These two quotes are why

I respect Coach Paterno.

The quotes are from Joe's preseason press conference. He cares about the game and he cares about the kids. This is not professional football and anyone or any scheme that is focused more on money than on student athletes should be removed from the game.

Can you talk about the rule changes this year and your thoughts on them?

I don’t like the rule changes, but you have to live with them. Obviously, it is a challenge to the coaches. We have already talked a great deal about it and we have to set up practices so that we put ourselves in different situations that will be affected by the rule changes. They are doing it because of television and that doesn’t light me up. I think that we (should) cut out a couple of commercials and never mind cutting out the way the game is played. It is going to have an awful lot of bearing on the end of the game and wondering if you are going to kick off whether you are going to take a safety or those kinds of things. I think we have to think that through and put ourselves in those kinds of situations as to what we are going to do. I was on a rules committee for a long time and, unfortunately, there are not enough people who are coaching on those committees. If you look at the rules committees, see how many Division I football coaches there are…maybe one or two and they are the ones that make the rule changes. I am not happy, but if that is the way it is, that is the way we will play with it.

With the 12-game schedule and not having a bye week, how does that affect the pace of practices and what are your feelings not having a bye week?

As I tried to get across to the people at the Big Ten meetings back in May, we have gone from playing an 11-game schedule with one week off to playing a 12-game schedule with no weeks. I think it is going to make it difficult. You are going to have to watch to see how much they have to do and tie it in with what is going on in the classroom, final exams and mid-term exams. I really take exception to what the NCAA Commissioner said, Myles Brand, “No difference a week off than a week when there is school.” He doesn’t know what he is talking about. When we had a week off, you could always kind of gear in some things and make sure your kids got a little rest and take a couple of days off so they can get caught up with term papers and do different things. We don’t have that now. If you go 12 games for 12 weeks in a row, that is not going to be easy. I would prefer, obviously, that we had an open date. I would prefer we play in 10 games as long as you get this BCS and everything going on. I think 12 games is tough, tough, tough for kids, but it is (about) money.

For full transcript goto GoPSUsports.com.