I like JF and he has excelled at PSU in recruiting and getting PSU Football back to being relevant, but when he talked about becoming elite, it all starts with him. PSU had OSU last year and this year on the ropes but failed to close them out. Play calling has much to do with the confidence in the team executing but that confidence in executing was missing last year and this year resulting in losses instead of wins. JF and his staff need to raise to Elite before the team can.
Which is exactly what he said in the press conference.
Understand what you stated, but I was surprised that nothing changed from last year's game. Seems the PSU staff looked confused on the last play of the game. PSU Timeout followed by OSU Timeout followed by PSU Timeout adding up to nearly 6 minutes of time and that was the best play to get a first down. Seems there is a large gap of Great to Elite for JF to overcome. Elite takes JF to Saban and Meyer Level.
Did you not watch the press conference?? That is exactly what JF said. It all starts with him. How many more times do you need one of us to tell you that??
To be honest, I don't think JF has what it takes to become Elite. Great recruiter, great energy, loves his kids and they do him, but don't see him as an Elite X & O Coach. Second year in a row, PSU should not have lost but did and it came down to play-calling.
To be honest, I don't think JF has what it takes to become Elite. Great recruiter, great energy, loves his kids and they do him, but don't see him as an Elite X & O Coach. Second year in a row, PSU should not have lost to OSU but did and it came down to play-calling in both loses.
"Talking" about it is great if the next step is "doing" it! However , JF has been talking about it for at least two years now. Time to step up and start doing it! As he said it all starts with him. I find it difficult to believe that either Meyer or Saban would have made that call in the same situation.
MB, this is true, Meyer and or Saban probably would not have called that play but remember that even elite coaches have brain farts too. Go back a few years when Bama and Auburn were tied near the end of the game and Saban elected to try for a long field goal instead of waiting for overtime. Remeber how that turned out?? Also, Meyer laid an egg a few years back against Clemson in a 31-0 debacle that has to rest solely on his shoulders.
Something we all should ponder: Last year at Iowa if JJ would have dropped the touchdown pass or TM would have had it tipped at the LOS would have been calling CJF a bad coach??
Saban has 6 National Championships, and Meyer has 3 National Championships. I mean, it's not really so horrible to be outcoached once or twice by one of the two best coaches in modern football history.
When Urban took over Florida he had unbelievable talent there, and in his first three years still managed to lose 6 games to ranked teams. It happens, he learned from it. Franklin is only 46 years old, and for all intents and purposes is in his first 3 years of coaching a truly "elite talent" type of team.
I think the press conference showed a coach not willing to give the same old "heck of a game" type speech. He challenged himself in a very public way, said it's all on him, and that he will not be comfortable winning 10 games a year. He wants to be better than that, he wants his team to be better than that. That's a good thing, now he needs to back it up. I hope he will, and he certainly deserves the chance to do so.
Let me put it another way:
Harbaugh took Stanford from 1 win to being a perennial power in the Pac-12
He took a mediocre 49ers team to the NFC Conference championship and then the Super Bowl
He took over a supremely talented Michigan program 4 years ago
He has yet to beat Urban Meyer once, and most think he'll lose again this year.
Beating Urban Meyer ain't easy.
When Meyer can’t be the big dawg he skips town. He threw Florida under the bus when they started losing and he skipped town instead of trying to fix the problem. He knew he didn’t have a QB and that he missed on a few and he got out of town. Harbaugh knows he’s got a QB problem but I don’t see him running, well he ain’t yet lol. The greatest Joe Paterno had QB problems in early 2000 and it took him 4 years to fix it but he didn’t run off on the team. Meyer will only go where he’s got the advantage that’s why he got out of Florida because he knew slick Nick was turning the Tide around and he knew it wouldn’t take long. Of course this is my opinion mb lol. We going to be alright Ohio st just has better players at the moment but the Tide is turning our way.
First of all, I think James Franklin likes to hear himself talk...Trying to distinguish between elite and great smacks of arrogance..Most pundits will categorize by good vs great..There are 2 great coaches in the country, Nick Saban, and Urban Meyer..The next 15, you could throw a blanket over and debate all night....That where Franklin lies somewhere in there, the Sporting News had him 12th pre season..
He's a great recruiter, a good gameday coach, certainly not great..While Franklin Is nowhere near a hot seat, given the sanctions he inherited, nor should he be, the same thing that plagues Jim Harbaugh at UM, which some think has placed him on the hot seat in Ann Arbor, i.e., beating his Big 10 East opponents plagues Franklin's program..He was 3-9 entering season vs UM, MSU AND OSU, now 3-10...He has two remaining vs UM AND MSU. to improve that record..Certainly, 3-12 will not sit well with the fan base..
I've been reading on pennlive today and I’m tired of all this elite crap, you’re a big dawg or your not. Penn st is a big dawg and that’s just the facts, Texas is a big dawg and that’s just the facts, USC is a big dawg and that’s just the facts, are they winning NC’s right now, no but it only takes the right coach and these teams will win NC’s. Georgia has one good season playing in a complete garbage SEC east and everybody is acting like they’ve been winning like this every year for the last decade lol. The big dawg list is what it is!
So it sounds like JF is not the HC capable of winning NC. Besides Smart, Dabo plays in the weakest Power 5 Conferences.
Saying someone is better than you "smacks of arrogance"
I think now I have heard everything 😂
Calling yourself great when your 4 wins are Appalachian ST, Pitt, Kent St and the Illini, is , yes, sorry,,,smacking of arrogance..
Wrong, the PAC and big 12 is the weakest and James Franklin can and will win a NC!
I agree 100%...that is what concerns me...Same thing happened 2 years in a row...They have to learn how to close out those ballgames...They also need to learn to take advantage of opportunities...They really lost that game in the 1st half...You can't have the ball 3 times with that field position and walk away with 3 pts..Not against that outfit...
LOL, I forgot the only wins in PSU history were this year. 😂😂😂😂😂
Drops are drops, poor tackling is poor tackling, missed opportunities are missed opportunities, etc., etc.
Poor coaching is taking the ball out of the hands of your play maker when the game is on the line!
Since everyone seems to want to compare him to Saban. I challenge you to go back and look at Sabans first 8 years record as a head coach. What you will find is Franklin in his first 8 years compared to Sabans is leaps and bounds better at a whole other level than what Saban was competing at. How can you compare a guy that has only been a head coach for 8 years to a guy who has been coaching what 23 or 26 years. To even be talking about Franklin in the same subject says something about Franklin! If You are going to compare the 2 then our future is very bright! Just my opinion.
Well said brother!!
