My friends, I’d like to take a few minutes and let you all know just how much I’ve appreciated both the opportunity to contribute to The PITT Blather as a writer and the interactions we have had when you all commented on those articles.
I posted 154 pieces on here and am proud of every one of them. I am most proud though of the fantastic readers and commenters on this site and of the truly high level of discourse we have had over the years. It has been a real blast to be able to travel around representing the Blather, researching issues, trying to get the facts and then letting you all know what I found out and my thoughts and opinions and how I came to them.
As you can see over the last year The PITT Blather has added some new writers. There will be an injection of new writing blood with at least two new contributors, one a student-athlete from PITT, weighing in. Justin is a well grounded and detailed writer and a great read. That is well and good and I wish them all the best.
With that, I’m going to move onto other things and let the Blather go on without me. I know, I know – it is no big loss and it probably isn’t. There is going to be quality stuff on here as there has always been and hopefully just as much good and detailed discussion as we have all had in the past.
I have nothing but gratitude for Chas Rich for the chance he gave me to be part of this blog. I not sure the readers know this but Chas is about the best possible publisher there is. In all my time here he changed only one article and that was to make it more readable. Other than that I was free to write what I wanted and when I wanted with no fear of editing or censorship – and I wrote some pretty controversial things.
Of course I’ll still read The Blather every morning and evening and comment as I have been doing. There just won’t be many, if any, articles with my name on them any longer. If anyone is at all interested in what I have to say more formally about PITT football just look around, I’ll still be attending practices, talking with others and writing and posting in other sites. This really is going to be a fun and interesting second year for Paul Chryst and PITT football with a ton of things to talk about.
My true thanks to all, goodbye and Hail to Pitt!
Reed
Enjoyed your insightful writings whether or not I agreed with them, lol (just kidding)
I wish you good luck and much success in the future !!
I raise my glass of Bookers Bourbon in cheers to you !
Hail to Pitt !
Veritas et Virtus
Reed you’re a Great Guy !
I’ll probably throw something up now and then to stir the pot but it’s getting old to travel for two days for each practice and interviews. I’ll save that for the actual games themselves.
We’ll still have a ton to discuss…
Let’s hope your replacements keep us as informed as you have.
THANK YOU REED….SEMPER PARATUS and HTP…
it takes that much time out of your day.
dont stop .
Thanks for your thoughts and insightful observations.
Hey, I’ll be around proving you wrong still. Commenting on these posts fills my Blather fix also.
Any chance you could supplant our current AD?
I’ve truly enjoyed and learned a lot from your posts. Hope we get to meet at a Pitt gathering someday.
Thank you!
You are where I got a lot of my x’s and o’s.
Always extremely informitive articles and information.
You have been a huge part of the Blather.
There is no way you could not be missed, but, again, happy to see you will still be commenting on the Blather and will still be around.
Yes, Chas deserves kudo’s for this site, I haven’t seen any better in the college athletic world.
Good luck to Justin and any others!!!
Thanks Reed!!!
HTP!!!
Very best to you in your endeavors,,,and thanks so much for not mentioning “the toughest QB to ever play for Pitt, by name!)
I think this team may suprise in a good way this year.
(I remember some back-and-forths between us (differing opinions..to say the least) as early as 2004.)
But let me tell you:
You really have been a major contributor here, and you will be missed — your writing skill-style progressed to the point where, at times, I needed look to the column header to make certain I wasn’t reading Chas. Doubtlessly, a high compliment.
Will still look for your participation in posts-comments.
Regards, –Neil
You will be missed.
I am confused though. Is there a fifth post on Pitt’s things for spring series or is the biggest worry for Pitt is finding a replacement for your writing?
Our coaching staff. I’m not sold on how well HCPC can coach a football team on game days. He made some mistakes (at least they were mistakes in my mind) that were either due to poor football sense or complete timidity. Both of those qualities are not the stuff successful HCs are made of.
I question some of his staff hires and am wary of his latest move to have Matt House fleet up to DC. On one hand I think that Chryst reached out to other DC candidates only to have them turn the job down for whatever reason. On the other hand I wonder if House wasn’t his choice all along and he did interviews only as a formality. I suspect the latter is true and question that decision.
This 2013 season will be a great litmus test for how good of a DC House will be. He’s familiar with the player personnel and knows what sort of talent he has on defense, which is considerable BTW. With nine returning players who have previously started on defense he should be able to replicate the defensive standings that we had last season: Total Defense – 17th; Passing – 20th; Scoring – 23rd; Rushing – 20th, etc. That is a sound foundation for going into a new season.
So then why did a rookie QB light up that defense with 82% passing for 358 yards and three TDs? Why give up 250 yards at a 5.0 ypc clip to three previous backup running backs? That isn’t a case of the offense being a bit ahead of the defense or something, it was a bloodbath. We were only missing one starting DB during the Spring Game yet it was Air Voytik out there. That leads me to believe that our defense is really a work in progress with the new DC and his new systems. Yes, it is just Spring but that was an eye-opener.
We’ve no Special Teams coach; a LB coach who his ex-HS players seem to hate; a staff who can’t land most of the local the big fish recruits without some sort of extenuating circumstances involved(PSU sanctions & twin daughters for example) and so on.
I do love the way Paul Chryst has handled his off the field leadership demands required of him to execute as both the HC and in loco parentis and I think those things are truly important for a good HC. I also like his demeanor and think he’s a great role model for the youth on his roster, but unless I seem some real changes in his game day coaching I’ll still be wary that he’s the ‘answer’ at PITT.
Huh, I just said I wasn’t going to write on here anymore and this is what you guys made me do…
I have considered your posts insightful, well presented, and subjective…the consummate, journalistic professional. Let me echo the other comments, and offer my simple words of “nicely done.”
I humbly offer you the highest compliment I can give a journalist, “You made me think.”
To that point, I firmly agree with your comments with Chryst’s choice of DC. I was really hoping for Tom Bradley. Certainly the ‘Nit Factor’ will cause the most ardent of Pitt Fans some consternation, but we need results. He’s a proven DC, wants the job, and he can recruit. What am I missing? What is Stevie Boy’s problem?
Will miss your articles on this site.
Best wishes.
MajorMajors
Very disappointing news but I am sure you will appreciate the extra time moving forward. Passing the torch and moving on to new challenges and interests can be a difficult decision. Kudos for making it. Thank you for your time and energy with your writing and insights. It is appreciated.
Hail To Pitt!
