Media Savvy
Dilemma on Mount Nittany
By Paul Alexander

Happy Valley. The name conjures images of college football greatness; wonderful autumn days with crisp air and burnt orange leaves.

Joe Paterno. The one football coach you simply could not give two weeks to prepare. He was just that good. Through the 1994 season, Paterno's teams either finished undefeated or played for a national championship every four years. That played pretty well on the recruiting trail.

Joe Must Go. Despite doing more for his school than perhaps any other individual in history, four losing seasons in the last five prompted the predictable pronouncement: Joe Must Go.

The mutiny was muffled by a couple late season wins and some legitimate recruiting scores. The stay of execution, however, has a very short period of incubation. Penn State must win this season - must get back to a bowl game - or the Nittany Nation will demand, at the very least, an exit plan for the legendary head coach.

This year we've honored Arnold Palmer with a lifetime achievement award and recently witnessed Jack Nicklaus play his final round of competitive golf. Why can't Joe let go?

I've heard my share of theories. His wife Sue wants to make sure their son Jay gets the gig when Joe retires. Joe couldn't handle being out of the spotlight. I think it's a lot more simple.

Bear Bryant retired from Alabama in 1983 and was dead six weeks later. Point being, if that is Paterno's fear, why not stay on as long as he can?

Back to the field: Last year's offense may have been the worst to ever play at Beaver Stadium. The 6-4 loss at home to Iowa offers the perfect case in point. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz knew that as long as Penn State had the ball they would never score. So he took a safety toward the end of the game to give the ball back to the Nits. On that day you felt that the only way Penn State would score is if the defense took matters into their own hands.

That said, the presence of freshmen Derrick Williams and Justin King lead some to believe the missing pieces have been found. They are indeed just what the Lions lacked, speedy game breakers, but Paterno is not exactly the most freshman-friendly coach. However, both Williams and King have been available to the press, obliterating one of Joe's long-standing tenants that freshmen can be seen but not heard. DWill and JKing have great potential, but more must be done. That championship caliber defense returns intact for the most part. After seeing what Tom Bradley accomplished last season with little interference, it seems he should be able to work his magic again this year.

The coaching on the other side of the ball is less certain. Galen Hall and Jay Paterno better sync up. Dick Anderson better teach somebody how to block. If even a loose end or two gets tied up, there will be happy back in the valley. Otherwise, not even the life-size Joe cut-outs will be safe.

Paul Alexander has a sports talk show 6-9 pm weekdays on KDKA-AM 1020.