I’ve paid zilch attention to this in the last week. Barely skimmed some of the dispatches. Didn’t want it to be like this. Didn’t expect it to. I can only hope that somehow the kids care and put more effort forth than I have.
It’s a nooner (of course it is) on ESPN. Joining me in running the liveblog is longtime commenter and liveblog participant, Maz. I will be with you until 2pm, when I have to switch to the Marquette-Pitt basketball liveblog.
We will try to discuss the game, though, I’m sure there will be some talk of the coaching mess at the moment.
Just remember it is a moderated chat. Abuse won’t get through. Trolls will be watched. Frustrated as we may all be with the process and this past season, taking it out on the players just won’t fly.
Liveblog is below, but if you need to break the liveblog out, Click Here.
… things that will bring the fans back into the fold after the administration totally screwed this up.
We can only hope.
Well, for all the Bradley supporters (the veteran defensive assistant and local guy with strong area recruiting ties), let’s not forget how that approach worked with Pitt and Foge Fazio.
I mean, you could play this game all day. There is no one “type” of coach who is guaranteed to succeed. Or guaranteed to fail. Every candidate has his own strengths and weaknesses, and there is some risk that the program will regress regardless of who the choice is.
The Bradleymania sweeping the Pitt fanbase is bizarre, to say the least. This guy has been an assistant at the same school for 32 years…there’s no guarantee he has what it takes to be a successful head coach. He could be another Bob Stoops or he could be another Foge. We just don’t know yet. In my mind, he’s at least as big a risk as Graham, if not moreso.
That said, I’ll be happy if they hire Bradley, Graham or Foster. All 3 are very strong candidates.
“You remember the furor when Harris ordered quarterback Tyler Palko to slide at the end of the first half to set up a field goal at Connecticut in 2004, a decision that all but pushed Harris out of the door?
Wannstedt’s strategy was every bit as bad, maybe worse.
Pitt took over at its 10, down 23-17 with 4:45 left and three timeouts. Lewis ran for 3 yards on first down and 2 on second down as Wannstedt, as usual, played things conservatively. I swear the man can’t win a lot of days because he’s so afraid to lose. What’s the worse thing that could have happened there? A Sunseri interception? Heck, take a chance and live with the result.
Wannstedt’s explanation? “We knew we were going to try to go for it on fourth down. And we were trying to get in a manageable fourth-down situation.”
Apparently, fourth-and-5 wasn’t manageable for Wannstedt after Sunseri’s third-down pass was batted down. Nothing wrong there, except that there was massive confusion on the Pitt bench after the third-down play. Wannstedt ended up using a precious timeout to …
Can you believe it?
Punt.
Shouldn’t that decision have been made before the third-down play in the event it was fourth-and-5? Isn’t a head coach supposed to be better prepared than that?
“We weren’t real comfortable with the plays we had and the situation,” Wannstedt said of his decision to punt rather than go for it on fourth-and-5.
What an amazing admission by a head coach. Exactly whose fault is it that he isn’t comfortable with the plays? You got it. The head coach himself.”
Read more: link to post-gazette.com
“As I reported last night, Tulsa coach Todd Graham and Pitt officials are talking about the framework of a contract to make Graham the next head coach of Pitt.
And late last night for the first time since this process began, a source told me that Graham believes Pitt may just step up enough with its offer to get this deal done.
And while I’m told the job hasn’t officially been offered to Graham yet, that is more semantics than anything else because they aren’t going to officially offer the job to anyone until they are sure he is going to take it and right now they are trying to finish an offer that they know he would at least consider taking.”
The scroll on ESPN said that Pitt big money donors are pressuring the administration to fire Pederson.
Pederson is gone, it is only a matter of time (my guess – a week or two after the new coach is announced) until he uses the resignation letter he typed up for Wanny and puts his own name on it.
THANK GOD!!!!!
Mygawd, what has this country come to?
The first time around, SP recruited guys to pick us up off the floor. As we saw yesterday, the cupboard is not bare. There are no sure things, but because a guy does well at Tulsa does not impress me, the same way a good season at Miami of Ohio left most of us scratching our heads. Maybe Graham will be the next Urban Meyers, but I doubt it. as I said before we know what Bradley brings to the table. He will not be another Foge. By most accounts he has been running the PSU program for at least five years. Rooney’s endorsement is enough for me.
If Pederson is on his way out, do you think his heart is in it to find us the best coach?
I too am starting to wonder about Nordenburg, I thought he was going to take control. In my opinion, it certainly looks like things are way out of control. They have a search committee with no expertise. Why not put Mark May, Bill Fralic and perhaps some others to assist. The committee is made up of competent administrators, how about someone with football expertise?
“the way the program was going”????? You mean stuck in absolute mediocrity, never winning a meaningful game, a game on national t.v., lots if not most high school and college football players love their coach!!! STOP!! he’s gone!!
Yes, the mistake Smug Smile Steve made, among tons these past years, is when he fired him, he should have effin’ fired him. “Today we dismissed DW, he will not be coaching the bowl game, and he will not be hanging around the campus, especially so he won’t pull one of the most embarrassing (for himself, the university, the players, the fans, etc. etc) press conferences ever witnessed!!
He’s done, gone, so long, enough. If I don’t see any more apologist non sense, I will not mention his name again. Fade away Dave. If you really love your university like the way you say you do, you will not be a distraction!!!
Rivals BP for crisis management.
Good thing Pitt is a basketball school.
Bradley is the only logical choice. Graham has no contacts in the area; he has a mediocre team; and will go to the highest bidder. How many fans to you think he will put in Heinz Field?
If Graham is hired instead of Bradley, I hope to see a lot of folks falling on their swords.
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>KY 27 Pitt 17 – FYI this 11 CST start proves how >bad this bowl really is.
Hope you didn’t have money on that, Mr. Negativity!
>We have a back-up coach & back-up Roc.
What happened to Roc? Don’t tell me Pederson fired him, too!
Why – they didn’t have anything more prudent to think about? What – want to make sure Steve’s feeling don’t get hurt?
I wouldn’t mind at all for Pitt to take a gamble here (plus he’s affrdable)
I highly doubt the conspiracy theory that SP would worry about that in the midst of what he’s going through… I’m sure someone in the department/facility figured it may assist their job security long term to make that decision instead of having to explain why there would theoretically have been signs everywhere (not that I saw or heard anything beyond individuals voicing their opinion in the crowd).
I think that’s the question we have all wanted to ask over the past 6 years… Regardless, from all appearances the ADMIN wanted nothing to do with hardly ANY of the current coaches…
Also, anybody on here actually ever meet Bradley or Foster? From all reports Austin is a knockout personality, interviewer & recruiter… I was wondering if Bradley & Foster might struggle in that area of interpersonal coomunication…
I agree that Braadley is least risk, safest option…Does that make him the best choice? Your guess is as good as mine. Foster would seem a close 2nd in that regard.
Graham’s resume is less impressive to me than Haywood’s was. I am intrigued by Austin & Cristobal…
If SP picks him, especially after all that has transpired over the past month, then the questions arises: Is SP truly this moronic or does he want to tank the football program?
Arrogance alone cannot explain his behavior.
One guy that won’t be coming with Graham. I just hope he isn’t the better half of this offense. Dan Hawkins anyone
I think it was Smizik who said that DW was a great coach “Sunday to Friday”. He just did not produce during games for whatever reason(outcoached, outexecuted, poor decisions, lack of adjustments, etc..).
I am willing to support “the right choice” deemed by Pederson and Nordenberg if “the right choice” meabs that the coach continues to sign great athletes, good students, good reresentatives of PITT and the coach gets the players to perform up to their potential. That is what we have lacked the last few years. DW had what some are calling a successful last 3 years. That is a matter of perspective. This past season I do not call a success even though we shared first place in th BE. As a team we could and should have accomplished much more in a mediocre at best BE. That outcome I will never call a success.
I love my PITT PANTHERS and as a dedicated fan, I am ready to support fully the new HC, whomever that may be