Admit it. It is becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy watching Penn State play football.
It's strange. It's not as though the team hasn't been winning. In fact, it's clear that the program has turned the corner from its poor start this millennium.
It's also not because of the disgusting string of off-field problems that have made it embarrassing to wear Penn State clothing in public.
No, it is becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy watching Penn State play football from a purely aesthetic standpoint.
Watching Penn State's offense is simply unsettling; it's like watching a toddler that is learning to walk. Sure, sometimes it might stand up and take a few wobbly steps, but it's only a matter of time before it falls.
The difference is, watching that toddler is kind of endearing, because you know that eventually he'll learn. This toddler has been falling on its face for 13 years.
There have been times in the years since 1994 that Penn State has fielded a viable offense, but they have been few and far between.
Even when it has, it is usually thanks to the efforts of a single, exceptional player.
In the mid-90s, Curtis Enis was good enough to carry Penn State's offense. In 2002, Larry Johnson was good enough to be robbed of the Heisman. In 2005, Michael Robinson was good enough to put the Penn State program on his back and carry it back to national prominence.
Make no mistake about it. Robinson was special. He wasn't a great quarterback. He was a great football player who would have been successful at a handful of other positions. Even then, the 2005 offense was too reliant on the quick strike and was unable to sustain drives early in games.
But even with Robinson as a possible exception, it is clear that the struggles of the offense correlate directly with the program's crippling inability to develop a quarterback. Not since Kerry Collins has Penn State developed a signal-caller and turned him into a star.
It's not as though Penn State doesn't attract highly touted quarterback recruits. Just look at current lame-duck quarterback Anthony Morelli, who was one of the most coveted players in
the nation coming out of high school.
The Nittany Lions have consistently gotten, at the very least, B-plus quarterback prospects in the last 13 years, but they have not developed a single one.
There are different reasons why each failed to live up to expectations.
Mike McQueary was a smart player who was limited athletically. Rashard Casey was a great athlete who battled inconsistency. Zack Mills had plenty of guts and moxie, but not quite enough juice in his left arm. Matt Senneca was simply in over his head.
But Morelli is a microcosm for everything that that is frustrating about the Penn State program, for everything that makes it difficult to watch.
He came to Happy Valley four years ago as a strong-armed kid with decent mechanics who needed to learn the mental side of the position.
When he takes the field against Wisconsin this week, he will still be a strong-armed kid with decent mechanics who needs to learn the mental side of the position.
To his credit, Morelli has been quick to accept the blame when he has failed to live up to the lofty expectations that preceded him -- in fact, he probably deserves some.
But the lion's share of the blame has to fall on a coaching staff that continues to trot out unprepared quarterbacks week after week, year after year.
When a quarterback has been in a system for four years and continues to stare down receivers, mismanage the clock and misread defenses, he has not been properly coached. When 13
years worth of quarterbacks do those things, it becomes difficult to watch.
Here's to hoping that next year, Penn State breaks the cycle. Here's to hoping that Daryll Clark or Pat Devlin is ready to step in.
Hopefully the coaching staff has prepared one -- or both -- of them to walk, because the falling over just isn't cute anymore.
Justin Kunkel was a Collegian football writer in 2005 and currently writes for PhiladelphiaEagles.com. His e-mail is JKunkel@eagles.nfl.com.
