Nov. 13, 2007
Do you think your team needs to beat Michigan State on Saturday for you to consider this a successful season?
I wouldn't put it that way. We're playing a very, very good football team. Michigan State lost to three of the better teams that are in the top 25 -- Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin. They lost by a total of I think 12, 14 points. We're playing a very, very good football team.
It's a senior day for them at home. I think we have to play well. To say that the season is going to be epitomized by one game bothers me a little bit. We could have won a couple of other games earlier in the year and for one reason or another we didn't.
So I think we have to go out and play well. It's a young team in the sense of how much eligibility they have. I've argued with people talking about they're young. I don't mean they're young in the sense of how much they have played, but there are a lot of kids coming back, and a lot of guys that are really starting to play better at the end of the year, and I think we ought to just go in and play, and hopefully we can win it, but it's not going to be easy. It's going to be a tough football game.
It's been a little more than a year since you injured your knee. How is the knee and have you decided whether you want to coach past your current contract?
You guys ask me questions I haven't thought about. My knee is fine. If you asked me how my head was, maybe you had a legitimate question. No, I'm fine. Physically I'm fine. What I'm going to do I've got to think about Michigan State.
You guys got to think I'm sitting home figuring out, "well, now let's see, where is my crutch and give me a little something to lean on" I've got to worry about Michigan State, make sure we get the right people in the right place, doing the right thing, which isn't as easy sometimes as you guys may think.
What's the status of Evan Royster? Is he going to be able to play this week and is his ankle okay?
He didn't do anything yesterday, but we didn't go much yesterday, either. I think he's going to be okay. We'll know better today. It's not as severe as they thought it was on Saturday.
They thought it was a high ankle sprain, and they were worried about it, and the game was pretty well under control. I think he's going to be okay. We're going to push him today to get him to practice some.
You've had people hurt on your defense and even before the appendicitis for Tony Davis he had the shoulder and the neck problems. In retrospect, has his lingering health problems been a major problem for the defense?
I think we've lost a couple of really good football players. (Jared) Odrick inside is going to be a superior player, and was on his way to being a dominant player, and (Jerome) Hayes was probably our best outside rusher. We lost both those kids, and that outstanding freshman kid, (Devon) Still, who looked like he was going to be able to play right away.
Davis is banged up, and so on and so forth, but I think the defensive coaches have done a good job. I think Larry Johnson has done a great job with the kids up front and bringing other kids along. (Abe) Koroma was hurt for a while, which set him back some. Everybody has bumps and bruises these days.
I'm concerned about how much can we practice this week. We've played 11 games, and we looked a little tired against Temple, to be honest with you. I think we've got to be careful we don't try to do too much, because Michigan State is probably -- has as much talent as anybody we're going to play. They're really a good football team.
You were talking about practices. With the 12 straight weeks of games have you had to alter practice frequencies and length this year, and how have the players handled it?
We have, not just this week, but we've practiced less this year than anytime probably we've had. There are a couple of reasons for that: A lot of the kids are young, and I worry about them, whether they can handle that and the academic part of it, so we have not that's always been in the back of my head when I put a practice schedule together, "how much time do we want to put on the field?"
Whether we've handled it right, I don't know. But I think it's a problem, it really is. Twelve straight games when you've got if you've got an older, experienced team where you don't have as many repetitions on the field as you would with a younger team, it's not quite the problem. But it's something we've had to be concerned about, and hopefully we have addressed it in a way that we're ready to play a good football game this Saturday, the last one, 12 straight weeks.
How much has Brent Carter had a chance to practice at running back this year, and would you feel comfortable if you needed to bring him in, in an emergency situation?
We put him on defense because we didn't want to waste him. He's a red shirt freshman, and at the time, it looked like he would be a fourth stringer on offense, and I thought, "let's get him over there where he can play," because he's a good football player.
He practiced the last two weeks at tailback when I got a little bit worried with our depth over there. And I got to the point where I didn't want to use a freshman kid we have a freshman, Stephfon Green, who at one time we thought we might play, and when he didn't play early, I didn't want to waste him. We moved Carter over, and I think he's going to be a good running back, but he's got an opportunity to be a good strong safety or free safety.
He hasn't practiced as much as we would like. It's a long preamble to a simple question. I think Carter could go in there and be all right now. He's had a couple of weeks of practice.
You weren't necessarily happy with the way your defense started the game against Temple. What do you do as a coach to make sure that doesn't happen Saturday, especially considering how good Michigan State can be on offense?
I think they know they didn't play as well, and I look at it in the sense of whether we had kids that were tired or what have you. We didn't come off some blocks and didn't do some things, and then when you look at it a second time around sometimes you look at a tape and you think, "why didn't we do that, blah, blah, blah," and then if you look at it the second time, you digest it and get a different perspective on how you played.
I think we may have been tired. We did shut them out. I think you've got to give Temple credit; they had a good scheme, and we would not have shut them out if they would have caught the ball a little better. In fairness, they didn't catch the ball well.
I know where you're coming from, and I encourage them. I don't go in there and say, "you guys, rah, rah, rah" I don't do that much anymore. The defensive coaches have to do that stuff, too, as do the offensive coaches. When the offensive line had a couple of bad games, I didn't go in there and yell at them or anything else. We just figured out a way to get them better, and I think we've gotten better.
I think it's just like teaching. You got a kid that's having trouble figuring out 2 plus 2 is 4, and you figure out how to make 'em understand why 2 and 2 are 4. It's as simple as that.
Anthony Morelli is nearing the end of his career at Penn State. Could you reflect on your relationship with Anthony? To us, sometimes it appears in public that you coddle him, and maybe that goes to the question of privately whether you're tough on your quarterbacks?
I've always been tough on the quarterbacks. They're the guys that....if I'm not tough on them, then they might be too thin skinned when the fans get tough on them. I can say, how come you guys have been so tough on him? All right? I have a good relationship with Anthony Morelli. I try to encourage him and correct him when I think he's some things he doesn't do well. I think I don't know how to it always sounds so self supporting, but, you know, they're like they're like my kids. All right?
And sometimes I kick my kids in the rear end, and sometimes I stroke them, and sometimes I put them to bed, and the whole bit, all right? And Anthony is they're not pro players, Anthony has had a tough time at Penn State, and mostly because of the media. He's not had a tough time with me. Jay (Paterno) has done a great job with him, and Jay and he are great friends, and Jay is always....I think nobody has given Anthony Morelli the credit he deserves.
He's had two years where he's had over 2,000 yards in a row. Nobody has even mentioned that. He's been a really good quarterback. Now, he's made some mistakes, but he's made mistakes against some of the better teams in the country, and some of that was forced on him, because we were behind and did some things.
So I don't have any...I don't think I have a problem with Anthony. I like him. I think he's been great. He shows up every day ready to go to work at practice and the whole bit. Every once in a while, you know, I get angry with him for doing this or doing that, but I did that with my own kids. I kicked them in the rear end when I thought they needed a kick, and I stroked them when I thought they needed stroked. I have a good relationship with Morelli. I just wish everybody in the country and the media would appreciate just how good of a quarterback he's been.
Sean Lee said he will be coming back for his senior year. You've had several players that might have gone to the NFL after their junior year and could have been pretty high draft choices. What does it say about your program that so many guys want to go back and complete the college experience?
I don't know. You guys would have to make a comment on that. I didn't know Sean was thinking about leaving. He and I haven't even talked. I got a kick out of it last year when they said Dan Connor was leaving. I never talked to Dan Connor about leaving. I figured that was up to him. I think they have to make a decision as to whether the college experience they're having at Penn State and their commitment to and their loyalty to the program is significant and enough that they come back, because it's important to them.
But I think everybody has to make that decision. I had Mike Munchak, who had graduated. He had another year of football. He came in and sat down with me, and he said he was thinking about leaving, and I said, "Let me check." I called a couple of pro scouts, and they said he would be the first lineman drafted. Right there in front of him I got on the phone with the guy and I said, "Hey, Mike, go, go!"
(LaVar) Arrington wanted to go early, and I said, "You're nuts. Your fundamentals are lousy. You're going to get killed in that league. You start jumping over people, and you're not going to have any kids." I've said that a thousand ...(Todd) Blackledge. I had lunch with Todd's dad, who was the offensive line coach with the Steelers. He had graduated, and it was time to go. You're not dealing with -- Ki Jana Carter had another year; I told him to go.
If Sean comes to me and asks me, I will sit down and talk to people. But I have not talked to him, never talked to at least not one on one, with Connor. I may have teased him on the field a little bit, but I think he did the right thing. He was right to come back. All right? But they're true four year guys. You like to see a kid get a four year college experience.
Blackledge had it, graduated; Carter had it, graduated; and Arrington did not have the four years, and I tried to discourage him, but he said, "Hey, Coach, it's going to cost me $20 million." I said, "Go!" It's a tough world for these kids, and I'm not the guy to give them advice.
It looks like a New Year's Day bowl game for your team isn't a certainty even if you win this weekend. Are you hearing anything about the post-season?
I have not even thought about a bowl game. All I'm worried about is Michigan State, and don't get me in any of "this, that, hee, haw." You guys play your own game; I'm not going to be part of it.
Michigan State has been a very tough place for your teams to play since you joined the Big Ten. What about Spartan Stadium makes it difficult for you there?
I think all the Big Ten stadiums are tough to play in. Michigan State has a great tradition. Somebody asked me one time which was the best team we ever played against, and I thought about it, and I thought we could put three or four in that category. Syracuse in '59, Michigan State in '64/'65 was probably as good as you're going to...Bubba Smith. They had three or four first round draft picks. They give us a good licking, and I mean a good licking.
The coach, Duffy Daugherty, if he hadn't been from Pennsylvania, he probably could have scored 100 points on us that day. They have had a really great tradition, and they have had some great coaches.
And one of the guys I respect as much as anybody, George Perles, who was the head coach at Michigan State when we got into the Big Ten...Nick Saban was there...They're tough to play because they have good athletes. They have great fan support, and they have good coaching. So I think that combination makes it tough any way you play it. The Big Ten has got enthusiastic crowds; they're big time crowds.
Rodney Kinlaw went over 1,000 yards on Saturday. I was wondering how big of an accomplishment that is in your mind considering how tough a road he had over the first four years and that he was not going to start at the beginning of the season?
I think it's a tribute to him, and I should not say maybe, but after Galen Hall, who was head coach at Florida people don't realize the first time Florida won the Southeastern Conference Championship, Hall was the head coach, and Emmitt Smith was his tailback.
I think he stayed with us, he stayed with it, and he's worked hard. I think I said after the game on Saturday at the press conference that the thing that's good about that is he didn't quit on himself. He came to practice every day trying to get better. He was coachable, even up to the time he started his fifth year, which some kids aren't, and I think it's a tribute to him.
And as I said, Galen had the patience and encouraged him and the whole bit. It's always good to see a kid at the end of his career do as well as Rodney is doing.
Can you comment on the season Anthony Scirrotto has had?
I think Anthony is one of the best kids in the league, in the Big Ten. As far as other kids in the country, I don't see all of them, but he's one of them. I think he's handled the off season, with a black cloud hanging over his head, and he's been able to come to practice, do his schoolwork and be a leader on the field. I think he's had a great year.
What are your thoughts on the season Jeremy Boone has had?
I think you have to give Larry Johnson some credit. Jeremy Boone was a walk on. We wouldn't have thought...we recruited another kicker. Right now he's obviously a really good college kicker. Consistent.
You have said that you don't pay attention to what the media writes or says. What gives you the impression that the media has been tough on Anthony Morelli, as you said earlier?
All I know is nobody is pushing him or anything like that. My impression is what I get from some people around every once in a while they say, "You need to give Anthony a pat on the back. The media crucified him last week." Simple as that.
Before the season began you brought in two offensive linemen from junior college programs. How well did they do this season adjusting to the system, and what are the issues that junior college transfers have to deal with regarding a Big Ten program?
I think it's tough to be an offensive lineman in college as a freshman. I think there are a lot of things going on in there. But I think (Stefen) Wisniewski is playing some who is the other one?
I was asking about the junior college kids.
Oh, oh. I think (Nerraw) McCormack is closer to it than (Ako) Poti. He's a good kid, good student, just a little bit he's got to be a little more aggressive. McCormack is a back up guy to Gerald Cadogan, and Cadogan is playing well right now. It's tough to play behind him. I think they're doing well.
Would a bowl game be good for carrying over into next year, not so much playing guys for next year, but the carryover affect?
I wish I could tell you that I think about these things that way. I don't. I'm looking at those two running backs, I'm looking at the quarterback, I'm looking at the Michigan State tight end, who is one of the better tight ends in the country, the wideout, No. 5, (Devin) Thomas, and I'm looking at how they run on defense, and I'm not saying, well, this is a bowl game this is a ball game! What happens after that, then there is something I've got to think about.
But I don't have the kind of time to say to myself, "well, now, if this and that and this" ... I don't. I really don't. I'm just trying to make sure that we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, simple as that, in order to give us a chance to beat Michigan State. How many times can I say that? I think every game is a game that's a challenge, and what else it means, I make a decision.
If we win, we have another decision. If we lose we have another decision. Hopefully, I don't know what they are. What am I going to do, speculate? That's a luxury I don't have the time for.
How much has Michigan State changed over the past year? They're a more physical team. Are they a lot different than we saw a year ago?
I think they look like they're playing with a little more spirit. Let me put it that way. I think the new coach (Mark Dantonio), who is a very, very impressive guy that I don't know well, but have been with at Big Ten meetings, has got a lot of poise, bright, has a great background both at Cincinnati and when he was at Ohio State and when he was a younger with Jimmy Tressel...maybe a little more organized, maybe a little more consistent, and they're in every ball game. They really are.
They were in the Ohio State game and they caused some turnovers. As I said, they lost to those three teams by a total of 14 points. I could be wrong on that, but I don't think I'm far off. I just think they're a much more resourceful, much more determined football team than maybe they were last year.
Deon Butler had a good freshman season. How has he developed, or what has he added since then?
I think Butler we're not a one receiver offense. We're not a designated one receiver offense. I think Butler has gotten better. He's smarter, and obviously he's made some really good catches and he's a good player. How much different than he was as a freshman, I don't know. That's a long time ago, when he was a freshman. I think he's a good I think our wideouts have gotten better as a group, running routes better, gotten more consistent as a group, and that's helped Anthony Morelli.
Anthony at times didn't look as good as he is because maybe the fact that the timing wasn't quite right, but I think those guys have helped him.
Michigan State has the second best return kickoff game in the Big Ten. Given that Penn State has one of the worst (kickoff coverage), what are the problems that you've seen and what can you do to correct them?
We've got to obviously work on it. It's hard for me to tell you what the problems are. I agree with you Michigan State has one of the better kickoff return teams, as well as punt return, and yesterday we spent the whole day on kicking, on returns and so forth, and we'll spend some more time on it today.
I think you've got to concentrate on things, make sure you have the right people in the game. I'm not sure we had one or two guys that belonged in there, because we were concerned about playing a couple of kids that had more experience because we were afraid they would get tired.
Again, I go back to the 11 game, 12 game attitude. So you make a good point, and we're addressing it. I wouldn't want to get into specifics as to what we're going to do.
I know you said you haven't thought about coaching beyond next year. Physically do you feel like you could? You've often said you feel like you could go three, four more years?
Do I feel like it? Depends on how I feel in the mornings. Some days after we played Ohio State, when I got up that Sunday morning, I felt like going to Hawaii (laughter). No, I really don't give it much thought. I really don't. I hate to be evasive on some things that maybe you guys would like answers to, but I am not ...I've got a game to play this week and that's all I'm thinking about.
I really don't know what I'm going to do. I have no plans to retire right now, next year, two years, I don't know! But I think a time will come when all of the sudden, when I'll say, "Hey, it's time to get out of it." And hopefully I'll be smart enough to recognize that. But right now, I'm only interested in Michigan State.
You have 2,000 yards rushing and have only allowed 20 sacks. Your offensive line was considered a bit of a question mark coming in. Do you feel like they have exceeded people's expectations?
I think Dick Anderson and Bill Kenney have done a real good job with those guys. When you realize we don't start John Shaw, who is a senior on that offensive line, and a senior tight end, I think they've done a really good job, and we've played against some pretty good people. I've been pleased with them.
Every once in a while you get upset if they don't do something, and you're looking for everybody to be perfect, and every once in a while somebody knocks them on their rear end. Mike Lucian missed a block, and he came out of the game, and I chewed him out, and when I looked at the tape, he didn't really have much of a shot at the guy.
I think they've done a good job, they really have, and with pass protection, the minute somebody thinks they can get to your quarterback, they all scheme, and then you have and when we started to run the ball better, then they have to be they don't have quite that variety of schemes that are available to them because they've got to worry about the running game.
We have mixed up the passing game, and I think we've done a good job all year throwing the ball on first down, and we've thrown the ball more than I would like to throw it, but we've been helping them out, throwing the bull 30, 40 percent of the time.
There are a lot of coaches that don't like playing 12 straight games. Do you think that needs to be addressed in the off season, getting an open week, or is that a dead issue?
I don't think it's a dead issue. I think the Big Ten has to re-evaluate the schedules, because of what's going on in the other conferences. Ohio State's big bowl game last year was 56 days after their last game, and they're playing people that played not only after Thanksgiving, but then have a conference championship game and the whole bit.
I think we've got to get them together. I don't like playing 12 games in a row. I think next year there is a chance to have an open date. I haven't looked at the schedule next year, but I think we can start a little earlier, and then Thanksgiving comes a little bit later, and I think there is a chance, I don't know. I think 12 in a row is tough.
And when you play teams like Buffalo -- Buffalo is a good, solid football team. Obviously, they're not a powerhouse. They are still a good team, and you have to be ready mentally, practice hard. I think all of those things make it difficult to play 12 in a row. And I think that we ...I don't know a coach in the league that wants to play 12 games in a row.
I think that's an athletic director's decision based on money more than anything else. We went from 11 games in 12 weeks to 12 games in 12 weeks. That's tough; tough on kids. And I think the presidents have been conned into thinking it doesn't affect their academics; I think it does. You give a kid a couple of days off so he can get caught up on term papers and things like that, and just get away from football for a day or two, and I think that's a big plus to them as well as for whichever program you're involved with.
Does it bother you at all that you're asked so frequently about retiring and how much longer you'll coach? Does that get to you after a while?
No. I just think you guys don't know what else to ask. I always figure I've you guys can't figure out what's going on on the football field. You're going to ask me something you're going to get an answer to. All right? I would hope you guys would be smart enough not to say, "Joe, when are you going to retire?" And get the same answer. If you're dumb enough to do it, do it. What can I tell you? I don't go home and say," hey, the next time they ask me when I'm going to retire"...I don't know.
If my wife asked me when I was going to retire, I would say, "I don't know." Thanks guys.