Around the Interwebs: Penn State Football Links for 4/2/2009

• Mike 2 at Zombie Nation isn't happy with Todd McShay. McShay recently wrote an article arguing Penn State was no longer "Linebacker U". Mike doesn't try to rebut him though. Why? Because he has already been over this - twice! [Zombie Nation]
• JoePa isn't happy. What could be bothering him in March? How about the Rose Bow loss to USC, even though it was more than three months ago. [PennLive via The Patriot-News]
  

Nearly three months after USC handled Penn State 38-24 in the Rose Bowl, linebacker Sean Lee and quarterback Darryl Clark believe Paterno is not yet over the defeat. Not that surprising, right?

"[Quarterbacks coach] Jay [Paterno] told me that Joe was really upset about that game,'' Clark said today in State College.

"He thought that we gave them the game. ... That game is still bothering Joe.''


• Ravens Insider interviewed NFL draft prospect and former Penn State OG Rich Ohrnberger. [Ravens Insider]

Ravens Insider: How important has Joe Paterno's guidance been for you?

Ohrnberger: "I stopped by to say hi to him when I was back in town. The soundest advice I got was to do what you've been doing here. You're an athlete. You wouldn't have started at a program like this if you didn't have the right stuff. When we were leaving the bowl game, Joe addressed the seniors and said stuff like, 'When you leave town for the NFL, you're always a part of this family.' Joe and I parted as great friends. I consider him one of my many mentors that I've met along the way."


• The secondary may be the teams biggest concern during spring drills. The coaching staff, and fans for that matter, are confident that there is enough talent at WR, OL, and DL to replace the departed players. Finding the right CBs and safeties may be different. However some may argue that the secondary was the teams Achilles heal in 2008 and change could be a good thing. Joe Paterno knows the defensive backfield is a high priority. [PennLive via The Patriot-News]

"We gotta get a secondary,'' Paterno said. "We gotta get a secondary that can stand on its own two feet.''

Corner A.J. Wallace and safety Drew Astorino, last year's nickel back, will likely be two of the starters, but PSU still needs another corner and a safety.


• Eric Thomas sheds some light on how the first few days of spring practice went and reports that 10 Penn State players are being held out of spring drills as a precaution as they recover from injuries. He also believes that Colin Wagner leads in the race to replace kicker Kevin Kelly, Kevin Newsome already is the backup QB, and that Daryll Clark is demonstrating even more confidence and leadership. [Read Between the Lions]
• Stud LB Sean Lee is back at practice nearly a year after tearing his ACL. The coaching staff will keep him away from contact and he'll be limited throughout the spring. It's not like he needs to prove himself anyway. Saying he is excited to be back in action and ready for the next season is an understatement. [Tim Hyland]
• The Collegian has been ramping up their coverage of spring drills in anticipation for the Blue-White Game on April 25. In their various articles they report a healthy Joe Paterno is back to his usual self, that Sean Lee is pleased to be back (duh!), Larry Johnson has nothing but praise for the new d-line (good sign), and that, unfortunately, the starting o-line has not been determined. [The Daily Collegian, The Daily Collegian, The Daily Collegian, and The Daily Collegian]
• Daryll Clark has gone on record to say that none of the receivers have distanced themselves yet. Though this may seem like a slap, it really isn't. Clark believes that everyone is on the same level and is competing at a high level. He did reserve some additional praise for Brett Brackett, however. [Blog, Sweat, and Tears]
• Jeff McLane has a preliminary offensive depth chart out. His starting WRs are Brett Brackett, Graham Zug, and Derek Moye with Chaz Powell, James McDonald, and A.J. Price behind them. He is predicting DeOn'Tae Pannell a redshirt freshamn - to win the LT job with Johnnie Troutman and Lou Eliades as the starting guards. Redshirt freshman Matt Stankiewitch is in the hunt too. [Lion Eyes]
• Jeff Rice says that seniors Daryll Clark and Sean Lee are taking the reins as true leaders on and off the field. This surprises no one. [Centre Daily Times]
• Frank Bodani says that Penn State has - finally - started tilling southern California for recruits. It's about time! [York Daily Record]
• Mike from ZN is back with a look at how Penn State has had success while maintaining some honor on and off the field. One of the players profiled is Wally Triplett, who was featured in my article on the origins of "We Are Penn State". [Zombie Nation]
  

Wally Triplett - Running Back - 1946-1948

For the football history buffs, this name really rings a bell. Wallace "Wally" Triplett broke color barriers in college and pro football, becoming the first black player to be selected in the NFL draft. Yet more dramatically, Triplett's college career was marked by two defining moments for him, and the sport. In 1946, the players voted to cancel a visit to play the Miami Hurricanes, after Miami required that Penn State leave behind its black players. Then in 1948, Triplett, along with teammate Donnie Hoggard, became the first black players to play in the Cotton Bowl, a 13-13 tie with SMU. It was said that SMU wanted a meeting with Penn State before the game, to protest Triplett's and Hoggard's participation. Accounts from that day show that team captain Steve Suhey responded, "We are Penn State. There will be no meetings," ushering in one of college football's most famous cheers.

• Ed Thompson profiled WR/KR Derrick Williams for Colt Power. This comes just a week after Stampede Blue did the same thing. Maybe Indianapolis is definitely interested in the former Penn State star? [Colt Power]
  

With all of those events in the rear-view mirror, the talented receiver is taking everything one day at a time, preparing for workouts, visits or whatever else he needs to do to secure his roster spot with an NFL team at the end of April.

"You never know how this thing is going to work out," he said. "All you can do is sit down and pray about it and continue to work, because the big thing is it's not about the Combine, it's not about your Pro Day, it's about what you do in that first minicamp and carrying that over into preseason. And then it's about trying to help your team during that first year the best you can."

• Tim King checks in with a nice list of "10 Great Days in Penn State History". The history stretches from January 1966 through January 2006. It's a nice short yet interesting read. [Bleacher Report]

I'll have my own take on the McShay/Linebacker U argument later.