Making me feel old. Shirley Manson is now a corporate boogeyman in the Sarah Conor Chronicles. I prefer to think of her from this period with Garbage.
I reference this classic from the 90s because of questions this.
Q: Paul, I am amazed with what I read in your Q & A discussions. I mean, there is the constant criticisms of Billy Stull, the offense, the receivers, the coaches, the secondary etc. — so much that I have to remind myself that this team is 9-3, is back in a bowl game, has NFL talent at multiple positions and generally looks like a program on the verge of again being a top ten team with top flight national talent. You would think the questions were coming from Ohio State fans used to 11-1 or 12-0 seasons and not Pitt fans accustomed to another year of maybe we can get 6 wins. These folks need a serious dose of Division I football reality. What are your thoughts?
ZEISE: I agree there appears to be a jaded group his is not happy with success — but that group won’t be happy even if Pitt was 12-0 and in the BCS national title game — so I wouldn’t worry too much about them. The Panthers made a nice stride forward this year now they just need to keep building on it each year and eventually, the hope is that if you knock on the door with 8-4, 9-3, 10-2, type of seasons long enough, you’ll break through and have that big year everyone so desires.
See if you haven’t been following the Q&A, the questions have continued about Bill Stull’s lack of arm strength. The complaints about Matt Cavanaugh as OC. Is Shady really coming back? Then there are the counter points from those wondering why the fans aren’t savoring this.
Couple this with really pertinent questions like where the weak spots on the team are and how/if recruiting is addressing the issues. Or an evaluation of the O-line’s performance.
And you could say that Pitt fans or a sizable contingent of the fanbase are naturally negative. And this is where I will part company. I think that in an interactive format that invites questions, you are going to get a larger percentage of questions that doubt or have concerns about the faults on the team. They may not always be expressed in the most diplomatic — well, they can be downright hostile towards the players or coaches — but they are asking the questions that still nag at them and others.
It’s harder to ask questions that are positive that are the least bit interesting or not complete softballs. And exactly what is the appeal to asking questions that are essentially, “this team rocks, right?”
It’s one thing to be asking the questions and even being a bit negative at times locally. I’m guessing most are defending and even willing to promote Pitt on a more national level.
