View From Bennett Ave

Whatever problems you may have with USC coach Lane Kiffin--and I certainly have a few--you have to give him credit for a blind faith in himself and his actions, even if they are completely misguided or flat out wrong.  Kiffy is one of those guys who feel that anything is true if you believe that it is true.  He left Tennessee in a better situation that he inherited because he said so--never mind the NCAA coming to the door due to infractions he incurred for a recruiting class that fell apart in Knoxville because of player arrests, transfers and poor play.  Now he wants to help Penn State coach Bill O'Brien deal with the NCAA sanctions leveled at PSU because no one was there to help him with USC's sanctions.  Kiffy believes that he is being kind to O'Brien.  Meanwhile as he was saying this he was luring the best player for the Nittany Lions, RB Silas Redd, to USC for the upcoming season.  At one point a total of six USC coaches were sent to State College to recruit Redd.  Umm Kiffy?  Don't expect any calls from O'Brien soon.
As for Penn State they have lost some players with Redd being the most prominent but that is really okay.  Not only were many of the guys running out the door not needed--yes that means you Rob Bolden--but Penn State needs to rebuild with young kids who want to be there.  Generally the type of kid who wants to go to State College is the type of kid who can help you get through these tough times.    Play the tough, focused kids and move on.  This was always going to be a rebuilding season and while Redd and others may have made it more palatable the reality was that you need a five year plan to bring Penn State back to the mountaintop and one year of Redd before he went pro was not going to be a factor.  I firmly believe that PSU will be back and that tough road begins Monday when camp opens.

View From Bennett Avenue

Was a degree from Brown the main requirement for Penn State in searching for their new coach? As I have mentioned before, Penn State had to sacrifice something in hiring a new coach. The Urban Meyers of the world would not have touched it. What the school has clearly sacrificed was head coaching experience and considering how tough it will be to win at Penn State in light of everything going on for anyone let alone someone without that experience, I wish him luck. We do not even know who will be running the athletic department at PSU and now there seems to be signs that O'Brien does not have the support of past players.
Of course all we have right now in January are the considerable number of roadblocks facing this new staff. But it is not September 1 and O'Brien has nine months to get this program focused on winning football. One advantage he has is that the team's offense was so bad this year that he could look like a savior by simply scoring more points. Another advantage is the schedule which avoids both Michigan and Michigan State and has replaced Alabama with Virginia (not that the Cavs are a pushover). O'Brien needs to prove that he deserved this opportunity--win and everyone will be happy.