CHICAGO - The picture seemed to develop a little bit more yesterday about the Nittany Lions and the upcoming football season.

While many questions still remain about the squad concerning the defensive line and how the running game will pan out, a few were answered.

On the second day of the 2003 Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, along with wide receiver Tony Johnson and linebacker Gino Capone shared with the media their thoughts on various aspects of the upcoming season.

"The only expectations I ever have is to play as well as we can play," Paterno said. "In a lot of ways, last year was a very frustrating season for me because I thought we might have been able to get something done last year."

One of the biggest concerns for the Nittany Lions is on defense. With heavy losses on the defensive line, including defensive tackles Jimmy Kennedy and Anthony Adams, along with defensive end Michael Haynes, a young corps of talent is now scheduled to step up and play.

Replacing the three players, all of whom are now on NFL rosters, will not be as difficult as many people would think, Paterno said. The talent is there.

"The kids that we have on the defensive line are going to be good football players," he said. "Athletically, actually, at this stage, they're better [than the graduated players]. Michael Haynes was not a good football player at this stage. Kennedy was a good football player, but as a freshman was a partial qualifier. Anthony Adams was a fat kid who was a pain in the rear end."

However, when Capone was asked about playing behind a virtually entirely new defensive line, he expressed some concern about the chemistry.

"You bring in a new group of guys, it's a concern because I was used to playing with [the graduated players] for the last two years," he said. "It's going to be a little bit of a concern, but we just can't sit here and dwell on it. We have to go out there and do the best with what we have, and I think we have a lot of talent in the defensive line. I think we're going to do a lot better than what people expect."

Within the linebacker corps, chemistry is one area that Capone said he is very comfortable with.

"We've been together for four years, we're all seniors," Capone said. "I think that is just huge. You talk about the chemistry of the unit, we know each other, we hang out, we're good buddies. On the field, we all know what we can do."

The defensive line was not the only group that suffered a heavy loss after the 2002 season. On offense, the backfield lost running back Larry Johnson,--who ran for more than 2,000 yards and set a new Big Ten record for average yards per carry with 8.8-- to the NFL draft. Until the current running back situation is settled, Tony said the Nittany Lions' offense plans to air the ball out to the receivers.

"Times have changed, you just can't run the ball 24/7," Johnson said. "We're going to throw the ball until we get the running game going. I don't think that's a secret."

With the departure of Bryant Johnson to the NFL, opportunities to fill the No. 2 and No. 3 receiver spots arose during spring practice. A battle between Kinta Palmer, Gerald Smith and Ernie Terrell has ensued for the spot on the depth chart since that time, to which Johnson said Palmer is currently winning.

"You could tell who was hungry and who was not," Johnson said. "Some people want to play, some people just go along to get along. Kinta Palmer has really stepped up his level of play. All the receivers are in the mix, but Kinta has stood up above everybody."

Johnson still maintained a high level of confidence in the receivers who do step up and answer the call.

"I think fans are going to see a lot more of the receivers making big plays," Johnson said.