One of the things that stands out to me during spring practices has been how the defensive players all seem to speak so highly of Ray Vinopal. How he was the guy everyone on the defense looked to. How he played. How respected he was by his teammates.
Last season wasn’t a waste, however. Pitts said he learned by watching safety Ray Vinopal, who since has graduated.
“I’m faster and in my eyes a lot better just from learning from Ray,” he said.
And how they want to step up as leaders now that he is gone.
It’ll be good for Mitchell to have a handle on the X’s and O’s because his responsibilities on this Pitt defense likely will go a step farther.
With Ray Vinopal’s graduation, there’s a leadership void in the back end of the defense that coaches hope Mitchell can help fill.
“Ray was a great leader,” Mitchell said. “I watched him a lot last year, just seeing the little things he did to keep us motivated. I’m definitely going to try to take that role this year.”
When Vinopal transferred to Pitt from Michigan, it was in Graham’s first year. Vinopal was forced into early play by injury and lack of depth at Michigan and did not fair well. Becoming a target of fan ire and frustration with a bad defense. He sat out a year only to see the coach that recruited him to Michigan and was a familiar face that helped lead him to Pitt, bolt for Arizona. Followed by Fraud and the rest of the staff.
Flash forward to the start of the Chryst era, and Vinopal must have been feeling deja vu all over again.
He was lost in the first two games. Getting burned badly and became the target of blame by Pitt fans. He saw playing time reduced. Yet in his final two years, he returned to being a starter and kept improving and was a team captain.
He was one of the defensive players front and center to the media after wins or losses to speak for the defense. Now, it has become obvious just how much of a leader he was, and how much the other players looked to him. It is yet another new coach. A shift in the defensive approach, and the players are talking about Vinopal for as much the locker room and sideline, as on the field.
One other thing that was worth noting from the Jevonte Pitts article.
Pitts likes Narduzzi’s less complicated defense that he said allows him to play faster.
“Everything is more dumbed down as opposed to we had so many checks last year,” Pitts said.
This goes to what Pat Narduzzi has talked about with being faster on defense. Keeping the system simple means that the players can just play. They aren’t trying to read and react. They get things nailed down and just go. It means getting burned at times. It almost certainly will mean more penalties. But that is the trade off for a defense that will hopefully be faster and make more plays.
–I suspect it may be more about the ability of the coaches to coach the defense. From personal experience, knowing how to do something in sports yourself is a lot different than actually having the ability to coach others to do something in sports. Some people are truly “coaches” and some just have the title.
–Will be interesting to see what the D looks like in the spring game.
Go Pitt.
Here’s more on Vinopal’s pro day link to blog.triblive.com
He progressed into an excellent player and excellent leader.
He will forever have my heart for the two interceptions against Notre Dame.
Especially sitting with two Notre Dame uncles, and two Notre Dame cousins!!!
He’s got dinner on me anytime he wants it!!!!
Majors – I am skeptical of the plans for the offense for just the reasons that you noted above. I can’t help but wonder what will happen with our non-Nardizzi recruited players when they are asked to provide run support 80-90% of the time. It is a recipe for passing disasters.
Ray Vinopal represented himself and the university with class. Like Chas pointed out, he always was available to the media. Even after the epic meltdown in the bowl game. I think with better coaching he could have had a better career here
If guys like Ross Ventrone can stick around the League for 3 or 4, no reason Vinopal can’t. Special teams is 100% balls and effort.
But I agree… despite his impressive workout… I don’t see an NFL DB.
We need guys like Vinopal. Wonder how
many of the guys on this site ever played
major college FB?
Key comment from players defense has been simplified.
Thank you Wisconsin for setting us free!
Mike Thorn visiting UK; not a good sign for
us. We could use this guy big time.
2. Holy cow, Boston College. Get this: If you’re a Boston College fan and want to watch BC play Notre Dame at Fenway Park this fall, four tickets will cost a $25,000 donation to even get an opportunity to buy them at $400 apiece. So, yes, for a family of four, it will cost close to $27,000 through BC. I know, I know — this is a rare event and BC isn’t concerned about making it available for families to enjoy a night out; it’s targeting wealthy boosters who don’t care about the price. But that’s an insane donation price. No sporting event in the world is worth $27,000.
Pitt fans didn’t know how good they had it, having Notre Dame on the schedule all these years.
Something Pedo State & WVcc would die to have.
ha, didn’t even know the name of that group. But had a hunch. Only really know it from ‘The Departed’. One of the better flicks in the last decade.
Steve Pederson before being fired secured the haltime entertainment for the Spring game. “We are very excited to energize the 3,234 Crowd with Carrick’s own Dropkick Yinzer’s” Said Steve Pederson….They are finishing a renowned tour of the Southside and Waterfront before playing at the futbol stadium.
I’m sure he is a class act but….
I’d bring on Ray on staff in a heartbeat if he wanted to come back to Pitt as a coach someday. The way he turned himself from a truly putrid player into a very solid safety and defensive signal-caller his last 1 1/2 seasons – in a defense led by Matt House no less – impressed the hell out of me.
Bad enough that we can’t recruit the elite players, but how many of three stars that leave without playing can we afford?
And every network announcer used him as some sort of excuse of why Pitt stunk this year.
Even though he never agv’d even double figures or shot more than 43% fg.
Hope he enjoyed the free trip to Maui.
On the bright side, we have another slot for Jamie to add another stiff Center.
Any late late bloomers, stretches in the WPIAL this year ?
It better be !
They already have several high powered bball programs. They didn’t really need us for bball.
Now football is another story. They need more than just FSU& Clemson. And they need a northern school to be that 3rd power for the TV ratings.
At least I’m trying to put together some story… that might justify believing that something is going to change, (in a good way) for Pitt football.
Yep that’s it !!
That only begs more questions. Move on….then he should have moved on…after the suspension.
This programs seems to be in total disarray.
I mean wtf is going on ???
Basically I don’t drink the Kool-Aid across the board. For example I was very happy with Paul Chryst on a lot of what he was responsible for in the football program – but also saw the real mistakes he made that held us back as far as winning games.
Can’t wait to see a more aggressive, simplified D this year — lyric from a Warren Devon song comes to mind, “…hit somebody!”
Happy to see Bertke got meaningful reps in the scrimmages, and even the transfer QB from Air Force…eager to hear about the competition in the Fall and like that nobody seems to be getting preferred status based on last year. It really wouldn’t stun me if Voytik got beat out by either Bertke or the guy from Tennessee…only Conner and Boyd should feel some sense of safety in their spots before camp.
What Pitts and Mitchell say is not flattering. That is the good ol boy network that they have learned. Say good things about your prior teammate. What do you expect them to say? Hey, Vinopal sucked and I couldn’t beat him out for playing time? Get real folks.
He seems like a good kid, but to praise him for his athletic prowess as a safety in my mind, is inappropriate. Finally, I would not bring him on as a coach. Vinopal will recruit for Pitt as a solid citizen in the community. He is an ex-player that we should try to place in the high school coaching fraternity and let him guide his high school players towards Pitt. Would like to see him coaching high school in eastern ohio area.
Wanny rarely had more talent on D but they were lined up correctly at least. If not for Donald, our 2013 D would have looked just as bad as this year…I see only improvement possible for this year.
