I’m not all the way back in the swing, but I have to say that I need to post if for no other reason but to take my mind off some of the other crap. Thanks everyone for well-wishes and some suggestions regarding the vehicle search. I’ve got some things narrowed down. A new car is completely impractical right now. Couple that with two kids under the age of ten, and I could see my annoyance levels shooting through the roof as they do what kids do over time in the back seat of cars. Wait, that came out wrong.
Reed gave you the reassuring POV on Coach Paul Chryst and his approach. I don’t totally disagree. It is something a little different, and if it works then great.
Now onto the reported coaching hire. Still no word officially on a new running back coach. Honestly, I’m not that stressed about the speed at which a position assistant is hired. It would be nice to have someone in place with more than a couple weeks before spring practices start, but the running back spot is not a source of concern.
Then there is the apparent move to fill the other open position on the coaching staff with a QB Coach. The name that is being leaked as likely is Brooks Bollinger.
I’ve been mulling it over for a couple days. Giving it a bit of thought. And I just keep coming back to the same place.
WHAT? Brooks Bollinger? Another effin’ Wisconsin guy?
Look, I know Chryst apparently has a comfort zone and doesn’t like to venture too far from it with whom he works. But Brooks Bollinger?
I don’t care about his career of a journeyman, back-up QB. Or his career at Wisconsin. Those are just biographical details.
I care that Bollinger is from North Dakota and was coaching high school football in Minnesota for all of a year. I care that, that is the extent of his coaching history. I care that this is yet another guy with Wisconsin ties from the midwest — which seems to be the main criteria to be hired by Chryst. Another coach with no recruiting history or ties to the East Coast or South. And I’m sorry a couple years holding a clipboard for the NY Jets; and a couple years with the Florida UFL team do not count for East Coast or Southern ties.
The only coaches hired without direct ties to Chryst or Wisconsin are the strength and conditioning coach, Todd Rice, and WR Coach Bobby Engram. But even then, there is a rather familial connection. Rice played for Chryst’s father in college. Engram was an offensive assistant on the 49ers last season — where Chryst’s brother Geep, is the QB Coach.
I’m not trying to be negative — though, I probably am coming off that way. It is just that this is getting a little ridiculous. Chryst seems to be more concerned with ties, connections and personal relationships to every coach on this staff. That might be great for coaching chemistry and camaraderie, but it may not be the best thing for Pitt.
What if one of these coaches just can’t cut it? What if they are plain lousy? How willing will Chryst be to make a change when he has personal relationships with all of them? How will that effect his view of their actual job performance? Chryst has every right, and should have final say over his staff. But someone needs to have a talk with him about how far he is taking things.
It reminds me a little too much of the POV on hiring assistants of another Pitt HC.
“Usually, I have found that hiring people I am familiar with or I know has produced the best results, and this is no different. Obviously, I have a lot of people whose opinions I trust who I will look to.”
If I’m being honest, though, after the first few years it wasn’t Wannstedt’s assistants that was the problem.
As for the recruiting side of things, he can do all the personal touches, lots of research into kids before offering, and being more selective. That’s all great. The kids still have to commit, and that still requires having coaches who can recruit. Coaches who know areas, have relationships with the high school coaches, and can sell the kids on Pitt.
The fact is there is no coach on this staff that has any known recruiting connections and acumen for New Jersey and Maryland. I suppose Bobby Engram could handle Eastern PA based on being a PSU grad. But Engram is actually from South Carolina.
And, um, one other thing. Update the damn headshots for the coaches on Pitt’s site. Engram is still wearing a 49ers shirt while Breckterfield is in a UCLA shirt.
link to pittsburghpanthers.com
That, however, is just the recruiting part, but there is the other aspect to Bollinger. He has no resume. Not even as a graduate assistant. One year coaching high school football in suburban St. Paul, and he would become the QB Coach for a 1-A, BCS program?
Maybe he’s a natural coach. But on its face, it sure seems that the only thing that got him the job is that he played QB at Wisconsin.
I think ties to recruiting areas is helpful but shouldn’t be a prerequisite. Pitt already has made connections to many high schools in NJ and MD. I would hope our new coaches could quickly reestablish ties and continue building the relationships.
However, I do agree that Chryst needs to get out of his comfort zone. I don’t want Pitt to become Wisky East. I want Pitt to be Pitt (without the disappointment).
The hiring of this coaching staff is Big Ten thinking at its best. What is Rudolph’s background being from Belle vernon and yet coaching at Wisconsin ? He must have some tie to Wisky.
Pitt has a powerful brand name.
I hope we don’t hear talk like ‘this is how we did things at Wisky.’ What I want to hear is ‘we’ve developed our own way of doing things based on a variety of previous experiences and melded all the successful components into something that is unique and proven here at Pitt.’
I do wish Chryst obtains some coaches with experience outside Wisky from other successful programs. Variety is the spice of life.
And, Chas, make sure you get financing before you begin dealing with the F&I manager at the store. I’ve had good experiences dealing with the Internet Sales departments at dealerships. Become educated on what rates you qualify for based on your credit score know the value of the vehicle you are interested in purchasing (what the dealer paid for it). Edmunds dot com will get you started. Best of luck.
I took it as tough handling by Staties but…
In the words of Gilda, “Never mind!”
but i understand now he is going to do it like they do at wisconsin.
he doesent care if they have a ACC back ground our if the know people in maryland.
he is not going to recruit that way he says PITT will sell it self kind of if you want to come come but he is not going to run all around and chase every one.
i dont know if it will work but it worked at wisconsin so we have to give him a chance we must wait and see i know it seams a strange way to do it and lst week i was up set abuoght it read the old posts but now that i know that he has a plan and not just siting on his ass i say give him till LOIday and see how it works out he might know
what he is doing.
that is just the way it is to him he cares mostley abought PA and OHIO dont think he will recruit many players from to many outher states when it is all said and done i bet 90 percent of signed players are from thoes 2 states
People here are making way too many unfounded assumptions. Frankly, I could care less if they “do things the Wisky way” if it produces the same level of play as Wisconsin has had.
4 years playing QB for wisconsin 6 years as a pro
he can teach them all they did to know.
you all werent bitching when it was goining to be a TE coach coaching them who is now are new OC.
if one good thing came out of this move it is that we will have a real QB coaching are QBS and with are QBS that is a good thing.
the outher coachs have to and if the coachs are from wisconsin they all ready know them as
bollinger will if he comes to pitt but if he hires aRB coach who is not from WISCONSIN his players will know more plays then him come the spring game so he neefds to hire one soon.
chryst does not care if his coachs have ACC ties
most of next recruiting class will come from PA
some from ohio there will be very little from outher states.
he will not offer 50 players he offer say 20 and
work them hopeing to get the 12 he really wants
he wont chase 50 players he wants to offer and have them say yes he wants pitt to sell it self
this will be wisconsin west and that is ok
his ol will allways be huge when he gets his own
players his OTS will allways be 6 foot 6 or taller
Pitt will be Wisconsin East.
but ok i would not mind haveing wisconsin record every year wisconsin east is ok
Pitt needs to make ties to states with the talent. It’s probably not a huge issue if a coach doesn’t have existing ties to ACC country but they better quickly make them.
I want Pitt to be Pitt. I want Pitt to smack around those Hokies each year and I want Pitt to put those Duke douche bags in their place.
we can bitch on LOI day if it doesent work.
just becuse it is different from all the outher schools like ohio state does not mean it is wrong
give him time.
Thanks for your consideration in this matter.
I’m unbiased, drive a Dodge Truck (company vehicle).
Whatever you do Chas, buy the extended warranty. Make sure it is not an aftermarket, or “in house” warranty. Get the factory one, a little more money, a lot less hassle. Even on a used car.
Problem with “in house” warranties, you ever need to take it to another dealer, or out of town, those dealers will say, “hey, that’s Joe Smith Nissan’s warranty, we don’t honor that, that’s not a Nissan warranty”.
That’s my two cents, good luck with whatever you purchase.
As for Bollinger and all of the Wisky hires, remember, there may be a few guys he way have wanted, or still wants, that just couldn’t come right now.
And look, he’s a football guy, he knows he needs players, he knows about DC MD VA. Maybe Bobby Ingram will be that guy, who knows.
Also, we don’t know that none of these coaches, don’t know anyone from that area. Maybe some of these guys do know some people down there.
Also, first year, I’m happy with letting it play out and see. He could have some changes next year, we don’t know that.
****spend a little, buy the factory warranty****
you’ll get loaners vehicles and the service advisors will be much happier to deal with you!!!
ACC = GM
Big East = Ford
Big 10 = Chrysler
“Just win, baby, just win.”
Everything else will take care of itself.
On the SI article on Steve Adams. They have him listed as 6’10” and only 210lbs. Is the kid shrinking or something, I thought he was a 7 footer and like 240lbs. Maybe they have a different scale in New Zealand. Also SI has him listed as a “Power Forward”. We are not going to have to go thru that again are we? Is he or is he not playing Center at ND Prep? If he is, why does SI have him listed as a PF, or are they just effn with us.
He has offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Florida State, Miami, Virginia tech, Tennessee, Stanford, Stanford, Boise State, Washington, and South Carolina already and many more will follow. But this is one player that Pitt can’t afford to lose and quite frankly there’s no reason to lose him. They have maybe the best college offensive line coach in the country in Bob Bostad right down the road and Kugler’s father will surely know that.
————-
Of course, things may have changed when the ‘best offesnive line coach’ left, but there are some indications now that Kugler was never interested in Pitt. Maybe he was well aware that UM plays in front of >100,000 weekly (as opposed to 20,000 yellow seats)
The problem with the Maryland/Va area for Pitt isn’t that we don’t have a coach with contacts, but that we’ve never had a coach out there for any significant period of time. Get a good young coach out there for a few years and there’s no doubt he starts pulling blue-chippers from that area for Pitt.