ERNO RETIRE?
He can still bring it
By PETER STRELLA
Editor in Chief
Let's put this in perspective. You dedicate almost 40 years of your life to an
institution, single-handedly transforming it from a small-time venture into a
national force. You have been one of the most successful people to ever do what
you do. Then, you have a couple bad years and everyone wants you to leave.
Joe Paterno deserves better than this. You would figure that after 338 wins,
people would have some patience. Do we really want to see Patent() leave after
such a bad stretch? You wouldn't think so. But Penn State fans have been
spoiled by winning season after winning season. At the first sign that the pro
gram is in a slump, they cry for impeachment. It says a lot that, in 40 years, this
is the worst it has ever been. I don't think giving Paterno a couple more seasons
is too much to ask.
When people say the game has passed Paterno by, I wonder if they have any
clue what they are talking about. I'll be the first to say I've seen some bad
coaching decisions this year, most notably in the game against Minnesota. But
that isn't the only reason the team is so bad. We've all heard about how many
players the Lions lost in the draft this year. I'd like to see any other team bounce
back after losing Larry Johnson, Anthony Adams, Jimmy Kennedy, and Bryant
Johnson in the same year. And because of this, the Lions are a young team. This
weekend, former Penn State linebacker Jack Ham said it takes a player about a
year to get used to the speed of college football. When half of your line-up con
sists of first-year starters, the results are not going to come as quickly as you'd
like them to.
Some of the things are beyond Paterno's control. Many times this season, a
good play has been called, but the receiver drops a perfect pass. You can't blame
Patemo grouches as his team gets crushed by the Miami Hurricanes in 2001
JoePa when Tony Johnson, a sure-handed receiver
last year, starts dropping passes all of a sudden. As
a coach, you can call the plays, but you can't go on
the field and do it yourself.
The main problem is that Penn State's recruiting
has been lackluster over the past several years.
Opposing coaches are hitting Paterno where it
counts: his age. They are telling players that Penn
State is not a good place to go because Paterno
could retire at any time. A lot of good players from
Pennsylvania are getting away from Penn State,
which wasn't the case a couple years ago.
An adjustment needs to be made. It would be in
the team's best interest if Paterno gave a timetable
as to when he's going to retire. From what we've
heard so far, Paterno might be planning to coach for
the next 20 years. Once he gives a timetable, whether it's one year or five years,
recruiters can go to potential players and tell them what to expect. The question
of "when" should be addressed, but the "when" doesn't have to be now.
Since Paterno became the head coach at Penn State in 1966, there have been
728 head coaching changes in Division 1-A, an average of six per school. When
Paterno was offered a million-dollar contract to coach for the New England
Patriots, he stayed at Penn State. Paterno has remained at Penn State when it
may have been in his best interests to do otherwise. I just don't understand why
fans can't stick with him now that the situation has been reversed.
Paterno deserves at least one more year.
Joe Paterno