The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

PSU fan here to take your questions about Ricky. Let me know if you are curious about anything.

For a side note, I lived down in the 757 for a few years. Used to work for a major shipping company that had offices in the Bank of America building in Norfolk (I think they have since moved to VA Beach). So I am well aware of the talent in the area and always thought that Old Dominion could turn into a powerhouse G5 program.

Not a football follower, so I have no questions about Coach Rahne.

But on a slightly more personal note, I likewise spent many years of my career in the VNB-Sovran-Bank of America (and now Icon) building. What I remember about you Maersk guys, is that all (or at least most) of you were waaaaaaay taller than the rest of us -- 6'3" seems to be the minimum height for employees. At 6'0", I felt like a shrimp every time I stepped on the elevator.

(12-17-2019 06:39 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  Not a football follower, so I have no questions about Coach Rahne.

But on a slightly more personal note, I likewise spent many years of my career in the VNB-Sovran-Bank of America (and now Icon) building. What I remember about you Maersk guys, is that all (or at least most) of you were waaaaaaay taller than the rest of us -- 6'3" seems to be the minimum height for employees. At 6'0", I felt like a shrimp every time I stepped on the elevator.

Im 5'10"... this explains why they didn't take me with experience, glowing recommendations, and the best interview I've ever had. That rejection has been quite the head scratcher going on over a decade.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Ok Does Ricky... With the lead does he punt or go for it on 4th and 1 on his own 29 yard line vs a top 25 opponent?

Answer correctly or his name will be Ricky Bobby foreveeeeer

(12-17-2019 06:39 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  Not a football follower, so I have no questions about Coach Rahne.

But on a slightly more personal note, I likewise spent many years of my career in the VNB-Sovran-Bank of America (and now Icon) building. What I remember about you Maersk guys, is that all (or at least most) of you were waaaaaaay taller than the rest of us -- 6'3" seems to be the minimum height for employees. At 6'0", I felt like a shrimp every time I stepped on the elevator.

Ha. I'm 5'10 if it makes you feel any better.

You nailed the company. We had several of the top floors of the building, so the view was pretty cool. Speaking of the elevators, they were ummm... not the best. I got caught 3 times stuck in the express elevator. One time it dropped a floor and a half.

(12-17-2019 07:36 AM)AimHigh Wrote:  Ok Does Ricky... With the lead does he punt or go for it on 4th and 1 on his own 29 yard line vs a top 25 opponent?

Answer correctly or his name will be Ricky Bobby foreveeeeer

Ah. So, the decision to go for it or not on 4th down was Franklin's, and I know Franklin absolutely would not go for it on 4th and 1 in that position. For one, we have a shotgun only offense that had struggled in the past to get that yard. To Ricky's credit, we have been MUCH better getting the first down in short yardage situations. Some of that is personnel, but Ricky has been creative enough in those situations to keep teams honest.

(12-17-2019 07:04 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 06:39 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  Not a football follower, so I have no questions about Coach Rahne.

But on a slightly more personal note, I likewise spent many years of my career in the VNB-Sovran-Bank of America (and now Icon) building. What I remember about you Maersk guys, is that all (or at least most) of you were waaaaaaay taller than the rest of us -- 6'3" seems to be the minimum height for employees. At 6'0", I felt like a shrimp every time I stepped on the elevator.

Im 5'10"... this explains why they didn't take me with experience, glowing recommendations, and the best interview I've ever had. That rejection has been quite the head scratcher going on over a decade.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

What were you applying for if you don't mind me asking?

So in the spirit of the thread, does OP believe we made a good hire? Are you one of the PSU die-hards that were happy to get him out of your program? Will you be rooting for your minor league team ODU now?

Why are we asking this random dude about a coach they hated?

(12-17-2019 10:02 AM)odu09 Wrote:  So in the spirit of the thread, does OP believe we made a good hire? Are you one of the PSU die-hards that were happy to get him out of your program? Will you be rooting for your minor league team ODU now?

I have rooted for ODU since I lived in the Hampton roads area.

Ricky is a smart, ivy league guy who was a really hard worker at PSU. The players seemed to like him and he was probably Franklin's 2nd most trusted assistant (after DC Brent Pry).

My guess is that he will run the program much like Franklin does here. The 4 key values that Ricky talked about in his press conference are the same that we have here. In fact, Franklin would have said almost exactly what Ricky said.

So, what to expect. Ricky will be very organized. Detail oriented. I found him to be a pretty good game preparer. Overall, we had faster starts under Ricky as the OC than we did under Moorhead.

Who he hires will be key. I'm guessing he will want to run the same kind of spread offense that we have had the last 4 years. Under Moorhead it was more RPO/read option/play action based. Ricky still ran RPOs and even started to tinker with PROs a bit, but the run game was vastly different in a good way. We relied a bit less on read options and let the RBs and OL go at it. As far as defense goes, your guess is as good as mine. I think he will give your DC full control over it.

(12-17-2019 10:03 AM)Gilesfan Wrote:  Why are we asking this random dude about a coach they hated?

You have to understand that people are comparing him to an OC (Moorhead) who built the offense from the ground up and called plays for years.

I think most would agree that Ricky was still learning how to be a play caller. Personally, I thought he did really well with revamping the run game. It's more productive now than under Moorhead. I also think Ricky correctly identifies weaknesses on film and comes up with a good game plan. What frustrated us is that he seemed to outsmart himself at times. We would be getting chunk yardage on the ground and then he would inexplicably call 3 straight passing plays. Teams would make adjustments and Ricky would struggle with countering. He would go up tempo for a drive and have huge success only to abandon it the rest of the game. Generally speaking, for the talent we had we should have finished better than we did.

All that being said, I wouldn't be concerned with Ricky as a playcaller. That probably will not be his job as a head coach. Franklin is a really good head coach but a pretty poor play caller. It really doesn't matter.

(12-17-2019 09:57 AM)getmyjive11 Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 07:36 AM)AimHigh Wrote:  Ok Does Ricky... With the lead does he punt or go for it on 4th and 1 on his own 29 yard line vs a top 25 opponent?

Answer correctly or his name will be Ricky Bobby foreveeeeer

Ah. So, the decision to go for it or not on 4th down was Franklin's, and I know Franklin absolutely would not go for it on 4th and 1 in that position. For one, we have a shotgun only offense that had struggled in the past to get that yard. To Ricky's credit, we have been MUCH better getting the first down in short yardage situations. Some of that is personnel, but Ricky has been creative enough in those situations to keep teams honest.

Wait. That's something that should be considered in that situation? If Rahne knows that as well then we've upgraded.

(12-17-2019 11:04 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 09:57 AM)getmyjive11 Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 07:36 AM)AimHigh Wrote:  Ok Does Ricky... With the lead does he punt or go for it on 4th and 1 on his own 29 yard line vs a top 25 opponent?

Answer correctly or his name will be Ricky Bobby foreveeeeer

Ah. So, the decision to go for it or not on 4th down was Franklin's, and I know Franklin absolutely would not go for it on 4th and 1 in that position. For one, we have a shotgun only offense that had struggled in the past to get that yard. To Ricky's credit, we have been MUCH better getting the first down in short yardage situations. Some of that is personnel, but Ricky has been creative enough in those situations to keep teams honest.

Wait. That's something that should be considered in that situation? If Rahne knows that as well then we've upgraded.

Ricky still ran a shotgun only offense, but he was more creative in getting the first down.

(12-17-2019 09:58 AM)getmyjive11 Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 07:04 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 06:39 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  Not a football follower, so I have no questions about Coach Rahne.

But on a slightly more personal note, I likewise spent many years of my career in the VNB-Sovran-Bank of America (and now Icon) building. What I remember about you Maersk guys, is that all (or at least most) of you were waaaaaaay taller than the rest of us -- 6'3" seems to be the minimum height for employees. At 6'0", I felt like a shrimp every time I stepped on the elevator.

Im 5'10"... this explains why they didn't take me with experience, glowing recommendations, and the best interview I've ever had. That rejection has been quite the head scratcher going on over a decade.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

What were you applying for if you don't mind me asking?

Had to go back to my email archives and found it. The name of the position was Analyst, Business Planning. Interview was in July 2010. Obviously was kidding about the height. My sense is it was probably filled internally and posted only to comply with regs.

As a long time Nittany Lion, I will add on to what Jive says. I like Rahne. Probably a good hire. Obviously an intelligent, likable guy. I will root for you.

Franklin himself set the expectation for Penn State to be elite. In general, in order to be elite today you either need to bring in a top notch coordinator or groom the next boy genius. Rahne just never pushed our O to that next level.

The general consensus is that Franklin brought in Joe Moorhead (now HC at Miss St) to teach Rahne his offense for a couple years before Joe could move on and Rahne could take the reins. We had/have all the recruits, but still lost the big games. Many of PSU’s problems may have not been Rahne’s fault. Probably mostly scheme and and other issues. Our receivers can’t catch. Our offense goes to sleep for half a game (at least partially on RR). As Jive posted, we couldn’t convert a 4th and 1 if we had to because we ALWAYS play from the shotgun; although, there was some improvement there late this year. Our OL couldn’t/can‘t keep opposing DL‘s with a pulse out of the backfield, especially on passing downs. Even prior to Rahne with two pretty good NFL RB’s in Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders, the DL were in their face as soon as they took the hand off. The scheme relies on the big play and it just seems off for some reason, particularly against the Ohio States of the world who tend to play pretty good D and not give up the big play. Again, not necessarily on Rahne. His predecessor benefited from a handful of arguably the best offensive players in PSU history and still managed to drop a few head scratchers.

Penn Staters still like to bring up the impact of the sanctions. There could still be some impact there, but obviously less and less every year. I think it’s been hard to build a complete group on offense so far, because when we had all world RB and darn good QB and WR, our OL was still suffering from lack of development out of the sanctions. We obviously took a step back this year with a lot of youth on offense.

Somebody mentioned the PSU loonies and Rahne not wanting to be a head coach. There is an article behind a pay wall on The Athletic where I believe (never was able to read the entire article) Rahne is quoted saying exactly that, so Penn Staters did not make that up. I’ve learned that you can never believe a true recruiter when he drops the "I’ll be here forever" line. Do people really still fall for that?

Another poster mentioned Rahne learning the head coaching gig then returning later when Franklin decides to move on. I am in the camp that Franklin is there for the long run. A lot of rivals were drooling over JF leaving for USC or FSU. I can admit, unlike most, that I don’t know for sure; but, I think Franklin was using those positions to upgrade the PSU job to compete with OSU, AL and Clemson. PSU set the bar in the 80’s but really hasn’t kept up since in terms of investment in the program. I think JF was insisting on the admin stepping up if they want to be serious players on the national scene again vs maybe having an occasional shot at the playoffs.

Finally, good luck to you folks. I think a lot of Nittany Lions will be rooting for you.

(12-17-2019 02:29 PM)PJimmy Wrote:  As a long time Nittany Lion, I will add on to what Jive says. I like Rahne. Probably a good hire. Obviously an intelligent, likable guy. I will root for you.

Franklin himself set the expectation for Penn State to be elite. In general, in order to be elite today you either need to bring in a top notch coordinator or groom the next boy genius. Rahne just never pushed our O to that next level.

The general consensus is that Franklin brought in Joe Moorhead (now HC at Miss St) to teach Rahne his offense for a couple years before Joe could move on and Rahne could take the reins. We had/have all the recruits, but still lost the big games. Many of PSU’s problems may have not been Rahne’s fault. Probably mostly scheme and and other issues. Our receivers can’t catch. Our offense goes to sleep for half a game (at least partially on RR). As Jive posted, we couldn’t convert a 4th and 1 if we had to because we ALWAYS play from the shotgun; although, there was some improvement there late this year. Our OL couldn’t/can‘t keep opposing DL‘s with a pulse out of the backfield, especially on passing downs. Even prior to Rahne with two pretty good NFL RB’s in Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders, the DL were in their face as soon as they took the hand off. The scheme relies on the big play and it just seems off for some reason, particularly against the Ohio States of the world who tend to play pretty good D and not give up the big play. Again, not necessarily on Rahne. His predecessor benefited from a handful of arguably the best offensive players in PSU history and still managed to drop a few head scratchers.

Penn Staters still like to bring up the impact of the sanctions. There could still be some impact there, but obviously less and less every year. I think it’s been hard to build a complete group on offense so far, because when we had all world RB and darn good QB and WR, our OL was still suffering from lack of development out of the sanctions. We obviously took a step back this year with a lot of youth on offense.

Somebody mentioned the PSU loonies and Rahne not wanting to be a head coach. There is an article behind a pay wall on The Athletic where I believe (never was able to read the entire article) Rahne is quoted saying exactly that, so Penn Staters did not make that up. I’ve learned that you can never believe a true recruiter when he drops the "I’ll be here forever" line. Do people really still fall for that?

Another poster mentioned Rahne learning the head coaching gig then returning later when Franklin decides to move on. I am in the camp that Franklin is there for the long run. A lot of rivals were drooling over JF leaving for USC or FSU. I can admit, unlike most, that I don’t know for sure; but, I think Franklin was using those positions to upgrade the PSU job to compete with OSU, AL and Clemson. PSU set the bar in the 80’s but really hasn’t kept up since in terms of investment in the program. I think JF was insisting on the admin stepping up if they want to be serious players on the national scene again vs maybe having an occasional shot at the playoffs.

Finally, good luck to you folks. I think a lot of Nittany Lions will be rooting for you.

For what this is worth, one of my closest friends is a Penn State grad and a huge college football fan. When I asked him about Rahne his thoughts were that (A) his players will love him and (B) he communicates well with people and should do well with recruiting (or at least better than BW did). He thought the hire was a good one for ODU.

(12-17-2019 12:46 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 09:58 AM)getmyjive11 Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 07:04 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-17-2019 06:39 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  Not a football follower, so I have no questions about Coach Rahne.

But on a slightly more personal note, I likewise spent many years of my career in the VNB-Sovran-Bank of America (and now Icon) building. What I remember about you Maersk guys, is that all (or at least most) of you were waaaaaaay taller than the rest of us -- 6'3" seems to be the minimum height for employees. At 6'0", I felt like a shrimp every time I stepped on the elevator.

Im 5'10"... this explains why they didn't take me with experience, glowing recommendations, and the best interview I've ever had. That rejection has been quite the head scratcher going on over a decade.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

What were you applying for if you don't mind me asking?

Had to go back to my email archives and found it. The name of the position was Analyst, Business Planning. Interview was in July 2010. Obviously was kidding about the height. My sense is it was probably filled internally and posted only to comply with regs.

I left in 2008, so it wasn't me!

(12-17-2019 07:36 AM)AimHigh Wrote:  Ok Does Ricky... With the lead does he punt or go for it on 4th and 1 on his own 29 yard line vs a top 25 opponent?

Answer correctly or his name will be Ricky Bobby foreveeeeer

He punts a lot. Usually after 3 plays.

(12-17-2019 10:03 AM)Gilesfan Wrote:  Why are we asking this random dude about a coach they hated?

Vs asking a random dude/Gilesfan who did not even know how to pronounce Rahne's name two weeks ago.

Can you tell us what Rahne's offense did really well?

(12-17-2019 10:02 AM)odu09 Wrote:  So in the spirit of the thread, does OP believe we made a good hire? Are you one of the PSU die-hards that were happy to get him out of your program? Will you be rooting for your minor league team ODU now?

Maybe, maybe not. He might be a good HC but he was not that great an OC. The weakness of PSU was the offense.