At first take, it's odd to hear the son address the father by his first name. The immediate interpretation is tinged with the residue of disrespect.

Then it dawns on you that there are reporters and microphones around, and it is only appropriate to act professionally. Besides, it's football, a sport that requires a level of order.

And the father is the head coach.

And the son is the assistant.

"Joe, obviously, has a few years under his belt," Nittany Lions quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said, referring to his father's football intelligence in terms of play-calling generated through 40 years of head coaching.

At Penn State media day on August 13, Jay Paterno talked extensively about the lack of production the Lions offense has had over the past two seasons in the Big Ten.

But what spectators think about the play-calling, he insists, deals more with perspective than responsibility.

"There are times when teams have success in spite of play-calling," Jay Paterno said. "When a play breaks down, and it's not the right call, and the guy makes a catch, makes somebody miss, then, all of a sudden people say, 'Hey, that's a great play-call.' "

But the last two seasons have the Lions sporting meager three and four-win years in which four of the seven came against the likes of Kent State, Temple and Indiana.

And when that's punctuated by six-game losing streaks both years -- occurring in the heart of Big Ten competition -- it seems as if input becomes more of an issue.

That directs the attention no further than a coach's penthouse, or for some, the doghouse: That prestigious booth in the sky where Jay Paterno matches wits with the Lions offensive coordinator, Galen Hall, an experienced coach in his own right at 65 years old.

"Galen and I are comfortable with each other; he has no problems with me and I have no problem with him," Jay Paterno said."

For the record, Hall does call the majority of the offensive plays with occasional assistance from Jay and Joe Paterno.

Joe, of course, has the final say, particularly on crucial downs.

But to hear Jay tell it, no way is it a dictatorial relationship between Hall and himself, but rather one of consultation.

"More has been made out of it than what really is there. People say you're not good on offense so it must be the play-calling," Jay Paterno said, before backtracking.

"Well, some of it is."

Cynics have said that the Lions' refusal to open up the playbook and adjust to the times of today's college game has been detrimental.

Some of that theory is because of the talent the team lost on offense after the 2002 season.

With the additions of highly touted freshmen Derrick Williams and Justin King to the team, Jay Paterno thinks that the 2005 Lions will be more explosive and will get out of the conference cellar in offensive categories.

"I think people will be happy that we will make some improvement this year, offensively," Jay Paterno said.

In April's Blue-White game, the offense made strides toward that statement in showcasing four-receiver sets with Williams and King dazzling the crowd with big plays.

Jay Paterno believes that another year working with Hall can only improve the fluency of the play-calling.

It isn't a match made in press-box heaven just yet, but, with each practice, Jay Paterno feels the chemistry is improving.

"He'll say 'We should run that,' and it's getting to the point where I'm starting to [say] 'Oh yeah,' ... like finishing each other's sentences," Jay Paterno said.

"It's not like we're a married couple or anything because I don't want to sound like that.

"He's a little too old for me, anyway."