Not sure, other than for filler, why the PG would do this “Five Questions Revisited” thing. The only real answer that was close to definitive was whether Thatcher and Phillips were back physically and mentally from their injuries. It seems in the piece to almost be acknowledging that the other questions can’t be answered until Pitt actually plays the game.
Seems to be a continuing theme from the AP story that I noted and added my own thoughts. Now Kevin Gorman notes the pressure on Wannstedt this year is up a bit more.
Wannstedt has done all he can to be an avid fundraiser, goodwill ambassador and, perhaps most important, persuasive recruiter for Pitt. He has the unwavering support of the university’s top administrators, who don’t want to compromise their credibility by cutting corners.
“Winning is extremely important to us,” said Pitt athletic director Jeff Long, who hired Wannstedt in December 2004. “We want to win the Big East championship. We want to play in a BCS bowl. We want to win a national championship. But we’re not going to do that at all costs.”
Yet Pitt fans are becoming restless, craving a winner after back-to-back six-loss seasons that included lopsided losses to arch-rival West Virginia. Not only has Wannstedt yet to claim a signature victory, but the Panthers have suffered demoralizing overtime losses at Ohio and Connecticut that cost them likely bowl berths the past two seasons.
…
Is it fair to call this a make-or-break season for Wannstedt?
“It’s probably not unfair, if you look around the country and see people have made those kind of changes,” Long said. “We brought Dave Wannstedt here because he’s a proven football coach, a proven winner. He loves Pitt, loves Pittsburgh. I think Dave is the right man for the right job. He’s leading us strong.”
Gorman does seem to want to blame the pressure on the nebulous things such as the “culture of college football” changing and increased expectations from fans for things to happen sooner. That’s a cop-out. The patience is there. As long as there’s something indicating progress is happening. It keeps coming back to showing some tangible signs of progress. Not just being told there’s a “plan” or that it will happen.
I don’t like comparing eras and won’t bash Walt Harris even though he pulled some strange stuff as well.
I will say this, though, Pitt has done measurably *less* with ostensibly *more* under Wannstedt than they did under his predecessor. People can crunch all the numbers and Scout.com ratings they want and abuse the “cupboard is bare” metaphor until they’re blue in the face. But it doesn’t change the facts:
– 2005 and 2006 were busts
– there is little hope/hype for 2007
– we don’t compete well in big games
– we haven’t made it to a bowl game under Wannstedt (which really isn’t that hard, nearly half the D-IA teams do it)
– We’ve been surpassed in the Big East by the likes of Rutgers, UConn and South Florida
I don’t see any of these as measurable signs of progress. In fact, I believe we have regressed. Yes we have some promising recruits – but we don’t have the Heisman candidate we had in Fitzgerald or the gamers like we did in Hayes, Blades, Palko and Revis (apologies to LaRod).
I can be patient. But I won’t stick my head in the sand and say that everything is going to come to fruition in 2008 and we’re going to win a BCS title game. We were closer to that game three years ago than we are today.
Saying that Pitt has done less with DW than with Harris only proves that we should give DW more time before we crucify him. DW is 11-12 in his first 2 seasons (and though I’m not trying to make excuses- in a much tougher Big East than ’03). Harris was 8-17 in his first 2 years and 5-6 in his third. It takes time for a coach to make a team ‘his’. I have faith.
I’m a huge Pitt fan and want to see the Panthers excel like everyone else here. But from my perspective, the program has fallen off the map under Wannstedt. (Quick anecdote: Pitt was left completely out of a recent ranking of all DI-A programs by my local paper – The Orlando Sentinel).
Is it possible that we’ll be better off in a few years than we ever were under Harris? Maybe. I’ll be the first to admit that our status as a perennial top-25 program under Harris was tenuous at best.
Right now, however, it seems more like we’re rebuilding and I don’t believe that was necessary. For all Harris’ faults, he did put the program back on the aforementioned map. Furthermore, I’m not sure if “rebuilding” is an apt description for what Wannstedt and the administration are doing or simply a euphemism for underachieving.
I hope you’re right and we do well in 2007. But I think a fair evaluation of the schedule and our talent leaves us at .500, perhaps 7-5. On paper that might seem like an improvement, but that’s pretty weak when you consider the competition and the program’s national standing as recently as 2004.
Trying to keep the faith,
Dave
DW is putting together a program that can be dominate for years to come. Yes, we had two bad season but DW did not compromise his blueprint and we will see the result this year and the years to come.
Please note- even if the bottom falls out this year we need to support DW, The Univ and the players.
I cant beleive that I am reading this from you guys.
DW said when he was hired what he was going to do and when we would see great results.
People screamed why we did not blitz last year and than DW show reporters tapes that proved why we should not blitz. Injuries killed us last year and the ball did not bounce our way. this year and the years to come will be different but you need to support, the players, coaches, and university
As for Wannstedt’s blueprint. I guess he could be trying to sneak up on people – playing possum. I mean, no one could possibly expect us to compete for a national title after losing to the likes of Ohio U., UConn and South Florida while going 0-6 against Rutgers, Louisville and West Virginia over the past two years. Here’s a list of the teams we have beaten during Wannstedt’s short tenure:
YOUNGSTOWN STATE
CINCINNATI
SOUTH FLORIDA
SYRACUSE
CONNECTICUT
VIRGINIA
Cincinnati
THE CITADEL
TOLEDO
Syracuse
UCF
I’m not sure how we’re going to go from the current situation to title contenders by next year – which everyone says will be season that reveals the fruits of Wannstedt’s brilliant master plan. I hope we do, but it’s just not realistic.
As for Wannstedt’s blueprint. I guess he could be trying to sneak up on people – playing possum. I mean, no one could possibly expect us to compete for a national title after losing to the likes of Ohio U., UConn and South Florida while going 0-6 against Rutgers, Louisville and West Virginia over the past two years. Here’s a list of the teams we have beaten during Wannstedt’s short tenure. Not exactly awe-inspiring:
YOUNGSTOWN STATE
CINCINNATI
SOUTH FLORIDA
SYRACUSE
CONNECTICUT
VIRGINIA
Cincinnati
THE CITADEL
TOLEDO
Syracuse
UCF
I’m not sure how we’re going to go from the current situation to title contenders by next year – which everyone says will be season that reveals the fruits of Wannstedt’s brilliant master plan. I hope we do, but it’s just not realistic.
We can crunch numbers all day long, but I don’t think that’s going to give us a real answer.
Sagarin *is* used in the BCS rankings, but that’s just part of the equation. Only mathletes would say “The Sagarin index has us ranked in the Top 25! Glory be to Jeff and Pythagoras.”
Most people refer to the AP and USA Today polls. Here is where Pitt finished in these year-end polls in the three years prior to Wannstedt’s arrival.
2002
AP – 24
USA Today – 23
2003
AP – 32 (7 votes)
USA Today – 36 (5 votes)
Preseason (10 & 11) respectively
2004
AP – 25
USA Today – 28 (Dropped from 20th in final week)
Note that we were knocking on the verge of breaking into the top-10 before that tough loss to Miami in the Orange Bowl. How long do you think it will be before we crack the top 10 again? How long will it be before we win *at* a place like Notre Dame again. That was a great victory for Pitt fans and expletives on live TV (thank you Tyler).
I agree that the Big East is stronger today than it was immediately after the departure of Miami, BC and VaTech. But those schools were still playing in the conference through 2003 and lent legitimacy to the Panthers success.
Say what you will about the current situation, but those are three top-flight programs that pound-for-pound, cannot be replaced by the likes of Louisville, South Florida, Cincinnati, etc.
Perception is reality. Pitt was perceived as a top-25 caliber team in Harris’ final years. They are far from that now. There is nothing to correct.
BTW – Sorry for the previous double post. I think the server went down when I was submitting.
He changed the whole system. Give them a few years to adjust. Yes, he hasn’t overacheived. And due to some poor defense, he’s underachieved a little. And I’m sure Harris’ system was come condusive to scraping a few wins out of poor players. It was never going to win us NCs. It was never going to get us above 8-4. Good talent had no interest in playing for him anymore – HE was going to get them to the NFL? Now more top talent kids are coming here. Just don’t expect freshman to dominate seniors their first year.
We do have a Heisman canidate – his name is Shady. Wait until 08 and 09 – his name will be there.
ND still was getting TALENT with Ty – when Weis stepped in, he had 4 and 5 star kids on the team already. DW stepped into a pile of shit. 4 overachieving kids do not a team make.
All i’m asking is be realistic.
Didn’t we go 8-4 in 75 and win the NC in 76 with an amazing runing back? At least we have a chance now – who’s been our amazing running back in the last 10 years? We’ve had 1 great player.
We should all just let it play out instead of rehashing this every week.
I get more pissed off the hoops team dies out every year. No one wanted to fire Howland in 00 when he had 13-15 record.
“We can crunch numbers all day long, but Sagarin *is* … (for) mathletes.”
… that was funny. but truly accurate, also:
“Perception is reality. Pitt was perceived as a top-25 caliber team in Harris’ final years. They are far from that now. There is nothing to correct.”
Nope, there’s nothing to correct whatsover.
And that’s just the way it is at present.
Nobody’s called for DW’s head — from what I’m reading, at least — nor is anybody pining for a coach Harris return. So it’s not like folks are asking whose fault or not?
Regardless, all things pitt-football are in a pretty crumby state since DW took the helm. And p’lease, to deny frustration with the program’s progress (as illustrated by countless visual performance on natl. tv) is absurd.
I also expect to compete, which we don’t do against teams of reasonable caliber. See blowout losses to WVU and Louisville.
Yes. He changed the whole system – except for the horse shit defensive scheme that needed to be changed.
Yes, he has recruited well, but still hasn’t been able to give us good linebackers or linemen – which we need most.
In fact, we’ve got such a log-jam of skill players that we moved one of the most highly-touted players in his class (Dickerson) to LB after burning his red shirt. If that’s not an endorsement to future recruits I don’t know what is. “Come to Pitt and realize your dreams were just that.”
No. McCoy isn’t a Heisman candidate. He’s not even the starter – yet.
If six bowl games in eight years is a “pile of shit,” what are we standing in now?
To have fallen as far as we have in two short years and still say we’re in a better position than we were under Harris is ludicrous.
Do I wish Harris were still here? No. Do I wish people would stop rationalizing Pitt’s mediocrity into potential? Yes.
Are you really a big Pitt fan?
You are so full of crap, I don’t know where to begin.
Pitt hasn’t been a perennial top 25 program since 1983.
Your quick anecdote stating that the Orlando Sentinel failed to list Pitt in its ranking of all D-1 programs is more a reflection of the incompetence of the Orlando Sentinel. It is in no way indicative of Pitt falling off the map, as you suggest.
I think WVU, Louisville & Rutgers have replaced Miami, Va Tech & BC as the elite Big East teams. Collectively, they have surpassed them.
I am much happier having Wannstadt representing my University than Harris. Wanny has reestablished close relationships with high school coaches & programs all across the Commonwealth, ties which were strained under Harris. Wannstadt has already proven himself to be one of the nation’s better recruiters, he has attracted more blue chip recruits in the last two years than Harris did in the previous five. Wanny has excelled at the PR aspects of his job, something Harris sucked at. Wannstadt looks, talks and acts like a football man. He has taken the heat for Pitt’s poor performances the past two years like a man. Harris was a weenie who always blamed the players for losses. And he even stated through his agent that Pitt was a second rate program. I’d much rather have a coach that believes in the program and the University. If the Hoopies can compete for a national title, then so can Pitt! Does anyone out there really want Harris back?
Harris was a good offensive coach, but he relied on finesse and deception. Wanny is attempting to return Pitt to power, smashmouth football. It is no surprise Pitt has struggled the last two years, they haven’t had enough decent linemen. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, Pitt produced linemen the likes of May, Covert, Fralic, Grimm, Stepnoski, Sweeney, Doleman, Holloway and Maas. And the 1980 starting d-line of Green Jackson, Meissner, Neal & Boyarski was one of the best college football lines ever. Because of his style of play, Harris had no chance of attracting top linemen. The lines aren’t quite there yet, but we’re getting closer. Once we get enough top linemen, we will win big.
Let’s be patient. I have seen more losing seasons than winning seasons at Pitt over the last 37 years. That just will make the success we will enjoy in the present and future that much sweeter. Please remember that Rodriguez at WVU and Schiano at Rutgers each had a bunch of losing seasons before they turned their programs around. And Pete Carroll at USC did not have great success immediately (remember he succeeded that previous Pitt coaching legend Paul Hackett). It takes time to establish a program and recruit the type of physical players necessary to succeed. Having Buddy Morris back will also help.
Prediction for the year…Pitt will win one or two away games and lose one or two home games and finish 7-5. Get your passports updated for a trip to Toronto for the International Bowl.
I was on campus last week moving in my son, who is an incoming freshman. Seeing all of the activity (and the coeds) really got me primed for the season. Let’s support our Panthers.
By the way, Shady (LeSean McCoy) is the real deal. I saw him play a couple of times in high school. His speed, power & cutback ability are all big time. He is the best back we’ve had since Ironhead!
Almost everybody here says “BE PATIENT”, then let things play out……wait until McCoy performs first……….
One last thing………..GO EER’s!!!!
Your comment “To have fallen as far as we have in two short years and still say we’re in a better position than we were under Harris is ludicrous” is ludicrous.
This statement implies we were a powerhouse under Harris. That simply was not the case. If you remember, Pitt got that BCS bid in Harris’ final year only after several other Big East teams lost their final games. I believe we ended up in a four way tie for first place and were awarded the BCS berth based on the tie breaking formula. Pitt did not win the Big East that year…those other teams lost it. And we were then humiliated in the Fiesta Bowl by Urbam Meyer’s Utah squad.
Basically, we were lousy then and we are still lousy today.
Going to minor bowls each year and finsihing 8-4 or 7-5 is not good enough. If that is all that Wannstadt produces, he will also be shown the door. I give Pitt’s administration credit. They are not willing to settle for mediocrity (even though mediocrity was an improvement over the terrible teams we had from 1984-1996).
Perhaps I am full of crap. I’ll leave that up to you to decide, but it sounds like you have already come to a conclusion 😉
No I wasn’t a big Walt Harris fan and I have already stated that I don’t want him back. I think he did some bone-headed things during his time at Pitt and your comment about blaming players (read:kids) for the team’s shortcomings was spot on.
If finesse and deception win football games then go with it. I, and I imagine most astute football fans, don’t need someone to tell me that good line play on both sides of the ball is key to a succesful program. We all know that, but Pitt’s lines are still patchwork at best heading into this staff’s third season. That’s acceptable?
Pitt was ranked in 2002, 2003 and 2004 under Harris. Does that run compare with programs like USC, Ohio State and Texas? Hell no. Was it a major improvement over the previous coach’s (Majors) stint? Hell yes.
Is the Orlando Sentinel incompetent? Some people might say yes. But, if Pitt was in the top 25 like it was three years ago would they have been left out? Likely not.
I have stated that I am willing to be patient. But what I don’t care to hear is how it takes time to build a winner. That much is obvious – when you’re starting from scratch. Despite all the Haris/cupboard-is-bare belly-aching, you’re program can’t be that bad if it went to the BCS the year before. Downplaying the achievements of that team is disrespectful.
Long story short – I think the program has regressed from a standpoint of results during Wannstedt’s tenure. I think the fact that he is a “Pitt guy” has colored the analysis of his performance. I think he has done some good things for the program in terms of recruiting. I think he has done some knucklehead stuff in terms of personnel management and game planning. I think he has failed to keep the program competitive within the conference much less on the national scene.
I also think we will get better in the years to come. Partly because of his recruiting and partly because it would be difficult to play worse against our relatively weak schedule.
It’s a shame that honest evaluation is met with contempt. But that seems to be par for the course these days.
BTW – I never said McCoy wasn’t a quality player. I just think that declaring him a Heisman candidate when he hasn’t played a game *and* is currently second fiddle to Stephens-Howling is a bit outlandish.
STOP already with the BCS garbage – you’re not argueing with those douche bags from across the state here – we know we backed into that with 3 other teams screwing up, and the “matheletes” put us in the game…to get blown out. That’s hardly the same as going 11-1 and going to the 2nd BCS game. We only went because the Big East had an agreement – and i’m sure the BCS was looking for an escape clause that year to invite someone else.
What BCS game has a 20 pt spread? And they cover?!?
You’ve drank too much of that BCS koolaid to see it clearly…
Pitt’s potential under Harris: top 25 sometimes, certainly not top 10 under anyones imagination.
Pitt’s potential under Wanny: Not sure yet, I do know this: All the top 10 teams that you see there every year, recruit well. Every once in a while you will see one exception or two a year, but they don’t last. Please find me an example of a powerhouse that does not recruit well. Maybe WVU, but they havn’t been up there for too long. Harris couldn’t recruit, therefore Pitt’s potential was very limited. I agree he was a good X and O’s guy. Wanny is changing the system, give him a chance.
I have no contempt for you. On the contrary, I have enjoyed reading your posts and I am glad this site contains a good cross-section of opinions. The diversity of opinion is one of the things that lead to lively debate. And I believe hearing differing points of view is a good thing.
Even though you make many valid points, I just disagree with some of what you state, especially the negativity.
I prefer to think of the glass as half full. I was around in the early 70’s when Pitt’s program was terrible. We were 1-10 my freshman year. Four years later, well…you know. I see many parallels with those years occurring now. I believe Wanny is going about things in the right way.
Blogs such as this serve to whet our appetites for the upcoming season. And your opinions have resulted in me spending a couple of hours thinking about Pitt football, probably my favorite topic. So, I thank you for that.
I agree with a lot of what you say. I agree that both Harris and Wannstedt have done a lot of bonehead stuff. I don’t like either of Pitt’s coordinators. I think Caavanaugh’s reigning in Palko was a major reason we did not win a few more games. And Rhoads problems are well documented. I agree that mentioning Shady as a Heisman candidate is at best premature and at worst ridiculous. I agree that Harris produced Pitt’s best results of the last 20 years, and was a major improvement over what preceeded him. And I agree that there is no excuse for our not being competitive against the new Big 3, WVU, Louisville & Rutgers.
I don’t mean to complain about Harris, I am merely attempting to compare him to Wannstedt. And my intent is not to disrespect Pitt’s achievements in 2004. I am only trying to put them in perspective and be realisitic. I think that was the year that Furman took us to overtime and we needed a fourth quarter comeback to defeat Temple. After all of the bad and dumb luck Pitt has had over the years, a season such as that one was indeed welcome. But a lot of things went our way that year, and I think the biggest reason we pulled out a bunch of close games that year was Tyler Palko’s guts. But it took a confluence of events to get us to a BCS game…the defections of Miami & Va Tech, numerous close wins, the other league contenders losing games late in the year they should have won and Palko’s never say die attitude. Perhaps it is you that is still drinking that 2004 Kool-Aid.
I love Pitt football..win or lose. And it is a good time…win or lose. Winning is a hell of a lot more fun though and it makes those cross-state trips home to Harrisburg seem much shorter.
So, I would like to raise my glass to Pitt football, Chas’ blog, everyone who reads and posts comments here and to the University of Pittsburgh. Let’s have a great season and have tons of fun. And attend as many games as you can. Hail to Pitt!!!!!
Look – Walt got so lucky with Larry it’s ridiculous. He was probably the best WR in the history of college football. Seriously. but Walt couldn’t recruit linemen. That was his problem. That’s why we could never beat anyone worth a damn. That being said, lineman take longer to mature and get good than other positions. Freshmen don’t typically play a lot as there is such a physical difference between a true freshman and a 5th year senior. the point is that you HAVE to give Wanny and his staff a few years to recruit and then develop linemen.
But he IS recruiting linemen that Walt would have NEVER gotten. Give them time to develop for heaven’s sake. Go look at the dominant teams like Florida, USC, LSU and look at how they recuited 3 years ago. It’s obvious why they are good. There are few teams that have big time success without big time recruiting. It’s essential and Walt was NEVER going to get us there. If Wanny can recruit with us going 6-6, imagine what he can do when we start winning. he’s the right guy for the job, give him time.
And LeSean is going to be a heisman candidate in 2009, maybe even next year if Lumpy is healthy to play Guard.
Amen Al and cheers! Not trying to stir up controversy and my comments were not directed at you specifically. I apologize if I’ve offended any of you and I too appreciate Chas providing us with this “forum” to share our thoughts. While I can’t say that my stance on Wannstedt needing to show some tangible results soon (read: going to a bowl this year and being competitive with WVU, UL and Rutgers) has changed, I truly enjoy reading everybody’s passionate viewpoints.
LT-Pinkston
LG-Lumpy
C- C.J.Davis
RG- Joe Thomas
RT-Luke Nix
And for depth, guys like Bokor, Bachman, Matha Gaskins, Gibb (and there are probably others my beer addled 50+ year old brain is forgetting). Who can remember when Pitt last had a depth chart on the o-line that went two deep in quality players?
In 2008, we will have many All Big-East caliber players (and several potential All-Americans)on both lines. At that point, there will be no more excuses. Nor do I think any will be necessary.If we get any kind of decent quarterbacking, Pitt will compete for a BCS berth in 2008.
The 2nd-4th year players DW inherited according to the Scout database: 0 5-stars, 4 4-stars. One of those was Fitz, who DW didn’t coach. So DW inherited 3 4-star athletes. It gets better. Let’s look at the OL and DTs for those three years combined. OL: 5 3-stars, 6 2-stars, 1 1-star. DT: 1 3-star. That’s right, DW inherited 1 DT recruit (excluding 5th year seniors, if any).
Let’s look at the 12 OL: John Simonitis, Neal Tracey, Zach Schlundt, Eric Fritz, Mike DeLuca, Zach Slates, Mike McGlynn, Chris Vangas, Jerald Robinson, Dave Weber, and Chase Clowser. I think at least half of these guys weren’t even on the roster when DW came aboard; only four or five of those guys have ever made the 2-deep at Pitt as far as I know.
So there you have it, DW inherited 3 4-star athletes, 1 DT, and 4 or 5 OL (plus 5th year seniors). That 2004 BCS team played in the weakest BCS conference ever, had the worst BCS bowl team record ever (and barely scraped by with a couple of those Ws agains horrid teams), and graduated a lot of experienced/solid guys on the OL and DL (Petitti, Belarski, Crochunis, Spencer, Stephens).
Flip to the 2006-2007 recruiting classes (DW’s first full classes): 5 5-star athletes, 17 4-stars (23 blue-chippers in 2 years vs. 4 in 3 years). OL: 1 5-star, 3 4-stars, 2 3-stars, 1 2-star. DT: 3 4-stars, 1 3-star, 1 2-star, 1 1-star. This is night and day, both in terms of overall athleticism, and in terms of numbers and quality on the lines. 2008 adds one of the best OTs in the nation and a top 10 RB already. But of all these great athletes, the ones who have played at all were TRUE FRESHMAN when they played last year (except 2 JCs).
I think Pitt is going to win 8 or 9 games this year, but most of our talent is still very young. DW inherited only a few great athletes, and the cupboard was incredibly, unbelievably bare on both lines. How anyone can complain that he is 1 game below .500 in those conditions is beyond me!
Bottom line, taking Wannstedt’s “great” initial recruiting classes into account why have we performed so poorly? Surely these new recruits would be starting over the bare cupboard that was left by Harris. And surely we’d be able to trounce venerable opponents like Ohio, UConn and South Florida on their sheer, highly-rated talent alone.
Nobody has argued against Wannstedt’s recruiting ability. But what is he doing with those recruits? And if they’re so good – and the existing roster is so bad – why are they not contributing more and why are we losing to programs that don’t recruit nearly as “well.”
I don’t think we’ll win more than seven games this year. But people will look at those seven wins and say “See, look at the improvement. Isn’t the Stache doing a grand job?”
What they won’t mention is a schedule that includes Eastern Michigan, Grambling St., UConn, Navy, Syracuse and Cincinnati – most of them at home. That’s six gimmies to any program of note and not something on which to hang your hat.
“Punter Dave Brytus and kicker Conor Lee will handle kickoffs, unless someone with a stronger leg joins the team this week”
WTF? Time to kick that recruiting prowess into overdrive. We all know special teams is an afterthought. Maybe Kathy Ireland is available…
3 star senior lineman are better than 5 star freshman. Have you seen a freshman recently?
Now, those other teams with 4 and 5 star senior lineman are going to continue to beat our asses. LET THE FUCKING KIDS DEVELOP FOR TWO OR THREE YEARS.
“I, and I imagine most astute football fans, don’t need someone to tell me that good line play on both sides of the ball is key to a successful program. We all know that, but Pitt’s lines are still patchwork at best heading into this staff’s third season. That’s acceptable?”
…is off the mark. I do realize that in football, as in almost anything, we have to wait for things to play out before evaluating them, but not to realize that PITT’s linemen this season are the best they have fielded in many years is wrong. Look at the two deep talent on the defensive line – we have not seen that since 1981. It directly addresses the problems DW has had to deal with in his first two years, and will affect the rest of the defense in a positive way. The crux of our shortcomings over the last two years was the run defense and DW has recruited specifically to address that – the argument that “he’s had two years of great recruits and where did that get us?” is one made by people that don’t understand what it takes to field good line play at the collegiate level. Case in point – over the last two years on defense we had to play Malecki and Mustakas (as a true freshman) when both were injured badly enough that they should have been sitting.
On offense we had to rely on a true freshman in Joe Thomas to start a majority of the games. Some programs can get away with that if the recruit is so good he can’t be kept off the field, and the other lineman are as good also – but that was not the case at PITT. That’s a telling sign of what was left in the trenches when DW took over.
The offensive line starters are good this season also, and while not as deep as the D line they should be able to rotate some players in to take the load off the starters, and given that our offense was pretty decent last year we should see more of the same.
The point here is that what was a real weakness on both sides of the ball in the last two years has been addressed and we’ll see better line play this season – which will help the play every other position to improve.
Finally, any PITT “Kool-Aid drinkers” for the 2007 season do not come close to the people that drank the Kool-aid in 2004. That team was the luckiest team in PITT’s history – from the breaks they got to win some games to the way they were ‘chosen’ to represent the BE in the BCS bowl. That PITT was to play in that bowl was an huge embarrassment to the BCS committee – with good reason. They knew how very weak the team was and what the outcome would be in advance. For every fan that shouts about how “we were a BCS team in 2004” there are a thousand fans across the country that remember the debacle against Utah (UTAH!) and point to it as being what ills the BCS program.
Reed – You make some great points, but as you said, lets wait and see how things play out before declaring the lines better. I’m not convinced we’ve got the second-coming of the Hogs on offense and as long as Rhoads is around I wouldn’t count on the defense stopping the run.
Also, how is Wannstedt addressing the run defense by moving Dickerson to linebacker and not sacking Rhoads? He’s plugging holes. That seems more like desperation to me than foresight.
Think how nice it would be to have Dickerson at WR now that Kinder’s out for the season. Now he’s wasted a year of eligibility playing a couple of game on special teams in 2006 and he’s splitting time at LB.
2001–76.53
2002–80.63
2003–76.17
2004–72.67
2005–72.00
2006–75.80
2007–TBD–initial = 76.36 (Better but inexperienced young talent balances out loss of Revis, Blades, Palko & etc.??) Or, will 2006 be surpassed?
2008–TBD (Hopefully higher than the 2002 number and a genuine top 15 team.)
I may be wasting my time here as well, but very seldom can you expect a top-notch recruit on the line to step in as a true or even redshirt freshman and compete well against an older upperclassman. Offensive and defensive lines are probably the only two positions in football where experience and age will generally trump talent. You’re talking about pitting an 18 or 19-year old kid against a 22-year old. It’s not much different than asking a high school freshman to square off against a high school senior. Even if the younger kid is more naturally talented, there are a lot of physical limitations the younger kid has working against him. In many cases, the older kid is a hell of a lot stronger.
Look at Malecki and Joe Thomas last year. They both fared well over the first couple of games of the season. I remember watching Thomas get manhandled by a bigger, older DT from Michigan State. I remember watching Malecki getting pushed back into the linebackers by Mich. State linemen who were older than he was.
Jake Long from Michigan might be as good as you get in college football right now – probably would’ve been a top 15 pick had he entered this past NFL draft. He didn’t play as a freshman and actually didn’t even start until his third game of his sophomore year. Just because these kids are highly rated doesn’t mean they’re going to step in as 18 or 19-year olds and dominate. They seldom ever play, let alone start. History shows that.
