Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I wasn’t able to attend this year’s Blue White Game. Luckily it was televised by ESPN 2 with Herbstreit, Millen, Musberger and Desmond Howard calling the game, which was pretty sweet for a spring scrimmage. The game was far from promising, with the obvious concerns being 1. Quarterback and 2. Offensive Line.
Kevin Newsome came to Penn State as a highly recruited dual-threat quarterback. In his limited time last year, he looked very raw and displayed an incredibly awkward throwing motion. I was hoping that would be fixed in time for the Blue White game, but it clearly wasn’t. This dude really looks goofy out there. Albright texted me that he’s shocked every time Newsome drops back without falling over his own two feet. His throwing motion is kind of like Michael Robinson’s but far more awkward. And most of his passes were not within 20 feet of any receiver. He showed decent arm strength, but no accuracy whatsoever. He doesn’t seemed poised or comfortable out there at all. He can run with the best of them, but he’s not a quarterback, and he’s not the answer.
McGloin looked much more comfortable and poised running the offense. There is no denying that this 5’11” former walk-on from Scranton lacks the athletic ability that Newsome possesses, but he’s a much safer bet at quarterback. Anyone who has been following Penn State football for a decent amount of time can already tell you what is going to happen. McGloin will be the opening day starter. Newsome will come in occasionally for a series and do a lot of QB running plays. Like Rudy said, it will be similar to the Thompson/Casey duo. The problem is Thompson was better than McGloin and Casey was better than Newsome.
Yes Paul Jones was the most impressive quarterback out there on Saturday. But does anyone honestly believe Joe Paterno would start a true freshman quarterback? There is no chance. If that happens, you will have the definitive answer to the often asked question of how much coaching does Joe actually do these days? If there is a true freshman starting quarterback at Penn State, you will know that Paterno had nothing to do with that decision.
Jones did look very good out there, but don’t get too excited yet. Keep in mind he was not facing any blitzing, and he’s still only 18 years old. Don’t expect too much from him early on. I think they will find ways to give him some snaps early, and his playing time could increase by the end of the season, especially if Penn State loses a few games. But anyone thinking that he will start from day one needs to get that out of their head.
Once again the offensive line looked very shaky. Penn State really struggles with preparing new starters on the offensive line. The line doesn’t become good until the seniors have about 2 games left. Then they graduate and the line stinks again. This team will be strong on defense once again. Even with the quarterback concerns, they could be a very good team if they had a good offensive line. I’m just not so sure they will. They have all the other pieces of the puzzle. Loaded with talent at the skills positions. Very deep at running back. Some very promising wide receivers. And a strong defense. But they won’t be able to run the ball if the offensive line struggles. We know they won’t be a very good passing team, so a strong running game is crucial. If the line can develop by the start of the season, that will open up a lot of options for the offense. Royster can have a big year, Newsome can run the ball some, and the play action pass would be far more effective. All the Lions would need from McGloin would be to have him be a Trent Dilfer type quarterback that doesn’t turn the ball over and manages the game well. So, along with QB, offensive line is going to be a big determining factor of the success of the team this year.
Gerald Hodges just looks like a beast out there in his uniform.
Curtis Dukes looks really good as well. Great size. Showed good speed and vision. I think he will be good.
I will be interested to see who steps up at the tight end position this season.
Where was D’anton Lynn? Did he play?
