The Lions' Pride

"Stuck in the Stone Ages", "Not Changing With the Times", "Head Coach That Doesn't Recruit on the Road", "Sleeping Giant"................."Sex Scandal". These are just some of the phrases that have been associated with Penn State football over the last few years. There is no doubt that this once proud university has fallen on some hard times.

In any "Changing of the Guard", there will be some growing pains. Many schools go through these changes on a revolving basis. Fortunately for Penn State fans accross the country, this is the first time we have seen shake-up from top to bottom since before the Rip Engle era.

With any successful re-build, the current staff needs time to build its own program. Fortunately, Bill O'Brien has held on to many of the traditions that make Penn State so special(character, honor, academics, etc), but the changes we have seen so far are very different from that of the previous regime.

I want to take a look at my favorite NFL team, the Washington Redskins, to help draw a parallel to what I am seeing at Penn State.

For those who do not follow the NFL, the Washington Redskins have been in a decade plus long drought. The lack of a franchise quarterback can be partially to blame, but a change in ownership, multiple head coaches, and a plethora of offensive schemes is the main culprit. The Redskins are entering year 3 of the Mike Shanahan era. We have finally found a quarterback, have a system in place that works, and now have the players to run that system. We have a front office that are all on the same page, and a general manager who actually knows what he is doing, yet going into year three, the expectations are still tempered. In the NFL it is almost impossible to completely overhaul a team in two years. Old philosophies need to be broken down, and torn apart, and new ideals always take time to implement. In reality, 2013 may be the year the Redskins actually see vast improvement, and begin to realize their true potential under Mike and Kyle Shanahan.

The overhaul at Penn State was even more drastic than what happened in D.C. It was a much needed change, just as was such in our nations Capital, but the events that marred this university, coupled with the passing of a legend, will certainly forever change the landscape of the place I once called home.

O'Brien has set out to change the way football is played at Penn State. The changes started amongst members of the coaching staff, and reach well into the depths of the programs itself. One of the most noticable changes has come in the hiring of strength coach Craig Fitzgerald. Fitz immediately brought the strength program out of the stone ages, and has implemented his innovative approach to training, that has seen immediate results, and positive feedback from the players. Going forward, this will be a key cog in the re-building process.

Another area of immediate concern is the new offense that O'Brien plans to install at Penn State. This "game plan" attack will feature aspects of the west coast offense combined with spread formations designed to create mismatched for opposing defenses. The most interesting part for me is how O'Brien plans to use the tight end in his attack. The role of the tight end has become more prominent in the NFL today. We have seen the emmergence of a hybrid TE(the Y TE), who is faster than linebackers and safeties, and too physical for slot corners. O'Brien is a step ahead of many college programs with his philosophies on this new breed of offense, and it should pay great dividends in the future.

The final piece of the puzzle(and it is a big one), is recruiting. It takes time to get the athletes to run a new system. Little was expected in 2012, when O'Brien and staff had literally weeks to compile their class. They did not target the types of playes they wanted, instead having to settle on the pieces that were already in place from the efforts put forth by the previous staff. Still, Penn State managed to come away with a respectable class that contains some solid pieces to build around. The 2013 class is off to a great start, and we have already seen this new approach by O'Brien and his staff pay off. Not only have we landed some of the key players in our state, but we have infiltrated fruitful states, that were not currently in our recruting pipeline, and have already made serious headway in securing committments, or at least being in consideration for prospects from these regions. One of the most promising signs is our new found presence in New Jersey, which was once a goldmine for Penn State, but has since become tougher to recruit. Our success in New Jersey this year could become key to the 2013 class.

The signs are all pointing in the right direction, but the destination remains a ways away. I expect to see a competitive team on the field in 2012, but just how competitive will they be?

How long do you think it will take to turn this sleeping giant into a perennial contender?