No real theme to the stories. Basically some of the ones that have piled up in my browser tabs that need to go.
The pads came off for yesterday’s practice per NCAA spring practice rules. Given the number of players banged up or sitting out practices for injuries, that seemed like good timing. The good news is that Isaac Bennett is returned, but is going to be limited in practices. At this time of the year, it is hard to say what are real injuries that would keep a player out for games and what are little things that they are just being careful not to aggravate when the season is five months away.
This was a good idea to bring the players’ fathers to watch a practice. Nice stories and worth the read.
There is no spring game. Repeat, there is no spring game. I still disagree with it. I think it is better for the program and the fans. Even if the turnout is not great.
A regional look at approaches to spring games. Along with noting some other programs that either are not having spring games or don’t bother. It even throws in the obligatory paranoid coach.
Pitt is not the only school to give up its spring game. Texas A&M’s stadium is undergoing renovations. Northwestern, TCU and Oklahoma State also decided to pass, although each is hosting open practices at its home stadium.
After drawing an announced 15,000 for last season’s game at Boone Pickens Stadium, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said a lack of depth caused his switch from a spring game to an open practice.
“When you have a spring game, you’ve got to divide teams up and go almost two deep on each team,” Gundy said. “You start switching jerseys, and it becomes not really a very attractive game for the fans.”
TCU coach Gary Patterson never has had a spring game in 14 years as head coach at the school. Patterson said he used to scout his opponents’ spring games on TV and did not want his opponents to do the same.
Scouting what? Spring games are vanilla play calling with the occasional trick/gimmick play for the fans. Gary Patterson is one of the better coaches in college football, but I simply cannot believe he got any legitimate information from a spring game to prepare to face a team 5-7 months later. He may have enjoyed the mental exercise, but that’s about it.
The NFL Draft is still a month away. Aaron Donald appears solid in the low- to mid-teens of the first round. No real talk about Devin Street. Tom Savage, though, seems to be getting the most buzz as a QB who is now looking at going in the 3d round. He has the size. He has the arm. And as teams see more tape of what he had to deal with as far as protection, his toughness isn’t much of a question mark.
[Mel] Kiper isn’t overstating the hits Savage took last season. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Savage was under duress on 28 percent of his dropbacks, the highest percentage of any QB prospect. As a result, Savage was sacked an FBS-high 43 times last season.
How he made it through 12 1/2 games is still a stunner.
Does Coach Paul Chryst need to “prove something” this year? Yes. No one is saying win the division or BCS Bowl Playoff. He’s at least got to get 7 or 8 wins. The chaos and change is well documented and is a legitimate reason for the 6-6 seasons. They have also contributed to the feeling the the program has essentially been treading in tepid water for the past four years.
Note the past tense there. Because Pitt football is not dysfunctional anymore. Headed into Year 3, it is time for Chryst to prove why he was hired. Not to be average but to bring this program back to an elite level.
Let me pause here. “Bring this program back to an elite level?” What? I’m not saying that isn’t a goal or something we all want to see. I am saying that either the definition of “elite” as used in this is very different from what I consider elite; or someone is unrealistically demanding Pitt takes a leap from 6-6 to early-1980s power. Which would have been the last time Pitt could have been considered “elite.”
Again, the goal right now is progress. Showing and demonstrating that there is really something being built. Something that can be sustained.
Here is an excerpt:
After three seasons of mediocrity in the wake of the Dave Wannstedt firing and Todd Graham’s abrupt departure, Chryst has built the roster in the image he prefers — linemen who are tall and wide, big receivers, a quarterback making the right choices and a run-based offense.
Of the 83 scholarship players, 66 joined the team after Chryst was hired, and 62 are sophomores or younger counting the freshman class that will arrive this summer. It also is a young team, with 29 of the 70 players at practice Thursday participating in spring drills for the first time.
Neither may ever happen. But I’d say JD making a Final Four is at least mathematically possible every year. We know that because Vegas sets odds on it every year.
As opposed to Pitt Stadium II, for which there’s a 0.000% chance of ever happening in the universe we currently occupy.
I’ve never seen or heard about Vegas odds of PSII ever happening… who’d bet on the “yes”?
Puts the Shell ordeal into context. Also, that we are still a very young team with a ways to go.
If Chryst can get his defensive recruits to start matching the level of the offensive guys, we should be very good in the near future.
Culture is important, but so are big, fast, athletes with lots of talent.
Hope we can have both.
The PG article and interviews seems to point out how much they are counting on Bisno. My unprofessional eye was not that impressed with him last year, and with the injury… Let’s hope Jaryd’s extra work pays off just in case.
“After three seasons of mediocrity in the wake of the Dave Wannstedt firing and Todd Graham’s abrupt departure, Chryst has built the roster in the image he prefers — linemen who are tall and wide, big receivers, a quarterback making the right choices and a run-based offense.”
I see no mention of quick, hard-rushing defensive ends, mobile, physical linebackers, or ball-hawking DBs.
One of the writers should ask Chryst and House to describe or define the defense they want to have, and what they are doing to achieve that goal.
Also the same kids are getting interviewed, be nice to hear from some of the others. Maybe the linebackers. Interested to hear from them.
Who is getting the reps, who is on the two deep? Are we getting better? Anyone making plays?
It just shows how poor the coverage is, the writers just print what is told to them. Don’t they see what is going on in practice?
I miss Reed’s and that young guys eyewitness reports.
I know the coverage reflects Chryst’s low key approach, but if you want to put butts in seats you need to create some buzz.
People need to know the players names and stories.
It’s called marketing.
Hey, I have an easy one. Little by little.
I’ll volunteer to show HCPC some videos over the last 40 years. And the current players too.
I’m sure most don’t even know.
Pitt’s road uniforms are white jersey, gold pants!
I’ll even be the equipment manager.
Shouldn’t be too hard, put the gold pants in the lockers!!!
DOWN with the white pants!!!!!!!!!
Wow, it’s not even June.
Now if you want to discuss how to make Heinz Field more festive and put butts in the seats on Saturday????? My very first suggestion would be to simply, WIN BABY WIN! That is one cure for soooo many ills. Then if you want to start throwing money at the current issues that are eluded to concerning student spirit at Heinz Field on game day????? Lets consider what, for just a couple million dollars a season, upgrades and fun could be had if some Pitt administrative people just start thinking out of the box a little bit. Like how about the Pitt administration doing a FREE student tailgating party prior to the home games. All it takes to get a full belly of fried chicken, hamburgers or dogs is your valid Pitt ID. Then if you want to push the envelope a little bit, allow local bar businesses to set up keg stations to serve beer, for nominal prices(to those students that have proper age ID, of course) adjacent to those tailgates. Then throw in for good measure the performance of a local hip band that the current student population is into and watch the kids come out early for a nooner.
Get a little more creative and begin ticketing the student sections for every game with assigned seats. The early arrivals to the tailgates get the best seats front and center. On top of that, begin a policy that the first 10 rows deep down in front of the “Panther Pitt” don’t have to stand in line for the bus ride back to campus, but instead by holding these “early arrival” prime tickets, it also entitles them a free pass back to campus in a chaufeurred stretch limo instead, that ONLY begin showing up AFTER the final gun sounds at the end of the games. Think that may keep some students around for the fourth quater after Sweet Caroline has been sung?
Then we can discuss Heinz Field itself. How frickin difficult can it be to laydown new turf for every Pitt home game at the fifty yard line that has a huge brand new multi colored Pitt logo painted on it??? And while you’re at it, how about a couple ACC logos on the thiry yard lines too, actually ON THE FIELD like the real “on campus” ACC stadiums have?
Then you could come up with some give away games, where you do a “gold out” T-shirt day on a nice warm August Saturday when we play a team like Delaware, perhaps. Or how about a nice Pennant Day, where the first 50,000 fans get a Pitt Pennant on a stick to wave all game long for every James Conner bulldozer TD, that they can take home with them as a nice souvenir?
Those kind of things ARE very doable, just takes a creative mindset and a little cash.
Getting down to actual football talk. Iron Duke hit the nail right on the head. This season’s key game is the BC game up in Beantown in early September. That is when Paul Chryst finds out what this year’s team looks like at wide open throttle. If they get over that BC hump and gain a little self confidence, then I see this young squad being 5-1 going into their Thursday night matchup on national TV against VT. That’s the second most important contest of the season. Iron Duke is also right on about the ultimate record anticipated. The Panthers could fall to 6-6 in the regular season just as easily as going 9-3 in my opinion. There are so many variables to consider. But that is what makes this team so interesting to be following this year. The team’s attitude is morphing into what a winning program needs to possess. Just watch this marketing piece on our underrated DB Ray Vinopal and tell me that these guys aren’t ready to prove something this year? BTW, gc showed it to me first.
And wbb, fear not about the Pitt defense this season. this blue collar bunch of unknows and little tested underclassmen are going to suprise a lot of people this season. Most of all will be Matt House. his growth from last season will be palpable. Yep, he’s been learning on the job at Pitt’s expense, but that learning curve will be flattening out this year, especially with Coach Douglas’ influence back in the secondary, and you’ll all see the difference on the field of play.
Your looking for play makers this season on the “D”, remember the names like Luke Maclean, Matt Galambos and of course Ray Vinopal (see above) by season’s conclusion you’ll have to look no further than them to note the Pitt playmakers on the densense for Pitt this year.
This is going to be a fun season, if we can just stay healthy at the positions where we are thin, QB especially.
Hail to Pitt.
No matter what, it would take serious dollars no matter where it is situated with significant upfront money just to deal with the politics. I don’t have it. I’m sure there is a group of alums that do. The question is how motivated are they to fund such an effort.
Dr. Tom, you are on target with the marketing – Pitt has done some but could do so much more. In that vein, how much excitement could be generated from bringing back the Script? If not on the helmet, how about at mid-field? And why not on the helmet, even if just once a year or for big games or rivals, like ND does with the green uni’s?
Nice video with Vinopal. I sent that one off to the wife to slobber all over, she has a big MILF crush on Ray Ray.
Any times yet on the FB games. Maybe can double up with a Pirate game.
College Football is ALL ABOUT tradition.
Playing games OFF-CAMPUS in a STERILE environment like Heinz Field will NEVER fill the void.
Complit gets it. Texas Panther gets it… and apparently many Pitt Grads and former Players like Eric Kasperowicz get it.
It’s just a matter of time until the majority gets it.
And at that point, probably several years Down the Road from now… talk of a New Stadium will no longer be crazy talk and everyone’s going to say “What the heck were we thinking?”
