(Note: I expanded the bit about DEs from my Notes From the Front Lines Part 2 and sent it to ChantRant – this is it below)
Number three on my list of concerns, five being the least worrisome and one being the most, is our remaining talent at Defensive End.
PITT has been hit with what might be called “Slow White Guy Syndrome” (SWGS), pronounced “sweeegs”, at DE over the last year and going into this season. At a snapshot taken today we are in a world of hurt if rsJR Dave Durham, an ex-fullback transfer from Ohio State and rsSR Jack Lippert, a career fill-in player on both sides of the LOS, see substantial playing time at the DE position.
Lippert was a high school “Prep Star” and “Tom Lemming All-American” DE so back in 2009 when he chose PITT we thought he’d move right into the DE rotation after a redshirt year. What we actually got was a player who the coaching staffs moved around to try to find playing time for him. He played DE, Center, Right Tackle then landed back at DE last season. He is a player who I really looked forward to watching play at PITT based on his HS career but, as with Dorin Dickerson, the staff never really knew what to do with him. Let’s hope he has a DD-like SR year.
Dave Durham was recruited for the defensive line by OSU, redshirted his FR year and then was switched to Fullback, got some playing time, didn’t like his future there so he slapped Urban Myer repeatedly across the face and then came to PITT
I’m kidding about his slapping the HC although that would show the aggressiveness that has been lacking at the DE position for PITT over the last few years. This spot will be the Achilles Heel of our defense this season. True FR Shakir Soto, who reported early for spring practice, has been in the two deep along with returning rsJR Bryan Murphy who everyone was really high on when he came to PITT but hasn’t really done much.
We do have some help this year with ex-LB LaQuentin Smith returning off an injury redshirt year. He was moved to DE from the interior line for this week’s practices and it looks like he’ll be kept there. Smith did pretty well as a true FR LB in 2011. He came to PITT at 6’2” 225 lbs and in the course of a year ballooned up to his current 265 pounds. No one can figure out if he ate his way to that size or if the staff asked him to get bigger for the move to the DL. In any case let’s hope he’s kept some of that quickness from his LB days, we need it.
In addition, and perhaps the best bit of news at this position, is that we have one player who has shown flashes of real talent in rsSO Devin Cook who played some DE last year and had 14 tackles. He does have that speed that is lacking with most of our other DEs and has shown he can get in the opponent’s backfield as he was 3rd on our defense in tackles for loss with eight. Damn, kind of sad when a team’s 3rd leading TFL guy only has eight. Anyway, he’s been out with an injury most of the spring drills so its hard to gauge when he stands on the depth chart but I’d expect him to be in the two deep, if not starting, come September.
You have to feel for these young men. Even though I joke about them they constantly give 100% out there and all, except newcomer Soto of course, have made some good plays and shown flashes of potential. We may just have a case of the talent ceiling of these kids limiting our production from the DE position.
To put another perspective on this word on the street is that a true FR recruit, Luke McLean, who may also have SWGS, might be forced into a lot of action as a true FR. In addition, we are keeping our fingers crossed that rsFR Darryl Render will be able to contribute at DE this year also. Render was rated in the Top 36 HS DEs his senior year by all the recruiting sites and played at a school in the D1 classification which is the largest Ohio has. If we are going to have a player who has a breakout year at DE IMO it will probably be Darryl Render.
It isn’t the greatest of situations when the coaching staff (and fans) have to rely on a hope and a prayer that freshmen players will play well enough to make up for the shortcomings of the upperclassmen in front of them. However, unttil I see more from our newcomers in the upcoming summer training cam that is where we find ourselves.
The bottom line is that interior of the DL, with star DT Aaron Donald, who had 18.5 tackles for loss, is going to be much better than the guys out on the ends of the LOS but don’t tell the FSU coaching staff that, especially if you guys have speed at RB which I’m sure you do.
However, there is also little doubt that Young will make an immediate cntribution, because he looks much more polished that any incoming frontcourtman since Blair.
if we sign him we will be ok he is 6 foot 11
and had good offers before grades got him.
all star game had to be helped off the court
he may not have been comeing here any way but fyi.
week.
if his grades are up i think we go all out to sign him.
type kid from kiski school satchel pierce 7 foot
He is a sociology major. You can’t be a mean defensive end and be a sociology major. 🙂
He needs to major in Homeland Security or something.
Isn’t that nice.
What’s next a Schutzstaffel or Gestapo degree ?
L-Ville remains at 10 point favorite. (wow that’s alot for a Final 4 game)
While Michigan has dropped from a 2 point fav to
1.5 points.
So late money is betting on the Orange.
Could we have an All-BigEast Final in the last year of the conf ?
And somebody up there loves to torture us Pitt ppl, as we’ve played all 4 of these teams and lost to all 4 and beat Cuse once.
We have to be only college that can say that !
Sort of like the year our last two losses were to the NC game participants ! (Butler & Uconn)
When will it end !!!!!!!
will be 3 starplayers and dixon all was does better
with 3 star players that need coaching up.
then he does with 4 or 5 star players so next year.
I thought Cook showed glimpses of making a real impact last season — was one of the guys I thought should see more time, so I’m optimistic about him getting more involved this season.
There is talent on the DL aside from Donald. I think with the talent and experience at the LBs and DBs, the DL doesn’t have to be spectacular , just hold their own with a occasional great play be Donald
We shall see. The thing with 3 star kids, they more than likely aren’t going to play or contribute much until they’re in the system for a few years (sic). If they ever do at all.
The program’s lack of depth at just about every position, requires some kids with some talent(4 & 5 star ones) to play immediately, much as JR and SA did this year.
With L-Ville & Cuse in the Final 4, they’re recruiting which is already very good, is bound to get even better. And we already know North Carolina & Duke get 4 & 5 stars kids by the boatload.
As you’ve been saying, we need Slice back and maybe another hot recruiter. These guys we have, just aren’t very good. Bye Barton & Sandal.
Up by 1 at the half.
It must be the Witch…. in Wich-i-ta
haha
Nothing for Pitt to be embarrassed by with the performance of Witch St.
But it remains important, especially in the ACC. Free throw shooting must stop being an afterthought for Dixon.
Practice doesn’t make perfect: perfect practice makes perfect.
I love Jamie but if I could trade for one coach, it would be Marshall from Wichata State. Great run shockers. It will be Michigan and Ville in the finals.
That being said, Pitt was 16 for 20 in free throws against Witchita State!
out of that there maybe 5 players who are good enough to play for pitt,
2 of them are at postions we dont need
crosby from seton is a pg
shane rector pg
achraf yacoubou villanova sg
and 2 that might be good enough but maybe not
so maybe not 5 after all chris griffin
anrio adams sg
so i think the players will have to come from the JC ranks.
and kevin thomas 6 foot 8 both are in the top 100 jc players both unsigned .
UM didn’t solve the zone but had enough shooters to build a lead, were fortunate to hang on.
BTW, wbb, I thought you transferred?
Might see some young players getting time.
Too bad I’d rather see Boeheim and Syracuse in the Final, than little Ricky and lowlife Louisville.
Doesn’t seem quite fair that a community college like L-Ville gets to compete at an affair advantage against schools that actually have academic requirements. Does it ?
Really still am shocked that the ACC stooped so low. Might as well taken WVCC.
In Dixon’s halfcourt snailball, Adams just never was ourside the paint much to show that he can handle the ball.
What Coach needs is plodders like Aaron Gray & Gary McGhee. Even DeJuan, got most of points off a missed shots, his own and other players.
Thoroughbreds need not apply ! lol
EMel that is what i was trying to say before
dixon does better with players who have to be coached up 3 stars hard workers with less talent.
i dont know why but the more talent the worse he does give him one dejuan and the rest 3 stars
and he wins.
Emel, you reference one great play by Adams as if it is a panacea of what is wrong with Dixon. What Dixon needs is more players like Adams that are here when we need them. Adams would not have started at center for any of the final four teams. Maybe he would have started at the four for some.
IMO, there is not one other Pitt player that would start for any of the final four and possibly elite eight teams.
This might be an indictment of Jamie’s recruiting prowess, but certainly not his coaching. He has gotten more out of less for the last ten years.
With Adams,Robinson, Young and Newkirk, recruiting is on an upswing.
Frankcan, you need to give more examples of “the more talent the worse he does” Where is this so-called talent and how is 24 wins bad? The teams that beat us were Elite Eight team for the most part.
Emel, I am not sure what you are smoking this morning, “Oh what could have been!” Maybe Jamie should have had Adams play point guard ala Magic Johnson.
Where are these thoroughbreds that are lining up to come to Pitt?
Michigan got lucky?
Both calls were easy calls too…..the one on MCW was a lowered shoulder with an arm bar clearout on MCW and they call the foul on MCW….either one move should have been a foul on Michigan with Cuse getting the ball 4 down. Instead they lose precious time and are down 6.
They lost another 2 points on the bogus Triche charge and he wound up fouling out. That last late bucket from Michigan would never have happened…
No way CBS wanted an all BE final…not good for the ratings. Their year long media darling the B1G had to have a team in.
College sports is fixed people….too much money involved….Pitt fans should have figured this out after the 13-9 game.
Either way it should have been a no-call. Triche made a stupid decision drive to the basket….they needed a 3 there.
3 star hard workers seam to bring out the best in dixon.
may be becuse they do what he wants more than players with more talent.
i know dejuan had talent but that is just the way it seams to me it does more with less .
you watch next year we will have a killer team but less talent and we will get to the final
8 or 4
It reminds me of a bucket that was taken away from Gilbert Brown right when Pitt was making a big run against Butler a couple of years ago … the Fan still plays Dick Groat’s response to the play “That was a terrible call”
To be continued….
The one year he had a bonafide player in Blair with help from Sam and LeVance two solid seniors they barely missed the final four. So when he had the talent he did quite well.
I think he has had bad luck with Birch, didn’t fit for whatever reason, more to do with team chemistry than Jamie’s coaching and with Adam’s family needs.
I remember a lot of discussion last spring of whether Adams would come to Pitt at all or just go straight to the NBA. The fact that Jamie got him here, and with Adams help turned this team into a competitor is downplayed and called a failure by some, because of one bad game vs a very good team.
Great players turn good coaches into great coaches, That goes for all of them including Jamie.
While I was rooting for Syracuse, I thought the team that played better won.
I would have loved to see a UL – Syr final, so Iam still a bit bitter
Du du du dum,,,dum, dum, du, du du du, dom, dom
where the hell is Gomez when you really need him…
Common now, anyone who can go to the semi insulting slow white guy (maybe you dude, but not me….) should have come up with that by now.
You’re right on both counts, but the shooting must improve in 13-14.
Nice article on Bennett in the Trib.
Everything seems to indicate this was done to help the family, not personal greed.
I still hope he holds off on the agent and listens to what NBA scouts tell him. Barring the always present risk of injury, it would be a much better decisions for him and family.
If Pitt was one of about 20 other schools, some unknown booster would be flying to NZ to hire one of his siblings…
If it says “Reed” that means Chas was too drunk to post anything and I did it. Also, when you see the tag that says “football” that means 50% of the comments have to be football related or all of the comments will be deleted.
How’s THAT for Homeland Security!
The DE position is troubling. Murphy was ineffective for the first half of last season, then started to come on. But he still needs a pretty good jump in performance to have a real impact.
Wouldn’t surprise me to see the freshmen playing quite a bit. If Durham isn’t any great shakes at DE, I’d like to see him go back to FB. As Roy said in Jaws, “You’re gonna need a bigger fullback.”
Glad to hear that LaQuintin will get a shot at DE.
Appreciate the reports from the Reedster.
Go Pitt.
