My take on the Morelli issue

I don't really want to talk specifics of the game (such as, why didn't we throw like we did today in the first half when we were playing Michigan?), because let's face it, Penn State didn't deserve a W. Not with 5 turnovers and critical red-zone mistakes. But if I may, I'll weigh in on the Morelli issue...

First of all, I'm not gonna even talk about the possibility of him being benched, because if you think JoePa's benching Morelli, you're dreaming. Anthony Morelli will start on Saturday against Iowa. However, I admit that I agree with my colleagues that it might behoove Paterno to take the route that, so far, has worked well for Frank Beamer and Steve Spurrier. Both have switched their starting QBs in favor of younger players, and it seems to have worked well in their favor. I know Smelley has only started this once for the Gamecocks, but we'll see how he does down the road.

The difference between JoePa and Beamer/Spurrier is that the latter coaches made the switch before their conference (ACC for VT) or division (SEC East for South Carolina) titles were out of reach. I like the idea of starting a new QB to gain momentum for a 2008 campaign, especially because certainly our MNC and probably our Big Ten hopes are gone. But if you think Devlin's starting, you're raving mad. If anyone is replacing Morelli this year, it's Darryl Clark, and I think that's the right decision. Why? Well, in a year that the O-line is struggling (doesn't that seem like every year?), we need a mobile QB who can respond when the line collapses and make a good play with his legs. That's why Michael Robinson was so successful in the 2005 campaign. The O-line was probably just as bad as it's been for the last five years, but Mills and Morelli aren't mobile QBs. (At least, they never played Mills as one.) As far as I know, Devlin can't do that and wouldn't be a good fit right now. As the O-line matures, it may become a better match. Just not right now.

But as much as I've written about it, it's not worth wasting our time debating. Morelli is going to be our starter through the rest of this season and in our appearance in the Alamo Bowl, and Joe is perfectly okay with that.