Try telling this guy Penn State isn't Linebacker U...
If there is one thing that really ticks us off here, it's when someone claims another college football program has taken over the "Linebacker U" nickname from Penn State. When that happens, rest assured, because that person is an idiot.I know this to be true for one reason--Dennis Dodd thinks Ohio State is the new Linebacker U, and Dennis Dodd is, now beyond reasonable doubt, an idiot.
Three times since 2002, Ohio State has played for the national championship, winning one. Best of all in this Buckeye company town: It has eviscerated Michigan lately, stuffed the remains in a 55-gallon drum and hidden what's left out in the woods. Along the way, it arguably has lapped Penn State as Linebacker U. in the last decade, produced a Heisman winner while fervently following the precepts of a bookish man who believes that the punt may be the game's best weapon.Let's be clear on this. Ohio State could not have even arguably lapped Penn State as Linebacker U. That is because there is no argument to be had. I'll make this short and sweet. No matter how hard Dennis Dodd, or anyone else, tries to change college football history and culture, Penn State will always be Linebacker U. This is not like Miami as Quarterback U, or USC as Tailback U, as those programs have only a modest working relationship with those monikers. No, the Linebacker U nickname to the Penn State culture is on the level of Bear Bryant to Alabama, the "Blackshirts" to Nebraska, or the "Script Ohio" to the Buckeyes--it's ours. Dodd can say otherwise all he wants. But nothing will change it: Penn State is Linebacker U, end of story.
Jay Paterno takes us back to a time when Coca-Cola was served in Beaver Stadium.
"In the early 1970s I sat in the open end zone bleachers. After the 1978 expansion I sat in SK -- the “Kids’ Section,” where kids sat at the price of (I hope you’re sitting down for this) $4 a game. The price jumped to $6 a game. Adjusting for the rate of inflation, that 1978 ticket would cost just over $20 today.As always, JayPa gives us a good read.
I sat in the end zone all the way until the 1983 season, when I started working in the press box for Sports Information.
Working at the stadium was something a lot of my friends did. Whether it was selling Cokes (Coca-Cola was the official PSU drink then) or programs, parking cars or scalping tickets, there were a lot of jobs that State College kids worked on game days."
Jared Odrick signed a deal this week with the Miami Dolphins. And it's quite nice at that. From CFT:
"Jared Odrick's deal has $7.133 million guaranteed and max package of $13 million over 5 years, according to league source."This kid deserves everything he gets, because he's sure earned it. Congrats, Jared!
The Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon is next week, with all the hoo-ha that comes with it. Time to get excited, folks, cause FOOTBALL is just around the corner. Adam Rittenberg gives us the rundown for next week:
"I've been told that division alignment and scheduling are the top two priorities and should be resolved before Sept. 1. The Big Ten will present data and proposals to the athletic directors, who expect to reach a consensus, like they have on other major topics in the past. Although divisions and a championship game are very likely, nothing is guaranteed. Don't expect any resolution on a championship game next week, although the league certainly has no shortage of options. The Big Ten could go with a rotation or a permanent site, as Roy Kramer advocates. Venues like Detroit's Ford Field, Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, Chicago's Soldier Field, Cleveland Browns Stadium and Green Bay's Lambeau Field all have expressed interest in hosting the event."And so much more! Can't wait.
Ex-Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli has enrolled at Ole Miss, proving that the SEC will take anyone if it means the chance to win even one more game. But if you're looking for the dramatic side of this story, worry not, because SI.com's got you covered.
You probably recall my little rant on Ron Musselman's July 22 recruiting article, in which he deliberately drove the storyline to infer that Joe Paterno is dooming Penn State recruiting, forever and ever. Well, I'm back talking about Ron again, but this time it's not going to be a rant, or a fisking, or anything else.
But first, a little background on today's PPG circus. On Tuesday, Ron Musselman went on 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh talking about, as one FOS($) poster described it, "how much of a down year this will be and that Joe will get his 400 wins and then go. He cited that the offense will be terrible and that Newsome might have the ability but lacks experience and leadership skills. He said Paul Jones is the best athlete and called Matt McGloin starting a joke. He also predicted a '...smackdown by Nick Saban and Alabama'"
Now, I'll buy the idea that Penn State could have a down season this year--if by "down" you mean nine wins--or that Alabama might be able to beat the Nittany Lions by more than a touchdown or two. But for Ron to trash Penn State like it was his cheating ex-girlfriend seems to be a bit over the top here.
There is no way I could possibly sit here and counter every negative thing Ron writes or says about Penn State. There simply aren't enough hours in the day for that. So, seeing how the internet is probably the single best STFU tool every invented, let's take a quick look at Ron's analytical track record on Penn State football, shall we?
I said good day, sir!
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Ohio State has been a lot of things, but Linebacker U doesn't even makes sense. Other than AJ Hawk, these are OSU's Linebackers to be drafted the past 10 years:
ReplyDeleteJames Laurinaitis
Bobby Carpenter
Anthony Schlegel
Cie Grant
Matt Wilhelm
Courtland Bullard
Bunch of studs right there.
I am so sick of people trying to claim "Linebacker U" for their schools. That name means more to most PSU fans than people will ever understand. I don't care if we don't have a LB drafted for the next 20 years (which will not happen), we'll always be Linebacker U. No team will ever be as focused on the position of LB as we are. Every year, we can always count on having a stellar linebacking corps. Even last year, some of us were complaining before the season about Hull not being as good as some of the talent we have. He is most likely going to have a great pro career. How many teams can say that their walk-ons are NFL caliber at the LB position? None. Point proven. Linebacker U is Penn State. Penn State is Linebacker U.
ReplyDeleteDo we even need to list the number of Penn Staters CURRENTLY playing Linebacker in the NFL?
ReplyDeletePoz
ReplyDeleteMaybin
Scott
Connor
Wake
Shaw
Hull
Lee
Bowman
I am sure I am missing someone...
I'd say "Tailback U" is as set in stone with USC as "Linebacker U" is with PSU. Let's not sell the Trojans short on their rich running back heritage.
ReplyDeleteAnd Dennis Dodd is a fucking toolbag and a half. He and Gregg Doyel need to drive off a cliff together "Thelma and Louise" style.
Dodd has a way of getting under seemingly anyone's skin. Did you also notice this line from his column?
ReplyDelete"Somewhere along the line, though, Ohio State got this bad rap. It started with a newspaper story four years ago proclaiming the recruiting death of the Big Ten. The idea germinated and flowered when the Buckeyes became postseason pushovers."
SOMEWHERE? You mean, like right from YOUR OWN FINGERTIPS, Dennis? I can't even fathom how numb one must be to fall into such deep denial, that everything Dodd has written from the last four years about how bad the Big Ten sucks could just magically disappear from his memory.
This is the reason why so many fans read blogs. At least we are honest about our biases.
Dodd portrayed the "Big Ten sucks" idea as if it were a grassroots movement by the college football community as a whole. What he--like most other six-figure mainstream media types--does here is editorialize on a story that he himself was responsible for creating. It wasn't the fans, or the teams, or anyone else. The mainstream media picked up on the "Big Ten sucks" storyline, realized it was great TV and intertainment (like that? combo of internet & entertainment) and ran with it.
ReplyDeleteI actually like Doyel. He's a douche, but at least he's a) consistent, b) occasionally funny, and c) very accessible, especially via twitter. And I got him to promise to lay off on Paterno.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember the OSU - PSU game in 2006 (not sure of which one), but Pozluzny was the middle linebacker and Ohio State had their "fabulous" trio of AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter & the other guy (haha). I seem to recall Brent babyface Musberger couldn't shut up about how great these three guys were. It was getting annoying. The halftime stats literally shut him up. Poz had more tackles at halftime then Ohio State's threesome. I'll never forget that. Ohio State Linebacker U? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteThere is a linebacker named Herman Fartzenpants that has not been mentioned yet. Linebacker U made the nuts out of the sandwich and ruled the roost until the rest fell.
ReplyDeleteYou see, if you guys read the commenting policy right above the comment box, I would be able to reply back to each comment. BUT, since you're both listed as "anonymous," I can't do that.
ReplyDeleteBut you're right about Musberger. It was in 2005, and he wouldn't shut up about Hawk & Co. Turned out, Poz & Co. showed them who was boss that night!
Kronk is the Herman Fartzenpants. I sure said said he did say.
ReplyDeleteSorry for that first "anonymous". I had not made any comments at this site prior to that one, but I will say this. If you don't want any anonymous comments, then don't have that as a selection where it says "comment as". My commentaries are always, (at least I think so) truthful, interesting and not derogatory, and if I can't comment anonymously, then I won't comment at all.
ReplyDeleteHey Bart, we didn't mean it that way. You comment was perfectly fine. We are very happy that you made your first comment here.
ReplyDeleteGoogle owns Blogger, which is the platform on which we run this blog. Their commenting system is a bit annoying (you are correct). If we were to completely remove the "anonymous" option from the commenting form, the "Name/URL" option would also be removed with it. Google/Blogger doesn't allow "Name/URL" without also having anonymous comments, too. And if we did get rid of both, that would mean everyone who wanted to make a comment would be required to register with one of those services listed (AIM, OpenID, Google, etc.) which is unfair to those who don't want to register. We may end up changing the options back to require registration of some sort like the ones below, but it would be pretty annoying to readers.
This sucks very much, and we hope Google/Blogger changes their ways on that.
Please accept our apology.
Apology accepted. I do enjoy reading the stuff written here and consider myself a bit of a writer myself. I've written a few novels in my time as well as a couple of things as "WeArePennState" over at Black Shoe Diaries.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'll keep coming, and when I see something that ignites a fire within, I'll add my commentary, anonymously, of course.
Someone else claiming the title of Linebacker U just frosted my...... well you get the idea.