Dispensing Thoughts and Opinions: PSU-Illinois
FTB’s Rapid Reaction/Stream of Consciousness Following Penn State’s Snow-Covered Stomping of Illinois
- Champions Week Champions, baby! Print the shirts!
- I’ll gladly die alone on my “Jahan Dotson needs to stay” hill if necessary, dang it. What’s the rush? Why leave an advantageous situation (returning QB, returning OC) to become a 3rd or 4th Round NFL Draft pick and find yourself locked in a terrible (comparatively) less-than-a-million-dollars-a-year contract for 4 seasons? Oh, but what if he gets hurt? You know what…what if Chris Godwin (heaven forbid) gets hurt tomorrow? Godwin (who was better than Dotson at the same stage of college) left early to be a 3rd Round draft pick and has emerged as a Top 10-15 NFL receiver. Guess how much money he’s made? $3.2 million. Guess how much of that contract was guaranteed? $792,164. If Dotson builds off what he did in 2020, I don’t think it’s inconceivable No. 5 sneaks in the end of the 1st Round. For the sake of argument, let’s say he’s got an opportunity to be the final pick of the 1st Round. In 2020, that draft slot paid $10.9 million — $8 million guaranteed.
- Speaking of the NFL, of the Penn State players who are definitely leaving, Antonio Shelton helped his future financial/football prospects more than anyone. Throughout this four-game renaissance (and really all season) Shelton has been Penn State’s best defensive player. Earlier in the season, Brent Pry subbed Shelton out on obvious 3rd and Long passing situations…but that ended quick as Shelton’s proven to be a menace regardless of down and distance.
- Permit us one negative bullet point (where we cram in a whole bunch of stuff): The tackling, especially linebacker tackling, continues to be an issue. Wild Dogs remain Mild Dogs when it comes to pass rush. Couple dudes in orange helmets went completely uncovered on passing plays that competent quarterbacks convert. As much as Twitter loves Keyvone Lee, I’m not there yet…maybe Saquon-Miles-Journey spoiled my RB palate. And, dear lord, someone please kill the time management albatross in the off-season!
- Next time James Franklin touts analytics as an answer to why he prefers guys to fair catch kickoffs, please flood his Inbox/DMs with clips of Lamont Wade’s 100-yard kickoff return. In fact, I’d argue the time to ignore analytics isn’t against JV squads like Illinois, Sparty, Rutgers and Harbaugh. No, ignore analytics and return kicks vs. ELITE teams – Ohio State, Wisconsin, NY6 bowl opponents – when outlier results (big returns) might be the difference between winning and losing.
- Does anyone else get super uncomfortable when the team associated with the guy doing an in-game interview gets trampled? Happens a bunch on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball when they interview a non-starting pitcher during the 5th Inning or something…and it happened today when “All-Access”, I-Met-My-Wife-In-A-Casino Bret Bielema rambled on and on about having chicken pox fresh out of the womb (WTF?) while Penn State was eating up yards like marbles in Hungry Hungry Hippos.
- Did Spinal Tap turn the on-field mic up to 11 this game, or did Penn State’s Game Ops crew take a last-day-of-school mentality and ignore the Big Ten’s 70-decibel rule? Because it seemed a lot louder today than other home games. Cheers and boos also seem better timed, too.
- Either Illinois freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams has an abnormally large forehead, or the equipment guy needs to find a helmet that fits better.
- Those cardboard cutouts got to be gross as hell by now. I ordered one for my nephew – a cardboard cutout of his stuffed animal goat – before the season. After they took my $85, I got a follow-up email saying I could come to Happy Valley and pick up the goat whenever COVID numbers dipped (HA!). Originally, it sounded like a great excuse to head back east and booze. Now, I suspect the sloppy, wet, dirty goat will just disintegrate as soon as I touch it. So, no thanks. Toss that goat and this season in the trash, please.
- I don’t care how awesome your touchdown was, Brenton. It’s impossible to look tough/cool with the entire one-yard-line wedged in your facemask.
