(Mark Emmert, President of the NCAA, left)
 

Pretty brutal, but very deserved. Fine of $60 million, which is the revenue the athletic department generates from the football program on an annual basis. Postseason ban for four years. No bowls for four years. Loss of 20 scholarships per year for the next four years. So the max they can have in each of the next four years is 65 per year. This isn’t the death penalty because there weren’t any previous improprieties. But it’s the next level of punishment. Almost as bad. Some could consider it as bad.

The present Penn State administration is doing the honorable thing by letting present players on the team, and incoming freshmen, out of their scholarships. I was impressed by that. It’s President Spanier, AD Curley and Joe Paterno who were the main villains, though I’m sure there were more people involved.

As for Paterno, his legacy is ruined forever as it should be. Despite the facade Paterno portrayed to the public of being this kind, decent, honorable man, he was the complete opposite. He was all about winning, nothing else mattered. He would have you beaten up if you got in his way of winning football games, going to bowls, winning national championships and cementing his legacy, which was the most important thing to him. Just an outlaw, egomaniac really. He did some things that looked like he was a decent guy like giving quite a bit of money to the library at Penn State. But that was a mirage. It was all about his image and his legacy. He wanted fame; nothing else. He wanted to be glorified as Diety. There are some coaches who are in it only for themselves. I know all coaches want to win a national championship, but some genuinely care about their players. Paterno was genuinely concerned about cementing his name as the greatest coach of all time. Penn State is paying the price for his cutthroat personality. He was just simply a bad person. What decent human being would let that happen with Sandusky? Somebody who  is an animal to his core. A deranved guy. Paterno was not mentally off, he just had no morals. Nothing would get in the way of his winning games and championships and cementing his legacy. The funny thing about it was he not was much of a coach the last 15 years–the program was going downhill–but he refused to give up the reins to a more with it, progressive guy. He was a dinosaur as a coach and he wasn’t very effective in the last 15 really 20 years. Maybe that’s what led him to letting this Sandusky thing go out of control. Desperation to win games. Kind of sad really.

Penn State is paying the price for what two animals orchestrated. One by abusing young boys; Sandusky should get the death penalty in my opinion. That may sound harsh to some, but what kind of guy ruins double digit boys’ lives and abused them sexually? It’s not human. It’s anarchaic, animalistic. His actions were outrageous and should not be tolerated in a civilized society. I think you take it the  eye for an eye approach. Let him pay the ultimate price for his actions. He doesn’t deserve to live. And Paterno let that go? What kind of decent person would let that happen? The answer is no decent person would let that happen. I know the guy’s gone now, but his memory lives in infamy like a terrorist’s would. Paterno was no good. It’s as simple as that. He’s really pretty lucky he passed away because he may have faced some jail time himself and some lawsuits which would have bankrupted him and his family. His family is probably going to pay the price financially. The thing is I don’t know if Paterno made it to Heaven. He could be below ground right now, not above it. We all know where Sandusky’s heading. There’s no debate there.

I feel bad for the good Penn State people who do the right thing and are good, decent people. I know there are plenty of  those people in the Penn State nation. Penn State is a solid school academically and there are plenty of good citizens who are there and who have graduated from Penn State. It’s a shame two pigs and a couple of others had to ruin the football program for the whole Penn State nation. They deserve better. But much more importantly, those young boy, who are now young men, deserved better. Maybe they have found peace now or can find peace some day.

Derek Dooley is a very solid football coach in my opinion. Spent time under Nick Saban at LSU and has been a head coach for a while now, first at La. Tech, and now in his third year at UT. He’s got a solid squad from the looks of the spring. His quarterback, Tyler Bray, looks like he’s close to elite. Not yet Aaron Murray or Ryan Wilson, but could get there this year. Justin Worley looks like a more than capable backup. Bray’s got fantastic receivers in Justin Hunter and Da’Rick Rogers. There’s a juco transfer coming in, Cordarrelle Patterson, who is a 6.0 four-star whom there very high on. Patterson is 6’4″, 205, a big target. Think they’re pretty excited about him. If they can stay out of trouble, will have an excellent receiving corps.
Marlin Lane Jr. looks like he’ll be a prime time back. Rajion Neal is a solid back as well. Lane looks like he can get tough yards and break it too. He had a 40-yard run right up the middle for a score in the spring game. The line looks solid, even possibly dominant and is anchored by guard James Stone (6’3″, 310) and tackle Antonio Richardson (6’6″, 329). Tight end solid with Mychal Rivera though they lost a backup Cameron Clear to indefinite suspension. Defense better this year. Good size on the line, linebackers look solid led by middle backer Herman Lathers (6’0″, 225).  And the secondary looks much improved.

Should be a lot better football team this year. Can the defense be good enough? That’s my question. They look a lot better and there is a lot more experience on this football team than last year–tons of redshirt frosh and sophs started last yea. If  the defense can step up the Vols can win eight or nine football games.

They open with NC State in the Georgia Dome on Aug. 31 at 7:30 PM ET/6:30 CT on ESPNU. Should be a classic weekend in Atlanta with Auburn playing Clemson the next night at the Dome at 7 PM ET/6 CT on ESPN. Georgia State should be a win at home the next week. Then Florida comes to Neyland Stadium. Now that should be a war. Whoever wins that game has a shot at the East. But there will be a lot of games left to decide. Certainly would help Vols to win that game. Both teams much improved. Should be a classic. Akron at home followed by the Dawgs in Athens. Another critical game. State on the road, ‘Bama at home, South Carolina on the road, Troy and Mizzou at home, Vandy on the road and home to Kentucky.

It’s pretty difficult with the Florida, Alabama games at home and the Dawgs and Gamecocks on the road as potential season-defining games. But this team is very much improved. Dooley needs to win probably two of those four games to have a shot at a successful season and keep his seat from getting pretty hot.

Like this football team though. Looks like the Vols when they were at their hey day. Much more solid. The East is pretty tough this season, like the West always is, so it’ll be a huge challenge with Florida, Georgia and South Carolina doing combat with the Vols for the East title.