It was a difficult assignment because Millen was put on the spot immediately after the release of the report and because he was clearly conflicted -- wrestling with what he experienced during his Penn State career and believed and thought he knew, and what the report concluded.
Instead of that honesty and internal conflict drawing praise, though, his indecision or unwillingness to produce a loud anti-Penn State perspective prompted criticism from media and TV pundits. Meanwhile, ESPN executives and officials were more at fault. Millen was doing the best he could in a clearly emotional situation while another expert or experts might have produced better, smarter TV.
Still, another longtime college football analyst and former Penn State All-American has proven to be the most savvy, smartest expert regarding the scandal. That's Todd Blackledge, like Millen a member of the ESPN/ABC family but unlike Millen completely unavailable for comment in the wake of the report.
Maybe that's why Blackledge was an Academic All-American. He knows how and when to do his job.
In the past week, it has been to not do his job -- not to put himself in a position, as a former team captain for Joe Paterno and the quarterback of Paterno's first national championship team, to be critical of the program and be criticized for his work as a result. Whatever the reason (coaching his children, family vacation, something else), it's a smart approach. Silence has served Blackledge well, as it might many others in regard to the scandal.
That's because informative, quality analysis about the situation probably exists between what some see as the apologist approach practiced by Millen or local media in central Pennsylvnia and the extreme generalizations and shrill reactions of many who have national platforms for discussion. Both groups of media members have things that impact their ability to do the best work. For those closer to the situation, it's an overabundance of emotion and familiarity. For those farther away, it's a lack of context -- just not knowing what they do not know in some instances.
Also, in terms of criticizing Millen, it's interesting that some who complained and cited his work as flawed or not opinionated enough are the same folks who consistently and justifiably knock shows like ESPN's "First Take" for being one-dimensional, thoughtless displays of personality, ranting and style over substance. Again, really good TV rests somewhere in between those extremes -- with a little patience and perspective as well as some strong, thoughtful opinions. (Of course, if you're silent neither the good nor the bad can happen.)
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