UNIVERSITY PARK -- Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny was on hand for the opening of spring drills Saturday, but his participation through the April 22 Blue-White Game will be limited.
Posluszny, who sustained ligament damage in his right knee during the Nittany Lions' Orange Bowl win, is healing on schedule. But he still wears a brace on the knee, and no one is eager to risk his health with next season still months away.
"Paul has been trying -- wants to do some things -- but I'm not going to stick him in there," Joe Paterno said yesterday. "That would be foolish."
Posluszny, an All-American who won the Butkus and Bednarik awards last season, would like to participate in the contact drills, but he understands why he's being held out.
"The knee feels great right now. I feel like I could play a game right now if I had to," he said. "But we're just being really cautious with it. There's no reason to rush back for anything. I just want to make sure I'm 100 percent for the season."
"He's fine," Paterno said. "He was chafing at the bit to play in the Orange Bowl, and I wouldn't let him."
Williams, who could be used in a Reggie Bush mode as a wide receiver and running back this fall, found the down time to be a new experience.
"I never was hurt before," he said, adding that he followed the advice of his coaches, to use the time to observe. "I learned a lot from being hurt and being on the sidelines."
"I don't know why we're even talking right now. I said to our sports information people, 'What in God's name can I tell them?' " Paterno said.
"If we did this three weeks from now, I might have a little better attitude."
Told that the two parties could chat again then, Paterno shot back, "Not if I can help it."
Redshirt freshman quarterback Daryll Clark also is not practicing. Paterno said he's unable to because he's a partial qualifier.
