The chat transcript from yesterday and the Q&A today. First, something that amused me in the chat transcript.
ether: How much would you account last weeks showing to a. Poor execution by the players b. Poor planning and adjusting by the coaching staff or c. Michigan State the having superior players?
Paul Zeise: Good question. If I were grading I’d give both the defensive players and defensive coaching staff a failing grade for that game. It seems like it has gotten to the point where every team that runs a spread and runs some option turns into the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. I mean, sooner or later you’d think Pitt would have some degree of success against these kinds of offenses and plays. But again, players have to make plays. The Panthers linebackers need to not just get to the point, but make the play once they get there. The defensive ends need to take better angles to the play. The secondary guys need to do a better job of getting into the action and stopping plays. Michigan State no doubt was physically superior to Pitt, but not 335 yards worth. This was hopefully for Pitt’s sake just a bad day.
[Emphasis added.]
Now, see what happens when the DC is directly indicted.
BringBackWalt: How is Paul Rhodes still employed? How many years now have teams run all over his defense?
Paul Zeise: The defense started off good this year. They’ve had two good games and one bad one. I’d say wait until the end of this year, now that there are some better pieces in place, before you try and run him out of town. He’s a good coach and I think you’ll see that again as some of these younger players continue to develop and gain some experience.
Since the question didn’t specify the kind of offense that runs over the D, Zeise ignores the issue of Paul Rhoads being clueless against the spread and option over the years this time. Instead focusing on this year and the first two games — against teams that don’t run the option. Unlike in the earlier question where the guilty DC wasn’t named, where it was conceded that the Pitt defense has never learned to defend the spread or option.
It’s two things. One, by all accounts, Rhoads is a rather personable guy and well-liked. It means the media doesn’t want to have to take shots at him if they can avoid it. It’s the sort of thing that has helped Dave Wannstedt in his career — until things reached a certain point of disappointment and frustraton is reached.
The second, is that Zeise is a beat writer. He has to see the players and coaches on an almost daily basis and depends on access to them to do his job. To that end, he wants to avoid directly bad-mouthing the players and coaches.
It’s a frustrating gray area for readers and the writers. Think about how many times in this season and in training camp there has been non-specific talk of bad chemistry in the locker room last year. How the beat writers from bothw papers own writing suggest they were well aware of the problems. Yet, if you look back at all the stories from the past season you will not find a single story about bad chemistry, locker room issues and such.
That’s the double-edged sword that is access. You get the access to write stories and provide more information. But that access also demands controlling how much is shared — lest the access be cut-off. Personally, I think the beat writers for Pitt are a little too secretive and concerned about access issues.
On the other side, they would then be busting and putting a lot more on the players. The kids who are still learning about dealing with the media and everything else with life. Plus, everytime they report something negative, there is that loud minority of fans who accuse the paper and the writer of having and agenda, bias or anti- the team.
Sorry, just went off on a tangent there about the media.
A lot of the chat also concerns the idea of moving Conredge Collins to RB rather than FB. The previous couple of seasons, there was probably no bigger champion of Brandon Mason than Zeise. Collins is now his latest. Probably a reflection of the kind of RB he thinks is best, as much as anything else.
In the Q&A for today, Zeise does his best to oppose letting the kids play yet. He comes off as neutral on Dorin Dickerson and Elijah Fields getting playing time, not caring about getting the back-ups any work, “Who cares about getting the back-up quarterback experience? What about the back-up center? Or third string safety? They might have to play some day soon, too. Walt Harris used to burn redshirts for two series of “experience” for the back-up.” He doesn’t want to see the younger players taking more work in the games. Essentially backing the coaches decisions and the status quo.
I’m open to the possibility that he sees that the kids aren’t ready yet in practice, but really doesn’t say that (except for Fields). It just seems as much about trying to not upset the present starters and not second-guess the coaches decisions on who to play.
Hey Chas, any way to keep track of W/L ratios — margin of defeat-victory — for those who submit on a weekly basis?
This is a disgraceful post, I agree wholeheartedly. But this is also a disgraceful game, Mr. Long. Shame on you and all the other ADs (and your bosses) of I-A programs who’ve made a mockery of the 12th game by scheduling Triple (or Double) A teams instead of playing ech other. I’d rather have seen us give in to Paterno for the 2 for 1 with PSU than this. I will not be within a 100 miles of that stadium tomorrow.
As to Jimbo’s post – I don’t see us beating Rutgers this year, and believe that they will be a better football school over the next few years then they ever have been – there’s a lot of talent in the NJ-NY area, and they will start pulling in some name players.
Ziese is very buddy-buddy with the players and coaches. He comes off as being one of the guys.
The whole beat writer dynamic is precisely why papers need good columnists. They can say the things beat writers can’t. Unfortunately, that means columnists need to do their homework and dig for stuff, which often times does not happen. Columnists will often take the easy road, stay out of the locker room, and press conferences etc. because they don’t want to face the music.
Because columnists are often stuck with saying the negative things a beat writer can’t (and because they often say it without doing the leg work) is why they are the ones who always get the reputation of being biased and hating the school. That or they really are bias and had the school (which is sometimes the case too).
As far as game predictions… this one will have a similar look to last year’s Pitt-Youngstown State game. Pitt in a walk (how’s that for going out on a limb!).
Geeman: Congrats. I can see you are a veteran fan like myself and are sick of hearing the same BS every year.
I was watching the Monday night Steelers game down here in Alabama and saw a guy with a Steeler jersey at the bar. Asked if he was from Pittsburgh….he wasn’t but for some wierd coincidence he told me his team was playing at Heinz field this Saturday (he went to the Citadel it turns out.) Sorry I was drunk and told him the great secret to defeating our otherwise stellar defense…..just run the ball, better yet run the option. We have not figured out how to defeat this stunning new offensive mindset. Hopefully he doesn’t know the Citadel coach and didn’t let him know the big secret.
I agree, but Rutgers is no power house, they were very lucky to beat UNC this year in their opener and their nonconference schedule is’t that difficult. (UNC, Illinois, Ohio, Howard and Navy).
Yes, Rutgers has talent, but I do believe our last 3 recruiting classes have been rated slightly higher.
Coaching, on the other hand could be the major factor in this game, no slam to our coaching staff, but as the game goes along we do not seem to adjust accordingly. Has anyone else noticed this also?
I do not want to get ahead of ourselves, we can discuss Rutgers and other teams as the weeks unfold.
Here is something to chew on, beacause of the University of Miami’s very poor start, a very strong rumor has surfaced, that Rutger’s head coach (Greg Schiano) will replace Larry Coker if Miami does not go to a BCS Bowl.
Let’s keep an eye on that one, Schiano used to be Miami’s defensive coordinator he has always expressed interest in the Miami head coaching position.
Let’s bring home a victory with an old fashioned blow-out today. See you at the game.
WTF? Go Cincy! I’m sure Cincy will still get stomped but at least they can say they were in it.
..Or perhaps Pitt really does need to branch out and look for an alternative conference. Can hardly watch a Panther football game these days, WTF?
HB hasn’t looked good lately, tackling high, i’m a little tired of everyone kissing his arse.
ND does not impress at all, and MSU’s coaching leaves a lot to be desired. MSU ran the option only a few times last night, and I think they could have gotten it working as well as the week before had they kept at it.
PITT’s in pretty good shape at 3-1 considering, the BE still impresses each week and Louisville & WVU got a lot of air time and were worked into the broadcast coverage by ESPN announcers many times. Really have to give credit to Louisville doing all this with two star players out.
We can beat Toledo – and should. To me it will depend on, again, on establishing some semblance of a running game, and strong tackling. Although Palko was very good yesterday, and has to be up among the national leaders in QB ratings. He’s still only been sacked twice I believe, which is a major improvement from last year.
Morelli is playing poorly, and singly handedly lost the game I believe. The OSU-PSU announcers made mention of the fact that every time they asked anyone about Morelli, all they heard back was “Well, Morelli has a strong arm.” Implied numerous times that he’s thick as a brick upstairs but couldn’t actually come out and say it on air. I did feel sorry for Joe Pa with his illness and missing the game due to the flu – you have to give credit to an old guy that kept wanting to be on the sidelines when he was obviously feeling like crap.
Only time will tell this year regarding how much improvement is made week to week on both sides of the ball.
MSU pushed us all over the field after the 1st qtr and is a very good team, let’s see how they fare this week versus ND.
This week will be a win, but we must win against the Toledo’s, USF’s, UCF’s, Syracuse’s, UConn’s and Rutgers of the world to show we have progressed this year and are on the right track.
Can we win the above games?
Sure, but last weeks performance leaves doubts in all of our minds and therefore still shows we have problems and we can also lose all of those games.
I know Rhodes is personable and very well liked at various levels throughout the administration, but the D must show improvements as the year goes along. I hope he realizes that his defense has not sucessfully stoped the option over the last 4 to 5 years. The D looked horrible last week and let’s face it, Drew Stanton is not a real speed burner.
I still think he has pictures on someone that’s why he still has his job. (just kidding)
Take care and let’s get back on the winning track this week.