01-05-2006, 04:57 PM
Mithrandir,Jan 5 2006, 11:13 AM Wrote:Paterno and Bowden need to just retire already. Especially Paterno. Go out with some grace and what's left of your dignity. It's just embarassing to see that neither Paterno nor Bowden is even allowed to have a headset anymore, much less a play sheet. You're not calling plays. You're not making decisions on the field. You're a glorified cheerleader and a recruiting tool... it's just sad to see once great coaches reduced to such lows and being apparently completely oblivious about it. (The greatness of Bowden is vastly overestimated however - it's easy to get 359 wins when you were the one team in the mid-90s ACC that wasn't just absolutely horrible *and* you played a soft nonconference schedule to boot. Meh.)
Although part of me agrees that JoePa and Bowden aren't really calling the shots anymore, I think you overstated just how diminished their role is. UPenn was criticized all last season for still playing a "JoePa offense". It's too old school, it will never get the job done in the "new" college football arena. And UPenn looked like a 'classic' JoePa team - I use parentheses because I don't know what a stereotypical UPenn offense was earlier than the 90's, since I've only watched UPenn over the last 12 or so years.
But all in all I agree with you mithy, JoePa isn't really a head coach anymore. He's at best a placeholder for an old school type of UPenn ball.
As for Bowden, I won't even try to defend the ACC in the mid-90's.
Mithrandir,Jan 5 2006, 11:13 AM Wrote:I must say that I am quite surprised that Texas managed to pull off the victory. Vince Young is absolutely phenomenal and after that performance I would be stunned if he stayed for his senior year (despite what he has said in the past). I just hope my Lions can trade up high enough to get a shot at picking him up.
From what I've been hearing from ESPN it doesn't look likely that Young will go to the NFL Draft. Personally, I think Young is incredible and would like to see him in the NFL. But the word on rumor street is that undergrad's need to sign the petition for inclusion in the Draft by Jan 15th, and Young hasn't moved on it yet. Young doesn't want to go unless he'll be Top 5, and that doesn't seem likely right now. Despite his incredible talent, Young isn't an "NFL Quaterback" the same way Lienart is, and Young would go second for QB's, which would put him out of the top 5.
Personally, I think that logic is a bit loopy, since Young is incredible and has the potential to surpass the Michael Vick standard of play. There is a niche for Young's style in the NFL. But it doesn't look like enough teams are keen to bite yet.
Cheers,
Munk