I suppose that’s what it comes down to with Coach Dave Wannstedt. We all know it on some level. Some are comfortable with it. Others not so much. Still others frustrated, because they believed he might change and adapt.
Right now, I’m at the point where I acknowledge it. Wannstedt’s actions — playing those who he thinks knows the system best regardless of their talent and ability to actually execute, fearing mistakes to the point of paralysis on developing the talent behind the starters, preferring to hire coaches to whom he has the deepest ties to and won’t challenge his assumptions (classic groupthink), sticking with one system and game plan regardless of the talent rather than adapting the gameplan and system to the talent, and playing not to lose (and yes, I know I’ve left stuff out) — all say he isn’t changing.
I thought for myself that Wannstedt was capable of adapting. That while he would stick to his basic priniciples of what he believes, he could tweak and adjust things as a head coach at college. That Wannstedt would be Pete Carroll-esque with more than just having similar enthusiasm and energy.
Instead, it is rather clear that Wannstedt has followed the path of Al Groh and Chan Gailey. Playing somewhere around mediocrity. Really, Wannstedt has been a less successful, but more engaging version of Al Groh. Groh has been a great recruiter to his alma mater. He has sent lots of top talent to the NFL. At the same time, he has never gotten too far in a conference not that different from the Big East in strength (I know, worse). In his best years, Virginia has been a top-25 team, and he’s had a couple sub-.500 years (along with this year). The team has averaged 7 wins or so a season, 5-3 in conference most years, and has been 3-2 in 5 bowls. It doesn’t look like it will ever get much better there.
Jonathan Baldwin and Greg Cross, as much as anything else have been representative of the frustration fans are realizing in Season 4. Maybe they don’t live up to the hype. Maybe they do. We just don’t know. When asked about them every week, it’s the same thing.
Q: Paul you said “on this offense Jonathan Baldwin, LeSean McCoy, LaRod Stephens-Howling and Greg Cross are the only four who are genuine playmakers” Why is it that only one of these four players gets a chance to play?
ZEISE: Well, we got to see three of the four Saturday against Syracuse — and not surprisingly they all made key plays. I mean, Dave Wannstedt conceded the bubble screen to Jonathan Baldwin on third-and-9 was basically a safe play that is designed not to get a first down in that situation but just get a few yards of field position and avoid a negative play. But Baldwin broke a tackle and made some nice moves to get to within a few feet of the first down and that enabled the Panthers to go for it on fourth and then continue to the game-tying score. The situation with Greg Cross is puzzling and frustrating — I can’t quite figure out why this kid was recruited if he is not going to be used. And if they are waiting to use him this week against South Florida, that is a terrible idea because the Bulls strength is this — speed on defense. So Cross won’t be the fastest player on the field and he won’t be able to run wide or make people miss, which means it is not a good week to try and bring him out to showcase his talents. In fact, the only way you have a chance to beat the Bulls is if you man up and try to beat them the old fashioned way — by pounding them with a power run game and keeping their offense off the field. And let’s not forget that for the fifth week in a row, Jonathan Baldwin is allegedly — according to the coaches — in line for more playing time …
[Empahsis added.]
The coaches are saying he should play more (and to a lesser extent similarly with Cross), yet they don’t. Which they then justify by saying that it was because the game situation dictated against it. A tight game, and they couldn’t risk the mistakes. The usual. Legitimate and utterly reasonable statements. And at the same time complete and utter crap.
Never mind that in at least the Buffalo and Syracuse games it never should have been that kind of game. You can’t legitimately argue that the across the board talent and depth at Pitt versus those two teams was close. And in Syracuse’s case, it definitely wasn’t any sort of advantage on the coaching. So either the players aren’t doing the job (other than not turning the ball over) or the coaches aren’t.
There’s no real development of the players behind the starters. It’s just about improving their conditioning and learning the playbook.
There was a point made about Wannstedt’s style that resonated with me.
…And, we are always one hurt thumb away from disaster.
That fits with Coach Wannstedt after a lot of disappointing seasons at Pitt and the pros. It was the injuries. They couldn’t “catch a break.” Too much of other things to overcome. A coach that leaves no margin for error for anything to go wrong — and something always does — is bound to fall short.
I still count myself among the “frustrated and believing he might change” crowd, though. Not that he will fundamentally change, but that he’ll at least open up to the possibility that a young man can be a great college football player without having both (A) 3+ years of college playing experience and (B) flawless exectution of all assignments at all times and in all situations.
I’m thinking it’s got to be hard for DW to ignore the results: don’t go for it on 4th and short against BGSU, don’t adjust offense at all: game slips away. Take a couple chances against Iowa (Cross, 4th and shorts): game won. Baldwin gets in for limited time against SU, and ends up being a significant factor in the win, while the “experienced” guy drops some easy, key catches.
I think DW will always look at football like a math equation (which it isn’t)- put A + B on one side, and you’ll get W on the other. I still hope though that he will realize that he has to have faith in some new variables to be succesful in college. Especially giving talented kids the chance to prove themselves on the field. Right now, it just feels like they’re leaving too much on the sidelines and in the locker room.
FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD!
Are you really a Penn State fan or WVU fan? All your blog has done since the beginning of the season is Pitt-bash. I’m sick of reading the same complaints, the same questions, without any examination of the facts. It is in everyone’s best interest that Wannstedt does well and keeps the job. Nobody in recent memory has been able to sell recruits on the school and a lot of that has to do with him being a Pitt guy. You guys sit here and bash every move and question every decision and I’m going to go cheer the Panthers on Thursday night with the rest of the real Pitt fans.
God I really hope Pitt beats South Florida, so maybe we can go one week without the all-out Wannstedt bashing.
I’m still in the camp that is hoping that Wannstedt will learn from his mistakes. I give him a bye on the first year or two since he was dealing with bogus talent. Those teams could have been good had Harris not had such terrible recruiting classes the year before he left and the empty class we were left with the year he was fired. The timing was just not right with the players and a switch in the system.
I wonder what this team would look like with Tyler Palko taking the snaps. Probably a whole lot better. That’s the thing with college sports, it all comes down to recruiting. While you can still lose with great recruits, the bottom line is you aren’t going to win BCS bowls without them. Wanny has done a tremendous job recruiting during his time here and I honestly think we are starting to see the fruits of his labor. I look at this roster and think that there could be something special on the horizon.
I agree that the offensive playcalling is mind boggling at times, but I really think that is on Cavenaugh. He crapped the bed in Baltimore and has continued to deficate himself here at Pitt. Time for him to take a hike and if he does, hopefully Wannstedt will bring in someone who can breathe some life into the offense. Let Wanny take care of the defense and bring an offensive guru in to handle the offense.
Bwah-ha-ha-ha!!!
Gino, you almost figured me out. The 5+ years of Pitt blogging has been a secret cover. I’m really an agent of the ACC out to destroy Big East teams one at a time. Obviously, it’s a long-term project as I’m still working on the Pitt fanbase. Undermining their hopes and leaving them apathetic and uncaring. Thus support, money and the team will sink to Temple levels. Once I finish with Pitt, it’s on to Louisville.
I actually applaud the fans that boo and scream at the coaching staff. It was US that got him to go for it on 4th down. Maybe if we boo and complain enough we can get more of these stupid ass play calls done with.
What would be great was if we could get a reporter on our side. To go into a press conference and ask him “listen coach, i looked at the last 10 game films, and charted all the bubble screens, and they went for 0, 2, -2, 3, 0, -1, 0, 2, 1, and 0 yards. Is the plan to keep calling them forever until they work, or is it like a modified version of taking a knee that we don’t understand? Wouldn’t it be safer to just take a knee? Is it just like a practice throw for your QB during the game, because i don’t doubt the staff knows that play has never, and will never work – right?”
After the first loss – where we punted twice on the 35ish, the press asked him, and since then, they’ve gone for it – and made it everytime. I also think we’ve scored everytime we went for it. We need to keep the pressure up, or get someone into the press conference to ask REAL questions.
But this year he’s back to his old ways and it’s frustrating as hell.
And for those who think that DW is bashed way too much, realize this…no one gets more credit from Pitt fans than Jamie Dixon. This means that it’s not that Pitt fans (and people on this blog) are negative all the time — it means that we’re going to be unhappy with a coach that can’t win and is in way over his head.
“If there is one thing Steve Pederson doesn’t tolerate its mediocrity. He fired Nebraska’s head coach after going 7-5.”
You really need to review Pederson’s tenure at Nebraska. He didn’t fire Callahan, Pederson was fired right before Callahan was let go by the interim AD Tom Osborn.
You may be thinking about Pederson firing Frank Solich – but that was after a 9-3 season and a direct result of the Alumni and past players staging a revolt if it wasn’t done, Pederson has gone on record stating that he didn’t want to do it, and wouldn’t have if the external pressures weren’t so strong.
Either of those situations have nothing to do with Pederson’s time here at PITT anyway. I think it’s a real stretch to assume Pederson will fire DW should we go 7-5 and to a bowl (which would be mediocre in most fan’s eyes.)
I was surprised to read PITT has won 6 of their last 10 games, which is better than you would think with all the complaints. It seems some of the unrest is based on earlier losses.
Winning tomorrow nite is going to be a tough task, but lets hope they do it. If they win only 7 and a bowl, DW will have improved the team. Hopefully they can still catch fire and win a bunch of games. A team with guts enough to come from behind to win two games in a row is learning something. That hopefully promises better games to come.
The stories about Walt living back in the area do make some folks wonder if the offense could be any better with Walt running the O. Walt was not a complete HC but he did get results out of the O.
This is Pitt’s game to win. You will see the PITT you expected to see the first game. The key to the game will be simple. Will Pitt stay aggressive for FOUR quarters offensively and defensively. In my opinion from watching pitt, if we play with a sense of urgency to win we will and win easily.
Look for the following if aggressive
Stull to throw for over 250 yards and 2 or 3 tds
Cross changes the game with his style. We be very affective like KU QBS was
Baldwin first big play possible TD
Shady monster game if we pass on first and run on second.
Defense will dominate. SIX or more sacks. We will contain Grothe and his wrs (shut wr down last year)
Pitt wins 31- 17. First time PITT covers this year.
HAIL TO PITT!!!!
One win at a time. As Goldberg says,” Who is NEXT?? USF!!”
Now lets rock
Look, we all WANT to root for Wannstedt, because we want Pitt to win. He can recruit, he can’t coach on Saturday, plain and simple. And there is a guy next door named Tomlin who has obviously been spending too much time at the water cooler with Wanny.
Pitt has only exceeded 250 yards in 3 games post-Palko — all of 16 games. USF and UConn last year and BGSU this year. All 3 were losses and the throwing came when Pitt had little choice. I’m not sure under Wannstedt/Cavanaugh that seeing Pitt with more than 250 passing yards would be a good thing.
11 of the past 16 games have been sub-200 yard passing games (6-5 in those games).
I just died reading that in class. The sad part is: it’s funny because it’s true… shit.
Wanny is a career killing.
Dickerson, Cross, Baldwin, Flacco, Stephen-Howling, and the list will go on. Why recruit these kids and not let them loose?
It is painful to watch young, athletic, creative players sit and watch Wanny go with predictable non-creative convention players and plays.
This will kill our recruting efforts. If you have an ounce of talent you would be crazy to sign on with this guy. Dickerson is the biggest disappointment by far. Mr Pennsylvania for God Sakes. 4 different position? It took you three years to get him in there and you still cant get him the ball.
I am getting real close to not renewing those season tickets.
I think Pitt has a great chance to win tomorrow night. Believe it or not, no team in the Big East has more talent than Pitt. If these kids decide they are going to win the game, then I think they will. Shitty coaching be damned.
Stevens-Howling started at RB as a freshman and has played every year he’s been on the roster. Should DW have benched McCoy so LSH can get more playing time? Hell, he’s splitting reps with a AA and supposedly Heisman Trophy worthy RB, how badly can DW be screwing him?
Flacco made his own decision – it had nothing to do with Wannstedt other than DW going into the next season saying Palko would be the starter – a decision by DW that every wanna-be coach among PITT fans would have,and did,agreed with.
Cross was not a highly rated or sought after recruit, actually if my memory serves he was quoted as saying PITT was the only Div 1A school interested in him. Regardless, he was brought in as insurance against allowing a QB situation like last year happening again. Never to be a starter or co-starter. Funny you should use a kid that was buried in JuCo ball & DW giving him a shot at Div 1 ball as an example of “killing his career”. His ‘career’ was pretty much dead before he got here, if anything Wannstedt gave him a chance at some exposure. So, unless you can show me all those ex-JuCo QBs that are on NFL rosters , I’d strike this name from your list.
Baldwin is a true freshman who never played WR in HS, and even with that he’s getting playing time. I’ll agree he needs to see more though, but I’d wait at least full season, or two, before declaring that DW is “killing his college career”.
Also, I guess the way DD and LSH’s careers unfolded at PITT over the last three years really hurt our recruiting, didn’t it? If that’s the case, can we please have some more?
So, with all your hand-wringing only one of those players can a fan point to and say DW negatively impacted his college career. Dickerson.
Clearly you were too anxious to pile on the Wanny bashing and didn’t really think before you typed.
That was the optmistic posts I have read. I would love for that to happen.
I do agree Pitt can win this, and they competed well with USF last year. If we don’t have all those turn overs,, it could have been a different game last year. Well its a different game this year… not sure how much we can rely on stull passing 250+, but give them a good dose of shady and howling…and some solid D… hopefully we start playing the way we should.
It looked like we started getting things together against cuse (yes i know its cuse) but its something to build on…
