LeSean McCoy is coming to Pitt with a lot of fanfare and with fans holding high expectations. The way Dave Wannstedt and the coaching staff actually handle him is important, though, for both this year and the future. Wannstedt is known to play upperclassmen over younger players, but is it a mistake having him behind LaRod Stephens-Howling? Stephens-Howling, a junior, is the starter as of now, but should McCoy, a true freshman with possibly more talent, be starting over him? LaRod is listed as the started on the two-deep depth chart with Shady as the #2 guy.
The way that McCoy’s situation unfolds under Wannstedt will be a huge factor in determining not only how we do this year, but how well we are able to recruit big name players in the future. If we show that we’re too incompetent to use McCoy well (and often), why should any other player like him come to Pitt?
I’m not saying that McCoy deserves the starting nod for the opener over Stephens-Howling, because frankly I haven’t seen enough of either. The time I watched them at Fan Fest was nowhere near the type of situation needed to make a choice. I’m counting on the coaches who see them in scrimmages to get them each the appropriate amount of carries this year. I think by the end of the year we’ll see McCoy listed over LSH on the depth chart to show that we’re starting our big name guy. They might get equal numbers of carries, but McCoy (and other potential recruits) want to be the star in the spotlight and saying that they are the “starter” is a big deal.
We need them both..period. LSH is the starter. LSH, can be the Brian Westbrook for us. We need him early b/c his body is use tothe banging in college. Lets break McCoy in slowly and if he is hat good he will earn the starting spot for his performance not recruiting status.
LSH, has been a good leader for th edevelopment of the younger players. Have faith in him.
BTW- I am a McCoy fan but I am not discounting LSH from having a nice year. Maybe 1300 yards
I think McCoy will see his share of action in spelling Stephens-Howling. Maybe 10 carries a game. That will be a good primer.
Don’t forget about Collins. We’re so deep at running back that he’s a forgotten figure. He’s very versatile and could probably start for some teams at tailback. Having him and Brooks at fullback is a luxury.
That said, having a stable full of top-flight backs does little good if we can’t block for them. Let’s hope the offensive line is able to step up its play this year.
Stephens-Howling has his limitations, but I think he’s a better back than most people tend to give him credit. He’s terrific in the open field and he’s a lot stronger than he looks. He tends to break a lot of tackles for a back his size. And as someone pointed out in previous threads where this has come up, Pitt is in no position to turn its back on a kid who racked up over 1100 yards in total offense last year. This is a nice problem for Pitt to have if McCoy in fact proves he is capable of posing a threat this year as well (and I think he will).
Eastern Michigan and Grambling will give McCoy two good games to get his feet wet and adjust to the speed of game action at this level. If McCoy is getting solid playing time as the season wears on, it’ll reflect well on potential recruits. I’m hoping the o-line blocks well enough to give him a chance.
One other thing, too…I’m not sure what he’s like away from the field, but I don’t get the impression that McCoy will cause a lot of waves if he feels he’s not getting the ball as much as he wanted. For all the horror stories that were passed around about this kid, I remember Dokish saying on his website that McCoy’s problems seemed to be a bit maturity-related and he didn’t come off at all like an egomaniac with the potential to become a locker room cancer. In fact, a lot of things I read suggested that he’s a bit confident bordering on cocky, but he was also a terrific teammate. He’s said all the right things, even coming off as humble in some of the interviews I’ve read, and he seems genuinely excited to be wearing a Pitt uniform.
I think this is the start of a good era at Pitt.
That said, in these first two games it’s the coaching staff that has to do the hard work of getting them both enough carries to adequately evaluate them – while still winning the game.
However, this is a very good situation to be in, and it’s much better than having a QB controversy, because it has much less effect on the rest of the offensive players when you substitute RB in different series. Something tells me this is a much bigger concern for us fans & the media then it is for the coaching staff – they have other areas of the team to be more worried about than who trots out onto the field at RB in the first PITT series.
