As a Penn State grad I was initially angry
when I heard Bill O’Brien was considering leaving Happy Valley for The NFL’s
Houston Texans. How could he abandon all those kids who stuck with the program
through all the sanctions, especially now that those sanctions were being
lifted? On further reflection, that’s
exactly why he can leave. He guided the
team through the most difficult period, kept the players together though
overwhelming negativity, made the team relevant and a destination for
recruits. Certainly, in so doing, he
polished his own resume, going from a relatively obscure offensive coordinator on the
New England Patriots, a person known in coaching circles but not considered to
be a prime head coaching candidate, to someone who became the frontrunner for
the best available NFL coaching vacancy. The Texans are a team most people consider likely to
rebound into the playoff contender they were expected to be during this injury ravaged
season, where everything that could go wrong did, with the first pick in the draft
in their back pocket to boot.
Meanwhile,
Penn State is considered a prime job again, the scandal receding, the available
scholarships increasing, the character of the players impressive. The list of
potential coaching candidates contains the cream of the crop, something that
would have been unthinkable two years ago when O’Brien arrived. Penn State’s football program is on solid ground
and should remain so in the future and we have Bill O’Brien to thank, so
instead of being angry, be thankful and optimistic, both Penn State and Bill O’Brien
have brighter futures thanks to their pairing over the last two years.
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