It’s hard to avoid it. Though, apparently Pitt is trying since Tino Sunseri was not made available to the media this week. Wonder why? Avoid yet another rehash of his WVU performance? His comments after the game where he admitted to getting flustered and also spoke of how younger players made some mistakes? Or, that whole Twitter “pro style football” comment?
The upshot is Chas Alexcih got to pop off just before his final home game. He was, uh, quotable. Apparently he really did not take a shine to Mike Haywood. The Pitt beat writers gave us some tidbits: “He was a jackass and it looked like he got his suit from Goodwill.”
And: ” “When he got fired, I was happy, that pri… ” (Hint: Rhymes with rick).”
It’s fun to be a senior. It’s almost like those final days of work after giving 2 weeks notice.
Needless to say Haywood did not make a good impression. Todd Graham was different.
“My first impression was he was confident in himself, he was real confident in the program,” Alecxih said. “(He) came in and said, ‘You had a great coach before (Dave Wannstedt), which we did, but we’re going to take this program to the next level. He told us he had a plan and we needed to trust him.”
The season has turned into a disappointment, but Alecxih said, “I have grown as a person and I feel like a lot of my teammates have grown as people.
“Things are going to be on the rise in the future, too. Watch out.”
Back to the QB stuff.
Yesterday in Coach Graham’s presser there were no surprises. While the support wasn’t unequivocal or unwavering, Coach Graham said that Sunseri would be the starting QB on the final home game on Saturday.
In light of the problems at the end of the West Virginia game, do you plan any changes at quarterback this week?
“No. We didn’t play very well down the stretch and didn’t play very well at the position. That is part of execution. Tino (Sunseri) is the guy who gives us the best chance to win. That’s what we have to work with, and we have to get better.”
…
What led to the team yielding nine sacks in the final 25 snaps against West Virginia after giving up one in the first 55?
“Just taking sacks is what’s so frustrating. It’s a new problem. We haven’t had that problem in the past (at other schools). We just held the ball. Our offense is about throwing the ball on time. We absolutely are not executing. It seems like when we play ahead of people, we are OK. Anytime we have a situation where we have to make a drive to win, we have had zero success with that. Obviously, we haven’t been doing a very good job of teaching it. All we can do is work hard to get better, and it’s going to get better.”
[Emphasis added, as I choose to laugh rather than weep.]
I expected Coach Graham to name Sunseri the starter for the final game. It’s about winning the game and getting some bowl bid, and as bad as Sunseri is. He probably does give Pitt the best chance at the position. So, Mark Myers remains that tantalizingly unknown piece of chocolate.
That said, considering Zach Brown, Ronald Jones and Devin Street may not be available for the game, it is hard to say that having Myers play would have been considered a fair opportunity.
This could be the players unavailable for Saturday: Ray Graham, Zach Brown, Ronald Jones, Devin Street, Cam Saddler, Salath Williams, Chris Jacobson, Matt Rotheram, Jason Hendricks and Shane Gordon Kevin Adams (dismissed from team). It’s been a brutal season.
Now for the good news. It isn’t like Coach Graham is blind to the problems for 2012. Obviously he doesn’t want to endure another year of Sunseri any more than we do. Nor is he going to blindly hope that Chad Voytik can handle things immediately (nor just hand him the starting job).
Chris Dokish posted on it yesterday, and Paul Zeise confirms via Todd Graham, today that Pitt will try to bring in a one year QB. Like how Wisconsin brought in Russell Wilson, or Pitt was able to add Zach Brown. So, let the speculation run rampant.
The guy only played about 6 or 7 quarters. haha
Yes, YES>>..YES>….BRING IN A 1 YEAR QB PLEASE !
PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP !
My fear is we’re going to be fed these lines next spring.
‘Tino understands the offense much better and he’s practiced better than he’s EVER practiced before. And he’s throwing much more accurately and with more zip on the ball.’
And finally this classic:
‘Tino gives us the best chance to win’
Then in August…..Wash, Rinse, spin,,,repeat
Offense is worse than this year…McGee (if he hasn’t left already to join Dickrod) is fired to placate the furious fan base. (that would be us)
The two Shane’s, Gordon & Hale have been more like Shame’s(shams) than Shane’s.
I urge readers on here to jump over, after they have read and commented on The Blather, to Chris Dokish’s blog and read his full thoughts on it also. Dokish’s Panther’s Prey blog is a great resource for us PITT fans who want insight from a guy who is pretty well connected to the program and local sports. His bio reads like this:
“Chris has been a sportswriter for five years with stops at CollegeHoopsNet.com, Insiders.com (now Scout.com) and Rivals.com. He is currently contributing editor for the Pittsburgh Sports Report, where he specializes in college sports and recruiting.”
So, I take what he writes pretty seriously. Here is the site – http://panthersprey.blogspot.com/
When we on here are discussing Mark Myers I get this feeling that PITT fans have really blown up his reputation in thier minds to the point where they feel that he’d be an unmitigated success when he stepped foot on the playing field… and I’ve disagreed about this.
Dokish says this about the issue:
“He doesn’t know the offense well and his strengths and weaknesses are a bad match for this style. Now, next season if Myers dedicates himself and Graham makes a ton of changes to the offense than maybe he could be okay. But, the truth is, Myers is a big guy who has a strong arm so the scouting services had him ranked highly. What they didn’t take into account, however, is that he’s not actually a good player. Maybe in time he will turn into one, but personally I’m not holding my breath on that.”
and on the whole PITT QB situation:
“I can honestly tell you that everybody I’ve talked to, both at Pitt and the media that follows Pitt, thinks Jones, Gonzalez, or Myers would not be better than Sunseri this year. Believe me, the Pitt staff is desperate to find somebody to put out there instead of Sunseri, but there is nobody. The coaches want somebody different, the fans want somebody different, and I want somebody different but it’s just not there this season. Now, next season is a different story. If Sunseri is starting next year and stinks again then Graham deserves a lot of criticism. I just don’t see any chance at all now that that will happen.”
This reiterates what we talked about when Anderson and Jones got more snaps at QB during the heat of the games than Myers did. The staff has just plain felt that Myers wasn’t able to get in there and play at this level and they weren’t going to waste snaps on a guy who was a reach and probably wouldn’t be around next season anyway.
I would have to think that our AD has talked with Graham about QB options next year. Stevie P is concerned about ticket sales and Tino and High Octane just don’t mix. I would think that Graham is feeling the pressure from the administration to find anybody but Tino next season. Graham’s a smart enough guy to get it.
I don’t expect Tino to be starting come Big East play.
I’ve read three media types (Zeise, Dokish and Reed) who actually watched practices and they all agree that Myers is really not very good and is completely lost in this offense. The only people I find saying Myers might be the answer are disgruntled fans.
In one of the other “Tino” threads one or more people posted that TG is a terrible coach because he didn’t change his system to fit the players. They even mentioned Brady Hoke as evidence. Well, Duh, Brady Hoke inherited Denard Robinson only one of the better players in the country and probably a Heisman candidate next year. Of course you change your offense for him, you’d be insane not to. Just as I’m sure TG would have altered his system if he inherited Marino or Testaverde or some other accomplished pro style QB. You don’t delay the inevitable and change your system based on the limited capabilities of Tino, Myers and Gonzalez… you just don’t.
Get him here, give him as many reps as possible with the FIRST team and get him on the field ASAP.
True that Bostick was thrown in to quick, but if you remember, he missed like 95% of training camp that year. South Carolina played a true freshmen at QB after kicking Steven Garcia OFF the team mid-season. Philip Rivers played as a true freshmen at NC State he didn’t turn out to bad eh.
Garrett Gilbert from texas was looking for a new team.
Tate Forcier from michigan is still out there i think.
and katz from oregon st has a big arm.
and Dayne Crist from ND
do you know of any more if so please list them
Tino deserves his share of the blame, I’m not defending him, but others have contributed to Pitt’s poor 2010 showing. Let’s hope Todd can right the ship in 2011.
I hope Pitt earns a bowl bid even with a 6 & 6 record. Many player’s on this year’s team deserve a bowl trip if they qualify provided an invitation is extended.
Tino Who? Get a good look on Saturday as He’s done playing QB for Pitt…
Anyone else looking at QB’s out there looking for another year
Nothing says PITT football like Air Supply, Bette Midler and Neil Diamond!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!
DAN MULLEN HAS NOT BEEN A BIG WINNER IN THE SEC.
Student buses will depart immediately after the conclusion of Sweet Caroline.
GJ Kinne – He’s a senior with a year of eligibility left (I think) – Can anyone confirm?. 9,000 yards and 80 TDs in 3 years as a starter. Tino has 25 TDs as a starter. Kinne has 25 TDs this season. Threw 31 and ran for 7 in 2010.
You don’t think that comment was an accident do you?
Very Interesting
I’ve never personally said he’s “not very good” but I’ve said that he isn’t the slam dunk savior that most PITT fans want him to be and that he didn’t win the 1st or 2nd spots on the QB depth chart.
My impressions of watching him practice were that his arm was strong, his accuracy wavered and his command of Graham’s offense was suspect. His mobility wasn’t on par with Sunseri’s ability to get yards on the ground and nowhere near either Anderson or Gonzalez.
All in all I’d say that Myers passing skills are a bit better than Sunseri’s but the other aspects of playing QB, including command of the offense, fell short. Sunseri’s problem, other than the deep ball, hasn’t been his actual passing, he’s been pretty accurate in this short pass offense and his receivers haven’t helped with that. His problem has been folding like a lawn chair under any sort of pressure.
Over the first half of the season I believed that Graham wasn’t going to let Myers see the field because at that point he was still trying to incorporate the QB run as a full 1/3 of the triple read option.
Graham has changed his offense a lot over the last five weeks. As stated above it was simplified for more reason then just Sunseri, but for the new OL players also and made simpler for the QB to execute – or so you’d think.
The whole thrust of my stance on Mark Myers has been twofold. The more important issue was that throughout this season Graham wanted, and would play, a QB who gave him that QB run option. That’s why we saw Sunseri, Anderson and Jones back there before Myers got a snap. Even in our losses – and up to the WVU game when Sunseri actually tucked the ball and ran he was picking up good yardage.
The second is that Myers just didn’t outplay anyone either in the spring practices or in the summer camp. Above all I think he got caught between a rock and a hard place with the coaching change and the different things that were asked of the QB on Graham’s offense. IMO that disappointed him and it showed in the spring and then he had his injury.
That combined to make him 3rd string out of camp and going into the season and thus didn’t get any practice reps during the game weeks at all. He wasn’t going to be thrown in over a player who had been second string throughout camp and the first part of the season. Our use of the Wildcat didn’t help Myers’ cause either as it just gave another kid, Jones, a shot at playing QB.
I sure don’t think Myers is a bad QB at all and I’ve never said that. But I have been consistently saying that Graham wasn’t going to use Myers in any meaningful way unless there were injuries to the QBs above him or unless we had a ‘meltdown’ situation.
Which has been true and is pretty much what happened with Sunseri last week.
As much as I’d like to see Myers start, I’m still skeptical that Myers will get major PT on Saturday As he always does, Sunseri will play well enough over the first half to convince Graham that he’ll win the game. Hell, if all Myers does is replicate Sunseri’s passing but remains upright for the duration we’ll have just as much chance of winning as we do with Sunseri in a close game.
We didn’t compete with OSU for most recruits BEFORE Meyer got there…. I suspect that won’t change.
And the few that wanted to come to Pitt over OSU under Tressel still have the same reasons for wanting to do so under Meyer.
This year was rough, new system, new coach, injuries across the board including one of the best running backs in the country.
Could Pitt have done better, sure , is TGraham overrated ? Way to early to say that. I’ve mentioned before Year 3, he will have more of his players in his system, if the team is still sub .500 then we can talk about the coach.
But I hope that Tino does not start. He can’t even be a game manager like Bostick was.
I will still say that given the collection of QB’s there was certainly no meaningful reason for TG to alter his style of offense. Despite all the injuries and Tino’s duck and cover routine we really are 1 or 2 plays in the Cincy and WVU games away from being BE champs.
In reference to Urban Meyer above (and I’m not saying he isn’t a great coach), let’s not forget he walked into Alex Smith at Utah, Chris Leak followed by Tim Tebow at UF and now Braxton Miller at OSU. That helps with the winning right away thing.
QB’s always get too much credit and too much blame, but having a good one certainly does cover a lot of warts.
With Jones out with a concussion, Trey still injured and Myers unlikely to see any PT, Tino will get his last start this SAT. Then we can complete this root canal (cue Dr. Tom) and await the signing of a 5th yr transfer or JC QB to ease the transition of Voytik.
Not blaming TG in his first yr, but by all accounts this has been one of the most frustrating football seasons in recent memory. With all the key injuries, dropped passes and the horrendous QB play, it is time to put it to bed. Honor the seniors SAT and move on to hoops. HTP
We didn’t need the stadium to hold 60,000. It was on campus and there were wonderful sight lines, for watching the game. Every seat in the house was much closer to the action than at Heinz Field. Who on the hell wants to sit in the upper deck of Heinz Feild? The Peterson events Center could still have been built at the top of the hill or over the crest. Steve Pederson assured everyone that the Panthers would draw better downtown and that certainly is not the case. Winning is what sells tickets!
Graham is right about winning. Winning sells. And, we’re all right about Tino. He sucks!
1. Tearing down Pitt Stadium..they could have built the Peterson Center any number of spots including Panther Hollow
2. Rehiring Steve Pederson
3. Not firing Steve Pederson after the coaching hire fiasco.
1)Pitt is not going to immediately sell out every game if it starts putting together 11 win seasons. This is part&parcel to being an urban school in a small market environment. The stadium is irrelevant. The winning/losing is irrelevant for the most part. The opponent does, however, improve gameday attendance (i.e. WVU, ND, PSU, BCS AQers). But ultimately, Pitt can only hope for averages of 25-30K on a non-prime game basis. ANything they get over that is a fluke or cosmic marketing (firworks, bobblehead, prime time slot, not televised, great weather, no traffic)…and even then, I would not count on it.
2) If any “waxing nostalgic” argument that holds credence against Peterson is the Pitt Script one. We forever look like a USFL version of our original brand. Peterson will never live this down, and worse, he won’t fix it. For that, he is a loser to me (and of course, the Haygood Fiasco). Brands don’t win football games, but it does help connect us to our past and foster a positive image about out school (lord knows the play on the field hasn’t).
3) You can’t compete at a championship level in football without QBs & LBs/Defenses that make make big time plays in big time games.
4) Systems don’t win games– players do. Systems may even the playing field for 2/3 of the game, but ultimately playes win. Walt, Wanny, Graham…I don’t care who it is…players win games….and you need them… not one or two…but many. Fitzgerald never won more than 8 games at Pitt. Enough said.
I want the Pitt script back as well, and it was great for the brand (think Dorsett and Marino). Keep the existing colors however.
In Graham’s system, you need more than a game manager as QB and your LB’s are your strength (3-4 D). Help is on the way.
Graham should be able to recruit the players to run his system. Pitt’s facilities are top notch. Pitt is going to a better and more stable conference. Players will come. Hopefully, Graham can be effective at evaluating high school talent and find a way to use that talent on the field.
I have mixed feelings about Stevie P. He’s screwed up a few things but I’m fine with the decision to demolish Pitt stadium.
the pete is good but could have put it some were else may be under the stadium.
I think Coach Graham has done a great job with what he was given. I mean like others have said one or two plays pitt could be 8-3 or better. If I had said Pitt will lose Ray Graham, Cam Saddler and most of the O-Line due to injuries, what would you have predicted the record would be?
Destroying Pitt Stadium was a mistake? Get serious. Pitt Stadium was horrible and outdated. Do you think Pitt basketball would be at it’s current level if Pitt was still playing in the Field House? Not a chance. The opening of the Pete along with winning transformed Pitt into a basketball power. It took Pitt forever to build the much needed baseball stadium. So if they had gone with a different location the Pete would have just opened. And chances are Jamie Dixon is long gone to a program that had better facilities than an outdate Field House.
There is nothing wrong with Heinz Field except that it isn’t on campus. When Heinz Field is full, the place is rocking. Plus, Heinz Field helps with recruiting.
I have no idea about Myers, none of us do despite the personal observations, innuindo, and simple speculation that he is a bum. I would love to talk to DW view on the kid. I certain about one thing and this is inarguable like every other college coach in America DW would not have recruited Anderson let alone actually play him – what an embarrassment that was to the school when he played QB TV. The announcers could not believe it.
ANDERSON:
Led Pearland to a 16-0 record and the Texas Class 5A Division I state championship as a senior…threw for 2,898 yards and 24 touchdowns, both single-season Pearland school records…finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards (4,654), completions (306) and touchdown passes (41)…threw only three interceptions in 16 games his senior year, and only one of those picks led to points for the opponent.
Myers:
.threw for 2,127 yards and 20 touchdowns with only eight interceptions during his final season at St. Ignatius… completed 54% of his passes (140 of 261)…selected first team All-Ohio Division I (largest classification)… Northeast Lakes District Co-Offensive Player of the Year…led St. Ignatius to an 11-1 record and the regional semifinals of the Ohio Division I playoffs
I’m not saying Trey is better but rather pointing out that high school achievement doesn’t equal great college player. It’s not worth pointing out recruit rankings, high school stats etc., they are irrelevant at this level.
My grand son who played high school ball in alabama rushed for 1.796 yds and did not get a offer even from a small school becuse he is slow
I’m glad you feel free to pontificate all over the place. Sure, Pitt Stadium was in disrepair because it was left to fall apart. Pederson thought he could get a huge ego boost by being the AD who tore down the stadium. Funny how the inner city teams who draw fans play in college stadiums. Why do you suppose that’s true? The Rose Bowl, along with many other college stadiums, was built in the 1920s. Has it been left to fall apart? Of course not. Heinz Field would be okay with 55,000+ fans every game – and I don’t mean counting the phantom fans who bought tickets but don’t show up. Since Pederson’s big dream to move to Heinz, Pitt has had two losing seasons or three, depending on Saturday, and two 6-6 seasons. I don’t think that’s what he he sold the fans when he found very little support for his plans. When I hear the bullshit you’re spouting about the Peterson Events Center, I just want to laugh – then puke. The city of Pittsburgh is 1/2 the size it used to be and has lost almost half its population since Johnny Majors 1. It there had been a will to remodel Pitt Stadium, or build a new on campus stadium, and build a basketball arena, it would have been done. Pederson is a liar, plain and simple. Now, about touting how wonderful Heinz Field is for college football, how many college football stadiums have you been to for games? I can tell you I’ve been all over and college football is meant to be played on campus like it is in Iowa, Penn State, Syracuse, Navy, etc., not in pro stadiums.
The fake banners along the sides.
The horrible logo in the middle of the field that looks like the neighbors kids played with chalk.
Wait till the ACC comes. Everyone of those places has nice, neat, color of the university themed ACC logos, to let everyone know exactly who you belong with.
What are our ACC decals gonna look like?? More children playing with chalk…………or, just say the heck with the ACC logos on the 20′s???
Would I trade what has happened with hoops, no, of course not, but don’t be a Pitt administration employee and smile and tell me how wonderful Heinz Field is, and what a real “college” buzz it has.
It’s buzz, is a college team, having to share a pro teams stadium, that’s what it is.
by the way, a lot of those monsterous stadiums while near campus, are sh*tholes. they look nice on tv, but not to be at. And, places like the Rose Bowl are maintained not only because they house football games but also because they’re venue for other events. Pitt Stadium never was. It would be terrible investment to renovate it when the only purpose it would serve and revenue it would generate would be from Pitt football. Compared to using Heinz field and defusing the costs, it was a no-brainer. Everyone who is doing so, STOP BLAMING THE OFF CAMPUS STADIUM AS THE REASONS THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM IS FALLING SHORT. It is the least of the reasons.
the building of the Peterson Events Center was a watershed moment for the basketball program and a better investment. Its more multi-purpose than an outdoor on-campus football stadium and is built to the scale of a college basketball program. It was a good move.
HTP – City Game tonight!
It just doesn’t, we can pretend all we want, and you can tell yourself differently.
Hey, maybe it’s helped our recruiting?? Not what I’m talking about. Talking about atmosphere only.
Pro stadiums for college teams steeeeeeeenk!!!
HTP!!
As to college vs. pro stadiums, I attended my first Pitt game this year (vs. Notre Dame) since they played at Pitt Stadium. Two weeks later, I watched a CU game at college-only Folsom Field in Boulder (layout-wise, Folsom is a twin of Pitt Stadium).
No comparison: for seats/comfort, scoreboards, facilities, amenities, parking, easy access to interstate highways, give me Heinz Field any day.
As someone said above, thanks for the memories, Pitt Stadium. And good riddance.
Understood.
It is however, a shame, that there isn’t a place for a 45k stadium on campus somewhere.
Pitt does not need a montrosity for a stadium. I think we all can agree, Penn St. ND, sometimes WVU are the only sell outs, now, and in the 70′s also.
A good Pitt crowd would be 45 to 55k. I’m talking about bodies, breathing bodies, not just a Ath. Dept. public address of what they’d like to have us all believe.
Marketing people can speak of this better than I, but like the Pete, they made it 12,500, so there is a demand for tix, not a 24k palace that might have 5k empty seats.
40-45k seat stadium, SRO to 50k for big games.
Ahhh, if only.
By the way, that wouldn’t be too far off from ACC standards.
WF 31,5K
Duk 33,9K
BC 44,5K
MARY 54K
GTU 55K
NCST 57,5K
UNC 60K
UVA 61,5K
VT 66K
MIA 76,5
CLEM 81,5K
FSU 84K
Anyhow, just stuff to BS about on a cold afternoon. Again, not questioning the decision, and not questioning the creature comforts of Heinz Field, just when college teams play in a pro stadium, sticks out like a sore thumb.
Too bad there’s not a place to cram a nice, new, state of the art, on campus facility somewhere, that is ideal for a general Pitt football attendance number.
Well we must make due I guess. And, I’d rather be 10-2 in Heinz, than 2-10 in Pitt.
Hopefully if we win consistently in the future, it will help my “atmosphere” at Heinz.
“Tino’s the guy that gives us the best chance to win…”
TG has been doing it for some time now in the hope that it might actually happen…maybe if we all chant it too it willl come true!…
As for you guys pining for Pitt Stadium…get over it…it was a dump!…
Heinz field and the training facilities on the Southside are great selling points for recruits…
Playing in a pro stadium has nothing to do with whether we lose or win…example: Miami has always played in a pro stadium…didn’t seem to keep them from winning!
I think that Graham has done a good job considering that he is instituting a new system and the rash of season ending injuries to key players…If things don’t improve over the next 2-3 years, then talk about canning him!
You know what would really help the atmosphere at Heinz imho, and I guess it’s not our place to say, but if the Rooneys would put a hybrid field in.
If they did that, they actually have surfaces now, where they can take pieces out, to put other logos etc. etc. in.
Beautiful, clear, “Panthers” in blue and gold with white outlines in the end zone,
a beautiful big “Pitt” logo in the middle,
and in a couple years, nice gold, blue and white ACC logos at the 20′s would go a long way in atmosphere.
I know, little things. Little things add up to be bigger things.
Dirts nice, romantic, but, c’mon!!!
I agree with your field comments , that Pitt image on the 50 yd line looks tacky. You want the fan base to take pride in the panthers then take some pride in decals on the field. You are right Panthers in the end zone and big ACC symbols on the field. Dress up the place and then convert it back on Sundays for the Steelers.
Of course 80,000 fans instead of 35,000 fans would also help the atmosphere quite a bit I imagine. Not to sound like his PR guy, but Dokish did a great piece on Pitt attendance compared to other schools based on factors like enrollment, metro area, # of pro teams, etc.
if they could just make the mid field logo and end zones look nice and neat, I think that would go a long way in the atmosphere, and nice ACC field paint when the time comes.
Spindler, I think I had an epihpany!!!! I think that’s all I’m lookin’ for!!! LOL!!! If they could just somehow do that to the field, because everytime I see the field with that horrendous mid field logo, and the kinda of dark blue painted over black Pittsburgh, I think that’s what really bugs me!!!!
Meeting time. Good day to you all. Anyone going to the city game tonight, bring home a winner!!
HTP!!
Quick google, seems like a big kid, wonder why no stats on this year???
Has stats for his senior hs year. Wonder if he got hurt??? Nothing on JUCO???
Ah, could only do a minute check, meeting.
=-)
In the comments section, and by the way there are an overwhelming amount of negative comments about the QB play (go figure) and people not buying season tickets next year if Sunseri is still being allowed to play QB. When you vote to agree with the comment or comments(which would be agreeing that Sunseri needs benched, gone, whatever), it records it as a negative vote(that you disagree or a thumbs down)
So after a couple of thumbs up votes being recorded as thumbs down (essentially), I voted thumbs down just to see what happened with the voting. The site is set up to record 3 negative votes (or thumbs down) with every thumbs down vote. So it appears like people are not agreeing with the vast majority of comments that PITT and TG need to do whatever they can do insure we have a new QB next year.
Very interesting. Just a coincidence I’m sure.
Just curious, when’s the last time you’ve seen Beaver Stadium? It’s ugly. Big, but ugly.
Heinz Field is a crown jewel in comparison.
Not to sully your memories with your dad, I have some too. But Pitt Stadium had to go for the same reason as the Forbes Field, Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds: the invention of the automobile made them hopelessly obsolete.
As far as atmosphere, the dreaded Cincy game two years back and the Notre Dame game that same year are both games were the crowd was awesome and the atmosphere was great. Just win baby.
We have a highly rated qb matriculating to Pitt and to him the situation will be perfect. We will all support and show the new guy the love. Anything but Tino, right? If a Freshman or RS Freshman would actually have a solid week of preparation and played the whole game, performing well, there could be a problem recruiting his “guy” versus a Wannstedt guy. Tino is a great whipping boy for TG and serves that purpose really well. I laugh when I read the posts indicating that the new qb should be in the starting lineup when BE play begins next year. New qb needs to be coached up from day one and in the starting lineup with the lesser teams before the real part of the schedule. Someone rightfully pointed out that Bostick missed most of camp his freshman year and was thrown in there too early. Hogwash people! If you have the talent, you play. Unless you are a young quarterback that might scare off recruits if you were to catch lightning in a bottle.
If I were Myers and Gonzalez or Anderson, I would go to TG and say I want to start because I am better. I will prove it to you and if I fail, I will leave. I don’t care if we have injured personnel, I will perform better. Oh yeah, and coach, if I do fail, you look great in front of all the people that have asked for this from day one of the, ummmm 2010 season!
One year juco qb won’t work when it takes three years to learn the system. Does Greg Cross have any eligibility left?
This does say that Myers far surpassed Anderson in H.s. despite his team losing one game.Even adressing this after seeing tiny play is crazy.
Want a 50,000 seat stadium in Oakland? Start a fire in south Oakland, get every one alive, donate 350 million for the site prep, engineering studies , etc….figure out how to grandfather parking slot requirements from 1850 into the present day and Voila, you have a stadium.
Pitt needs, craves a core group of people who know how to manage a college athletic department. SP has risen to the level of his incompetence. The really important task is looking for the new AD. Someone with vision, balls and a really thick skin.
That person is NOT on staff in the current athletic department.
If you are cherry picking rankings then there is this for Myers: two stars and 102nd best QB of his HS year. Recruit ranking and awards are all over the board for every player. Myers averaged out to exactly the same sort of ranking Sunseri had when he was a senior.
I’d love to see Myers play this week and we may if Sunseri bombs in the 1st half, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
But we fans have no real idea how well a kid does, after the camps close, in weekly practices and scrimmages that are closed to the public, in meetings and in the film room… all of that goes into who starts and who is selected in the two deep. If you are out of the two-deep and you don’t get reps for Saturdays.
There have been more than a few people who have watched Myers in practice and aren’t surprised that he hasn’t play, and have stated so in this blog and others, message boards and in the local media.
Graham may have made the mistake of his life in not playing Myers and if he did it would be because he erred in his judgement of talent that fits what he wants out there and in the future. I don’t buy that there would be any other reason for it, certainly not that it would have been an embarrassment had someone else done well.
After all, that same ‘embarrassment’ scenario could have played out with both Anderson or Jones playing better than Sunseri also – not just with Myers.
Here is a fact: Graham has had his back-up QBs execute 53 plays were they either threw the ball or ran it themselves. Not 53 snaps total but 53 plays where they were the focus of the play. Compare that to last season when Wannstedt had his only other QB who played, Bostick, do that 11 times. Graham hasn’t been slow to get other QBs out there.
So, Sunseri played just as poorly last season as he has this year – there were certainly times when he should have been yanked and Myers was right there on the sideline able to go in if needed… after all, he played that exact same pro offense in HS and, as you Myers fans believe, possessed all those wonderful skills to succeed. It wasn’t as if PITT was winning games easily either, as a matter of fact at this point last year we were 6-5 and desperate to get a BCS game – only one game different then what we are now.
Yet DW or Cignetti didn’t look his way once. Wonder why that was? Head Coaches burn redshirts all the time and DW had done so in the past with his QBs and many other players… so why didn’t he do that last year when our season, and our QB play, was the same as this year? Well, because he believed that Sunseri gave him the best chance of winning each game and that Myers didn’t. It isn’t a new concept.
Can you understand that maybe, perhaps, possibly both DW and Cignetti didn’t think Myers was good enough to put in over what they had? If there was ever a time for Myers to play it would have been in that 2010 pro style offense. That was exactly what he was recruited for. Spare me the ‘inexperienced’ angle also… if anything Myers is even more inexperienced in this offense then he was in DW’s last year. But DW did exactly the same thing Graham is doing this season in sticking with his starting QB… and I don’t remember screams coming from you or many other fans then.
The bottom line is that he isn’t the superstar you seem to think he is and that two different coaching staffs have made, in essence, exactly same decision.
The second point was that although Anderson had some spot duty in a game, I will guarantee you that he did not practice the entire week with the first team players. That my friends is giving people an opportunity to perform their best. Practicing with and against the scout team is much different than practicing with the 1′s.
I did not say that TG wants to lose. What I am saying is that he has protected himself from scrutiny by playing a terrible QB and being in the exact same position next year. We will never know how the young QB’s would have performed in game situations during this lost year. Every coach will tell you is that the best thing about freshman, is that they become sophomores. They know it is a process. The problem I have with TG is that he says it takes three years to learn his process and he sticks with somebody who only has two years of eligibility. That is just mathematics, not hate or disdain.
I would rather go into next year knowing we tried and failed with three properly prepared QB’s, then with three without experience and a fourth on the way, just to sit behind Tino again. I hope I am wrong, but in my third year of seventh grade, i did learn that 2 is less than 3. TG does get a pass this year, my final point is that he is hitching his tenure on a qb that doesn’t get it and is not liked by his own team. Next year is not the time to say we have four qb’s that aren’t ready. It would have been easier on his tenure if he would have prepared and played each of the qb’s this year and been able to say he evaluated the film on each and they stink, or they are projects, or they are good, etc. Game film doesn’t lie. Unfortunately we don’t have any on these qb’s after a solid week of preparation with the 1′s. To call me names, isn’t polite. I have fired more people than most in a career and the excuses run the gamut. However, when there is objective evidence presented that shows why the results are terrible, more time is warranted. TG just played this year completely wrong in my opinion. This was a sacrifice year and a learning process and right now, we have only learned that one qb doesn’t perform when he gets to prepare with the 1′s each day.
That $2.1 million a year less than Urban Meyer has to sting a little.
However, have any of you considered that this might not be true (‘What!!! Someone isn’t telling the truth…surely you jest, sir?!’)? Did you consider that Graham may have an agenda and/or may have a personal dislike or ax to grind here? ‘What, coaches don’t do this….are you kidding…coaches are always good people and always tell the truth!!??’
Silliness aside, seriously, coaches are people too and some people in this world are not purely objective and justice oriented…amazingly enough, huh?
I actually liked what I saw from Anderson early on, until his last game, when apparently his wrist was bothering him. He moved very well and had a pretty live arm, looked energized out there.
If he can’t recover, no need protecting Voytik, throw him in the ring and see if he’s as good as advertised. Michigan started both Chad Henne and Tate Forcier as true freshmen this decade…good enough for Michigan, should be good enough for Pitt.
By the way, somebody missed my point about Brady Hoke…it wasn’t that Robinson was so good…it actually was that he isn’t a very good passer, so Hoke adjusted his own desires for a more pro-style passing attack and changed his plans to accomodate Robinson’s running skills, which are far better than his passing accuracy downfield.
If he had Andrew Luck or Geno Smith, then your point would have made sense…Robinson ain’t in that category and may be switched to slot back/wr next year if Michigan can get a good passing QB…keep your eye on it.
You miss a lot of points also. You’ll believe that there is some sort of misdirection and lying going on by the HC rather then be willing to admit that Myers just hasn’t played well enough to unseat anyone else on the QB roster. That is strange to me.
If you read what has been talked about and written about Myers’ situation from spring camp onward from the staff, sportswriters and people who have watched practices… and if you can read between the lines at all… you’d realize that Myers just has not grasped Graham’s offense. He doesn’t know it well enough to lead it. That is why he isn’t seeing the field pure and simple. He didn’t prepare since he got the playbook during the offseason and didn’t put 100% effort into learning it well enough to play during spring practices or up until now.
During the camps and practices he throws a lot of INTs and misreads the plays because of this. When I stated above the “All in all I’d say that Myers passing skills are a bit better than Sunseri’s but the other aspects of playing QB, including command of the offense, fell short.” This is what I meant.
Dean Kovacevic of the Trib writes just this morning: “Yes, Tino Sunseri’s work at quarterback has been terrible. But Graham took over too late to recruit his own guy, and there never was a viable internal replacement. Trey Anderson, a 5-foot-11 walk-on, flopped when Graham desperately turned to him. Freshman Mark Myers still lacks the maturity to run a no-huddle.”
Read more: Kovacevic: Unfair to bury Pitt’s Graham – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_770027.html#ixzz1fNLDUVsf
The only consistent positive statement from anyone about Myers is that “he has a strong arm”.
Look at what Paul Zeise reports this morning also. The staff has been working Gonzalez at the wildcat position for the last two weeks. Ronald Jones was put in before Myers to take snaps at QB – and to throw a pass – earlier. In essence, Graham and staff is more willing to go to the Wildcat offense and basically abandon the passing game for all intents and purposes before they are willing to trust Myers to execute out there.
When the staff was saying that Myers was ‘practicing better’ two weeks ago that meant they were confident that he could handle one or two play packages as a change of pace, not go in to play QB for the game, even in relief. Hence the wildcat.
This isn’t my opinion only but has been gingerly talked about all season. Myers has fleeted up to second string in spurts because of an arrest and a wrist injury. Not once has his actual performance warranted his jumping over others into the two-deep. This is why, since summer camp, I had been posting articles here in which I said that the only way Myers was going to see the field for any length of time was through serious injuries to other QBs or with a complete meltdown from the others.
Well, we’ve had both a meltdown (Sunseri) and injuries (Anderson) and still Myers didn’t get the nod. There is a reason for that.
The fact is that Myers isn’t the player PITT fans want him to be and he himself just hasn’t done what he has needed to do to get put into the games.
This is sports, it happens.
I’ve missed very few if any points…I just don’t agree with your, and others, view that Graham’s ‘system’ is unquestionably right and must be slavishly adhered to. I guess you’d rather lose doing it your way than win doing it someone elses? Not uncommon.
I’m system neutral — whatever gets the W’s…and losing 6 games we clearly should have won on a soft schedule means you change, not stubbornly continue to stuff square pegs into round holes.
Meyers may not be the guy but we DON’T know until he gets pt…practice ain’t the same. Go get a juco kid or 5th year guy next year to compete with Voytik and whoever else…but sticking with Tino because you’re afraid or to proud to change is not acceptable — especially if you’re making $2M very large a year.
Go ahead and repeat your argument to me a few more dozen times like you’ve done all year…it really helps to make your point.
We all get it. We, as fans, have not seen Myers play. We don’t know how good or bad he could be. He is the unknown.
Tino we know. Tino we have come to abhor on the field. At his best he is a mediocre QB unable to throw accurately 15+ yards down field for more than 10% of the time — which so shocks the WRs when it happens that they drop those passes. It is hard to imagine anyone worse.
No one is saying Graham’s system is purely right. It is the system he runs, however. You can be as system neutral as you want, but a coach is not and cannot. They will use what they like and what they are comfortable with doing.
I would no more expect Graham and Magee to try and run the pro-style offense than I would a Wannstedt/Cignetti offense to try and go spread. You can incorporate aspects, but not go to a system you don’t use.
Like it or not it was a transition. Yes, Pitt lost more games than it should. Just as other teams in a transition have won more than they should. Go back to the transition from Walt Harris’ pass-first West Coast style to the traditional, run-first pro-set of Wannstedt/Cavanaugh. That was a more subtle transition, but it still was painful.
You can’t avoid transition. How would you do it? Put it off a year? Try and recruit kids for the new style while they see you running the old way?
Why do coaches like Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, Brady Hoke, Jackie Sherril, Bob Stoops…on and on and on…win right away and continue to win? Because they check their ego at the door and figure out what kids and what system wins…now, today, right this game! They don’t whine about not having ‘their’ guys in place and say ‘give me 2-3 years’.
Walt Harris inherited a piss poor team and looked at who was good and what would work — put seldom used Pete Gonzalez at the helm, the kid had a great year and Pitt went from national embarrassment in ’96 to highly respectable in ’97…with the same kids.
This argument will go on and on with you, me, and Reed because they are fundamentally different ways of approaching life…adjusting on the fly versus stay the course. Pitt hasn’t had a really good team in three decades so I think you guys have quietly given up hope over the years and lowered your standards…too bad.
If Voytik is the second coming of Steve Young and operates Graham’s ultimate system perfectly, fabulous, I’ll be psyched and cheer his success along with the rest of you — but he ain’t here this year and Graham threw a promising year away.
I would have stood with him if he had benched Tino and started either Jones or Gonzalez after the ND game…at least that would have shown willingness to change and courage.
“Why do coaches like Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, Brady Hoke, Jackie Sherril, Bob Stoops…on and on and on…win right away and continue to win?”
It’s the talent, stupid. You are talking coaches who went to high-profile, big time places with good talent already on-hand.
And honestly, Jackie Sherrill? After Pitt, he went to two places where he won initially and went downhill after that and left messes behind.
Brady Hoke went from Ball State to SDSU. At SDSU he doubled that win total in his first year. From 2-10 to 4-8. Talent makes the biggest difference.
I have great affection for Walt Harris. I was at the 97 Brawl and enjoyed the hell out of that season, but keep perspective. He took a 4-7 from 1996 to 6-6. It is important to remember, though, that the following year the team lost most of what talent that was there and dropped to 2-9.
And honestly, fuck you if you think I have my standards lowered and given up hope.
This was a decently talented team in a weak conference, with that talent predominantly on one side of the ball. Aside from Ray Graham and probably Lucas Nix, can you name another player on the offense sure to be drafted into the NFL? Now, I think the defense is loaded with talented players, but that’s only one side of the ball. Add in the volume of injuries to that side, and the offense looks even weaker from talent and depth.
What you want is a change for the sake of change to satisfy you. You want to see Myers for yourself. You want it proved to you without any doubt. So do many others. Who cares if the coaches haven’t seen anything from him up until now that would justify putting him in? Make the change because it isn’t Sunseri. But that isn’t adjusting. That’s giving up and throwing shit on the wall to see what sticks.
Oh, and fuck you for putting me in a position of defending Sunseri.
Agreed and disagreed with many folk on this blog and others but never had anyone say “fuck you” to me twice ’cause they couldn’t shove their opinion down someone else’s throat.
How very impressive you are…I’m sure your mother would be proud. You want to say that sh$t to my face?
From where I stand, if you think your standards have anything at all to do with a football team or a coaching staff that you yourself have absolutely no control over then, well then… the world must revolve around you.
It’s a tawdry move to point fingers at other people just because you aren’t happy about something.
