Really, really have to get caught up on the open tabs. It’s only a month until training camp.
At some point, I suppose we will get the official word that Pitt has added another Wisconsin transfer.
According to a source, the UW staff has parted ways with rising redshirt freshman safety Reggie Mitchell.
Safeties coach Bill Busch was not available Wednesday. However, WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh reported Mitchell, a native of Pittsburgh, had been released from his scholarship and will be joining the Panthers.
Mitchell was recruited to UW by Joe Rudolph, who joined offensive coordinator Paul Chryst at Pitt after the 2012 Rose Bowl. Rudolph is Pitt’s assistant head coach/offensive coordiantor under Chryst.
Mitchell was an unheralded (read: 2-star) recruit who turned out to be another good find. He was looking like a starter at free safety for the Badgers in the fall after moving from cornerback, but the Shady Side Academy grad wanted to come back home. Not surprisingly Wisconsin fans are starting to get a bit tired of kids leaving the program for Pitt. Especially when it leaves Wisconsin really thin at a position.
Anyone hear anything on Chavas Rawlins? How about the status of Deaysean Rippy? More personnel questions that we may not know until the beginning of August, I guess.
New restrictions on what you can bring to Heinz Field. You must buy everything at the stadium regardless of the mark-up or else the terrorists have won. This is all about public safety. No really. It has nothing to do with crass opportunism based on a sick attack in April. Nope. Not at all. How dare you think such a thing. The NFL cares.
In addition to the clutch bags, the league said it will allow one-gallon clear plastic freezer bags, bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12″ x 6″ by 12″ and NFL-licensed clear plastic tote bags with team logos affixed to them.
But hey, the NFL can at least say they are better than Penn State.
Last year, Penn State still allowed bags and purses as long as they weren’t larger than 8.5″ x 11″ x 11″. For the Blue-White Game in April, Penn State prohibited all bags, citing a need to do so in wake of the Boston attack. Those standards will now be the norm.
Asked why Penn State has decided to enact such a ban, Penn State athletics spokesman Jeff Nelson said it was “an additional layer of security for all our fans.”
It’s always “for the fans.”
It’s behind the Post-Gazette paywall, but find your way to reading Paul Zeise’s piece on going through the recruiting cycle with his son — and newest Pitt commit — Elijah. It’s not the inside dirt on the tactics, the coaches and such by each program, but it offers some solid thoughts and advice about the process.
Last I read, OSU and Kentucky turned him down.
He wanted to go to WVU last week but didn’t. Does that mean WVU not interested either.
Curious as to where RS lands.
Cal PA normally takes the RS types.
pitt1972, have your brother in-law check out
link to ncsasports.org
can register athlete for free and get lots of info.
Might find playing time as a possession receiver… or back on defense as a strong safety.or outside linebacker.
Do like the way the kid seems to be character wise. Looks like a good fit for the kind of team Chryst is trying to put together.
Maybe I’m wrong, but getting the sense that Zeise may now be planning to return to covering Pitt football with the news that his son has verbally committed.
With the actual signing day still six months away and a fall football season still to go… why would Zeise somehow see himself instantly absolved from any conflict that might come by way of his reporting or blog posts?
Assuming nothing happens to deter Zeise from signing with Pitt and joining the team, it would seem that the burden facing Zeise and the Post Gazette with regard to avoiding the APPEARANCE of a conflict of interest would only become greater.
For example, what if his son doesn’t see playing time? Or worst yet possibly sees playing time in place of other kids who are perceived by the fans and public as clearly being more talented?
Maybe I am wrong, but if it was ever needed, it would seem the necessity for a self-imposed re-assignment by Zeise and his employer has not ended at all… but only begun.
he played against a lot of speed – including Seneca Valley, Gateway, Woodland Hills
check his Hudl highlights against Seneca Valley (or Gateway)
Seneca Valley had three of the fastest kids in WPIAL on the field (Barnes, Dorogy, Brown) – two of the fastest in the state (Barnes, Dorogy)
Zeise ran track in middle school – before basketball consumed more of his time; he still probably has some of the top middle school times
Zeise started in front of a kid (G Baum) that ran low 11 100m – consistently 11.4 and under; 11.06 personal best
.
I was glad to learn that it won’t be quite that severe.
What has to be done is very simple – Zeise needs to be totally honest in his writing and talking about his son and the other players. If Elijah blew a play then say that. If he played well say that also.
I think it is very cynical and a bit sad that we can’t assume that a grown man and a professional journalist can’t be objective in his coverage of a sports team.
This isn’t like a Judge hearing his son’t trial – it is reporting on a college football player. The reality here is that none of the local beat writers ever write anything that negative about any of the players – they pretty much give them a free individual pass.
Hell – go back and read the articles after Sunseri would play poorly in the late 4th quarter of games… they treated him with kid gloves. In a real sense that is an unwritten rule in college sports with the local writers and even with the message board guys like Peak and Greco.
I think it is fine as long as he treats his kid exactly the same as any other and I don’t think this coaching staff is going to hold any criticism written by the father against the son.
Sorry, I think that isn’t even an option.
I do agree that college athletes should not be criticized at the level of pro athletes. The poorest NFL player makes $500k a year. It’s not right to bring the house down on a 19 year old because he screwed up.
For all you “four star” guys out there Reggie Mitchell is a prime example of the types of guys that a program like Wisconsin – which can’t go toe-to-toe with the Michigans and the Ohio States of the world in recruiting – consistently find and develop. Pitt is the perfect place to implement this philosophy. We’ll never be able to to toe-to-toe with Penn State and OSU either, but there is plenty of unheralded talent in our backyard. Believe it or not but all these two-star recruits actually make me glad that Chryst is our head coach.
Anybody know if Mitchell is going to be granted a waiver? Would really make up for he loss of Eric Williams.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Are you serious? So we shouldn’t critize Rushel Shell because he is 19? We shouldn’t critize others that were kicked off the team?
Sorry, but I disagree with the kid glove approach just because they are in college. They are getting a free ride in college and professional training worth well over $25k/yr (see stoops or saban calcs) which puts them in position to make $500k/yr in NFL.
I don’t get your post regarding Mitchell.
Mitchell hasn’t played a game yet at Wisky.
Mitchell redshirted as a frosh and was 1st team on the depth chart for Wisky this upcoming season.
Yep, he beat out other 2stars at Wisky for the position. And your point is ???
Obviously some 2star was going to start.
How can you conclude anything about 2stars, Chryst recruits, or Mitchel playing ability?
Journalism, solid journalism… is not based upon simply avoiding a conflict of interest. It is based upon avoiding any “appearance” of a conflict of interest.
This is a higher standard that unfortunately has been been abandoned today by many so-called “journalists.”
It’s the reason for the erosion in the trust the public has in the news they get from the Big 3… CBS, ABC, NBC… and even NPR… each of them benefiting from their privileged use of the public airwaves and in the case of NPR, public funding.
Maybe Zeise is a great guy who would never allow himself to be swayed even by possible benefits to his son.
In any case, Dokish has made it clear that Zeise is never coming back to the Pitt football beat which apparently is despised by Post Gazette staff.
According to Dokish, the whole thing was an excuse that Zeise used to get out from under it.
I share your enthusiasm to have PC here with a similar strategy… it’s the right fit for this region and this school.
New coaches raving about him?
Please provide the link…
The link above shows he wasn’t good enough for CB so they pushed him to safety because of need.
This outstanding quote is attributed to Mark Twain.
I’ve looked and looked but I just can’t seem to find any adjectives in Pitt.Dan’s posts!
As you read the below remember Mitchell came in as a 2 star high school QB as well…
Here IS what the coaches said… you know, live, real people…
Of course it F$%^ing does matter what real coaches actually said… someone will have negative comeback anyway…. infantile mentalities at this point…
…
Safeties coach Bill Busch said in the spring that Mitchell was a good fit at safety because of his speed and coverage ability.
“When we first got here, we looked at (safety) and we wanted to get faster,” Busch said. “Boy, he’s done well. His care factor … he’s tough. He can run, someone who can cover in space. He’s got a long way to go, but I love him.”
Safety is a key position in UW’s new defensive scheme and the pressure will be on Trotter, Vercher or somebody else to step up and fill the position.
“He’s got a lot of range and ability,” defensive coordinator Dave Aranda said of Mitchell in the spring. “He can play man coverage as well as zone coverage. So there’s plenty of things he allows us to do as a defense.
“From where we’re coming from, we’d like the defense to be flexible, to be able to play zone or man, or have safeties and cornerbacks, at times, be interchangeable. With (covering) tight ends and those things, he allows us to do that.
“There’s more things you can do as a defense when your safeties can cover. He’s shown the ability to tackle and put his nose in the fray. That’s a positive.”
Editorials are a different matter however because that involves the editor’s thoughts and opinions, that is where the appearance of “conflict of interests’ can present itself and open debates on the issues at hand.
Solid journalism is basically summed up by Jack Webb’s familiar comment, made popular on the TV series, Dragnet, “the facts Ma’am, just the facts”.
Dan83 – when talking about being critical of college football players I meant the in-game stuff. You’ll find mild criticism when someone blows a play (or drive, or game…) but really not too much.
I’m fine with that. I also agree that your take on criticizing these young men for their negative actions is perfectly reasonable also and as fans we have the right to do so.
Personally, I try to always criticize actions these guys take and not the whole person so much because I don’t know these kids personally at all.
For example, I think that Shell’s decision making and actions were immature, atrocious and completely avoidable. However, I’m not going to label Shell a “bad guy” because of them as I really don’t know what went into those decisions. I suspect a large doses of both ego and immaturity though.
Now if we can only get the koolaid drinkers to say the same.
from linked article:
“Guys are on the right track right now,” he said. “We had some guys off the track and not really with it. I would say we are in a totally different state right now.
“No more excuses for just missing just even a light throw, even 15 minutes. If we want to be great, we have to do all the little things, too.
“Being on time for workouts, not even a minute late, because that stuff carries over. When you are not accountable for actions, you can’t be successful.”
The ‘no more excuses’ quote directly relates to players being accountable. This is what PC is trying to bring to and instill in this program. I haven’t clue one on how this relates to ‘kool-aid’ drinkers.
And PLEASE Dan83, just be accountable yourself and admit you are JoeD cuz the ‘kool-aid’ drinkers all know you are.
Spoken like a true koolaid drinker.
At least Street is willing to manup! It’s quite clear what he said but only a koolaid drinker ready to defend a poor W/L record before the season.
sorry, I’m not who you think I am. There are many dissatisfied Pitt alum/fans which outnumber the koolaid drinkers.
Reasonably, the w/l record the past couple years reflect both the mess that has been the coaching situation along with the low-character players on the team. It is great to see the players buying into what PC is bringing to the program and becoming more accountable.
I believe Pitt will win 6-8 this season and should improve going forward. However, if Pitt is 5-7 or even 6-6 in 2014, I’ll gladly point the finger at PC and staff.
fyi – I like cherry kool-aid the best.
If you read the article, can comprehend the English language, there is no question what Street is saying. Cannot be manipulated.
Well done.
We are lucky that the coaches that recruited him are back in his hometown. I think that is it.
Whisky is a nice school… but winters etc. there and ability of parents to watch him play.
I knew him, my boys were at SSA when he was there and played with him. Good family, good kid. Parents very involved.
he only practiced QB really so shows his upside in terms of how far he came in 1 year as a RS if the new coaching staff at Whisky has the above to say about him.
Can not let your confusion of solid journalism with political correctness go unaddressed.
Here’s a real-life example that might help.
There was an extremely well known and respected sports guy in the City of Pittsburgh who made it a practice of NEVER eating any of the food put out during press conferences held by Pirates or the Steelers or the Pens.
To him, it was important to always present the image of being untouchable not only to the public, but to the teams he covered and also other reporters. He would sit by and watch as the majority of his colleagues would devour the impressive spreads without hesitation.
I suspect too that refraining from the handouts also served to re-affirm to himself the commitment he had to remaining absolute in his objectivity.
The commitment to “solid” journalism and avoiding even the “appearance” of a possible conflict of interest has nothing to do with being politically correct.
Sometimes solid journalism offends. Political correctness goes out of its way to not.
And in those instances when a solid journalist committed to avoiding any appearance of conflict does offend… at least the reading public has some evidence to trust that the reporter did so without bias or hidden agenda, but solely because he or she believed the story to be both important and accurate.
For some time now the 4Ws have been joined by a 5th… that being “Why?”
After all, “just the facts” can be boring.
The facts in context, enlightening.
The over/under is 5.5.
And Chryst will remain HC.
However, for 2014, 5-6 wins will either get him fired or on the hot seat.
Take Coach Chryst for example. There are a lot of possible criticisms but no one has ever accused him of being a bad guy. He’s quite amiable. Same with Jamie Dixon. If you cover Chryst and Dixon on a daily basis, you’re going to like them as people. It’s human nature to give people you like the benefit of the doubt. You won’t criticize as quickly because unless you personally are a jagoff, you’re innately more sympathetic towards them.
It’s why most beat writers are normally positive: they like the people they cover.
For once I agree with you. LOL In 2014 and 2015, there needs to be improvement. I know it is rare in college football but I would also like to see a Pitt team that plays smart, nearly mistake free football.
nice little article… quotes from players such as Donald say they appreciate playing for coaches “they can trust” is good to read.
Team sounds relaxed and focused and you can tell players are relieved everyone around them is actually working as hard as they are…
Of course, we’ve got to win some games too. But overall, I look at the recruting lists for this year and next and I see real progress from where we were, and the potential to become the Wisconsin-like team in the ACC. I think that’s all you can realistically expect at this point.
I think that we are going to agree to disagree on this one PofD. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
I love the taste of the Koolaid, always expecting the best outcomes prior to the season. Looking at the schedule, I’m “dissatisfied” with 6 wins, OK, MEH with 7 wins, happy with 8 wins and “are you serious”,,,overjoyed with 9 wins for our 1st year in the ACC.
This is going to be a wild card season for the Panthers. There are just sooooo many variables flying around for this season, a team that is in major transition, an unknown entity at QB, Shell’s departure, stable coaching for two whole years in a row. a Newbie at DC, etc. that we could really surprise some people if the right chemistry gets going early with these guys. Throw in some momentum and who knows? Could just as easily be a 4-8 season with bad kharma and bad luck.
In any case however, Chryst still gets one more year before his seat starts getting hot due to additional lackluster performances. I agree with you, 2014 is put up or shut up time for him.
In the meantime, I’ll keep rotting my teeth with this constant Koolaid comsumption.
Harris went 6-6 (w/bowl), 2-9 and 5-6 in his first three seasons. No problem.
Wannstedt went 5-6, 6-6, and 5-7 with no bowl games his first three seasons. No problem and as a matter of fact DW got an extension.
Neither of those two were in any way ‘on the hot seat’ after their first three years. PITT has always honored the full terms of their HC’s first contract.
Chryst was 6-6 last regular season and got to a bowl game in his first year – he’s equal to Harris and ahead of Wannstedt at that point in time.
But again, the key here is if there are no off the field embarrassments then Chryst will be fine through 2014 and beyond. PITT fans have to realize that the PITT admin are jumping with joy the way Chryst and staff have approached coaching and recruiting this year. That will keep him in good stead with them for some time.
Please understand that wins and losses are not the measurement for HCs being fired at PITT. Were that the case we’d still have either Harris or Wannstedt at the helm. Harris gave us a BCS bowl his last year and DW gave us the three straight winningest seasons in 30 years his last years yet both were fired.
Get with it guys… PITT’s decision making does not revolve on what the final W/L records are, in fact that is secondary in their list of priorities.
But I’m in the camp where Wins and Losses should absolutely be the measurement used for whether a Head Coach is to be given longevity.
Not a surprise that I’m a big Chryst supporter. However, should he go 6 and 6 again this year with another disappointing bowl performance… I would hope that the seat would be pretty warm next year.
While I like the fact that Chryst is the high character guy he is… my support for him as the Head Coach of Pitt is more conditional riding on the belief that he’s going to win far more than he loses.
