Bill O Brien

The bottom had threatened to fall out of Penn State's highly rated recruiting class in the wake of "Black Monday," when the NCAA punished its football program with a four-year bowl ban, reduced scholarships, and other penalties in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child-abuse scandal. Within two weeks of the July 23 bombshell, five high school players who had orally committed to attend Penn State had backed out. Many others, including top quarterback prospect Christian Hackenberg, were exploring their options while being inundated with calls from rival FBS coaches.

Penn State coach Bill O'Brien won the 2012 Paul "Bear" Bryant College Coach of the Year Award on Thursday night, beating out five other finalists. O'Brien led the Nittany Lions through an 0-2 start and NCAA sanctions to an 8-4 finish in his first season at State College. "It means so much to the kids and everyone else who stuck with us," O'Brien said. "This was a program award. " O'Brien won his third national coach of the year award after previously winning the Maxwell Club and ESPN awards last month.

UP OFF THE FLOOR, then. A splash of cold water on the face and away we go. Chip Kelly is the new coach of the Eagles. The Gus Bus has left town, replaced by what Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie believes will be the laser-quick offense of the future. You know it took a big bag of money to pry Kelly away from the clutches of the University of Phil Knight. So this is where the Eagles-are-cheap narrative goes to die an overdue, deserved death. You know, too, that the Eagles are not settling here, and that they did not bungle their search, and that pretty much everything said and written in the last week about this process has been conversation in search of reality.

Funny how nobody talks much anymore about Joe Paterno's statue. Much like that 900-pound likeness the university removed last summer from outside Beaver Stadium, the late Penn State coach's legacy once seemed destined to endure forever. Now, almost a year after Paterno's death, it is melting away rapidly, like the last vestiges of a snowfall in spring. The tumult provoked by the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the red-hot debate over Paterno's response, and the fears about Penn State football's future all have eased somewhat, even if the torment of Sandusky's child victims has not. Sandusky is in prison.

Penn State's efforts to restore its integrity got a boost last week from Bill O'Brien, who announced his intention to return as the Nittany Lions' head football coach next season. O'Brien had reportedly heard overtures from several NFL teams, including the Eagles. But O'Brien's announcement came just as Gov. Corbett was giving Penn State another black eye by suing the NCAA over its harsh sanctions against the university. Corbett and O'Brien's respective decisions say much about the character of each man, as well as the difficulty of restoring Penn State's tarnished reputation.

STATE COLLEGE - Bill O'Brien said it wasn't about the money. After speaking with several NFL teams, including the Eagles, about their coaching vacancies, O'Brien last week said he would remain at Penn State. Monday, exactly a year after being introduced as the new head coach, O'Brien held his first news conference since guiding the Nittany Lions to a surprising 8-4 season. O'Brien said he remains committed to Penn State, saying that though the NFL is the pinnacle of coaching and he had conversations with a few NFL teams, he is "very, very proud" to lead the Nittany Lions.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Because he is a coach, and the NFL is the "highest level of coaching," Bill O'Brien said he felt a need to check out some of the opportunities he had to return to the pros as a head coach before deciding he would remain at Penn State. However, in explaining his reasons why he stayed, O'Brien emphatically denied Monday that influential university donor Terry Pegula pledged $1.3 million to add to his contract or that he imposed any demands on acting athletic director Dave Joyner to gain more influence within the athletic department.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Because he is a coach, and the NFL is the "highest level of coaching," Bill O'Brien said he felt a need to check out some of the opportunities he had to return to the pros as a head coach before deciding he would remain at Penn State. However, in explaining his reasons why he stayed, O'Brien emphatically denied Monday that influential university donor Terry Pegula pledged $1.3 million to add to his contract or that he imposed any demands on acting athletic director Dave Joyner to gain more influence within the athletic department.

Is Chip off the block for the Eagles? The Browns were close to signing Oregon coach Chip Kelly just hours after his Ducks beat Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, according to an NFL Network report Friday evening. Still, a source close to the situation said that it was not a done deal and that Kelly could entertain other offers or even return to college. ESPN reported that he was scheduled to meet with the Bills on Friday night and the Eagles on Saturday. The Eagles did not confirm the interview.

It was a brief flirtation, but Bill O'Brien has told Penn State that he is staying after he interviewed with the Eagles and Browns, a source close to the situation said Thursday night.   O'Brien met with the Eagles on Thursday, a team spokesman confirmed. He met with the Browns earlier this week, an NFL source said.   Whether he seriously considered leaving State College or not, O'Brien was likely able to gain leverage at Penn State. There is a buyout clause in O'Brien's contract worth $9.2 million - some reports have said the figure is twice as high - if O'Brien were to leave.