Wwhhhhyyyyy???????!!!!!!!! Wwwhhhhhyyyyy??????????!!!!!!!!!! Why can’t we have nice things?
Okay, got the whining angst out of the system.
So, the spring practice reports noted that Rushel Shell was not at practice. He had hurt his leg last week, but…
Running back Rushel Shell, who injured his upper leg Friday in practice, was excused Tuesday, although coach Paul Chryst refused to confirm that his absence was injury-related. “Couple things here,” Chryst said. “We’ll kind of work through it and then we’ll see (about Shell returning Thursday). “Not positive on it.”
Okay. I’ve gotten used to vague statements from Coach Chryst. Could be classes. Could be personal. Could be related to the injury.
But then, this…
I don’t know at this point. It seems surprising and out of the blue. He’s got his twin daughters that he would be leaving behind, which doesn’t seem to match with everything he has done to this point.
It would make his statements in this puff piece from 3 weeks ago look kind of silly.
“I’m just working my hardest so one day I could be in that category and when I’m gone, people can say I was a great running back at Pitt,” Shell said.
I’m not ready to panic on this right now. Right now this is just an unsourced twitter report. It could be a nothing. It could be that Shell is having some doubts. Working through some things, as it were.
I’m sure Pitt fans will deal with this in the calm, stoic manner to which they handle everything.
“I know the family of a local kid who is on the team. Apparently, transfer discussions have been going on for a while discretely. Shell and PC aren’t quite on the same page. Shell is not a motivated practice player and likes to save it for the field. PC is very high on how you practice determines not only how you play but if you play. Reminds me a little of Iverson in Philly. I think in some respect Shell is looking for entitlement to the starting position regardless. PC is not that way which one must respect”
It really is too bad and as someone said above lose-lose. Even if things were worked out “it was all a big misunderstanding”, how much confidence would there be in Shell moving forward. Football is a team sport, how does the rest of the team react to this kind of nonsense.
Chyrst is a no-nonsense guy, setting the rules, good on him.
But, in terms of football, it’s not that huge of a drop-off. Shell was good at times last year but not consistently great, and never learned to block. Bennett is faster and shiftier, and looked better to me a lot of the time, at least when he got into the game, more like Graham. If I recall correctly, Shell was doing nothing in the bowl game, Bennett came in for a couple of series and ripped the defense apart, then they took him right back out never to be seen again – drove me nuts.
I hope the kid stays for his own sake, but if not, I don’t think it’s a disaster by any means. There are a few good guys behind Bennett as well.
And to think we lost the RB from New Jersey, Cory Clements and the one from Florida, Jojo Heath or something, basically cause they knew we had Shell as the feature back.
Just another week in Pitt sports history.
Friedrich Nietzsche
We Pitt fans got to be some of the strongest people aroud.
Seriously, if the O-line develops (which is a strength of PC), then the running game should be fine regardless of who is running the ball.
Shell has issues. On the (practice) field as well as off. Does he think transferring will make things all better?
I do like that PC isn’t taking any crap from his players. That being said, based on this and other incidents/suspensions/absences, it might be 3-4 years before he has HIS team together. It doesn’t bode well for the inaugural ACC season.
Interesting comments on the locker room the last few years… really can see how PC has been working hard to get control of the hearts and minds of this team.
Featured recruit with the the opportunity of a lifetime sitting right there in front of him for the taking. All he has to do is work for it.
Says he wants to be held in the same regard as Tony Dorsett once his football career is history.
Name droppin a Pitt legend has consequences. As a well known politician once pontificated. Mr. Shell, I knew Mr. Anthony Dorsett, Anthony Dorsett was a friend of mine, you Sir are no Mr. Dorsett. At least not yet, and if you transfer, you never will be.
This flys in the face of needing Top 50 or even Top 100 players.
Maybe someone should tell the kid before he ruins his life.
Never heard again about that hotshot kid RB from North Hills HS who thought he was better than Pitt and went down to Miami.
Bennett had 4.9 ypc while shell had 4.5. As a matter of fact nine RBs (some more than once) had better YPC average than did Shell last year.
It wasn’t like he was a TD machine either with a rather poor four TDs to 141 carries which was a .028 rate.
Grahams’s was 11 to 222 for a .049 rate and Bennett’s beat both with three on 29 carries for a rate of .10.
This talk about Shell going to the NFL after two years of college cracks me up – where in the world did you see that in his play last season?
He had one (1!) game where he excelled – that VA Tech game. Contrast that with seven games where he had 3.9 ypc or less.
Chryst wasn’t enamored by Shell last season either. From mid-season on there wasn’t a game where Shell got more than 11 carries except for the bowl game when Graham didn’t play. Guys, Shell was #2 RB behind a gimpy TB who lost a lot of speed and gassed out early on in the games and still Shell couldn’t get more carries. 25 carries for 79 yards and zero TDs in that start – not real great either.
That tells you something about how the staff viewed Shell IMO.
I just didn’t want to mention all that, for fear of being labeled…..a Negative….very bad meanie.
And yes you are ! 🙂
name a college coach who is going to let a running back
dog it in practice then start the kid on Saturday?
You gotta earn it every day! The concept applies across all occupations. Football player or brain surgeon, doesn’t matter.
Memo to Mr. Shell, practice like you play and practice every day, sorry but it doesn’t work any other way.
I mean how can you walk away from this opportunity. He’s in a position to be the feature back in the ACC, with a coach that will feed him. What more do you want??.. How do you walk away from that to go sit around for the next 18 months, getting out of shape somewhere “out west”, just to have to compete for a position that you had already earned? I mean its insane, makes no sense at all. Think about what you’re doing and the consequences your decisions will have…
All that said, props to HCPC for not putting up with his crap. If Shell wants to fake injuries, and not put the work in, then why the hell should HCPC put the effort and work in on him… What an ass.
becuse they wont want you there if you cant cut it here.
man up or get out.
Let’s do away with the “He was only a true FR last year” stance that I’ve read elsewhere also – PITT has had at least three true FR RBs way surpass what Shell did last year as far as production to carries goes.
My referencing Bennett wasn’t so much that I thought he should have played over Shell last season – although I would have liked to have seen more of him – but that Bennett will have a good chance to take this opportunity and be as, or more, productive as Shell was.
Personally, I believe this would benefit him and his young family in many ways, one of which is the fact that PITT has put some decent RBs into NFL rosters over the last decade.
I also hope he realizes that PITT can afford him an excellent education.
But should he opt to leave I won’t break down in tears.
Shell has the potential, but then again, potential don’t pay the electric bill, does it?
As folks said here PC is not about kissing ass with spoiled players to sell them to stay here.
addition by subtraction… doesn’t matter how talented Shell is… if he is not 110% effort and leader of this offense then he is a cancer and continues part of this sour locker room folks above mentioned and that PC is cleaning up.
I was always puzzled that he was compared to the great Tony D…. yet for all of his power dragging people on him… I did not see a great burst to the hole, and never saw anything like break away speed to the next level, let along to the house.
A Focused and Intense O’ ready to play will be better and someone will step up.
Oh and I am sure Saban is just burning up the phone line now with this kid… NOT.
Hey… Don’t let the Door hit you in the ass on the way out…. good luck kid, you’ll need it.
He racked up huge yards yet was totally unable to read defenses well enough to be able to pass block on the college level.
It was probably the first time in his football career that he wasn’t the best at something. It was also the first time in his career that he had to subjugate his play to allow someone else to execute on the field by making his QB have time to complete passes.
I understand that the staff went into a total teaching mode with him last year because he had a greatly enhanced playbook and new pass blocking responsibilities.
Now – fast forward to this spring when Shell, after a full year of college ball under his belt, makes those same mistakes. It isn’t a teaching moment any longer but a “get your ass in gear or else” moment. Second year starters can’t be making rookie mistakes and have to grow skin tough enough to absorb the heavy handed approach the staff takes with them.
Some HS stars can deal with all of that easily and take those ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’ in stride… some can’t.
