Posted by Rich DeLeo
on 11/24/2003, 11:43 am
Board Administrator
It's finally over. The 2003 football season at Penn State will be remembered for one thing, forgetting it! Many of you Nittany Lion faithful have endured a very trying season, settling for just 3 wins, while putting up with many off field problems. Yet another player was arrested this past weekend for assault. How much can this program endure? Thankfully this latest edition of "COPS" won't have the football program in the spotlight, sort of. I think that if Joe Paterno continues to coach this team, and he will, he had better lay the law down to his players before they ever put on the pads for 2004. I don't want to hear anymore that these are just kids, and they will get into trouble, they are old enough to realize right from wrong, and they should be held accountable for their actions on and off the field, and in the classroom. They should be made to understand that in no uncertain terms, if they are arrested for anything, they automatically will be suspended for the rest of the season, and would be in danger of losing their scholarship, no matter what the outcome of their trial, if there was a trial. I don't care what people say, what happens off the field does make its way onto the field, because it causes a distraction for the coaches and the other players to deal with. The 3-9 record this year will go down in history as the worst by a Paterno coached team. OK! It happens! Just move on and start looking forward to 2004. As for the coach, many of you would like to hear him say that he is going to hang it up, but you aren't going to hear that. Nor is the president of the university going to fire Joe. And neither will the athletic director. Joe Paterno has earned the right to go out and retire on his terms, and he should be afforded that opportunity. If he were to leave now, it would look like this season got the best of him. And it might have to a certain degree. But he will be back, and should have the chance to go out a winner. Next years team has a strong nucleus returning, but he will have a problem in his backfield. Does Zach Mills deserve another shot at QB, or do you change? What about Austin Scott? This kid has the potential to turn into a great back, and he showed flashes of that at times this season, but was not given enough of an opportunity to really show what he could do! The play calling left a lot to be desired. A more diverse offense could be an answer. They've got to find a consistant place kicker. You get where I'm going with this. Every now and then, a season like this one has cropped up, and there will be more. But look at it this way, things can only get better from here!
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