Blue and White Roundtable

Don’t forget to check out TINNOMJ, The Nittany Line, and Black Shoe Diaries for their responses.

(And Yurasko! w00t!)

1. We’ll start with the bad news, what is your take on PSU’s off-season? The team has stated they are focusing on winning a National Title, will these off-field shenanigans get in the way of that lofty goal?

Nobody’s really proud of their alma mater when the football players are constantly getting arrested, but I don’t think this sort of stuff affects the eventual on-field product. If they lose a game this season, I’m not going to blame an underage drinking citation or an apartment fight. Florida and Ohio State were in the national championship game last year, for crying out loud.

2. Competition abounds! Give you take on the battle to start in the secondary. Do you prefer to have a rowdy competition or know who your guys will be?

I wouldn’t exactly call it a battle — all of the talk about Lydell Sargeant taking over for A.J. Wallace at the “other” cornerback position is just a smokescreen. Wallace will start. I’m personally happy to hear that Sargeant has worked his way up the secondary’s depth chart to the point where he’s the guy that’s allegedly taking over for A.J. Freaking Wallace. That’s a good sign, and it probably means you’ll see a fair amount of Sargeant in nickel packages. I’m one of the many people who have clamored for him to get a look on offense, but lookie here, he’s sniffing around for a spot on the first team defense. Despite this, I will continue to insist that I know best. I encourage you to do the same.

A secondary of Anthony Scirrotto, Justin King, A.J. Wallace, and Tony Davis? Downright scary assuming Wallace can get the job done, but at least the linebackers aren’t gre…oh, right. They are great. So it’s really up to the defensive line this season. If you have faith in those guys, it’s hard to see Penn State giving up many points in 2007.

3. Describe your behavior as a PSU fan. I know some who are hand wringing nervous pacers and others who are drunken revelers before the football gods — where do you fit?

I easily fall into both categories. The game starts as a giant party. It doesn’t matter if I’m at the stadium or in my living room. I’m happy that Penn State football is about to begin somewhere. From kickoff, the game can go one of three directions:

Penn State blows out some poor, undermanned patsy. These are obviously fun games — low stress, lots of scoring, kind of like a three hour Sportscenter highlight. Sit back and enjoy the Midwestern Cracker And Textile College get jammed. I think they’re on Penn State’s 2008 schedule.

Penn State gets smothered. You know the game when you see it. No signs of life on offense, the defense gives up a big drive or two because they’re so tired. Usually, there’s some sort of special teams disaster. I’m surprisingly okay when Penn State is down by more than 20 points, because my Philly Fan insticts kick in and I say things like, “[expletive of the moment] those guys, they suck this season and I hate them, anyway.” It never lasts long, but hey, that’s how I cope.

The standard, competitive game. The afternoon starts as a giant party and become increasingly silent throughout the game. By the fourth quarter, the only sounds coming out of my mouth are profanity and angry, unintelligible shrieking. When Penn State wins, I feel okay. Still a little angry, but fine. When Penn State loses a close game, it can legitimately ruin anything from my Saturday night to a week or two. The 2005 Michigan game actually made me question why I should care about this stupid game so much. The way that game unfolded, especially given the season it effectively ruined, legitimately ruined me for two or three weeks.

I always come back, though.

LIGHTNING ROUND!

4. White Out, friend or foe?

I think that’s great for one night game per year. The stadium-wide White Out is going be amazing at the Notre Dame game, but I’d hate to see it reach an overkill point. One night game every year is great. Otherwise, leave it to the students.

Don’t over-do it. That’s my only request. And I swear to God, if I see any orange hunting gear at that Notre Dame game, there’s going to be a problem.

5. Who would you rather punch in the face: Lee Corso, Mark May, Lou Holtz, or Charlie Weiss?

Oooooh. I like Corso, so he’s out. Mark May is all schtick, he’s there to play the Bad Cop. As soon as Trev Alberts was canned, Mark May took that role. So I’m not falling for his shit.

That leaves Holtz and Weiss. I actually admire Weiss in a way. If you look at his life story, really, how the hell did he end up the head coach of Notre Dame? What were the chances? It’s kind of amazing, and I sincerely mean that. Is he a bit of a douche? Perhaps, but I need someone like that coaching Notre Dame.

Someone like Lou Holtz. Don’t forget, I grew up in the 80’s. That’s when I latched onto football, and the whiny, weasely Lou Holtz was matched up against Penn State toward the end of every single season. Always the biggest game of the year in northeastern Pennsylvania. Plus, it would be kind of fun to punch 70 year old Lou Holtz. I mean, at least I’m not biting off more than I can chew with someone like Mark May, right?