Your premise and expectations are understandable. Your points are marginal.
--I don't think Veilleux looks as good in the Iowa City meat-grinder as he did weeks later in the home -friendly confines vs. Rutgers (probably after more, higher quality reps than he was getting as number 3). Apples and oranges comparison. Yes, Roberson was a disaster, but he wasn't supposed to be the backup either. Losing players to the portal (Levis) is something all of CFB is still adjusting to, not just PSU.
--We've had "solid" O-lines, just not the dominant, year-in, year-out O-line you want. And it appears Franklin knows it's a problem as he keeps changing coaches there. And recruiting in this area appears to be improving.
-- I, too, was raised on PSU football. And you have to acknowledge it's a different era. I, too, would like to reach the mountaintop once more before I die. But I also know we had a hall of fame legend as head coach then. And he would still make mistakes from time to time. Dumb ones if you ask me, and yes, clearly in hindsight.Different era, different rules. We're in a conference now, and the schedules are indeed harder. There were a lot less high-quality teams back then, and you rarely played more than a few before a bowl game. A team had time to come together, to get stronger as the season went. Yet, according to that same hall of fame coach, you could only expect maximum quality and efficiency no more than a couple games per year. There are going to be down weeks, flat performances. It happens to every team. For example, we moved the ball pretty much at will vs. Auburn. Bama looked completely inept against the same team for 3.5 quarters with a lot more weapons and a much better line. And for emphasis, this is their stone cold mortal enemy rival. Flat, inept, almost lost. Fortunately, they were only 10 down.
I know this is not what you want to hear. I believe Franklin is a good coach, one who is young and still learning things on the job. He can identify problems the same as we can, probably quicker since he's there every day, every practice. No he isn't perfect. Who is? Good, even great teams still have bad performances. Have we had our share? Yes, undoubtedly. (That legendary coach we had would also have some maddening in-game decision making as well.) Is he vastly overpaid based on W-L the last two years? It currently looks that way, but again, there are a lot of coaches earning massive salaries these days. (And the last two years have been a little different, you would agree, correct? Not all of those other higher paid coaches measure up to Franklin's accomplishments at this point, either. Meyer would probably demand more money, by the way.
Maybe ten years ago, I agree with you. However, 2012 Urban Meyer is not 2022 Urban Meyer. He has changed dramatically since then and not for the better. Can he still coach? Probably, but it's no longer a certainty. But he's become a terrible human being, one with decision-making skills that seem to be deteriorating rapidly.
Please, for the love of all that is decent, keep him away from Penn State.
