Sigh. Well, getting away from the warm fuzzies of the basketball team for a bit. There’s more than a bit of unfinished business with Pitt football. I might come back to an abbreviated media recap. Right now, my sense is that it is almost as if we are back to the beginning of the season. Right after the BGSU debacle. The frustration with Wannstedt, the complete disappointment in Cavanaugh.
Right now, the comments from Coach Wannstedt the other day are being parsed, dissected and interpreted. Fun. Fun. Fun.
Let’s start with the obvious big issues: QB Bill Stull and OC Matt Cavanaugh.
Not just the fans have turned their questions on Matt Cavanaugh within the Pitt program.
Games like that make you wonder if the program can take the next big step as long as Cavanaugh is calling the plays.
It was such a glaring issue in the Sun Bowl.
…or the play callers and decision makers who left them in the game and did little to change things up in order to help them out?
For instance, I’ve been a critic of fans who are always crying for Greg Cross to get in the game – but if ever there was a game that cried out for something different, and if ever the team had enough time to put together a few packages for a guy with his talents, this was it. Particularly when you consider that the Beavers defense in their last game gave up 65 points and like 400 yards rushing TO A SPREAD OFFENSE TEAM.
Let me state that again – a team gets ripped by a spread offense running the ball. Pitt has a quarterback who you recruited to run similar spread schemes. Pitt had almost ONE MONTH to prepare said quarterback and offense for a few packages like that.
Honestly, though, was anyone really surprised that Cross never got into the game? I know I wasn’t.
That brings us to Coach Wannstedt’s teleconference and what he said.
…he also took the opportunity to say he will retain offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh for next season. Pitt’s season ended with a 3-0 loss to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl Wednesday.
Wannstedt said that Cavanaugh has been unfairly criticized and that the Panthers’ problems on offense are mostly because of poor execution and are not Cavanaugh’s fault. Despite the struggles of Pitt’s quarterbacks, he said, Cavanaugh is one of the best quarterbacks coaches in the country.
“Are you kidding me? We’re not going to base anything off of just one game,” Wannstedt said. “Matt has forgotten more about coaching quarterbacks than most of the other guys out there will ever know. And you can quote me on that one.”
I guess that’s the first issue. Wannstedt sees it as “just one game.” Everyone who is critical just sees the Sun Bowl as the final straw. I admit to being in the latter camp with Cavanaugh at this point. From his struggle to adjust to being an OC in college — remember when he admitted to not realizing/remembering that hashmarks were in different places — to playcalling that has made little sense far too often, to not developing any QBs with any degree of consistentcy or confidence. I will concede that it can be hard to declare the QB all on him, as they players have some responsibility.
Still: Bill Stull, Pat Bostick, Kevan Smith, Greg Cross. None of them are good enough? None have progressed much? At the very least it has to call into question his ability to evaluate. At worst, he’s just not doing the job. If “you are what your record says you are,” then at some point those players and their development reflect your ability.
Honestly, I wish I could muster the anger and frustration. I guess I’m a little numb since I’m not in the least bit surprised by this. Coach Wannstedt believes in his circle and his way. He would rather fail with it, than change his way. We’ve all known this. This is part of it.
The part that actually gets me close to upset is that Wannstedt appeared to put the offensive struggles all on “poor execution.”
DPJ is rightfully pissed off about everything he read.
This has been the hallmark of the staff since the moment they were hired. The is 0 accountability from the staff. We always used to joke about “Not My Fault Walt” but really, when was the last time you heard Wannstedt accept responsibility. This season Cavanaugh admitted a few times that his game plans were poor and the results of which led us to lose to Bowling Green as well as struggle against Iowa and Buffalo.
I will say that it is more Wannstedt than the staff at this point. Wannstedt may be trying to defend his embattled OC, but he’s instead put the blame on his players and the team instead. Nice work.
Even, though, it sure seems like the staff screwed up in some huge ways.
Freshman tackle Lucas Nix didn’t play in the Sun Bowl, but Wannstedt said Nix would have started at left tackle and played the “whole game” if coaches had known prior to pre-game warm-ups that Pinkston would not be available. Instead, fifth-year senior Chase Clowser got his first career start.
Good god, does that cry out for more detail. What does that even mean? I know Pinkston got hurt the day before, but why was it a one or the other situation? They didn’t want to spring it on Nix at the last minute? And then, they didn’t want to make a change? You know, to — what? Disrupt the O-line? I freely admit that I don’t know the full context and what else went into this, but nothing about it made sense on the 31st and it still doesn’t. Clowser was completely overmatched and unable to do the job. Yet, Nix wasn’t going to get a snap because Clowser got the start?
In terms of coaching, 9-4 this year and beating WVU two times doesn’t mean squat. The players on the field did that DESPITE Wanny and Cavanaugh, not because of them. Wanny is a terrible coach and Cavanaugh is a worse OC.
As long as they are here, this team may, at times, enjoy something resembling “success,” but Pitt will not be an elite college football program.
I can see wanting Cav out, but let’s be realistic for a second. We are bringing in great young players and had a hell of a season. Was the OSU game embarrassing? Absolutely. But let’s wait and see what happens in the off season and next year before we call for Wanny’s head.
BOWLING GREEEEEEEEEEN.
The frustration over this otherwise very good season is the common-sense things that seem to evade the coaches. They have made some very curious personnel decisions and/or repeated bad play calls that seems to go back to their being afraid. We rarely saw anything remotely imaginative or daring. FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD!
How many times was that sideline route thrown 5-10 yards out of bounds this season? I think it was 3 or 4 in the Sun Bowl (13th game of season) alone.
Were our coaches the only people in the entire country that didn’t realize Rutgers has no running game/that Ray Rice is now in the NFL?
Repeatedly this coaching staff gets caught in the “Catch-22 Experience Enigma”- When a player can’t play because he lacks experience, but can’t get experience without playing… For example: players with more pass attempts than Greg Cross this season: Andrew Janocko (1), Lesean McCoy (2), Kevan Smith (3), Dave Brytus (1). Would it have been too risky to put Cross in games such as: Pitt 42, Navy 21; Pitt 41, Louisville 7; Pitt 34, UConn 10??? This especially is so frustrating because when the coaches took chances and had faith in their players, the players responded and came through- as in their fantastic 4th down % on the season following the cowardly BGSU debacle.
GOOD:
-won 9 regular season games for the first time since 1982
-were very good on the road (5-1), and finished games extremely well.
-were great on special teams
-actually created some turnovers and scored some points on defense
-beat WVU for the second year in a row, and third time in five years. Also noteworthy that in Pat White’s 4 years as a starter, some of the best teams WVU has ever had, he was only 2-2 against Pitt.
-Beat the team that ruined PSU’s season.
In particular I am disappointed not to see more out of Dickerson and Cross. Both came to PITT for an opportunity. We should make sure they at least get the opportunity. I am especially disappointed for Cross who likely could have chosen another school had he known that he wouldn’t have been given the chance. Look, Stull did well most of the season. He struggled in the Sun Bowl. This was the opportunity for Cross. Could you give him at least one series???? Shame on you Coach W.
My loyalty runs deep with the University so I will always be a contributor but I will make sure to mention it next time I send in my check(s) and consider my season ticket renewal.
link to community.post-gazette.com
Wannsdtedt won’t and shouldn’t be fired. He’s no genius, and neither is Cavanaugh, but we’re making progress. Albeit glacially.
The QB situation is my biggest concern. Unless Sunseri is the answer, we’re going to be in big trouble for the foreseeable future. Cross and Stull will be seniors. Cross rarely played despite producing in limited action this year and Stull has a hard time managing the game and avoiding turnovers — which is all the team asks of him.
Bostick simply isn’t as good as advertised and will be a junior next year. That leaves Sunseri as a redshirt freshman with the most upside — and perhaps the least heralded as a recruit. That in itself should say something about the staff’s inability to evaluate and develop quarterbacks.
If we don’t go past the Sweet 16 you will all want to fire Dixon again. There is just no pleasing some of our fans.
one thing that confuses me is that after the Bowling Greene game the staff seemed to kick it in gear, open up the offense and get the ball in the right player’s hands. For some reason, they seemed to regress the last few games though, I can’t explain this and its frustrating.
You have to endorse your OC, especially during this recruiting time of year. Kids need to know that there’s stability.
Next year I would like to see Wanny take over games sooner if it’s not going well. i.e. play calling, pulling Stull sooner, going to the Wildcat, etc. If you exhaust all of your options and leave everything on the table in an effort to win, you’ll have no excuses.
I’m worried about one thing next year: Youngstown State. They had a terrible year at 4-8, but could you imagine us losing to them the first game?!?!
Most importantly, Shady is coming back! That is the real news. It will be a ton of fun watching him play 12 more times next year. Shady alone should help sell out a game or two. Good times!
Hail to Pitt #1 in BB,
Please look at the growth of our current quarterbacks under Cav’s tenure during his time as the QB Coach.
Mr. Stull stares down his receivers in a way that reminds me of my eye popping look at the ladies of a local strip club during my first visit ever. Pocket presence, Check downs, and hitting a receiver in stride (let alone at all) are all words from a foreign language to Mr. Stull.
Mr. Bostick still has no arm strength. His passes are reminiscent of the alien space ship that runs across the top of the screen during a game of space invaders. His release is not much different then a Sid Fernandez (El Sid of the Mets) fast ball delivery and any former Pro QB that has seen it says it needs corrected.
Mr. Smith was brought in as a project and from what we can tell he is still. No longer as a QB He is changing his position. He has athletic ability and a strong arm but he is at best unsure of himself and at worst flat out scared whenever he is in a game.
Mr. Cross Who can tell and he’s moving to safety.
All of these kids were highly rated out of High School and Mr. Cross was considered by many as the top Transfer QB in the country.
So we are to believe that Matt C. who has forgotten more then most coaches know about the position has simply been unable to turn any of these four gentlemen into productive quarterbacks because of their inability to learn?
I would have an easier time believing that the problem lies in Cav’s inability to coach.
If I am correct then Mr. Sunseri will need to have all the tools to be a great College quarterback out of high school in order for him to see a greater level of success at Pitt then any of his predecessors and our current crop of quarterbacks have taken so much heat for doing the best they can with what has been given to them.
Only one of the current QBs on the staff was “highly rated” coming out of HS – Pat Bostick. The others were rated as average, (Stull and Smith at 3*s) and Cross had basically zero offers as a HS senior. Cross garnered a decent reputation in a JUCO league and still his offers were minimal. When was the last time you saw a 4* or 3*player (depending on which site you follow) with his best offers coming from average schools?
I’d counter your post with saying that Cav actually has had poor material to work with. Stull and Bostick had major physical problems coming in, Smith has a ‘panic first’ tendency and Cross can’t muster the intellect to grasp an offense at this level.
Yes, coaching should erase some of those negatives, and I’ll say they did in some small measure for Bill Stull. Don’t get short sighted memory when you look back over Stull’s year in 2008. He worked in a steady progression over the first eight games he played – then something happened with him for him to enter into a nose dive over the last four games.
Had Stull stayed at the level he achieved in the RU and Louisville games we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
Coaching is important, everyone knows that. But there is also a point where the player himself has to be deemed responsible for what happens out on the field.
In no way can you point to Pat Bostick’s freshman year and say that is a result of poor coaching. He just wasn’t here long enough for coaching to effect him one way or another.
Smith has to take the burden of his psyche on his own shoulders.
Cross physically can’t pass, but more than that, he couldn’t learn the offense.
We all know that there is only so much time and energy one coach can have during the season – Cav had to use his preparing the QB1 and QB2 to play week to week. It would have been a disservice to the team for the offensive coaches to concentrate on ‘projects’ such as Smith or Cross and allow the two players most likely to actually play to fend for themselves.
Believe it or not – the coaching staff is in business for two things… one, to prepare the kids to play football games and win (which they did to the tune of the most victories since 1982) and two; to get the kids to use their four years at PITT to be ready to contribute to their “life’s work” outside of the University.
This season those two QBs you mentioned as not benefiting from positive coaching won nine football games between them. Albeit it not in very pretty fashion overall. But look back over the wins and in every one of them you’ll see that the QB play contributed in some way to the win.
We had one – one game – where I could say that we lost specifically because of our play at QB, and that is the Sun Bowl game. In every other loss , if we are honest about this, we have to share the blame with the defense and coaching staffs for losing.
Our QB play has to get better, it has to. And, just like in every aspect of football, that will have to be done by a combination of things progressing – the coaching has to recognize problems and adapt to fix them, and the players have to do the same. The players though IMO are ultimately responsible for the actions and decisions they make out on that field. Coaching gets the kids ready to play, the players execute, or not, on gameday.
That said, if this discussion was about Cav’s gameday decision making… that’s a whole different story.
It’s just like pro playoffs, the NCAA tournament, etc. The first time in, it’s hard to win. It really did look to me like full effort was lacking, and we still only lost by 3.
By the way, I pin the loss on the lack of depth in the offensive line. At one point, we had Joe Thomas, Chase Clowser, and JOHN BACHMAN in the game.
Is not that the coaching staff’s job though is to recruit those that can play and be molded into the system?
9 wins is a great season, it is just unfortunate that Pitt plays in a city where you can go undefeated and people are calling for changes because the wins weren’t perfect. Seriously, I was listening to post-game talk after the Steelers vs. Patriots game, and callers were saying that we should bench Big Ben because Leftwich would run the offense better.
This town is a very passionate town about sports (how the Pirates even still get ANYONE to go should be proof of that) but not the most educated….
My info comes from Rivals.com
As for rivals ranking system
The ranking system ranks prospects on a numerical scale from 6.1-4.9.
6.1 Franchise Player; considered one of the elite prospects in the country, generally among the nation’s top 25 players overall; deemed to have excellent pro potential; high-major prospect
6.0-5.8 All-American Candidate; high-major prospect; considered one of the nation’s top 300 prospects; deemed to have pro potential and ability to make an impact on college team
5.7-5.5 All-Region Selection; considered among the region’s top prospects and among the top 750 or so prospects in the country; high-to-mid-major prospect; deemed to have pro potential and ability to make an impact on college team
5.4-5.0 Division I prospect; considered a mid-major prospect; deemed to have limited pro potential but definite Division I prospect; may be more of a role player
4.9 Sleeper; no Rivals.com expert knew much, if anything, about this player; a prospect that only a college coach really knew about
Stull & Cross were ranked as 5.6’s and Bostick as a 5.9 and Smith as a 5.2
Additionally, and no one has really talked about this much, this OL depth issue likely was also the most important factor in not being able to run the ball effectively and consistently in the Sun Bowl.
Now, even if the above is an accurate assessment of the Sun Bowl offensive debacle, the negative folks are going to say that Wannstadt has failed to recruit enough quality OL and that this shouldn’t have been be a problem in year 4. I beg to differ with that view, as well. Just look at the 2008 roster and you will see that the 4th and 5th year OL consist of a seldom (never?) used walkon (Novotny), Clowser and Williams (2004 Harris recruits) and C.J. Davis and J. Bachman (2005 Harris/Wannstadt recruits). Of that group, only Davis was good enough to start and Williams the only truly adequate sub. The 3rd year class (Jrs/RS Sophs) is where most of the 2008 starters are found (Thomas, Houser, Malecki and Pinkston) plus J. Martin (all were 2006 Wannstadt Recruits except Houser a JUCO brought in in 2008). The remainder of the OL on the roster are all(with the exception of Soph walk-on A. Karabin) RS Frosh or true Frosh from the 2007 (Feiger, Jacobson, Gaskins, Jones, Matha, Gibbs) and 2008 (Turnley, Nix)recruiting classes.
It seems clear to me that this data supports the idea that OL recruiting was weak at the end of the Harris era (2003-2004-2005) and picked up with Wannstadt’s first true full recruit class in 2006. Also, recall that the 2006 recruit class included OT J. Otah (a JUCO who has moved on) who was brought in to shore up the then, even worse, OL situation. The 2007 and 2008 recruit classes are the future of the OL and appear promising but were not ready to contribute much in 2008 due to their youth and inexperience (recall it includes 2 HS TE’s–Gibbs & Matha–being beefed up to eventually be OTs).
Other than finding a few more JUCOs to fill the gaps at the top there really wasn’t much more, IMO, Wannstadt could have done to have had more quality experienced OL depth in 2008. So, to be fair, we need to wait to see how all the young OL pan-out in 2009 and 2010 as they become 2nd, 3rd and 4th year players before we can justly accuse Wannstadt of failing to adequately recruit OL.
Wanny good job on recruiting and pretty much everything off the field.
The schedule this year had good teams on it but no real powerhouses and certinally no top ten programs on it.
Wanny and the staff are still learning the College game. See the Bowling Green game for an example of this and things seemed to change after that game for the better.
Our Defense is much improved and the D Line is very good and the scheme is great.
Special teams are much improved.
However our offense is still not there. Take the Sun bowl out of the picture. We still barely involve the tight ends, or pass to the middle of the field. Most of the pass plays are by design to the sidelines and we have very few three step drop plays and our receivers rarely run slants. The wildcat is basically another run Shady up the middle and we never pass from that formation.
We run what we run and that’s it. If that’s not working we have no plan B because our playbook isn’t very thick. No trick plays, and very little imagination or mixing it up.
I won’t bring up the QB thing again I think I have covered that.
I just don’t like our offense and I doubt that we will see much change from Cav while he’s here so I would like to see him go. Maybe I’m nuts but I hated Paul Rhoades during his tenure and a lot of people told me I needed to get a grip then as well. I am much happier now that he’s gone and I hope he never has anything to do with Pitt football ever again.
Pitt had a good season at 9-4, but the appearance of how the team is run, is NOT a good one.
BG at the start and OSU at the end, were a microcosm of the history of Wanny and Cav.
The appearance to all was that this is a very poorly “game day” prepped and coached team, unready for anything other than “scripted” scenerios. All of the above comments add to the reality.
Dan72–No doubt appearances are important and may be reality for many and can in many cases also represent objective truth. But where perception is miss-perception and doesn’t represent truth the root causes of problems are not addressed and those problems are never fixed properly and may even be made worse.
I like Cavanaugh and all and all I think he is a good OC but at times I am just stupified at his calls. Then other games he looks like a genius. With a month to prep for a mediocre Oregon St team we certainly could have come up with something better. As already said, if ever there were a time to use Greg Cross or any trick plays we had in the bag – this was it. The game meant nothing so why not pull out all the stops when nothing is working? Instead we let Stull in there to crash and burn on national tv.
Then Chase Clowser??? I noticed him on the screen several times but it didnt quite register at the time as to why he was playing. having sat behind the bench at Pitt games all this year I always wondered how an enormous guy like that isnt good enough to play? Well The Sun Bowl certainly answered those questions.
I guess the good news is that Shady seems to have re-assured us he will be back.
Now we can focus on a well coached team, the #1 team in the land.