I said that I just don't see us winning the game. I was wrong. The team played great.
On offense Stull made great key throws. Baldwin was given a chance to show what he can do and he certainly came through. Kinder is Kinder. He is consistent game in and game out, we are very lucky to have a wide receiver like him around. Dorin had a nice end around and gave us a critical 3rd down conversion. Lastly I want to mention Oderick Turner. I have been one of his biggest critics and was very happy to hear that he was going to have limited playing time due to his poor play. He, like the rest of the team proved me wrong. He had great catches, fought for yards, and looked like a completely different player. I said that his freshman year showed what it took for him to play well. He is the type of guy that needs to feel pressured to play well. Last year and this year he had one of the starting spots just handed to him and he didn't produce. This game he had to fight with Porter, McGee, and Baldwin for time and he showed that he can be a good player when he wants to be.
Shady deserves a paragraph all to himself and I'm sure he'll get full columns about the way he played today. The fumble he had early on really killed our momentum at a critical time. Instead of dwelling on that and pulling out some "Poor-me" attitude, he went back out there more determined than ever and played the like the back we saw last year. He carried this team tonight. He fought for the hard yards and did what it took to convert third downs. Shady was the all star and he deserves major credit for this win.
The defense did a great job today as well. Minus that drive where USF ran all over us, they played a great game. The line looked like the guys we hyped up all season. The linebackers were in position all game long. McKillop had 14 tackles today and gave the Panthers something to brag about as our All-American linebacker played like an All-American.
Conor Lee should get Big East honors again. He is the most clutch kicker we have ever had since I've followed Pitt football. When we talk all time great Pitt special teams players, Conor Lee and Andy Lee will be the top two that always come to mind.
The main people though who deserve some praise is the coaching staff. This is the type of game that fans were calling for all season. A game plan like today's would have beaten Bowling Green, and would have allowed for 14 or more point victories against Iowa and Syracuse. I don't know if Cavanaugh called the plays he wanted or if Wannstedt wanted an open, unconventional, unpredictable offense. Whatever the case, it worked and we need to stick with it. Phil Bennett also showed the defense I thought we were getting when he was hired this off season. Our blitz packages were effective all game long. We can't play afraid anymore. We know that when we take chances we will be successful and we will win.
Overall it was the best play calling we have seen from this staff ever. They trusted the players, and the players came up big when they had to. Kudos to everyone.
Like I said before, I was wrong, I am glad I was wrong, and I hope you all let me know that I was wrong.
Showing posts with label matt cavanaugh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label matt cavanaugh. Show all posts
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
50/50
This game is either going to be a fun night or a long night.
In case you haven't heard Navy likes to run the ball and they do it very well. If you don't believe me you can check the stats out yourself. Navy is #1 in the nation in rushing offense. Over the course of the last several years, I think it is safe to say that we have had a little problem with stopping the run here at the University of Pittsburgh. Notre Dame, West Virginia, and MSU are all prime examples of our defense letting players have career days. As shocking as it sounds, statistically our defense hasn't been that bad. We enter this game ranked 9th in total defense despite getting blown out in the last two games. This is the week where we really find out how far our team has progressed defensively against the run. If we have any chance in this game, it is because of 2 reasons. First, the defense needs to play fast and physical as Rush Probst would say. The option needs to be stopped. Navy does not have a great passing offense at all and if we can force them to pass, then we will be in great shape. The one area that will be critical will be the play of the safeties. They need to read and react if the option is coming to move up and stop the run. We can't have them sit back in the outfield waiting for something. The defense also needs to hit the quarterback every time they run the option. If we can get in his face and knock him down every time they run the option, it becomes more likely we can shut down their running game.
The other half of what will keep us in this game is Navy's defense is pretty damn bad. They gave up 43 points to powerhouse Duke. This is the game where Bostick needs to come up big. If we can complete a few long pass plays, that should open the door for Shady to get his yards on the ground. If Navy does not respect the passing game and starts to line up 8 or 9 guys in the box, we need to open up the playbook and let Pat play. Despite comments from Wanny and Cav, I would not believe them saying they are going to open up the passing game. They have done nothing this season that would suggest they are comfortable throwing the ball. Truthfully, I think it was all fabricated statements to get Navy to back off their pressure of stopping the run. If they are serious about passing the ball, I'd let Bostick take a shot deep on the very first offensive play of the game just to prove a point. That would be a great message to send to Navy. We aren't and won't be afraid to throw the ball.
One little area of concern on the OLine (despite the many others) is that CJ Davis is injured but should play. If for some reason CJ has to leave the game, that would leave us with only 1 good offensive lineman, and that folks is a scary thought. I still hope that McGlynn is moved to center or guard as he is much better at those positions than he is at tackle. The running backs and tight ends will really need to step up this game, and the rest of the season if we want to give Pat the slightest fighting chance of having some time to throw the ball. The other side of that, is our receivers must come up big this game. No more lazy play, no more dropped passes, no stupid penalties. If we want to win some more games this season, the receivers need to show up for the first time this season.
Pitt 27 - Navy 17.
~ The One and Only ~
In case you haven't heard Navy likes to run the ball and they do it very well. If you don't believe me you can check the stats out yourself. Navy is #1 in the nation in rushing offense. Over the course of the last several years, I think it is safe to say that we have had a little problem with stopping the run here at the University of Pittsburgh. Notre Dame, West Virginia, and MSU are all prime examples of our defense letting players have career days. As shocking as it sounds, statistically our defense hasn't been that bad. We enter this game ranked 9th in total defense despite getting blown out in the last two games. This is the week where we really find out how far our team has progressed defensively against the run. If we have any chance in this game, it is because of 2 reasons. First, the defense needs to play fast and physical as Rush Probst would say. The option needs to be stopped. Navy does not have a great passing offense at all and if we can force them to pass, then we will be in great shape. The one area that will be critical will be the play of the safeties. They need to read and react if the option is coming to move up and stop the run. We can't have them sit back in the outfield waiting for something. The defense also needs to hit the quarterback every time they run the option. If we can get in his face and knock him down every time they run the option, it becomes more likely we can shut down their running game.
The other half of what will keep us in this game is Navy's defense is pretty damn bad. They gave up 43 points to powerhouse Duke. This is the game where Bostick needs to come up big. If we can complete a few long pass plays, that should open the door for Shady to get his yards on the ground. If Navy does not respect the passing game and starts to line up 8 or 9 guys in the box, we need to open up the playbook and let Pat play. Despite comments from Wanny and Cav, I would not believe them saying they are going to open up the passing game. They have done nothing this season that would suggest they are comfortable throwing the ball. Truthfully, I think it was all fabricated statements to get Navy to back off their pressure of stopping the run. If they are serious about passing the ball, I'd let Bostick take a shot deep on the very first offensive play of the game just to prove a point. That would be a great message to send to Navy. We aren't and won't be afraid to throw the ball.
One little area of concern on the OLine (despite the many others) is that CJ Davis is injured but should play. If for some reason CJ has to leave the game, that would leave us with only 1 good offensive lineman, and that folks is a scary thought. I still hope that McGlynn is moved to center or guard as he is much better at those positions than he is at tackle. The running backs and tight ends will really need to step up this game, and the rest of the season if we want to give Pat the slightest fighting chance of having some time to throw the ball. The other side of that, is our receivers must come up big this game. No more lazy play, no more dropped passes, no stupid penalties. If we want to win some more games this season, the receivers need to show up for the first time this season.
Pitt 27 - Navy 17.
~ The One and Only ~
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
6 Quick Hits: Coach Focus
We probably should have seen this coming at the end of last year. We were lulled into a false sense of security after facing 2 joke opponents in our first two games. We still thought there was some hope following the Michigan State loss. Uconn and Virginia made us forget all of the hope we once had a mere 3 weeks ago.
Many people, including Jason Jones are calling for Wanny to be unemployed following this season. I however am not. I am not saying he should not be fired because he is doing a poor job, I don't think he should be fired because he is under contract for 2 more years. In that 2 years he's going to be bringing in a huge paycheck. Realistically, Pitt does not have the greatest support from a donation/athletics standpoint. We aren't the type of program that can fire a coach with 2 years left and bring in someone new. If things don't change next year, I believe you will see a Walt situation where either Mustache Jones will step down following the 2008 season, or Pitt will let him finish up his contract through 2009 without offering him an extension.
The only hope that Pitt fans who want Wannstedt to leave have is if he somehow gets offered the AD job (I don't buy that he is a serious candidate) and resigns as coach. So just for arguments sake, lets just say that Wanny will be back next year. Here are the 6 quick hits that should be made to improve the team.
1. Paul Dunn must go. This move is more crucial to our success than letting Cav and Rhoads go. Under Walt, we always felt our lines were sub-par and Wanny promised to improve them. Well, our defensive line is playing very well (kudos to Greg Gattuso), but the offensive line is horrendous. Otah has played solid in his time here and CJ Davis has been a serviceable guard. However, Vangas, Thomas, Villani, and McGlynn have all been disappointments during the Dunn era. John Simonitis was the only former Panther under this squad who really played better than expected under Dunn. Dunn did have some impressive stops at Kentucky, Kansas State, and Syracuse, but here at Pitt he has been a failure. Most of us have no idea if it is 100% Dunn's fault or if there are other factors (the head coach for example) that are preventing him from succeeding at Pitt. Dunn has had 3 years to work with Dom Williams, John Bachman, Chase Clowser, and Craig Bokor (when he has been on the OL) yet none of them were even expected to be a factor this year. Bachman is now starting a guard replacing Joe Thomas. The last two seasons have been very clear to us that we really need as much talent and depth on the line that we can get. With Pinkston out for the year, and Lumpy redshirting, also due to injury, it is very evident that Dunn hasn't proved his worth here at Pitt. With this season virtually lost, we should really see what these other guys can do. Next week, here is my proposed starting OL. LT - Otah, LG - Davis, C - Chris Vangas, RG - John Bachman, RT - Dom Williams. If ANY of these guys are not playing well then pull them. Yes, i'm talking about all of them, even Jeff Otah. Bokor, Clowser, Karabin and Corson are all on this team for a reason, let them get a chance to play so we can see what they can do in game situations.
2. Matt Cavanaugh - The play calling is stale, the lineups don't make sense, and the guy has never been an effective offensive coordinator. I think he could be one hell of a quarterbacks coach, but OC is not his specialty. We lost Walt's pass happy offense to replace it with a Paterno-esque conservative run first and run only offense. In all actuality, I would recommend that Cavanaugh step down immediately or else I'd fire him on spot. We have several assistant coaches on this team that are capable of running the offense for the rest of the season. Baltimore fans and Pitt fans can attest that Cavanaugh is very bad at what he does. It's just a shame he doesn't play Grambling every week or have a 2000 Raven's defense to carry him every year. I would also look at trying to bring in the coordinator from TCU, Boise State, or Tulsa to replace him. They always find creative ways to use their talent to put points on the board. Cavanaugh on the other hand is just sticking with the same failing playbook he has been using for years, a playbook that is not built for this team.
3. Paul Rhoads - After the MSU game I was willing to give him a pass. He took a team that was scored on at will and proved that we could shut down a big 10 team that destroyed us the year before. Instead, he let a team that he shut down put a ton of points up and proved that the only reason we were in the game last year vs UConn was because Tyler Palko and Derek Kinder saved us. He has had too many chances here. He will be able to find another job relatively easy and is somehow still on the potential head coach radar. Hopefully he finds somewhere else to go very soon so that we can get a real defensive coordinator in here. Open up a full search and find a coach that can teach and knows how to design defensive schemes based upon the talent at hand. Find a coach who isn't afraid to use the nickle or dime package. Find a coach that knows how to call a BLITZ!! Under Rhoads i'm not sure if I can ever remember seeing a blitz. The linebackers only rush when they are shadowing the qb or rb. I can't tell you the last time I saw a DB blitz.
4. Keep Brian Angelchio. He has done a very good job and deserves to remain on the new (and hopefully improved) staff. Buches, Strong, Pelusi, and most importantly Byham have all played great working under Angelchio. Let him have more of a say in the offense and give him a chance to let his tight ends not named Strong to catch the ball.
5. Keep Chris Ball. Getting him from Alabama was a steal, thank you Nick Saban. Ball has had Alabama in the top 5 twice in passing defense over the last 4 years. He is a great coach, teacher, and mentor. I really fear for the development of Aaron Berry, Ricky Gary, Dom Dicicco, Buddy Jackson, Elijah Fields, and others if he is not retained on this staff.
6. Do not fire Buddy Morris. People are up in arms about the amount of injuries we have had this year. What people are failing to see is that most of these injuries are unrelated and occurred at all different times. Gus went down at heinz field with an acl, Collier got hit with a helmet, Pinkston's shoulder came at MSU, Stull was hit by an opponent and had his thumb bent backwards, and the only two related injuries are Kinder and Jacobson both with leg injuries at the practice fields. That isn't related to Buddy Morris, that is related to a streak of bad luck. Pitt has played well in the second half this season, something we did not do well last year.
Pitt, if you follows those 6 Quick Hits, we will be in a much better situation come 2008.
~ The One and Only ~
Many people, including Jason Jones are calling for Wanny to be unemployed following this season. I however am not. I am not saying he should not be fired because he is doing a poor job, I don't think he should be fired because he is under contract for 2 more years. In that 2 years he's going to be bringing in a huge paycheck. Realistically, Pitt does not have the greatest support from a donation/athletics standpoint. We aren't the type of program that can fire a coach with 2 years left and bring in someone new. If things don't change next year, I believe you will see a Walt situation where either Mustache Jones will step down following the 2008 season, or Pitt will let him finish up his contract through 2009 without offering him an extension.
The only hope that Pitt fans who want Wannstedt to leave have is if he somehow gets offered the AD job (I don't buy that he is a serious candidate) and resigns as coach. So just for arguments sake, lets just say that Wanny will be back next year. Here are the 6 quick hits that should be made to improve the team.
1. Paul Dunn must go. This move is more crucial to our success than letting Cav and Rhoads go. Under Walt, we always felt our lines were sub-par and Wanny promised to improve them. Well, our defensive line is playing very well (kudos to Greg Gattuso), but the offensive line is horrendous. Otah has played solid in his time here and CJ Davis has been a serviceable guard. However, Vangas, Thomas, Villani, and McGlynn have all been disappointments during the Dunn era. John Simonitis was the only former Panther under this squad who really played better than expected under Dunn. Dunn did have some impressive stops at Kentucky, Kansas State, and Syracuse, but here at Pitt he has been a failure. Most of us have no idea if it is 100% Dunn's fault or if there are other factors (the head coach for example) that are preventing him from succeeding at Pitt. Dunn has had 3 years to work with Dom Williams, John Bachman, Chase Clowser, and Craig Bokor (when he has been on the OL) yet none of them were even expected to be a factor this year. Bachman is now starting a guard replacing Joe Thomas. The last two seasons have been very clear to us that we really need as much talent and depth on the line that we can get. With Pinkston out for the year, and Lumpy redshirting, also due to injury, it is very evident that Dunn hasn't proved his worth here at Pitt. With this season virtually lost, we should really see what these other guys can do. Next week, here is my proposed starting OL. LT - Otah, LG - Davis, C - Chris Vangas, RG - John Bachman, RT - Dom Williams. If ANY of these guys are not playing well then pull them. Yes, i'm talking about all of them, even Jeff Otah. Bokor, Clowser, Karabin and Corson are all on this team for a reason, let them get a chance to play so we can see what they can do in game situations.
2. Matt Cavanaugh - The play calling is stale, the lineups don't make sense, and the guy has never been an effective offensive coordinator. I think he could be one hell of a quarterbacks coach, but OC is not his specialty. We lost Walt's pass happy offense to replace it with a Paterno-esque conservative run first and run only offense. In all actuality, I would recommend that Cavanaugh step down immediately or else I'd fire him on spot. We have several assistant coaches on this team that are capable of running the offense for the rest of the season. Baltimore fans and Pitt fans can attest that Cavanaugh is very bad at what he does. It's just a shame he doesn't play Grambling every week or have a 2000 Raven's defense to carry him every year. I would also look at trying to bring in the coordinator from TCU, Boise State, or Tulsa to replace him. They always find creative ways to use their talent to put points on the board. Cavanaugh on the other hand is just sticking with the same failing playbook he has been using for years, a playbook that is not built for this team.
3. Paul Rhoads - After the MSU game I was willing to give him a pass. He took a team that was scored on at will and proved that we could shut down a big 10 team that destroyed us the year before. Instead, he let a team that he shut down put a ton of points up and proved that the only reason we were in the game last year vs UConn was because Tyler Palko and Derek Kinder saved us. He has had too many chances here. He will be able to find another job relatively easy and is somehow still on the potential head coach radar. Hopefully he finds somewhere else to go very soon so that we can get a real defensive coordinator in here. Open up a full search and find a coach that can teach and knows how to design defensive schemes based upon the talent at hand. Find a coach who isn't afraid to use the nickle or dime package. Find a coach that knows how to call a BLITZ!! Under Rhoads i'm not sure if I can ever remember seeing a blitz. The linebackers only rush when they are shadowing the qb or rb. I can't tell you the last time I saw a DB blitz.
4. Keep Brian Angelchio. He has done a very good job and deserves to remain on the new (and hopefully improved) staff. Buches, Strong, Pelusi, and most importantly Byham have all played great working under Angelchio. Let him have more of a say in the offense and give him a chance to let his tight ends not named Strong to catch the ball.
5. Keep Chris Ball. Getting him from Alabama was a steal, thank you Nick Saban. Ball has had Alabama in the top 5 twice in passing defense over the last 4 years. He is a great coach, teacher, and mentor. I really fear for the development of Aaron Berry, Ricky Gary, Dom Dicicco, Buddy Jackson, Elijah Fields, and others if he is not retained on this staff.
6. Do not fire Buddy Morris. People are up in arms about the amount of injuries we have had this year. What people are failing to see is that most of these injuries are unrelated and occurred at all different times. Gus went down at heinz field with an acl, Collier got hit with a helmet, Pinkston's shoulder came at MSU, Stull was hit by an opponent and had his thumb bent backwards, and the only two related injuries are Kinder and Jacobson both with leg injuries at the practice fields. That isn't related to Buddy Morris, that is related to a streak of bad luck. Pitt has played well in the second half this season, something we did not do well last year.
Pitt, if you follows those 6 Quick Hits, we will be in a much better situation come 2008.
~ The One and Only ~
Saturday, September 29, 2007
DPJ's Rant
Ok, let me say this. 2 years ago, when i heard that Wanny removed his name from consideration I was very very happy. I felt that he was a poor nfl coach and would not be a good fit for the team. After a while, I started to buy into his "wall around PA" and "winning a championship".....Well after this game, we have the talent to be a successful team. What we do not have is the coaching staff to win. I am going to say this right now. Cavanaugh and Rhodes need to be fired right now. It wouldn't make a difference to move someone up or let Mustache Jones coach both sides of the ball.
Matt Cavanaugh - your shitty NFL style offense won't work here. The only reason you won a superbowl with Baltimore was because you had the best defense in the league (special thanks to Jermaine Lewis). You have been incompetent at your job since you were hired here. You can be a great quarterbacks coach, but offensive coordinator is not your specialty. You either need to be fired or step down. You helped Tyler become an NFL qb, but you did not help our offense. You are by far the worst offensive coordinator in the big east. The coaches I know say that you want to go back to the NFL game, well sir.... I say, have a good rest of your career in the nfl. You are not fit for the offensive coordinator job. Thank you for the national championship and for your loyalty to Pitt, but this is not a fit that is working here. It is time to move on with your life's work.
Paul Rhodes - Today, Wanny put you in a tough spot making you stop the very short drives for touchdowns. The defense has been looking better this year than it has in the past, but you need to be fired. Wannstedt won't let himself go down in flames, so you and Matt will be gone following this season. Your inability to design blitz plays has cost this team many games and has prevented us from stopping our opponents on 3rd down plays. You could have had the easiest job in the world. All you had to do was knock on the door of Dick LeBeau and ask him how to get the most of the defense, yet you did not do that. You had an opportunity to leave in 2002 and guess what buddy, you should have taken it. I understand how hard it is to coach Hayes, Harriott, Moore, Spencer, and Torrie Cox but hey you stayed loyal to Pitt and we have since regretted it. You are wasting so much talent on the defensive side of the ball. On 3rd downs we are only rushing 3 guys and letting the opposing quarterback rush for 30 yards. We are probably the worst 3rd down team in the entire NCAA on defense. I hope you are fired and find a nice new job somewhere else. I hope your replacement understands that in order to be successful you have to BLITZ AT LEAST ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coach Wannstedt, you will have the best team on paper in 2008, and you will have to bring in a new offensive and defensive coordinator to save your ass. If you keep Cavanaugh I hope you are fired on spot. If you want my advice, steal the coach staff from TCU. They are able to do much with very little talent. Don't be so stubborn. The college game is very different from the nfl.
I still think we are a better team than how we are performing, but I know that it is only the coaching that is holding us back.
My last rant is that, LET BOSTICK THROW THE FUCKING BALL!!
I think we had about 3 attempts in the first half. All night they were mostly screens. The one time you did let him throw deep he hit Turner near the goal line. Bostick is the best quarterback you have ever had in your head coaching career Wannstedt, let him play the way he knows how.
I'm gonna sit here with Jason Jones and come up with ways to improve this team while watching some music on demand and call my hoopie girlfriend.
Fix your shit Wannstedt, I mean really, it's only your Million Dollar+ job that is on the line.
~ The One and Only ~
Matt Cavanaugh - your shitty NFL style offense won't work here. The only reason you won a superbowl with Baltimore was because you had the best defense in the league (special thanks to Jermaine Lewis). You have been incompetent at your job since you were hired here. You can be a great quarterbacks coach, but offensive coordinator is not your specialty. You either need to be fired or step down. You helped Tyler become an NFL qb, but you did not help our offense. You are by far the worst offensive coordinator in the big east. The coaches I know say that you want to go back to the NFL game, well sir.... I say, have a good rest of your career in the nfl. You are not fit for the offensive coordinator job. Thank you for the national championship and for your loyalty to Pitt, but this is not a fit that is working here. It is time to move on with your life's work.
Paul Rhodes - Today, Wanny put you in a tough spot making you stop the very short drives for touchdowns. The defense has been looking better this year than it has in the past, but you need to be fired. Wannstedt won't let himself go down in flames, so you and Matt will be gone following this season. Your inability to design blitz plays has cost this team many games and has prevented us from stopping our opponents on 3rd down plays. You could have had the easiest job in the world. All you had to do was knock on the door of Dick LeBeau and ask him how to get the most of the defense, yet you did not do that. You had an opportunity to leave in 2002 and guess what buddy, you should have taken it. I understand how hard it is to coach Hayes, Harriott, Moore, Spencer, and Torrie Cox but hey you stayed loyal to Pitt and we have since regretted it. You are wasting so much talent on the defensive side of the ball. On 3rd downs we are only rushing 3 guys and letting the opposing quarterback rush for 30 yards. We are probably the worst 3rd down team in the entire NCAA on defense. I hope you are fired and find a nice new job somewhere else. I hope your replacement understands that in order to be successful you have to BLITZ AT LEAST ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coach Wannstedt, you will have the best team on paper in 2008, and you will have to bring in a new offensive and defensive coordinator to save your ass. If you keep Cavanaugh I hope you are fired on spot. If you want my advice, steal the coach staff from TCU. They are able to do much with very little talent. Don't be so stubborn. The college game is very different from the nfl.
I still think we are a better team than how we are performing, but I know that it is only the coaching that is holding us back.
My last rant is that, LET BOSTICK THROW THE FUCKING BALL!!
I think we had about 3 attempts in the first half. All night they were mostly screens. The one time you did let him throw deep he hit Turner near the goal line. Bostick is the best quarterback you have ever had in your head coaching career Wannstedt, let him play the way he knows how.
I'm gonna sit here with Jason Jones and come up with ways to improve this team while watching some music on demand and call my hoopie girlfriend.
Fix your shit Wannstedt, I mean really, it's only your Million Dollar+ job that is on the line.
~ The One and Only ~
Sunday, September 23, 2007
The Sky is Falling
Day 1 following the black eye of the 2007 football season and attitudes haven't changed. People are trying to find positives from this game, but guess what, there are none. Our #2 quarterback got hurt paving the way for the much needed Bostick era. The coaches really limited what he was able to do, so we still have no idea what he is or is not capable of doing. In his limited time, he made some very nice short passes and completed his first (of many) td pass as a Panther.
As of today, like I said, nothing positive has come from this loss. Now, if we look back on this game in february, something positive may have come from the game. This is the first game where Mustache Jones has lost the faith of the fans. When something like this happens, a change is put in place, and we all know what that change will be. Before the coach is gone they always allow him one more shot and that involves change.
We have found through our research that the Wannstedt administration is ripe for regime change.
Now i'm not saying fire Wannstedt, I still believe with his experience, recruiting ability, and commitment to winning that he can turn us into a winner. I just don't think that he has the right tools around him. For this change to work, the right people must be brought in. We certainly have some of the people involved, but we are missing some key components. Aubrey Hill, David Walker, Chris Ball, Bob Junko, and Brian Angelichio are the right guys for their respective jobs. The others, well.....they are replaceable.
One of Wanny's biggest downfalls is his determination to bring the nfl style of football to the college game. This will not work and needs to be changed immediately. Our conservative offense and defensive schemes can be adjusted around the talent we have now. On offense, Shady and Hot Rod make up a dangerous 1, 2 punch and Collins and Brooks are excellent fullbacks. The Wr's are not the best we have seen, but they are certainly capable of producing. Porter, Aundre Wright, and McGee are being under utilized. I understand about holding back Wright since hes a freshman but I think that Ced and TJ could be built into an offense that would be more effective. Turner and Pestano are exactly what they are. They are good enough to have earned starting jobs, but aren't quite as dynamic as the other 3.
The same goes for our tight ends. Nate is a great tight end and we need to figure out do we want him be a blocker or a pass catching tight end. Our line limits what he can do since we need him in as an extra blocker, but holding back opportunities for him to catch the ball eliminates a huge threat our offense could possess.
Our line, well I'm not sure what more we can do here. Otah and CJ Davis have their spots locked up. Vangas, Thomas, and McGlynn really have been disappointing this season. Struggling against MSU's dline is slightly more acceptable than being dismantled by a less talented UConn defense. Bachman played decent in the little time he was in there, so let him start at guard next week. Craig Bokor......Poor poor Craig. He really deserves a chance to play. He keeps getting moved back and forth and never gets a chance to see the field. My suggestion, The line should be Otah and Davis on the left side, split time between Vangas and McGlynn at center depending on who is playing better. Let Bachman start at right guard, and put Bokor in at right tackle. Would it really be that bad to try that out? I don't think it would be that big of a drop off. If you're against that, we still have Chase Clowser who if anything will give Bostick time in the pocket because it would take forever to run around him since he is so big.
The Dline is fine as is, keep it that way. The linebackers should feature more Dorin. McKillop has played decent, and I would like to see Nate Nix get some time, but he's been battling the injury bug, so we will have to wait it out.
The secondary will be better off with Elijah Fields out there, but we have to take what we are given. Ricky Gary has been a pleasant surprise this season. He didn't have his best game vs UConn, but how many Pitt players did? Aaron Berry hasn't lived up to what I personally hoped for from him this season. A few costly pass interference calls and not looking back for the ball on a few plays, including one touchdown, shows that since he is only a sophomore, he still has some areas to improve on. Kennard is streaky. When he is on, he is a great corner. When he is off, he looks pretty average. I have always rooted for Pitt ever since I met him on his recruiting trip a few years ago and I really hope he can get his game turned around. Other than that, we don't have many others that can take over at corner. Jovanni and Lowell are there in case we need them, but right now aren't ready to take any jobs away.
Thatcher and Phillips have been less than extraordinary. I would like to see Dom get some reps out there so that next year we are experience and ready to go with our two best safeties, Fields and DiCicco.
With those changes this year and next we can at least start to be respected again.
We have the talent, open up the offense and defense. Get aggressive. We need to have the mentality that we're not going to beat you, we will destroy you. Run more 4 wide sets, take advantage of Shady's amazing game breaking ability, BLITZ FOR GOD'S SAKE!
We are too predictable now and that must change. If it doesn't, then its going to be the Same Ole Panthers.
As of today, like I said, nothing positive has come from this loss. Now, if we look back on this game in february, something positive may have come from the game. This is the first game where Mustache Jones has lost the faith of the fans. When something like this happens, a change is put in place, and we all know what that change will be. Before the coach is gone they always allow him one more shot and that involves change.
We have found through our research that the Wannstedt administration is ripe for regime change.
Now i'm not saying fire Wannstedt, I still believe with his experience, recruiting ability, and commitment to winning that he can turn us into a winner. I just don't think that he has the right tools around him. For this change to work, the right people must be brought in. We certainly have some of the people involved, but we are missing some key components. Aubrey Hill, David Walker, Chris Ball, Bob Junko, and Brian Angelichio are the right guys for their respective jobs. The others, well.....they are replaceable.
One of Wanny's biggest downfalls is his determination to bring the nfl style of football to the college game. This will not work and needs to be changed immediately. Our conservative offense and defensive schemes can be adjusted around the talent we have now. On offense, Shady and Hot Rod make up a dangerous 1, 2 punch and Collins and Brooks are excellent fullbacks. The Wr's are not the best we have seen, but they are certainly capable of producing. Porter, Aundre Wright, and McGee are being under utilized. I understand about holding back Wright since hes a freshman but I think that Ced and TJ could be built into an offense that would be more effective. Turner and Pestano are exactly what they are. They are good enough to have earned starting jobs, but aren't quite as dynamic as the other 3.
The same goes for our tight ends. Nate is a great tight end and we need to figure out do we want him be a blocker or a pass catching tight end. Our line limits what he can do since we need him in as an extra blocker, but holding back opportunities for him to catch the ball eliminates a huge threat our offense could possess.
Our line, well I'm not sure what more we can do here. Otah and CJ Davis have their spots locked up. Vangas, Thomas, and McGlynn really have been disappointing this season. Struggling against MSU's dline is slightly more acceptable than being dismantled by a less talented UConn defense. Bachman played decent in the little time he was in there, so let him start at guard next week. Craig Bokor......Poor poor Craig. He really deserves a chance to play. He keeps getting moved back and forth and never gets a chance to see the field. My suggestion, The line should be Otah and Davis on the left side, split time between Vangas and McGlynn at center depending on who is playing better. Let Bachman start at right guard, and put Bokor in at right tackle. Would it really be that bad to try that out? I don't think it would be that big of a drop off. If you're against that, we still have Chase Clowser who if anything will give Bostick time in the pocket because it would take forever to run around him since he is so big.
The Dline is fine as is, keep it that way. The linebackers should feature more Dorin. McKillop has played decent, and I would like to see Nate Nix get some time, but he's been battling the injury bug, so we will have to wait it out.
The secondary will be better off with Elijah Fields out there, but we have to take what we are given. Ricky Gary has been a pleasant surprise this season. He didn't have his best game vs UConn, but how many Pitt players did? Aaron Berry hasn't lived up to what I personally hoped for from him this season. A few costly pass interference calls and not looking back for the ball on a few plays, including one touchdown, shows that since he is only a sophomore, he still has some areas to improve on. Kennard is streaky. When he is on, he is a great corner. When he is off, he looks pretty average. I have always rooted for Pitt ever since I met him on his recruiting trip a few years ago and I really hope he can get his game turned around. Other than that, we don't have many others that can take over at corner. Jovanni and Lowell are there in case we need them, but right now aren't ready to take any jobs away.
Thatcher and Phillips have been less than extraordinary. I would like to see Dom get some reps out there so that next year we are experience and ready to go with our two best safeties, Fields and DiCicco.
With those changes this year and next we can at least start to be respected again.
We have the talent, open up the offense and defense. Get aggressive. We need to have the mentality that we're not going to beat you, we will destroy you. Run more 4 wide sets, take advantage of Shady's amazing game breaking ability, BLITZ FOR GOD'S SAKE!
We are too predictable now and that must change. If it doesn't, then its going to be the Same Ole Panthers.
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