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January 5, 2011

Todd Graham Protests, But…

Filed under: Coaches,Football,Hire/Fire — Chas @ 12:12 am

…In the world of coachspeak, there is no denial.

Take it for what it is worth, but Todd Graham was asked about the Pitt job by his media in Tulsa.

“I’ve got three kids who attend the University of Tulsa. I’ve pretty-much bought in and sold out,” he said Monday. “You know, my wife informed me that if I go anywhere I’ll be going by myself. So, that’s a little hard for me right now being 46. I don’t really want to do that.”

Darn good reasons to stay. Says his wife is happy and the kids are in college. I mean, who takes another job when their kid is actually in school (*cough* Ben Howland *cough*)?

This is why coaching carousel stuff sucks. You have to parse this stuff and look at the non-denials. And while he’s saying things like this, he doesn’t actually say he’s not interested in another job or won’t leave.

Is it gamesmanship to simply force more money from Tulsa or have Pitt make a better offer? Is he just sending a message to other schools in the near-future that if you want him, make sure it’s a good offer?

Don’t know. We’ll see, I guess.





Ditka, Your post reminds me of an old Country Western hit, “The Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.” And it is near closing time.

Comment by Dock71 01.05.11 @ 11:47 am

@ Coach Ditka

I’ll trade Rich Rod’s baggage for Bradley’s.

His choice of top recruits?? He went to an area he had absolutely no business in and never recruited at. His current recruiting class is garbage because he had no sway over any other Big 10 team that he followed into those kids front doors. He took a score first mentality to a conference that doesn’t practice that… He was set up for failure. I have little doubts that he would be able to work with the Pitt program much easier.

Also- If he did leave after he turned the program around, who cares??? who do you think will take this job, try to turn the program around and stick around to enjoy the mediocre paychecks?? Oh, wait…

Comment by PPD 01.05.11 @ 11:50 am

I believe Pitt should apply the George Costanza “Opposite” theory. Whatever their instincts are – do exactly the opposite. If every instinct they have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.

Comment by Coach Ditka 01.05.11 @ 11:50 am

Some times the best looking girl is the better looking of Cinderella’s two ugly step sisters. We aren’t going to get an Urban Myer or Boise State’s Peterson. At this point, Bradley is probably our best option. Despite what anyone says, recruiting in western PA is very important. We may get a kid or two from Texas or Flordia, but most of our players will come from PA and states nearby.

Comment by Justinian 01.05.11 @ 11:52 am

PPD, I m pretty sure I could go recruit for Michigan and land 4 and 5 stars just by showing them the Michigan logo. Dick Rod is a cancer.

Comment by Coach Ditka 01.05.11 @ 11:53 am

I could care less if who we hire leaves in 4 years, as long as we win! Howland left and it has not hurt the basketball program, once we start winning, it is easier to maintain it. Pitt had a list of potential candidates, 70% of them would not speak to Pitt for one reason or another, several mentioned SP as a reason, with that being said, why is he still our AD?

Comment by Chris 01.05.11 @ 11:55 am

so do you guys think Nordy calls rooney with coaching suggestions? What right does he have to make recommendations for a job that has nothing to do with him then complain about it. I am not a Pederson fan (who is at this point) but taking Rooneys call is all the obligation he has. The fact that Ron Cook is now writing a story about just proves his pro steeler agenda as he tries to score points with them. Cook also mentions that Bradley will wow in an interview but he couldn’t even wow the temple administration. For the record, i have no problem with Bradley as Pitt coach, but who cares if Rooney is pissed at us for not calling him. The relationship between Pitt and the Steelers can’t change much considering they share facilities built with PUBLIC funds

Comment by Peteunit 01.05.11 @ 11:56 am

Coach, I hope you mean the opposite of Bradley, because that seems to be the direction the wind is shifting in.

Comment by Scott 01.05.11 @ 11:57 am

If Pitt football is winning, then you are alway going to get the Western, PA recruits. I don’t get why this is even an issue. If you win, you get your local recruits.

This seems to be the selling point for Bradley “he did a great job at PSU and any of the bad stuff at PSU is due to JoePa.” You can’t have it both ways.

Why did Bradley all of the sudden become the best guy out there? There are tons and tons of other young coaches in the country with tons of upside. You just got to go out and find them.

Comment by XBlackMagicX 01.05.11 @ 11:58 am

Ditka, Isn’t Bradley the obvious choice with the Opposites Theory?

Get HC Experience? NOT
Bring in a flashy offense? NOT
Get a coach with national recruiting reach? NOT
Make a choice with “Buzz”? NOT

Bradley is the man.

I’m not really opposed to Bradley. I guess I don’t really care anymore. Just need a laugh to keep from crying.

Comment by Dock71 01.05.11 @ 11:59 am

You could find 4 or 5 star recruits to run a spread offense in Michigan recruiting against Ohio St just by showing them the logo? What are you doing for the next 6 years?

Comment by PPD 01.05.11 @ 11:59 am

I think Tom Bradley would be the best fit for Pitt at this juncture-(brings credibility-which Pitt sorely needs right now), he has the zeal for the game, and even though I was at Pitt during the championship run of 1976 and couldn’t stand Penn State I am now realziing that those days are over-Penn State and Pitt will be once in a decade game that will mean nothing to this generation-I have 2 boys at Pitt right now and they have no clue about the passion I had for the Pitt-Penn State game-the past few weeks I seem to have soften my stance toward Penn State as it relates to having a Tom Bradley/Penn State connection-We already have a coach who played at Penn State so what is the big deal. Right now we need to get back to getting a coach who will do the right thing!

Comment by B Foss 01.05.11 @ 12:02 pm

XBlackMagicX, there are a whole list of intermediate steps the Steelers could do to make life hard on Pitt if they wanted to. They’re probably not getting us kicked out of Heinz Field, but I bet (for example) there is a huge potential for “scheduling conflicts” at the South Side practice facilities the we would come out on the short end of. Again, any shoving match between the Steelers and Pitt will inevitably be won by the Steelers, publicly-owned facilities or not.

It just doesn’t pay to antagonize the most powerful and popular organization in town. Pederson is unwise to have done so, and I’m glad that Nordenberg is trying to undo the damage.

Comment by Navy Panther 01.05.11 @ 12:02 pm

Since bar analogies are now the rage on here:

Say you are talking to a hot woman at the bar and it’s going well. The woman steps away to go to the bathroom. Your loser neighbor who struggles even to talk to women comes up to you and says “Wow, that woman was ALL over me last night and wanted to hook up, but I turned her down and went home with someone else.”

How do you feel then?

Comment by XBlackMagicX 01.05.11 @ 12:07 pm

I’m not saying to antagonize. I’m saying don’t blindly listen to Rooney just because of “what he could do.” You obviously call Bradley because Rooney told you to that’s it.

The Steelers may be the most popular organization in the town. But the most powerful is Pitt/UPMC, which actually has thousands of full-time employees unlike the Steelers who I don’t even think have a full-time marketing staff.

Comment by XBlackMagicX 01.05.11 @ 12:10 pm

If we take Bradley, will the Rooneys take Wannstedt and his $1.4 million salary of our hands? Not. So I don’t see why we should take their advice. Who’s running this insane asylum anyway?

Comment by Scott 01.05.11 @ 12:10 pm

I don’t think the Steelers can make Pitts life any worse than it already is!

Comment by Chris 01.05.11 @ 12:14 pm

xblackx-

And then you take her home, she shits in your bed, eats all your food and burns down your house? Are we talking about heywood?

Comment by PPD 01.05.11 @ 12:14 pm

XBlackMagicX, touche. Pitt/UPMC obviously carries more clout as far as being a an tax and employment engine. I just think Pederson has a knack for unnecessarily irritating and alienating those around him, with the Rooney episode being an example of that. I didn’t mean to blow it out of proportion, though.

Comment by Navy Panther 01.05.11 @ 12:14 pm

Keep in mind the Big East is going to be more competitive. WVU, Rutgers and Syracuse are on the rise. I met Bradley many years ago. I think he would be a step up from Wannstedt, but I would not expect championships anytime soon. He’s not a big X-O guy. He wasn’t humble back then. If he’s the man, I hope my first impressions are wrong. The fact that he is a PSU guy doesn’t bother me a bit.

Comment by 66Goat 01.05.11 @ 12:16 pm

For those who want Graham and think he will be any different than DW, Tulsa’s best win this year was against a down ND team who lost their starting QB during the game. They lost to Ok St by 40 and ECU who got crushed by MD in their bowl game. There is not one above average win on the resume, so lets not try and say he would be that much better than DW or TB, he would score more points and give up plenty. It is a sad state of affairs when the Coach Grahams of the world are the best we have to talk about at Pitt!

Comment by Chris 01.05.11 @ 12:27 pm

I am not blaming Bradley for PSU decline.

What I am saying is that he had an opportunity to step up his presence there and didn’t. Not a bar analogy but let’s compare Bradley / JoepA to FSU and Jimbo Fisher. FSU did not handle the Bowden situation well but Jimbo Fisher had an opportunity, stepped it up over time, and made himself the obvious choice to replace Bowden to the fans and the university. FSU did not want that guy leaving the program and they acted on the belief that he was the future. Good for Jimbo. Think that guy waited for that to happen? no way, he created that oppty for himself. Bradley hasn’t done s… to create his oppty. In fact, joePA offers him up to Pitt vs. saying “this guy should replace me when I retire, he bleeds blue….”

Last, dan rooney doesn’t know s… about college football so let’s stop analyzing that situation. If tom bradley so good, why is he not the heir apparent to Dick Lebeau 🙂

Comment by Joe P 01.05.11 @ 12:28 pm

Hey twilight zone: if Pitt and UPMC are such powerful monoliths, why can they only pony up a relative measly/paltry million buck$ for a head coach of an allegedly major college football program?

Comment by Chance Wayne 01.05.11 @ 12:31 pm

Prominent boosters went to Joe’s house and told him it was time to hand over the reins, he told them to get the F out, no lie. FSU and PSU are two different programs, lets not compare them.

Comment by Chris 01.05.11 @ 12:35 pm

@Joe P,

Because Wanny is the heir apparent to LeBeau? 🙂

Comment by Scott 01.05.11 @ 12:35 pm

Joe Schad from ESPN just tweeted:
Do not expect Rich Rod to Pitt. Good names: SSunseri, TGraham, TBradley, TAustin, PChryst

So my question would be, if Sal Sunseri is hired then does DeVanzo just completely lose it?

Comment by XBlackMagicX 01.05.11 @ 12:40 pm

Chryst, on Texas campus, supposed to take over OC job. Sunseri, will never get the job. It will come down to Austin or Bradley!

Comment by Chris 01.05.11 @ 12:43 pm

Would like to see Austin but he may make more money as a DC than as Pitts HC, that is a problem.

Comment by Chris 01.05.11 @ 12:46 pm

I think DeVanzo leaped from the cathedral yesterday…but I cant confirm.

Comment by Coach Ditka 01.05.11 @ 1:10 pm

Rooney didn’t give advice or ‘orders’. He asked for a phone call or an interview. Would have taken ten minutes of a secretaries time, then an hour, tops, of SP’s.

Would anyone be surprised if the Rooney’s aren’t tapped, and come through, every time Pitt has a campaign?

Even if there were no financial or professional relationship, blowing off a highly respected local is probably the rudest, and stupidest thing done in this comedy of errors. And THAT my friends is why SP will be gone by the Blue and Gold game.

Comment by Pwmcdupitt 01.05.11 @ 4:11 pm

[…] About the only time he looked even momentarily flummoxed was when one reporter asked him about his comments the previous week, “You know, my wife informed me that if I go anywhere I’ll be going by myself. So, that’s […]


[…] that would be possibly, theoretically credible if not for reality. Pitt pursued Graham for nearly a week before he took the job. He knew the interest. He knew the negotiations. He didn’t have 24 […]


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