Morning Cup of Joe – Penn State’s winter workout stars and a new Paterno statue poll

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Penn State opened winter workouts and Pennsylvanians want the Paterno statue back

I have a feeling Penn State should be better in 2015, based off the idea the offensive line provides a little bit of a boost up front to allow Christian Hackenberg time to breath and the running game a chance to get going. But is Penn State ready to take such a drastic leap forward that they are playing in one of the New Years Six bowl games at the end of the year? That is quite a reach for me, although Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com suggests it is not a thought that is beyond comprehension.

In other news, a Quinnipiac University poll showed 59 percent of Pennsylvanians polled believe the Joe Paterno statue should be put back in a “place of prominence.” Whether that is outside Beaver Stadium or elsewhere on campus, who knows.

“It appears time heals all wounds and legends get a second chance,”  Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a news release. “Joe Pa’s tarnished image may never be totally repaired, but Pennsylvanians seem to be in a forgiving mood.”

I have said all along there will likely be a day when the statue that was torn down from outside Beaver Stadium will be placed back on campus, and I do suspect it will be outside Beaver Stadium when it does. I believe a statue can be representative of good and bad and can serve as a reminder of both great moments as well as the more unfortunate ones. When the day comes when the statue returns, it should be handled properly to honor the accomplishments of Paterno’s career while also finding a way to recognize the history of the program some may try to forget. To forget would be unfortunate.

Penn State gets back at it with winter workouts

Penn State opened winter workouts yesterday, which is the precursor to the spring practices that will open up in a few more weeks.

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After the winter workout, a handful of Penn State coaches took to Twitter to recognize some of the top performers. Quarterback Trace McSorley, running back Akeel Lynch, wide receiver Geno Lewis, offensive lineman Chaz Wright, defensive tackle Austin Johnson, linebacker Jason Cabinda, cornerback Trevor Williams, safety Troy Apke, and kicker Tyler Davis all received individual position honors on the first day of workouts from the coaching staff.

Penn State Recruiting Updates

Penn State is lining up players planning to attend the next junior day coming up on February 28. Ryan Snyder of Rivals has some updated info for those with a subscription to Blue White Illustrated.

Two-Minute Drill

The College Football Playoff is arrogant and has no plans to expand beyond four teams… The Pac-12 and Sun Belt are in support of NFL timing changes… James Franklin’s birthday tweets are a bit more accurate than Jim Harbaugh’s… Michigan linebacker Desmond Morgan gets a fifth year from the NCAA… Ralph Friedgen stepped down at Rutgers, Ben McDaniels promoted…

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