WayOfTheRoad

November 12th, 2023 at 3:46 PM ^

It means little but Vrabel was asked a couple years back and he didn't just say he had no interest but kinda went out of his way to state how he has zero interest in ever coaching college football. That said, I do think he's done with The Titans and will be looking for a job.

I previously joked about OSU just going back to Urban and all of this sign BS being a dark, Machiavellian plot by Urban to get his old job back but I was never serious. That said, he'd take it back if offered and the fanbase absolutely wants him back. The majority anyway.

I should add that if another result like the last two goes down in Ann Arbor two weeks from now Day's out, IMO. As crazy as that sounds, he won't survive 3 straight blowouts vs Michigan. He just won't, IMO. Everyone knows the rest of the conference is trash so they won't let his record against teams not named Michigan influence them. At best he'll be retained while being forced to clean house from top to bottom but I think they'd sooner fire him.

Back to Vrabel, he would be a terrifyingly good hire if he was happy doing it. He fits that "smart meathead" type that would crush at a school like OSU. They'd pull back from the fancy WRs a bit and get actually tough again. The trenches would get filled with demons, the defense would get nasty, etc. I think I'd prefer Urban to a willing Vrabel. 

Joined: 06/26/2017

MGoPoints: 7609

Buy Bushwood

November 12th, 2023 at 2:53 PM ^

It would depend.  Is the team underperforming for its talent?   It’s an offense with a Soph QB, a shit OL and shit receivers and TE’s.  Whose fault it is that the OL and receivers are shit and that there isn’t a ready upperclassman QB are really internal questions that have to do with development, recruiting.  Seems the common denominator is Frames, and believe me, if Frames could fire himself, he probably wood.  He’s just that unpredictable.  

Joined: 10/24/2020

MGoPoints: 21653

1VaBlue1

November 12th, 2023 at 2:37 PM ^

We blamed Speed in Space on Gattis, and that seemed fair.  Yeah, the decisions to go for 2, when to punt, trick plays, etc are on Frames.  But the state of the offense in general is on the OC.  Besides, it's either the OC or the HC - as the HC, what would you do?

He had to do something - the comparisons with Iowa are real.

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127087

J. Redux

November 12th, 2023 at 4:00 PM ^

James Franklin has been at PSU for nearly a decade. Their OL has been a sieve for his entire career. His offensive players appear to regress, or they go elsewhere and improve.

He’s the common denominator.

Remember, even in their championship season, they lost to Michigan by nearly 40 points. This is just who he is — a recruiter and motivational speaker.

Joined: 10/15/2020

MGoPoints: 21487

ituralde

November 12th, 2023 at 10:40 PM ^

I think there is a lot to the idea that Penn State runs last decade's offense.  This should be no surprise to modern football people, especially ones who are on teams that run modern defenses.

Match zone concepts have taken football by storm on all levels. It allows teams to play what performs a lot like man coverage but without having to chase from disadvantage - the zone side of the concepts allow the guy in the best position to take each offensive player without being vulnerable to crossing or rub routes, or giving up the soft holes in traditional zone coverage. 

One of the keys to taking that advantage away is to fight the ability for teams to make their reads and assign coverage matches.  You do this through pre snap motion - your no. 2 becomes a no.1 perhaps, or your RB in motion sets up to be the outside reciever at the snap.  It makes the defense show a bit of their hand, and when executed well, forces the defense to adjust their coverage read at the snap of the ball.  They may have to reallocate guys and re-shift, which can give one of your guys an advantage do to the adjustment they would not have otherwise. 

It's a simple thing that can really fuck with a modern defense, and Penn State just doesn't do it. They basically only use motion to set up screen looks or bring players in to block, or to tighten a formation.  They don't use motion to help defeat coverage and it puts every pass catcher they have an extra step behind the defense.

It's increasingly inexcusable to play offense this way because you need to change so little in order to give your pass catchers such a big edge.  You literally don't need to change your plays at all; you just adjust your presnap behavior and run the same route concepts.  The reads are the same, but the QB has more info and the defense has a tougher read on their end. 

So yeah, probably a good firing on the whole but quite possibly not made for the right reasons.  Broken clocks are right twice a day and all that.

Joined: 11/14/2009

MGoPoints: 532

MGolem

November 12th, 2023 at 2:12 PM ^

This is a bitch move by Franklin. His record sucks against good teams. With or without Yurcich. Keep telling yourself everyone else is the problem…

Joined: 10/14/2010

MGoPoints: 13592

Buy Bushwood

November 12th, 2023 at 2:12 PM ^

LOL Frames the excuse machine.  You fire your OC after scorning the most points of the season against the nation’s best defense.   How about getting an OL and recruiting some receivers?

Joined: 10/24/2020

MGoPoints: 21653

EGD

November 12th, 2023 at 7:23 PM ^

Harbaugh went for that 4th down because he was already up 17 and wanted to win by 90. Plus he only needed like 1 yard. It wasn’t a great decision in the “how do I maximize my chances of winning this game” context but he wasn’t seriously concerned about winning that game.

Going for 4th & 6 at your own 30, down 17-9 with 4+ minutes left, when your offense can’t do anything but your defense is playing outstanding, is a totally different deal. 

I will say, though I thought it was a bad call then and still think so, there is one argument I can see for going in that situation. Penn State was having some success moving the ball against Michigan on the ground, but pretty much none through the air. So had Franklin punted, Michigan probably runs 2-3 minutes off the clock and Penn State gets the ball back with time for a two-minute drill. Franklin couldn’t have had any confidence in how that might go. So maybe he figured his best chance was to go for the 4th & 6 so that he could continue to run a balanced offense, rather than have to throw and just get murdered. 

Joined: 09/16/2009

MGoPoints: 35199

Johnny Blood

November 12th, 2023 at 2:19 PM ^

I really don't know how Frames is able to recruit so well at this point in his career... I mean, he is simply not a very good coach and Happy Valley is not exactly a cool place to be.  What am I missing here?

Joined: 12/22/2010

MGoPoints: 4719

treetown

November 12th, 2023 at 2:30 PM ^

Without any personal knowledge, my best guess, is that Franklin is a great salesman. He really can close out the deal with parents. He is only average as a trainer, coach and X's and O's and in game decision making he is subpar. 

Harbaugh is very good trainer, coach and an excellent X's and O's guy and even without this recent game has show he is good in game coach. Harbaugh is not the glad handing back slapping always joking chummy sort of guy and he can't fake it. 

Joined: 11/10/2010

MGoPoints: 6339

Buy Bushwood

November 12th, 2023 at 3:01 PM ^

Harbaugh knows the X’s & O’s matter, but he knows that the iron will to win matters more.  I just wonder what the Harbaugh era would have looked like had we never allowed Don Brown to recruit any DT’s.  A dreadful poverty of DT’s marred Harbaugh years 4-6, as much as mediocre QB play did.  

Joined: 10/24/2020

MGoPoints: 21653