I coach tennis and my goal is to make every player as good as he/she can be. IMO that’s what coaching is all about. But you cannot make chicken salad out of chicken shit. Coaching, training, hard work, competitiveness, etc. can only do so much. At some point an athlete is limited by his natural ability. Conclusion – We need to recruit better players.

@Emel…I understand the level of competition of GW. My comment was strictly on how the deep passing game is holding back our running game.

I used GW as an example in which Tino threw the ball deep for completions multiple times BUT Pitt could still not run the ball against lowly Gardner-Webb.

If Pitt can’t run the ball against GW with a deep passing game, what makes you think that Tino is the reason for the for lack of running game against other teams? Our QB is leading the BE in efficiency and our 2 WRs are the top tandem in the BE, but some people like yourself cannot look at things objectively.

I hope I clarified this enough for you, but based on yoour first post attacking me, you probably won’t be able to comprehend this one either.

@Emel..Pitt’s inability to rush for first downs on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 must be because of the lack of deep passing game, right?

Reed — you just reinforced my point, but with a spin on putting it on the O-line more. I agree our O-line has room for improvement and probably no stars at the moment, but I don’t see the same ragged play as some of you do. Saying Tino is doing the same as he was the previous two years isn’t a defense — its pointing out he hasn’t improved. My comment was that the exceptional play of Ray G. last year (because he was healthy and unhesitant) and Dion Lewis in 2010 — two absolute first rate college RBs — helped to cover up the difficulties brought on by opposing D’s having ZERO respect for getting burned by Tino. You say its the O-line but how many of his sacks have honestly come from teams just flat out beating the line versus Tino holding it too long, being indecisive, not elusive, falling down at moderate pressure, etc.?

Also, I think we have different definitions of “downfield, intermediate” passes. My view is they are at least 12-15 yards in the air, not 7-10 which you may be considering…which again doesn’t push back LBs and safeties enough…but most important is the real fear of a reasonably accurate deep pass — 25-40 yards — to create space…which you rightly concur has not existed in the last three years.

@srb
Well no, but it is the reason on why teams don’t respect the pass and stack the box with 8 & 9 players on every other play. We can’t stretch the field vertically.
Do you comprehend that? lol
And I wouldn’t use GW as an example of anything since like I said it was a glorified scrimmage more than anything else. GW is and has been one of the WORST PROGRAMS IN D2(FCS) for the last 7 years. This is about the only team in the country Tino could complete a long pass against.

GW has lost 7-34 to Wofford, 8-41 to Richmond, 23-44 to Samford, that’s not Stanford, btw. 35-42 to Liberty and last but not least, 10-41 to that football D2 powerhouse known as Stony Brook. They are winless in the BigSouth again.

Now why we couldn’t run the ball very effectively against GW is immaterial, since based on their lack of players, athletes,etc., nothing can be taken away from that game as some sort of indicator.

We haven’t been able to stretch the field vertically since 2009, Stull’s senior season, when if you remember Dion ran roughshod for over 1700 yards, which led to him being mentioned as a Heisman candidate his sophomore year. We all saw how that played out, no vertical passing game, teams loaded up to stop the run, Dion’s production tailed way off, even with Hyno still blocking for him. And that was with Jon Baldwin in the lineup who Tino would just hoist it up to and hope Baldwin would make some sort of acrobatic or one handed catch.

That team had a lot of dissension on it, as they all knew that Bostick had earned the right to be the starting QB, not Tino. And imo that dissension is the root of why this team still plays unmotivated, doesn’t help Tino off the ground when he gets buried on a sack and generally pays him no nevermind. He is a cancer on this team and you will see a much more energized and motivated team next year.

Clearly if I can see that Tino shouldn’t have been the QB, then and now, as other posters can on here like Matt N, Dan, Frankcan, Upittbaseball, Immaman, Coach Ditka, My dad is Jimbo Covert, and a whole host of others who have got so disgusted and fed up they don’t post much anymore or don’t post at all anymore.

Clearly if we can see it, some of the players can see it too!

As DC33 points out, Dokish wrote that three of the OL (Jacobson, Turnley, Rotheram) were highly regarded and sought after. And we have coaches who were instrumental in turning out good lines at Wisconsin. So what’s happened? Same with the defensive line…highly regarded athletes underperforming?

maybe they are tired of your tino crap

or tino’s crappy play, lol

I’ve got a bad feeling, and I hope it has to do with tonights dinner menu,and not Saturdays outcome!!!

My waning comments are due to Tino and the poor play of the team. Did I over-expect, ya, sure I did. I didn’t imagine this though.

What could wake me up?? Upset Notre Dame. They don’t have a great offense, but, I don’t see how we can possibly score a point against them.

I’m jumping ahead, we have a big enough battle this week.

I agree with Emel. I give Tino 5 games 6 max before he is benched. Then we can focus on the actual, real, factual, obvious, essential problem with this OFFENSIVE OFFENSIVE LINE. Their body of work so far this season is OFFENSIVE!

Its not crap. I am one of those posters in your aforementioned camp, Emel(Frankcan, MattN, et al.) I read and enjoy the posts, but Sir Tino has sucked the life out of me as a Pitt FB fan. Next season the o-line will be better (with Bisnowaty,Ricketts and some of the other redshirters)and we will have a genuine competition at QB with Savage, Chapman & Voytik. Shell will be back. The D is young and will improve. And we will be in the ACC. I will be in my usual season seat SAT but the countdown continues. 5 more games.Cite all the records and stats you want, but it has been a rough run for Pitt fans with Mr. Sunseri at the helm.

Ijust think crap stands for cynical rantngs at pittblather,Iwill drink a beer with any of you at 7am gold1, the three stooges will be there swingin with the alphabet,if the life has been sucked out of u the there is room for beer,replace 5 more games with 5 more beers hell shell will be gone before tino

Duly noted Bossdaws, you have been added to the ABT camp ! lol 🙂

lol paul. Watching us play calls for a much stronger drink (127 bookers comes to mind). I’ve cut back on my watching to avoid a liver transplant, ha

I feel for this Cory King kid, cause this guy is a Guard not a Tackle (as u know he’s only playing there cause J. Hollins got suspended). The TE should always be on his side of the line to help out. As well as the chip blocking RB. If Sir Tino could hit someone in stride over 15-20 yards you could go to a Max Protect package, but no sense going there…….

EMel i am with you bud you nailed it.
Bossdraws good to hear you glad you are on.
hi DAN you are the man

You know i had high expectations for pitts recruiting class this year.
but i realize we must look at things objectively
the truth is we are lucky to have the players we have so far.
dont look for pitt to get 4 or 5 star players for years to come it wont happen for many reasons
here are some chryst is not a magic personilty
may be no personilty we are a bad team
and as has been pointed out bye you all tomutch has happened in the last 2 years the program is in disary no people at the games to many empty seats etc etc.

the point is i have just been hit in the head
i mean i used to bitch if we would not get 4 stars
i realize now how hopeless things have become i have been fooling myself thinking we could come all the way back to the glory years,

and it makes me sad this is not criticizm it
is a excepting of a reality that i tryed not to see or did not want to see a death of a dream.

as mutch as i did not like TG his kind of `excitement and enthusiasm might have saved this program but there is no excitement to it now and chryst cant bring it and so recruiting will be as it is no were. and pitt football will be what it is no were and i am so sad dreams die hard.

^^ FRankcan

Shell better not be gone before Sir Tino. don’t even say that kiddingly. Heck with Ray Ray graduating and Clement bailing on us, we’d be in real trouble.
Shell isn’t anywhere close to being ready for the next level anyway. Plus we can always play that 2 star 170 lb safety from the school with 100 students in 4 grades, at feature back. That’s why PC recruited him, u know. lol

That was directed at paulie’s post.

EMel i am sad there is no excitement or enthusiam to pitt football any more and chryst has known him self we are doomed are we not.

it should read chryst has none

Maybe we can bring Johnny Majors back a 3rd time.

nah

That would be cruel and unusual punishment, poor JM had to come back after Hackett left nothing in the cupboard.

Ok gents….no more Prozac for a week.

The only thing more boring than Pitt football these days are the redundant, self loathing posts that dominate this forum these days.

OK, we get it:

1. Tino sucks
2. The O-line sucks
3. Paul Chryst sucks at speaking
4. Paul Chryst sucks at recruiting
5. Steve Pederson sucks
6. Playing in an off campus stadium sucks
7. Our schedule sucks
8. Our attendance sucks
9. Our assistant coaches suck
10. Not having the script and lack of old gold sucks
11. Having a different opinion than Emel or FRANCAN sucks
12. Emel knows football better than our staff
13. Joe D knows recruiting better than our staff

Does that just about cover it? These topics are covered ad nauseam on every single posting. You want to know why Pitt football has such little positive momentum? Just look at the constant negativity displayed by our supposedly biggest supporters.

the white noise with shell is starting listen close

The beer in Gold 1 sounds good PS. Especially if Nosmo-King is there sipping a few (love that moniker). ECH, just venting like Emel, Frankcan and many others. Everyone’s opinion is noted and should be respected, but the “positive momentum “lacking in Pitt football will return with Ws. This is a demanding football town. If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t bitch.

I get it, I really do. I understand the venting and the desire for a return to winning ways. I’m there too. I’m not happy that I continue to expend money and emotion on a program that just can’t get out of its own way.

But we have gone BEYOND kicking a dead horse at this point. And the constant self loathing doesn’t solve anything.

We are a team and a program in transition. 4 head coaches, multiple offensive coordinators, a schedule in upheaval, etc etc.

We have a first time HC, 7 games into his HC life and people are calling him a failure and projecting his inability to recruit, adjust, make decisions, and so on based on an insanely narrow set of real data. It’s ridiculous and unproductive.

Think Dorian Johnson and Rob Foster read this blog? Think they are encouraged reading depressing post after depressing post by fans?

And I’m not advocating blowing smoke up each other’s skirts or ignoring valid concerns. I just thing the repetitive nature of the griping and rehashing of tired narratives is not just pointless, but in the broad perspective probably counter productive to the end we ALL want.

ECH, well then, respectfully, what shall we talk about?? What are the positives??

Allthough, I think many have taken your advice, and just don’t bother posting anymore.

In business, who is the worst customer. Someone that has a concern, and bitches and screams???

Nope, the worst customer, is the one who has a concern, and just fades away never to be heard from again.

FRANKCAN,

Frank, Frank, Frank…come on, brother. Keep the faith.

Things are going to get better. If this program can rise from the awful seasons of the mid-1990s to become what’s been a top 40-50 program through much of the last 15 years, it can certainly get back to that level and elevate beyond it.

Recruiting-wise, I agree that this year hasn’t entirely produced the haul we all hoped it may. Foster and Dorian Johnson change a lot of that perception. There are a few people I follow on Twitter who are close to these things and who seem to be reliable with their info, and they say Pitt will end up with both Foster and DJ.

Provided they also retain Chapman – which these same people expect Pitt to do – that’s a pretty good start there. We’ll see what falls into place between the end of the season and February.

And it’s easy to forget, too, that Chryst was able to retain a lot of good talent with last year’s class. Shell obviously leads the pack, but we’ve already seen contributions from the likes of Holtz, Pardner and Darryl Render as true freshmen this year. Throw in the likes of Voytik, Rippy, Bradley, Bisnowaty…all of these kids will have a full year in the program. Chryst doesn’t seem to play favorites with regard to seniority, so if these kids are good enough to get themselves into the lineup next year, they’ll start contributing right away.

Plus, we’re getting some decent talent back next year that we’ve missed this year for a variety of reasons. Hopefully next year, we get a healthy Todd Thomas and Ejuan Price at LB. We get a healthy Tom Ricketts to help on the line (he was a 4-star OL recruit in 2009, offers from FSU, Stanford, BC, PSU, Maryland). Hollins should be back and will hopefully begin to realize some of his potential.

Maybe I’m reaching a little with some of these, but I see a team that could potentially get better rather quickly, especially when you consider they improve almost by default with the QB change (Savage or Voytik with a year in the system SHOULD be an upgrade over some of Tino’s limitations).

If they start winning some games, more and more recruits will take notice.

concern, care , they are good words BD, i get the blog thing really ,just worry about the names we call our players for further recruiting ,we drive too far to lose,games and faith

ECH – I agree with your SUCK points and would add Sweet Caroline to that list.

But seriously, the future looks bright.
1. Tino is gone after this year
2. The O-line can’t get any worse
3. The ACC begins next year
4. The schedule gets better and new rivalries can get started
5. There will probably be some new coaches and better recruiters on staff next year
6. There is still a chance we land both Dorian and Robert
7. Stevie P’s days are numbered
8. Savage, Chapman or Voytik will bring excitement back
9. The program will benefit from stability in coaching and systems
10. Pitt script will make a comeback

ECH dont you think i would like to be talking abought the great game we played or the 5 star we recruited or that was great coaching bye chryst.
you are dam right i would love to be mr sunshine.

at the start of year i said we would be 10 and 2

I was mr enthusiasm what is the old saying if you have nothing good to say say nothing but if i and outhers did that there would be no post the blather would be empty.

it is eather vent on here or take it out on the wife and she would not like that and then i would get nothing to eat

Growing up with Chilly Billy, I always liked, and sentimentally still like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Black Cat etc. etc.

I’ve often realized however, that I never really did see ‘The Black Cat’. I lumped it in with the others, but never really watched it.

Watched it last night, and realize why I never saw it. I’m sure I turned it off immediately when I was 8-12 yrs old.

Karloff as Poelzig, is a downright disturbing image. Even in this day and age. It still holds up, especially for something made in 1934.

Hahaha. Fair enough Frank. I don’t want you to go hungry every night.

now dan thats apost u have me doing the nosmo, also worked with nick perry when he was in the slammer,he only had a number on his jersey.

LOL!!!

FRANKCAN – you should learn how to cook so you can take it out on the wife. Did I just lose the women’s vote for saying that?

TX Panther, I like your positive attitude but I don’t think Stevie P will ever be let go because Nordy loves him. How do you rehire someone that left for greener pastures?

In the ultimate injustice, our beloved script won’t be coming back anytime soon either. Why? Stevie P brings no joy to the fans because he has to do it his way.

I love Pitt and the Cleveland Browns and they have too much in common.

Temple will be the first game I am not attending this year because I cannot find one person to go with me. It doesn’t matter if they are male, female, young, or old. Those that I asked suggested going to the casino, getting a drink, or having lunch instead of supporting the old alma mater. Heinz Field feels like a factory of sadness and the games are predictable and demoralizing. I hope we can win at least two more.

AJ – This is my first trip back since Pitt Homecoming 2010. I’m looking forward to the game but understand what you’re saying. I salute all the Pitt fans out there that have attended games particularly over the past 3 years. I hope my attendance isn’t in vain. However, I’ll be bringing it. I believe we’ll win at least 3 more. I refuse to let any self loathing comments bring me down. H2P!

AJ, you’re correct, can’t give em’ away at the office.

Now, for a positive note. What Pitt really needs, to get some people pumped up, and at least rally the troops for the end of the season push.

Captain Obvious here, but……….

1. Beat Temple Saturday. Would be nice to be a couple touchdown game, and not a coming down to the last couple minutes.

2. Somehow, someway, pick off Notre Dame.

5-4 going into the final 3 games, coming off a win against Notre Dame would revive the faithful.

At this time, that’s what the fan base needs so they won’t become the faithful departed.

They won’t be looking past us, as they have BC and Wake Forest after us. Nothing to get excited about.

If they could beat Oklahoma this Sat. Nite., they could be coming down off of a high……….

Could be ripe!!!

How’s that for a positve vibe!!!!!!!!!!!

I had so much hope that Chryst would surely see how little play-making ability Tino had and how Pitt NEVER wins in tight games when he’s under center…but after seven games now and no sign of changes, I’m really pretty stunned. When Chryst reportedly ‘went off’ on him during Fall camp and in the post-practice interviews with his rolling his eyes when asked about Tino’s progress, I thought, surely, here’s a guy who is not afraid to pull the trigger when things go badly?! What the hell happened?

How do you win 10-11 games at Wisconsin every year and put up huge offensive numbers tolerating such limited ability at QB? He worked with Russell Wilson last year — how could he lower his standards so quickly? How could he look at Anderson and Voytik running around in practice and flashing excellent mobility and athleticism and not want to give that a shot — at least for a quarter or two? Dismayed I tell ya, dismayed.

TEX PANTHER that is great that you wont get down
but lets look at your positive comments.
next year tino will be gone which means he is here now and sucks,
the O line cant get any worse which means it sucks
bad now.
next year we will get better recruiters
which means we dont have good ones now.
so for this year not so positive.

but i am not sure any more that it is the recruiters fult.

i know bye pointing out the positive that is not a positive i am a downer but i had so high expectations at start of year may be i am just bitter abouhgt things now this is all the AD fult i do know that becuse wanny should still be here or he should have had a plan he should have had a name coach ready to step in he fucked up and we are paying for it,

Pitt fans have the right to be bitter after losing Pitt script, the Cincy loss for the title, the debacle around Wanny’s dismissal, the hiring of a coach that does take it out on women, Fraud Graham, and now this disappointing season. Pitt does suck this year in many ways but Pitt does still have a chance to finish strong and possibly upset the Domers. Just hang in there and think positively and give Chryst a chance.

QUESTION EMel has brought this up and there has not been a lot of comment on this.

do you think chryst should get another QB in for at least a half not becuse tino is or is not haveing a bad year.

but as EMel says what if savage gets hurt next year or cant handle it.

dont we need to see if anderson or mr. v can play
with this season most likey a waste should we not at least get one of outhers some playing time
so that we know one way or the outher.

@FRANKCAN, you would think he might like too. Has he ever been up enough to put Anderson in??

As far as Voytik, that ship sailed. Would have liked to have seen him this year.

Don’t want to burn the redshirt now, with only 5 games left.

Dan and Frankcan,

Have to wonder why everyone puts so much faith in Savage — not knocking the kid but he has bounced around to a few different programs now and hasn’t played for 3-4 years. I hope he’s good but it seems foolish to assume he will be, so agree we need to get either Anderson or Voytik some pt THIS year…and not just mop up time either. Maybe he’s really wowing the coaches in practice but I would think you need a decent back up plan in place?

I can’t wait for Tino’s imitation of Palko’s post game interview at Notre Dame when he expresses how fu*ckin proud he is of his team, after we knock off ND in their own house.

We could use a 2012 version of the 13-9 upset to improve the mood around Panther Nation just about now.

As for Chryst’s thought processes concerning this season. I”m pretty sure at this point that he felt this season he was going to get a pass. Even though he talks about taking into account the current Seniors feelings concerning this year’s outcome, I’m convinced that he is planning for the future and throwing away this season as he gets his HC act together.

That is why RECRUITING is my benchmark on his performance for 2012. We could come in with a couple real quality gets before LOI signing day. There could be JC help coming down the pike also at key positions like the O & D lines that aren’t even on the radar yet either. Boy, could we use a Jeff Otah right about now.

Patience is a virtue, Keep the faith guys, and yes stay POSITIVE!

I would love that also DR. TOM but to EMel point do you think anderson should play some this year
say after the ND game if we should lose i know there will be no chage if we win .

@Matt N.

One line answer to ur dismay.
PC is part of the coaching fraternity as well.

@Frankcan

Nobody wants to address it, because pinning your whole season’s hopes on a kid who will not have stepped on the football field for a real snap for 3 whole years is almost beyond belief.

Plus he wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire at Rutgers before he transferred out. As when he can back from injury, he couldn’t beatout, now RU backup Chris Dodd, for his starting job. Which led to him transferring. Since then Dodd lost his job to Gary Nova (yea him).

So while I hope Savage turns out to be Russell Wilson 2, pinning all your hopes next season on him is beyond absurd.

Especially because there is no reason, at 0-3 in the BigEast, not to see if Anderson can play.

PITT certainly could have won against GW & Buffalo with Anderson as well. And since Va Tech self-destructed, could have won with him too against them. And maybe cause he’s more mobile, he would have been able to make a play, just one play to pullout the Cuse game, as 14 points shouldn’t have been hard to score more than against them.

Funny you ask Matt. Driving home, Pat Bostick was on the air, and Joe Starkey asked him point blank about the spring qb issue.

I found it quite refreshing from Bostick, (compared to other tv, radio, coaching people), that he answered with out hesitation, without using …. “well, we’re still in this year Joe, we’ll worry about that in the spring”, and refreshing that Starkey asked a question, he must know is on Panthers fans minds.

Bostick said, Savage is pretty much a good distance ahead. Being a senior, a qb who is meant for this system, and has the tools.

He said Voytik and he would definitely be battling each other.

Starkey mentioned “was Chad Voytik brought in for a Graham type of system and how will he do”.

Bostick said Voytik is an athlete and a top 10 qb, made all the throws at the Elite 11 qb camp, (where I found out, they take about the top 25 or 30 qbs in the country, and pick the top 11 that performed during intense drills during the week) those become the Elite 11.

So, obviously, he can play qb.

That’s the best I can do for ya. Bostick has the pulse of what’s going on.

Ya, it’s too early to talk about that stuff, but, I enjoyed that Starkey asked, and Bostic answered.

It’s early, but we’ve all thought about it.

As for the Elite 11. I always though they picked “their” top 11 guys, then worked with them for a week.

Didn’t know they took top 25 or 30, worked with them, had competitions, etc. etc. then these qb gurus pick their top 11.

Yes, yes, I know it means nothing like the star system!!!!!!!!!! It’s a good guide though and gives you a good idea of their capabilities for the future.

Regarding Savage and Voytik — that’s good news for next year, but how can that be responsible to just throw away this year because a new coach can get away with it? That pisses me off if there is truth to that. Sending Tino out there every game knowing its not your best foot forward, just to save Voytik’s redshirt is bull…to the other QBs, players, fans, etc. Yeah, he gets a freebie his first year as coach but that blows if that was his thinking — he could have played Voytik or Anderson this year and redshirted Voytik next year if Savage won the starting job. Its the coach’s responsibility to honestly try to win every game, not sandbag and take the mulligan for next year to save eligibility…crap.

…and how could Anderson not see the field after the Syracuse debacle? Pure garbage.