Looking Back at Joe Paterno

Andrew Tie

Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno passed away Sunday from lung cancer. Though many will remember him for his long tenure as coach and the winningest football coach in NCAA FBS, others will remember him for his ignominious firing in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation allegations. While I will discuss his role in the Sandusky case, I am here to say that we should all judge Paterno on his entire body of work. The good he did greatly outweighs the bad, though the bad is horrendous.

In 1965, Paterno began his coaching career as an assistant at Penn State. After 15 years on the staff, he was promoted to head coach. No one could have predicted what would ensue. In the next 44 years as head coach, he set records for the most years as head coach at one school and most wins (409). He also was a 2-time national champion and won myriad coaching awards. But JoePa, as many called him, was more than just a coach. By all accounts, he was a great man on and off the field. He was a father figure to all his players over the many decades that he was there, his players graduated, he donated lots of money back to PSU and he always showed class and humility.

But JoePa was more than just a football figure in Happy Valley, Pa. He was an icon that children looked up to in their football-crazed state for over six decades. The statue erected of him in front of Beaver Stadium tangibly cemented his legacy at Penn State, though it had been built up over many years. In the argument of best all-time football coaches, JoePa is easily top three, but I personally think he would be the best ever. We were all privileged to watch this man coach until he was 85 years old. Though I was never able to see some great coaches like John Wooden, Bear Bryant or Dean Smith, I can at least say I was able to watch Joe Paterno. Most people look to retirement around the age of 60, but Paterno continued to have that fire within him to keep coaching, an extremely admirable trait. Over the last few years, he had suffered from various injuries and health problems. There was a point when he was coaching in the box, rather than on the sideline, because he couldn't stand that long. At that point, you had to wonder how long he could keep coaching, but he just kept on going.

Now, regarding the Sandusky case, Paterno found out about the molestation allegations and did nothing. He didn't report it to the police as he should have. To allow for such monstrosities to continue is baffling, and you have to wonder what was going through his mind - was he willing to do anything to win? I like to think it was just a serious misjudgment on his part because his history does not lead me to believe that he would allow for child molestation to continue. As a father of five and a father figure to thousands of PSU football players, I wonder what he was thinking about those children that Sandusky abused.

But while this marked extremely low point in Paterno's life, I can't help but feel that the media and others calling for his head contributed to his death. It might sound silly, but his lung cancer was exacerbated by his occupational issues. By that, I mean he had been head coach for over 60 years, and when he was forced out, he may have lost his direction and purpose in life. While obviously he was old and had lung cancer, I just do not think it was appropriate for media members to say "the lung cancer is just him trying to deflect the attention away from the Sandusky case and seek empathy." While yes, maybe it did serve that purpose partially, why would anyone be lying about lung cancer? I just feel that some people lost their sense about JoePa and are remembering him for the wrong reasons. A great man and a great coach, the Sandusky case only showed that we're all human, and we all make mistakes. Let's hope the truth comes out and justice served with Sandusky, but for Paterno, may he rest in peace.

Who Was Right?

Walker Minot

The thing about blogging is that any mistake you make can and probably will be preserved forever in cyberspace. Luckily, anytime you are awesomely right about something, it is likewise maintained. Such is the case with my Super Bowl pick.

At the start of the playoffs I had a clear idea of who was going to make the Super Bowl from the NFC. The Giants had just soundly beaten the Cowboys and I recognized the Giants team from 2008 that went on an amazing run that culminated with them beating the best team I have ever seen (2008 Tom Brady-Randy Moss Patriots, led by Darth Vader himself). After watching that game I was confident that the Giants would be there. All the other teams in the NFC, though great, had flaws. The Saints and the Packers had no defense, and the 49ers had Alex Smith at quarterback and inexperience to deal with. The Giants are very balanced, Eli Manning is an experienced QB having a career year, their defensive line is healthy and formidable, their running backs are solid, and their receivers are fantastic. No other NFC team had that kind of balance.

The Patriots I was less sure of. I picked them for two reasons. The first was that I was less unsure about them than any other team in the AFC, and the second was that I really wanted to see a rematch of the awesome 2008 Super Bowl that featured The Catch.

My pick for the game remains the same as it was at the beginning of all this. The Giants are more balanced and peaking at the right time. The Patriots are very good, but their defense, particularly their secondary, will have to step up in a big way if they have any hope of toppling New York (their defense has been playing much better but I watched last weekend and wasn't too convinced in its excellence). I think Tom Brady is going to be Tom Brady, Belichick will be Belichick, but the Giants are more than one man and his Sith Master.

P.S. I really hate both of these teams, but there's some consolation in being right:)

P.P.S. I've been knocking on wood the whole time while writing this so as not to jinx my prediction for the game by being a smarmy little loser.

The Tiger's Name is Prince

Walker Minot

The Detroit Tigers announced today that they have agreed to terms with free agent first basemen Prince Fielder. The deal is reported to be nine years and worth $214 million.

This deal solidifies the Tigers' control over the AL Central. They are definitely the best team in the division and should compete for the World Series next year with the kind of lineup they have, plus the amazing pitching of Justin Verlander. Although star catcher Victor Martinez appears to be out for the year with a torn ACL, Fielder should be enough to compensate with some more on top. Last year the Tigers were fourth in the AL in runs scored, third in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging percentage. It figures that Fielder will bolster all those categories, save perhaps batting average. Miguel Cabrera (I thought he was the AL MVP last year) and Fielder might be the best 3-4 hitters in baseball next year, and a few more to come.

In the short term this deal is a major boon for the Tigers and the city of Detroit. It replaces the lost Martinez and brings a big star to the city. In the long term however it may hurt them. Fielder is a huge dude who may have health problems and experience a decline in productivity. He's a decent fielder, not great and strikes out a fair amount. If it doesn't work out, a huge chunk of their payroll will be dedicated to someone who is not up to snuff. Long term contracts like this one carry with them a lot of risk.

A deal I compare this to is Alfonso Soriano's (I'm a huge Cubs fan by the way). As it is today, the Cubs find themselves burned by what was the largest deal in franchise history. Soriano's production is way down from his peak, it has been that way for several years, and will continue to be that way for the next three years, meanwhile by 2014 the Cubs will have paid him $136 million over eight years. I do believe however that the Fielder deal is much better for these reasons:

1) Fielder draws walks. Walks are very valuable and tend to stay the same despite age. Soriano has one of the worst batting eyes in the world and rarely draws a walk that isn't intentional.

2) As a teammate, Fielder is highly regarded and will enliven a Detroit clubhouse that has the tools to win a championship. His personality will also excite Tiger fans, who will respond with a whole lotta love for the Prince.

3) Soriano was 31 when the Cubs signed him, as a power hitter and speedster, you don't get better past age 31. In contrast, Fielder, at 27 years old, is four years younger than Soriano was at the time of his signing and is entering the peak of his career. Even if Fielder's production does slow down significantly like Soriano's has, the Tigers will at least have enjoyed several years of peak production from one of the best power hitters in the game and will be able to cut ties with him at age 36, as opposed to the Cubs, who are stuck with Soriano until he is 39.

Time will dictate whether or not this deal was a good one, but my sense (barring terrible injury to Prince) is that it will pay off. The Tigers already had a contending team, and the addition of Prince could push them over the edge.

The Battle at Gillette

Max Miceli   

   Today at 3 o'clock Gillette will be the home of the AFC championship game. This year the Ravens hope to make it to the Super Bowl for their first time since they own the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the beginning of the last decade. 

   The Ravens will have to be on their game if they want to beat the Patriots high powered offense on the road. If the Ravens want to win, Ray Rice has to show up. last week Rice touched the ball 25 times with 4 of those touches being receptions. This only got Rice 80 all purpose yards on the day. Numbers like those won't be good enough for the Ravens to win today. Baltimore needs to give Rice the ball about ten times more and Rice needs to do a lot more with the all when he gets it. 

   This probably won't be too difficult for the Raven offense considering the Patriots defense is nothing close to as good as the Texan D they faced last week. 

   Look for Ray to get a lot of touches to help open the passing attack for Joe Flacco against a very weak New England secondary. 

   For the Pats offensively, they will do what they always do. They will hand the ball to Tom Brady and say "go get 'em". 

   Tom will definitely get 'em.

   While earlier in the season, a lot of attention was given to Drew Brees for breaking Dan Marino's passing record for yards in a season, many people missed the Brady surpassed the mark as well with 5,235 yards. 

   Almost half of those yards went to either Wes Welker or Rob Gronkowski, and you shouldn't expect anything less from the Patriots this game. The Pats will put up points. it's going to be up the Ravens to keep up with them, and make key defensive stops when it matters. 

   If the Ravens D can at the very least somewhat contain Welker and Gronk, they have a chance. The key to keeping the receivers in check however is going to be taking shots at their QB. If Baltimore can put pressure on the Ugg wearing model marrying pretty boy quarterback of the Patriots, they can and hopefully will win. 

   I know the Ravens aren't very good on the road, but I picked them to make it all the way at the beginning of the playoffs. (and I'm not backing down now!)

   I think it's a very tight game, but I see the Ravens going to Indy to play in the Super Bowl (*cough cough* against the 49ers *cough cough*). 

RAVENS       31

PATRIOTS    28

Giants at 49ers Preview

Walker Minot

A fun Sunday is on the way. Two playoff games to decide who plays Super Bowl XLVI (personally I'm most looking forward to Super Bowl L, or even Super Bowl C).

The NFC Championship game features two teams few expected to see. The New York Giants went 9-7 during the year, but they have gotten hot at the right time, brushing aside the Atlanta Falcons and taking down the 15-1 Green Bay Packers last week. The San Francisco 49ers went 6-10 last year, but under new coach Jim Harbaugh rode a dominating defense, great running by Frank Gore, and solid QBing by Alex Smith to a 13-3 record and victory over the New Orleans Saints.

I picked the Giants to win the Super Bowl this year upon the start of the playoffs, a pick of which I am increasingly proud. I saw them play against the Cowboys in the final week of the season and was immediately reminded of the 2008 Giants team that got hot at the right time and shocked everybody by beating the New England Patriots for the championship. I picked them this year because I saw the same look in their eyes and believed them to be the most balanced team in the NFL. All other great teams this year had glaring weaknesses. The Patriots, Saints, and Packers all had very bad defenses (although the Pats D has really stepped it up), the 49ers had Alex Smith as their quarterback, the Ravens had Joe Flacco as their quarterback. I picked the Giants because they had a fantastic defensive line: Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul. At QB they have the experienced Eli Manning, who is having a career year. At running back they have Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who are solid with over 1,000 yards this year between them. Jacobs is excellent at punishing tired defenses at the end of games. And at receiver they have record breaker Victor Cruz (fantastic!) and UNC alum Hakeem Nicks. There are no weaknesses on the team. Balance wins championships.

The 49ers I did not pick to be here. I underestimated them. Alex Smith came through in the clutch last week in a big way and here they are. I am holding to the Giants in this game, but I do see a path to victory for the 49ers. Their defense is fantastic. They could easily shut down the Giants running game, but the key will be stopping the pass as well, no team has done that to the Giants in awhile. If the 49ers can stop both the run and the pass, then Alex Smith will have to go to work. Frank Gore will have a reliably good game, but they need Smith to step up, and they need the offensive line to hold off the ferocious pass rush of the Giants, who will be gunning for Smith, trying to make him uncomfortable from the get go.

I'm predicting a close, but solid victory for the Giants. The Giants will not turn it over 200 times in this game like the Saints did last week. I do however see a path to victory for the 49ers if their defense holds them, forces turnovers, and Alex Smith gets it done. But I'm betting on the more experienced and balanced Giants to make it to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years.

Giants: 24

49ers: 14

Steelers @ Broncos Preview

Max Miceli

   Today at 4:30 at Invesco field the Steelers will be looking for a playoff win against Tim Tebow's Broncos, and if there were any situation in which Denver would have a chance against Pittsburg, that situation would be this one. 

   The Steelers have had poor offensive showings the last few weeks due to a injures, and today it looks like they won't play any better. Big Ben is still recovering from a bad ankle and starting running back Rashard Mendenhall is out. 

   The key in this game for the Steelers will be scoring points. Everyone knows that Steelers defense should be able to lock down the underwhelming Denver offense, but they obviously still need to score to win. If they can put up a sold 17 points, I their defense will do the rest. The question is "can they do it?" They don't have their starting running back, their quarterback is hurt, Denver doesn't have a bad defense themselves, and the Broncos are at home. 

   That makes this game tough to predict. We have to see if the busted up Steelers offense can produce. If they can, they will win. If not, Tebow and McGahee could pull this one out. 

   In the end, I don't think the Broncos have what it takes to be a legitimate playoff team, and I believe they go out in this round. 

Steelers      17

Broncos     10

Lions at Saints Preview

Walker Minot

This game figures to be an airshow. The Saints have the best passing offense in the NFL and the Lions have the fourth best passing offense. Neither team has shut down corners or fleet footed safeties. Drew Brees will light it up, with Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson close behind.

The Lions are a franchise on the rebound after long years in the cellar. They went 10-6 this year, with nearly all their losses against winning teams (the Bears, with Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, were the only non-winning team to beat them). Matt Stafford is a talented young quarterback with a great arm enjoying a fantastic season of over 5,000 yards, 41 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 97.2. His top target is also the best receiver in the league, Calvin Johnson.

The Saints have enjoyed a long period of success, including a Super Bowl, under quarterback Drew Brees. For all the ridiculously awesome statistical years Brees has had in his career, this one is his best. He set the NFL record for passing yards in a single season, as well as personal bests in completion percentage, touchdowns, and passer rating. Brees doesn't have a remarkable wideout like Johnson, but he has trusted hands Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, and Darren Sproles to throw to. The Saints' offense is also more balanced than it has been in previous years, with solid running backs Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas gaining over 1,000 yards in tandem. The Saints have won eight games in a row and are playing as well as anyone has this season.

I have to go with the Saints in this one. Their defense is lackluster, but their offense is so good and very balanced. They have so many different ways they can put up points, and no one has managed to stop Brees this year, despite everyone knowing how good he was. These two teams met once during the year and the Saints pretty well crushed the Lions, 31-17. I think the score will be closer this time but the victory will remain in New Orleans. The Saints will focus their entire secondary on Calvin Johnson, and manage to contain him enough for Brees and Co. to do their work.

Saints: 37

Lions: 31