Here is the link.
It is the great Pittsburgh sports blog......something or other. Anyway, I do read a few of those blogs, but Pittblather.com has been great for getting us some press and they always provide top notch Pitt coverage (for all sports).
I hope you all go to the site and vote for Chas and maybe.......just maybe, a non-Steelers blog will win.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
New OC Thoughts
So what DPJ and the overwhelming majority of Pitt fans hoped was going to happened did, Frank Cignetti Jr. was hired as the Offensive Coordinator. Everything about this hire seems progressive and inspired from the program. DPJ listed all the advantages of Cignetti in an earlier column and I definitely agree with everything he said. Cignetti is an up and comer in the college game and gives us a boost of enthusiasm on the offensive side of the ball. Another benefit to this hire is that Cignetti brings along a cache of offensive success and innovation to the program.
As of right now the offense in a bit of a state of flux in terms of personnel and identity. Last year, the offense was one player and that player will be playing his ball on Sundays now. We have a returning starter at QB but Stull's death grip on the job seemingly goes out the window with a new set of eyes looking at him. Cignetti has plenty of QB's to choose from but he is going to need to work diligently with the new starter or Stull seeing as developing a QB was non-existent under Cavanaugh.
If you look at the other skill positions raw talent is stockpiled everywhere. At running back we have plenty of bodies to compete with the presumed frontrunners Chris Burns and Shareef Harris. Tight End is locked down with Nate Byham who could be a star in the making in a new offense. Wide Receiver is loaded and I can only assume that Jonathan Baldwin will become an even bigger part. We even have unique talents that haven't found their niche yet in Dorin Dickerson and Greg Cross. If you look at the personnel it appears as though we can run any type of system Cignetti wants.
Spring football this year needs to be all about figuring out who will lead this offense onto the field against Youngstown State in the opener, is it Stull or is it somebody else. Cignetti's success as a QB coach can remedy the biggest the problem in program currently. After we figure out who will run the offense then we can see what changes the scheme will implement. It is a very exciting time to be a Panther fan.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Keeping my fingers crossed.
YES YES YES YES YES! Ok, it is no secret, I hated the idea of Mazzone as OC. I probably would have been off the Pitt football train had he been selected and approved as the new offensive coordinator.
Instead now we have a guy who meets some of the qualifications I, and most Pitt fans, have for our next coordinator.
1. Not an NFL retread - Check
2. Successful in the college game - Check
3. Innovative - Check
4. Wants control of the offense to run his game plan - Check
5. Runs a version of the spread - Check
6. Has Pitt ties - (well, not a requirement of mine but it will make some people happy s0) Check
7. Willing to use the spread - Check
8. Builds an offense around the talent he has instead of square peg/round hole - Check
9. Was recently promoted due to success - Check
10. Someone that will bring excitement back to Pitt football - CHECK CHECK CHECK!
Now here is the tricky part. He has to actually accept the job. I hope he isn't doing this only to get more money out of Cal. I think we do have a good shot of getting him though because at Cal he has to run Tedford's offense instead of his own. At Pitt, he would be playing under a defensive coach who apparently will give him full control of the offense. (Bostick as the qb perhaps?)
There is much to be excited about with this potential hire. He is really the shot of energy that Pitt needed if we want to take the next step and win the Big East. I think he is the guy to fully utilize our weapons like Nate, Dorin, and Baldwin.
By the way, did you know he's pretty good at developing quarterbacks?
If he is hired, I will become the flag carrier for promoting Pitt. I am still suprised that only a few days ago it looked like our stone aged offense was going to end up becoming a pre-stone age offense, but now we may have a modern college offense.
If this comes to fruition and we end up with Cignetti, this may be the biggest acquisition for Pitt football since JM1. Yes, that is a bold statement, but now our offense may just catch up and maybe even surpass our dominant defense as the better side of the ball.
This certainly is a great move in the right direction.
Instead now we have a guy who meets some of the qualifications I, and most Pitt fans, have for our next coordinator.
1. Not an NFL retread - Check
2. Successful in the college game - Check
3. Innovative - Check
4. Wants control of the offense to run his game plan - Check
5. Runs a version of the spread - Check
6. Has Pitt ties - (well, not a requirement of mine but it will make some people happy s0) Check
7. Willing to use the spread - Check
8. Builds an offense around the talent he has instead of square peg/round hole - Check
9. Was recently promoted due to success - Check
10. Someone that will bring excitement back to Pitt football - CHECK CHECK CHECK!
Now here is the tricky part. He has to actually accept the job. I hope he isn't doing this only to get more money out of Cal. I think we do have a good shot of getting him though because at Cal he has to run Tedford's offense instead of his own. At Pitt, he would be playing under a defensive coach who apparently will give him full control of the offense. (Bostick as the qb perhaps?)
There is much to be excited about with this potential hire. He is really the shot of energy that Pitt needed if we want to take the next step and win the Big East. I think he is the guy to fully utilize our weapons like Nate, Dorin, and Baldwin.
By the way, did you know he's pretty good at developing quarterbacks?
If he is hired, I will become the flag carrier for promoting Pitt. I am still suprised that only a few days ago it looked like our stone aged offense was going to end up becoming a pre-stone age offense, but now we may have a modern college offense.
If this comes to fruition and we end up with Cignetti, this may be the biggest acquisition for Pitt football since JM1. Yes, that is a bold statement, but now our offense may just catch up and maybe even surpass our dominant defense as the better side of the ball.
This certainly is a great move in the right direction.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
What 9 wins really means
I'm growing very frustrated reading how "we're all pessimistic" and "Wannstedt haters" because some of the people disagree that 9 regular season wins is not as big as some people make it out to be.
Is a 9 win season successful? Yes it is.
Is the 9 win season we had enough reason to not have some concerns heading into next season? No it is not.
Let's look at some history. People are claiming this is our first 9 win season in over 25 years and that is a very big deal. To me, I don't buy that line. In the last couple of years, schools are now forced to have 12 regular season games whereas in the past, teams only had 11 games. So now we have an extra non-conference game. Most schools (like Pitt) will scheduled a lower ranked D1 team or even a FCS school (D2) for that extra game. All that means is an extra home game for more revenue and an almost automatic win to puff up your win totals. If you look at Pitt in the 80's starting with Foge, there were a few seasons that we would have had 9 or even 10 regular season wins had they had the 12th regular season game. Even going back as recently as 2004, Pitt would have had 9 regular season wins had they been able to schedule that 12th game against an inferior team as would have been the case.
The second point I want to make is that while I believe Pitt ended up with a SOS around 25, we had a schedule full of good teams, but not great teams.
Arguably Cincinnati and Rutgers ended up being the best two teams we played during the regular season (I put Rutgers ahead of USF because of their amazing turn around and the collapse that USF had finishing 1-4 in the regular season). Every other team we played had a decent year, but not a great year. 3 of the teams we played did not make a bowl and we lost to one of those teams. When we played a middle of the group PAC-10 team, we were held scoreless.
9 wins is great, but this is not the gauntlet of schedule that we have seen even just a few years ago. The Big East regressed more than I could have imagined this year. As Louisville and WVU were expected to be the dominant teams based upon their recent success, coaching changes really ruined their programs. UConn is still gathering itself and trying to find an identity. USF goes through a midseason collapse after their annual Thursday night Big East beat down (luckily Pitt did it to them this year although a 5 point win is not a beat down). Rutgers turned it on at the end of the season but was awful early on. Now Cincinnati, our BCS representative, has lost a ton of players and will not be at the level they were at last year.
We won 9 games against teams that were not all that great last year. It is amazing that we didn't run the table and go 12-0 last year as that was probably the best chance we had in recent memory. We had a great leader at RB and an amazing talent at linebacker. Now they are gone and we have to prepare for life without them.
Unless there is some amazing change with this team, I do not see them winning more than 7 or 8 games, especially if the offense remains the same. Any SEC, Big 12, and most Big 10 teams would run through our schedule with ease. We simply just had an above average year.
I want to make something clear here. There is nothing wrong with pointing these things out. Looking at facts and being objective is what makes a good fan. If you blindly follow or blindly hate the coach without reason, that is where the problem lies. I'm not trying to be doom and gloom here, I am simply pointing out that 9 wins is a successful season, but it is not the season some are making it out to be nor is it the only predictor as to how we should expect to perform next year.
I look forward to some good discussion about this.
Is a 9 win season successful? Yes it is.
Is the 9 win season we had enough reason to not have some concerns heading into next season? No it is not.
Let's look at some history. People are claiming this is our first 9 win season in over 25 years and that is a very big deal. To me, I don't buy that line. In the last couple of years, schools are now forced to have 12 regular season games whereas in the past, teams only had 11 games. So now we have an extra non-conference game. Most schools (like Pitt) will scheduled a lower ranked D1 team or even a FCS school (D2) for that extra game. All that means is an extra home game for more revenue and an almost automatic win to puff up your win totals. If you look at Pitt in the 80's starting with Foge, there were a few seasons that we would have had 9 or even 10 regular season wins had they had the 12th regular season game. Even going back as recently as 2004, Pitt would have had 9 regular season wins had they been able to schedule that 12th game against an inferior team as would have been the case.
The second point I want to make is that while I believe Pitt ended up with a SOS around 25, we had a schedule full of good teams, but not great teams.
Arguably Cincinnati and Rutgers ended up being the best two teams we played during the regular season (I put Rutgers ahead of USF because of their amazing turn around and the collapse that USF had finishing 1-4 in the regular season). Every other team we played had a decent year, but not a great year. 3 of the teams we played did not make a bowl and we lost to one of those teams. When we played a middle of the group PAC-10 team, we were held scoreless.
9 wins is great, but this is not the gauntlet of schedule that we have seen even just a few years ago. The Big East regressed more than I could have imagined this year. As Louisville and WVU were expected to be the dominant teams based upon their recent success, coaching changes really ruined their programs. UConn is still gathering itself and trying to find an identity. USF goes through a midseason collapse after their annual Thursday night Big East beat down (luckily Pitt did it to them this year although a 5 point win is not a beat down). Rutgers turned it on at the end of the season but was awful early on. Now Cincinnati, our BCS representative, has lost a ton of players and will not be at the level they were at last year.
We won 9 games against teams that were not all that great last year. It is amazing that we didn't run the table and go 12-0 last year as that was probably the best chance we had in recent memory. We had a great leader at RB and an amazing talent at linebacker. Now they are gone and we have to prepare for life without them.
Unless there is some amazing change with this team, I do not see them winning more than 7 or 8 games, especially if the offense remains the same. Any SEC, Big 12, and most Big 10 teams would run through our schedule with ease. We simply just had an above average year.
I want to make something clear here. There is nothing wrong with pointing these things out. Looking at facts and being objective is what makes a good fan. If you blindly follow or blindly hate the coach without reason, that is where the problem lies. I'm not trying to be doom and gloom here, I am simply pointing out that 9 wins is a successful season, but it is not the season some are making it out to be nor is it the only predictor as to how we should expect to perform next year.
I look forward to some good discussion about this.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Junior Day is almost here
In the past few years junior day has been pretty uneventful for our Pitt Panthers. It was a day when almost every local kid would come to check out Pitt whether or not they had interest. This year might be a little bit different. This year some of the local kids who are heading to the nitters and one who is going to eventually end up a nitter decided to pass on coming to Pitt this weekend. I'm completely fine with that as if you're not going to be a Panther, don't waste our time and money.
Another big difference is that come Monday, Pitt will probably have at least one commitment. There are a few kids coming in this weekend who love Pitt and have us at the top of their radar. Hopefully if they are offered they accept so that we can get an early jump on recruiting for next season as we would be in trouble with back to back "down" recruiting years.
Also of note this weekend is that the new offensive coordinator might be in attendance. Before you think they'll name someone today or tomorrow, let me just say don't expect anything until late next week at the earliest. From what we are hearing, the staff is really starting to consider Angelichio for the job. Before this, I said that his chances were pretty slim. There have been some recent events (most notably Chan Gailey telling Pitt he is no longer interested) that have led the staff to start taking Angelichio more seriously. Now before we get too excited that we'd be hiring a young, up and coming coach with a bright future, just remember he does not fit the Wannstedt mold. He doesn't have much experience elsewhere. The thing that is helping him though is that he knows Wannstedt's system and could run it just like Dave wants it. Despite that, I still think we will go with some one with much more experience. With Gailey out of the picture, I really think it will be Noel Mazzone. He has NFL and NCAA experience which is what Wanny values. This would also be the "safe" pick and that is typical of Wannstedt. My prediction is 80% that it will be Mazzone.
I was discussing with Jason about the coaching philosophy at Pitt. I believe his description is a very accurate one. Not only are the Steelers and Pitt on the opposide sides of the building in South Side, they are also on the opposite sides of coaching philosophy. One side lets the coordinators do their jobs without too much interference and meddling. The other side demands to have full, hands on control over what happens and doesn't trust some of those around him to do their job. The reason I feel that Angelichio won't get the job is because I feel the lack of inexperience would not give Wannstedt the confidence he needs to trust someone around him.
EDIT: Paul Zeise is reporting Mazzone has moved, as expected, to the top of the OC list.
Another big difference is that come Monday, Pitt will probably have at least one commitment. There are a few kids coming in this weekend who love Pitt and have us at the top of their radar. Hopefully if they are offered they accept so that we can get an early jump on recruiting for next season as we would be in trouble with back to back "down" recruiting years.
Also of note this weekend is that the new offensive coordinator might be in attendance. Before you think they'll name someone today or tomorrow, let me just say don't expect anything until late next week at the earliest. From what we are hearing, the staff is really starting to consider Angelichio for the job. Before this, I said that his chances were pretty slim. There have been some recent events (most notably Chan Gailey telling Pitt he is no longer interested) that have led the staff to start taking Angelichio more seriously. Now before we get too excited that we'd be hiring a young, up and coming coach with a bright future, just remember he does not fit the Wannstedt mold. He doesn't have much experience elsewhere. The thing that is helping him though is that he knows Wannstedt's system and could run it just like Dave wants it. Despite that, I still think we will go with some one with much more experience. With Gailey out of the picture, I really think it will be Noel Mazzone. He has NFL and NCAA experience which is what Wanny values. This would also be the "safe" pick and that is typical of Wannstedt. My prediction is 80% that it will be Mazzone.
I was discussing with Jason about the coaching philosophy at Pitt. I believe his description is a very accurate one. Not only are the Steelers and Pitt on the opposide sides of the building in South Side, they are also on the opposite sides of coaching philosophy. One side lets the coordinators do their jobs without too much interference and meddling. The other side demands to have full, hands on control over what happens and doesn't trust some of those around him to do their job. The reason I feel that Angelichio won't get the job is because I feel the lack of inexperience would not give Wannstedt the confidence he needs to trust someone around him.
EDIT: Paul Zeise is reporting Mazzone has moved, as expected, to the top of the OC list.
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