Feeling The Draft
April 28, 2008 by Run Up The Score!
It’s been a weird, technology-deprived weekend for me since the charger for my laptop disintegrated. Ordered a new one, but am still slightly concerned that a piece of the old one could be rattling around inside the computer.
Your Penn State draft summary consists of about five different shades of disappointment:
Dan Connor, projected as a late 1st, early 2nd round player, slipped to Carolina in the third round.
Justin King, generally considered to be a 2nd or 3rd round choice unless some team fell in love with his speed, fell to St. Louis in the 4th round.
Everyone else went undrafted. Many signed undrafted free agent (UFA) deals, including Terrell Golden (Philly), Matt Hahn (Oakland), and Austin Scott (Cleveland).
Oh, and Anthony Morelli signed with the Arizona Cardinals:
Penn State didn’t offer Morelli the most quarterback-friendly system, but he overcame the odds.
“It’s tough,” Morelli said. “I made the best of it. I was pretty successful. I went in with the right attitude and tried to make the best of my time there.”
…
Former pro scout Tom Marino, who has 30 plus years in the league, is pretty high on Morelli as a project.
“He has all the tools you look for in a QB; an athletic body, very strong throwing arm and far better movement then I had expected, but is acutely under coached and unprepared for the job of being a professional QB.”
Probably not the quote you want floating around the internet if you’re Jay Paterno.
Not a quarterback friendly system? Didn’t he set records for attempts?
So to recap April 2007 to April 2008:
-Apartment fight
-Quarless DUI
-Michigan and Illinois losses
-Austin Scott thing
-HUB fight
-Beat Wisconsin YAY!!!!
-Ohio State beatdown
-Mich State debacle
-Beat A&M yay!
-Deion Walker to ND
-Michael Shaw to Mich
-Pryor to OSU
-Chris Bell pulls a knife on a teammate
-Sean Lee tears ACL
-Connor and King fall in the draft
I’m usually pretty optimistic, but damn. Could this program be more snakebitten? That doesn’t even include the Quarless DUI or the uncertainty around Joe’s contract. I think we’re even more desperate for a good season on the field than we were in 2005. Hopefully it works out the same way.
One of two things are going to happen. Morelli is going to be a huge NFL success and truly prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jay can’t coach.
Or Morelli is going to not do well at all and get cut in mini-camp, thus adding evidence to the argument that maybe Jay isn’t a great coach - but damn, Morelli just really wasn’t that good to begin with.
Morelli’s mechanics were terrible. The following had better footwork than him:
Wally Richardson
John Shafer
Matt Seneca
Coaly
Old Willow
Coaching was definitely part of it, but there were a lot of things Morelli did that had nothing to do with coaching. I mean, that INT he threw against A&M in his, what 24th career start pretty much summed Morelli up. Maybe going to a place like Arizona where there will be no pressure will be good for him. GL Anthony.
I’m unsure if “a violent overhand delivery” is a good thing or a bad thing, but I’d say the following is the money quote from the piece:
“Going to have to start from square one with this player”
This is disturbing. Jay’s quarterback coaching abilities are questionable. However, Galen’s and Joe’s shouldn’t be.
Did they see all of Morelli’s mechanical short comings and said or did nothing or is this a case of “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”?
For the first time in my life I will be pulling for Anthony Morelli to become a success. That might be the best indictment of FredoPa yet. I hope there is a Leinart-Morelli quarterback controversy coming out of camp. I hope PTI has a segment where they argue about Anthony vs. Peyton. I hope “Anthony” becomes the most popular boys name of 2010. Whatever it takes to get rid of State College Area High School’s backup QB who is in the PSU coaches’ box.
i see morelli is throwing people under the bus again, whether it’d be the truth or not
“It’s tough,” Morelli said. “I made the best of it. I was pretty successful. I went in with the right attitude and tried to make the best of my time there.”
i wonder how the edge, fitzgerald and boldin will feel when morelli says “i did all that i could, but i just tried to make the best of the tools that i have around me”
Either way, expect that quote to be used by every coach in American who is going against PSU for a QB recruit. That’s for sure. It’s one thing if a college assistant is whispering that in a kid’s ear, a completely other problem when it’s coming from a disinterested NFL scout.
@ Nate
I don’t think that AM’s quote is that bad. What can you take from that quote that makes you think he’s throwing people under the bus?
Just make sure those who acknowledge that Morelli wasn’t starting with a normal-sized brain aren’t excusing JayPa’s complete lack of use (if the problem were only, or even just mostly Morelli, then the other QBs would have shown some development attributable to coaching).
what? Joe Paterno has no excuse for a poor qb? where do you think jay learned his craft/technique.
I will agree that he was poorly coached - but not under coached - one can never accuse the Paternos of that. That said, Jay Pee did seem to coddle Anthony - lots of “pep/you’re the man” talks.
It does tickle me a little that Matty Lienart will have to deal with Morelli.
Teaming up with Leinhart, dare we say Morelli has a chance of becoming Sex Cannon 2?
morelli wasnt throwing any psu player or coach under the bus, he was throwing us stupid fans under the bus who booed him during the season, hoped he did bad during the senior bowl, and booed him during the spring game…
i hope AM kicks ass in the nfl, he can throw a football a quarter mile, but unlike uncle rico. and besides, who better to hang out with in the nfl than matt leinart. good luck to him, no sour grapes here