Thoughts on Penn State's open practice session

Well, this is more like "Thoughts on (what other people are saying about) Penn State's open practice session."

There’s a practical orgy of information and reports coming out of Penn State’s open spring practice session this past weekend. Some of those reports were positive, and others not so positive. I wasn’t there, so I won’t go into speculating how the team looked, nor am I going to look too deeply into depth chart changes—everyone knows it will change drastically between now and the fall, when suspensions and injuries are settled. But there were a lot of interesting nuggets involving the player rotations and performances.

From Phil Grosz, BlueWhite Illustrated:

"Cedric Jeffries was at the "Fritz" OLB position… Tony Davis has been moved from free safety over to left corner."

Is Joe Paterno so dissatisfied with Lydell Sargeant’s play that he’s moved Davis back to his old spot? The Jeffries move to OLB could signal that Paterno is willing to keep Rubin at the safety spot opposite Anthony Scirrotto—why, I have no idea. Hopefully, guys like Nick Sukay and Chaz Powell are playing well enough that the coaches don’t want to keep them buried in the depth chart in 2008.

Grosz:

"First team offensive line:
LT - Gerald Cadogan
LG - Rich Ohrnberger
C - A.Q. Shipley
RG - Stefen Wisniewski
RT - Dennis Landolt"

I’ll admit I’m surprised Wisniewski cracked the starting lineup this early. Sure, he saw plenty of action in 2007, but this could be a huge leap for the true sophomore.

Grosz:

"Linebacker sets:
OLB - Ty Sales
OLB - Bani Gbadyu
ILB - Josh Hull"

We all knew Gbadyu would go in for the tweaked Lee, and I’m not too surprised to see Sales getting the starting nod—the charges being dropped, and all. But what strikes me the most is Hull jumping over Chris Colasanti at the ILB position. Hull played well the latter part of 2007, highlighted by his bowl performance, but Colasanti was everyone’s shoe-in for the ILB job in 2008. This could change, but it’d be nice to have this spot solidified by April 19.

Grosz:

"I want to make a comment about what I saw with the offense and then we'll close this down until Monday when we'll set up a chat and talk about what we saw at today's practice sesson.

Penn State is running a true multiple-set offense.

Here is an example of the formations they ran in today's practice session: 'I' Formation, Shotgun with a single-back and surprised also with a Pro set with Williams positioned at one of the split backs in the pro set, 'Off-set I', and every type of formation from the shotgun.
They were really as multiple as I've ever seen them in the past."

Don’t take too much stock in this. Every year, we’re told that Penn State has really turned the corner when it comes to offensive sets and playcalling. Every year, none of it matters. Who cares if you saw Derrick Williams taking a snap from the shotgun with five other wide receivers on the field? (That didn’t happen; I’m exaggerating to make the point) Penn State will still run the majority of its offense from the I-form or single-back sets. There’s nothing wrong with that either.

From Scott Cole, FightOnState:

"1. A.J. Wallace has become a much more aggressive cornerback. He was making quick breaks on out routes, intercepting one and almost picking off another. He also showed more physicality than we have seen in the past. He was not afraid to stick his nose in there on running plays."

Ok, that sounds outstanding. Penn State corners have had to get in receivers’ faces for years, and Wallace is showing he can do it. However…

Cole:

"3. Derek Moye looked like the real deal. His size created problems for every CB who tried to cover him. He has soft hands as he made grabs deep down the sideline where he badly beat Wallace and over the middle on a slant, both from Devlin."

So the Wallace high just came crashing down. After Michigan 2005, Penn State should never, EVER be beaten on a slant route again.

Cole:

"6. It's not hard to see why the linebacking corps is so good each year. Ron Vanderlinden is very much a teacher in the way he conducts drills. He never raises his voice. He merely points out what a player did wrong and explains how to correct the problem in future. He takes a very positive approach to coaching, preferring to pump a kid up rather than kick him in the butt.

In addition, I noticed both Sean Lee and Tyrell Sales helping Bani Gbadyu and Nate Stupar when their group was not up in the rotation. Sales was showing Stupar how to complete his drops into coverage better. It's this kind of mentoring that shows up on Saturdays when guys get their first chances to play."

Penn State lost a lot of talent in Dan Connor and Justin King. Even the lost of Rodney Kinlaw hurt much worse than any one ever though it could. But this Penn State team has something that’s been missing since 2005—vocal leadership. Lee, Williams, and Shipley have all been at the helm since the team got back from San Antonio. For some weird reason, Penn State isn’t a program that operates well under a quiet, cool leader. Penn State needs guys like Mike Robinson, Alan Zamaitis and Paul Pozlusnzy. I think they’ve found their leaders for 2008, and if they’re as good as those from three years ago, Penn State should be riding high sooner than later.