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January 15, 2012

Does Size Matter?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Reed @ 7:12 am

Pitt secured its first recruit under the Paul Chryst regime last night when Mike Caprara verballed to the university.  Some PITT fans will like this but I’m thinking the majority will either be skeptical because of Caprara’s size or just will hate the offer right off the bat.  Caprara is 6′  tall &  200 lbs … and that will scare some fans off.

But the reviews of his work, especially on defense, are glowing.  Here’s what Lichtenfields of Scouts.com has to say:

Caprara is a tough kid who gives you a maximum effort every time out. He is very instinctive and almost seems like having another coach out on the field. He is very solid against the run and can cover. There have been a number of FBS players on the Wolverines defense over the past three seasons, but Caprara may be the best. He is a leader that takes charge and leads by example.

Here is some background on his HS career before this season started.

Then there is this fact regarding his Woodland Hills career; “Caprara, 6-foot, 210 pounds, is the all-time leading tackler in Woodland Hills history, setting the mark before his senior season and finishing his career with more than 350 tackles“.  For a more rounded view of Caprara there is this info.  Before you fall out of your seat remember that Hershel Walker took ballet lessons in college.

What does all of this tell me?  That the kid is comfortable on a big stage when the lights go on and with that he’s confident that he can succeed at anything.  I like it.  These kind of kids, guys who play their heart out in HS and rack up big numbers, can go either way when it comes to success in the college ranks.  Some don’t cut it and others end up doing well on special teams.  But the confident ones thumb thier noses at the naysayers who think they are  too small to play college ball, and then go out and light up the field with their talent.

Here’s some game tape for you to watch and make up your own mind, Caprara is #30 on defense.  I’ll just throw this reminder out when you are debating what is his ceiling in college football…

 Andrew Taglianetti





Dan you are the man i would have said so before
but i went off line last night

Comment by FRANKCAN 01.16.12 @ 10:42 am

HA HA, thanks Frank, nothing like begging for praise!!!

Hopefully Conwell comes too, but, I saw another poster somewhere say they heard he kind of liked Arizona. Oh well, we’ll see!!

Comment by Dan 01.16.12 @ 10:52 am

I just read the khem birch interview on the fan. He said that dixon said that pitt would be going up tempo but they slowed it down, the players on the team were selfish, and that other players felt threatened by him being an all-american.

I for one, while woodall was in snd birch was still here, thought that pitts best chance to win was to go up tempo because of that was just the way this team was built. I thought that would cover their lack of a true big man and with the way the guards were shooting early in the year, they couldve been scoring around 80 ppg. Now that tra is injured and birch is gone, i think the only way pitt will win is if they shoot effeciently,imit turnovers, and dont let other teams get second chance buckets.

Comment by Pk 01.16.12 @ 11:02 am

Fittipaldo being interviewed on the Fan right now. Claims Birch did not like the physical part of the Pitt practices.

Comment by wbb 01.16.12 @ 11:11 am

Call it “throwing the locals a bone” or what have you but I think that offering Caprara was nothing short of brilliant.

Woodland hills has eight, (count them!) eight graduates playing in the NFL. EIGHT!!! That’s more than any other high school in the US. (link to en.wikipedia.org) Whoever says the WPIAL doesn’t have football talent is smoking crack.

Why wouldn’t Pitt, the hometown school of record offer the leading tackler from this team a free education? Especially when he had no other offers on the table? Sure he may never play but the goodwill that was generated from this move CANNOT be measured. If you don’t think that’s a smart move by the coaching staff then you too, are smoking crack.

Oh yea, this guy just might turn out to be good football player too. Small guys always have something to prove.

Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Atlanta Panther 01.16.12 @ 11:37 am

Atlanta, reed posted a great link in the comment section of his previous post. It basicly says that all the coaches and players in the wpial really like him

Comment by Pk 01.16.12 @ 11:42 am

Reed, i have a basketball recruiting question for you. Do you know how hard pitt is going after sf savon goodman? Ive heard that pitt is making a late push but i dont know. I think hed be a great addition becsuse hes something pitt doesnt have, a strong wing who is very aggressive in driving to the hoop and hes more athletic that any player on pitts team right now.

Comment by Pk 01.16.12 @ 11:56 am

The debate about Caprara reminds me of the discussions that go on each April with the NFL draft – namely do you draft on potential or do you draft on production. Personally I think you need both, and it’s kids like this that force the one’s with potential to live up to it or watch from the sideline.

One other thing, the video indicates that the highlights are from his sophomore and junior seasons – so I’d be curious to see video from 2011.

Comment by JB '90 01.16.12 @ 12:00 pm

I would like a 16 game playoff, 8 games around the Christmas Holiday played at the top eight with home field advantage. Teams are seeded with only two max per conference to get everyone involved. Some higher ranked schools get screwed but so what, I for one don’t want to see an all SEC playoff. New Years Day 4 games at top bowls with all the pomp and ceremony of yesteryear, parades etc.

The lesser bowls still get played with the 17-32 or whatever, nobody outside the competitors and alumni really care anyway.

This makes New Years Day fun again and in two weeks a true Championship that people might watch. Better for gamblers and makes all the games really matter.

Comment by gc 01.16.12 @ 12:02 pm

Well, I must finally admit—I am :”uld school”. Guess it goes with my age (in my 8th decade). Maybe that makes me irrelevant” It is what it is! Byt, I really do miss old school values like: honoring contracts, keeping commitments, being ethical in dealing with one’s peers and EVEN others. I have always resented coaches “sheep stealing ” on attempting to lure highschoolers away from their verbals. The list goes on and on—and on! Can’t say I admire people such as Ted Roof jumping ship at Central Florida after one month to join the PSU (or any other)staff. Can;t say enough positives in praise of the coaches who stick with their employers through bowl games and pro playoffs even though they realize their chances of being retained are minimal. Perhaps I should admit any respect I had for High Octane” Graham has been diminished by his actions and rhetoric since arriving in Tempe. The same could be said about Rich Rod. And while I am at it may I say that I really don’t care for Khem Birch”s opinions about Pittsburgh or his teammates. The kid has some growing up to do. Good luck with that, Mr. UNLV. Well, I feel better now. Thanks for the opportunity to sound off. Rev. George from Columbus

Comment by Rev. George Mehaffey 01.16.12 @ 12:14 pm

Apparently adam pankey has decommitted from pitt after a visit to wvu and is considering them both. Btw, im watching the dematha bball game and espnu and james robinson is impressive

Comment by Pk 01.16.12 @ 1:11 pm

JB, I noticed the sophomore/junior season designation on the Caprara video also. What I liked the most about him is his tackling technique. He seems to hit just about eveyrone square and stands him straight up or drives him backwards.

Now he may well have issues against a speedy spread offense, but you can’t coach instinct

Comment by wbb 01.16.12 @ 1:21 pm

pk – you have to ask Chas any BB questions. I don’t follow the PITT BB team hardly at all.

Also – that ‘decommit’ tweet was from a WVU fan, it wasn’t from Pankey himself. I’ll take it with a grain of sand.

Comment by Reed 01.16.12 @ 1:26 pm

Rev George, the big money that has become a major part of D1 college sports has filtered down to all aspects .. where everyone wants it own piece of the pie. Scholarships are minor to most compared to the signing bonus of the 1st pro contract.

Maybe you should write a book that states that ‘the love of all money is a root of all evil’ .. or something.

Comment by wbb 01.16.12 @ 1:27 pm

pk if pankey goes to WVU he is not to smart
we have 2 of the best OL coachs in the usa on our staff.
in fact that is what i would tell the OL men that
went to wisconsin you went there becuse of there great OL play but the men that made them great are at pitt some come to pitt and if pankey goes to WVU it will be his loss.

Comment by FRANKCAN 01.16.12 @ 1:29 pm

Especially since, from what I’ve heard, Pankey is a bit of a project. It’s going to be at least 3 years before he is able to really contribute (ESPN’s review)

I would think having a well renowned teacher would be a plus in this case.

Comment by OriginalEther 01.16.12 @ 1:46 pm

I listened to the Birch interview also, and frankly, it sounded like a lot of what many of were thinking….

Sounds like the kid didn’t get his way. Period.

Comment by Dan 01.16.12 @ 1:58 pm

Comment by wbb 01.16.12 @ 2:26 pm

great link wbb

reed, do you see any surprises for the 2012 class for football, then? i think another qb or lineman on either side of the ball are much needed. if so, do you have any guesses on who he/they may be.

Comment by pk 01.16.12 @ 2:31 pm

Comment by wbb 01.16.12 @ 2:36 pm

Yahoo/Rivals listed this coaching hire the worst of the lot. Got to love it. haha 🙂

Penn State
New coach: Bill O’Brien
Former job: New England Patriots offensive coordinator
The buzz: This isn’t a knock on O’Brien, who has been an assistant at Duke, Georgia Tech and Maryland. It’s just that Penn State looks to be a hopeless situation for the next few seasons. In addition, he doesn’t exactly have a powerhouse staff.

Comment by Emel 01.16.12 @ 3:06 pm

Kind of ironic, (at least to me), the signing of Mike Caprara, and undersized linebacker from a powerhouse WPIAL HS.

On the same weekend another undersized linebacker from a powerhouse WPIAL HS became DC at Tenn.
Let’s hope he becomes an All-American at PITT as well, but he doesn’t have a son in 30 years that he sends to PITT to play QB.

Comment by Emel 01.16.12 @ 3:19 pm

I can’t believe I’m the 98th comment on this topic-enough already!

Comment by scoocher 01.16.12 @ 3:39 pm

Todd Graham is the gift that keeps on giving. What a dickhead…

link to foxsportsarizona.com

Comment by ECH 01.16.12 @ 3:56 pm

Graham can rot in Hell.

Here’s hoping that Pitt at least plays decent and covers the 13 point spread tonight against the Cuse.

Comment by TX Panther 01.16.12 @ 4:12 pm

Not a fan of the “plus 1” model because I think it is not close to what we can/should do for inclusion purposes. An 8 or 16 team playoffs over the course of December would be fantastic, make tons of money for everyone, and actually draw a physical audience and TV audience.

What we have now (albeit more definitive than pre-BCS) is simply awful and exclusionist due to the tide of talent and preference to the SEC.

Aside from the Southerners and over-the-hill fatcats that parlayed the Bowls into a vacation, WHO THE F WATCHES THESE GOD AWFUL GAMES IN PERSON????

Comment by Pauly P 01.16.12 @ 4:23 pm

Jeez, graham talks good game. I still cringe every time he says trust and commitment. Its a shame that everyone not familiar with rice tulsa or pitt will be easily won over by him. What a scumbag

Comment by Pk 01.16.12 @ 4:35 pm

Pitt’s RPI right now is 97 … ouch

Comment by wbb 01.16.12 @ 4:46 pm

I’m amazed it’s that high.

Comment by ECH 01.16.12 @ 4:51 pm

I was having a great day till I read the Graham article. My fave line is “I am a look you in the eye kind of guy”. what a slimy ahole. his explanation for not talking to players is BS.

Comment by pittfan92 01.16.12 @ 4:56 pm

As expected Dakota Conwell decommitted and now committed to Dickrod and Arizona.

Comment by Winedogs 01.16.12 @ 5:08 pm

Probably never hear from him again to be quiet honest about it Winedogs!!

Comment by QuipScript 01.16.12 @ 5:14 pm

Conwell’s mistake opens another scholie. Hopefully Chryst & Co. will find a worthy replacement.

Comment by isnore 01.16.12 @ 7:03 pm

Come on now PittFan92, don’t be so hard on Graham. His quote about being “I am a look you in the eye kind of guy” was actually truncated. His complete quote was, “I am a look you in the eye, lie through my teeth, while I lift your wallet kind of guy”. Now don’t you feel less hostile towards our ex head coach now that he has honestly come completely clean “on the record”??

Comment by Dr. Tom 01.16.12 @ 8:08 pm

info Randy Shannon to WVU all most a done deal

Comment by FRANKCAN 01.16.12 @ 8:42 pm

pk do you remmber what i said we would lose 4 of the old commits
and pick up 5 new ones for a total of 20
well we just lost one.

Comment by FRANKCAN 01.16.12 @ 8:51 pm

I’ve decided that Graham is a piece of Dog Shit. I hope that doesn’t sound too harsh???

Comment by The Hagen 01.16.12 @ 10:00 pm

As a former USC Panther, the Kid Conwell didn’t handle this well. Listen, we don’t conduct business like he just did. Rod and Fraud are the same. They sell you and the weakminded succumb.

If Conwell is smart, he quickly changes his mind and realizes that Pitt and PC put athletes in the next league. Rich fraud does not. How will his family ever watch him play? Also, Pitt should start taking a harder stance when an athlete snubs them and goes elsewhere, just to find out later that it’s just not all that.

I am Thinking render may have pushed bin away from Pitt. Would be interested to see how many USC panthers received schollies during his tenure and of that number, how many went to Pitt! Just sayin that it would be interesting to research.

Comment by dhuffdaddy 01.16.12 @ 10:28 pm

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