"We'll be a good competitive football team, not a great team," Paterno said.

Paterno believes his Nittany Lions are a little too young to make a real run at a Big Ten title, but he likes what his team could be.

"We have a good future," Paterno said.

Anthony Morelli is back under center for the Nittany Lions, but the offensive line has holes that need to be addressed and for the most part Paterno admits his best players are mostly underclassmen.

Then after Paterno got done quickly evaluating his team, the fun began. The media favorite got plenty of laughs as he reeled of some funny one-liners and quotes that had every writer in the ballroom grinning.

To begin with, Paterno was asked about his time coaching from the press box last season after breaking his leg against Wisconsin.

"There's a lot of benefits," Paterno said. "You're not down on the field where you can yell and holler and push and shove. You see so much more. I try not to intefere with the guys upstairs, but every once in a while I drop a note to them. But you're really a cheer leader down on the sidelines.

"I enjoyed my time upstairs. I sat down, had a cup of coffee - like a newspaper guy. I sat on my rear end and watched television," Paterno said.

And how about all the talk that he should give up coaching? The chorus of anti-Paterno supporters was whole lot louder when the Nittany Lions were really struggling a few years back, but they've cooled down recently and Paterno has no plans of going anywhere and has no plans of paying any attention to what others are saying about him.

"The Good Lord has been good to me. I've been healthy," Paterno said. "I had a little setback when I got run over last year, but I don't bother what people think. It's kind of flattering that so many people are interested in what I'm going to do."

There are more important things to Paterno than what fans and media members have to say, like for instance his family. He's expecting his 16th grandchild this fall and many of his grandchildren are starting to ask him about his team, like his 11-year old.

"He's probably smarter than some of the 40-year olds who email me," Paterno quipped.

Predictably, the subject of Paterno's team discipline, in which he will have his team clean the stadium following each home game, came up and was Hall of Fame coach was asked how that decision came about, whether the team had any input on their punishment.

"I just told them," Paterno flatly stated, taking a step back from the podium. "We're not exactly a democracy," he joked.

The ballroom was packed for Paterno and he didn't disappoint. As soon as he stepped off and made way for Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, the room got noticeably thinner.

It was understanable. Ferentz was not nearly as entertaining as Paterno.