Friday, September 7, 2007

An open letter to coach Wannstedt

Dear Coach Wannstedt,

I find it of the utmost importance to make you aware of an issue facing all Panther fans. These last two recruiting classes have been arguably the best back to back recruiting classes Pitt has ever had. We all understand that just because a recruiting website says a kid is a 4 star prospect does not mean he will automatically become a star. It is likely however, that with better recruiting classes, more will be expected of these kids at an earlier point in their college career. I am sure you understand where I am going with this letter. We can understand redshirting Hynoski, Aundre Wright, Buddy Jackson, and others. We also understand that the way to win is to play your best players. This is the last "freebie" week against Grambling. This week, I truly believe our 2nd team offense and defense could beat them by atleast 2 touchdowns. It is for this reason alone that I believe PAT BOSTICK and LESEAN MCCOY should be your starters and see the majority of playing time. Kevan Smith is a good quarterback in terms of a 2nd stringer and Hot-Rod will always be a serviceable Big East running back. It is imperative that Bostick and McCoy get real game experience this week so that we stand the best chance to win our tough upcoming games (MSU, UVA, Uconn, etc.). It would be foolish to start Kevan Smith and Hot Rod this week only to pull them if we are struggling against MSU. Many people do not expect us to beat MSU. I on the other hand do believe that we can and should win that game. If we do not win, which could absolutely happen, the game experience that Shady and Pat (a.k.a. the real cat basket) Bostick will gain is much more important for the 08, 09, and if they are still here 2010 seasons. Even if we do lose to MSU, Pat Bostick and LeSean McCoy can lead this team to an 8-4 record which would definately earn us a decent bowl bid and most importantly, increase our odds of winning the BE Championship in the upcoming years.
While I respect what you have accomplished as a coach, please play the men who give you the best chance of winning. Please start Pat Bostick and LeSean McCoy.

~ The One and Only ~

2 comments:

rkohberger said...

But in Bostick's case you forgot this part....

"Oh, and don't worry about the message it sends to 102 other players that grinding through every minute of practices and meetings means nothing. It's perfectly alright to leave your teammates during camp for 10 days because you felt it necessary. Your teammates trust and respect, along with a chance to move up the depth chart will be granted to you on the basis of a website's "ranking system" because you showed potential in High School, and not what you did on the practice field.

DPJ said...

What about this part, Kevan Smith only started in 12 games during his high school career. He was regarded as "raw" and a "project" by every school that offered him a scholarship. I was at some practices this summer and Pat Bostick out played him in each practice I attended.

But I guess from your logic TJ Porter shouldn't have been allowed to play last year since he had some difficulty adjusting as well.

Remember these are 18 year old kids making a big transition in their life. We've all have dealt with high pressure situations and sometimes you need to get away with it. Pat Bostick unfortunately is someone who gets a lot attention because he is the future of Pitt football.

In 2009, when Pat Bostick is the starting qb, getting reps in this game will have been more important for his development than worrying about the trust of his teammates.

If you were at the game today, 2 hours before kickoff like we were, you would have seen Pat practicing with all of the wr's and db's working on all of their routes. It sure seemed like Pat had their trust and respect.

Pat is still the best quarterback on this team.