Morelli inherits hot seat, attention

He's replacing Michael Robinson as the Nittany Lions quarterback.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- There will be a new seating arrangement aboard the rickety school bus that takes the Penn State Nittany Lions to Beaver Stadium.
Now that he's starting at quarterback, Anthony Morelli gets to ride in the front row, across the aisle from coach Joe Paterno as part of a team tradition.
And therein lies one of the main questions heading into the 2006 season for No. 19 Penn State: Just how good will the highly touted Morelli be now that he's in the hot seat?
"I think he will be all right," said Paterno, entering his 41st season leading the Nittany Lions. "The dumb head coach didn't have him throw the ball enough the last two years."
Big Ten champs
With good reason though, at least in 2005: Michael Robinson excelled as the starter, guiding a revved-up offense that helped revive Happy Valley.
Penn State finished 11-1, captured the Big Ten title and won the Orange Bowl.
Most of his other skill-position players are back, including hard-nosed 1,000-yard rusher Tony Hunt and talented but brittle backup Austin Scott.
So is the receiving corps led by speedy sophomores Derrick Williams and Deon Butler and the sure-handed Jordan Norwood.
Unlike his predecessor, Morelli isn't as keen on moving outside the pocket, though he's got a strong arm.
"With Michael Robinson, it was a little different ball game, and it will be a little different ball game with Anthony," Paterno said.
Opened up scheme
Still, there aren't hints of many changes to Penn State's scheme, which opened up last year thanks in part to the emergence of the fresh-faced receiving corps.
As always, offensive line play will be crucial. The Nittany Lions must replace four starters -- 6-foot-7 left tackle Levi Brown returns -- to keep Morelli upright in the pocket and open holes for the running game.
"Everybody is doubting us," said Brown, a team captain.
"We have to go out and prove everybody wrong."
Paterno said that the unit is less experienced but might be more athletic than last year's starting five.
"Obviously, it is going to be a problem until they get in the ball game and somebody knocks them around a little bit and they can recover from some things," the coach said.
Defensive leader
With his impressive resume of awards, fellow captain and All-American linebacker Paul Posluszny might not seem to have many weaknesses. He's even been named Big Ten preseason defensive player of the year.
But "Pos" or "Puz," as he's called by teammates, is returning from a serious right knee injury suffered in the Orange Bowl.
He didn't need surgery, and Paterno said Posluszny could have practiced in the spring, though he held him out of full contact as a precaution.
"I'm 100 percent," Posluszny said several days after fall practice started.
Posluszny is so good, former Penn State and Steelers linebacking great Jack Ham has called him the best linebacker in school history. It's quite a compliment considering the school known as "Linebacker U."
Dan Connor, Tim Shaw and Posluszny give Penn State one of the best linebacking trios in the country, and there is talented depth behind them.
While that unit should be a strength, the defense will have seven other new starters. Only Jay Alford returns from last year's starting defensive line, which featured athletic end Tamba Hali.
Johnson returns
Tackle Ed Johnson has experience, but the senior didn't play last year because of an off-the-field issue. Josh Gaines and Jim Shaw have some time as reserves, though last season's workhorse line didn't need many breathers.
There's a whole new quartet starting in the secondary, and coupled with the new-look line, pass defense could be an issue early on.
Seniors Donnie Johnson and Nolan McCready should take over at the safety spots, with sophomore Tony Davis the probable starter at one cornerback position.
The other side will be manned by sophomore Justin King, last season's standout two-way freshman who's sticking with defense this year. While King's speed helped the offense, he was recruited by defensive coordinator Tom Bradley to play cornerback.
King and Williams factor into a potentially dangerous return game on a special-teams unit that could improve. Jeremy Kapinos is a fine punter, and kicker Kevin Kelly returns after a promising freshman year.
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