T1B

Now this may be what many college football fans think of Morelli, or any number of players. But for this asshole to write a column about a 20-21 year old kid before he ever takes a snap as a starter is complete bullshit. Honestly, I think he should lose his job over this. Taking shots at professional athletes is one thing. Taking this kind of shot at a college kid, no matter who he is, is fucking horrible.

QUARTERBACK SAVANT (7.20.06)

Hollywood Henderson got it right. Terry Bradshaw WAS so dumb that he couldn’t spell “cat” if you spotted him the C and the A.

But Bradshaw was a quarterback savant. Maybe the only book Bradshaw ever perused was the Steelers playbook, but he had that particular tome nailed. When Bradshaw lined up behind center, his extraordinary gridiron instincts enabled him to rise to heights experienced by only a select handful.

Was Bradshaw one of a kind?

Penn State had better hope not.

When he reneged on Pitt to go to Happy Valley, Morelli called his new school “the University of Penn State.” He’s not real bright. Morelli’s arm is NFL-caliber. It has been since his days at Penn Hills High School. But again, he’s not real bright.

Morelli reportedly had a difficult time understanding the plays in high school. He reportedly has had a tougher time figuring out the Nittany Lion playbook.

But now, with Penn State lacking depth at QB, Morelli is locked in at the starting job. He has a ton to work with, including a host of great wide receivers led by Derrick Williams. Morelli could fire a football through a car wash without it getting wet.

But is Morelli vocal enough to assume the leadership role a quarterback must? Is Morelli smart enough to make decisions on the fly the way a QB has to?

Morelli’s intelligence (or lack thereof) is the elephant in Penn State’s locker room. No one wants to talk about it, but it is undeniably a potential negative factor. It’s unpleasant to question the mental capabilities of a 21-year-old, but this is big-time college football, and Morelli’s life takes on a very much merciless tint as of Sept. 2, when the Nittany Lions open their season at home against Akron.

Morelli is more qualified for his job than Jay Paterno is for his. But Paterno, Penn State’s quarterbacks coach, is charged with Morelli’s development. Uh-oh.

Morelli’s high school stats were solid but not overwhelming. They definitely didn’t live up to his arm’s capabilities. He never got Penn Hills to a WPIAL championship game.

Morelli’s high school legacy is that of workout warrior. Amazing in camps, where sheer arm strength counts most. But in games, where thinking quick means just as much as raw talent, Morelli was average most nights.

That’s probably how it will turn out at Penn State, too. A lot of average games, and a career that falls short of the hype.

I don't have a problem with it. The kid has the power to shut him up or prove him right. If anything, the kid needs to read this every day (or have it read to him if it is accurate) for motivation.

Once you hit the colege ranks, you're fair game in my book for criticism.

Let me guess, the source is a bitter Pitt board?

Cicero wrote:Let me guess, the source is a bitter Pitt board?

No, the guy has an ESPN radio show. My issue is that he is calling a college kid dumb. If he wants to question why he hasn't lived up to his hype, or why he hasn't started sooner for PSU, that's fine. But to out right call a kid dumb, that really rubs me the wrong way.

Indy, I guess I disagree in the sense that I think these kids should at least have a bubble from this type of criticisim until they are getting paid to do it. I do agree that by playing a high profile position at a high profile school, he opens himself up to a lot of criticisim, but this shouldn't be one of them.

I tend to agree with Killian. Dumb or not, I don't think it's right for a national voice to call a kid stupid.

I agree that we've been calling VY stupid, but who the hell listens to what the posters on T1B have to say? Only when the wonderlic score came out did the media start to discuss his IQ - because an independent system declared him dumb.

Not to mention, VY has had great success over his career - this kid has a long way to go.

Agree kids are fair game once they get to college, but I guess for me that applies to the play of the kid. Calling out a kid's looks or intelligence isn't so cool.

Yeah, bagging on a kid's play on the field is acceptable, but you shouldnt be calling out kids for their intelligence, or lack thereof.

Agree to disagree, I guess.

Oh well, off to Columbus for a wedding. Time to see what that shithole is all about.

Wow. This one line really got me:

Morelli’s high school legacy is that of workout warrior. Amazing in camps, where sheer arm strength counts most. But in games, where thinking quick means just as much as raw talent, Morelli was average most nights.

Yeah, the kid was so "average" as a high school player that he got a football scholie to Penn State and was recruited heavily by Pitt as well. Seems to me that with writing skeels like that, Madden ought to be the last person to call into question another's intelligence.

Madden (much like our own K.C. firestarter, Jason Whitlock) is paid to elicit exactly this type of response.

He'll get another raise for this type of column long before he gets the boot, and for anyone to call this controversial is weak, at best.

So he's questioning the kid's intelligence ... why do you suppose that is?

Perhaps Morelli, indeed, a dumbshit and has fallen prey to the latest Gatorade marketing craze ...

If I could be like Vince

Agree with Indy, too. If someone doesn't clip this and frame it inside the kid's locker, then the shoe obviously fits.

I'm well familiar with Madden, as a Pittsburgher. He's a shock jock. He's paid to entertain the 17-35 male audience during drive time. He's the most-listened to sports radio guy in Pittsburgh.

He's a former deck hockey coach. He's also fairly well-known in the local strip clubs for leaving with empty pockets.

At any rate, Morelli's been a hot topic in Pittsburgh for a few years. He was highly touted as a Penn Hills star, then as a Pitt recruit.

He was not selected at QB for the Army All-American Bowl. He saw this as a slight, which was further enhanced by the fact that Tyler Palko's (then a freshman at Pitt) father was the head coach that didn't select him. AM was coming in to Pitt, and surely he'd be breathing down Tyler's neck before long, due to Walt Harris's turnstile QB propensities.

So, for any or none of those reasons, AM reneged on his Pitt verbal, and went to PSU (he wasn't the only one, that was the offseason that they had a ton of kids decommit).

This engendered a shitstorm in the local media and on the homer boards. It was really interesting in retrospect, because it called a few odd bugs out of the woodwork:

A) Pitt fan who spewed bile on AM because of the switch to the hated Lions
B) Pitt and PSU fan who said, "hey, it's the kid's right to choose wherever he wants to go"
C) PSU fan who spewed bile on AM because he had briefly been a Pitt commit (I kid you not).
D) PSU fan who jumped for joy at AM's switch from the hated Panthers

Now...the shitstorm included a few bitter reports of AM's smarts or lack thereof. Penn Hills was a HS that only threw 6-8 times a game. Their running tradition was long-standing...but that didn't prevent folks from claiming that they ran it "because AM couldn't grasp the passing playbook".

Baloney.

So, it was assumed by many that AM would immediately contend for playing time at PSU, being a 5 star lauded by all of the recruiting lemmings and all. However, any PSU fan that has observed the team for the last 500 years would know that AM wasn't going to unseat anyone as a true freshman. Paterno doesn't let the QBs compete on a level field. He goes with the guy he feels deserves to start. Example...Mike Robinson in 2005 was going to be the QB, no matter what...he had "earned" the year at QB. Another coach might have kept Robinson at a skill position, and moved AM along as the starting QB. Now...I'm glad of this, personally, because Robinson had a good year (overall)and his leadership was perfect for the team. In other years, the selection of the starting QB was less effective, and more questionable given the talent at hand. No matter what, though, AM wasn't going to hop over anyone in line.

So the haters had more ammo to claim that AM was "dumb". He wasn't starting because he "couldn't grasp the playbook"...that was their latest claim. It was utterly false, though. AM wasn't starting because Joe doesn't work that way, period. Right or wrong, beyond all debate, the fact is Paterno wasn't going to veer from starting his upperclassman that had "earned" the starting position.

I was truly amazed at how many folks adhered to this line of thinking...both PSU and Pitt fans. In fact, it still sticks...even before AM has started a single game. There's more gas on the fire now, in that Pat Devlin has verbaled, another highly touted kid from SE PA...and the SE PA fans now all expect to see their guy start immediately, and they take shots at whoever might be ahead of him.

Also, no one...not even me...thought that AM would be patient enough to sit two years and watch PSU QBs play poorly (2004 Mills), or inconsistently (2005 Robinson) without announcing a transfer. Lo and Behold, though...he has shown a great deal of patience and enthusiasm, and he has definitely shown a great deal of talent and ability. I really expect great things from AM.

Back to Madden...so, all he's done is rehash some scuttlebutt, and rehash it weakly. All he's really doing is throwing spitballs. Yes, the shot he takes are classless...but no one should expect class from this guy, they don't pay him to be nice. I never listen to him...I preferred Stan Savran, his competitor...nice older guy, great sports knowledge, great local sports bloodlines, cordial and professional, etc. Stan was recently fired so that they could run some other young guy up against Madden...and so far it's gone VERY poorly.

Morelli reportedly had a difficult time understanding the plays in high school.

Link, Mark?

He reportedly has had a tougher time figuring out the Nittany Lion playbook.

Link, Mark? "Reportedly" isn't really the right word to use here, unless you can link to someone "reporting" that. I think the phrase he's looking for is "rumor has it". But he may as well relax...because these things emerged from the message boards half-baked. No one has any indication that AM is "dumb", or that he's struggled to grasp the playbook. There's nothing but high hopes from Lasch Building at PSU, though. AM looked sick in the spring game, for what that's worth...checking down, throwing the ball with crazy zip, etc. More importantly, he's leading the team...always moving around talking to everyone, intently watching every play, etc.

Yeah, the article reads like something that he blasted out of his shit duct and wrecked the porcelain with. Yet, you should have seen what the guy did to Rashard Casey, during that controversy...

Reportedly, PSU isn't dumb.

Nice breakdown.

Yeah, Madden's a Pitt guy, right? Sounds like sour grapes from a bad apple.

Heh. That line was fruity.

the_ouskull