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January 11, 2011

Good Luck to Those Leaving

Filed under: Draft,Football,NFL,Players — Chas @ 10:22 am

Dion Lewis, Jon Baldwin and Henry Hynoski are leaving Pitt for the NFL draft.

Each have good reasons for leaving now. No one should begrudge them for going.

Hynoski has the most to lose by staying at Pitt with a change in offensive philosophy. A fullback, he likely faced a very diminished role. As a junior his transfer prospects would have been limited and likely done nothing to help his draft stock. As it stands, most fullbacks don’t go until late in the draft. If he transferred to a 1-AA school to play right away, it would be even harder to get any notice. On the plus side, he will earn his degree by April.

Baldwin would gain nothing by staying another year. He probably had his draft stock dinged a little between the problems with his relationship with QB Tino Sunseri, stuck mainly running decoy deep routes, and worse by not being the most aggressive receiver.

Still he has the physical tools that make him look like a #1 receiver. He won’t be the first WR taken in the draft, but he will be the first Pitt player taken in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Dion Lewis leaving makes sense to me. First, he is a smallish back, and all running backs have a limited tread-life. Few running backs last more than a few years, so the sooner you get out there the better.

Second, Lewis is an incredibly loyal player. He was extremely grateful to Pitt and especially Coaches Wannstedt and Hafley for believing in him when no one else offered. He flat-out refused to entertain other offers when other teams finally noticed him. Wannstedt being forced out and Hafley departing (along with RB Coach David Walker) made it easier to make the choice.

“After significant discussion and contemplation with my family and coaches, it is with great excitement and anticipation that I announce today that I am declaring myself eligible for this spring’s NFL Draft. I want to thank the University of Pittsburgh, particularly Coach Wannstedt and his staff, for the opportunities afforded me during the last two years. I look forward to the challenges facing me as an NFL rookie, and I believe my time here at the University of Pittsburgh under Coach Wannstedt’s tutelage has prepared me extremely well for the demands awaiting me at the next level.”

His statement, when compared to those of Hyno and Baldwin, seemed most pointedly thanking Wannstedt individually.

Finally, I don’t think Lewis would have benefited in more of a spread offense, the way Ray Graham is likely to. Graham is better catching the ball and has been faster getting to the outside this past year. Graham is a bit more versatile and fits better in a more wide-open offense.





Fox sports has a nice article about the hire. Tehy also comment about the potential damage with the loss of so many of the recruits. See their comments below:

Graham will attempt to salvage Pitt’s once-promising recruiting class. About two-thirds of the 18-man class recruited by Wannstedt has defected and, with only a couple of weeks remaining in this recruiting cycle, most of the top players already have committed.

Losing a recruiting class can be a setback because each of the next five Pitt teams will feel the effects not having a full class.

Comment by Justinian 01.11.11 @ 10:40 am

I hope all who are leaving Pitt have very successful careers and make Pitt proud by showing how much talent there is with this team.
I would now like to take the time to say whatever some of the posters on here are saying: “As long as Graham gets us 2 or 3 B.E. titles in the next 4-5 years then bolts for a better program are complete dreamers. WVU will be upgraded, TCU is already above everyone else in the B.E.and then you will have the occasional Uconn and someone else steal the spotlight. Graham has no ties here, will get the occasional good recruit, and I guarantee he will win no more then 8-9 games the next 4 years. How is that an improvement and a step forward from Wannstead????
I say it will take at least another 5-6 years to see Pitt to start any kind of prominent role. After Graham leaves with about a 32-16 record, throw in a 2-2 record in the “Whoever heard of the next crap bowl” game in his roughly 4 years of coaching here, and you will see why Petersen or the Administration can’t cut it. Take it to the bank….and please don’t post all some of us do is complain……I am old enough to slightly remember the national championship in 1976 and the (3) 11-1 seasons in a row after that. I am not saying I want a national championship every year. I am saying I want a team on the field that wins at least 10 regular season games every 2 or so years, an ocassional 11 win season, and possibly in the next 10 years a shot at playing for a national championship in a league that will still be mediocre so it isn’t a pipe dream.
(I obviously wanted Tom Bradley even though I despise PSU) I think he could have at least evened the playing field for us a bit.

Comment by beanboy 01.11.11 @ 10:43 am

Agreed with all except (possibly) Baldwin. Lewis and Hyno will not increase their draft stock by staying another year, and play positions with short shelf lives in the NFL. Baldwin dazzled with highlight reel plays this year, but clearly took some plays off, was not very effective in getting off the line in press coverage, and his comments about Sunseri make him look like a poor teammate. With his physical tools, if he re-dedicated himself to doing everything the right way next year, he could potentially be a top 10 pick. As it stands, he may slide into the mid-second round this year, which is a huge difference in contract. If he didn’t have such off-the-charts measurables and ball skills I would agree that leaving early makes sense.

Comment by Sean 01.11.11 @ 10:46 am

It’s a good move by all 3, best of luck to them.

Any news on coordinators?

Any holdovers from previous staff?

Comment by Nightmare between 5th & Forbes 01.11.11 @ 11:07 am

With the loss of so many recruits, losing three good players doesn’t help things. We were thin at linebacker and offensive line as it was. Without a doubt, we will need some more bodies. That’s where a stong recruiting background locally would have really helped. A few people posting on this blog talked about getting players from Texas, other than one or two, that will be tough to do. Sometimes you get lucky and pull in a recruit from accross the country, but in reality most of your players will come from the region of the country where you’re located. So western Pennsylvania remains important to us, no matter how much anyoone want to discount it.

Comment by Justinian 01.11.11 @ 11:09 am

I’m still not sure Lewis is ready to go, but I certainly wish him the best. His statement demonstrates his respect for the staff and the university and he really comes off as a great kid who cares.

Hyno probably should go. He’s done a pretty good job and I think he’ll have a decent NFL career.

As for Baldwin, good riddance. A phenomenal athlete with the potential to be a dominant wide receiver who was too lazy and selfish to be the player he should have been. I understand the issues with play calling and quarterbacking, but that doesn’t excuse his half-assed play for the majority of the season. If he adjusts his cry baby attitude he can have a long, successful NFL career, otherwise he’ll be another WR NFL bust.

Comment by TJ 01.11.11 @ 11:11 am

Everyone will agree on Hyno

Lewis is ready to go and most likely will go in 3rd or 4th round.

As for Baldwin I agree completely with TJ. He reminds a lot of Plaxico Burress in regard to his efforts on the field. Won’t run block and doesn’t know how or won’t fight for a ball. Once people see ALL the tape on him he will drop out of the first and maybe the second round. He needs a lot of work and a change in attitude. Hopefully he can figure it all out.

Comment by Tony in Harrisburg 01.11.11 @ 11:19 am

If you go onto the Post-Gazette site and read Paul Zeise’s blog, he comments about the staff that Todd Graham is bringing in. Included are a few members of his coaches at Tulsa and some of Rich Rod’s staff at Michigan. He is trying to get Rich Rod’s offensive coordinater at Michigan to come to Pitt, but he is also being courted by Oklahoma State.

Comment by Justinian 01.11.11 @ 11:41 am

You are asking a question, “how is that an improvement over Wanny”, and want us to answer because YOU “guarantee we won’t win more than 8 or 9 games”??????? ha ha You say WVU will be upgraded, with Holgerson, and Pitt will not with Graham?? How, exactly is that??

Comment by Dan 01.11.11 @ 11:45 am

all you people that want to be prognasticators and the next coming of nostradamus give it a break….who knows what the players will do at the next level, who knows what graham is going to do…just support them….be a loyal pitt fan….it may be fun to talk about, but it is all non-sense….i wish the new coach the best, hope recruits will consider pitt, even from the other schools with coaching changes, and respect pitt that it is making a big attempt to improve the football program by spending some money…and i hope that heinz field is packed with people this coming fall, the support people show pitt athletics is poor….we couldnt even fill the Pete the other night…sure it is sold out, but where are the no-shows…go to the games, take the kids to the game…this is where your efforts should be….not worrying about what offense bradley was going to run….

Comment by drgags 01.11.11 @ 11:48 am

Baldwin would be a perfect fit for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Comment by 66Goat 01.11.11 @ 11:50 am

please stop with the negativity towards baldwin

there was a qb decision made with no regard to merit as evidenced by wanny’s choice to not bench sunseri all year despite loss after loss and missed deep pass after short armed screen

the kid saw his role as part of the team completely diminished because of sunseri’s choice as qb… and was forced to be a decoy 95% of the time

if you were recruited as a 5 star wr and were never thrown the ball because the qb was so unbelievably bad for the d1 level i think youd be upset too… wanny clearly never took baldwin’s situation too seriously and was more than happy to use him as a decoy all year for tino and the pro set running game

Comment by DeVanzo 01.11.11 @ 11:50 am

Good observations, Chas. Baldwin and Lewis both contemplated leaving after the season before it even started, so they’re not surprises.

Nice to see Dion appreciates the opportunity Wanny gave him when other schools looked right past him. However, Dion paid Wanny back ten-fold in his performance on the field. He’s a great kid and I hope he surprises the NFL, like other underrated Pitt backs have done before him.

Hyno’s move also makes sense given the impending change in philosophy and I think he’ll eventually work himsself into an NFL lineup through hard work and a willingness to do what it takes, a la Lousaka who’s had a nice NFL career as a blocker.

Understand some of the Baldwin bashing, but I think his attitude was more frustration than anything. He made his living over the middle with Stull at QB and we all know the trouble Tino had with those reads and throws, especially early on. IMHO, it took the coaching staff way too long to adjust to that, and Pitt might have pulled out a game or two (Utah and ND) had they done so sooner. The biggest thing Baldwin will need to improve is getting off the line. Otherwise, he’ll be relegated to spot duty against zone defenses. But he will not be an NFL “bust” because he has the tools and he’s not afraid to go over the middle.

Best of luck to all three, and thanks for all you contributed to Pitt football.

Comment by TampaT 01.11.11 @ 11:52 am

Agree with DeVanzo,

The attacks on Baldwin seem to be an effort by some to cover for the shortcomings (no pun intended) of Tino. Clearly Baldwin’s numerous circus catches of poorly thrown passes more than made up for the supposed ‘plays off’ he took.

Pitt could have won at least 2 more games(Utah & Uconn) and possibly 3 (ND) with a more competent QB who could hit a wide open receiver who was headed for the end zone for a game changing TD.

Wanny pinned his hopes on his friend’s kid and he lost his job because of it.

Comment by B 01.11.11 @ 12:05 pm

Hynoski isn’t getting drafted, so how is this a good move?

Comment by Omar 01.11.11 @ 12:10 pm

Lewis will be a 5th round pick or later at a generous 5’8″. Why is he going pro? This all screams of Wannstedt spite. I’m sure he told them that leaving was in their best interests. In reality, Wannstedt just wants to make the job for the next coach more difficult.

I am so happy that the career loser is gone. See you later Dave. People from “around here” know a loser when they see one.

Comment by Omar 01.11.11 @ 12:13 pm

How is that Baldwin gets the good riddance treatment from you people? I just don’t get that? WTF?

The fact that Baldwin even came to Pitt was one of the few bright spots in the Wanny era. For the life of me, I will never understand why he didn’t follow his boy TP to OSU and play for 100K plus and a BCS every year. He actually manned up, stayed close to home, and trusted the coaches to develop him and put him in a position to show his skills for the NFL. And yes, they ALL want to win, but most want to play on Sundays…get over it. The moment Tino trotted onto the field in Utah, his season was over and he knew it. After the mind numbing losses over the year, and seeing his role become more of a decoy…I’m shocked he even suited up and gave any effort.

Wanny FAILED this kid.

You watch what happens when he gets his shirt off and runs drills in Indy….McShay and Kiper will be having a wet dream and they will write off his 2010 stats in one line to this tune…

“Baldwin has freakish size/athleticism that have all of the makings of a big-time NFL receiver. Speed, agility, hands, and decent route running that will improve with good coaching. DOn’t mind his 2010 stats– horrible coach and even worse QB.”

Comment by Pauly P 01.11.11 @ 12:15 pm

Michigan staff some of them to come to PITT as you know some players go to school because of the coachs some recruits fron Michigam may come with the Michigan staff who are comeing to pitt even 3 or 4 would help.

Comment by FRANKCAN 01.11.11 @ 12:26 pm

FRANCAN,

What??????

Comment by Antiguafor200Alex 01.11.11 @ 12:38 pm

Omar: How do you know Hyno won’t get drafted? He has size, he can catch, he runs with power and he can BLOCK – prototypical NFL FB or H-back. That means he’s worth a late round pick for many teams.

And Dion was considering the NFL before the season even started. Don’t you recall all the conversation about whether he was eligible or not during the Spring? I do think he could have had a good year under Graham, because you still need a good inside runner to make the spread fully effective, as evidenced by Dyer’s performance in the BCS NC last night. However, as Chas stated, Dion’s taken a lot of hits in the past two seasons, so it’s wise he makes his move before he’s too beat up to make an NFL team let alone contribute 3 or more years of service.

Comment by TampaT 01.11.11 @ 12:44 pm

Hit wrong keys should have been from michigan

Comment by FRANKCAN 01.11.11 @ 12:47 pm

How can you blame wanny for these kids going to the NFL are you serious? Family, coaches(which bennett quoted lewis should stay) and ultimatley the player, if you look at the NFL mocks Hynoski was rated the number 1 fullback out before the season started dummies do your homework before you spout off on here just because you didnt get what you want. This just in Dave Wannstadt is wanted for the assasination of JFK he was the second shooter on the grassy knoll, what the hell is up with conspiracy crap grow up move on you should be kissing dave’s ass that he still is a PITT guy and he can mend the fences with the H.S. coaches in the area 80% of our kids come out of the WPIAL and that is a fact.

Comment by POLE 01.11.11 @ 12:48 pm

I think FRANKCAN is saying that by Pitt hiring some of DickRod’s old staff, Pitt may lure some of the 2011 Michigan recruits to offset some of the recent recruiting losses.

Comment by TampaT 01.11.11 @ 12:48 pm

I hope Baldwin represents Pitt well at the next level (I always cheer for our kids in the NFL (I’m watching the Eagles now, yuck 🙁 )and I can understand that he was frustrated here in his junior year However I think he would be well served spending another year in a different system.

Wanny is no longer the coach and he should have plenty of chances to shine in the new system.

Additionally I don’t see how its bad to point out some of Baldwin’s short comings but ok to Bash Tino for his.

Comment by Tony in Harrisburg 01.11.11 @ 12:49 pm

I don’t begrudge baldwin for not wanting to get killed and seeing his career go up in flames for a qb who couldn’t hit him. A 4.4 in the combines and 20 reps at 225 and he’ll be back in the first round.

Comment by noelr 01.11.11 @ 12:51 pm

Baldwin’s loafing and giving up on many balls were obvious to all that watched the team this year. It is true, the offense wasn’t set up to properly utilize him. However, he was lackadaisical and gave a half-assed effort on too many plays. It was embarrassing to have the TV broadcasters point that out in game after game this year.

I wish him well in the NFL, but I think teams will see some red flags on him when they watch his game film.

Comment by Navy Panther 01.11.11 @ 12:53 pm

Despite all the comments, I’m sure Graham would have liked to have all three. You still need to run inside with the spread, you still need to have a short yardage guy and you still need to block . I would have loved to see all three back next year.

Comment by Justinian 01.11.11 @ 12:54 pm

I would be surprised if Hynoski doesn’t get drafted. He might be the best fullback in the country, and has a wide breadth of skills when you consider his ability as a check-down receiver out of the backfield. LeRon McClain (Ravens) was drafted in the fourth round, as was Ovie Mughelli (Falcons).

It will be interested to see where Lewis is drafted. NFL teams are much more accepting of small running backs after the success of backs like Maurice Jones-Drew and LeSean McCoy.

Comment by Navy Panther 01.11.11 @ 1:00 pm

Some info not negative just info as you know 4 of dick rods staff from Michigan will be here at pitt with coach Graham and coach Graham was with dick rod for two years so for you who wanted dick rod it came close half of staff is dick rods.

Comment by FRANKCAN 01.11.11 @ 1:00 pm

For those of you that were concerned about Graham doing a quick about face and going to LSU if Les Miles goes to Michigan, Miles is staying at LSU.

Comment by Dionjag 01.11.11 @ 1:02 pm

Baldwin, Hyno and Lewis and the other pitt players graduating or thinking about entering the NFL draft.. THANK YOU.. You brought excitement back to Pitt football. It was an honor to wear my pitt script to the bars because we finaly had a football team.. Thank You..

Wanny.. Thank You.. You had our alma mater back in the football spotlight.. Thank You.. You represented the University well and developed these teenager boys into young men.. Now it is an honor to watch the NFL and see so many players for our University..

To the fans… keep up your pitt passion and express yourself, positve or negative. Remember, these are young man just like us who will make many mistakes in their lives…

Hail To Pitt

Comment by cdmoore25 01.11.11 @ 1:07 pm

Good Luck to all 3. I have a question – did Wanny do a really good job of getting and keeping former players in NFL involved in the program? I do not live in the burgh so do not know. To me, we have sent a ton of players to NFL and having them involved is a good thing for many reasons. Hoping Graham embraces this.

Comment by waxonwaxoff 01.11.11 @ 1:35 pm

Dan- I have no proof that Holgerson will be a huge upgrade over Graham, but I will tell you that Holgerson has coached on 10 straight bowl games, not as a head coach, but in some way on all of those teams and some very good teams compared to Graham. Most importantly, he has the BOOSTERS ready and waiting to go. I don’t think everyone was/is on board for Pitts hire. Just don’t see more than 8 wins per season, I hope I am wrong.
Drgags- I am not Nostradomus, but looking at things from a view of what went right and what went wrong over the last 4-5 weeks. We lost a lot of recruits, our image to some degree…I hope Graham can restore it, but I’m very cynical that a coach of his caliber will get recruits from anywhere southwest nor a PA,NJ, or eastern part of the country. I hope I’m wrong, but you do the math….

Comment by beanboy 01.11.11 @ 1:36 pm

I ask that question as I thought it was really cool that Miami has a slew of former players show up to Golden’s intro presser to show their support.

Comment by waxonwaxoff 01.11.11 @ 1:37 pm

beanboy, we will always be able to recruit PA, that will not change. We will have new competition from rutgers and uconn but we have always had competition. over the years, ND and Michigan were raping PA for recruits and that slowed down. The eastern part of the state is on the rise as more schools have become part of the PIAA playoffs and the players are getting visibility. We have not done very well there the last few years so I am hoping that changes.

Comment by steve hill 01.11.11 @ 1:46 pm

A lot of fullbacks don’t get drafted, most are signed as free agents. Hynoski will be on a NFL team next year. I wish him well.

Comment by why me 01.11.11 @ 2:01 pm

That’s a two way street. The same people who bash Baldwin, refuse to even consider that Tino has many shortcomings, the biggest being he can’t hit a wide open receiver more than 20 yards down field.

And that my friends is why Pitt had very few big passing plays this year(other than the circus catches made by Baldwin). And why the running game was not as successful as well. Miami’s coaches clearly said they were not afraid of Pitt’s vertical passing game as they noted the inaccuracy of it’s QB and why they stacked the box to stop the run. And they got away with it.

As far as what announcers say, well you take that with a grain of salt, since it all works hand in hand. After all we had Congemi suggesting numerous times that Tino is an athletic qb during the bowl game.

Comment by B 01.11.11 @ 2:08 pm

exactly my point why me. NFL teams don’t waste picks on fullbacks. secondly, what made hynoski so good? i just don’t remember any blocks that he made to spring runners. i think pitt fans are just enamored with the kid. leaving early to be an undrafted free agent is odd to me.

Comment by Omar 01.11.11 @ 2:09 pm

dion lewis’ move is the dumbest of all three. he had a very average year, he is 5’8″ tall, doesn’t have darren sproles type speed or versatility out of the backfield, and he doesn’t play special teams. he isn’t going to be a first day pick. why not just finish school and try to have a big year? bad advice.

Comment by Omar 01.11.11 @ 2:24 pm

Although I don’t feel that Pitt should be a farm club to the NFL, I wish all Pitt players leaving early for the NFL the best of luck in your career opportunities. You will always be Pitt Panthers in our hearts. Thank you for a job well done. Hail to Pitt!

Comment by MariettaMike 01.11.11 @ 2:47 pm

Agree with Omar on Lewis, but not on Hyno. I think he’ll have tremendous success at the next level.

Knowing very little about how the recruiting process works, do we know if all of those recruits who changed their minds after the Wanny debacle have committed elsewhere? Is there any reason to think that those who haven’t might rethink the decision in light of the Graham hire?

Comment by Carmen 01.11.11 @ 2:55 pm

I don’t wish Baldwin ill, I just think his effort and attitude this year were piss poor. I completely agree that his talents were wasted by the staff and he didn’t get the ball as much as he needed to. That was frustrating as a fan and I know that its even more frustrating as a player. That being said, its not an excuse to pout, go in the tank, publicly bad mouth your quarterback and dog it running routes. I think we’ll be just fine without him, but I wish him all the best.

Comment by TJ 01.11.11 @ 3:42 pm

Beanboy, I agree, I was hoping for Bradley, but, I’ve warmed up to Graham. There is one thing no one can deny, in the hot up and comers, there were about 6 or 7 names being mentioned, and Graham was one of them, also Holgerson. It means nothing, but, they both were mentioned when some big schools had openings. I’m glad we got someone that people are saying, “they got a winner there”. We’ll never know, except with time, and hopefully he can put together a fantastic product and we can get some seats in the house, and, if he does do well, and after 3 or 4 years, he’s a hot property, then, it will be upto the administration to say, “no, here’s a raise, we want you here”, like Jamie.

Comment by Dan 01.11.11 @ 5:00 pm

I want PITT fans to take a step back and think about what we are talking about here.

We had a 2010 PITT team with four (4!) preseason All-Americans and which will end up with probably six or seven (7!) kids getting drafted into the NFL in Baldwin, Lewis, Sheard, Romeus, Decicco, Hynoski and Pinkston… and we couldn’t beat anyone but pansies on our schedule this season or get into a BCS game ever.

If that isn’t an indictment of our dearly departed coaching staff I don’t know what is.

If that isn’t an indictment

Comment by Reed 01.11.11 @ 6:13 pm

Who wouldn’t want to see Hyno lined up in front of Mendenhall next year?

Comment by Jeff 01.11.11 @ 8:50 pm

Reed,
That is not an indictment to the coach.. actually it should be a reward since 3/4 of the people you mentioned were 2 or 3 stars…

The ACC, which is just as bad as the Big East put almost as many players in the pros as the SEC and their team stinks..
If you dont have a QB, offensively lines, linebacker or corner you arent going to have a dream season. On top of that playing starting the season on the road with the aforemention holes makes it hard.

HAIL TO PITT

Comment by cdmoore25 01.12.11 @ 9:22 am

Would you be serious about exchanging links?

Comment by mercurial superfly 01.12.11 @ 1:35 pm

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