Anthony Morelli lifted his head ever so slightly, wearing the face of a man who was perhaps brewing with a sense of entitlement.

There's this rumor spreading about a job opening at quarterback, with qualifications that include a strong arm, quick instincts and leadership skills that can potentially replace those that Michael Robinson so adroitly displayed.

Inquiring minds were curious to hear about any takers.

"Yea," Nittany Lions junior quarterback Morelli said. "I've waited two years, you know, and now I'm getting a shot to take over a team, and I'm real excited about it."

So with that, the Orange Bowl story is officially closed for later reflection.

The Penn State football team returned to practice this weekend, two months and some change after it recaptured the hearts of loyalists, after it finished the 2005 season at 11-1 and the No. 3 team in the country, after it lost a senior class that won't soon be forgotten.

Though Morelli doesn't have the charisma that Robinson could showcase when working a room of reporters, he does have arguably a greater upside than Robinson did at this stage in his career at being a pure pocket passer.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who at 79 will enter his 41st season as head coach this fall, said the Lions' offense of 2006 would obviously have a different look.

"I don't think Morelli would be the guy you'd want to count on running the ball as much as Michael Robinson," Paterno said.

"He's not that kind of player, but he can still run."

Morelli, who agreed with Paterno, added that run plays formerly designed for Robinson will likely be given to senior running back Tony Hunt, who finished the season as the seventh leading rusher in the Big Ten conference -- averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

Defensively, the Lions will replace seven seniors -- four in the secondary -- but collectively are glad to have the return of defensive tackle Ed Johnson, who will compete for the starting tackle spot opposite senior returnee Jay Alford.

Johnson received university sanctions of temporary expulsion through summer and fall semesters 2005 for university Code of Conduct violations of sexual misconduct.

"That's gonna be huge for us, to have a playmaker like him back on the field," said Paul Posluszny, the team's lone returning captain. "I'm sure it's gonna be his starting job at one point."

Posluszny won't practice much this spring.

He is recovering from a knee injury that caused him to miss the dramatic final moments of the Lions' triple-overtime victory against Florida State in the FedEx Orange Bowl.

He said he is ahead of schedule in terms of making a full recovery and, if need be, "could play a game right now if I had to." But he now realizes his leadership is more vital to a relatively young football team aiming to stay above mediocrity.

"This year I'm just gonna try to be more vocal," Posluszny said. "I would really like to take that responsibility. What happened last year isn't gonna win a single game or make a single tackle for us this season."

Morelli was reminded that early last season, when Robinson struggled at times, he was everyone's favorite quarterback, also known as the backup.

"It was tough," Morelli said. "I wish I could've got in there and played a little more, but I didn't get a chance to do that."

But now he's in that coveted No. 1 position, where too much praise or too much blame can often be placed.

"That's part of being a quarterback," Morelli said.

"You have to deal with it and move on."