I think back to the summer. To puff pieces about how Dave Wannstedt cared about the players beyond football. That was not a lie. It was clear throughout Wannstedt’s tenure that the academics and the development of the players as well-rounded individuals were more than mere lip-service.
The issue of players off-the-field activities has come into play following Mike Haywood’s hire, because of a press conference that was long on character, discipline, accountability and leadership buzzwords. And short on the on-the-field issue of winning games. As I said at the time, I thought the lack of talk of winning was by design.
The unfortunate thing, is that others mangle the message their own way to see it as Wannstedt being mischaracterized as having a program that was out of control.
All of a sudden, he’s not just a coach who couldn’t win the big games, he’s a coach who seemed to have been running a something almost approaching a renegade program.
That, of course, is rubbish. But in extolling the virtues of Michael Haywood, Wannstedt’s successor, the Pitt line seemed to be that Wannstedt and his players weren’t representing Pitt in the best way and a change was needed.
To be sure some always act like there is only way to build the new guy up. The old one has to be torn down, belittled and any accomplishments denigrated. So it was for Walt Harris when Wannstedt arrived, so it goes for Wannstedt with Haywood now in charge. It’s unfortunate and unfair, and says more about the person trying to make the claim.
That shouldn’t be the case here. As disappointing as Wannstedt’s tenure was, there are still things about his time at Pitt that were very good. Players did graduate. For the most part they stayed out of trouble. While run-ins with the law for Jabaal Sheard, Jon Baldwin, and Adam Gunn were embarrassing, their ultimate legal dispensation ranged from zero to minor pleas. The only two incidents that were truly bad were whatever Elijah Fields was up to and Jason Douglas’ DUI and hitting a pedestrian. Both resulted in dismissal of the players. As much as we want the players to never have any off-the-field incidents, they will happen. Whether in spurts or trickles. Given the previous few years of little to no incidents, I am/was willing to believe that this was an aberration.
The discipline and leadership needed for this Pitt team comes on the field. Throughout the season, Wannstedt himself, bemoaned the “correctable mistakes.” Not being in the right position. Dumb penalties. All the little details that never changed. There was no accountability or real responsibility taken by the players.
It wasn’t just one group. You could see it on both sides of the ball. Regardless of the “maturity” of the players, or whether they were seniors or redshirt freshmen. The head coach failed to demand accountability, and neither did the players. That’s supposed to be one of Haywood’s strengths, so that should be an immediate and noticeable improvement.
In other Haywood stuff, the AD at Miami had good perspective on losing his coach only 2 years after taking a chance on him.
“If you had told me two years ago that we’re going to give you a coach but you’re only going to have him for two years, but he’s going to deliver a conference championship and take you to your fourth bowl game in the last 30 years, I would have taken that and run with it,” Miami-Ohio athletic director Brad Bates said. “And that’s exactly what Michael Haywood’s done. And because of that, he’s created an opportunity now for a very, very bright future for Miami football.”
As for the timeline to getting the job?
“My agent asked me if I was interested in Vanderbilt,” Haywood recalled. “I said no, I’m not interested in Vanderbilt. Three days later my agent asked me if I was interested in Pitt. I said sure, I’m interested in talking to them if they’re interested in talking to me.”
The first interview was Friday, Dec. 10.
“That Sunday they called up and expressed that they were still interested,” Haywood said. “I said that’s fine. I’m flying down to Mobile. Call my agent and let him know. On Monday I got a call back,” he said. “The next morning I called Brad Bates (Miami athletic director) and Jason Lener (deputy athletic director) and informed them of what was going on.”
Last Wednesday morning Haywood began another series of interviews in Pittsburgh.
“Then I flew back to Oxford,” Haywood said. “I was changing planes when they called and offered me the job.”
Where are the updates on Haywood’s staff? Looks like the PGH press fabricated the Wanny is BAD stories and forgot about PITT. All Steelers and Penguins all the time. Haywood’s OC and DC hires are incredibly important.
A better ambassador for a university than Dave Wannstedt..??? You will have a hard time finding one. A better coach…? We had better hope we just hired one.
thank you for the sanity check. Lord knows it’s needed here.
He was fired last year after going 6-6 for his uncooth methods.
No one is trying to tell you what to say or think. But many are asking you if it is really necessary to keep acting like the world is coming to an end. Stop writing like you are a 12 year old…
Is it really necessary to restate the same thought dozens of times with each post becoming less understandable?
It became apparent that Dave Wannstedt made a huge, and IMO calculated, error when he did not hold Jabaal Sheard accountable in any real sense for his incident.
It was a big issue, and highly visible locally and nationally, and we were all waiting for some sort of clearly defined demand of ‘accountability’ on DW’s part to happen – then Sheard started and played the whole Utah game. From the time summer camp started football life for Sheard went on like nothing happened.
Now, lots of PITT fans tend to think all else which happened after that, as far as off the field incidents, this year were just an aberration or maybe a coincidence – but withing two weeks the Utah game we had three more highly publicized violent incidents, and things kept just rolling on until PITT ended up with eight public incidents (add Field’s idiocy, two players suspended for the Bowl game and the NCAA violations) that transpired before the firing of DW.
You are correct again that this aberrant year, and it was as that number of incidents is very unusual for PITT and during DW’s time here, of discipline incidents directly and negatively influenced what to PITT fans is most important – the team’s play on the field.
The question all along hasn’t been “Has this been the norm under Dave Wannstedt in the past?” as the answer is clearly no, at least off the field. The question to the PITT administration was “Is this going to get any better without a change”?
And the answer to that, in regards to both on and off the field issues was, to Nordenberg and Peterson… obviously no also.
You reference Smizik’s “renegade program” thoughts – but I’ve read very little where people have been saying that. What I have read, and written, is this … that something changed THIS season and the football program starting sliding downhill in pretty dramatic ways.
We all saw it play out on the football field – I can’t remember any other time in DW’s tenure when the players flat out quit on the field – but we really saw it writ large in the two games that would have given us a BE title and, ultimately and sadly, would have saved the HC’s job. If that didn’t open PITT fan’s eyes to some serious accountability problems among the PITT football players, and with DW by his inane finger pointing after each loss, you just weren’t watching.
2010 sure was an aberration Chas, but it was also something that PITT felt they couldn’t afford to let happen again, off the field or in the playing of games – and to make sure that it didn’t they axed Dave Wannstedt.
Smizik missed the mark as he tends to do – instead of concentrating on what actually led to Wannstedt putting himself in a position to be fired, he concentrates on complaining about peripheral issues which, while distasteful in a sense, are but a smokescreen for a journalist who should be examining why these negative forces all came together in one season to make DW expendable.
Because accountability cuts both ways. The PITT administration had to be held ultimately accountable and they made what was apparently a tough decision for them… had DW made a same tough decision earlier he may have been able to avoid some of the issues that later led to his firing.
amen, brother.
I forget, are you hopeful or worried about next season, and beyond? We will be guided by your wisdom.
At least we know the new coach can lie with the best of them. Vandy was paying 2 million + a year and Pitt was offering (Undisclosed) so he turned down Vandy and gave a thumbs up to Pitt.
HAHAHAHA! What a joke
All the talk about Wanny doing a bad job with the kids is total BS and a smoke screen.
The reason they made the change is simple, boosters and ticket holders were tired of losing the big games.
The “Power that is” didn’t want to pay a coach anymore then they were paying Wanny so they bring in ANOTHER guy for the same amount and then they point to what they feel they can sell to the fans to have them “buy into” the hire.
Also this isn’t Steve P’s call so stop it already with that guy or you will just get another guy just like him (with the same salary) that will do Nordy’s bidding.
Aaron Smith allegedly involved in robbery at… our OL Jason Pinkston’s house –
This may not be the end of news stories about this last season also if rumblings are accurate.
I never heard of Haywood before last week, but after reading the news stories, blogs and doing some digging on the Internet I’m perfectly fine with it.
Yeah, I know the new guy wants his guys blab blab blab. These coaches were solid and maybe Pitt does not lose so many recruites. I can’t wait to see the names of the replacements. Hope they are not a bunch of MAC type players.
That’s the problem joel. The position coaches are one of the most important factors in bringing in recruits at that position. Players end up coming to programs with coaches that they want to play for. I think the fact that these assistants didn’t have much to work with points out that they weren’t bringing good players in.
