubs to look past Connor is the character flag on his scouting sheet. Phonegate could have come back to haunt him. Nevertheless, his motivation and work ethic count for a lot. He has matured considerably since he made those harassing calls.

A couple other overall issues might have caused the Nittany Lions to drop down in the draft. This was the Year of the Offensive Tackle—seven OTs were selected in the first round alone. Good wide receivers are always in demand in the NFL, and there were several on the board, yet none at all were selected in the first round. This had to produce a ripple effect that moved all the other positions down.

I also have to believe that Penn State is losing credibility with the NFL due to several busts and injuries in recent years. Elsewhere I’ve mentioned my concerns about the strength and conditioning program’s efficacy (or lack of same), seeing that an inordinate number of Penn State alumni seem to be injured soon after entering the NFL. The only real Penn State success in recent history has been Larry Johnson.

Why should an NFL team take a chance on Justin King when Penn State’s previous so-called shut-down cornerback, Alan Zemaitis, bombed out in two years with the Tampa Bay Bucs? The Sandusky-Bradley soft zone has very little in common with how pass defense is played in the NFL, where cornerbacks jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and play bump-and-run. King has the speed to keep up with NFL receivers, but can he? There is nothing in his history at Penn State to suggest one way or the other whether he can or he cannot. King’s performance in Penn State’s loosey-goosey pass defense does not prove anything.

On the other hand, David Macklin is an example of a Penn State cornerback who adapted to the pros quite well, enjoying a lengthy pro career. What did Macklin have that Zemaitis did not have? Whatever it was, apparently pro scouts did not see it.

It is for lack of validation such as this that I have to wonder why so many people are all gung-ho on sliding Tom Bradley into the head coaching position that ultimately will be vacated by the venerable Joe Paterno. If you’ve read any of my tripe in the past, you’ll know how much I’ve disdained that crappy soft zone pass coverage, formerly entitled the BBDB (bend but don’t break). There’s far too much damn bending going on. It is predictable, and Big Ten coaches do not let nuances like that go unexploited. It bothers the hell out of me that it goes on and on, year after year. NCAA Division I-A (yeah, I know we’re supposed to call it some politically correct NCAA bullshit moniker now, but I’ll reserve the right to eschew that proscribed nonsense)—where was I?—oh yeah, Division I-A football is not played the same way now as it was in 1994, in Jerry Sandusky’s heyday, but Bradley does not seem capable of updating the damn defense to 2008 standards.

I haven’t said much about Kinlaw, Scott, and good ol’ Anthony Morelli. I did not really expect much from any of the three in the NFL Draft, and I got less than what I expected. Kinlaw was a fair-to-middling running back who stepped in and did a manly job of replacing Austin Scott after Scott was kicked off the team. Scott, of course, had that dancing problem that would cause NFL organizations to avoid him like the plague. Things happen fast in the NFL. There is no time to stand around behind the line waiting for holes. Scott, of course, had the all-important character flag on his scouting record, giving him the double-whammy. Morelli not only had the character flag, for all the effort he put into taunting Michigan fans, but also the “mental” flag, which essentially brands him as too stupid to learn a playbook, and the “speed” flag, which rates him as slow for his position. With all that going for him, NFL scouts didn’t have to see much more. However, if they did, they would have confirmed their negative assessment. You know all his flaws at this point; to reiterate them serves none of us.

Other Big 10 notables in the draft, guys you know and love (with overall pick number in parentheses): Adrian Arrington, WR, Michigan (237); Shawn Crable, LB, Michigan (78); Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State (6); James Hardy, WR, Indiana (41); Mike Hart, RB, Michigan (202); Chad Henne, QB, Michigan (57); Jack Ickegwuono, CB, Wisconsin (131); Jake Long, OT, Michigan (1); Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan (95); Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois (23); and Tracy Porter, CB, Indiana (40).

The undrafted Nittany Lions will obviously still have a chance to sign with NFL teams via free agency. My bet is that someone will pick up Morelli as a scout team project quarterback.

On the whole, this has been a pretty blah year for Penn State NFL placements.