Kinlaw injured

The oft-injured Rodney Kinlaw is injured again.

Penn State's No. 2 tailback suffered a knee injury at practice on Tuesday and will be out at least two weeks, according to the good folks at Fight On State magazine.

Angry Joe!

Joe Paterno had one of his always-happy news conferences today. He yelled at several reporters for having the temerity to ask about the playing status of one of his star linebackers.

He also snapped at Jerry Kellar from the York Daily News for "putting words in my mouth."

You can listen to the love fest here.

One week away

Just one week, folks.

In one week, the 2005 Penn State football season begins.

And what does that mean for today? Not much, actually. Your Editor will spend several hours today laying a tile floor in my new basement bar/TCFA Headquarters. Hopefully, by the end of the day, the floor will be down, a sure signal that, within two weeks time, the room will be fully operational.

Why is this important for you? It's not, really, unless you actually know me, in which case you might actually get to spend some time down there, drinking fine beers and enjoying a fine football game.

The point of this post? There really isn't one. I just want my basement bar.

On with today's news:

* The Harrisburg Patriot offers a somewhat sobering review of yesterday's quick media chat with Joe Paterno.

* Still no word on the severity of punishment facing sophomore linebacker Dan Connor, says the The Daily Times of Delaware County.

* The Carlisle Sentinel has an interesting story about Penn State's questionable offensive line. Are they good enough?

King and Williams

See, folks, it's not just me. Sports Illustrated tabs Penn State freshman Derrick Williams and Justin King as the top newcomers to watch in 2005.

In other news, Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny has been named to the Butkus Award watch list.

The kid is a stud, folks. Think Shane Conlan 2.0.

And to be honest, his linebacking partner, sophomore Dan Connor, is probably even better. Of course, whether he actually sees the field before October remains to be seen.

Finally, a shamless plug: For the greatest college football site ever, click here.

Is Mandel a changed man?

Our old friend Stewart Mandel, college football writer for CNN/Sports Illustrated, has been strangely nice to Penn State as of late. First, he writes a somewhat complimentary piece about Joe Paterno. Then he picks Penn State has his "team on the rise" in the Big Ten.

And today, he gives props (sort of) to Derrick Williams and Justin King--mentioning the two freshman in his list of the Top 10 things he's looking forward to this season.

I guess it's not true what people say: Sometimes, people really can change.

Congrats on changing for the better, Stewart.

Summer sucks.

And the hits keep coming, folks.

More great news from Happy Valley.

Bob Flounders from the Harrisburg Patriot-News gives an update on the loss of defensive end LaVon Chisley and wide receiver Mark Rubin. For the season.

Here's another take on it.

And another.

Meanwhile, the Centre Daily Times discusses the "untapped potential" of wideout Terrell Golden. Well, I bet it gets tapped now.

Worst. Week. Ever.

Just one week ago Your Editor was feeling pretty good about the 2005 Nittany Lions football season. And why not? The defense looked like one of the best in modern Penn State history. The offense, behind a revitalized Austin Scott and the arrival of some speedy youngsters, looked to be much improved. The schedule was more than favorable.

Then, in a matter of days, the following news:

1) Dan Connor, a linebacker on the brink of greatness, gets suspended indefinitely for making prank phone calls, which is not only stupid, but really, really lame. He's out for an uncertain period of time.
2) Rumors surface that "other players" may also be embroiled in the prank call scandal.
3) Rumors surface that defensive end LaVon Chisley may miss the season for academic reasons.
4) Wide receiver -- and only reliable, proven pass-catcher -- Mark Rubin sustains a "serious ankle injury" and will likely miss the season.
5) Freshman linebacker Sean Lee, who probably was in line to pick up some of Connor's minutes, strains his MCL and is out for at least 7 to 10 days.

Being a fan is hard, folks. I am not happy.

Dan Connor suspended

Jesus, folks.

Is it too much to ask that Penn State football players conduct themselves properly?

Apparently so. In case you hadn't heard, sophomore linebacker Dan Connor, on the cusp of what should have been a breakout season, has been "indefinitely suspended" by coach Joe Paterno for making prank phone calls, along with teammates Nolan McCready and Jim Kanuch.

What were these kids thinking?

Don't they realize that they are jeopardizing my Saturday afternoon happiness here? Don't they understand it's not as fun to watch the Nits if the best players aren't out there? Don't they realize making prank phone calls is nerdy (more nerdy, even, than authoring a college football blog, I hear).

And by the way, there's only more bad news to come, so the rumor-mongers say.

I leave you with this thought: Paul Posluszny, wherever you are, please stay away from your telephone.

Hope for PSU-Pitt?

It is Your Editor's long-standing contention that Penn State and Pitt should resume playing each other. The teams played 96 times before the games ended in 2000, and there remains no sign at all that the series -- once one of the great rivalries in college football -- will resume.

But now, at least, someone in the Penn State football administration is discussing it.

Longtime Penn State offensive coordinator and current director of football administration Fran Ganter told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently that he thinks Penn State and Pitt should play again.

"I'm just shooting from my hip," Ganter said. "[Athletic Director] TimCurley would have the biggest say. Well, that's not true. Joe would have the biggest say. Personally, and this might just be because I'm from Pittsburgh, but they were great games."

Sounds good, right?

Well, kind of. Ganter quickly added that Penn State "couldn't" play Pitt every year.

Which begs the question: Why not? For nearly a century, the schools managed to gulf that vast cultural divide between Happy Valley (the land of good) and the Oakland section of Pittsburgh (the land of evil). What makes it so difficult today?

Not good

Chico Harlan had an interesting story in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about Anthony Morelli's very uncertain status at Penn State.

Among the most ominous passages in the story was this quote, from Morelli's dad, Greg: "His goal is to start or split time as a true sophomore. Anything less would be a huge disappointment."

You can read all about it here.

Anyone else a little concerned?

The Day After Media Day!

OK, folks, plenty of copy today on the Nittany Lions, thanks to yesterday's Media Day event.

The day's central message?

I think this quote from Joe sums it up: "I just hope we understand this is a big season for us. We’re part of a tradition, and I don’t think anybody here just wants to let it go. We want to hang onto it."

Here's the rundown:

* Beth Hudson from the Allentown Morning Call had the best wrap-up of the day, and the headline from the Morning Call's copy desk says it all: "Still more questions than answers for PSU."

* The York Daily News calls 2005 "a watershed year."

* The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says Penn State's young "speedy" receivers should help improve the offense. But the PG also reports that the offensive line remains a huge question mark.

* The Associated Press says Joe is asking for "patience" with his offense. No, Joe, we've been patient enough.

* The Scranton Times discusses the one thing that concerns Your Editor more than anything else about this team -- placekicking. It's a scary situation, folks.

Media Day!

The annual circus that is Penn State Football Media Day was today, folks.

We'll get you caught up on all the action as soon as we get the chance. In the meantime, go here to get this year's roster and here for a depth chart, courtesy of the good folks at Fight On State magazine.

I've taken just a quick glance at the depth chart myself, and my initial reaction was not a good one: As tough as the Penn State defense is, you'll be surprised how little depth they have at key spots. Check out the guys backing up Dan Connor at OLB.

Meanwhile, on with the news:

* Some misinformed judges in Pennsylvania have decided that it's in the interest of the Commonwealth for everyone to know what Joe Paterno's salary is. Penn State is appealing. First, I say, it's a ridiculous ruling -- Joe's salary is paid by Penn State Athletics, which is a self-financed insitution. Secondly, Pennsylvania doesn't support Penn State nearly enough for the right to know ANYONE'S salary in University Park -- when lawmakers start respecting Penn State, I'll change my opinion. Finally, I'll say this: If you're Penn State, why not just reveal Joe's salary? The guy could be getting $1 billion a year for all I care. Anyone want to argue he hasn't been worth it? He's only the single most important person in the history of the university, and among the most important figures in the history of the Commonwealth.

* Kudos to the Philly Inquirer's Ray Parillo for yet another great piece. This one, published Saturday, talks about THE question for Nittany Nation: How will Joe go out? (Note: Registration is required to access this story. It's free, but it remains a pain in the ass.)

Changes ...

Great story in the Philly Inquirer yesterday about the ever-changing face of Penn State football. The Inky's Penn State beat writer, Ray Parrillo, writes about Joe Paterno's decision to let his team name captains three months before the season--the first time that's been done since the Mike Reid-led teams of the late 1960s.

Said senior quarterback (and probably the key to the entire season) Michael Robinson: "I had a feeling he was going to do something to try to shock us and set the tone early. I think he was basically saying, 'You know what, we're going into summer workouts and these are our leaders. They're the guys you go to if you have any problems. I trust those guys. They're an extension of me.' It was his way of telling us that the season starts now, that we're the leaders and to start acting like it."

You can read all about it here

Linebacker U. is back ...

The Nittany Lions are finally getting some much-deserved credit (at least on defense).

The Associated Press writes that, with juniors Paul Posluszny and Tim Shaw and sophomore Dan Connor manning the linebacker spots, Penn State is poised to reclaim its long-standing reputation as "Linebacker U."

You can read the story here.

Call me biased, folks. Call me unrealistic. But I'll say this: This unit of linebackers has the potential to be the best group at Penn State since the national championship team of 1986. If Posluszny isn't a modern-day Shane Conlan, I don't know who is.

Kudos to CFN

College Football News doesn't boast the best writers in the country, nor does College Football News look all that great. But College Football News does deserve credit in this respect: They offer the most comprehensive coverage of college football, for free, that you'll find anywhere.

A good example is the site's ongoing coverage of the Big Ten media week. A full week after the event ended, CFN continues to post great short interview pieces with some of the conference's top coaches and players. Some of these pieces are truly entertaining.

Check out this blurb from Joe Paterno, responding to a reporter's question about what he'll do when he retires:

"I really haven't thought about it. You pick up the paper and you hear about the hunger and the problems, and you want to do something. My wife and I are currently involved with helping out in Sierra Leone. A kid we recruited has a father over there, a kid by the name of Ryan Scott, and his grandfather died. The father became the chief. They're trying to do some things over there with the young people and the farmland. So Sue and Mr. Scott got involved in it sending someone over from the Ag department to help. We've tried to help and set up scholarships and things like that. Those are the sorts of things we'd like to be doing. But hell, who knows? I might just find a young girl and take off to Aruba."

You can see the most recent CFN Big Ten report, including interviews with Illinois coach Ron Zook, Penn State cornerback (and soon-to-be All American) Alan Zemaitis and others by clicking here.

A sad day

The Nittany News today notes the passing of a Penn State coaching legend. May God bless Jim O'Hora.

High praise

The skeptics may continue to be skeptical, because that's what they do, but all evidence supports the idea that Penn State freshmen Justin King and Derrick Williams are going to make an immediate impact for the Nittany Lions this fall.

Just ask quarterback/wide receiver/something Michael Robinson, who said this at the Big Ten media gathering this week: "You see the optimism we're carrying around? They're the reasons why. Those guys are electric. Those guys are going to be special. I tell them all the time, 'You've got a lot to live up to. You're supposed to restore the roar.' At first, I didn't think they'd be mature enough to handle all the attention, but now I know they are. They're not overconfident. We talk about them more than they talk about themselves."

You can read the full story from the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

Here's the rest of the news:

* College Football News talks to the Big Ten's best linebackers -- Iowa's Abdul Hodge, Iowa's Chad Greenway, and Penn State's Paul Poslusnzy.

* The Centre Daily Times reports from Chicago that, as Abdul Hodge says, the Big Ten has the best group of linebackers of any conference in America. Take that, SEC.