I get that Joe Paterno has known Jerry Sandusky for over 40 years.  But did he really know him?  According to the grand jury transcript as far back as 1996, Sandusky was inappropriately involved with a young boy in the locker room shower at Penn State university.  The first investigation took place in 1998, while Sandusky was still on the coaching staff at Penn State.  No criminal charge was brought against Sandusky at that time.

In 1999, Sandusky retires from Penn State, but is still allowed access to the campus facilities.  The following year a janitor observes Sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in the football teams locker room shower. Amazingly no report is filed.  In 2002, then graduate assistant now wide receivers coach Mike McQueary witnesses Sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in the locker room shower of the Lasch Football Building.

McQueary, according to the transcript, calls his father.  Then he tells head coach Joe Paterno, who in turn tells Athletic Director Tim Curley what McQueary had told him.  Curley calls McQueary in to hear what McQueary had seen.  Also present was vice president Gary Schultz.  Both Curley and Schultz say they will look into it.  Mind you this was in 2002.

The only action taken by Penn State in 2002 was that Sandusky’s locker room keys were taken away and the incident was reported to the Second Mile charity, a group foster home founded by Sandusky in 1977.  Three years later in 2005 Sandusky is involved with yet another young boy and remains in contact with him over a three year period.

Not until 2009 is an investigation finally underway after one of Sandusky’s victims comes forward to report inappropriate touching over a four year period.  Sandusky in 2010 retires from his role in The Second Mile for personal reasons.  Sandusky is finally charged with 40 counts of sexual assault on November 5th of this year.

Now after all the facts have been laid out, I want to say that all of these accusations are alleged against Jerry Sandusky.  He is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Do you see how all of this looks?  I don’t think Paterno really knew this guy.  Plus even with the knowledge of an alleged incident that took place in the locker room of the football team, what does Paterno do?  He gives it to the Athletic Department who in turn doesn’t even report it to the police.  Now Paterno certainly did more than nothing, but you mean to tell me he couldn’t follow up with the Athletic Department?

Of course right at the top of this is the now former Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz.  They are both being charged with perjury in this case.  How do you not give this information to the police?  Next in line is former President Graham Spanier who was gutless in not owning up to the mistakes of this administration and taking some responsibility.  You’re the president of the university for God’s sake.

Next is Joe Paterno.  Now I wouldn’t be piling on him as much if he didn’t have a mini pep rally after he released a statement saying that he would retire at the end of the season.  If you haven’t seen that video, I suggest you do.  I know that he’s 84 years old, but you would think that a man who has that many years under his belt would have known that was not the time nor the place to be holding a pep rally on your front lawn when there are victims of your former assistant whose lives will never be the same.

His quote from that pep rally told me exactly how he feels about the situation.

“The victims or whatever they want to say I think we ought to say a prayer for them.  Tough life when people do certain things to you. Anyway you’ve been great.”

Yeah and you weren’t in those 3 minutes on your lawn Joe.  To me I think that what has happened or alleged to have happened at Penn State is one of the biggest scars on our society as a whole. Former Penn State player and current ESPN analyst Matt Millen brought it up on ESPN earlier in the week.  How can we as a society move forward if we allow someone, anyone to do what was alleged to those children?

For me it’s a no brainer.  You see something happen, whether it be someone stealing something, beating someone up or verbally abusing them.  You yourself can either do something about it or speak up and report it.  It’s as simple as that or so I think it is.

Paterno basically had to go.  When you respond to the board of trustees at Penn State by saying you will retire at the end of the year when they announce they’re going to review your position as the football coach.  You can’t as an institution of Penn State’s stature have Paterno continue to coach and then have him hold a postgame press conference being asked questions about the sexual assault case.  That can’t be allowed to happen.

Paterno should have followed up with the Athletic Department to see what they were doing.  As should current wide receivers coach Mike McQueary.  I can say the same thing about McQueary.  He should have followed up with the Athletic Department and if he wasn’t satisfied with their investigation, go to the police at that point.

Mike McQueary shouldn’t be allowed to coach either.  It’s only fair that with Paterno being let go, McQueary should have the same fate.  Paterno was honest when he said in his statement,

“This is a tragedy.  It is one of the greatest sorrows of my life.  With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”

The sad part is he didn’t.  How do you let Sandusky continue to be around the facilities for 9 more years after an allegation was brought to your attention?  Now he will have to live with that forever. As will McQueary, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Graham Spanier and others who didn’t do enough to stop these alleged assaults before it got out of hand.

Forget about football in this situation.  This is far bigger than any game.  This pulls at us as individuals.  What do you believe in? Whatever that may be will you stand up for what is right?  We have to learn from our mistakes and make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again.  I’ve mentioned it in other posts that there is evil in our world.  We have to confront it if we are to truly be a strong and just society.

The game everyone wanted to see was the Ravens vs Steelers. Two teams that don’t like each other on or off the field.  A rivalry. Who says rivalries are dead?  This game was good, but it certainly changed at the start of the second half.  The Ravens were in control through the first three quarters up 16-6.  However, Pittsburgh was playing at home and played excellent football on offense and defense at the start of the 4th quarter.  Back to back touchdowns in the 4th quarter gave the Steelers a 20-16 lead.  Not ideal, but that forced the Ravens to score a touchdown to win the game.  Field goals weren’t going to matter anymore.  But a boneheaded delay of game penalty late gave Baltimore life as the Steelers took themselves out of field goal range and punted the ball back to the Ravens.  Amazingly Ravens QB Joe Flacco had a game winning drive of 92 yards that resulted in his only touchdown pass to rookie WR Torrey Smith who earlier in the drive dropped a touchdown pass.  A great game ended on a great note.  Also it meant that the Ravens had swept the Steelers for only the second time in franchise history.  The only other time was 2006.  It was a big game for both teams and it put a nice finishing touch on a great football Sunday.

As I did last year during Week 8 of the 2010 season, it’s time to see how all 32 NFL teams are doing at the half way point of the season.  It’s part of a segment I do on twitter after the Sunday Night game is over called, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ in the NFL.  Some teams are good, some are bad and there are those that shouldn’t be mentioned.  Lets see where your team(s) ended up this year.

The Good

Green Bay Packers 7-0

Aaron Rodgers is on fire.  The defense is beginning to pick up the pace and play much better of late.  I don’t expect them to win more than 13 games to end the season, but it is to be expected that the Packers will be the team to beat going into the playoffs.

Detroit Lions 6-2

A bit of a hiccup losing two straight at home, but they are pretty good away from Detroit.  That bodes well for a young team that will most likely be playing on the road for most of the playoffs.  That’s assuming they make the playoffs which I believe they will.

San Francisco 49ers 6-1

Jim Harbaugh is doing what I thought was the impossible and that is have Alex Smith look like a serviceable quarterback.  Time has run out on him living up to being the number overall selection, but with the help of RB Frank Gore and a fantastic defense already in place the 49ers are in a perfect position to be the second seed in the NFC.

New Orleans Saints 5-3

I keep scratching my head with the Saints, but as long as Drew Brees keeps throwing touchdown passes and if they can consistently run the ball.  New Orleans will make a strong push towards the playoffs and another division title.

New York Giants 5-2

Tom Coughlin is off to another good start, but has to keep the Giants from making too many mistakes down the stretch like in years past.  If the Giants and QB Eli Manning can keep from doing that, then New York will have two teams making the playoffs this year.

Houston Texans 5-3

I believe that the Texans would have been at this point even if Peyton Manning was able to play for the Colts this year.  However, we can’t overlook that and say that the Texans would be leading the division right now.  Matt Schaub is doing a great job without WR Andre Johnson the last few games and RB Arian Foster is the real deal.

Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2

Injuries are beginning to mount for the defending AFC champions, but Ben Roethlisberger is playing great of late.  The Steelers defense is still playing at a high level, mainly because Troy Polamalu is still roaming around the field.

Cincinnati Bengals 5-2

I can’t see the Bengals making a push for the playoffs when Pittsburgh and Baltimore have more established offensive players in place.  I can’t take anything away from what rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have been doing this year.  And Cincinnati’s defense is among the best in the NFL.

Baltimore Ravens 5-2

Even with the sometimes anemic offense the Ravens defense is what makes them contenders year in and year out.  Joe Flacco will have to play better if the Ravens are to keep pace with Pittsburgh and the resurgent Bengals.

Buffalo Bills 5-2

The surprise of the NFL is causing turnovers on defense and making the most of their opportunities on offense.  Ryan Fitzpatrick has a new contract and with RB Fred Jackson playing like a franchise back the Bills will be tough to contain the rest of the season.

New England Patriots 5-2

They seem to be a flawed team, but Tom Brady is still playing at an elite level and Bill Belichick has a way of making the most out of nothing which is what his defense is.  If the Patriots can consistently run the ball the rest of the season they might be able to keep their defense off the field.

The Bad

New York Jets 4-3

The defense has been okay, but if the offense could pick up the pace the Jets will be all right.  The Jets pride themselves on being a smash mouth football team, but haven’t shown it in the running game.  LaDainian Tomlinson seems to have gotten old overnight and Shonn Greene will probably never live up to his potential.  If the opposite happens the Jets will compete for a Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns 3-4

Even with the absence of their best player in RB Peyton Hillis the Browns remain competitive.  Their defense is playing at a high level and QB Colt McCoy is developing nicely even without a consistent running game to back him up.

Tennessee Titans 4-3

The defense is okay at times, but the real success of the Titans rests with QB Matt Hasselbeck.  He has had a lot of success in the NFL, but he will need RB Chris Johnson to improve on his 2.8 yards per carry average.  He appears to not have anymore motivation after getting his contract.

Kansas City Chiefs 4-3

They could easily be at the top, but a horrible start puts them here. They are starting to play better now.  They found a running game with Jackie Battle getting a chance to play. Matt Cassel still has Dwayne Bowe and last years 1st round pick Jon Baldwin to throw to.  This could be a good season in Kansas City after all.

San Diego Chargers 4-3

First things first they have to fix whatever is wrong with QB Philip Rivers.  He leads the league in turnovers and even with all the talent around him he isn’t throwing the ball with confidence.  The defense isn’t playing up to their standards either, but that’s to be expected with San Diego’s history.

Oakland Raiders 4-3

Time will tell if Carson Palmer will pan out in Oakland, but as of now losing Jason Campbell will hurt the Raiders.  Even worse is if Darren McFadden is out for an extended period of time with a foot injury.  The defense is playing great, but they have to score points to win games.

Philadelphia Eagles 3-4

They are starting to heat up at the right time.  Overall they are not an elite team, but their pass rush and defense is what will save them.  Only the best rushing teams in the league can beat them. Or the Green Bay Packers.  Either way their success lies with Michael Vick.

Dallas Cowboys 3-4

Their confidence levels are like the stock market.  Really high one week and falling off the map the next.  They really aren’t a good overall team, but when your entire division is full of teams that play inconsistently every week then Dallas does have a chance to make the playoffs.

Washington Redskins 3-4

They were atop the NFC East at one point this season, but it’s now turning into a disaster.  Rex Grossman has been benched and John Beck doesn’t look any better.  They have lost their best running back and tight end for the season and WR Santana Moss will be out for a while.  Their only saving grace is their defense, but even that has its flaws.

Chicago Bears 4-3

Matt Forte is doing everything except playing defense for the Bears.  Jay Cutler still doesn’t have enough time to throw the ball. Teams for some reason are still kicking the ball to Devin Hester too.  Chicago has too many flaws, but they could make it to the playoffs, surprisingly.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-3

They are slowly coming apart.  They have no running game to keep Josh Freeman from being blitzed all day long.  The defense has been up and down all year long.  With a resurgent Atlanta coming back and New Orleans staying on top the Bucs don’t have much time left to make a move.

Atlanta Falcons 4-3

The Falcons defense is playing better and so is Matt Ryan. They’re giving the ball to Michael Turner who is their workhorse. Tony Gonzalez looks rejuvenated, but they will need Julio Jones back sooner rather than later with defenses doubling Roddy White.

The Ugly

St. Louis Rams 1-6

Losing Danny Amendola has hurt Sam Bradford’s production. Amendola was his security blanket last year.  Also Bradford isn’t getting enough protection from his offensive line.  However, if Steven Jackson continues to play well and stay healthy then the Rams might just be able to salvage this season.

Arizona Cardinals 1-6

Kevin Kolb seems to have fooled everyone.  Arizona expected great things from Kolb, but a lackluster offensive line and injuries to Beanie Wells have left Kolb defenseless against the pass rush. If the Cardinals can get 3 more wins this season then it will be a success considering their problems.

Seattle Seahawks 2-5

It amazes me that Seattle even has two wins this season.  They have no running game.  The quarterback situation is puzzling.  And the defense is not living up to its standards of the past.  They were the worst football team to make the playoffs last year, but that was with a decent quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck.

Carolina Panthers 2-6

They should be encouraged with the progress that QB Cam Newton is making.  They should be discouraged about the way the defense is playing though.  Carolina has been in some close games this year, but the defense has let them down.  Also DeAngelo Williams is getting paid big money for what, only 1 touchdown.

Minnesota Vikings 2-6

The Donovan McNabb experiment didn’t last as long as Leslie Frazier would’ve liked, but they have a good looking quarterback in Christian Ponder.  So long as Adrian Peterson can continue to produce at a high level it will only help Ponder’s progression.

Denver Broncos 2-5

The Tim Tebow experiment will probably get worse.  There isn’t much for the Broncos to cheer about.  I’m sure the Broncos will get at least two more wins, but they will be looking to draft Andrew Luck if Tebow continues to falter.

Indianapolis Colts 0-8

Disaster has happened like we all expected with the absence of Peyton Manning.  We just didn’t expect the entire team to fold.  It’s to be expected that the Colts will probably revamp a lot of areas next year, but the question will remain with the health of Manning next year.

Jacksonville Jaguars 2-6

Blaine Gabbert was thrown into the fire way too early.  The offensive line isn’t doing its job and Maurice Jones-Drew can’t do everything for the Jaguars.  All of a sudden they have no one to catch the ball anymore.  It might finally be the end of the Jack Del Rio era in Jacksonville.

Miami Dolphins 0-7

They have remained competitive unlike some teams in this category.  They probably won’t have a winless season, but will probably come close to it.  1-2 wins is likely.  They have no quarterback and no running game.  The defense is their only saving grace and one of them is having a war of words with Reggie Bush in the media.