Note: I didn’t write something right away because when you are getting 370+ comments on an open game thread pretty much everything has already been talked about. Anyway, here are some of my observations…
Again, and with firm success, PITT snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last week. Travelling to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse our Panthers dropped a close, low scoring game to the Orange, 14-13, in a match that may portend the way the rest of the schedule plays out in that we certainly played well enough to win but obviously didn’t.
The sad thing is I couldn’t even get too angry about that final ‘nail in the coffin’ intentional grounding penalty by Sunseri that deprived us of a game winning field goal opportunity because we have seen it, or something just like it, happen to PITT so many times over the years. We just can’t find ways to win close football games coming from behind because we aren’t built for it, starting with our QB. It isn’t only Sunseri that has been this way for PITT, Bill Stull before him had the same problem.
If I’m assigning blame – which is totally Tuesday morning QB’ing – then I’m pointing at the OL for most of the ills of the evening. They didn’t open many holes for Graham or Bennett and they were just flat out terrible in pass protection.
How many times did we watch Sunseri have the pocket collapse around him and then he (finally) stepped up and completed the throw? He did that on his own out there. But the fact is that the only offense we could generate was by passing the football and Sunseri did that well last week.
That said, Sunseri certainly contributed to the loss also. Sunseri is what he is, an average at best college QB who needs all the other facets of the offense to be working well for him to get a win. We know what his limitations are already and he’s a lightning rod for criticism. But to lay the blame of this loss at his feet only is just tunnel vision.
I’ll also point at Ray Graham for our poor offensive showing last week. He spent half the night running and jerking around behind the LOS before turning south. Had he just gone into the line as the play was called he’d be getting better yardage. This isn’t the first game he’s done this behind the line this season either. I’m starting to think that his injury is still impacting him more than he lets on and that he’s trying to break off a huge run each play to make his worth as a NFL player look better.
Well, I just blamed to the whole offense for last night’s loss save the WRs who played pretty well – except for Carswell who had that fumble and subsequent return of a SYR TD and a crucial dropped pass in the 2nd half.
We had an article up on here prior to the game talking about how average the running game has been lately and last week it couldn’t even be that. We had a grand total of 0.7 yards per carry. That isn’t a misprint – 0.7 ypc – against a team that was pretty poor against the rush previously.
One of the reasons was that we wouldn’t, or couldn’t, play the best back we have capable of powering through the interior of the DL to get positive yardage when there wasn’t much of an opening by the OL. Shell had one carry on the day.
There has been a lot of chatter on the message boards about why Shell didn’t get in the game more often. One is that his back was hurting again. Hmmm, another is that he was being punished for some minor infraction. That’s hard to fathom though as you’d think he would have been sat down for the whole game rather than just part of it.
Regardless of what the reasons were we missed his abilities to get tough yardage, especially is short conversion opportunities. On our first possession of the second half, down 14-10, we had a third and one at our own 39 yard line. Up to this point Graham had little positive yardage per play on the ground yet we ran him into the interior line and got stuffed. We had Bennett and Shell on the sidelines – both bigger and stronger than Graham and had TEs quite capable of catching a pass thrown by a QB who was completing passes all day.
The whole approach to the running game against SYR was very Wannyesque in the sense that Chryst stayed with something that wasn’t working solely on the off chance that Ray Graham would break one for a TD. Isaac Bennett, who was averaging 4.9 ypc on the season and tore up training camp, got a total of three carries in the game. If Shell was actually hurt and Graham was ineffective why wasn’t Bennett used more often in the hope that he’d be able got at least get better than a 0.7 ypc production?
We have to get our TEs involved in the passing game more often. Paul Chryst has gone far from his model using TEs to produce as he did so well at Wisconsin. At this point our true TEs, Graham and Holtz, have 8 receptions (87 yards) which is only 7% of our completions. If we add Drew Carswell to that, even though he’s split out a lot, the number jumps to 13 receptions (145 yards) and is 12% of our completed passes.
That is way too low for the way this offense is built. Our OL is poor against the better teams. Using the TE would be a way to execute the short, quick passing game and then to have the big guys leverage their strength for yards after the catch. I believe we really need to incorporate this more, especially with J. P. Holtz who did so well in training camp and flat out trucked a defender last week.
Another aspect of the offense that was missing last week was the deep pass. We have seen Sunseri complete more of them this season that any other yet the OC/HC didn’t call one deep ball all game. You can’t tell me that we didn’t have ample opportunity to let fly at least once or twice that game. Hell, Street was having so much success with the intermediate routes with 10 catches with a 13 ypc average that a double move from him would have taken the DB by total surprise.
I’m become more disappointed with the offensive play calling as the season progresses.
As a result we totally wasted an excellent defensive effort in this game. That is something we just can’t afford to do any longer if we want to get to a winning season – which is more and more becoming a reach to accomplish in 2012.
All in all it was a good game to watch if you like close games with good defenses but it was, as we have all seen before, a disappointing game to watch if you are a PITT fan. To sum it up; Blah, blah and blahdeblah… again.
I had to laugh… Wanny wanted Campbell (legit track star) to play . Clearly out of position… Wanny did the same with Dickerson.
I am not blaming him for the Syracuse loss but he will just never be the kind of QB that steps up and single handedly wins you a game.
3 months and counting until a new era of pitt football begins…
Would be ideal. However, you must realize who we are dealing with. Smug Smile Steve.
He will do one of two things, regarding our uniforms going into a new conference.
A. Absolutely nothing, and have a smug childish answer of “oooh, last time I did that, everyone got mad at me”.
or B. What I fear the most, absolutely wreck the uniforms. Eff them up like Maryland and have crazy uniform combinations, because he fancies himself some kind of marketing genius.
Perhaps we’ll go to an all black uniform with blue and gold and red highlights.
Maybe a green version of the blue and gold.
Just know this, when Stevie is involved.
Either gonna be nothin’, or if they decide to do something, when they unveil them, most people will be saying, WTF????
As for Andie, close to the perfect woman. Have had a crush on her for years!!!
Something about her voice also.
Next year, put the friggin’ names on the back of the jerseys.
It almot looks as ridiculous as PSU’s with names.
But I also like the block PITT. Just don’t like the PITTSBURGH change.
Pederson is horrible.
Football Coaches hired by (excludes Solich, Wanny and PC) have a won loss record of around 35-34. Not precise numbers but close.
More telling is that 3 aren’t head coaches and two are out of football. Harris and Heywood are out and Callahan will never get another HC job.
Even more telling is that several coaches turned him down at Nebraska before he got to Callahan.
The guy is cyanide to football programs!
keep calm
hail to pitt
As for the uniform comments. Two reasons it’s hard to get away from.
1. Sure, dear old Pitt script.
2. Which is so much more important. It’s not that Pitt script is gone, it’s an insight into how this guy operates. What angle he comes from.
In it’s basic simple form, the uniform change should have been the furtherst thing from this guys mind. Not because of “dear old Pitt script”.
Because his focus and what he brings to the table is way off.
Winning sells tickets, winning sells jerseys, winning sells merchandise, winning sells everything.
Gimmicks are just that, gimmicks.
Not harping on that decision per se. What everyone needs to know, is his mind set, as we go forward, to trying to get back to a winning program.
My point, I hope he’s not spending a lot of time, trying to work a deal with Nike and Under Armour to get Pitt new uniforms.
I hope he’s spending time, trying to free up more money for Coach Chryst to recruit the south, freeing up more money to keep assistant coaches if they are worthy, to hire new assistant coaches if they become available.
Spend your time on things like that, that will help Coach Chryst and his staff, win more games.
Oregon had allready turned the corner in the early 90’s, went to the Rose Bowl and had several high rankings……….
in their old Green jerseys, yellow pants, and yellow helmets way before the crazy uniforms.
Also, their alum, is the owner of Nike, so he donates them and plays around with them.
Maryland alum, is head of Under Armour. Same thing. He did it at a time when Maryland stunk. They still stink, and looking at recruiting, will still stink years to come in their 55 different combinations of a mess.
Pitt allready had a national brand, he thought he was smarter. He was not.
Also, I’m not opposed to a once a year, or once a year every couple of years gimmick uniform.
Just not the overall gimmick, because, we all know, gimmicks are for people that ain’t makin’ it.
They are for programs (for the most part, a few exceptions) that are trying to divert attention from the field.
P.S. for no reason,
Pitt 31 Louisville 24 !!!!
what I know is Shell is doing the same as HS… skip out on practices (allegedly injured) but ready for game day. He did that to get out of practice and got away with it with the football coach… but in other sports… he was kicked off the team.. Basketball twice, Baseball, track… all in all he was kicked off the team 4 times due to not going to practice…
Chryst laid down the law… no practice… no game playing time..
Don’t let me start the Iverson practice rant on shell..
He is what I said he was…
Marcus Dupree..
#1 – Dupree was heads and shoulders above any other HS RB other than Earl Campbell during the 70s. Switzer knew he was the BEST athlete he had from the moment Dupree stepped on the field. Shell is good, but not THAT good.
#2 – Recruits were treated a lot better in the 70s then they are now. By better I mean $$$. I’m not naïve enough to believe it doesn’t happen at all today, but back then everyone (including the recruits family members) had their hands out and the boosters gladly filled them.
#3 – Due to #2, Dupree picked Okla. His mom, uncle and he got paid whether he wanted to be in Norman or not.
Dupree’s downfall was the concussion he suffered in his sophomore year and subsequently leaving the Sooners. When he found out he would have to sit a year before he could play for Southern Miss, he turned to the USFL. Was the concussion to blame for the poor decision to leave Okla? Or did he leave because he never wanted to be there in the first place?
I’ll conceed Dupree may never have been a hard worker, but he did lose 100lbs, then ran a 4.3 in an audition for the Rams in 1990.
Other than the ‘never a hard worker’ comment, I see NO other paralells to Shell. And I can’t say for certain that it describes Shell.
‘Hear-say’ or ‘I know someone whose brother knows the barkeep where the coaches uncle hung out and told me……..’ doesn’t scream credible to me so I don’t put any stock in it.
I know you’re going to believe what you want to believe with Shell. And yes, I know there were, um…issues with him from time to time at Hopewell.
However, questioning this beyond the explanation that Shell himself offered in the link that WBB posted is taking a pretty big leap here. It doesn’t make sense. If Chryst was punishing him, he nails him to the bench and he stays there, or he doesn’t make the trip. Give him one carry and then sit him down “as punishment”? Again, doesn’t make sense.
As I said, I know the kid had some problems off the field at Hopewell. I also beg to argue that his situation off-the-field changed significantly heading into his senior year and with that, his mindset since committing to Pitt seems to have changed as well.
Don’t forget…off-field and character issues were once raised about LeSean McCoy when he was coming out of high school. From the moment he committed to Pitt, he’s been nothing but an exemplary ambassador for the Pitt football program, second only to Larry Fitzgerald in that role over the last 10-15 years.
Not saying Shell will be the off-field equivalent of either of them, but I don’t see a whole lot of reason to justify calling his entire commitment to the program into question. At this early stage of his career, if the kid was legitimately hurt last week during practice – and I can’t see any reason to argue that he WASN’T hurt – he wasn’t able to prepare to execute properly, so he shouldn’t be out there. He risks hurting not just himself, but also his team.
There’s absolutely zero evidence that he’s trying to cut corners with Chryst. He screwed up for the opener, was suspended and then faced the music in the week after. As WBB pointed out, he addressed his limited participation in the Syracuse game with a very mature response. He’s admitted to the media before that his pass blocking needs work, given that prior to this season, he was seldom ever asked to pass-block.
I think we can cut the kid a break on this one.
My nephew goes to Hopewell and was on football, basketball and track teams..
He got kicked off teams 4 times…
as far as never worked hard… it is well known and shell said himself he didn’t lift weights or do any conditioning in HS… he started Feb this year.. at Rod’s located on Main St. in Quippa.
As far as comparisons to Dupree..
Dupree had tons of natural ability.. a man among boys in HS… but lacked the committment to work hard to take it to the next level… that is Shell… in a nutshell.
I like Chryst laying down the law…
no practice… no play…
it sent the appropriate message to Shell that what worked in HS isn’t going to work at Pitt.
btw – Hershel Walker never lifted weights either.
your kidding me regarding ur Hershel Walker comparison..
3000 situps everyday
2000 pushups everyday
1000 pullups everyday..
Plus I think 6 mile run 3 times a week…
As Switzer said… Dupree got injured a lot because he didn’t workout… only played in 16 games..
See, no pull-ups. Must be out of shape.
watch the documentary on Dupree..
From Dupree wikipedia
On January 1, 1983, Dupree’s freshman season ended with a 32–21 Fiesta Bowl loss against Arizona State, in which he rushed for an Oklahoma and Fiesta Bowl record 249 yards, but was criticized by Switzer for not practicing hard and for being overweight.[7] Switzer told Dupree, “If you’d have been in shape, you’d have rushed for 400 yards, and we’d have won the game.”[9]
Sounds like Rushel shell to me…
lets hope not!!
Use to date a girl who came to the Burg to be a ballerina, don’t know if what she did during the day was a sport, but what we did at nighttime certainly was. 🙂
Hershel Walker took ballet…
then again… Joe Namath wore pantyhose to keep his legs warm.. lol
Secondarily, and extremely important is that Shell has had problems picking up blitzes and that is all Pitt saw because the run blitz has been a proven defensive scheme to beat a tino led team. If you watch the syracuse film, you will see ray graham whiff on chip blocks and look silly doing it.
A bunch formation by the WR’s close to the line cures the run blitz. Unless of course the db’s are flawless getting around natural picks. Learn something from the pro formations practiced by the steelers in those situations. The OL is not the greatest and there are things you can do to help them. The coaches asked the players to execute chips and the qb to make quicker decisions, and they failed. That is a player problem. Coach Chryst will be fine and he is the right guy for the job.
Savage is not a gimme for next year so I would play Voytik, Shell and JPHoltz on offense from here on out if they are healthy enough to go. No issue with defense except to keep up pressure and win turnover battle.
For an activity that is a sport – I found fencing to require more physical stamina, and more intense concentration, then all of the other varsity sports I played (BB, soccer and baseball).
I’m sorry, but there are no tangible similarities between Dupree and Shell. None.
Dupree had lots of injuries sophmore year.. then the concussion which is when he decided to quit.
Dupree lacked the committment…
I like that Chryst laid down the law… no practice… no play time.
what worked for Shell in HS will not work at Pitt… he needs that authority.
In a nutshell, Dupree and Shell are apples and oranges. Their backgrounds were very different. The only similarity is they were highly ranked recruits. There’s nothing else. There is no evidence regarding a lack of work ethic with Shell at Pitt.
As I said before, there have been, and will be many highly rated recruits that get by on talent alone in HS. That alone does not make them similar.
Look at Dupree documentary…
Shell is skipping out on practices… you want me to do the Iverson “practice” chant…
I’m glad Chryst laid down the law… no practice… no playtime.
Chryst said he feels like Pitt has Rushel Shell’s back issues under control “for now.”
“At this point, yeah [we have it under control,]” Chryst said. “So hopefully it stays that way.”
Back spasms can be tricky to deal with, so it’s understandable that Chryst would be cautiously optimistic about Shell. He has practiced this week, and should be ready to go Saturday, so hopefully nothing new crops up during the course of the game that would cause him to miss more time. We saw to some extent Friday how valuable Shell is to Pitt’s rushing attack.
Chryst said he was impressed by the freshman’s maturity when talking about why he didn’t play against the Orange. Shell said he was physically ready to go Friday night, but had missed to much practice time during the week that he wasn’t mentally prepared for the game. He accepted full responsibility and recognized that if he can’t practice, he won’t be ready to play. “I think he wants to be out there when the lights come on,” Chryst said. “I think those are moments that he relishes so I think his whole approach all along has been good. I think he’s learning some things also. I’ve really enjoyed being around him.”
I don’t remember Switzer talking about Dupree this way.
There’s no comparison between the two. None. Just because you post it 100+ times does not make it so. It sadly reminds me of my in-laws who truly believe whoever says something the most and loudest is correct.
