re: High-ranking member of Patriots reportedly wants Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator

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has probably learned a few new-age tricks in the college game

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I won't weigh in on the NFL stuff since I haven't watched it in decades, but this claim about O'Brien's time at Penn State is ridiculous. The predictions that Penn State would crater after the Sandusky-Paterno scandal were just media hyperbole based on a couple players transferring. By today's standards, they barely lost anyone to transfers. They still had more talent on their roster than anyone they played except for Ohio State, who beat them handily both times O'Brien faced them.

O'Brien went 8-4 and 7-5 - not shocking the college football world by any standard and actually underperforming significantly with the talent on Penn State's roster, especially given their weak division. The closest O'Brien came to shocking anyone during his tenure at PSU was when he lost to a MAC team. McGloin's progress can be attributed to his having two full years of experience under his belt by the time O'Brien arrived. His coach of the year award was based entirely on the notion that he was somehow heroic for accepting a multimillion dollar contract and his first head coaching opportunity. That silly narrative that O'Brien had done such a noble thing in being willing to take that position was later blown apart completely when he bolted at literally his first opportunity after just two seasons. Nothing he did there was remotely impressive.

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