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November 22, 2006

Didn’t need the morning coffee to wake me up this morning. The “defense” of Paul Rhoads pretty much got me going. You want my defense of Rhoads? As a DC, he’s a hell of a secondary coach.

Very nice of Coach Wannstedt to try and take the blame for the defense and absolve Rhoads of his screw-ups and bad teaching and coaching.

Pitt has been shredded for 1,122 yards and 91 points in consecutive losses to Connecticut and West Virginia. Many of the problems that have dogged the Panthers for the past four years — missed tackles, bad angles, poor execution, failure to get key stops — have returned, renewing calls to fire defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads.

One person who hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon is the only person whose vote counts — head coach Dave Wannstedt. Rhoads declined comment yesterday, but Wannstedt came to his embattled defensive coordinator’s defense, saying the criticism of Rhoads has not been fair.

Three things. First, when did the calls to fire Rhoads stop?
Second, the problems pointed out are the primary reason I want Rhoads gone. It’s been something that has driven me crazy about the defense for years — poor fundamentals. The very thing coaching is supposed to be about. You can be creative and run all the schemes you want. It still comes down to players doing the basics — wrapping up, tackling, not hitting or arm tackling. Yes, the players deserve some of the blame. They have to execute, but when it’s been the same s**t and different people over four years it’s more than just “getting the right personnel.”

Third, this is so typical of Rhoads. When things are going well he’s happy to talk to the media and chat up things going right. Let everyone talk up his potential for the future and be at the forefront.Since the defense has engaged in its death spiral or even just the MSU game — no comment. And somehow he is allowed to slide on this. No willingness to face the criticisms. When Harris or Wannstedt refused to actually take responsibility, they at least acknowledged it directly to take the criticisms of “not my fault.” Rhoads won’t even do that much. Go back over the past years, and notice the pattern of Rhoads not on the record about the problems unless absolutely forced to by the head coach. Harris essentially brought him out to talk after the Temple game in 2004. That was about it.

Of course Coach Wannstedt doesn’t think the problem is in the coaching.

“We’re coaching these guys as hard as we can coach them,” Wannstedt said. “Paul does a great job. All our defensive coaches are very good coaches. We’ve just got to keep developing these players. I think for the most part, we’ve done that.

“The last couple weeks, we’ve had some missed tackles and had some extenuating circumstances. I think you have to look at each game and understand what we’re trying to do and not just at the end of the day say, ‘Well, they gave up 300 yards rushing when a quarterback scrambled for 150. The defense stinks. It’s a bad scheme.’ That’s not true. People may want to think that. And that’s fine. Go ahead, think it. I don’t care. That’s not the case.”

Alumni and fans have called for the dismissal of Rhoads after the Panthers’ defense allowed an average of 303 rushing yards and 459.75 yards total offense in losses to Rutgers, South Florida, Connecticut and West Virginia.

The mishaps were magnified when Pitt allowed UConn and WVU to run for 317 and 437 yards, respectively, and score a combined 91 points in the past two games.

“…Some missed tackles and had some extenuating circumstances.”??? WTF!!!??? 1212. Do you know what that is? That is the rushing yards surrendered in this 4 game skid. That is not effing “some missed tackles and some extenuating circumstances!” That is pathetic and lousy run defense.The only reason Rutgers and South Florida didn’t score more points was because USF had a ridiculous number of turnovers and Rutgers kept settling for FGs (and even missing a chip shot). UConn hasn’t scored more than 21 points in a game before or after Pitt. Against Pitt, they got 31 just in the regulation time.

The defensive collapse follows a 2005 season in which the Panthers ranked 94th out of 119 teams in the nation against the run (185.18) but 31st in total defense (338.0). Now, Pitt ranks 105th (183.0) in run defense and 72nd in total defense (350.73) entering Saturday’s game against Louisville, which boasts the nation’s No. 3 offense.

Let’s not forget 2003’s defensive collapse. Remember. The year Pitt was going to make the jump. The year Pitt lost to Toledo. How about the fact that including this year, 3 of the last 4 years the Pitt run defense has allowed 4+ yards/carry (and that one year where it didn’t crack 4 it was close at 3.8). Isn’t that something of an effing trend that points somewhere in the vicinity of what the DC is doing.

And that brings us to Joe Starkey’s column in defense of Rhoads. I generally like Starkey’s stuff but this one doesn’t even come close. I’m going to have to break this one down.

Dave Wannstedt’s two-year-old football program is about to undergo a major test of its integrity. Soon, Pitt’s head coach must decide whether he will retain Paul Rhoads as defensive coordinator.

If Rhoads is fired, the integrity meter will take a precipitous drop.

Firing him would be the easy way out, nothing more than a convenient sacrifice for angry fans and boosters.

Retaining him would be the far more difficult choice and would speak loudly to Wannstedt’s conviction that he is building his program “the right way,” as he likes to put it.

See, this isn’t about winning and losing. This isn’t about the results. This is a moral stand. This is about Wannstedt’s integrity and those ignorant fools who pay for games and all the donations to the athletic department. It’s a battle of good and evil.

It would also put some muscle behind Wannstedt’s message points from the past two years.Wannstedt has consistently pleaded for patience among fans. As recently as last week, he said, “It’s not what you want to hear … but the reality is that we’ve got to get a lot better, and it’s going to take a little bit of time.”

It’s also going to take changes. This isn’t about impatience. It’s about seeing the same problems over the same tenure of the coach that hasn’t improved or changed regardless of the players. Please stop characterizing fan antipathy to Rhoads as some sudden knee-jerk reaction to a bad few weeks.

Canning a capable but short-handed coordinator is not the way to practice patience — and for whatever it’s worth, Wannstedt said Tuesday what linebacker H.B. Blades said after the West Virginia loss:

The poor defensive peformance this season is not Rhoads’ fault.

Injuries are not an excuse. At this time of the year, no team is fully healthy. The problems with the defense were there before the injuries — as the Michigan State game showed. The problems were masked up until last month mainly because of the inferior opponents Pitt faced.

So the players are defending him. What do you expect? They like him. They play for him. The poor defensive performance this year is not his fault. What about the other years? When is there accountability for Rhoads?

Wannstedt also has consistently said his team lacks the personnel necessary to compete on a national level. If that’s true — it doesn’t take a “Rhoads” Scholar to see it is — then how would changing coordinators solve anything?

How does keeping Rhoads solve anything? We aren’t talking about a national level. We are talking about just the Big East. The defense is not competing within the conference.

This personnel argument is such a crock. Pitt was higher in the rankings for recruiting — even with Harris in charge — than all of the Big East. At some point it goes to what the players are taught and how they are used.

Bill Belichick couldn’t have slowed West Virginia with Pitt’s personnel.

OK, Belichick might have held the Mountaineers to 610 yards, as opposed to 641, but no coordinator is going to come in here and wave a magic wand next year, either.

You really don’t want to do this. The argument then is that Cinci has better personnel since they held the ‘eers to 411 total yards. Same with UConn, Syracuse, Marshall, East Carolina, you get the idea. There’s more going on here than just blaming it on the players.

The true measure of Wannstedt’s program cannot be taken until 2008.

I thought we were taking measure of the job by Rhoads? Not Wannstedt. Please don’t try to change the subject.

Meantime, Wannstedt also has repeatedly defended Pitt’s defensive strategy. That is not surprising, because he’s the one who devises it. Those are his schemes — not Rhoads’ — though Rhoads makes the majority of the calls.

We still don’t know whether Wannstedt will get good enough players or whether he was the right choice at Pitt, but it would be silly to cast doubt on his ability to coach defense or to choose qualified defensive coaches. Look at his resume from Miami (college and pro) and Dallas, and you’ll find some impressive numbers, not to mention a Super Bowl ring and a national championship ring.

I asked you not to change the subject. Okay, fine. It’s Wannstedt defensive strategy. I must have missed the prior two years when the Rhoads defensive strategy was doing so well. Again, what Starkey is trying to do is move the issue from being about Rhoads to Wannstedt. Mainly because Wannstedt has been here only two years and has much more time on the clock.

When he was hired at Pitt, Wannstedt could have signed his own defensive coordinator. He opted to retain Rhoads, and for good reason.

Because Pitt is cheap, had Rhoads under contract for around $250K and really didn’t want to eat it? Not to mention the fondness (for whatever reason) the administration has for Rhoads.

Pitt’s defense was outstanding in 2002 and was a big reason why the team went to a BCS bowl in 2004.

2002? Four years ago? Arguably with the personnel largely recruited by the previous DC? That’s the best you can offer?

Let’s skip 2003. Nothing to see there. Just a fluke or something.
As for 2004, no. That was mainly the offense. Or are you forgetting allowing Furman to rack 38? The run defense still allowed 3.8 yards/carry. Admittedly when it was 4.5 the year before, it looks good — but it still sucks. I also recall a collapse against Syracuse. Struggling to stop Temple.

Remember, it was the defense that played such a big role in the Boston College victory that year and basically won the West Virginia game — Pitt’s most recent significant victory.

Okay. About the BC game. I was there. The one game where Rhoads actually stuffed the box, and then failed to adjust back when O’Brien and the Eagles finally just started throwing the short, underneath passes. The defense nearly collapsed at the end. Remember Pitt had a 17-10 lead late in the 4th. BC went 90 yards in under 4 minutes to tie the game and send it to OT.

As for the WVU game, well personnel issues are a two-way street, last I checked. WVU was without their top moronic receiver Chris Henry who was suspended. It was a wet, slippery night that really slowed the ‘eers down. Not to mention a few key turnovers to keep the score close.

Rhoads didn’t suddenly lose his touch.

Neither does a child molester.

“He taught me more than what my NFL coaches taught me,” says former Pitt cornerback Josh Lay, a sixth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints who was cut late in camp.

Lay, whom the Seattle Seahawks are sending to NFL Europe in January, believes it comes down to personnel.

“The defense puts you in one-on-one situations to make plays — linebackers, linemen, defensive backs — and if you’re on D-I scholarship, you should win those battles.”

I would hope that Rhoads taught Lay more than the NFL Coaches. Especially since he was cut in camp and took a while to hook up with another team, sort of. 4 years versus less than 6 months.

No question he’s a very good defensive backs/secondary coach. Unfortunately, he’s the Defensive Coordinator for Pitt.

All of which does not absolve Rhoads of blame for Pitt’s 105th-ranked rushing defense (there are 119 teams in Division I-A), but has the run offense been any better in big games of late?

Again, the best you can do is try to change the subject? I’d point out that at least the running game got 150+ yards against UConn. Pitt’s offense has been playing from behind for most of the losing streak so it’s hard to be as critical. Besides, at least progress has been shown in the running game. Unlike the run defense.

So, if this doesn’t absolve Rhoads, what do you recommend Joe?

Let’s see what Rhoads can do if Wannstedt gives him a game-changing safety, a few big-time linemen and an offense that controls the ball.

It’s probably not what you want to hear, but the reality is that Rhoads deserves whatever patience Wannstedt is afforded.

Bull fucking shit! How did Rhoads lose all responsibility for recruiting any of the players? Seriously. Isn’t that part of the assistant coaches and coordinator job? To help with recruiting? To identify and evaluate talent? It’s all on Wannstedt to give the talent to Rhoads? Unbelievable.
Now, let me see if this is correct. A head coach should get less time than his coordinator? That’s what he is essentially arguing. Rhoads has had 7 years and the defense has gotten worse each year. He deserves no patience at this point. He hasn’t earned it.





This article was surpirsing and eye-opening to say the least. As you point out, I’ve never actually heard Rhoads speak. This is a bad PR move for Pitt. I have already decided to forfeit my season tix next year. And Pitt had the nerve to raise prices this year in a stadium they already cant fill.

Comment by Rex 11.22.06 @ 9:36 am

Maybe we should send the pro-Rhoads articles to Iowa State’s AD.

Comment by Cris 11.22.06 @ 10:18 am

is the pitt v fsu game on tv? i have dtv and the full court package.

oh yeah, rhoads stinks and i too have decided not to renew next year, that home schedule is horrible. i did hit all but the lou game this year, ugly has $2 ic lights, can’t beat that.

Comment by g unit 11.22.06 @ 10:18 am

Not on Full Court, not on CSTV. Just radio coverage.

Comment by steve 11.22.06 @ 11:20 am

Exactly. Even the diehards are bailing on tickets because of articles like today. This program will look like Temple games in the Vet next year with all the empty seats, especially for the really garbage games.

The only hope is that he’s boosting Rhoads here to keep Iowa State from bailing on the idea of hiring him. And to show other prospective DC candidates that he’ll take the heat for his coaches.

It could be demands coming from LongBerg and the accountants, too. Remember, if somebody else doesn’t take Rhoads off our hands, we’re probably stuck paying him a big six figure payoff.

The only real question to me should be “Do we can him the minute after Louisville wins, or the day after LOI day?”

Comment by geeman2001 11.22.06 @ 12:40 pm

Let me echo your outrage about the bullsh*t recruiting comment. ABSOLUTELY the assistants play the main role in recruiting talent. Didn’t we always hear that “Harris couldn’t seal the deal?” Isn’t that mainly what the big guy is there for? The assistants do the grunt work. No question Rhoads is popular with his players but why hasn’t that transcended into getting great recruits? Does all the jumping up and down turn off the Moms or something?

Other than Revis what great defensive player has Rhoads gotten? Malecki, Pinkston, Mustakas have the makings but IMO that was purely through the adrenalin to the program that Wannstedt’s hiring gave us (now gone).

It astounds me how both columnists can write stories that basically prove our arguments (the D has sucked across multiple sets of players and two coaches, ergo the only constant is Rhoads) and then conclude the opposite.

Comment by geeman2001 11.22.06 @ 12:48 pm

I’m hoping there is actually an alternative reality here. Given, that Paul really does suck, and given the Wanny, Starkey, and everyone else in the Pitt universe can see this as well despite what they are saying, perhaps they are polishing up his leadership/coaching credentials so Iowa State will say, “Paul’s our Man”, and take him off our hands.

Maybe we actually need to start a “Keep Paul Rhoads” movement so that ISU really believes that PR is the answer to their prayers. Now is not the time to question his credentials to be a head coach.

Comment by KeithS 11.22.06 @ 1:43 pm

Great observations. Hopefully they’ll wise up and get rid of him. I don’t understand why Wannstedt doesn’t just coach the defense himself. Defense and recruiting seem to be the only two things he is good at. I don’t care how much speed West Virginia has at the skill positions, or how terrible of an enviornment Heinz Field is for a college football game. A performance like that at home in the Backyard Brawl is unacceptable. And you are dead right: our linebackers and d-backs have been pinky-tackling people for at least five years.

Comment by Mike C. 11.22.06 @ 2:53 pm

Clint Session is an example. His freshman year he was an animal, killer hits but he was raw and made too many fundamental errors. Now a senior, he is no longer an animal, no killer hits at all, yet still makes too many fundamental errors. He regressed completely. Sam Bryant was always too slow and doesn’t hit hard but you figured he’d mature into a smart player. Well, look at his baffling overpursuit during the USF game two weeks back and biting on play action last week to result in an easy TD pass to Slaton. The total wastes of prime recruits like Gunn and Dell. The amazing self-motivation of Stephens and Crochunis a couple years ago masked the sad fact that we needed walk-ons as our core starting DL.

Sorry, but I’m just so freakin’ frustrated…a Pitt fan for 23 years and never have seen worse defenses, even in 1996.

Comment by geeman2001 11.22.06 @ 5:32 pm

I disagree with all of you on this one. I understand your opinions and sure Starky is a pro Pitt guy. That being said, anyone outside of Pitt blames Wanny. It’s always easier to blame anyone but your head coach. Most of you probably wanted Walt Harris to stay and said “who else would come to Pitt?” I heard it all the time. This defense was a leader in stats at the start of the year and has simply been run over by better competition. Maybe WVU owned them but everyone expected it. We all knew it was a building process but some of you saw a couple wins and just bandwagoned the success and expected us to be a better team than we were ready to be. One minute Wanny is a great coach, when things get bad, its all Rhoads. Matt’s offense looked pathetic last year. No one is arguing against him now. Yet he keeps starting a 170 pound scat back and wondering why we can’t wear down a defense or run the ball. I guess Matt is just terrific with an offense that runs 1 yard a game and throws every down, but Rhoads is the worst even though he actually was proven to have top ranked defenses. When pro players come forward and say “he taught me more than any other coach in the NFL included”, people with half a brain would listen to the references. Yes I hated the 3 man in the box thing. It was 100% Wanny’s idea. You all just argue against logic. Maybe my PSU friends are right when they blame Wanny.
This reminds me of when everyone protected the loser Kordell Stewart. I wanted him gone 3 years earlier because he was inacurate and could not read a defense at NFL speed. But most of you were so far up his jock, you probably knew how it smelled. Just because you all bandwagon coaches at the same time does not mean your on the right track. We heard it would take years, not shut up and watch it happen.

Comment by Firewalt 11.22.06 @ 6:43 pm

I think Joe Starkey is posting under the pseudonym of Firewalt

Comment by Jake 11.22.06 @ 6:54 pm

I hear you and I know you all think I am just arguing a bad argument. But I’m not going to tell you what you want to hear on this one. Coaches don’t take the blame for a coach they are going to fire. It does not happen. They say I must share the blame. Wanny said he makes the calls. Who the fuck are you guys to argue with the source. I love your assumptions on this one. You name a head coach that will allow a 3 man front without inventing it in the 1st place. Your just trying to save Pitt’s face by insulting the most insignificant person responsible. It starts at the top. If you insult Rhoads for it, your really insulting your own understanding of football. At the least the head coach is the man who ogranizes the staff and makes changes when they need to be done. If its not the talent, then your all saying Wanny is a horrible head coach because he does not make changes that need to be made. I’m betting your all just way wrong on this one.

Comment by Firewalt 11.22.06 @ 7:04 pm

You might be able to say Wanny deserves the blame, and I don’t think many people will disagree with you that he should share it. However, from what I understand you certainly can’t say that Walt dictated what the defense should be. The poor defense those years wasn’t DW’s fault.

Secondly, of course most people outside of Pitt fans would blame Wandstedt. But how many of them could even name the DC?

Third, do you really expect many current or former players to badmouth him? Of course they’re going to say nice things – most of them are probably friends. DW isn’t going to say anything bad either. I don’t think too many head coaches would find passing the buck to be a good strategy.

Fourth, since when is the DC the most “insignificant person responsible” for the defense?

Last, I don’t know what circles you run in, but at least on PSB I don’t recall many that were in favor of Walt staying, certainly not most. And I cannot think of a single person that didn’t want to get rid of Kordell Stewart!

Comment by B.B. 11.22.06 @ 11:37 pm

When you talk about the colapse of the defense during the 1st half of the so called “make or break year” under Harris, that exact situation was explained by experts. Walt Harris ran a spread offense. Practice was never helpful for our defense because they never played against a tradditional running game until the season was going. Walt Harris never understood the effect his offense had on our defense. Not to mention Walt never possessed the ball for long and our defense lived on the field. ASk the Steelers how that has worn the defense down from the begining of the season when they were forced to live on the field.

Comment by Firewalt 11.22.06 @ 11:46 pm

And yest most people were upset to let Walt Harris go until the end. Maybe its a 51% number, but most loyal fans thought he really was a guru. I never understood it. Walt never lead the nation in points per game, points scored, passing yards, etc. He never beat a team that was ranked top 20 at the end of the year unless you count 1 VA TECH team and we all know how over-ranked they were come bowl time. I hated the Pacific Kid with an all time losing record at every level he was in charge of.

But I did like Wanny because he is a players coach, and he would load our school with talent even if he was forced out after 5 years. Then good coaches would line up for the job. A lot of people think its a bad idea to hire fired coaches on any level instead of hiring a good young up and comer. Who knows. If you think Wanny just watches Rhoads make a 3 man front without being the brains behind it, you don’t understand his defensive acomplishments as a coach and how head coaches work.

When NFL kids come forward and say Rhoads is their favorite and best coach so far, I think I give them credit much more than Rhoads neighsayors. How about the fact that Marino and Dorsett would not step on campus without Wanny being here even though Harris had always invited them? You can’t except referals selectivly and decide against the same referals whenever you like. IF Wanny says it’s his fault and the talents fault…It’s either one, the other, or both. Rhoads is exactly the kind of personality you want in the face of your defense. They play hard for him. They just suck dick at doing it. Hence the rebuilding name. Then again, if you don’t buy it, the buck stops with Wanny and he won’t make changes. So if Wanny won’t change the play calling, he is a loser coach. Is that what people mean when they insult Rhoads play calling. Sounds like it.

Comment by Firewalt 11.22.06 @ 11:56 pm

Now you guys can explain how this article says what it does not say again.

link to postgazette.com

Wanny is the man you blame or thank. Your all just ignoring the bad defensive line. Why would Blades have the 2nd most tackles ever. Because the defensive front aint making any tackles. Blades is NFL good but he aint fast enough or strong enough to be all time good. No way! Rhoads is fine with me. Fire him or keep him, but don’t blame him because head coaches adjust if they think they should. They don’t just sit there and pretend manage.

Comment by Firewalt 11.23.06 @ 2:48 am

So since you are the only one that understands football whatsoever – please explain at what point Rhoads should be held responsible. Evidently he gets a free pass because he’s not the head coach, but I guess nobody else here is as smart as you to figure that out.

Comment by B.B. 11.23.06 @ 10:29 am

Firewalt,

Answer this question: what would be the downside of losing Rhoads?

Our defense sucked with Harris and it sucks with Wanny. It can’t get worse….no way. Put Teddy Ruxpin in for D-coord. I don’t think it is possible to do worse. At least we wouldn’t pay Teddy as big of a salary.

Comment by Jon C 11.23.06 @ 11:03 am

And yes I blame Wannny if Rhodes is not fired……unless Rhodes has some years on his contract in which case Wanny may not be able to fire him.

Comment by Jon C 11.23.06 @ 11:06 am

[…] As for Blades being the leading tackler because the D-line sucks. One does not necessarily follow the other. Even if the D-line didn’t suck, Blades would likely be the leading tackler and among the all-times at Pitt. Likely not by so great a number. Here’s the list of leading tacklers for the country this year. Notice a trend if you look at the position? Blades has played all 4 years, and started for 3. It stands to reason that he would have ended up near the top of the list in all-time tackles with playing this long. Linebackers make more tackles. It hasn’t mattered what scheme the defense runs. Whether it’s Wannstedt’s or his own choice. The run defense has blown chunks and sucked since 2003. The biggest issue with that, has been the absolute lack of progress on teaching the kids the fundamentals. That has been there with Rhoads for quite some time. That goes directly to the job of the DC. There are these things called archives on the site. It might help to review to see those complaints are nothing new. Putting the blame for the personnel and try to put the recruiting entirely on the head coach — well, now who’s being naive? Johnny Majors was fired from Tennessee in large part because the Tenn administration recognized who was really bringing in the talent and didn’t want to lose him. What is one of the big reason that assistants get hired by other programs? It has a lot to do with their reputation as recruiters. It is a major part of their job. That the defense has gotten worse the longer Rhoads has been in charge reflects poorly on his skills regardless of whether it’s teaching the schemes or the helping to get the personnel. […]


[…] Compared to the roster the last couple years it sure was talented — Bryan Knight, Ramon Walker, Gerald Hayes, Torrie Cox, Shawntee Spencer and Mark Ponko were all starters for that defense. Maybe in time, the players Pitt has on the defense this year will match that. Still, those were all kids that were brought in before Rhoads. What does he have to show on the defensive side besides Darrelle Revis in his tenure? I mean, this is just a total recycle of his themes from his late November defense of Rhoads (that I fisked). […]


[…] I eagerly await the next defense of Paul Rhoads needing more time. […]


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