February 8th, 2004


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
05:54 pm - Morelli Madness
I know this is a hell of alot of posts for one day but I am a dork and throwing one more up. I highly suggest you read this whole article at Pittsburgh Live but I will give you a few quotes from it. Its about how Morelli decided on PSU but the stuff about Morelli and his Dad is just to funny to pass up. I gurantee that the Morelli family will never do an interview for the Trib again. The piece is titled A Recruiting Odd-ysse

Greg Morelli has been criticized for living vicariously through Anthony, but no one can question his devotion to his only son. "They don't know me," Greg, 42, said. "I'm one of the best fathers in the world. I'm tired of being the bad guy."

"They really rolled out the red carpet," Greg Morelli said that day. "I walked in Walt Harris' office and they had an authentic jersey with No. 14 on it. He said, 'It's yours as soon as you make a commitment.'
"They've got my heart now." By this past Wednesday, Greg Morelli had undergone a complete change of heart. He stood by his son at the Penn Hills media room, beaming as Anthony announced his choice: Penn State
Theirs is a tale of an overzealous father and the prodigy son he guided through a recruiting process described by coaches and analysts as one of the most bizarre the college football world has seen. And one this city won't soon forget.

That he invested countless hours into Anthony's development. That they are so close, they have matching barbed-wire tattoos on their left biceps.

"Nothing they do surprises me," Lemming said. "Pitt was on its way to having one of its best years in a long time. When Morelli left, it snowballed. So, you can probably blame that on his dad." Greg protests assertions that he was a puppeteer, and he resents portrayals as a "Daddy Dearest." "This was Anthony's decision," Greg Morelli said. "It wasn't daddy's decision."

After the meeting, Morelli realized his chances of playing early - an important factor in his decision - were slimmer than expected when he committed. "Palko and (Luke) Getsy have been down there two years and know the offense like the back of their hands," Morelli said. "I felt like I was behind." Morelli started to listen to his family's pleas to look at other schools. One family member said Anthony, who went against their wishes in picking Pitt without taking other official visits, simply "didn't want to face the firing squad again."

The Lions' offense is familar, in terms of style and terminology, to what Morelli ran at Penn Hills. Of course, he and his father complained about Indians coach Neil Gordon's run-oriented attack, pining to pass more often to showcase Morelli's arm. "I liked the Pitt offense. It's great for a quarterback and receivers," Morelli said. "As far as my decision, there's a lot of similarities from Penn Hills to Penn State. I don't have to throw all of that out the window."

Penn State recruiting ace Tom Bradley opened the door for coach Joe Paterno, who charmed the Morelli family. The Lions convinced Morelli to take an official visit, where he became enamored with 106,537-seat Beaver Stadium, the stability of the Big Ten Conference and the possibility of early playing time. Some recruiting analysts disagree, pointing to Penn State's dismal track record in producing pro quarterbacks. Kerry Collins of the New York Giants is Penn State's only active NFL quarterback. "You leave a bona fide quarterback coach in Walt Harris," Lemming said, "to go to a school that isn't known for developing quarterbacks." Jay Paterno, however, is expected to be replaced as quarterbacks coach. His successor will be pivotal the development of Morelli, who possesses NFL tools but needs to improve his mental approach to the game.

Johnson advises Morelli and his father to concentrate less on their NFL ambitions and more on learning the intricacies of the most important position on the field. "These are young, high school kids. Some have a little better arm, some a better head, this or that," Johnson said. "They've got a few steps from here until Sunday games. I wouldn't mention Sunday to these kids ever. That's a long road ahead, a lot of third-and-10s away. I've heard his dad say that. It's crazy. They better get real. The NFL is a long way away."

I thought there were some interesting things there but to much for me to write about right now. I will get back to this.