PSU's spring game
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 2:04 pm
I drove over to University Park for this year's spring game. I had been excited about it for a few months, just because I thought it would be fun for my wife and kids, who generally don't get to take in games at Beaver Stadium.
So of course, after a week of near-perfect weather, on Saturday morning the temp. swooned to 42 and the rain pelted down. I wrapped everyone up and we still went, my wife kept giving me those warning sighs of woe, though.
They had an autograph session set up with the players. I have attended these in the past, and I thought it might be fun for the kids this year. We ended up taking a pass, because as we approached we were daunted by the insane throng that had gathered.
There's something a little - or a lot - perverse about these sessions. You have innumerable geeky adults, screaming like brats at the players, pushing all kinds of stuff at them for signing. You see a lot of horseshit with people being rude, barking stuff at the players, demanding this and that. You see adults pushing aside kids, and pushing their own kids up into the players' faces. When kids are getting pushed around, I start to wonder what the fuck is up. When my son and I attended a session two years ago, we stayed away from some of the bigger crowds, and the players we did talk with, I ended up thanking profusely for their participation, and I tried to say something nice about appreciating the entertainment they provide us. Suffice to say, most of them were surprised by this, because everyone else was acting like a bunch of scraped raw pissants.
Here is a pic of my son and I at that 2004 game, towards the end:
So back to this year, we ate some hotdogs, and found our way to some seats under the south deck. My kids love music and musical instruments, and so we sat close to the Blue Band, to their delight. There was a suprisingly large crowd in attendance, perhaps 15k snug under the two decks, and probably 3k scattered and ponchoed throughout the main seating.
The Blue and White game is thought of as a party for the players to celebrate the closing of spring practice. Only the simple-minded go to watch with the idea that they're going to see some great football. The squads work with 3 or 4 formations, and there's a red mesh over the QBs' shoulders.
I was primarily interested to see how Anthony Morelli looked passing the ball, and how Derrick Williams had healed from his arm breaks sustained in the '05 UM game.
Morelli looked great. He went 13-16, and threw nothing but perfectly-placed darts. The other QBs are in a different world altogether...not many of them look like 1-A prospects. PSU fans have been anxious to see AM take the reins...he came in as a highly decorated blue-chipper. His reputation for overconfidence and impatience appears to be unfounded, as he has patiently waited two seasons for his time in the spotlight. His enthusiasm is boundless; he watched every snap of the game intently, and spent most of his time pumping up the other players. You can tell he's excited and ready to lead this team. His arm...PSU fans haven't seen anything like it since Kerry Collins, who had a strong, accurate arm, but a slow delivery. AM is the whole package, he's got a quick delivery, a cannon for an arm, and great accuracy. I realize that he wasn't facing Deon Sanders and Ronnie Lot, but he made some really tough throws. I think the offense is going to be vastly improved over last season.
Derrick Williams is fully healed, and faster than ever. He is clearly one of the leaders of the team. He looks like an NFL player right now, to be honest. He made a few catches and showed everyone some wicked footwork to go along with great speed. DWill is going to be moved around a bit this year, and he'll undoubtably be making some highlight-reel plays for the Lions.
Some other things that jumped out...
Tony Hunt is one of the best backs in the Big 10. He reminds me a bit of Curtis Enis, because he runs with great power. If the passing game softens defenses up, look out for Tony. I think he's on the verge of a huge season.
Knowledge Timmons is a track kid who is playing CB...and often, track guys don't pan out, but you can tell this kid wants to play football. He was blazing around the field, he picked off two passes, and he showed a lot of fire. I think he might really turn some heads this year.
Dan Connor is a great LB...he played only a little. PSU's next great LB might be Jerome Hayes, who redshirted last year. He's simply a beast - fast and brutal. He'll get some snaps at MLB this season. Sean Lee is a Poz clone...working directly with Poz in most cases. He'll also be a great one.
From a player talent perspective, I think PSU really is back. While the squads lost a lot of starters, I think their replacements will be tremendous after they get some snaps under their belts. Also, Galen Hall's influence really became apparent to me in conference play last year. I think Paterno has indeed handed him the keys to the offense, which was an absolute necessity for this team. I trust Galen to make great use of the talent on offense again this year, and if anything there are more components for him to work with. Defensively, there are a lot of new faces, but Justin King looks like he's ready to be great as a CB, Poz returns, and there is abundant speed with the newcomers. Lefty, Jimmy Shaw looks great - fast and incredibly strong - and he appears to have a DE slot wrapped up. PSU is one of the teams that looked at the WVU 3-3-5 stack, and with the LB talent littered thick on the grass, we'll probably see some 3-4 as well. I think if Morelli can get going this season, allowing the defense to play with leads and attack, PSU is definitely a Big 10 contender in '06.
BTW, if anyone attends a game in State College, you have to hit Otto's, a brewpub on rt. 322. Their beer is simply phenomenal, and the food is great also. A HS buddy of mine recently became the exec. Chef, and he's doing some great things there. My wife and I enjoyed the Maibock most heartily while she castigated me for taking the kids out in the shitty weather. I told her, "daddy ain't raising no weather pussies"...
So of course, after a week of near-perfect weather, on Saturday morning the temp. swooned to 42 and the rain pelted down. I wrapped everyone up and we still went, my wife kept giving me those warning sighs of woe, though.
They had an autograph session set up with the players. I have attended these in the past, and I thought it might be fun for the kids this year. We ended up taking a pass, because as we approached we were daunted by the insane throng that had gathered.
There's something a little - or a lot - perverse about these sessions. You have innumerable geeky adults, screaming like brats at the players, pushing all kinds of stuff at them for signing. You see a lot of horseshit with people being rude, barking stuff at the players, demanding this and that. You see adults pushing aside kids, and pushing their own kids up into the players' faces. When kids are getting pushed around, I start to wonder what the fuck is up. When my son and I attended a session two years ago, we stayed away from some of the bigger crowds, and the players we did talk with, I ended up thanking profusely for their participation, and I tried to say something nice about appreciating the entertainment they provide us. Suffice to say, most of them were surprised by this, because everyone else was acting like a bunch of scraped raw pissants.
Here is a pic of my son and I at that 2004 game, towards the end:
So back to this year, we ate some hotdogs, and found our way to some seats under the south deck. My kids love music and musical instruments, and so we sat close to the Blue Band, to their delight. There was a suprisingly large crowd in attendance, perhaps 15k snug under the two decks, and probably 3k scattered and ponchoed throughout the main seating.
The Blue and White game is thought of as a party for the players to celebrate the closing of spring practice. Only the simple-minded go to watch with the idea that they're going to see some great football. The squads work with 3 or 4 formations, and there's a red mesh over the QBs' shoulders.
I was primarily interested to see how Anthony Morelli looked passing the ball, and how Derrick Williams had healed from his arm breaks sustained in the '05 UM game.
Morelli looked great. He went 13-16, and threw nothing but perfectly-placed darts. The other QBs are in a different world altogether...not many of them look like 1-A prospects. PSU fans have been anxious to see AM take the reins...he came in as a highly decorated blue-chipper. His reputation for overconfidence and impatience appears to be unfounded, as he has patiently waited two seasons for his time in the spotlight. His enthusiasm is boundless; he watched every snap of the game intently, and spent most of his time pumping up the other players. You can tell he's excited and ready to lead this team. His arm...PSU fans haven't seen anything like it since Kerry Collins, who had a strong, accurate arm, but a slow delivery. AM is the whole package, he's got a quick delivery, a cannon for an arm, and great accuracy. I realize that he wasn't facing Deon Sanders and Ronnie Lot, but he made some really tough throws. I think the offense is going to be vastly improved over last season.
Derrick Williams is fully healed, and faster than ever. He is clearly one of the leaders of the team. He looks like an NFL player right now, to be honest. He made a few catches and showed everyone some wicked footwork to go along with great speed. DWill is going to be moved around a bit this year, and he'll undoubtably be making some highlight-reel plays for the Lions.
Some other things that jumped out...
Tony Hunt is one of the best backs in the Big 10. He reminds me a bit of Curtis Enis, because he runs with great power. If the passing game softens defenses up, look out for Tony. I think he's on the verge of a huge season.
Knowledge Timmons is a track kid who is playing CB...and often, track guys don't pan out, but you can tell this kid wants to play football. He was blazing around the field, he picked off two passes, and he showed a lot of fire. I think he might really turn some heads this year.
Dan Connor is a great LB...he played only a little. PSU's next great LB might be Jerome Hayes, who redshirted last year. He's simply a beast - fast and brutal. He'll get some snaps at MLB this season. Sean Lee is a Poz clone...working directly with Poz in most cases. He'll also be a great one.
From a player talent perspective, I think PSU really is back. While the squads lost a lot of starters, I think their replacements will be tremendous after they get some snaps under their belts. Also, Galen Hall's influence really became apparent to me in conference play last year. I think Paterno has indeed handed him the keys to the offense, which was an absolute necessity for this team. I trust Galen to make great use of the talent on offense again this year, and if anything there are more components for him to work with. Defensively, there are a lot of new faces, but Justin King looks like he's ready to be great as a CB, Poz returns, and there is abundant speed with the newcomers. Lefty, Jimmy Shaw looks great - fast and incredibly strong - and he appears to have a DE slot wrapped up. PSU is one of the teams that looked at the WVU 3-3-5 stack, and with the LB talent littered thick on the grass, we'll probably see some 3-4 as well. I think if Morelli can get going this season, allowing the defense to play with leads and attack, PSU is definitely a Big 10 contender in '06.
BTW, if anyone attends a game in State College, you have to hit Otto's, a brewpub on rt. 322. Their beer is simply phenomenal, and the food is great also. A HS buddy of mine recently became the exec. Chef, and he's doing some great things there. My wife and I enjoyed the Maibock most heartily while she castigated me for taking the kids out in the shitty weather. I told her, "daddy ain't raising no weather pussies"...