The beat writers have spoken. Both Kevin Gorman and Paul Zeise have blogged that they are done with the whole QB issue. The matter is settled until after the season has begun and the whole thing is moot.
First, Gorman:
Are you going to bench a fifth-year senior quarterback with a 9-4 record in 13 career starts in favor of a redshirt freshman who has never taken a snap in a college game after eight days of training camp?
The answer is a resounding no.
So, before we begin the recap of Pitt’s first controlled scrimmage, let us end the outrage over Wannstedt’s insistence Tuesday that Bill Stull remains the starting quarterback. Stull has struggled. Tino Sunseri has shined. Pat Bostick has been steady, solid if unspectacular.
What is Wannstedt supposed to do? Pitt fans would like to hear Wannstedt announce that he is opening the quarterback job up for competition. They would like to hear him say, “Let the best man win.”
Don’t hold your breath.
What Wannstedt is doing is standing by his starting quarterback publicly, despite Stull’s unimpressive play in camp so far. It says here that Wannstedt should be applauded. Now is the time to build confidence in your quarterback. The season opener is less than two weeks away.
The message has been served. Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. has made it clear in the quarterback room that there is open competition. Stull knows this, as do Bostick and Sunseri. It’s as simple as this: perform and play, struggle and sit. But training camp is not the time to, as Cignetti likes to say, make such decisive decisions.
Come September, it’s a different story.
Perform and play. Struggle and sit. Win or lose.
And Zeise:
The only comments I will make is this — Pitt did indeed win eight games (Pat Bostick started the Notre Dame game) with Stull at quarterback and the only of their four losses you could pin on him was the Oregon State loss. Two of the other three losses (Bowling Green – way too conservative early – and Rutgers – a really bad defensive game plan) probably fall more on the coaches shoulders than anything else and it was Cincinnati’s year and they seemed to get every bounce in that game.
Now, Stull wasn’t great in those losses but he wasn’t the reason they lost, either. There is no question that the Panthers can win with him at quarterback, particularly if he improves some from where he was at in the second half of last year.
But like I said, when the head coach says “this guy is our starter”, that’s good enough for me to move forward. I would assume that Bostick will be the back-up because I have a hard time believing that they would throw a redshirt freshman to the wolves in the middle of a game or halfway through the season if the starter is gets hurt.
So with the quarterback position settled (at least in the mind of the only person whose voice matters…..), here 10 other observations/analysis from today’s scrimmage……
I guess they both have gotten a little tired of the e-mails and questions about it as well. From their perspective, it must be a little tiring. It’s the one aspect they get asked about. I’m guessing they are getting a fair amount of outraged and frustrated responses to their reports and answers they give. They don’t get to make the decisions, but their job is to report on the Pitt team. Instead they are repeatedly answering the same questions about the same spot. Something they have no control over, no influence and it certainly must put a strain on their dealings with players and coaches if they are continually focusing stories and posts on that one portion.
Plus, it must get a bit tiresome.
Stull will be the starter when the season starts. They are acknowleding, at least, that if he still can’t get to a point of mediocrity in the season then things likely will change. Even with Coach Wannstedt having the final say.
College football teams all across the country use young players at key positions all the time and win with them. It is a fact of life in college football, rosters turn over every year and some years significantly. The idea that you always must have an experienced player at every position to win is ridiculous. Yes, ideally you’d like to but if the best player isn’t a senior, well, you need to look elsewhere.
And frankly, if you have an entire training camp plus the added bonus of three mulligans (to use another golf reference) to start the season (i.e teams you should be able to physically overmatch and thus win while protecting the quarterback and helping him gain confidence and get his feet wet and get used to the flow of the game) – that’s seven weeks of work you could have to get a guy ready before the varsity games start. But the key is getting him as many reps as possible and well, you’ve now wasted an entire week.
AMEN! Wanny is clueless.
I love this coaching staff.
1. Stull is starter–Pitt wins early season OOC games due to superior talent and mistake free football but loses several later more important games due to Stull’s skills deficiencies.
OR
2. Sunseri is starter, Pitt loses an early OOC game or two due to mistakes as a result of Sunseri’s lack of game experience.
Isn’t that how Cignetti and Wannstadt probably currently view the alternatives?
Perhaps the best solution to that dilemma and what we should probably hope and pray for is that Stull is gradually phased out in favor of Sunseri as Sunseri gains needed practice and game experience. In fact, perhaps, that is exactly what is being privately debated by the coaches.
Stull is in his 5th year with a one-year redshirt, and started the entire year less the one game. He was indeed doing well until injured but never came back to that level. That’s the issue … by now, he should be ahead of where he was or at least the same, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Conversely, Bostick had to be thrown into the fire when he clearly wasn’t ready, never redshirted, is allegedly a hard wotker and good srudent of the game, and is now not getting equal snaps … although it may well be that this will be his redshirt season unless injuries dictate otherwise.
My guess is that Wanny’s plan is that Stull is his starter with Tino back-up,and he’s sticking to it …. unfortunately a QB change may only come due to an injury or a needless loss to an unworthy opponent.
Wanny coaches the QBs like the Pros…so let’s think like that for a moment…The NFL Atlanta Falcons can throw Matt Ryan out in week one…there’s an example. Cutler too. I’m just not getting it. Why is so scared of throwing in Sunseri versus YSU and Buffalo. He may lose at NC State, but I guarantee he will turn the corner in that game. I keep coming back to Palko. He struggled in his first couple starts…Walt sat him on a couple of series to calm him down in those games, and put him back in. By the end of the Nebraska game, he turned the corner and officially “got it”. By midseason, noone remembered how many starts he had or lacked or etc.
Play the BEST DAMN QB, PERIOD!
But if i see a d-1 quaterback consistently throw off his back foot that much.. i will run down on the field and take him out.
The Sun Bowl will drop the Big East #3 in favor of the ACC #5 starting next year. I’m not sure what other opportunities are out there, but with all of the talk about upgrading the bowl lineup, all that has happened so far is that the Gator/Sun pairing has been replaced by the Champs Sports.
I am still very optimistic about this season though. The last thing I want to do is shat on my quarterback, whoever he is, with only weeks to go before we drink bile again. But, I can’t blame people for being confused or disappointed. Stull would be a backup at best at several schools, perhaps even ones that employ happy citrus. I think I rather complain about the OL.
I point to the sky and say “We win 10 games this season” Take this optimism and throw it 47 yards to Baldwin for 6!
There’s a reason everyone’s a’holes were puckered up inside of their stomachs every time Stull dropped back to pass last year. That kid threw more 20 yard ducks than a hunter.
As for not playing in the Notre Dame game last year? Does ANYONE think ole Steady-Hand-Stull would’ve stepped up at the famed sacred Irish ground?…please.
Kid Robbie, you’re right on with Pryor. Why come to Pitt when decisions are made with a cloud of mystery along with a three ring circus? Same goes for the ULTIMATE reason McCoy left. Yes, he made a good decision to capitalize on his skills, but it was a no-brainer to the people around him because Pitt’s half-assed decisions were ONLY going to hurt from here on out; never help. Can anyone honestly say that the voices in McCoy’s ears weren’t predicting this very pandemonium right now?!
Q: I only know what I read, and if I am correct it sounds like our offense, especially the line, is really struggling against a talented and deep defensive front. Isn’t this what D.W. really wanted when he came here?
B N, Ebensburg, Pa.
ZEISE: Yes, and he has said several times since the start of camp — he has never been on a good team that didn’t have the defense dominate the offense early in camp. I know we talk about him as a recruiter a lot but I don’t think you can fully appreciate how well he’s recruited athletes until you see this team up close like I do every day. I’ve said it before, top to bottom, this is the best-looking team, in terms of overall depth, athleticism, size, speed, that I’ve covered and I’ve been on the beat since 2002. That 2002 team had some stars — like Rod Rutherford, Larry Fitzgerald, Kris Wilson — but it wasn’t deep and the lines didn’t look anything like these lines. This team looks like a Division I team is supposed to — of course, soon we will find out if they can play
They mentioned Michigan, Tenn and one other program.
Also, all of the comments of Pryor being better off at OhioSt I think are off. You guys are right he wouldn’t be playing QB for us. TAnd you want to know why, because he would be playing a position he is better suited for in the pros, WR. I just don’t believe the kid is ever going to be a everyday NFL quarterback. His throwing motion is horrendous and will hold him back at that level. He is an enormous stud of an athlete who yes is going to suit OSU at QB well and win them many games. But, for his own personal development he would be better playing at say Pitt who would love to move him to the position he will be best suited for in pro-ball.
Also Paul Jones would be better suited at Pitt than State Penn. Jones is a pocket passer, a game manager, not a spread-HD QB like Darryl Clark. They already have Newsome who is much better suited for their offense and brought in Robert Bolden who is also far better suited. Watch Jones highlight’s he has a cannon for an arm but is not a stud athlete. He’s listed as lower but looks to not break a 5.0 in a 40 yard dash, just doesn’t have great foot speed. So would he be better of at a school that runs a spread type offense and requires a quarterback that moves (one in which they will likely play better suited players, a la Pat Devlin’s situation), or a school that so values a pocket passer/game manager but may redshirt him a year and have him sit a year. I don’t think its a tough choice when I believe it would be at least 3 years of starting at Pitt vs. 0 at PSU.
I was inconsolable for days. I went to my buddy’s house, drank myself into a stupor, and floated around in his pool staring at the sky.
I took it hard.
Like it or not, the bowl situation is going from bad to worse
The beat writers have lowered their ears and put their tails between their legs now that King Wanny has spoken. At least have some guts Paul and stick with what you said 24 hours ago…not this bs “whatever coach says is good enough for me!”