Coach Wannstedt seems to be catching on to this Twitter thing. He plugged the recruiting BBQ that Pitt had today and then posted a verbal without commiting secondary violation.
Love to get phone calls like the one I just got. Yeah, it’s a good day to join the BLUE & GOLD!
And sure enough a little while later there was the recruiting sites announcing that Dan Schneider a TE out of Avon Lake, OH had verbaled to Pitt. Schneider is a 3-star recruit with plenty of offers including FSU, Colorado and WVU.
ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. sees him as a solid TE that especially excels at blocking (Insider subs.).
He is a tough and productive blocker. He really seems comfortable on the move, in space and blocking second level defenders. He attacks under control and gets hands on. He is able to keep his feet moving and often gets his head in position to block his target. Does a good job of being able to block down and wash a defender. In base-block situations, he delivers a good initial pop and gets hands on, but can tend to lean on the defender and you would like to see him generate more power from his hips. He keeps his feet moving and is able to steer the defender away from the ball.
Sounds like an ideal TE recruit for Coach Wannstedt. He’s also the second TE in the recruiting class — both from the Cleveland suburbs. Pitt now has 4 Ohio verbals — all from NE Ohio.
The Bears:
Gary Huff 1973-1975
Bob Avellini 1976-1979
Mike Phipps 1979
The Dolphins:
2000-2001 – Jay Fiedler
2002 – Jay Fiedler and Ray Lucas
2003 – Jay Fiedler and Brian Griese
2004 – Jay Fiedler, A.J. Feeley and Sage Rosenfels
Is it a primal, unconscious belief that defenses trump offenses? Or did a Pop Warner QB beat him up when he was a kid?
I was a Psych major at Pitt. It was a very good program way back when and I’m told it’s still good. Time for one of their profs to step up and come to the rescue.
Steve Walsh 1994
Erik Kramer 1994-1995, 1997-1999
Rick Mirer 1997
Steve Stenstrom 1998
Moses Moreno 1998 (never listed as an official starter)
Dave Krieg 1996
Actually, this is an even worse record.
But to answer your question, yes – DW believes that defense and controlling the clock will win games… for the most part.
I also think that what has transpired with the actual QBs he’s gotten at PITT so far has helped to reinforce that belief due to their not reaching the physical expectations we all had for them. Can’t fault DW for recruiting Pat Bostick though – and I think the jury should still be out on him. Sunseri, and Gray, are in a bit of a different mold than the previous QB recruits also, so maybe that’s an indication of something.
I look at the big picture and see DW making some changes in his Pro v College approach every year, mostly small steps I think – but one can hope that getting a offensive mind like Cignetti, with his recruiting prowess and energy (a big element that I think was really lacking with Cav) will bring Dave W. around to letting go of the offense this season.
It’s the lazy way to look at things.
