The negativity is unreal.

You don’t put a guy in because of what he was ranked out of high school by scout.com. You guys aren’t at practice. The coaches have seen something other than the fact that Bostick was a 5 star recruit. Last week he looked terrible against Grambling, running into Shady and almost losing the ball on the exchange and then throwing a terrible pass into triple coverage that was picked off.

Yes, Smith had a bad game. Going to the spread Wildcat formation was a good way of coping. They were in that game up to and including the final play, yet tons of people are just bitching and whining about it. Last week you were predicting that they’d lose by three touchdowns.

I have more hope for this team now than I did after the first two games. GO PITT.

Adam – your comments were amazing. Please keep them up.

And Dan35 is correct. Those who don’t like Wannestedt clearly think he’s an idiot for not playing Bostick. Granted, this assumption isn’t based on the fact that Bostick may have been awful in practice and unprepared to play. It’s based on the assumption that the coaches are making the wrong decision. Love it.

I believe the coaches did what they could to get the offense going, which was put in the Arkansas package. As Dan said, it was a good way of coping.

The bottom line is that coaching at the college level also involves recruiting talent. The dramatic improvement of the defense considering we lost two draft choices at LBer and a 1st round corner, is remarkable. If he can transform a defense that quickly, give him next year for the offense when you’ve got all three, Smith, Bostick, Stull competing for the starting role at QB. You mix in Jacobsen and Nix, who will be our two most talented offensive lineman by a freakin’ mile and honestly may both start. You already are deep at TE and you throw in Mo Williams & Andre Wright at WR. Man, we are going to be loaded. It also just gets better after that.

The offense will improve. Kevin Smith will improve. We’ve got some time to get better. We can beat UConn. UVA is pretty horrible. Cinci will be a challenge, but it will be Cinci’s 6th game in about 6 weeks. We’ve also got 10 days to prepare for it.

I think we’re going to be 6-1 going into Louisville, and I’m not so sure with two weeks to prepare we can’t beat Rutgers. But I just don’t think we are THAT far away.

Pitt1972:
you … eh hem, said this …

“Very amusing stuff on here from the glass half-empty (completely empty?) crowd. Smith will start and do much better… because UConn’s DL isn’t anywhere near as good as MSU’s and Bostick [EMPHASIS] will not be feeling heat from a DL that gets penetration.” Comment by Pitt1972 09.16.07 @ 4:51 pm.

In place of what I can only presume to be a mental lapse …in whatever you’re trying to suggest here, Pitt1972 … I guess / think you meant to say “Kevan Smith,” right? I don’t think you meant to say Pat Bostick above, right?

I think that here on this site that we’re all alum and/or dedicated fans, so it’s not all too exciting to disagree and/or, to some extent or other, name-call / call each other out for the sake of argument.

But C’mon Dan35 , ryan, etc. If you can’t differentiate fact-fiction from what you say/ believe and point to as mere ”assumption” (above), nor substantiate what you evidently /moreover ‘assume’ to believe in place of it, then what in CNm. are you getting at or trying to argue exactly?

Uh, GO PITT?

Ryan and Dan35:

How dare you say Wannestedt had more knowledge of the quarterback situation than people who make regular comments on a Pitt sports blog.

Keven Smith accomplished his most important job yesterday…..he got the ball the McCoy without fumbling. Bostick had trouble doing that…..and maybe, just maybe, the coaches saw something that week in practice that convinced them not to play Bostick….I know that is a reach but just throwing it out there.

Anyone read the story about Levance Fields get tasered after allegedly going for the officer’s gun….this one definitely doesn’t sound good.

link to postgazette.com

the kid probably was arraigned this morning and now probably is out on bail…bottom line, he is looking at a possibly felony and the very least several misdemeanor charges…I not sure if coach will let him play while these charges are pending. To be quite honest, this won’t be resolved at the District Magistrate, but definitely will get held over for the Court of Common Pleas, and if it does, the charges won’t be resolved until February-March at the earliest.

Levance I wish you all the best, but are you an idiot, you never get into an argument with a cop, let alone go for his weapon! Stupid, very stupid!

What an idiot! Hopefully this can be resolved shortly. How can you be so stupid?

Umm..Mr. Fields is 20 and he was drunk, combative, and struck a police officer…IF all of the facts are true, don’t look for Mr. Fields to be in a Pitt Uniform this season.

I hope he can structure some deal with the DA’s office to plead guilty to a few of the lesser charges for a couple of years of probation. I don’t believe he has ever been in any legal trouble before so it should be pretty easy to resolve this. Bottom line, Dixon is going to suspend him for several games at least. He should know better.

who’s the backup pg?

Ramon and Bradley Wannamaker are the backups. I doubt all of these charges will stick. Fields probably isn’t going to be dismissed. I hope not. He will definitely be suspended for 5 games at least.

I’m thinking he’s probably done for, unless one of these cops changes his story completely. When Yuri broke into an apartment or hit a girl or whatever, he was gone. At best he’s only suspended a season.

I just don’t see this going anywhere good at all.

I didn’t see Wannamaker pass at all. He likes to shoot. Ramon is the other PG when Fields is on the bench, and well, we’ve seen how good he is. Oh well.

Yuri was a bum. Fields is the starting point guard. Big difference. I’m quite sure their will be a double standard. He wasn’t selling drugs or something completely outrageous. College kids do stupid things when they are drunk. It isn’t an excuse, but I don’t think he’ll be suspended for the year.

there not their. sorry.

“Earlier today I was informed of an incident at an off-campus location involving Levance Fields,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said in a released statement. “At this juncture, we will let the judicial process run its course before determining what disciplinary action is necessary.

“We have built a successful program at Pitt, on and off the court, by prioritizing personal accountability and responsibility. We will not compromise when it comes to those values.”

So we’re going to play him all year and hope the trial/plea is in spring? Go PSU…er, Pitt!

Not that i trust cops one bit…and not that i think underage drinking is terrible either…but he was drinking and screaming outside in public, and is only 20. He needs to make better decisions.

And i hope he was drinking light beer. He already weighs enough.

The best thing Levance can hope for is that the officer drops the Aggravated Assault on a police officer charge, this is a guaranteed jail sentence with extensive probation. If this charge is dropped to say two or three misdemeanors Levance will probably be accepted into the ARD (Accelerated Rehabilative Disposition) program. The ARD program is run by the DA’s office which in turn is basically a get out of jail program which will also include 2-3 years of probation, a fine, anger management classes, and drug / alcohol classes. If he completes all of these requirements in a timely fashion, the charges will be expunged from his criminal record. However, and this is a big but, he can’t get into trouble again, and this won’t be resolved until December-January at the earliest.

Also, on top of the criminal charges, the University will also bring additional University charges against Mr. Fields and he will more than likely be suspended by the University for at least 1-2 semesters. How do I know this, I do this for a living and see it all the time as a criminal defense attorney. I wish this kid luck, but he really messed up, and unless this officer lied on his affidavit Levance will either be riding the pine or off the team for the upcoming season. Best of Luck, Levance, but it’s time to grow up!

On the QB:

Smith has some talent, he’s just very raw. He played 8 games in HS as a QB. Michigan State was game #10 OF HIS LIFE AT ANY LEVEL. The throw to Turner against Grambling was a beauty. The last drive against MS, when the game was on the line, he threw a real tough pass across his body to Strong dragging left, and then threw a clutch pass on the run to Pestano on 4th and 18. There are a number of D1A QBs who can’t make those throws, and there is a reason Michigan was giving Smith a serious look when he committed to Pitt. He missed wildly on flat passes because he was trying to get the ball to the receivers with maximum time to make a move; these misses will go away in a game or two, because the coaches will beat it into his head that he’s got one job, let the receivers do their’s. It will take longer to learn to feel the pocket and to go through his progressions, but it’s not at all hopeless given his inexperience. I’m not saying he didn’t have a terrible day, he did. But he can do some things, and there is some chance he can develop the things he couldn’t against MS. Whoever brought up Mallet and Clausen is spot on, it’s very unusual for a FR QB to be successful in his first game or two unless he is a runner.

As far as pulling Smith for Bostick, the game was always within reach, Bostick is apparently out of shape and threw a pick in one attempt last week, and Smith had all/most first team reps this week; you have to go with the coaches on this one unless you’ve been to all the practices. The players (at least up until MS) have been uniformly in favor of Smith, which means something (players are almost always non-committal publicly in QB controversies).

On the coaches:

Without a doubt, the coaches had the team ready to play emotionally, they looked fired up all day. The defense looked pretty good, and it’s virtually all underclassman. Next year you have Berry/Gary at corner, Fields/Chappel/Dom at safety, same LBs (plus maybe a Lindsey or Nix), same DTs (plus Gus), and Romeus/Sheard/Tkach at end, and a lot of depth. DW is assembling a potentially dominating defense. He has recruited a top 10 OL in each of the past three years (Thomas, Lumpy, L. Nix could have gone almost anywhere, and you can throw Pinkston in there since he’s on the OL now), and some other pretty good ones, but they take a while to develop (I am concerned about that development right now, but it’s not as bad as some make it out to be). He landed Shady and a slew of other great athletes that are making the 2-deep as FR and SO. How many other coaches are going to bring that kind of talent to Pitt?

I think the coaches grade out reasonably well against MS. Great half-time adjustment to run the AK O. Bend-but-don’t-break D is exactly what you need with a raw QB, it shortens the game and keeps the score close. There’s only so much you can do on O when the QB is struggling, and I’m not about to second-guess the guys who watch Bostick every day when it comes to deciding if he was ready or not. If you go down by 10-14 Bostic comes in for sure given Smith’s struggles, but in such a close game sticking with Smith looked like the right call to me. This team is showing signs mentally and athletically of challenging for the BE in a year or two, and we can still pull off 8 wins plus a bowl game this year if we don’t have more major injuries and Smith develops (again, he’s played in 10 games as a QB in his life, his learning curve could potentially be very steep). I think it’s crazy to write off the coaching staff right now, unless you think maybe Pete Carroll wants to watch the seasons change.

I think you have just described the worst case scenario. I don’t think it will go that far. He will probably plead guilty to disorderly conduct and public drunkeness and that will be it. I assume Dixon will suspend him for at least the first 10 games. He made a big mistake. You can’t be this irresponsible. Hopefully he learns a valuable lesson.

Omar, I am as passionate a Pitt fan as you will find, but if the totality of the allegations against LF are true, I highly doubt he will be on Pitt’s team this year, perhaps ever again. Everyone here who has ever been drunk under age 21, been disorderly, and done so in public, raise your hand. Most of us could. Everyone in here who has been in that state and struck a Police Officer and GRABBED HIS GUN, raise your hand. That last one is the one that will not be swept away. I am truly sad for LF, but I think some kid who does not hit police officers and take their weapons is more deserving of the opportunity that LF may have wasted. AGAIN, I AM NOT CONVICTING LF. These are my feelings IF all of the allegations are true.

Sorry, not buying Pitt was “in” the game until the end. Pitt was “in” the game in the very same way Duke “beat” Northwestern last night, true in semantics only but false in almost every other way.

Wow – I learned two things tonight.

1. Oderick Turner dropping a sure touchdown, right in his breadbasket was Kevan Smith’s fault (as if that wasn’t obvious).

2. Even though they still had a chance to win down to the very last play of the game, they were not in the game.

Genius.

Ok, so you guys can say Pat Bostick wasn’t ready. Say what about want about Kevan Smith being nervous. Then ask yourself this about the coaches…if they’re so on top of things, WHY WASN’T A BACKUP QB READY???? Why is it possible for Auburn and VaTech to install freshman qb’s on a week’s notice (all of considerable less smarts than Pat) even when they had established starters. How is it possible we go into a game in which our backup qb is our running back? Why do you keep a guy like Kevan Smith out on the field when you are running the Arkansas instead of Mo Williams? If you guys are so positive about Dave and the coaching staff being SO on top of things, then find me a game under his reign that we won when we shouldn’t have. You are trying to tell me that if we can go out there and run the exact same damn play with Shady for an entire freaking quarter, that the smartest qb on our team (admitted by several other players on the team) can’t get in there and run a 10 play package??? What is our QB coach good for then? Tell me, please tell me.

Yi – when discussing Bostick you have had to be able to read between the lines going back two months. It is clear, and I think Omar is more correct than we give him credit for, that Bostick has some real problems that are not football related. That’s fine, it’s life and sometimes life gets in the way of other things. No amount of coaching by the QB coach can help him if that’s true.

So why is he dressed and on the team? Because he is a PITT panther, and perhaps dropping him off the active roster would be detrimental in the long run. Being a head Coach at the college level is much more than just being a gameday X&O guy – as we have already seen with DW. He has a situation on his hands that is more important then appeasing the fans, and perhaps the way he’s dealing with it is just the correct thing to do.

Regardless of why he wasn’t put in – I trust the coaches that are in touch with Bostick every day to know what is best for the team at large and for Bostick personally. But don’t kid yourself if you think any of the decisions regarding the QB position DW has had to make are easy ones – and I’ll give him credit for making the hard ones and sticking to them.

Reed, it’s the fact that he (DW) sticks with his decisions even when they are questioned/ scrutinized-criticized by an overwhelming majority of fans, writers, and other media outlets reporting on the college game. Based on the last two seasons, if you’ve never thought DW inflexible/ unyielding at times (see LSH up the middle 3&outs) then you’re vision is skewed.

You sound like a good soldier, but when you fail to contemplate your commanding officer’s orders or his-her ability to make an informed decision then you’re bound to agree with whatever the rhetoric, adhering to a system of belief without ever questioning it; i.e., “smash mouth” whatever the cost, damn the personnel.

At least that’s how you make it sound when you consistently defer judgment to this coaching staff, as if they were some conglomerate of mighty genius. Unfortunately for us, it’s just not the case.

As for the Bostick debate, does anyone need question how foolish and ill-advised it is to derive “fact” from what is merely “implied” in your suggestion to “read between the lines.” To date, aside from heresy, there has been nothing released about Pat Bostick’s personal issues, regardless of sources inside the Locke room. Because even if the boy was affected by panic attacks at the time of his departure, how can you say that he equally affected by them now, or that he’s suffering mentally from the residuals of such episodes?

I’m very wary of all the hoopla surrounding the issue and would prefer to look at the coaches and their inclinations based on the past two years, rather than read into Pat Bostick’s personal-issue(s) until something ‘substantial’ is reported from a newsworthy source.

Neil,
Man.. reading this board one would think PITT got blasted by 40. We were in the game and had multiple chances to win. Yes, Kevin did not have the game we would dream of but he played like a first year QB in his second start would play.

MC, did everything possible to help Kevin out but the nerves and confidences got the best of him which is all natural.

Please remember, our young man played an incredible game with heart, enthuasiam and pride for FOUR QUARTERS. We never quit but all this means nothing to alot of the writers on this blog.

Hey bloggers…we got a football team that is actually very good and to stun you even more we have a real shot at winning the BIG EAST.

Kevin is young and will learn from his mistakes. Yes, Pat was rated high but with Pat we need to trust the people who are around and monitor him on a daily basis and not individual like us who read recruiting sites.

Hail to Pitt. I think I am making the road trip to this week to the game because I was that proud of those players.

HAIL TO PITT.

What the Wanny-lovers keep forgetting is that this is the same guy who thought Rick Mirer and Jay Fiedler were NFL-caliber starters. You got what you paid for. I hope you’re satisfied.

“Pitt was “in” the game in the very same way Duke “beat” Northwestern last night, true in semantics only but false in almost every other way.”
Comment by Joshua 09.16.07 @ 11:45 pm

– HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh, come on. Raise your hand if you honestly believed Pitt was going to win last Saturday. Okay, now raise your hand if you thought Pitt was going to find a way to choke. As much as Duke didn’t “beat” NW but rather NW gave the game away on a silver platter, Pitt was “competitive” in that the overtaxed defense was trying its darndest to pull the weight that the O should have.

Oh, and raise your hand if you think the Wing-T will work next week, now that UConn has tape on it.

And to the yahoos who keep talking about putting me in as HC rather than Wanny, sorry, but I’d rather not clean up the mess Wanny is creating. If Saban and now Cameron are still trying to clean it up, and it took the hiring of Lovie Smith to clean it up in Chicago, I think I’d rather wait the 7 years before house is cleaned. However, being that Wanny has as much smarts as a baked potato, I don’t see how I’d do any differently, if not maybe better, if I were HC.