I suppose there would be a bit of bashing if players came out after the game saying that they felt good about things. The way the players are talking at the moment, though, is a big concern.
“That is the million-dollar question — why we have self-destructed and why we haven’t made the plays we’ve made in the past,” quarterback Tyler Palko said. “It isn’t a lack of focus. We need to get to the root of the problem.
“We tip our cap, but, shoot, we can’t do these things and expect to win football games. It is hard enough to win football games when you play mistake-free.”
The Panthers have been anything but. Wannstedt used the word “disappointing” to describe their play and was surprised because he believed they had practiced well. Right tackle Mike McGlynn respectfully disagreed, saying the team had been “lackadaisical” the past two weeks.
After-the-fact, last year’s poor team psyche was attributed to some “bad apples” and poor leadership. Something that no one actually considers and issue. The effort and energy from Pitt’s best players have been there, even as they shoulder the blame.
“The lack of focus we have, that’s my fault,” Blades said. “As a senior leader on this team, I can’t allow those things to happen. So you can put this on me. It is my job, and for that matter Tyler’s [Palko] job and all the captains’ job, to get this team focused and playing well again.”
Blades, whose knee was so beat up Saturday he had to do his postgame interviews while sitting down, said it is frustrating to see the Panthers lose in the manner they have the past two weeks. He said he knows Pitt is a better football team than it has displayed.
“We need to concentrate on us right now,” Blades said. “We need to forget about all the other stuff that’s going on. We can only control what we do. We can’t control anything else. We can’t be focused on other people and other things. We have to be focused on what we do. Period, point blank. I was shocked [by Pitt’s lack of effort]. We just didn’t put out the effort you need to play winning football.
“It seemed to me like some of the guys weren’t into the game. You just can’t cry about it when things go wrong. You have to keep playing football.”
Blades wasn’t the only player who questioned the effort of some of his teammates after the game. Cornerback Darrelle Revis said there were Panthers who flat out quit…
It all seems to start on the lines. If the D-line isn’t stopping the run, or if the O-line can’t provide holes for the running game or protect the quarterback; then it seems the whole team starts to fall apart. They can’t handle the adversity.
I’ll ask: might it have anything to do with a lack of faith in the coaching staff to make adjustments to what the other side is doing? It speaks, poorly to the discipline within the team.
On the field, the O-line is in bad shape.
Pitt shuffled its offensive line, which is beset by injuries, against South Florida. Midway through the second quarter, the Panthers replaced guards C.J. Davis and Joe Thomas for a series with Dom Williams and Chris Vangas, who drew back-to-back penalties. In the fourth quarter, Jason Pinkston replaced Jeff Otah at left tackle on the final drive.
And on top of that, with only 3 games left Coach Wannstedt may take the redshirt off of Freshman DE Greg Romeus. Please don’t.
