Ahhhh. The one silver lining to Pitt’s Thursday night game. Sitting back all day with some nice beer and watching college football until my eyes bleed. No stress over what Pitt will do. Able to take breaks as needed. Fall asleep on the couch for stretches. Appreciating the misery of other teams losing. I’m looking at you Miami, Iowa, Colorado… and yes, Penn State.
One of the games I took a particular interest in was the Wisconsin-Oregon State game. Probably as much as Pitt Coach Paul Chryst took in the game given his mentor and place where he got his start at the 1-A level versus his alma mater and place that made him a reasonably hot head coaching candidate.
A chance to see what the program looks like without Paul Chryst directing the offense. And perhaps to get a glimpse of what we hope to see Pitt become. Instead, it led to some other questions and a bit of speculation.
Wisconsin came into Corvallis ranked #13, and exited with a 10-7 loss. Shut out for almost the entire game — scoring that TD with 1:31 left.
What really was noticeable in the game, the lack of a Wisconsin running game despite Monte Ball and the vaunted Wisky O-line. Not to mention seeing Danny O’Brien under constant pressure — taking 4 sacks.
This followed a less than outstanding effort against Northern Iowa — but at least they could beat a 1-AA team. Leading to Badger questions about how much they miss Paul Chryst running the offense.
Of course, at the Pitt end, the offense under Chryst isn’t exactly setting the world on fire. And after watching the Wisconsin-Oregon St. game, I’m wondering if both teams are missing the same guy. No, not Russell Wilson. Bob Bostad.
I have not hidden my concern that Bostad taking the O-line coaching position for Tampa Bay in the NFL rather than being Pitt’s offensive coordinator was a big deal.
It’s hard to say that there is much of a change to the Pitt O-line as far as performance. Still really poor pass protection. The run-blocking is adequate at times, but it seems more often than not it is the talent carrying the ball that seems to be making things happen.
But Wisconsin? Not only was O’Brien sacked four times against a Oregon State team that went 3-9 last year and allowed 21 points or more in every game. Monte Ball was limited to 60 yards on 15 carries (with 14 coming on one carry).
Against UNI, Wisconsin still surrendered 3 sacks. While Ball went for 120 yards, it took 32 carries and 37 yards came on 3 carries.
The Wisconsin offense, and the offense Chryst wants to run depends on a strong, stout O-line. Disciplined, well coached and able to play above their recruiting rankings/initial talent evaluations. Neither seems to have that this year. And to varying degrees both are struggling.
It may seem premature, but I think both the coaches and the fanbases underestimated (or wanted to downplay) just what kind of impact Bostad had on coaching the O-line. How the coaches for their respective programs address the issue is unknown.
Its time to send a strong message and play the more talented kids and let them get better. When Tino started the first game in 2010, he had less game time experience than Anderson does now, so enough with the nervous nellie “experience” horsesh#t and make the switch to Anderson. Yes, Voytik is a true freshman, but so what…if he’s a gamer, he’s a gamer.
Bring in Sal Sunseri as DC…
if you can pry him away from TN…
Sunseri is a cancer effecting the performance of the entire team. Not accepting that fact is a major mistake when considering how this team is currently performing.
Will benching Tino solve all of Pitt’s problems? Hell no! But it is a first step in transforming this team into something else, other than it is right now. It will surely demonstrate the fact that the coaching staff is looking to the future rather than depending on the past when making decisions concerning who plays and who sits.
This also needs to be done at any other position that is being manned by a starter that has experience but is not giving 100% or who’s performance stinks. The youth on this team is it’s future. Play them now. Yeah we will still stink, but,,,,,,,it will be a growing process and next year we will have a lot of young guys with true game experience.
This will also demonstrate to future recruits that Chryst is sincere when he says, “come to Pitt because you’ll play early if you’re good enough”. Actions speak louder than words.
We KNOW our future with Tino and I’m finished with that experiment.
I am an Ohio State grad and proud of it. The good, the bad and th ugly because in the end, results matter and about 15 years ago, OSU decided that if it was going to do something, it was going to strive to be the best.
That meant that it dropped some things from the cirriculum.
But is also meant that they were not going to accept mediocrity. And they took action…if the soccer coach was not performing, then he was (and “he was”) gone.
I wish Pitt were that way. if you are going to do something, then dammit, try to be the best and certainly do never accept failure.
From my perspective, Pitt’s administration accepts failure and in some bewildering fashion, views those who scoff at that attitude as being “disloyal”. Bizarre.
Pederson, by any measure, is an abject failure.
Go back and read his quotes after being hired again and takin command two days before 13-9. The following are quotes from him.
“..we have to prioritize getting a lot of people to Heinz Field for football games”
“…it is also important to ask our fans what they want”
“…It is my job to support the coaches and I have always done that”
“The football program is on the verge of great things”
“…Dave…is a great recruiter…is working hard…is doing all the right things the right way and will be successful”
“…this is a great place ..and …is headed for great things”
“Look at our track program…and ask yourself “What would he do if he had facilities'”
“I don’t worry about raising funds because I know that if we have a good plan, people will help us…”
OK, these are goals and assertions from the horses mouth. Read the article in the PG by Paul Zeise December 23, 2007.
Is Heinz Field filled? Gimmie a break.
Has Pitt built nes track facilities? Nope and the baseball, softball and soccr fileds were already planned and prepped by the time of his arrival.
If we were “headed for great things” 4.7 years ago, are we closer? This makes me puke.
Pitt is further away from every goal set by Pederson upon his return. With him at the helm, Wanny, who was doing “all the right things” somehow lost his way. Did Pederson “support the coach” or did he fire his ass when he could have used a kick in the ass to get his players to shape up?
Fund raising? After hiring Haywood without any due diligence, where has fund rasing gone?
After firing Haywood, what happened to fund raising?
I know you folks are tired of reading this BUT FACTS ARE IMPORTANT.
Pederson has failed at everything at Pitt since his return….he must go or Pitt is telling you and me that we are stupid, that facts are not important and that there are some very highly paid non tenured people at Pitt who do not have produce any positive results to collect a very fat paycheck.
You can claim OSU has many bad things about it and I would agree with a large number of them.
But “stupid” and “lazy” are not among them.
Pitt cannot plausibly make the same claim. The results don’t lie.
A MEN BROTHER GOD SAVE THE QUEEN ooo wait we dont
have a queen o hell down with tino .
Hmmm…I thought the Bills had 5 stars across the board on the DL…once again, Wanny underachieves with talent…he sure can recruit though.
And usually right. As you are on this one to a point. I actually agree with you whole heartedly. It’s true in business, education, anywhere.
I got you, you’re right, and I understand.
I guess I just feel, that after watching this team, and tons of others the past two Saturdays, it really looks like we may have hit rock bottom with talent.
I also should have put more about the ASU game. Yes, the quarterback was a big part of it, but, their whole team was bigger, faster, stronger and smarter than ours.
I would have put us on about par with them, school wise. Middle of the pack BCS team.
We’re not even close to them. It wasn’t a lot of freshman either, so, I’m assuming he’s using ASU players from the past couple of years.
Also not suggesting ASU will be a powerhouse. But his two games at Pitt and two games at ASU, there is a huge difference. Same coaching, same offense, something is different.
What’s different besides the uniforms, the players.
Competition?? Ahhh. We played Buffalo and Maine and just won.
They played N. Arizona and Illinois and waxed both.
Not singing his praises either, he’s an asshole.
But, something is very wrong down there.
Poor Coach Chyrst. Whether he makes it or not, he is really in the soup down there.
My angle, is what could it hurt. Develop someone now, let them get some games under their belt.
This is easy to do, we get enamored with the present hot shot or 4 star. I do it too.
Saving Voytik redshirt?? Why?? That’s 4 years from now. Injuries could happen, he could transfer to be back home….
We have the kid from Ohio coming in, I think possibly a kid from Blackhawk or somewhere out that way??
If we’re gonna recruit hard, then, we should be having more “big time” qbs coming in, in the next 2,3, 4 years that are freshmen in high school right now that we don’t even know about.
If it’s a mess again this saturday, then, I agree, Gardner-Webb would be an ideal starting date for him, and we have a week off after that game for some teaching and film.
Again, all over Tino last year, I just see more problems this year with the rest of the team especially defense.
But, if we’re 0-3, what’s the difference??
It’s gonna ruin him?? How?? He’ll have the same mess at the beginning of next year, he has to take his first snap someday. Another spring and fall camp practices?? Get him into some live snaps.
bummer interception.
Pederson is a failure. Everything he touches turns to stone. Hard to argue ones dismissal when you set the stage.
It is so bad, even the Pitt web site buried the football story from the UC game.
Tino is a huge, huge problem. Quick story. I know someone who is good friends with a player on team. He asked the player how the team was going to be this year in August the player said Tino is still the quarterback and rolled his eyes. Bottom line the players on the team see the games and have as much confidence in Tino as we do. Look at the Cinci game D lets up two quick scores but then tightened up for the rest of half. However Tino blows two scoring opportunities and the team is down big at the half instead of being down only a little and having momentum. Completely and utterly deflating. There is no way that any of the players thought Tino could bring the team back after that. Football is a game of wills and effort.
I don’t get all this concern about playing Voyik too soon. If he’s legit he’ll thrive and get better. Worrying about burning a year sounds like the management of he Pirates. You can’t look too far own road. Gotta play or now.
Lastly, I’m not a Pederson defender at all but Wanny isn’t the coach at Pitt now because of Wanny. He coached horriblely in big games, never developed qbs, lost games he had no business losing and was running a program filled with tons of problems like Sheard getting arrested, Fields doing something illegal most likely and a terribly embarrassing SI cover story.
Josh Cribbs (Cleveland Browns) was a productive freshman QB at Kent State. Dan Marino, Donovan McNabb were freshman starters. The list goes on an on.
Talented players usually show their skills immediately.
Bench Sunseri now and make an attempt to create a kernal of hope for the other players and for the remaining fans.
Everybody is missing Bostad.
There’s reason to question just how good Voytik is.
But you’re only going to find out by getting him some action.
And as far as a redshirt goes… burn it.
Savage’s turn comes next year. Chapman will also be here and he looks to be at least if not more talented than Voytik both as an athlete and a passer.
Voytik may find himself out of the picture without ever really being in it.
Bottom line… Sunseri starts again this week due to the opponent being VATech.
But we just might see Anderson or Voytik or both before the game is over.
We can only hope.
That being said, my opinions are just that, one man’s opinion. And frankly who am I to say that I have the correct answers to Pitt’s woes?
I so wanted to see Tino finally blossum under Chryst’s coaching. Him getting back into a prostyle offense with multiple receivers that he has played with for at least one season or more should have been a recipe for his success.
Unfortunately, it just isn’t to be. Sunseri is a tough guy who’s effort I’ve never questioned. His skill set and decision making abilities are his downfall however. Some QB’s got it, others don’t. HE DON’T GOT IT.
The coaching ability of Chryst has come under scrutiny already based on the performance of this team in it’s first two games. I don’t think any sane person would come to the conclusion that the problems on offense are going to be resolved by giving Sunseri a little more practice time and more reps under center to get it perfected, since he has had 4 years now to get it right.
If Coach Chryst is the coach that I hope he is, he needs to take the dramatic step to try anybody else at the QB position to reformulate this offensive equation.
Keeping Tino in there for the rest of the season builds NOTHING for the future, keeps the team wallowing in nothing better than mediocrity for the present and simply reinforces throuh his lack of dynamic action that he has a “stay the course” straight and narrow coaching mentality. In essence, communicating to this team by his lack of action, that he has no answers for their current offensive problems other than sticking with a failing formula.
Why not just throw in the towel for this season already then? If Tino contiues to start, IMO, that is the feeling that will permeaite this team’s mindset, and that ain’t good. Not for now, not for the rest of this season and definitly not for the future.
Come on Coach, pull the plug on Tino and start a new direction for this team ASAP.
Dan – I saw those comments about Huxtable also and they are unfounded. I believe it has to do with the fact that he wore red during the game but he does that so the defense can see him clearly on the sidelines. But some fans seem to think it was a super secret signal that he pined for his old job at Wisconsin.
And for whoever keeps encouraging a mass boycott, you can go off with the dozens of Pirates fans who walked out and made such a difference a few years ago. I’ll keep showing up, thanks.