Sponsler's Great Post

Todd Sponsler has a great post on the varying wisdom of establishing a succession plan for PSU's impending, post-Paterno era. I liked it when I posted something right on point nearly two weeks ago.

Anyway. I'll say it again. A succession plan is NOT A GOOD IDEA! It limits the university in a number of ways with no real benefits. It is time for the succession talk to end. Speculation is fine, but there is absolutely no good reason to name a successor. A replacement will not help recruiting. A line of succession will not help find the next new head coach. There is no benefit to naming a successor.

GO STATE! LOVE JOE!

The Paterno Replacement Index

Is a cool little poll being run over at FightonState. It is certainly worth checking out.

GO STATE!

President Coy on Paterno's Extension

President Spanier and the Board of Trustees have made no decision regarding Joe Paterno's contract extension. (The Collegian has the story). Joe's contract expires at the end of the 2008 season but Spanier wanted to remind us that Joepa will be around for at least another year.

"I'm quite certain he will be coaching next fall at Penn State,"

Thanks for the update Graham.

Spanier and the Trustees are apparently not that worried about replacing one of the greatest coaches of all time as Spanier later opined:

"We have not had the opportunity yet to have had discussions about what will happen going forward, but the process at Penn State is really no different than any other hiring decision at the university."

Are you kidding me? It isn't any different? This has got to be some sort of joke. If you guys are going to devote as much time, money, and energy to finding the next head football coach as you have been to determine who is going to TA the Monday-Thursday recitation in Stat 200 then just let us know now. I would prefer to know that my university is being run by the front office of the Arizona Cardinals.

Look, if you aren't concerned about whether Joe's contract will be extended and, if it isn't extended, who will take over than you probably have a buckeye hanging on your wall. Who Joe Paterno's replacement will be is the most important decision, with regard to athletics, that PSU has made in over 40 years! Apparently this fact is lost on the powers that be.

"It goes without saying that we are very mindful of the fact that there is a tremendous level of interest with that particular position, greater than the hiring of a typical assistant or professor,"

Yes, there is more interest! IT IS BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT. Apparently, there is absolutely no urgency amongst the powers that be regarding this issue. I take out of this that Graham doesn't want to extend Joe's contract. And will bungle the search for a replacement coach in ways unfathomable to the human brain.

Keep Joe FOR AS LONG AS HE WANTS TO COACH!

GO STATE! REMAIN AWESOME!