Well, after a post noting the lack of progress in the offense there was life spotted outside of Isaac Bennett. Not everyone will be happy since the signs of life did not include Mark Myers make a sudden and abrupt leap in his skills understanding of the offense. The noted improvements seen were from Tino Sunseri, Trey Anderson, the receivers and the O-line.
Trey Anderson’s improvements were a surprise, and probably the most shocking to most. The third-string, short-for-a-QB, “spread” QB who was brought in at the last minute by FraudGraham last year. Instead, Anderson — coming off a shoulder injury at the end of last year — made the move to the second-team in practice. Knocking Myers back a spot. Coach Paul Chryst, though, wants to make it clear that it isn’t because Myers is doing badly.
Coach Paul Chryst wants to see more of backup quarterback Trey Anderson, who received nearly every snap with the second-team offense Tuesday. Previously, Mark Myers was working with the No. 1 backups.
“He has done enough where you can balance the reps off to give him a chance to see things a little bit more and find out a little bit more who he is,” Chryst said.
Coaches said there is no depth chart, and Chryst added that the change was not a punitive measure aimed at Myers.
“We have to make sure we can look at everyone,” Chryst said.
“It’s not an in-the-doghouse kind of thing. At the same time, Trey did a couple things to merit some more reps, and those reps have to come from someone and they came from Mark today.”
Naturally, no one would consider it that way. Not Pitt fans. Not a chance. No way. No how.
Cue the pleas to have incoming freshman Chad Votyik become the starter in 3, 2…
As Zeise wrote in a post-practice post, “The bad part of this is that it means Myers hasn’t progressed as quickly as he needed to in order to really create a competition situation and that leaves the team without a viable “Plan B” at least for now.” That competition, of course, is to Tino Sunseri as the starter. All accounts keep indicating that he is taking the starting job once more — even if Coach Chryst won’t officially set a depth chart until training camp.
Sunseri was on target for much of the morning, and his decision-making was sharper and more effective than at any time this spring.
On two separate occasions, he rolled to his right, found no one open toward the sideline, but threw a touchdown pass by finding the alternate receiver in the middle of the field. He also threaded a long pass to Street between defensive backs Ray Vinopal and Lloyd Carrington.
Again, while Sunseri is visibly separating from the other QBs, Offensive Coordinator Joe Rudolph has said no (official) depth chart will be made. He also stated that Sunseri — and by extension Myers and Anderson — will have plenty to do over the summer beyond physical conditioning.
“He’s got to grind on all the film he can watch, grind on just learning it, keep being able to spit it out, keep having unbelievable confidence in it. I think that leads to better and better control of the huddle, more confidence in what the guys are doing. But I think it’s just learning. I think it’s just putting it in the forefront of what you’re doing and keep working at it. I think that’s why you’ve seen him a little bit better the last couple days. I think it’s been there. You can tell the off the field work has helped him in practices.”
Some of the improvement by the QBs and the whole offense has to do with the receiving corps progressing. The one thing that even the staunchest ABT member had to concede was that the receivers weren’t exactly doing Sunseri any favors. Not getting separation. Not running good routes. Not holding on to the ball when it actually was delivered.
Coach Paul Chryst’s staff concentrates on teaching techniques, and the players are responding to it. Wide receivers coach Bobby Engram, who played 14 seasons in the NFL and has garnered the players’ attention and respect, is a good example.
“It’s great to have a coach that we get along with so well and who teaches us so much,” Street said. “We’ve had teachers, but he just knows how to go about it the right way.”
A good example emerged Saturday when players’ fathers were invited to watch practice and listen to the coaches explain the game. Many of them commented that the messages were clear, even though they know little about football.
Street said the new offense requires more thinking, but he likes it better than last year’s spread. “In the spread, it was just go,” he said. “Now, we are thinking a lot more. We are understanding why concepts are that way, why routes are that way, so there is a little difference.”
It’s a very underrated, easily forgotten thing. You can speed up when you know what is going on and what your role is. Even last year. Think about the progress the defense made from the start of the season towards the end — despite all the injuries. They had a different system installed and players were still learning and getting used to it for the first half of the season. But in the second half of the season, they were getting it. Getting faster as they did not have to think about what they were supposed to do as much.
Devin Street seems to have had a light go on. Or at least he is talking that way.
One of the more interesting compare and contrast moments today was Street talking about the difference in the systems from last year to this. He said the route combinations make more sense in this offense as they are actually running defined routes as opposed to last year, when “we were just told to go….” That I think was as big of a problem with the passing game as anything – the receivers never fully bought into the system and thus Sunseri was left often to hold the ball too long trying to figure out who the heck to throw it to. Now they are running good routes again and it has shown in that guys are getting open. Street said he knows he’s got to become the go-to guy and that is what he wants to do and Engram echoed these sentiments. “The thing about becoming a go-to guy is you have to bring it every day, every snap and you have to show up ready to work,” Engram said.
The O-line is also looking a little better beyond simply run-blocking. Some of that is simply because they have been practicing as a unit for the last 3 weeks. Even the coaches say that is a role. Though, Jim Hueber seems to be getting through to the by taking it slow and simple.
We still see too many pass blocking breakdowns, especially at the edges, but the unit seems to be getting it more. Jim Hueber, who is an old school offensive line coach but is far more of a teacher than you might think, has done a nice job with this unit and he met with the media today as well. He said the key with this group is that they’ve worked hard and that has pleased him more than anything. “I don’t think you can watch us practice right now and think that somebody hasn’t bought into what we’re doing,” He said. “I think right now guys are straining to do what we want them to do.” This is, of course, is a version of a certain former coach’s favorite lines — “we’re gonna strain them, then we’re gonna train them….” or maybe it was “we’re gonna train them, then we’re gonna strain them….” I forget which way it was, but I do know there was a lot of rhyming going on in that mess.
Paul Chryst also talked about the offensive line’s improvement and said that he can see that the unit is starting to understand some things and improve each day and he has been very happy with the way the run game has progressed. I’m telling you, this camp has been spoon feeding as opposed to force feeding, and the gradual, but steady improvement has been very easy to see in just about every area.
Only a few practices left, the spring game, and then the barren wasteland of May to July.
BUT FALLS ON HIS ASS IN REAL GAMES HE IS A PUTZ
THE COACHS HAVE TO SEE IT THEM SELVES AND THEY WILL.
As for the quarterback situation, all we need is a steady competent game manager in this offense. Let the new kid red-shirt a year to get in college shape and learn the offense.
Penni Graham ? @No_Cents_Penny
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FavoritedFavorite · Close Open Details @DJHads Todd and I treat everyone with dignaty and respect. We did it in Pittsburgh but were still treated awful by those snobs.
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You can take a girl out of the trailer park bu you can’t take the trailer park out of the girl.
2 years of game experience regardless of success is still valuable.
I do think this staff is going to do some great things at Pitt.
…so true. When I watched the drills right in front of us the thing that jumped out the most was that each coach was not only speaking plain English but also made their points logically. It was just like above – I understood each thing they were saying and I’m a dunce at football details.
Last year it was like listening to a foreign language out there and you just knew the kids were slowed down by it.
However, I do have faith that coach Chryst will start the best player and prepared to fully support Tino if that’s who it is.
So, I’m still saying ABT, but will be cheering him on come this September if he’s the starter.
If this is the case things are beyond desperate. I think this is a great coaching staff perfect for attracting the type of players available in our recruiting area.
I do not believe Volylck is the answer next year or after watching him in the all-star game perhaps never.
I think Tino can be better than he was with Fraud but he is always worth 4 losses a year. Myers may not have the desire or be tough enough for this level of football. He played on a team with outstanding talent and may not have been physically challenge in high school.
Despite his size he may not be football tough and this is one quality this coach and his staff will not tolerate.
Just a presumtion. If so which is not unusual for atheletes going from high school to college this is a blow to Pitt because physically he is the only QB that could take this team to 8 or more wins.
The good news is in W.PA. does produce graet QBs, and I am confident this coach will get one of the better pro-style QBs in the next two years. By that time I expect stronger, more disciplined, and more physical play in every area of Pitts team.
SNOBS??? WTF??? I’ve heard the people of Pittsburgh negatively referred to by many terms but “snobs” is a first!
How do you even define a Pittsburgh snob? I suppose that’s the guy who does his boiler maker by dropping his shot in a beer but the beer is contained in a martini glass?? Penni Graham has me laughing on that one.
I don’t care if it’s Mickey Mouse at QB. NO MORE TINO!
I agree with Dan, Anderson showed me plenty of arm last season and looked much more mobile and athletic in the pocket than Tino…and that was as a walk-on true freshman who had zero time prepping in any college system. If Myers can’t learn the short stuff this season, I’d really like to see Anderson compete with Tino for the starting job. Even in very limited time and tough situations last year, he looked like he had ‘it’ and Tino, despite a few brief moments of success, never looked like he had much.
Even when Stull struggled through a mediocre first year, he looked to me like a guy who could pull it together and raise his game.
I respectfully but firmly disagree. I just don’t see how on earth playing anti-Tebow Sunseri for one more snap buys us anything, be it this year or the future.
A wise investment would be to play ABT this year, 2012 grooming him {whomever] by facing easily the weakest schedule since I’ve followed Pitt starting in the early 1970s.
So that we’re not starting a total vestal virgin when the fire gets SERIOUSLY turned up in 2013.
Can’t prove it because my crystal ball is on the fritz. But these numbers are certainly possible:
Case A: Playing Sunseri in 2012 gets us maybe 7 wins — best case — and another lost-cause trip to Birmingham, but maybe only 4-5 wins in 2013 under the successor (say, total of 11 in 2 years).
Case B: Playing ABT this year gets us maybe 6 wins (due to cupcake schedule, plus Tino stinks in games), but maybe 8-9 wins in 2013 (total of 15 wins in 2 years).
Which do you think is the wiser investment?
That, however, does not change how i feel about voytik. He needs to get some playing time. I dont think its fair or smart to sacrifice some wins this year by just throwing him in there. This is assuming, of course, that hes not one of the rare qbs who step on campus and are just better than everyone else. I think he needs a small set of plays, maybe option or maybe just some simple passes so that he gets experience, gets to know the basics of the system and gains confidence so that next season he doesnt enter a state of shock when hes thrown in against florida state down in talahasse with No experience or confidence
How did that work out? Myers has been evaluated by three different coaching staffs and has been found wanting; Anderson has been evaluated by the latest two staffs and they jumped him above Myers. See any meaning in this?
Now you say that Trey Anderson can’t possibly be a contributor for us because… why again? No reason what so ever apparently. But the facts dictate that Anderson has impressed the staff enough to get him the reps that Myers used to get.
A lot has to happen between now and Sept. but don’t count this kid out. He has a year under his belt and gameday experience. That alone puts him in the position to be considered a viable backup to the starting QB.
Forget about the excuse that “Graham didn’t open up the practices” so you didn’t have a chance to accurately understand Myers’ ability. You were told time and again that Myers wasn’t the ball player that you wished he was. Using that as a foundation, perhaps you can understand that Anderson just may be a better player than you think he is.
What we need now is a decent showing that we are back on track and ready to move forward going into the ACC. Not that we are banking on things coming together in 2013. We will do that with a solid winning season in 2012.
Starting Voytik because he “may be” good in the future isn’t the way to do that. It is rolling the dice when the situation doesn’t call for it. Can you honestly say that Myers is the QB for the future? Can you say that Voytik is ready right now to step into a staring role? Let’s not forget five years ago when we threw a true FR to the wolves before he was ready.
It is hard to ensure a successful season, but easy as hell to produce a putrid one.
I do not think I have evr seen a passing efficy rate that low for 33 attempts. 12 completions for 55 yards (all gotten by receiver after catching the ball).
I can’t shake the embarrassment of him throwing a screen that hit his blockere in the helmet. Or another screen thrown right into the hands of the defensive lineman. In fact I think his 3 interceptions were by lineman.
PASSING GP Effic Cmp-Att-Int Pct Yds TD Lng
4 32.18 12-33-3 36.4 55 0 14
Avg/G
13.8
This is D1 football. Watching Trey throw the ball 30 yards in the air with no rush and no defenders is something most high school QBs can do.
247 385 64% 2,616 10 11
Take a look at these numbers. One of these QB’s played in the BCS and another did not. Coaching will make a difference this year. That is why I’m optimistic
There is a reason Anderson is getting a look. For those doubting that he should, can I compare your coaching resume to coach Chryst’s?
Throw in the fact that Anderson is way more mobile than Myers also. One of Myers’ problems is that he’s slow to get the passes off for various reasons and can’t move well enough to avoid the rush.
Look, what all this means is that neither Myers or Anderson (or Sunseri for that matter) is a very good QB. But, because it is always good to have a QB out there on offense, one is going to be a starter and the other two will fill the 2nd and 3rd positions.
Myers just isn’t producing well enough to distance himself from Trey Anderson and if that trend continues I don’t doubt that Chryst will make Anderson the back-up. It is real easy to say “I trust the coaches on this” and I rarely do so but in this case, given Chryst’s work with past QBs, I do.
“Yeah – in 2010 that would have been 51 carries per game with 12 passing attempts per game. I highly doubt it will be that unbalanced. Tony (commenter) got carried away a bit
Last year was a 55%/45% run heavy split with 32 passes per game average.
Even back in 2007 when we had a very feeble passing game we threw 28 times per game (42% of plays) and that was with McCoy and LSH in the backfield.
I say we replicate that this year … 58%/42% run heavy at most.”
My son was an outstanding basketball player but never had the competitive desire. Myers must not have the heart or will to succeed at this level of football. He obviously has the size and raw skills that no one else on the team has, Tino, Anderson, Volychik.
The coaches could work on his footwork and delivery and decision making abilities all qualities most athletes coming out of high school in every sport lack because of the caliber of coaching at the H.S. level. Apparently Myers is using his scholarship to get a free education from an excellent university.
To bad he has a great coaching staff since the band of bandits left. However, in many cases no matter how hard the coach tries to help the kid realize his potential some just do not have the interest. This is maybe the reason in the highly rated atheletes some of them fail.
I hope I am wrong.
The QB position is in the hands of a constant two year starter who is one of the oldest guys on the team. It’s pathetic, Sunseri should be solid as a rock and a foundation for the rest of the offense to build off of. But instead, the current coaching staff is scratching their collective heads trying to figure out why Tino isn’t miles ahead of the rest of the QBs and leading the team with superior play.
I don’t care what your logical debate points on the Tino matter are Reed. Sunseri has proven he is NOT the guy. Now if he is the starter this year, which should be a forgone conclusion already, then so be it because then that PROVES everybody else really sucks who is playing that position. BUT, if Voytik comes in and is impressive, I say immediately invest the time and effort in him as the future of that position and get him in the game. Nothing matures a good athelete more than game experience (although, apparently it has had little impact on Sunseri).
I could’nt care less about our record this last year in the Big East, but I want to be going full throttle into the ACC in 2013. So if Voytik is the real deal play him. Tino in not the answer to any of our questions!
What would he offer Adams if he knew anything about basketball since Pitt only has a verbal commitment. After all Adams owened Nolens in their head to head game, outscoring him by 11, and outrebounding him. More importantly if you watch the video you see Nolens game limited to dunks and baby hooks while Adams has an excellent mid range jumper, the abilty to but the ball on the floor and finish without a dunk when shield from the baaket by contourting his body to avoid the defender.
Apparently even the sanctity of marriage comes second when compared to Kentucky basketball for those in the Bluegrass State.
Coming on the heels of a Craigslist poster that claimed to be willing to part with his wife for tickets to watch Kentucky in the Final Four comes a UK backer that was willing to hand his wife over to No. 1 recruit in the nation, Nerlens Noel .
Q: What Tino the Great’s regular season record in 2010, when he was in an offense that was (allegedly) more suited to his skill” set?
A: 7-5. And at least two of those five losses could be nominated for program’s worst-ever soul crushing losses: UConn and WVU.
And adding salt to wounds, dude was 0-fer in big games, of which Pitt needed to win only one to avoid Birmingham.
So let’s recap: Tino stunk in the spread, and he stunk in the pro-set. Face it, there’s no offense that’s suited to Sunseri’s skill set, because he doesn’t have a skill set suitable to playing above NAIA.
if we are throwing short we go with anderson
if throwing long go with myers they say myers throws a very nice long ball hits the WR in the hands on long throws drops it right in there laps.
so i say anderson or myers no tino .
you said it better than me but that is what i ment once the real games start he is lost like you said like a chicken with out a head when EMel eads what you wrote he will give you a 100 points at least.
very well said.
pennstate has 7 commits so far 6 of them 4 stars
ohio state has 7 commits 6 of them 4 stars 1 of them 5 star.
What I wanted to happen was for Mark Myers to grab the opportunity in front of him and win the starting QB position. What actually has been happening so far is that he hasn’t been able to do it.
It is a trite phrase, “the best chance to win”, but it may well apply in this case. Unless you think that Tino Sunseri’s career has been 100% failure, which is ludicrous, then you have to acknowledge that there have been some positives to his play.
What positives can you, at this point, look at with Myers and/or Anderson and say that because of them they should start in front of Sunseri? It isn’t enough that they aren’t Sunseri, they have to have attributes that Sunseri doesn’t have.
I can’t see any, can you? So, if not then we are asking Chryst and staff to take a total leap of faith with one QB who has not shown he can get it done on the playing field in Anderson and another who has shown he can’t get it done in practice in Myers.
Voytik is a whole different animal as he’s the ‘Great Unknown’. Personally, I don’t think he has the type of talent to come into D1 football and grab the starting job in his true freshman year. I’m sure others either feel different or are hoping it will be different.
But to me Voytik was recruited by a HC who saw that the individual talents Voytik had would fit his particular offense – one that relied heavily, when it was being executed as planned, on a running QB who could also pass. How well he adjusts to a pure drop back passer is yet to be seen.
Spring ball is a thin slice of life in a football season but it does give us an inkling of what the HC and his staff want to put out onto the playing field. We’ll see in August how Voytik fits into those plans and if he pans out the way fans hope he will I’ll jump up and down. But until then I’ll remain semi-realistic and think that the staff has already made their choice at QB and that Sunseri will go into the first day of summer camp as their choice to lead the offense.
Like it or not I think that is how it is going to go down.
Good for Tino! I’d love to see THAT in a real game sometime. All I have to add is what we already know, that Tino practices well.
Notice though that in my posts above I don’t mention one word about experience. I’ve avoided that argument because I do believe that Chryst and Rudolph didn’t factor that in going into spring camp.
IMO from the coaches POV Sunseri has shown them that he is the most productive QB on the roster over the course of the last 11 practice sessions. I don’t think there is any debate about it at this point.
So I don’t see any way, if we truly want the coaches to choose a QB via an open competition, that they can’t use what they have seen with their own two eyes and select Sunseri – at this point in time. I guess what PITT fans may not realize is just how much better Sunseri has been in practice than the other two QBs.
Chryst already stated early on in his tenure here that he wasn’t going to rely on past game films and past history to make his two deep choices. Apparently he’s sticking to that.
Now, you and I and all the other PITT fans can’t help but look at Sunseri’s history out on the playing field when we think about who should start this season. His flaws are pretty dramatic. But right now there are three options at QB and Sunseri is one of them.
That said, if we are talking about the experience factor for Voytik as a true freshman then I think we really have to consider his complete lack of any sort of college experience going into summer camp. My opinion is that it will put him behind the eight ball. I wish he could have worked it out to where he arrived early for spring practices so that he’d have something under his belt both to acclimate him and to give the staff something to see and think about in the time period between the Spring Game and summer camp.
Further, PITT has to be very careful of throwing a true freshman into the QB position right off the bat. I know its been done before – but it hasn’t been done 100 times more often and there is a reason for that.
Everyone wants wins and game results and you know this staff wants them also. I’ve also been advocating not using this season solely as practice for Myers, Anderson or Voytik to get experience for our ACC debut next year. Play them if they are the CLEARLY the more talented QB and will give us the best chance to win this season of course, but if they aren’t then let’s not throw out the year on the premise that it could possibly benefit us next season.
Of course, all this is based on spring practices about which Chryst has said “… spring practice for a fall sport” meaning don’t put too much stock in it. The staff will know a lot more on August 31st than they do now and maybe we’ll see some changes of the post-spring two deep aside from injured players coming back.
Again, this is how I believe the staff sees the current situation but in all honesty I wouldn’t disagree with it too much at this point. The Spring Game will be interesting to watch this season for a lot of reasons.
If he has miraculously changed and become the second coming of Matt Cavanaugh, wonderful, I look forward to it greatly this season…but I have a strong suspicion that won’t be. Regarding freshmen QBs, seriously, when did football become astrophysics…especially the way Wisconsin has played the last 5-10 years and the way Pitt traditionally has played — its line up and whale on the other team and put your most talented guys out there to make big plays. Coaching didn’t make Hugh Green or Dan Marino, or the rest of Pitt’s long list of excellent players but it helped them. A good coach figures out who his best players are, puts them in a spot to succeed, keeps the discipline, and then gets the heck out of their way. I have no doubt that today Anderson or Jones would be better game day QBs than Tino but I haven’t seen nearly enough to know about Myers…or of course Voytik.
Thankfully for all Pitt fans, Chryst has won alot with his offenses and sounds like a guy who won’t tolerate stupid plays for very long.
If I were the head coach, and had to decide between a fifth year senior with experience that had already demonstrated and shown in tight game situations that he makes bad decisions and goes brain dead under pressure,,, or a brand new, fresh out of high school freshman that shows “talent” on the practice field and can handle the heavy load of the QB position as a freshman? Well then, I’d go with the “new talent” and hope he can stand up to the pressure of “real”
game day rather than with the known entity that has proven to wilt under game day pressures every time.
Now that I’ve figured out that “ABT” means “anybody but Tino”, I have become firmly united with the ABT Pitt faction until Sunseri proves that he has become a totally evolved fifth year senior QB that has the skills and mindset to make the decision on who should be at the QB spot a no brainer. That would take a lot of changes on Tino’s part that I just don’t see coming down the Pike. Next!!
Problem is, you’re basing all that on practice… we’re talking about PRACTICE! (Forever thanks to Allen Iverson!).
I live in Denver. Kyle Orton was Tino Sunseri reincarnated for the Broncos: smart, terrific in practice, impressed all the coaches. Until he went out and laid an egg in the actual games in 2011 by starting 1-4.
Enter Tim Tebow. By all accounts, dude was terrible — like, worst ever terrible — in practice. But somehow, when the whistle blew, dude could amp up his game. Went 7-4, incredibly got the Donkeys into the playoffs, where he beat the Steelers.
So what’s my point? We alredy know that Sunseri sucks Sucks SUCKS in games. For crying out loud, how much more of his body of work do we need to see to realize that??
So let’s look and see, [hopefully] there’s a Teblow clone on the roster, the anti-Tino: stinks in practice (who cares…) comes alive in games?
Tino’s gone next year anyway, Pitt may as well get someone else ready. And who knows, maybe find a gamer on the roster.
Yes, it is practice but that is what the staff has to base their decisions on at this point in time. Allen Iverson aside, and BTW he’s a superstar who doesn’t need practice, QBs who are leading a unit of 11 players on offense have to be evaluated under game conditions in practice sessions and scrimmages until the season actually starts. Unlike the NBA college football doesn’t have 82 chances to get things right – they have 12 games and have to come out of the gate running.
Again, it boils down to a risk/reward scenario with a new HC. Does he go with the player who he see’s with his own eyes winning the QB competition or does he roll the dice with a player who came up short in that same competition just because Sunseri has a poor track record.
What will clarify, or confuse, this situation in the summer is Voytik’s showing during training camp. But as of right now both Myers and Anderson haven’t executed or played as well as Sunseri has in practice. That may change, let’s hope it does, with Voytik.
Guys – we are getting what we wanted with having a true QB competition. Myers and Sunseri were getting equal reps during the first half of spring practice and the results were pretty obvious to Chryst and Rudolph. I get that we are very wary of Sunseri at the helm again this season. Even though I think he can improve on some things I also know that he can continue to stink the joint out.
So, if the dice is going to be rolled at all I believe it will be with Voytik and not Myers or Anderson. But I’ll bet a dollar it is Sunseri behind center against Youngstown State.
BTW – if it is Sunseri I’m not going to jump up and down throwing criticisms at Chryst for doing so. He’s been left an untenable situation at QB and has to try to make the best of what he’s got. I’ll point back to DW for this QB roster we have now.
“I have become firmly united with the ABT Pitt faction until Sunseri proves that he has become a totally evolved fifth year senior QB that has the skills and mindset to make the decision on who should be at the QB spot a no brainer.”
How does one determine if that evolution has taken place if you don’t watch the player in practices? I certainly can’t make that call, PITT fans who haven’t seen him play at all this spring can’t make that call. The local media reports are that Sunseri is playing well in practices so maybe they can. But really, who is in the best position to do so? That would be the coaching staff who is seeing him everyday in the weight room, film room, meeting room and on the practice field…IMO.
I think that what the ABT faction wants is plainly obvious – play anybody but Sunseri even if that other QB isn’t doing as well or is as good. Experiment please, somebody, Anybody But Tino on the off chance something good might just happen.
Sure then, let’s do that, but if we lose a couple of games early on because of it Paul Chryst will be pilloried on here and in the media. If that experiment takes place and fails I would assume that every member of the ABT team will run to be the first to comment about it. Because we all know that that may very well happen.
Most of these conversations should be taking place in mid-August anyway but I’ve a feeling we’ll be saying many of the same things.
That aside, lets look at Sunseri’s track record. Where are his weaknesses? Well, he can’t seem to throw an accurate long ball, with power, beyond 30 yards, he is absolutely horrible scrambling on broken down plays and in general does not perform well under pressure. Hold the rationalizations about breakdowns on the line, etc. Just look at the facts.
I commented on the report of the 70 yard TD pass, Sunseri to Saddler a couple days ago and gave the love out to that duo in getting the job done. That is what needs to be seen with regularity to elevate Tino’s play. So I’m more than willing to recognise improvements when they occur, but was that just a flash in the pan?
In previous practices Saddler even commented on the lack of coordination between Sunseri and the receiving corps, commenting that “we just need to connect more on our routes and complete more passes”. So give me a lot more of that in practice as a starting point.
So even if Sunseri starts to elevate his game in practice, come fall camp he shows that he is still PRACTICING well, how does the coaching staff know if he is going to bring that into Heinz field when it’s for real?
Now my next suggestion may seem unfair or even reckless, but here is where previous film analysis comes in. Two of the biggest issues with Tino’s play revolves around decision making under duress and performance under pressure, and we all know that “Tino practices well”. So lets say Voytik comes in and shows some real promise. He steps in behind center and can handle the offense adequately to at least be considered for the two deep roster. If that is the case, I say jump the gun a bit and as you say “roll the dice” in practice.
How do you do that? You do that by taking off Sunseri”s colored jersey and let everybody know on both sides of the ball that if the defense can get to the QB they have the green light to put a good clean hit on him. That ups the ante right quick for the offensive line the backs on pass protection plays and of course on Tino himself.
In this way, now you can really evaluate Sunseri under “live” full contact situations. and they will see if his performance stands up to the pressure of say an Arron Donald coming in full steam at him on a third and 8 play in the red zone. What happens then? Then you see the real Tino. If the old Tino shows up in a few of those live practices then Voytik gets the nod and you prep him to take the majority of remaining 1st team reps in preparation to start the home opener.
Yeah, I know that seems unfair and even dangerous to put Tino under such conditions in practice. And what if Sunseri get injured and now Chryst has to substantiate his reasoning for such reckless action, but that is the most honest way to really see if the 2012 Tino has evolved into the player that has earned the starting QB role for yet one last season.
Anyway – your idea isn’t a bad one and I think that all the scrimmages in fall camp are game-like. I’m not sure.
To wrap this up. Through the eyes of the coaching staff I think Sunseri will again be the starting QB in the fall. Though the eyes of this fan I wished that Myers progressed enough to be the starter, now I hope that Chryst has a quick hook if it is more of the SOT “Same Old Tino” out on the field.
Only time will tell!
Btw, I hope Jim Hueber does interviews after every game, the man is pure entertainment.