Well there was his Football Q&A from last week.
Q: I am reading between the lines that you don’t have high expectations for this team. How long will Pittsburgh fans tolerate seasons of less than .500 football?
Zeise: Pitt fans shouldn’t expect a less than .500 team or accept one. But the reality is, this team doesn’t have the linemen yet to really compete at the level it wants to be at. You can’t win when you have freshmen and sophomores up and down both sides of the line of scrimmage. A lot of this is not this coaching staff’s problem, there was no depth when Wannstedt was hired. He is right now trying to clean up the previous coach’s mess in terms of talent in more ways than most Walt Harris apologists care to acknowledge. Ask yourself how many big-time teams have three freshmen starting on the defensive line. Pitt could very well be the first one I’ve heard of.
Yes and no to this.
No argument that the lines were a complete mess. Last I checked, however, the defensive coaching staff remained completely in tact from Harris to Wannstedt. So some responsibility goes to them since they helped recruit the kids, but there is never any mention of that.
The other issue was seeing the offense take a step back in every facet last year. You can talk and build towards a different offensive philosophy, but you still need to use the talent that is there. Even with all the skill, impact players coming in the fall, it is still up to the coaches to use them and put them in a position to have an impact.
Zeise also does an online chat where he gets downright curmudgeon-ny regarding college basketball. Boy does he hate good defensive basketball.
JCastellano_Loves_Latta: After watching the young talent that such teams like UNC, Duke, Ohio St, LSU and others you had mentioned. Do you think the recruits Pitt has landed over the past few years have been hyped up too much, or even overrated?
Paul Zeise: I don’t think they have been over hyper or over rated, they are what they are. I don’t recall anybody referring to Pitt’s recruiting class as one of the best in the land. They are good, hard-nosed kids that work hard and do what they are supposed to do as far as go to class and keep their nose clean. I don’t know of anybody in their right mind that thinks they have NBA talent, like the other teams we have mentioned. In fact, that’s one of the things Pitt needs to do in order to get to the next level _ begin to produce legitimate NBA players on a regular basis. Chris Taft is a marginal NBA player. Aaron Gray is a NBA prospect – a marginal one at that _ because he’s 7-feet tall. I’m talking about first round picks.
JCastellano_Loves_Latta: Back to Pitt, how do you think they will do next season?
Paul Zeise: I think if you look at the Big East _ they have a chance to do well. UConn is going to lose most of those guys. Syracuse wasn’t very good this year and they are losing the only dude who could put it in the hoop for them. Villanova has Curtis Sumpter returning, but they lose pretty much everyone else. West Virginia loses everyone except Frank Young. Marquette should be strong, Louisville should be strong. Cincinnati is probably in transition _ I really think the BIg East is going to be there for the taking and Pitt should be viewed as one of the favorites to win it all.
Marquette, Louisville, Georgetown and Pitt should be in some list at the top of the Big East come pre-season.
