Lots of talk at pressers today about the need to restore this - both from Krafty and Coach Smith
This is no accident. THEY KNOW.
Better times ahead…
This is no accident. THEY KNOW.
Better times ahead…
Toughness
- Thread starter MacNit
- Start date
Whoever takes this job needs to bring in a lot of players who have the toughness and mental fortitude of the sons of W PA mill workers and NE PA mine workers and the NJ Italian kids who used to populate the PSU rosters when Paterno coached. This program simply doesn’t have enough of those types of kids who took no prisoners and didn’t make a big show about it; kids like Shane Conlan, Paul P., Dan Conner, Sean Lee. It’s obvious that in general, this program neither is physically nor mentally tough enough right now.
I get it, but a lot of those people died out or moved out. It’s a different population now. Mines and mills have been closed for generations at this point. Those NJ Italian kids don’t play football anymore, they’re playing lacrosse or Xbox! The mafia died out in their bloodlines generation to go.
I understand that. I meant that they need to bring in kids who have that hard nosed mentality, regardless from where they are.
That attitude needs to begin with the head coach. Many of you laugh at PITT, they might have lower rated kids but many of them have that "junkyard dog" mentality and several have developed into solid pros.
Franklin’s first class had these gritty, 3-star Vandy kids: McSorley, Grant Haley, Marcus Allen, Oruwariye, Cabinda.
We need a guy like Jack Sawyer. Homegrown, physical kid with a ton of pride. I still can’t forget how singularly pissed he was when Michigan was clowning around on the field after the win last year. He was pretty much ready to take on the whole team.
the kid bottled that up and was a wrecking ball throughout the playoffs.
the kid bottled that up and was a wrecking ball throughout the playoffs.
I don't think the poster expects them all to come out of those PA & NJ regions. He's describing an attitude. There are players around the country who fit that description though they may not be high 4-stars. Give me some 3-star big body DTs with attitude instead of 4-stars who are lacking in weight for a DT when they show up @ PSU.
And then it became primarily about the star rating and athletes who take several years to put on weight.
So, we want to forgo players like Carter, Parsons, Barkley, and Godwin to get more kids that are a step slow and less athletic, but gritty. Got it. Then some will turn around and criticize the coaches for getting “only 3 stars” when Oregon and Ohio State torches their a**es. I can’t anymore. The constant complaining and flip flopping on what people want is mind boggling.
If you have a hard nosed mentality, but can’t catch the guy you’re trying to tackle or run away from the guy trying to tackle you, then it isn’t going to work out very well, is it? Then the same handful of people will complain about it and ask why we recruited those kids who don’t belong on a B1G roster. Take Dom DeLuca for example. Gritty, hard nosed kid, but shouldn’t be starting on a B1G roster. He’s a great story and a role player, but a liability on defense.
Yes. Good point. But if you have a full roster of those kids you get 6-8 wins per year max when playing in a major conference.
No disrespect to any of those kids, but what did we win with them?
We need talent and toughness.
Terry Smith is a great example.
Good grief. Are you a troll or do you just try to be difficult and crotchety? Jack Ham isn’t suiting up anymore. Things have changed….a lot. You’ll be the first to complain after a loss, but you want the next coach to recruit lesser talent. Good luck.
I like Terry Smith, but by your logic, they didn’t win anything when he was there, therefore they should recruit differently.
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I now understand why you entered the insurance business. You lack even a semblance of critical logic.
There is a reality every team has to deal with in the current era. This is semi-pro ball now. Money talks.
It's hard to convince a kid who has never had money in his pocket to stick around home home when someone else offers him more NIL money. If you want them to play, you got to pay and that's just the way it is now. Working Class, White-collar, suburbs, inner city. It doesn't matter anymore. Show me the money or go away.
It's hard to convince a kid who has never had money in his pocket to stick around home home when someone else offers him more NIL money. If you want them to play, you got to pay and that's just the way it is now. Working Class, White-collar, suburbs, inner city. It doesn't matter anymore. Show me the money or go away.
Maybe it’s your comprehension skills? Or lack thereof. Bless your heart.
P.S. I’m not in the insurance business. If that was meant to be an insult, it was a weak attempt.
You know what I mean. There are kids out there who are lower rated and bring attitude and work ethic. You have to have some of those on your team. Can't simply look at the star rating.
Again, we're not talking about a team filled with lesser rated kids but you have to take some flyers on a few each year.
Isn't it interesting that Cignetti's IU team is not loaded with highly rated players. Coaching and scheme can make a huge difference. They aren't OSU but they are better than last year.
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I know. I wasn’t specifically responding to you but the ridiculous thought by a few that you would rather have lower rated kids than kids like Carter, Barkley, Parsons, etc.
Well lets be fair here a team has how many players now 100? you cant have all them be divas looking out for themselves which most 5 stars are.. sure nice to have maybe 10-15% of them on roster.. but we know you also need the leaders as mentioned by the OP. I doubt he was implying you need 100 of those kids ONLY but you need a good number of them 30% at least to lead and focus the team despite the talent ranges of 2- 5 stars amongst them all
Who said recruit less talent? I said exactly the opposite. Talk about being difficult.
I was simply making an observation from the presser. Those guys had their thumb on things. Now we’ll see if they can do something about it with a new hire.
Terry Smith won a number of big games at Penn State. More than 1/11+ years.
I get the sentiment, but there’s a reason why teams like Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama and a few others are always at the top. It isn’t just the coaching. Their rosters are loaded with high talent.
I'd take 11 Delucas on defense.
Then again, I'm not the typical modern day Internet poster who blindly craps on all white players
Again, no one is saying a roster filled with those kids but there are kids out there (lower rated) who bring an attitude and work ethic that is infectious and they are willing to play special teams or play spot reps to contribute
It isn’t a race thing, but if that’s what you think, good luck. If you watch the UCLA film and want 11 of that, then I’ve got nothing to say.