Simply put, Penn State can’t afford to have its players getting hurt before the season even starts. Penn State coach Bill O’Brien knows that and with no more than 65 scholarship players on the roster, every day that ends without an injury is a good one. If that means scrapping Penn State’s annual spring game for a different format then O’Brien isn’t against giving it a go.
“[It’s] going to be interesting going forward with the Blue-White game,” O’Brien said Tuesday morning. “I think the Blue-White game is fantastic for our fans and, for that weekend, for Penn State, we’re going to have to make some decisions going forward especially in the era that we’re in now.”
“I think you gotta look at it and you can’t get your best guys hurt in the spring game,” O’Brien said. ”I think … and again, I haven’t even talked about this with … you know, I have bosses, so I’m probably about to get in trouble but, in my mind, I think you’ve got to think of ways to have a 15th practice, which is what that is and make it a great experience for your fans.”
Tuesday’s comments come in the wake of the news that star running back Zach Zwinak will likely enter training camp this summer as a non-contact player while he recovers from an unspecified wrist injury. Zwinak rushed for a 1,000 yards last season and was injured during a play at Penn State’s annual spring game only a few days ago.
“So it’s not that we’re not going to do, you know, but maybe it won’t be a game, maybe down the road it’s a practice.”
Overall O’Brien thinks fans will understand that given the unique situation that the program is facing, keeping the team healthy would be a top priority for fans as well.
“I think the people who come back (for Blue-White weekend) have to understand the situation that we’re in,” O’Brien said. “We cannot get our best players hurt in the Blue-White game, that’s when you get labeled a dumb coach. That’s kinda what I’m driving at.”
Penn State has maintained physical practices all spring but O’Brien and his staff have emphasized to players the importance of staying off of the ground in non-contact drills and being smart about practice physicality.
“Usually that kind of thing is hard to do,” Defensive Coordinator John Butler said after the Blue-White game. “We have a lot of strong, smart and athletic guys though which really helps.”
