Now that Paul Chryst has made the decision as to who is nominal starting QB is going to be in this season and I say nominal only because we still have Voytik coming in, lets look at one major thing that needs to happen for Sunseri to be able to play better football this year than last.
Bottom line: Sunseri has to take three less sacks per game for PITT to be successful this season.
On the face of that remark it looks pretty ridiculous; “three less sacks per game”, hell most teams didn’t give up three sacks per game. The bold truth is that we gave up five (4.92) per game and 64 total sacks, which turns my stomach just to type that.
But I think we’ll be better in that area this season for sure. Graham’s “One, two, three, Go!” passing offense had our OL trying to aggressively attack the DL they were going to block in pass protection and it didn’t work out.
Look, in 2010 Sunseri was sacked 23 times total for less than two per game. Guys, that is 43 less sacks on the year. It almost literally can be any worse this year.
That wasn’t because that OL was light years better in 2010 than last year, they had much the same personnel for the first half of the year. In 2010 we had Pinkston, Jacobson, Karabin, Gaskins Nix and Cruz at TE. In 2011 we had Hollins, Jacobson, Turnley, Nix Gaskins and Graham at TE.
Give the edge to 2010 but factor is the change in the offensive system when thinking about 2011’s lineup. In 2011 we gave up 21 sacks in September alone! That was with Nix and Jacobson in the lineup.
The major difference between the sack totals of the two years was because Sunseri was 100 times more comfortable in the pocket and the gameplan allowed him to use that comfort to complete the passes he was asked to do in 2010. Last year the opposite was true.
Which resulted in Sunseri tending to hold the ball too long and taking sacks. We know he wasn’t to blame for every ill with this issue. The receivers in the new system have to shoulder some also.
We have heard from some WRs about the confusion created by the staff’s offensive approach. Confusion creates hesitations, indecision and inconsistency. When the receiver is slow off the line, varies where he makes his break and is not prepared to make the catch immediately after he comes out of his break, Sunseri was forced to wait and hold the ball until he was certain where the receiver was going. This added time resulted in pass protection breaking down and sacks.
This season, with a normal 5-7 step drop the OL automatically will backup and form a pocket for Sunseri. That will give him an extra second or two and greatly lessen the immediate pressure he felt last season.
Not only all of the above but those five sacks a game were moral killers for not only the offensive lineman but for the whole offense. You could see the tenor of the offense’s attitude change after the first couple sacks of the games. It was like “here we go again.” Change that and it pays dividends in all aspects of the offense.
OL coach Hueber has a full month to get our OL ready for this change and these kids were recruited to play that way. Chryst has named Sunseri the starter specifically to be able to allow QB coach Bollinger to get Sunseri ready to be on the same page and working with the OL as QB1 during the whole of training camp. There will be no one taking 1st string snaps away from him so the more work he gets with the OL the better.
This change in offense isn’t going to be a magic bullet that will make our offense start scoring 40+ points per game and turn Sunseri into a passing machine. Nothing in the world can make that happen. But IMO it will have a positive effect of Sunseri so that he can get back into a comfort zone like he had in 2010 and allow him to be more consistent and effective both in-game and throughout the season.
What worries me more is giving up sacks in critical situations. Even if Tino only takes 20 sacks this year, if he is getting sacked at the edge of field goal range and costing Pitt points, thats huge. Likewise, I do not expect Pitt to pass a lot on first down, but if Tino gets sacked on first down, the drive is over.
So yeah, Tino will take less sacks overall, and I bet even less sacks per dropback, BUT I’m betting once a game every game he takes a bad sack that costs the team a chance to score.
1. There will be a fullback on the field to block and to pick blitzing linebackers or defensive backs. The fullbacks will be on the field because of their ability to block.
2. Chryst offences employ tight ends who are recruited and are on the field primarily for their ability to block first and recieve second.
3. They won’t be having all the mistakes and blown assignments that result from trying to get plays off every 16 seconds.
I’m stating my opinions and they are in this case: 1) The OL will play better this year and 2) so will Sunseri.
Pretty basic. The article was more about how crappy things were last season than how good they will be this season.
Sadly this season will be another frustration because of the QB situation, Sunseri seems to fold under pressure and opposing coaches will gameplan for this situation.
I think Chryst will do what he can to mask his inabilities but in the end Sunseri is at best mediocre.
Cav would just hand off to McCoy about 80% of the time in that situation.
The results of that good decision was that it gave Stull confidence because the OC trusted him. So, Stull had marked success with throwing TDs early in the season and it carried through the year. Stull had five TDs in the first two games and 13 TDs in the half of the season.
I don’t expect that kind of production out of Sunseri but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play better in 2012 than we have in the past.
“I’m not sure that PITT fans realize just how ineffective (Tino) was for the vast majority of 2010.”
’nuff said.
Hey you don’t know unless u try.
But he didn’t have the confusion/freezing/panic problems in that offense as he did last season.
I believe Sunseri has to progress along with get back to being comfortable for this year. That is why I said this above “But IMO it will have a positive effect of Sunseri so that he can get back into a comfort zone like he had in 2010 and allow him to be more consistent and effective both in-game and throughout the season.”
I didn’t say he was effective and consistent in 2010, I said getting back to a more welcoming offense would help for that to happen this year.
Comment by Yv 05.16.12 @ 3:07 pm
Tino holds the ball, because he knows the ONLY thing and I mean the ONLY thing that will put him on the bench. Is him throwing picks.
Case in point he got pulled in the Maine game after throwing 2 picks in the 3rd quarter.
By declaring Tino the starter, we are also saying we’re going into the ACC, year one…with nobody with experience. Into stadiums that are foreign to PITT and the whole traveling to different hotels, areas and everything. Tough enough for an experienced QB, extremely tough for a team with a brand new QB, with I would imagine little to no game experience.
Because I can envision right now, the week before the Beef O’ Compass Bowl, how most of us will be saying let’s play the QB for next year, and yet I will hear, but it’s tino’s last game, blah blah blah.
This already ruined my summer, thanks PC. You upheld my faith in the coaching fraternity to do the wrong thing.
haha
Frankcan, I often agree with your posts, but this certainly is not one of them. I say Pitt should start Tino his sophomore and junior years. Then with all of that experience, he surely would make all-conference if not All-American his senior year. Agree?
It would be a hell of a thing to find out, after a rookie HC starts a true FR, that Voytik can’t do it.
The last thing in the world we need is to have everyone and their PITT brother to turn on Paul Chryst in his first year.
Forget about the ACC for right now – we may not even be in it next year anyway. Take care of business at hand which is doing the best you can this season to produce a winning season.
That means starting the best QB for 2012 not the best for 2013.
Yet Graham played others in that spot and always went back to Sunseri. Our new coach, who is pretty much an elite offensive mind, had seen enough of our QB corps to make Sunseri the starter after about two weeks of spring practice.
PITT fans learned that, yes indeed, Sunseri is the best QB on the roster. “Best” in this case isn’t a ringing endorsement as we all know but maybe should be phrased “Better than”
If Voytik comes in to camp kicking down the doors of the Southside facility and plays so well Chryst can’t keep him on the bench, that is one thing. I very much doubt that is going to happen, but if it does – play him by all means. If not, then do what you should do – play whoever gives us the best shot this season.
Personally I don’t think poor play is going to bench Sunseri if the only two alternatives are Anderson and Myers – have to have someone who can play better than that as QB2 if we substitute.
I’m going to agree with Reed, the team needs to win this year and not prepare for the next season. Chryst is a new head coach and he needs to show he isn’t just a good coordinator. The way to do that is to win a bad Big East conference. Pitt could win the Big East by just running every play. And I maintain that Tino will improve because Chryst is a good coach and because he isn’t running the TG offense.
Sunseri is going to be the starter barring the miracles of getting a seasoned transfer, MM/TA blossoming this summer and/or a true freshman coming in getting it right off the bat.
No, Sunseri will be the starter. Best case scenario is that CV gets some mop up time at some point this season. He seems to have more going for him than either MM or TA. That mop up time could be invaluable for him in 2013.
Come on don’t be like that. We’re not expecting Chryst to name Voytik the starter when he hasn’t even stepped on campus yet. Are you serious, it’s too early in the day to be drunk.
What most of us would like to see is a truly OPEN Competition in August for the starting QB job.
Based on 10 TD’s & 11 interceptions and the 63 sacks or whatever it was. NOBODY with stats like that and such a dismal performance in his last 2 games to should be named STARTING ANYTHING.
Put some pressure on these guys in August, make someone EARN the STARTING QB position. Just don’t fvcking annoint someone.
We’ve had enough of that the previous 2 Springs & Augusts. Sheeesh what don’t ppl understand here !
JAM, Scout.com is usually much kinder to Pitt (while Rivals seems to favor PSU)
Myers played much better than him in the Spring scrimage and that was in a venue where all could see for themselves. It wasn’t based on these not for the general public practices where only ppl like Zeise can tell us, how much more accurate, more this and more that, the QB is and all the other garbage we’ve heard over the last 2 going on 3 years.
I don’t care what style they play, the passing game comes down to being able to hit the right receiver accurately and throw it in such a manner that the receiver is headed towards the goal line.
And in that vane, styles of offense have nothing to do with NOT being able to hit wide open receivers for touchdowns who have broken open.
Or not being able to hit ANY receiver over 20 yards away.. period.
That is nothing but an excuse and pure garbage for the apologists.
Here is the very real reason Myers may not even be the 3rd string QB. What you saw in the spring game was as vanilla an offense as they come. Aside for the rudiments of terminology Chryst and Rudolph haven’t gotten into the meat of instituting his offense, which BTW isn’t simple as some fans think it is.
Chryst uses multiple sets and formations and the QB has to be in control of that. He has to know where the players are supposed to be, when they are supposed to be there and he has to recognize defenses and audible if necessary.
That is a problem for Myers and that was the main reason Anderson was taking 2nd string snaps that last 10 days of the spring practices. Anderson understands QB play and picked up what the staff wanted right off the bat.
If all Chryst wanted Myers to do is throw deep every play that would be great, but that isn’t going to happen.
Plus, there was an actual and honest competition for QB. Out of 15 practices about nine were conducted where Myers and Sunseri were splitting 1st team reps 50/50. Sunseri clearly and strongly outplayed Myers.
Now, if you are talking about summer training camp that is a different story but I believe Paul Chryst is saying ‘let’s get on with getting the 1st string offense ready‘. I highly doubt, and have never believed, the Chryst – as a rookie HC – is going to start a true FR QB.
That said, I believe what Chryst says about Voytik getting snaps in camp. Most true FR QBs would get the automatic redshirt and not get anywhere near the two deep in camp. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Voytik getting QB2 snaps to see how he performs with the big boys before the season starts. Then, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rudolph keeps him as one of the top three QBs during the season and drops either Myers or Anderson down to the scout team.
But Chryst’s priority has to be getting all his offensive personnel familiar with and comfortable with this new offense. Had Chryst been a second year HC here and we had the QB same situation it may be different as the players would have a year of his offense under their belts and been comfortable in it, but that isn’t the case this season.
Way back to his first two years when he was redshirting and/or riding the pine behind Stull we all heard how good he looked in practice.
In the games, not so much.
Please let Chryst be the coach to get the best out of this guy!
Three successive head coaches, two with no previous ties to Pitt (for the “legacy” crowd), have named Tino Sunseri the starter.
Wannstedt didn’t “start” it all either. Pat Bostick, who never came close to beating out Bill Stull, was not the correct option. Graham could have changed it anyway by claiming that Tino didn’t fit his system, whatever that mess was.
It could be argued that Wanny DID “start it all” by his/his staff’s utter lack of ability to recruit/develop QBs in general. Yes, yes, Bostick was 5 stars (wink, wink)…
QB may well be the most volatile position in predicting success. Flacco was a 3 star, Morelli was a 5 star, and current PSU QB Bolden was a 5 star (beaten out by walk-on McGlothin.)
This is why we shouldn’t jump the gun on Voytek. We hope he turns out to be the real deal but ….
Rivals: 4* ans 11th nationally
Scout: 3* and 32nd nationally and
ESPN: 2* and 102nd nationally
You just never know until the kid suits up and starts playing ball at this level.
On another note. Here is an updated Team Recruiting Rankings from Scout.com.
As of today
Overall: # 38;
Average # of stars: tied for # 28
Not too shabby considering the circumstances of the last two years.
Stull was the best of the bunch and while he played well in 2009 he really wasn’t more than a typical D1 QB.
This was a real problem that Paul Chryst had dumped into his lap. We’ll see just how good Chryst is with QBs this season because he has a stern task ahead.
Heck, Tom Savage was a can’t miss and even started his freshman year at Rutgers
Ryan Leaf 2nd, Rick Mirer 2nd, Akili Smith 3rd, Joey Harrington 7th, Matt Leinert, Andre Ware 7th, etc (just a sampling)
These aren’t the rounds they were drafted in … they were the picks in the FIRST ROUND
2 more, Kyle Bollar & Jamarcus Russell, had the 2 strongest arms in the last decade or so .. big busts
Or begin to love hoops. Or the New York Rangers.
link to youtube.com