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September 9, 2008

Really? Someone thought this would be a question that has any relevance?

Wannstedt was asked on Monday’s Big East conference call what qualities were necessary to become an NFL coach and whether he had any interest in returning to the league where he was coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins and won a Super Bowl as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. “No, I’m done after this,” Wannstedt said. “I’ve had enough.”

I suppose it isn’t about him returning to the NFL as a head coach. That’s never going to happen. Still, to be asking Coach Wannstedt about anything related to coaching in the NFL given the way he’s been coaching at Pitt, seems a bit of a stretch.

Another highlight from his weekly media phone call is that he thinks the team has room to improve. Ya think?

“The exciting thing about this is that we’re probably about 60 to 70 percent of where I believe in my heart we should be as a football team, and that’s exciting,” Wannstedt said. “If we were sitting here and we had played as well as could have and never turned the ball over and we were 1-1, you’d say to yourself, ‘Jeez, is this it?’ But our team has such a long way to be able to grow.”

Oh, grife. He’s sticking with the turnovers are the thing theme. The part that has me most worried is that what I saw on the sidelines of the Bowling Green game did turn out to be true.

The biggest improvement between the first and second week, Wannstedt said, was how his team handled adversity. Pitt led 17-14 against Bowling Green at halftime and never scored again. The Panthers were up just 10-9 over Buffalo but controlled the second half.

“In Week 1 at halftime, everybody’s looking at each other and the look was worth 1,000 words,” Wannstedt said. “Basically it was, ‘How can this game be close?’ And we go out and we press and we turn the ball over.

“This week we were only up one, but there was a lot of energy in the locker room and a lot of excitement to get out there and play the second half and not really look at scoreboard.”

And, um, where were the coaches in all of this? Especially in the first game. Apparently not reaching the players. Not getting them to just play. Instead, I guess Wannstedt feels/felt the players need to figure these things out for themselves. Wannstedt was just there as some sort of Yoda-figure, “Yinzeselves figure it out you must.”

No, seriously, what is the role of the coach in these situations? This seems to be the spot where the coach who trumpets his experience at all levels of football would be at his best. The guy who recruited these kids. Someone who (at least in hindsight/revisionism) is saying he could see their confusion an doubt. What’s his accountability, responsibility? And most importantly, what the hell was he trying to do about it in that game?

I know, I know. It’s done, it’s over. Let it go.

So naturally that lackluster win over Buffalo was an important thing, and the Bowling Green loss will be treated as a blessing in disguise. Right?

“I would say, without a doubt that because we got beat by Bowling Green, we came to the realization that we’ll get beat again if we don’t go out there and play for 60 minutes,” Wannstedt said at his weekly teleconference yesterday. “We haven’t proven that we’re a good football team yet and we’re just trying to win a game. The interesting thing is, if we had come out flat in the opener, you could say, ‘OK, they were reading the press clippings,’ but that was not the case. We came out and we were hitting on all cylinders, and then when we hit some adversity, we didn’t respond the right way.”

It also helped that Buffalo isn’t that good.





From the way Wanny answered that question (“I’ve had enough”), it sounds like the heat is really getting to him. He seems exasperated

Comment by Jamie H 09.09.08 @ 8:58 am

Wannstedt has made a coaching career riding Jimmy Johnson’s coattails’. Enough already, produce or step down!

Comment by Pittastic 09.09.08 @ 9:13 am

I am in the sales business. If my team doesn’t sell, I’m fired! Plain and simple…No different for Wanny who has the longest honeymoom in the history of coaching.

Has anyone looked at the size and athleticism of Iowa’s lines? We could really be in for a long day with our “lean” and “small” linemen.

Comment by dan 72 09.09.08 @ 10:50 am

Im sick of this shit! Wanny needs to get the hell out, plain and simple. He should just announce that after this year he is going to retire so players can play maybe a little harder reaching their full potenital going to a bowl game. Iowa is a must win. You know whats sad is on paper we should blow Iowa off the field.

Comment by Lou 09.09.08 @ 10:59 am

I agree that the Iowa game is a must win. Not only for Pitt but for the Big East, which obviously is struggling out fo the gate. I wouldnt pick Pitt in this game though. I try to be optimistic but they fail to meet expectations far-to-frequently. If we lose the Iowa game we are looking at a 6-6, 7-5 season at best.

Anyone hear anything on Shane Murrays injury and if he’ll be back in the starting lineup?

Comment by Matt D 09.09.08 @ 11:38 am

check out http://www.firewanny.blogspot.com for an example of real accountability and responsibility by a head coach.

Comment by Scott 09.09.08 @ 11:48 am

Ha! The Stache a Jedi, ha!

Comment by Dugdog 09.09.08 @ 2:37 pm

Matt D, I read in one article, can’t remember which one now, that Shane SHOULD be ready to go.

Comment by Dugdog 09.09.08 @ 2:40 pm

I am reserving further judgement until after the Iowa game. All is not lost because of Bowling Green. Look what happened to Ohio State, WVU, South Florida got a lucky break to beat Central Florida in overtime. I think this team will continue to get better week to week but of course that is only a guess and a hope. Also, enough with the Fire Wanny chants. Hes not going anywhere this year so lets just deal with it and judge the season when its over. I am sick and tired of the the poor coaching, excuses, and no accountability too but this season is not over.

Comment by Rex 09.09.08 @ 2:49 pm

It’s almost impossible for great players to overcome poor coaching. Unfortunately that’s the predicament we are stuck in.

Comment by Dan 09.09.08 @ 3:29 pm

rex, if you want to sit quietly and accept wanny’s incompetence that’s your business. to paraphrase edmund burke: “the only thing necessary for poor coaching, excuses and no accountability to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” i’m done w/ his crap. i’ll keep calling for wanny’s dismissal until it happens.

Comment by Scott 09.09.08 @ 3:33 pm

I’m frustrated too and extremely sick of hearing the same useless excuses over and over again, but at this point, I’m just forgetting all that stuff and looking forward to the Iowa game. Let’s not let it ruin the season- and let’s not give up on these guys yet. There is still a chance for redemption here

Comment by Dan35 09.09.08 @ 3:47 pm

…and by these guys I mean the players

Comment by Dan35 09.09.08 @ 3:48 pm

In any interviews, did Wanny ever mention the magical, mysterious, mythical creature known as Greg Cross?

Much like unicorns and the lochness monster, few people have ever seen Greg Cross. Wanny claims that this myth of a man plays football for the Pitt Panthers, but once again, there has never been any hard evidence to support these claims.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my Dad 09.09.08 @ 5:19 pm

Scott, Im not sitting and accepting it. My point is you can stand on top of mount washington screaming Fire Wanny and it wont do a damn bit of good. He is the coach this year and nothing is going to change that. And last time I checked this season wasnt over yet. When it is – then it is time to evaluate. As I said, I think this team will improve each game. Nobody expected us to go undefeated this year, now we just have to win one maybe we didnt think we would win before. I am as frustrated as you, but we still have 10 games left to turn this around and it can happen.

Comment by Rex 09.09.08 @ 5:44 pm

3 non-bowl years w/ NFL caliber talent(revis, palko, blades, session, etc.), including lossing 10 times as a favorite, and a loss at home to bowling green has provided ample material. EVALUATE THAT!!

Comment by Scott 09.09.08 @ 7:59 pm

An Edmund Burke reference! Ooh, he must be a Pitt Law grad.

Just kiddin’.

Comment by Jeff 09.09.08 @ 8:14 pm

what is the point of the offseason.. if you think your team is 60-70 percent ready going into the third game ???

Comment by 206 ophelia Street 09.09.08 @ 11:26 pm

Well, isn’t Dave Wannstedt glad that his job doesn’t depend on a general election?

The hue and cry for his removal is interesting, and pretty emotional on some fans part, but until this season is over it’s still premature. PITT will not remove a sitting coach in mid-season and, I’ll wager, will not fire DW if he puts up more wins than losses.

Think of it this way – if we go from a 5-7 season to a 7-5 season and a bowl game do you think Pederson will fire DW before his contract is up, regardless of how the fans feel?

And, let’s say our kid’s sheer talent compels a 9 win season, regardless of the coaching… do you want DW to go then, could PITT justify that without any off the field problems to point to? That may be a reach, but my point is that lots can happen between now and the end of the season.

I like DW, a lot. However, I also see that he’s not really grasping the fundamentals of the college game, and may never do that. But this is sports, and unlike a job in sales, decisions are not always made according to arbitrary benchmarks. He may very well be gone at the end of this season – but IMO that would mean we had a disastrous won loss record when all was said and done, and personally, I don’t want that.

Comment by Reed 09.10.08 @ 8:49 am

A humiliating beatdown from Iowa might seal the great mustaches’ fate. I hope they go out and shock me, but I just don’t believe in Wanny and Cav.

Comment by Pittastic 09.10.08 @ 9:20 am

Ophelia – the actual quote was this…

“The exciting thing about this right now is that we’re probably only about 60 or 70 percent of where we can be as a football team,” Wannstedt said. “That’s exciting. If we were sitting here and played as well as we did and never turned the ball over in two games and we were sitting here 1-1, you’d say to yourself, ‘Geez, is this it?’ But our defense has such a long way to be able to grow, and we have not seen any LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens. I believe they’ve got huge days in front of them. And Billy Stull’s going to get better every week.”

Read in context you can understand what he means. No team (or very rarely) comes out at peak performance in it’s first game, especially one with so many younger and first time starters on it. Look at the guys we have starting for the first time – Stull, Malecki, Sheard, DiCicco, Fields, Ransom, G. Williams, etc.

Granted that happens every year, and it’s not an excuse, but it does take time for new players to get comfortable and start playing up to their potential level.

Comment by Reed 09.10.08 @ 5:31 pm

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