— A “marathon” negotiating session last week led to former Panther Darrelle Revis getting a deal done with the New York Jets. Aside from 1st overall pick JaMarcus Russell and Revis, every other 1st round pick had been signed. Revis has a bright future ahead of him, and SI’s Peter King lists him as a CB on his “All-Future Team.”
The Cleveland Browns thought enough of him to have him ranked as a top-five player in the draft this year — and the Jets thanked their lucky stars Revis was still there at No. 14. He’s got excellent cover skills and is a willing tackler.
— CBS SportsLine predicts Pitt will finish sixth in the Big East over UConn and Syracuse.
6. Pittsburgh: Which way you headed, Wanny? Without a proven quarterback and six new starters on defense, Dave Wannstedt is on the hot seat. Watch roadies at Virginia and Michigan State. They will be an indicator of his future.
Pitt and Cincinnati in the 5/6 spots seem to be a toss up. And the comment about Wannstedt being on the hot seat is a bit premature; but it got some talk in the discussion thread.
— Sports Illustrated devoted this week’s issue to previewing college football. They also have Pitt coming in at #6 in the BE with a 5-7 overall record and 2-5 in conference. Not a ton of love there — but they do give a nod to Oderick Turner who is going to be a little more widely known since he’s our top receiver right now.
— Both PSI and Kevin Gorman report that freshman offensive guard Chris Jacobson badly hurt his right knee and will need surgery. The procedure will like take place next week and though he will possibly miss the whole season, Wannstedt did not entirely rule him out for the rest of the year. Obviously, redshirting him is looking like the smart option.
— Beano Cook was a guest on Mark Madden’s show on ESPN Radio 1250. Cook, who Madden calls the “Pope of college football,” says Pitt’s home schedule is the worst it’s been since World War II. That’s not a joke — Beano knows. He also says that LeSean McCoy will see a ton of playing time this year and will make an immediate impact. I found it funny when Cook, at a young 75 years old, referred to McCoy as “Shady.” He also says McCoy will be Pitt’s running back for 3 years before jumping to the NFL.
The ONE downfall is that they dont carry AWAY XXL. I spoke to the owner and they will be out around the middle of Sept.
Back to Pitt- Pitt will be fine. Wanny has built a solid foundation for the future which is now. Pitt will have a very successful 2007 campaign this year. Yes, the home schedule is sickening but wins are wins. Rutgers was a one year wonder.. We get USF in the December in the cold and eventually we have to beat WVU . I am thinking three scenarios 6-6 7-5 8-4. My heart say 7-5 but I am going 8-4.
Get excited the season is almost upon us. Also, get your customize jersey. BTW- i dont own or have any stake in this company.
Long has done some things right but he simply has to realize his priorities. He should be working the phones 95% of the day trying to line up good schedules. Or to get us into a better conference where the scheduling takes care of itself.
It amazes me that Long gets such a pass in this town. He’s the equivalent of Littlefield in this regard. Sad commentary on how little the media gives a damn about the inner workings of Pitt.
On the other issue, IMO, 8-4 is not good enough as a most years result. Although I don’t expect 11-1 most years, I do expect most years should be better than 8-4. Only an off-year should be 8-4. A typical year should be 9-3 or 10-2 with a 12 game schedule, 1 OOC cupcake (please, no more than one) and a couple of BE bottom dwellers on the schedule. We should see 11-1 or 12-0 as often as we see 8-4.
At least we have hope now, he is getting good recruits which hasn’t happened in decades. No, he is not winning games YET. You know what though? No coach at Pitt has in about 30 years. Give the guy a chance, let him get the players in and then see how he does. In conclusion, if you think he should be fired after only 2 or 3 years then you are a jagoff.
He’s laying the foundation for a program. You can’t do that in 2 or 3 years. We clearly haven’t had the horses the past few years, but I’m optimistic that there are some potential stars from the past few recruiting classes that you’ll be able to build a team around.
Obviously, we need some wins to maintain recruiting – and not just wins, but a signature win.
As far as the schedule, this year could not be avoided. To be honest, I think we’re actually lucky with how legit our schedule turned out. Could you imagine how bad it would be if Rutgers, USF, and Cincinnati weren’t on the rise?
Joshua, I understand your frustration with the results but did you really give Wanny a chance? I do not think so, if you did you would not have written that diatribe.
Wanny has a clear picture of what he wants his football team to look like and he is building it. Injuries destroyed our thin team last year. Walt’s system of offense and defense is the polar opposite of what Wanny wants to implement and we saw the effects of this on the field (poor against the run, small and not deep or talented). Truthfully, I am happy Wanny stayed true to his game plan and the future looks bright. Duhart, Dickerson, Bostick, Tucker, Sheard, Harris, Byhnam, Jacobson, Burns, Matha, Nix(s), Shady, Berry, Williams, Wright, Pinkstin to name a few
And to Palko, Palko did an admiralbe job for Pitt. Good Luck to him in his pro career with the Saints, which will be aided by who… You are correct Wanny’s connection.
Walt hide Palko weakness by throwing the ball every down. Which pro QB did Walt get into the pros- NO ONE.
Lets look at WANNY track record at PITT- yes it barely above 500 but look at the potential that WANNY has if he reaches the 8-4 plateau (walt’s best record). The excitement of an 7-5 or 8-4 records this year will send ripples throughout the nation were PITT’s name would be on everybody lips throughout the NATION. Even Stater will be upset because Pitt will receive more national headlines. JoPa will probably retire to weather the storm and take the attention away from PITT.
Give Wanny a chance. Use the energy of Firing/trashing Wanny in a positve way. Go support your PANTHERS no matter who they play. Give the Panthers a real home field advantage.
If you dont like this outlook, who would you like to replace Wanny ( this is not Florida and Urban Myers is not busting down our door)that we can honestly get
Perfectly stated… Palko was not a team players. He was a ME player. He was the reason there was alot tension in the locker room between Walt’s recruit and DW recruits.
DW and MC tried to develop Palko into a pro QB but Palko was stubborn. Palko wanted to throw the ball all over the field every down as if he was Brett Farve. He made too many bone head plays in college that will haunt him with the Saints (actually already happening). Plus, he dwelled on a play for entirely too long. Good QBs make a mistake and forget about but Palko would carried a play for two games or more(OHIO game)
Yes, he had a nice career equaled to RR but he is gone I wish him the best
Kurt, Bo Pellini is a nice hire but he would bolt to greener pasture after a good year.BTW- Bo Pellini defense has been giving up alot of point too (Boise State, Oregon, UT) At least we know DW isnt going anywhere
Your analogy with Walt at Stanford is way off; Wanny is 1 game below .500 at Pitt in two years, Walt won something like 3 games at Stanford. Walt’s recruiting was poor at Stanford and from what I understand he was alienating local HS coaches; the recruiting at Pitt under Wanny hasn’t been better in decades, by a long shot.
And to Chris’ comment that Wanny’s recruiting is slowing down: He’s already got verbal commitments from a top 5 OT and a top 10 RB, it sounds like he’s in good position for a top 10 WR (Baldwin) and TE (Graham), and he’s gotten verbals from several strong DBs. I would be shocked if we win less than 7 games this year, and as long as he establishes that Pitt’s on track, this recruiting class will be just fine. Just enjoy the season, it’s going to be a fun ride.
See Rich Kotex, I mean Kotite, and Norv Turner. Ditto with Dennis Erickson and Ray Rhodes. Also, Rick Spielman and Mike McCaskey were mental midgets in terms of judging talent, both on the field and on the sidelines. McCaskey had his power taken away from him by the rest of his family (and placed into former Bucs GM Jerry Angelo’s hands), and Spielman (who didn’t have much power to begin with until Huizenga panicked and wanted some oversight over Wanny (and nobody else was knocking on the door b/c all other candidates wanted Wanny the mental midget gone)) is now just a lowly VP of player personnel in Minnesota, with zero power in hiring. In short, you’re not gonna see either of those two in positions of power ever again.
“Miami has sucked since he left with no end to the sucking in sight”
Gee, whose fault is that? He left the cupboard bare in terms of young talent (say what you will about the defense, but it was getting older and the window closed as cap decisions had to be made), especially on the offensive end (OLine, QB, WRs, RBs who ended up being incompetent even as scat backs).
So, the only guaranteed wins I see this season are EMU, Grambling, and Syracuse. WVU and Louisville have the potential to be blowout city, so that’s 3-2 right there (with only one of the two I-AA wins usable for bowl qualification). Cinci got a lot of confidence late last season, and I don’t see that dissipating any time soon. Also, Greg Schiano, the supergenius that he is, will run Ray Rice all day (especially since the Pitt D sucked against the run last season and likely will again). Virginia is iffy, and MSU in East Lansing is not going to be fun. USF is the sleeper pick for the Big East, so that won’t be an easy one as well. And Navy is Navy, because Paul Johnson is an ubergenius. I could easily see this season 3-9/4-8. If that happens, then what do you think should happen?
You’re so busy hating Wanny you won’t even give him a chance. Luckily for you there are tons of bandwagons for you to go jump on this year. Come back in two years and talk shit, or STFU.
I still nominate you for the coaching position. Because you didn’t “run the precious dolphins into the ground.” So you’re obviously a better choice.
You should have gone to that shithole on the other side of the state. “FIRE HIM – HE’S OLD AND SHITTY. WE HAVE SUB-500 RECORDS NOW. ITS EMBARASSING. HE CAN’T RECRUIT OR COACH.” Then the next year: “OH SHIT! A 1 LOSS YEAR! I TOLD YOU ALL HE’D TURN IT AROUND! YOU’RE ALL FOOLS.”
You know why we didn’t need a “Search”? It’s because we identified a canidate that we wanted because he was from the NFL, which helps with recruits, and he’s from this school, so he won’t bolt when his alma mater comes calling or some other big job.
Everyone wanted to run off Pete Caroll at first. Where are those guys now? “I CAN’T HEAAARRRR YOOOOUUUU….?” They didn’t shitcan Schiano after 2 TERRIBLE YEARS. FCS, PSU and RUTGERS have BOTH had 2 worse consecutive years with thier current head coaches…hmm….weird….still coaching there…
What we don’t need is to listen to unintelligent fucktards that want to bitch about a coach for no reason other than to hear themselves talk.
Luckily we don’t have to worry about Wanny’s defense getting old, or any of that shit. He’s recruiting well, and will turn that into wins. In two years we’ll never hear from you again because you’ll be too fucking embarassed. Go bother dolphin fans.
Now it is time to focus on the upcoming season.
TO ALL FUTURE OPPONENTS…..HAIL TO PITT
And I thought I saw some bad homers at Finheaven.com. Wow, they are NOTHING compared to you, Stewie.
Your participation/comments (whether negative or positive)/and feedback in the Pitt Blather Blog are greatly appreciated. The Pitt Blather is a great forum to exchange views and opinions on Pitt Panthers athletics from fans, students, alumni and even realist as yourself.
I guess the Duke, Miami and all other bandwagon blogs must be boring if you choose to come here and talk non sense about Pitt sports.
Come up with a good arguement about Pitt Athletics and than let everyone chim in if they choose. More than likely half the people wont agree but that is what makes this blog so nice.
If not, go back to your front runner blog and pester them because last time we checked Duke and DA U arent doing to well.
HAIL TO PITT
1. I’m from South Florida and grew up rooting for Miami (not because I’m a bandwagoner, but b/c my dad rooted for Miami. Heck, my brother goes to Miami!)
2. I went to undergrad at Duke University. I often caught flak for being among the first to suggest the firing of the football head coach and athletic director. Well, one’s gone, and the other is still there only b/c he has pictures of someone. Did I mention that I went to Duke FOOTBALL games more than I did basketball games? Yeah, I like watching live football, even if they did suck worse than Pitt. And that’s why I’m so passionate about changing bad football habits.
3. I’m a grad student at Pitt, so yeah, I think I have a stake in Pitt football. I put $56 of my hard-earned money toward season tickets, as I did the previous two years, so don’t mistake me for some yahoo bandwagoner.
Oh, and the only reason I started posting heavily is to combat the yes-men I saw over here. I get plenty of heat for doing the same over at the Duke boards, so don’t think this is isolated. And my biggest complaint about Pitt football is that from all I’ve seen, Wanny is loyal to a fault. I saw this with the Dolphins, and I’m seeing this with his coaching staff. I’m still convinced you should get at least 8 wins a year out of a Palko. You can’t tell me Jared Zabransky is light-years ahead of him. And I’m still suspect about Wanny’s ability to evaluate talent, as he did such a bang-up job with the Dolphins. I post because I care, otherwise why would I post?
$56 fucking dollars? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I’VE DONATED AND HAVE TO DONATE EVERY YEAR TO MAKE SURE MY B-BALL TICKETS ARE ON THE FIRST LEVEL? I eat that much in food at the games over the course of the season. That doesn’t even cover parking for 6 games. You are a joke.
The funniest thing is you WON’T EVEN GIVE HIM A CHANCE HERE AT PITT. Everyone wanted to run off “retread” Caroll his first year. You’re a tool. Go bother Douche fans.
Which probably explains your blind love for Wanny. It’s ok, admission is the first step to recovery.
And you’re right, you’re not a yinzer. You’re a WANKER!!! What part of “grad student” do you not understand? Everyone knows that “grad student” is a euphemism for “poor right now”. Not everyone has the backing of a Mommy or Daddy Warbucks (hell, the only way I could get through Duke was generous financial aid, as there was NO way my parents could pay for more than a tenth of the tuition).
And hell, at least I didn’t go to CAROLINA, WVU, OR PENN STATE!!!!!!!
And you’re slow to understand what I said about pro sports. I said I “follow them,†meaning I understand what is going on with them, coaches, etc, and watch them. When I said “I don’t really care what happens†means I don’t have a vested interest in who wins the games on Sundays – Stillers, Dolphins, anyone. Because I don’t cheer for any one team doesn’t mean I don’t understand what is going on or realize who is good or bad, which coaches suck, etc.
You continue to ignore the examples of “retread†NFL coaches that have been successful. It’s probably more convenient for you that way. Why you won’t give a guy a chance to get some players and turn a program around is beyond me.
Why don’t you go call for Coach K’s head, they sucked last year. Leave us alone.
You claim to have an “interest†in Pitt but we can all see that the only thing you have an “interest†in is bitching about Wanny – you use your attendance at a grad school and some $56 tickets as a cover. It’s all bullshit, and no one wants to hear it anymore. We’ve all made a note: Joshua hates Wanny. Now, please, STFU.
Yeah? Other than Carroll, name one.
