This whole industry is about who you know and familiarity..that being said, I still think the House hire is ridiculous.

The Admin is content with 6-8 wins; if they truly wanted to be competitive and make a splash with their entry to the ACC, the outcome would have been different.

Then again, Chryst can barely string together two coherent sentences so may be he had difficulty even luring any competent/proven coaches.

Fewer problems when you know your people. I usually hired good”athletes” of the mind that were smart,ambitious and willing to learn “my way” of doing things, a culture if you will. He hired senior coaches and “up and comers” It appears Coach Chryst is trying to develop a balance and a culture with these hires, which to me says long term planning. If successful, we are in for a great ride!

I am wondering if you did similar comparisons with Wannstedt and walt harris would you find the same thing? Or take a look at other major university coaching staffs and my guess is you would see the exact same thing to varying degrees. Either way, I’ve come to expect amateur hour from Pitt athletics. Until they seriously commit to their sports program we will remain mediocre and irrelevant outside of western PA.

HLandPitt I sure hope you are speaking in ‘tongue’….that reply is rediculous

Lets see over the next couple years how House and Chryst do…… good grief…always the end-of-the-world for some of you!

There’s a word or two for this: nepotism. Cronyism.

In my experience, this trait rarely works out well, unless you’re talking about “coaching” as a dicator of some banana republic in Latin America.

Whatev….

I am well aware that it is rather common for head coaches. There’s a reason coaches network so much.

It is especially common first time head coaches to do a lot of hiring based on the guys they already know. There’s trust, knowledge of what they can do, and it builds teamwork on the coaching staff faster.

But I worry about overreliance of who you know. Do they place more of a premium on that connection? Is that trust more important than their competence and ability? And how does that affect the football team itself?

When I was at Pitt, I read the book Groupthink, by Irving Janis for a Poli Sci class. It left a huge impression on me, and I think about that book a lot with regards to coaching staffs. Does the leader place too much emphasis on familiarity and close ties? Does it create a situation where team members are more concerned with not rocking the boat and getting along with everyone rather than risking disrupting things with information or views that dispute the norm?

So, when I see a staff that is so narrowly composed as this one is, it raises a lot of concerns and questions to me.

I think the culture of an orginization matters. You can find good examples of this, right here in Pittsburgh with the Steelers and it exists with the Patriots as well. When you bring up people within an orginization, they understand the culture, how things are done, and the expectations that they have. Those are the types of things that I believe influence Paul Chryst. He wants to hire people who he is sure of. As long as it works, who’s to say it’s wrong. Many orginizations overlook good people from within their company, because they precieve people from outside to be better. Which often isn’t the case.

grnco4life,

How do you label my response as ‘end of the world’ and ridiculous??

The fact is, if the admin wanted to be competitive, they wouldn’t have settled for some guy already on staff, they would have searched for a proven/credible guy.

And you cannot tell me that Chryst can string together two grammatically-correct sentences, b/c he absolutely cannot. He’s a bumbling idiot.

Im a Pitt fan but not a homer yinzer; I will tell you my opinion w/o hesitation.

@Chas – while I generally agree with your post about Groupthink, sometimes the opposite is true. It is entirely possible, and this is mere conjecture on my part, that HCPC chose people he is comfortable with because he knows them well enough (and they know him well enough) TO challenge him and not merely go along with what he says.

In my own professional experience, I have found that it is those who know me best who are most willing to tell me when I’m wrong. Often they are eager to do so.

Last I checked, Whiskey was doing pretty well in the BIG. If we have close to the amount of success as they did I will be happy. I have a felling PC knows what he is doing.

HlandPitt

Your so angry and negative anymore. You are hanging out with your brother in-law to much. Your are just mad cause they didn’t hire your cousin. Stay positive. Pitt could have hired the best DC in country and it still would have went bad remember it is Pitt we are talking about.

Here is the thing, if you go out and get a big hotshot DC all of a sudden you have another issue. The pecking order of the system. PC is a first time head coach, and although he has a large amount of respect from the community, he still is inexperienced being the captain and he doesn’t need anyone telling him how to do his job. I think bringing on House is a GOOD thing. At fist I was pissed, but over time I’m seeing this as a good move. Chryst said himself, House set the bar VERY high, which makes you wonder what the criteria were… I’m going to remain optimistic.

HLandPitt you are also assuming that there were “credible/proven” coaches that were available and wanted to come to Pitt. Mot saying that I wouldn’t have preferred a more qualified candidate but there is also the issue of who is available and who wants to come to Pitt. Its the same situation when our head coaching position was vacant, sure we all want Urban Meyer but who is available and realistsic for Pitt and the pay grade…

Like I said, it’s always amateur hour at Pitt so nothing surprises me any more.

There is a MAJOR difference between hiring/promoting those you are close to and trust compared to hiirng a much more experienced and qualified candidate.

Pitt is allegedly a BCS football program (although that is certainly debatable), and there were a handful of candidates (Orlando, Coyer, Shannon, Archer) who could have been hired with House being mentored as the next DC. Instead, House is being mentored AS the DC by a coach who has the experience but is no way as qualified or accomplished as the aforementioned DC candidate (or he would have been hired as such.)

I had the privelege and honor of meeting and talking to Beano Cook once. Here’s what he would say under the heading of SAME OLD PITT “If Pitt really believed in House, they would have called a press conference on a weekday with nothing else Pitt going on, and proudly displayed House, letting him take questions from the press and go on all the talk show circuits” BUT NO (and only Belushi could say it properly), they made a half assed sneaky announcement on the morning of the biggest BBall game of the year in Pittsburgh.That alone made the hire look cheap.

As I say all the time, it’s not always what it looks like, but what people’s perceptions are. Perceptions are everything. Stevie P and Pitt never seem to get that. What arrogance.

Having said that, I have now talked to three folks who know House well and say nothing but good things about him. He has studied under LeBeau and is very tough on his players. I do NOT want a coach to be the players friend (see Wanny).

Incest is best. Pitt must be West Virginia now.

HERE we go once more EXPANSION IS BACK the big 10
has offered north carolina and gt or va,
one site says it could be all over bye monday
hope not but it is posted on a lot of sites.

http://www.bcinterruption.com/2013/2/19/4005728/north-carolina-judge-refuses-to-dismiss-acc-suit-vs-maryland

the rumors frankcan is talking about

college football talk NC has offer from big 10
SB nation NC has offer from big 10
ben corn cornfield BIG 10 OFFER TO NC is official

ANDY KATZ from football insider NC has a offer from big 10.
john cassillo site NC has a offer on the table from the big 10.
here we go and we thought it was over.

As the great Mel Brooks says in “Blazing Saddles”, “Loz im geyn!” (As long as they pay the $50 million toll at the booth on the way out.)

Coach and Sayyy,

Yes, I am negative, but the fact is that the Admin didnt spend the money to get somebody else in here. I am sure there were plenty of qualified and ‘proven’ coaches available…and yes i am bitter that they didnt hire my family member but at the same time i would have been fine with another candidate as well.

Also, Chryst even admitted that he didn’t get into the search until after the BBVA Disaster; he’s a bumbling idiot. Not much to say about it.

Favorite Brooks’ quote from Blazing Saddles as he, the governor, takes his sexy secertary behind the curtains. “Affairs of the state must take precedent over affairs of state”

LePetomaine Thruway? Now what’ll that asshole think of next? Has anybody got a dime? Somebody’s gotta go back and get a shit-load of dimes!

And the take away from this post is “so what”?

- This type of thing is absolutely common in football and if someone analyzed most college and pro coaching staffs, either recommendations from key people who trust, or people you directly worked with would be the norm I assume.

- Chryst is new as an HC so that his first staff is so reliant as per above is … normal? If is Saban or Kelly or someone who as been around a long time and cycled through people leaving and interviewing lots of folks that will evolve.

- This is total rebuild job here. He needs people committed to his vision and his program NOW. He can’t bring in people whose primary agenda is their career and who carry the baggage of a huge ego (hence they believe they should be HC or at a “top program”).

Screw coaching retreads… has anyone bothered to read what Chryst actually said?… the one thing everyone gives him is he is a straight talker… his reasoning was perfectly clear.

overlooked is the Palermo Hire (and rave reviews about him nationally)… Key hire of a good guy, highly talented, loyal, and… oh… great mentor!

Some posters to this blog sell coach Chryst short by his promoting of House. If House is a poor DC, who is to blame? Given that the head coach takes the blame for a poor performing team, it stands to reason that he would not jeopardize his own job by hiring someone he had little faith and trust in.

As far as putting two sentences together, Chryst was hired to coach football not teach English. Some of the best coaches I played for only knew how to spew adjectives.

House may prove to be a good one in a few years but why do we have to sacrifice wins to get there? Why does Pitt offer guys who need on the job training? There were definitely more qualified people out there and yes that could have bought into the vision and been team players and maybe stayed for a while. No guarantee that House will stick around particularly if he excels. Always hire the best candidate. You can’t tell me House was the best.

I think Pitt is joining the WAC!! Looking forward to some great trips out west!!!

So how did Toumlin compare to Weishunt and Grimm?? How did that look? DC for one year,… otherwise a DB coach for a few years??

So when the Rooneys said he was the best candidate who believed them?

so if we all think Chryst talks straight then:

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/021813aaa.html

he said House was the best from candidates interviewed.

May be hard to believe… just like when Tomlin was announced as HC…. yet maybe we should just take PC at his word?

Perhaps… Many years ago, I had a chance to work for the University of Pittsburgh but did not take the job because I was given a non-negotiable salary package that was not even industry competitive. Perhaps things have not changed. As a sage once said “you get what you pay for.”

Hlandpitt Wbb the 2 day ago i posted what
dockish from panther prey said abought pitt not being serious abought wanting big time football.

they of the koolaid jumped on me like i killed there first born child.
so be careful or they will jump on you to.

It is pretty obvious from this evaluation that Paul Chryst is most comfortable surrounding himself with guys that he has personal experience with. Not that there is anything wrong with that unless familiarity trumps personal qualifications/coaching talent of the other individuals that may have interviewed for coaching spots on this Pitt staff.

I would find it hard to imagine that every coaching position on this staff is manned by BOTH the best coach for that spot who, by pure chance, has also had the opportunity to have known or worked with Chryst in the past.

That being said, if Chryst is of this mindset however, that “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, then so be it IF, and it’s a big IF, the guy that he hires is truly the best guy for the job in Chryst’s opinion. The good thing about that method of operation is that he definitely knows what he is getting up front from previous experience, the flip side however, is that he might very well be limiting his opportunities to get the best guys out there.

But the bottom line is that PC is the HC, so if he finds true success with his current formula, then it is hard to argue with his methodology. He’s got a ways to go however to prove success. A 6-7 season is just meh, but he gets a pass on his first season though. Going forward the benchmark for success on the field gets a lot more intense with each succeeding season. Come 2015-16 he better be putting up 8or 9 wins a season and at least be in the hunt for the ACC title game or else his current new coach luster will be demonstrating some serious tarnish by then and his HC seat will be getting quite hot regarding his on field results.

In the meantime, as he has said himself many times, “it’s a process”. The future will demonstrate whether it has been a successful process soon enough.

FEAR NOT, Stevie P. has got this!!!

There is a thin line between hiring/promoting from within and incest. (No, not Mel Brooks .. wbb)

Wbb you are hot to day every thing you have said is right on or very funny.
but be careful or the coach can do no wrong boys will jump on you.

dan glad you are on the post today.
north carolind would never leave the ACC .
IT is just smoke there is no fire yes no ?

carolina

@frankcan, good to see you too. Hope all is well.

I don’t know. Kind of getting worn out on this expansion stuff. I used to post on it a lot, thought it was interesting, as long as the geography stayed right.

The Rutgers Maryland moves were about my last straw. Just not right.

Now what, UNC v. Minnesota??? UVA v. Iowa???

Makes it not fun!!! Not just as a Pitt fan, as a college football and basketball fan.

As far as that goes, I don’t know Frank, could be hot air, you would think they wouldn’t.

But, what if Delaney tells UNC and UVA. “look, we want you, but if you decline, we’re gonna get Ga.Tech and Duke then if you don’t”.

Shouldn’t be long for the Va. Tech and NC State to the SEC rumors to start rumbling.

The old “Virginia legislature won’t let that happen”, will be a non-argument about letting UVA go to the Big 10. If Va. Tech has a solid landing spot (SEC), then they won’t care. They’ll just make sure they play each other at the end of the year.

I’d just as soon Pitt play Army and Navy 6 times a piece anymore. Fantastic road trips.

Dan thanks for your views i think you are right
i did not want to post the expansion stuff .
but i knew abought the maryland to big ten thing
and did not post it becuse i did not belive it and it happened.
so i did not want to make that mistake agein

like i told EMel we still get the 17 million which is better than the 2 million the big east will get.

@Dan – sounds like you are arguing that Pitt should go independent again. It may be 10 years down the road or so but, if we can rebuild Pitt’s national reputation in football and basketball, I would be in favor of that. Control our own destiny. I suspect that, in an era of a la carte programming, Notre Dame’s strategy of hooking up with whoever promises the best payday at the moment will prove to be even more financially rewarding. Would that Pitt had similar opportunities – create/sustain our own rivalries based upon our own best interests rather than some pseudo-loyalty to a fleeting alliance of other content producers. I mean universities.

Oh, no, not at all Frank.

That is real big news, especially concerning Pitt.

The geography, or should I say, the lack of geography that the conferences are going too is disappointing to me.

Sure, Pitt getting left out of 4 Big 16′s is a concern.

Just as college football fan though,

Rutgers v. Illinois?? HUH???

Maryland v. Nebraska?? Conference game????

@Pitt Dad, doesn’t sound bad does it?

I admit, I used to post about the subject ad nauseum.

I could see the TAM and Mizzous to the SEC, with all of the Texas issues.

Nebraska to the Big Ten. Eh, they needed a twelfth.

Allthough always about money, I’m not naive, just seems with the latest moves of Maryland and Rutgers, and the rumor of UNC and UVA., just seems like not only has Jim Delaney of the Big Ten been a money whore, he’s pretty much ok with coming out and saying “I’m a money whore”, and he could care less what people think.

I know, I know, the schools are just covering their ass. What else could they do.

I understand that. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Seriously, and be objective, take the rivalry and hatred out of it, and too any WVU trolls, I am not ripping you, it’s just a great example……

WVU v. Baylor is a friggin’ conference game????

Come off it, what is that sh*t????

I doubt college football could be ruined, but there are some people in high places, that think they know better than everyone else, that are doing their darndest trying, without even knowing they are.

I’ve known a lot of people in business, that many said were great thinkers and visionaries, that weren’t so great when all was said and done.

I think we have one actually, as A.D.. LOL

Sorry, Chas, fellas the board is yours for the Chryst and House stuff.

I mean that sincerely, sorry I ranted. Fed up.

Perhaps I have a Notre Dame/House hiring hangover.

I love how you give Chryst the benefit of the doubt. What has he done that he deserves that credibility. The standards are so low at our University it is disgusting. Peterson is a joke and Chryst has the personality and coaching abilities of a D3 coach. How many games were on him last season. I saw 2. Plus Ole Miss with a first year coach embarrassed our chosen one.

Dan thur is the day big east finds out abought there new TV deal i think they say 2 or 3 millon per school gald it is not us.
glad to be in the ACC glad to have the 17 million

But at least Tino will be on Sal’s staff at UF soon. Who was it on here that said he will get serious pro looks? Ats as funny as Adams in the pros next year.

Hey, I hear the Big East is looking to expand…

Dan, In fact, WVU beat Baylor 70-63 .. (in footbal)

but only scored 17 in a bowl loss to the Cuse … must be that zone Cuse plays with all the DBs having long arms

Blather Lexicon 101 for new comers…

Pitt fans that are not negative = Kool-aid Drinkers

Dokish = Pitt Expert (whenever he is being negative)

Don’t question these facts.

While I believe (hope) that Adams returns, when one who grew up with 18 siblings is guaranteed $2.5M plus bonus, he may re-consider.

We better hope Adams returns … or else, our starting frontcourt is C Talib Zanna and PF JJ Moore, with natural freshman Mike Young as the sole back-up

@ Upittbaseball, Tino did get some serious pro looks in prep for the combine, as in the pros “looking” at his college game tapes and thinking about his chances of a pro career as,,,,”seriously”??

I wouldn’t put coaching out of his potential future however.

Her Dr Tom, with Sal as a Pitt legacy, no doubt Tino will become Pitt’s special teams coach next year, especially since he falls in the criteria that Chas listed above as a former player under Chryst

@ FG, while you’re at it clearly define the double speak that consistantly gets posted after every Pitt loss, ie.

Pitt sucks, stinks, reeks or similar adjective = I’m selling season tickets, if I had ever bought some in the 1st place.

Same old Pitt = I need another drink.

Being a Pitt fan is embarrassing = Where’s my Prozac Rx.

Hail to Pitt = I found my Prozac Rx.

You people are really into this.

I just saw on ESPN that Mario Christobal was hired by Alabama as their new offensive line coach.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8959842/mario-cristobal-hired-alabama-crimson-tide-offensive-line-coach

You beat me to it, Justinian. Either he is more of a carpetbagger than Toddy Graham or he knows that Miami is about to get hammered by the NCAA.

This just in: Miami announced it will wait two months and then elevate a grad assistant to replace Cristobal as Asst. Head Coach.

or as the koolaid drinkers would say
every thing is fine
the coach can do no wrong
were are my rose colored glasses
the AD KNOWS HIS JOB HE IS A GREAT MAN
how dare you think a pitt coach could make a mistake
pitt football has benn great for the last 30 years

dockish is a fool
any one who says pitt is not doeing every thing right with football is fool

how many head coachs in the last 2 years
how many big bowls have we won in the last 5 years
please give it up you will all agree Wbb
is a very fair man read what he has had to say in the last 5 days and climb down off your high horse and join the real world.

@FG and Dr. Tom
Funny stuff guys. Watching Groundhog Day would be less repetitive.

Chuck, I just think Mario Christobal is moving to the place that is the most likely to get him another head coaching opportunity.

There were a lot of names being thrown around on this blog for the Pitt DC job. Many of them could not land a DC job this year or landed one at a lower level. Looks like they weren’t such a great catch after all.

Hi my name is Pittscript… and I’m a kool-aid-a-holic…

A very good thing about today’s post is the review of Chryst’s experience over the years….

Gee, this guy is definitely not capable of making hiring decisions, being decisive… and yes, hiring the people HE wants to hire for HIS program…

… naaa, he’s just a hillbilly being all incenstuous and sh@#$…?

I’m going to love watching this coaching staff as they quietly go about having their team kick people’s ass next year…

and f$%^ the bs about ACC and their “speed”… oooooh…. scaaaary…

…. a forearm shiver to the head and a good WPA ass-kicking is going set the record straight,

Pitt is my school
PC is the HC of my school
so House is the man

exaaactly notrocketscience…

Freak’n retreads look’n for a pay check and a back to stab to get back to the HC slot…

and TG was your man how did that go.
the truth is we dont know if he is any good yet or not next year will tell.
are point is if he is a pitt coach you think
he is great we say maybe may be not
a 6 win 7 loss season does not make him great
time will tell.

but i think Wbb and dockish and EMel and
tex panther and DAN have good points
but if we dont bowl down to chryst
you all go mad with fury well not every one in the world thinks things and see things different
you are like the people who ran the witch trials

if they are different from you burn them.

Hey, we all hope Matt House turns out to be great (especially me who values defense more than offense) .. and I very much hope I’m wrong.

But for the multitude of reasons cited on the past few days, Pitt fans have every reason to be cynical about the DC hiring.

Who did Chryst interview besides House? He didn’t interview Elko. Why?

If Chryst interviewed candidates that didn’t intimidate him, he would have found his hire and Pitt wouldn’t have a dimple faced kid as their DC.

Stick to whiskey kids.

FRANKCAN, have you considered the possibility that those who attack people who question this hiring are employees of the Athletic Department?

actually Houston Panther, this site usually is very contented with the current coach .. aside from short term frustrations after teriible losses.

up until the 2nd week of December 2011, todd Graham was revered on this site .. and up til now, Chryst has had a decidely favorable approval rating.

Wbb houston panther and tex panther you do know
that bye saying these things which are very
close to what i say.
they will jump on you like they do me
so be careful unless you can take there rath.

How could anyone question a Pitt football fan being cynical or jaded after the last 30 years??

LMAO!!!

I’m suprised there are so many positive thoughts and support for Pitt football still left!!!

if I was Stevie I probably would have picked a different handle…

no love here for AD or “high octane”…

it’s just
Pit is my school
Chryst is the HC of my school…

… so in his second year… I’m backing my HC

Sheeesh – Can we give it a rest folks. I picked a bad week to give up ___________!!

And, wbb is 100% correct.

HCPC has had mostly nothing but support from Pitt fans and Pitt Blather readers and posters.

Questioning a coaching hire doesn’t mean we’ve all gone to the dark side.

It’s a blog for cryin’ out loud, to talk back and forth amongst us.

FRANKCAN, you speak the truth, Fraud Graham was OUR guy (for about 10 months). As a Pitt fan I supported him because he was my team’s head coach. Does that mean that he could do “no wrong”? Well, I think he pretty well demonstrated that, in fact, he could do quite a bit of wrong, while personally conducting himself pretty wrong concurrently. But until the day he bolted, I still supported him, not because I wore rose colored glasses and blindly followed his lead, but because he was the head coach of our football team. He was hired to perform a job. To support him simply implies that you are allowing him to accompllish that endeavor.

That is the point of most of us Kool-aid drinkers, let the HC do his job. Review his accomplishments AFTER he plies his trade, not BEFORE. Both Chryst and House will prove if they are the right guys for their respective jobs, time will tell.

I really hope that House will be successful. I just have no reason to believe that he will be. But maybe Chryst will get lucky. I would have preferred that he hired an experienced coach. My choice would have been Randy Shannon. You can say he is a retread if you like but while DC at Miami his defenses ranked in the top 10 in total defense 5 out of 6 years. The other year it was 28th. He has very strong Florida ties. Chryst’s old boss must think well of him. He hired him as DL coach at Arkansas. Tell me why House was a better choice than Shannon.

The most comical thing is, there are also several posters on here, that come on and blast people for giving to many passes to Chryst and Dixon.

This is going on, at the same time, someone else is blasting Pitt fans for being to negative!!!!

LMFAO!!!!!

Its our dual personalities Dan. Every Pitt fan is a bit of a schizophrenic. I’ve been taking my meds mixed with whiskey.

LOL Cristobal’s hotsy totsy wifey in Tuscaloosa.

O.K. House has been hired by Smirking Stevie for NON mega bucks ($275,000 for a DC??) just a guess). The intriguing young and up and coming DC was Elko from Bowling Green. Nice resume, with many success stories and I am sure a salary that would be in the $300,000-$350,000 range…not too much of a reach for any ACC school. ????? Something is really rotten in our Athletic Department. The email campaign to flood Nordy’s office to rid ourselves of this
inept and insulting individual should be in full force!!

Dan:
Do you laugh your ass off at all the empty yellow seats at Heinz or the small crowds at Dixon’s soft as pudding non-con?

I accept that leaders in all industries hire
people that they know. Ultimately the
head coach will be responsible for the
success or failure. Matt House will be
plotting moves against experienced OCs
His inexperience is a liability until proven
otherwise.

PS Georgia Tech just hired Ted Roof
from PSU as a DC. Salary for 3 years
1.6m.

Elko proved himself at Bowling Green. House has yet to prove himself. Why did Pitt take the risk unless the upside is very high. Even if there is tremendous upside, I don’t want my alma mater to be a proving ground. MAC schools do that for ACC schools. I want my DC trained, proven and ready to go day 1. I think we have the right to question this questionable hire. Jury still out on Chryst but I think we should all have patience even if it means accepting losses to get there. I’m assuming in 2015 Pitt is playing in a BCS game. Damn meds.

The Big 10 is going to 9 or or even 10 league games per year for FB…Once again, the Big 10 is the leader of the pack…If they go to 10, I hope the ACC follows suit. That would allow us to play teams from the other ACC division at least once every other year vice once every six years. It would also likely eliminate all of the crappy Gardner-Webb games from our schedule. That might help reduce some of those yellow seats!

Also on the BT offer to UNC…..the
movement of teams is exhausting. ACC
is still a great move for Pitt. Look at
WVU’s BB team. Travel schedule is
horrendous. Try to make travel
arrangements to Manhattan, KS or
Lubbock, TX. Given the geography it
will years to develop meaningful rivalries.

So two of our ACC conference members hired DCs. NC State hired Huxtable from us for $450K and Georgia Tech hired Roof for about $550K. How come we can’t afford such coaches?

Delaney may be marching through the MidAtlantic like Sherman marched to Atlanta. As long as he has the BTN $1 monthly fee baked into cable companies’ base rates he will continue to march. Have to wonder if a class action suit doesn’t pop up when he tries to wrest full control over the DC market with a UVa or VT invite.

TX PANTHER what you said made me laugh mix med
very funny thanks

DR TOM i want to let the coach do his job also
but that does not mean that if he does somthing
that looks stupid i shouldent call him on it.
that is the part i dont get if we say that was dumb you all get pissed.

that does not mean i dont like him it does not mean i want him to go
it just means he did something that most think is not up to par.

but you all act like we want to kill him
that is not true you can support a coach
with out being blind to his mess ups

that is are point we want to be able to say
he fucked up with out being called villian.

the bleacher report has a story on why the big 10
wants north carolina.

@Tonyinhouston, actually no.

Above post was meant as a “isn’t human nature funny” comment towards all of us. Isn’t it amazing, how some people see these posts and posters as negatives, and others see them as too positve???

But, I digress. You must only read the Pitt Blather once in awhile, as any regular poster will tell you, ((ACTUALLY FUNNY YOU PICKED THOSE TWO)) that I have always railed against Steve Pederson and the move to Heinz, the loss of Pitt Script and our identity…………..

and squarely put the blame on the yellow seats on him, because he is quoted as saying during the move, “we will have Heinz Field filled up”, so, no matter the circumstances or what things have happened, he is the very one that said he’d fill it up.

Now, ask the basketball posters, I railed on our OOC schedule ad nauseum. How it’s no good for the fans, the fans at least deserve a bone or two. It’s no good for the team, either beating a nobody by 30, or getting upset by a nobody.

Along with those two, I’m probably most known for posts about the Pitt script and expansionopalypse.

What does bug me, are people coming on here and saying, “you’re all negative”, or people coming on and saying “no wonder Pitt can’t get ahead, you all accept it”.

Basically, calling out other Pitt fans. One thing I try to do, is respect other peoples opinions.

I also realize, that day to day, many of us have a positive Pitt slant, and after a bad game maybe or questionable move, a negative slant, so, for someone to come on here and say “Pitt fans are negatives”, or vice-versa, “you all wear blue and gold colored glasses” is pretty ridiculous.

As we all fluctuate day to day.

Hell, I can fluctuate in one sentence……..

I think S.P. has ruined a lot of things, however, HCPC is the coach, and any coach deserves a couple years to see what they can do.

Here’s another……

Coach Dixon has meant a lot to the Pitt program, taking us to many tournaments and BE championships, however, I think he may need to adjust his recruiting, and his coaching style, not to mention, the fans deserve a better non-con schedule.

@FRANKCAN – while I may have disagreed with you from time to time, I hope you don’t feel I’ve ever jumped on you.

Steve Pederson was off base, when he naively assumed that moving to Heinz Field would solve the attendence problems. Only winning puts fannies in the seats. You may get a bump in attendence the first year, but it ultimately come down to putting a competive winning team on the field.

One of the things that pissed me off, were the comments that came from Jim Delany and his cohorts in the Big Ten, that Pitt didn’t have an on campus stadium.

I posted this on the Blather BB string earlier.
There are good things if UNC and FSU go. ACC becomes less central and control spreads to other schools. FSU is about athletics and nothing else. Both schools have no TV market. We know Cincy and UCONN and they have markets. GT is second fiddle to GA and the Falcons. VA has no market except some in DC.

Maybe Chryst heard all the better teams of the ACC were leaving…..

therefore we don’t need an experienced DC.

Just a thought

have to disagree Frank MD

UNC has the whole state of N. Carolina TV market which includes two cities bigger than Pittsburgh or soon will be:

Charlotte & Raleigh (Charlotte is and Raleigh will be)

Actually latest Nielsen Numbers

23. Pittsburgh 1,165,740 1.021
24. Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle) 1,150,350 1.008
25. Charlotte 1,136,420 0.995

Both Charlotte & Raleigh will pass Pittsburgh this year.

You see we’re getting more illegals down here than they do in Pittsburgh. lol

I’m glad to see so many of you are pre-judging House, and as HCPC did through recruiting (which many said he didn’t have enough offers, too passice, etc..) I hope House kicks butt!

I was looking forward to going to “away” games at Chapel Hill, Clemson, Duke & Tallahassee.

Not so much Wake Forest & L-Ville & Uconn & USF.

If UNC leaves, they are the Texas of the ACC, all the others will get/take their cue from UNC.

I can’t really see them leaving, but Delaney is a UNC alumnus and who knows. Depends on whether UNC would want to be 2nd or 3rd fiddle in the Big Joke.

We all HOPE House does well, that goes without saying.

I also HOPE that all wars stop, we win the war on drugs, poverty & crime. And I sincerely HOPE I win the lottery.

Isn’t Hope great.

Oh and I miss Bob Hope !

And Joey Heatherton and Serta Perfect Sleeper Ads.

HOPE is a much better place than despair.

I always thought NC was a split market with Duke, NCST, Wake, Panthers, Bobcats and NASCAR.

And I like getting out of NC’s control of ACC.

Damn Yankees (hum along)

You’ve gotta have heart
All you really need is heart
When the odds are sayin’ you’ll never win
That’s when the grin should start
You’ve gotta have HOPE
Mustn’t sit around and mope
Nothin’s half as bad as it may appear
Wait’ll next year and hope
When your luck is battin’ zero
Get your chin up off the floor
Mister you can be a hero
You can open any door, there’s nothin’ to it but to do it
You’ve gotta have heart
Miles ‘n miles n’ miles of heart
Oh, it’s fine to be a genius of course
But keep that old horse
Before the cart
First you’ve gotta have heart

This is also the Pirates theme song !

To be a Pitt fan. Oy vey

@ Frank MD

Nope those other schools have far fewer fans than UNC, as UNC has campus’s all around the state like UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, etc, etc.

Additionally nobody in Charlotte cares about the Bobcats, you can get tickets for a $1 or $2. City never took to them after the Hornets moved to New Orleans. Nascar is a twice/year event in Charlotte and the race doesn’t even sellout anymore, especially the Fall race.

When UNC is playing, especially basketball, bars are more crowded and all TV sets are tuned to Tarheel Games. They are not called CAROLINA for nothing. Any everyone down here hates Duke unless they went there.

Everyone needs hope, no doubt.

Blind Faith is another thing !

And yes….Oy Vey

People in their own words on DC House matter that stick out….

1. Chas outline above of Chryst’s experience and background (ie. professional, experienced… capable of making decisions?)

2. Chryst’s statement on House:

House, 34, was one of four candidates interviewed for the coordinator’s job by coach Paul Chryst, who refused to name the other three.
“He set the bar pretty high,” Chryst said of House, “Matt is ready for it. Just getting a chance to be with him for the whole year and see him work in all different situations made me feel not only comfortable, but excited about what he can bring.”

3. ESPN on Palermo (the hire everyone seems to be forgetting about…?? – check out his resume online!)

“Palermo is widely regarded as one of the finest defensive assistants in college football. He is a 38-year coaching veteran whose stops include 15 years at the University of Wisconsin, two seasons with the Washington Redskins and this past season with the University of Tennessee.”

4. House’s own vision for the defense:

House said he will stress fundamentals. “Even more so than we did last year. We want to be simple enough that kids play fast and can execute those baseline fundamentals, but appear complex enough that we put pressure on the offense.”
Pitt finished 17th and 20th, respectively, in the nation in total and passing defense last season.
“If we just become a better tackling team and get more hats to the football, we will improve tremendously,” House said.

I don’t read anything to have me cling to hope, feel despair, feel anger at Stevie cheapness,… I read about an HC building his program the way he wants to… can’t wait to spring ball March 5!!

Radio Affiliate Stations in the ACC

North Carolina 44 stations in 4 States

NCSU 20 stations in 1 state

Duke 17 stations in 2 states

Wake Forest 13 stations in 3 states

For comparison:

PITT has 20 stations in 2 states

Ped State has 51 stations in 4 states (a virtual pedophile recruiting bonanza )

Additionally UNC has the daddy of All the Radio Affiliates on the East Coast. KDKA is also a 50,000 watt’er.

WBT Radio is a 50,000-watt clear-channel station that
reaches parts of 22 states, bringing the Tar Heels’ broadcasts to most of the eastern half of North America. According to longtime WBT station manager Cullie Tarleton, putting the Tar Heels on WBT was largely the idea of longtime coach Dean Smith, who wanted to tell recruits from New England that their parents would be able to listen to the games.

EMel: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (whistles)

EMel what part of north carolina are you in
my grand fathers people moved to sampson
NC around 1756 from essex VA.

Here’s something I didn’t know about John Swofford, the ACC commissioner.

Who from 1980 to 1997 was the AD of UNC before becoming commissioner.

He also got a Masters Degree in Sports Management from…..drum roll please…..

Ohio University. (not exactly big 10, but certainly in big 10 territory, so he’s not afraid of crossing the Mason-Dixon line).

And a final tidbit, on the not what you know, but who you know theme.

Delaney & Swofford were classmates at UNC-Chapel Hill. Delaney played hoops for the Tarheels on two teams that reached the Final 4.

And on a personal basis, the first basketball game my dad ever took me too, was North Carolina at PITT circa 1970 or so. So Delaney had to have been on that team. Had I known I would have shot spit balls at him, lol

@Frankcan

hmmm..1756….haven’t been here that long…

however sometimes it seems that way,

I’m in the Queen City of Charlotte in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg (county for the unwashed masses)

The big news down here is US Airways (having their hub in Charlotte) merging with American Airlines. There will cease to be a US Airways, wow as we knew it before as Allegheny Airlines.
And of course all the tie ins with Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh built a great airport and half the gates aren’t being used. Yikes !

Now they worried American might downsize in Charlotte. Double Yikes !

How many college football programs can only aspire and “hope” that they could ever accomplish the feats that are nothing more than actual Pitt football history, which we have the luxury to reflect on as Pitt faithful.

When many of us lament that our most recent coach hire is less than prudent, when we cringe over losing recruits, raised in our own backyard, when we wonder if we are even worthy of being considered as “relavent” in the current college football scene, never forget who we are.

Pitt football is much more than a point in time. Today’s reality is fleeting, it is history as soon as tomorrow’s sunrise occurs. Our future is nothing more the opportunity to further embelish the rich history that is already Pitt Football lore.

The question is, does our current head football coach appreciate the gravity of his situation? Think about it. How many college football coaches actually have the chance to make a lasting impact in their profession that can really stand up to the test of time? There are only so many Pop Warner, Jock Sutherland, or Johnny Majors opportunities out there when connecting time and place to make that kind of accomplishment become reality.

Maybe, just maybe, coach Paul Chryst, gets it. Perhaps he isn’t in it just for the fast buck or using the Pitt job as a simple stepping stone to the next “dream” job in his sights. Lets just imagine that he is thinking about this as a destination coaching position and is intending to groom a coaching staff that is willing to aspire to his own vision of what that could be into the future.

I’ve heard it noted by more than one recruit in this class. They remarked that “I felt a real sense that the coaches had my best interests at heart and that they and the team were family”. Yeah, I know,,, stick your finger down your throat and puke, sappy, but what if that is genuine?

I don’t know about your thoughts on the matter, but I can’t figure out how in the world that we ever assembled such a good recruiting class out of the ashes that have accumulated after the Pitt football coaching debacle over the last couple of years, especially considering that everybody KNOWS that Coach Chryst has the personality of a cold cucumber and that he couldn’t recruit an Eskemo into an igloo if he had a snow cone in his hand as an incentive.

As Coach Chryst has stated, its a process, so just let the seed germinate before you decide it is time to stomp on it and kill it. Allow the guy to develop and just sit back and enjoy watching what transpires. Who knows, we might just be surprised.

For sure, we were surprised about the final results of our last coaching experience, in a bad way!!! Maybe this time we get it right, give it time before we conclude otherwise.

Really, its just a fu*kin game when you come right down to it. Let the guy do his thing, maybe he ends up making a place for himself in Pitt history,,,,, if we just give him a chance to prove it.

There is no way the Big Ten will get North Carolina to go. The ACC is their baby, and they have the pull in the conference. They like being the big fish in the North Carolina pond, with NC State, Duke, Wake Forest. Delaney is an ass hole. I fully expect Swofford to keep the conference together.

@ Dr Tom

Nice post. Our storied history in football is what keeps a lot of us going, I know at least for me.

PITT like America trying to chase it’s own tail and relive it’s past history of greatness might be an exercise in futility but I’ve been playing this game for 30 years and I won’t stop now.

Things that I post here sometimes, somewhat negative perhaps or just realistic perhaps about PITT I would never air among the ‘general public’. Only around my PITT family.

And people that aren’t in the PITT family better watchout if they talk about my Pitt Panthers in a less than flattering way. Are you listening Ron Cook. And the other shills in the Pgh media.

You want to do some reporting….take a trip up to Creepy Valley and find out what really was going on up there and what happened to the still missing District Attorney, Ray Gricar.

Pitt hired a new DC? Is he any good?

Who doesn’t hope House doesn’t kick butt???

Who doesn’t hope Pitt doesn’t go 12-0???

Aren’t we even allowed to bs on here or have opinions anymore????

This is getting tiring.

@Justinian.

Well I’d like to see UNC come out and nip all this stuff in the bud then. Release a press stmt., that they have been offered by the Big Joke but they have no intention of leaving the ACC now or at anytime in the future.

( a nice glove in hand, slap slap across the face of the big joke)

@Jackagain.

Yep and yes he’s simply marvelous. Don’t ya know.

(Chas gave me $5 to keep the thread going)

I have to agree with Emel…UNC has by far more fans than any other sports team. NC State and Duke both hate UNC. NC State fans will wear Duke shirts when Duke plays Carolina and vice versa.

I think some of them are hoping UNC leaves. If they go, I’ll be surprised. Like Justinian said, it’s their baby.

@Justinian, I hope (Emel, there’s that hope again), you and others are correct.

Delaney seems intent on getting to 16.

What if he tells, or told, UNC and UVA for example, “we want you, but if you don’t come, we’re asking GTU and Duke”??

The Maryland Rutgers thing was the kick in the teeth for me, UNC and UVA to the Big 10 would be the kick in the .

@Jackagain, now that’s funny stuff!!!

Pitt Fooball IS college football tradition. Watch it an tell me otherwise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOU9LaZu9Mk

If UNC leaves, it will end up being like the Big East poached some ACC teams in exchange for Rutgers and WVU. Not a bad trade.

lol only $5…..I got $20

Duke will not go, no matter what. They do not want to be mentioned in the same sentence as ohio state, michigan and penn state. They respect the ACC relationship.One way to build trust is to just say no and make it known that your school is just not interested.

But will the other schools respect the decision to stay?

I am looking forward to beating UNC in basketball and see all these ppl around here with egg on their face.

Or would it be….bbq….whatever.

They better not leave.

@Dr. Tom…that was awesome.

I’m calling my agent….

We owe them from 1981 NCAA’s.

When Dean boy did the famous ‘ball trick’.

Always hated that guy, lol

Your agent now works for someone in the B1G, jackagain.

Don’t do that…he’ll take half and then convince you …that was a good thing….Jack

My agent only takes 40%….you mean your guy get’s 50%?

Panther94….my agent is low rent…

@Jackagain

Have you ever been to Jacks Bar on Carson?

Yea, the one with colored block windows.

Or is that what you just say to the bartender all the time..

Jackagain

The initial Chryst interview by Bill Hillgrove last year begged the question, is this guy for real? Well is he? We have a year under our belts now to draw an opinion. I say so far, I see a guy who could make a longterm impact on this program.

It won’t happen overnight but does he seem to be a fit for Pitt? Draw your own conclusions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXF6M6riwO8

@Emel
I remember Jack’s bar (southside). I used to drive by there on my way to work in the mornings (when I was a student at Pitt). I swear there would be guys still in there from the night before.

lol panther94

I think back in the day, when all the bars over there were for the mill workers, they probably did open at 7 or 8 am for… what else……..

Beer & breakfast

Nothing like getting a buzz and then go operate industrial equipment. lol

I’ve been there….a buddy of mine used to live down on Carson.

I had a summer job one year at PITT at a local large pipe plant (yea I know, pipe) and at lunchtime, they all went to 2-3 bars that were walkable from the plant and they got tanked at lunch. Including the guy who operated the crane along the plants ceiling.

After he dropped a few 3-4 ton pipes on workers, they finally relieved him of his duties.

I think they made him a steward. lol

@PittDad, you’ve always been great.

My above ‘War and Peace’ was absolutely not directed at any regular posters whatsoever. Not one iota.

More to a couple trolls who seem to have come on lately and spewed some venom, to basically all of us.

Best example, I can’t even remember who, nor do I care too.

After the ND game, must have been 60 different commenters, all saying the same thing, “embarrassing, disgusting, worst loss in years”.

Then a couple people come on and say, “you’re all negatives”, “you hate Dixon”, “you’re part of the problem” , etc. etc.

We’re just discussing the game for cryin’ out loud, and if you couldn’t see the disaster that that game was, and think we’re all being negative, then shame on them.

Same thing with the House hiring. Maybe it is Pitt people??

Maybe it’s just my time of the month or something!!

Maybe it’s some people at the Pitt Ath. Dept. jumping on.

Anyhow, to the 40 or 50 regulars, carry on fine gents!!!

good clips Dr. Tom thanks…

thanks for the back and forth on the Carolina teams as well… learning a lot about this new ACC world.

Big 10 used to have a reputation for academic excellence and a certain type of big, research university… similar to ACC academic ‘brand.

So the master strategy this guy is doing with the B-10, TV markets etc. seems good on the one hand… but what is it doing to the ‘brand’ of the B-10? Yeah it’s about $ but just wonder how that strategy will run its course over the next few years… perhaps a little too clever.

Switching gears.

Interesting article from SI’s Stuart Mandel

ACC is not that far behind the Big Joke in BCS terms. If PITT can get back to 2008-2009 form and when L-Ville arrives and Cuse is on a little bit of an upswing, we could pass the Big Joke in real terms, not perceived terms, which is what the Big Joke subsists on.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130220/big-east-mountain-west-conference-comparison/?xid=si_ncaaf

Thanks Dan.

You know, I think we’re focusing on the wrong issue (other than the bar discussion). Instead of worrying about which school is moving to which conference, we should be focusing on the NCAA’s proposed recruiting rule changes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/sports/ncaafootball/some-major-colleges-fear-looser-ncaa-recruiting-rules.html?_r=0

In a world of unlimited recruiting contact and spending, we’re going to need a MUCH bigger athletic department budget to even begin to be competitive.

Neither UVA or UNC are ‘hard up’ for money like Maryland was/is. Maryland’s athletic dept. was/is on life support. Rutgers not far behind.

Neither UVA or UNC’s athletic dept’s are on Life Support. I find it hard to believe that two cradles of the Confederacy would go up north to play a bunch of ‘yankees’ for a few more daily devaluing American dollars.

I think this rumor is a ‘wish’ by this Maryland guy who started it, because he’s starting to realize Maryland has no natural rival in the big joke and their whole history is attached to the ACC, so naturally he’d liked to drag a few ACC teams to the Big Joke with him, to make things bearable, regardless of the extra ………

‘Ten Pieces of Silver’.

Well the reason I got mad after the ND game is that there is this huge double standard growing among Pitt fans and on here when it comes to Coach Dixon and Coach Chryst, which frankly I think is ridiculous.

Emel, you were talking about radio stations and size of TV market, but it’s not the size of the market but instead it is the number of cable customers you can force to pay you 4 bucks a month. I know I have to pay for the B1G1 network in Pittsburgh and I have never watched it once. I can’t wait for a la carte TV.

The B1G1 is the conference to be in. If the B1G1 offered Pitt a spot tomorrow, Pitt would accept it in a second. It’s just how the B1G1 is.

@Pitt Dad

Read the link, thanks for posting.

If Kansas State isn’t worried I don’t think we should be either.

In the texting, high tech recruiting world, I would think that would be one of House’s attributes.

Palermo….not so much….:-)

@Wardapalooza

Granted, however that’s why the Big Joke is hot after UNC, they would add the #24 & #25 TV markets to the Big Joke Network in previously virgin territory. (those being Raleigh & Charlotte)

Which I mentioned in a earlier post. the radio network post was to show how UNC dominates that market as well down here.

Granted the Big Joke knows what they’re doing, doesn’t mean I condone it or like it. Nor is it good for college sports.

I have to admit that I’ve been haunted by that ND game (it seems like forever ago, but only 2 days). It WAS embarrassing, but I still support Dixon and this team. We can turn it around and make that run into the tourney.

@Warda…Pitt is not UNC and I don’t mean that in a negative way. We may jump at the chance to go to the B1G, but the ACC is their conference.

I can see UNC being conflicted about leaving the ACC, but why should UVA or GT care? If you are aiming for perpetual mediocrity, why not make an assload of money doing it.

I will always support PITT teams, be they coached by Dave Hart (3 wins in 3 years), Carl Depasqua (13-29), Johnny Majors, Jackie Sherrill, Foge Fazio, Mike Gottfried, Paul Hackett, Walt Harris, Dave Wannstedt, Todd Graham, Paul Chryst or the ghost of Pop Warner.

But I really don’t need some snot nosed kid or somebody from the AD’s office telling us we’re too too negative. Awwwwwwww…we are sorry we hurt your little feelings.

Grow a pair, live a couple more decades…..and then come back ..and we can talk. Capice

EMel and outhers you do know we had a chance
to go to the sec they were looking at us real hard
when they took there last 2 schools had we said
we would come they would have taken us.

also big 12 wanted us before they took WVU.

i wonder if we should have went to one of them
if we could go back in time.

the reason that i bring this up is i wanted pitt to be some were safe and now the ACC SEAMS LIKE THE BIG EAST OF 10 YEARS AGO
TEAMS COULD GET PICK OFF AT ANY TIME.

if we could only see the future would we have went to the ACC?

FWIW, the handful of Tar Heel fans I know would much rather go to the SEC. Of course, they are football-first guys, and are mortified at the thought of trips to Iowa City or West Lafayette.

The other interesting thing is how this strategy of the B1G running after more money through large tv markets will play out once the classic cable model of selling expensive, all-encompassing packages starts to dissolve.

No one gives a crap about Maryland football, for example, not even the B1G. All they care about is the Balt-Wash tv market. If you can no longer sell the B1G package easily to most of that market, what does that do to the business model?

Wardapalooza, don’t quite understand your double standard statement about Dixon and Chryst.

First off, Jamie has definitely earned leeway after his 1st 8 years where Pitt was right in the thick of the BE race every year.
Chryst, while showing promise, hasn’t earned much yet, but of course, the jury should deliberate for another year or so. Further, Chryst was praised profusely on this site for the recent recruit class, which in reality, was mostly 2 and 3 stars. And like him, this class shows promise … but that’s about it.

wbb, I’m with you. My double standard comment was that Chryst gets praised a bunch with little actual results so far, while Dixon wins every single year and gets crushed at times. I’m not saying Dixon is above criticism because sometimes he coaches poorly like all the ND games. But when you say he should be replaced because he has hit his ceiling that is going too far. Making the tournment every single year and being a contender for the national title every couple years is an increadibly high ceiling that nearly every other program in the country would take in a second. And spare me the replace Jamie Dixon with Sean Miller talk. Jamie Dixon wins more than Sean Miller, just look at their records.

The bar at Pitt is so low. House? Chryst will be gone in two years as he will below .500 and the circus will start again. He is a atrocious In game coach. Lost 2 games on his own last year.

There is only one person on this site that keeps up the Miller Time reference, and most of us are starting to ignore it …. not only because Jaimie has earned our respect but also that Miller will not leave what he has built up at Arizona.

Look how badly Pitt has been burned the past 2 years by firing a successful FB coach, barring total colapse, the only ways Dixon leaves are by resignation or retirement.

At least you guys that like the Steelers don’t have the double football curse that I do. I still have nightmares from the YSU and BGSU losses of the past couple years. All I want from HCPC is an 8 win season… and I have no faith.

My Buffalo Bills ownership team is just as inept or even more than Stevie P. and Nordy. Doug Marrone as an NFL head coach? Wanny as DC last year?

Oh the humanity, I should collect stamps rather than following these trainwrecks. We better beat Villanova this year haha.

The B10 needs to move into the growing southeast markets now to keep the cable money flowing before a la carte TV becomes reality.

Pitt winning will offset this stuff.

EMEL – hope you are well – as your elder (you played against Montana) I played with Rosborough -
I don’t have an issue with what you say – but will challenge you when I think you are being cynical as well as wrong! Pitt football is on the upswing, thanks to HCPC and it will take a few more years to get to being a top 25 team. Anyone that dooesn’t recognize that as a fact – will be in for some tough times and has unrealistic expectations. Just think if DW were still the coach – Gary Nova would be next years QB and we’d be complaining about the 6-7 record last year.

I just don’t see any facts to the back up we are on a upswing? Ole Miss could have scored 60 on us and they are a bottom feeder in SEC with a first year HC.

Upittball – the fact that we got to a bowl game was a good sign, considering what went on the previous two years! We’ve got some solid transfers, a better than average recruiting class coming in , stability with coaching staff (minus Hux), excitement amongst the 2014 potentials, and I get the sense PC is here for the long haul. It is going to take 2-3 years to show the type of results we all would like to experience again!

Markp – I just don’t see energy, passion out there. My other fear is the (In Game) coaching isn’t very good from Chryst. I hope he improves big time this year…If not we may not get to .500. I hope you are right.

hhhmmmm……I think Joe D is back under a different name.

well, I’m not Joe D but seconds the motion that he has to improve his gametime decision making. I’m still scartching my head about decisions he made before halftimes in the Cincy, Louisville, ND and UConn games.

wbb – I’m not referring to you. I’ve seen you around here for quite a while.

There’s some new names I don’t recognize. **However, I would expect a LOT of folks don’t recognize me either since I don’t post much outside of FB season. I do like Bball, but I’m just not that knowledgeable about it so I just read and try to learn something.

There just seems to be MORE negativity than before. One reason could be that the Smizik PG blog recently converted to Facebook commenting, so some are moving to other blogs.