The Spin Meister
Well-known member
Donāt take my word for it.
Listen to some guy named Adam.
Listen to some guy named Adam.
Billy O saved Penn State football š
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NittanyLion99
Well-known member
I think this is largely true. It was said that all the players that stayed would be legends, but someone had to sell the vision on why it was worth it. O'Brien certainly had a tough job. That said, I still dislike him for what I perceive as being dishonest with the players. As he was convincing kids to commit to a school in shambles, he promised he would be there for their 4 years. After year 1, he was rumored to be in the mix for other jobs, and after year 2, he bolted for the Texans.
Now, largely, I'll defer to the players who were misled. I've never heard any of them complain about OB's decision, so I say the above with a grain of salt.
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I got the feeling that Bill O'Brien might have been replaced by Josh McDaniel if he'd stayed in New England even though O'Brien had done a good job. McDaniel was coming back, and O'Brien and Brady had their differences. I don't know if O'Brien viewed it as a stepping stone, or if he felt he was misled once the sanctions hit. I think he was the right coach at the right time. I don't hold any ill will toward him. His players formed the nucleus of the 2016 Big Ten Championship squad.
The Spin Meister
Well-known member
Donāt know who mislead him on sanctions. I donāt think anyone at the school had any knowledge or influence about what was coming.
But he had to be upset about how neither the BoT nor the administration did anything to push back. Just rolled over and said āThank you sir, may I have another?ā
And from his comments he was upset about fans being fixated on Joeās reputation. He felt everybody should move on and focus on the present/future instead of the past.
If that bothered him it was a serious miscalculation. Joe was an icon and legend and deserves to be remembered far better.
NittanyLion99
Well-known member
I have not donated a dime to PSU since Nov 2011. I went from being a proud member of the PSU cult to being a passive fan of the football team. Hard to support an organization that is unwilling to defend its reputation when being slandered.
Who am I to disagree with Adam but I'm going to disagree anyway.
I'm not a big BOB fan for 2 reasons. One is that he remained with the Patriots while our recruits were decommitting. His defense was that PSU hired a coach for the next 5 years, not the next few months. The other was that he told recruits that he would be there for their 4-5 yr college career but then left for the NFL after 2 yrs. IIRC D Barnes said something to the effect that there's no loyalty, you have to look out for number one. Wrong message IMO.
FWIW I think he inherited a loaded team with a few holes due to Freeh agency. No excuse for losing to Ohio & Virginia. I think that team could have won a national title if we were able to keep Redd, Brown, Fortt, Fera, etc.
Full respect to Mauti, Zordich, etc for staying but IMO the thing that saved PSU football was the incredible fan support. I think PSU was in the top 4 in attendance even during sanctions. That's what made it possible to rebuild quickly.