It’s Thursday and that means another chance to answer some reader questions as we open up the mailbag.
This week Christian Hackenberg’s fundamentals, Adam Breneman’s health and the Big Ten conference come into question.
Who has been the most pleasantly surprising player of the summer so far?
Considering that the summer is spent largely away from coaches aside from the strength staff it’s hard to say that any player has impressed in a football sense. This is probably a good opportunity to say that while Jason Cabinda is only starting to prove himself on the field, that he looks extremely strong off of it. He will play an important role in the linebacker group this year and while football is equal parts mental and physical, it’s easy to see he has one of those parts taken care of already.
Defensive end Carl Nassib continues to be a player Penn State coaches are excited about, but a bigger role equals bigger unknowns until he gets some meaningful playing time.
Has there been any talk of realigning the B1G? What could be realistic?
What the conference wants is often a secret until it finally happens, but people in Penn State circles aren’t talking about it. To be sure Penn State would be happy to face one less team out of the Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State grouping, but removing one of those teams from the division could bring in another Nebraska or Wisconsin.
As always, college football goes through cycles. it wasn’t too long ago that Michigan State was an afterthought. The conference probably needs to get better, not spread around the good teams year to year.
Can we expect Breneman to have a major impact?
While technically speaking Adam Breneman is healthy, he is, at last update, a bit removed from being 100 percent and entirely ready to contribute in a big way. A healthy Breneman is a good asset to have for Penn State, the question is how quickly he can get back into shape both physically and mentally. Talking in the spring, Breneman himself hinted at the fact he still has work to do in both departments.
Being away from football is a challenge and so is getting back into the swing of things. If Breneman has a good summer it might not be long until he’s a major part of the tight end package. Judging by how Franklin and Co. have handled things they’ll err on the side of caution until then.
So can he have a major impact? Absolutely. We just don’t know when.
Is Hackenberg working to improve his footwork and throwing mechanics?
It’s probably safe to assume that’s always on the plate of any quarterback. Working on the mechanics is what makes good quarterbacks great so you can probably lump Hackenberg into that group as well. To answer the question more specifically, I think Penn State fans will be happy to see how he has gotten back to the fundamentals.
Spending much of the 2014-15 running for his life wasn’t a big help when it comes to the fundamentals and footwork. James Franklin has made a point of mentioning this and the fact Hackenberg is getting back to the basics to break some bad habits he formed last year.
Assuming that the line and the offense as a whole is better — which is safe to assume — Hackenberg’s little details ought to improve as well. It’s not that it was ever an issue in the first place in terms of his capabilities, but spending time standing in pocket instead of wishing you had a pocket is a big difference.
Have a question for next week? Send a tweet to @Ben_Jones88 or write on StateCollege.com’s Facebook wall. Or click here to send me an email
Popular Stories:
Penn State Football: Thursday Mailbag: Breneman, Fundamentals and Realignment
New Hype Video Ramps Up Excitement For Penn State Football
For Spikes Pitcher It’s A Dream Come True
Penn State Football: Four-Star Receiver Nixon Puts Nittany Lions In Top 10
Penn State Basketball: UConn Transfer Commits To Nittany Lions
Centre County Financially Prepared as State Budget Stalemate Worsens
Historic Tree Brought Down in Lemont
Penn State Trustees Recommend Term Limits, Responsibilities for Emeriti Board Members
Parks Miller Accuses Centre County of Trying to ‘Thwart the Court’s Intent’ in Right to Know Appeal
Police Targeting Aggressive Drivers Over Holiday Weekend
From Drama to Jam Sessions, Independence Celebrations Aplenty
