Penn State Season Preview--Quarterback
I just read the last blog I posted (right after the Illinois game--a wholly unspectacular 26-14 win sealed by an Anthony Scirotto return of an onside kick for a TD). Wow, I was pretty unhappy. An Outback Bowl win over an SEC team makes things a little better, but still, 2006 was a disappointment.
A lot of pundits are really high on the Nits this year coming out of nowhere to contend for the Big Ten title. With a favorable home schedule (OSU, Wisky, Iowa, ND), and a cupcake non-conference slate (FIU, Buffalo, Temple), I can see where they get their optimisim.
I, for one, am now a proud sipper of the Kool Aid. I think this year could be a special one for the Nits, if some key elements come together. I'm going to spend the next couple of days breaking down the team, position by position (except where boring...like the O line...no one cares what I think about the center, right guard, etc). At the end, I will give some season-defining questions to start some thoughts.
Quarterback: It is now or never for senior Anthony Morelli. An uninspiring season last year has a lot of folks wondering if he has the ability to lead Penn State to a BCS bowl game. A lot has been made of his 11 TD/8 INT performance last year. ESPN analyst Robert Smith seems to think that Morelli's lack of accuracy (sub 60% completion rate) will be a major hamstring to the Lions' offense. Maybe. Or, maybe he has a breakout season a la Kerry Collins in 1994. I don't think THAT will happen, but I do think he will be better than he was last year. He'll have to be, since he doesn't have a proven horse in the backfield.
Morelli has a major league arm and good size. What he lacks is mobility (I think gravity must pull harder on him than others) and a quick release. Last year he seemed to hold the ball too long at times. It also seemed he stared down his receiver and never found his secondary or tertiary target. Hopefully Galen Hall and Jay Paterno have worked on this.
As for targets, Morelli has as much receiving talent around him as there is in the conference. Derrick Williams is looking to erase the memory of a bad 2006 and has come into summer practice about 10 pounds lighter than last year. Justin Norwood, Deion Butler, and Terrell Golden all return and provide experience. The wildcard of that group is sophomore Chris Bell. The tallest receiver in the bunch, Bell had an outstanding Spring game, and should provide a huge target inside the red zone. Andrew Quarless should also cement himself as the premier TE in the conference.
Others in the Mix: Darryl Clark, Pat Devlin, Paul Cianciolo.
Bottom line: If Morelli can effectively distribute the ball, and if Hall somehow decides to develop a passing attack that works the middle of the field, the offense could be hard to stop if there is even an adequate running game. If Morelli continues to show the deer-in-the-headlights mentality he showed at times last year, then Joe Paterno better hope his defense is ready to win games.
Next up: Running Backs
For the Glory
A lot of pundits are really high on the Nits this year coming out of nowhere to contend for the Big Ten title. With a favorable home schedule (OSU, Wisky, Iowa, ND), and a cupcake non-conference slate (FIU, Buffalo, Temple), I can see where they get their optimisim.
I, for one, am now a proud sipper of the Kool Aid. I think this year could be a special one for the Nits, if some key elements come together. I'm going to spend the next couple of days breaking down the team, position by position (except where boring...like the O line...no one cares what I think about the center, right guard, etc). At the end, I will give some season-defining questions to start some thoughts.
Quarterback: It is now or never for senior Anthony Morelli. An uninspiring season last year has a lot of folks wondering if he has the ability to lead Penn State to a BCS bowl game. A lot has been made of his 11 TD/8 INT performance last year. ESPN analyst Robert Smith seems to think that Morelli's lack of accuracy (sub 60% completion rate) will be a major hamstring to the Lions' offense. Maybe. Or, maybe he has a breakout season a la Kerry Collins in 1994. I don't think THAT will happen, but I do think he will be better than he was last year. He'll have to be, since he doesn't have a proven horse in the backfield.
Morelli has a major league arm and good size. What he lacks is mobility (I think gravity must pull harder on him than others) and a quick release. Last year he seemed to hold the ball too long at times. It also seemed he stared down his receiver and never found his secondary or tertiary target. Hopefully Galen Hall and Jay Paterno have worked on this.
As for targets, Morelli has as much receiving talent around him as there is in the conference. Derrick Williams is looking to erase the memory of a bad 2006 and has come into summer practice about 10 pounds lighter than last year. Justin Norwood, Deion Butler, and Terrell Golden all return and provide experience. The wildcard of that group is sophomore Chris Bell. The tallest receiver in the bunch, Bell had an outstanding Spring game, and should provide a huge target inside the red zone. Andrew Quarless should also cement himself as the premier TE in the conference.
Others in the Mix: Darryl Clark, Pat Devlin, Paul Cianciolo.
Bottom line: If Morelli can effectively distribute the ball, and if Hall somehow decides to develop a passing attack that works the middle of the field, the offense could be hard to stop if there is even an adequate running game. If Morelli continues to show the deer-in-the-headlights mentality he showed at times last year, then Joe Paterno better hope his defense is ready to win games.
Next up: Running Backs
For the Glory
posted by HappyValley at 11:50 AM
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