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Thursday, December 22, 2011

PASSING NOTES ON PAUL CHRYST

Well, it is official….Paul Chryst is the new coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers.  I admit I did enjoy his press conference.  I thought it was very honest and contrary to previous reports, I believe he was very engaging.  So many of his quotes were straight from his heart and exactly what Pittsburgh fans love about football.

He has led tremendous offenses at both Oregon State and Wisconsin as an offensive coordinator and it seems that no matter who you speak too, glowing recommendations were given from players, analysts, bosses, and pretty much everyone.

Chryst will stay through the Rose Bowl.  I am unsure and am not well versed in what, if anything, he can do for Pitt while coaching the Badgers.  A great point was brought up that the Rose Bowl could turn into a great 3 hour commercial for Pitt and the future of the program.

One thing is for sure, Chryst is wasting little time trying to put his staff together.  Word is out that he wants Todd Orlando (ironically enough from FIU), Joe Rudolph, and Charlie Partridge.  If he gets two out of those three, it will be yet another major step forward for Pitt and a great fit.  Orlando and Partridge are both from the Pittsburgh area and Rudolph has had a great hand in the success at Wisconsin. The Badgers have always been very strong up front.  I can’t stop thinking that Pitt…may….just….(hold on, I am getting a little misty here)….HAVE AN OFFENSIVE LINE THAT DOMINATES!!!!!!!

One thing that has been uncovered about the process is that there was a TON of digging and speaking to many people about Chryst.  From running back Zach Brown to Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan, and also AD (and Pittsburgh native) Barry Alvarez.

Let’s hope for the best and HAIL TO PITT!!!!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

YOUR NEW COACH....HOPEFULLY

RUMORS FLYING THAT IT IS ALMOST OVER!

It appears that Wisconsin offensive coordinator, Paul Chryst will be named the new coach of the Pitt Panthers very soon.  He appears to be gaining steam and gaining it fast.  The reported leader for a long time, Mario Cristobal, the head coach of Florida International, but he appears to have been passed by Chryst. 

It was also reported that basketball coach Jamie Dixon reached out to his Wisconsin counterpart, Bo Ryan to gauge more information about Chryst.  The recommendation Ryan gave was glowing, and it matched Western PA (and Wisconsin AD) native Barry Alvarez’s words to Pitt about the prospect.

For the record, I am in favor of Cristobal for several reasons.  The biggest one is that it is widely reported that Chryst does not like recruiting and has a boring personality….that worries me GREATLY for a head coach.  However, I said from the beginning that I was happy with everyone that was interviewing and I will stick to that.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

COACHING SEARCH, PENS, & BIRCH

OK, so we will get to the coach search and I know I like to keep this blog about Pitt football for the most part, but two issues, I want to do a few sentences about and then on to the coaching search:

1.       Khem Birch has left the Pitt basketball program.  That is a shame and it hurts badly.  I was looking forward to seeing him blossom and help Pitt reach levels that we have not seen.  I love Pitt basketball and this sucks, but to see some of the things being said about Birch on twitter amazes me.  I am 35 years old, but I remember being a freshman at Clarion University and thinking about transferring on several occasions. I ended up staying, but not everyone does.  In addition to everyone that does leave their first school of choice, I would estimate more than 50% of college freshmen at least investigate other schools during their first year of college.  It is called growing up and that is what Birch is attempting to do.  Please respect that process.  ThePitt Script blog had a great tweet this morning (great blog by the way).  I am completely paraphrasing, but he did say with all the passion directed towards Birch on twitter he expects a full house at the Pete tonight.  He’s right, with all the passion of hate directed towards him (Birch) AND Sunseri on twitter, you would expect sell outs every night.

2.       Will anyone with hockey experience, please report to the Penguins.  Paul Martin went down last night, and shit if I didn’t think about getting my equipment and going to Wilkes Barre to see if they needed me for a night while some of their guys are in Pittsburgh covering for all of the injuries.  I asked a friend if he has ever seen a two year stretch like this in pro-sports of injuries to one team and they kept on winning, and responded the 1976 Steelers…good one, but that was only one year.

Now, onto the coaching search to replace someone that left Pitt with on the side of the road like a $2 whore without a pimp to pick her up:



Paul Zeise at the PGis doing his usual bang up job and with him and other sources confirming 3 names at least; I will say that I like all three names.  I have my favorites, but would not have a problem with any of the three they are naming right now.  I do expect this to be done by the middle of this coming week at the latest.  Here are my rankings of the top 3:

1.       Luke Fickell – Like what he did at Ohio State, but I will admit that the only reason I don’t have the number 2 guy here, is because I feel like Fickell would treat this as somewhere he wants to stay for a while if successful.

2.       Mario Cristobal – I would have him number 1, but I fear a job opening up down south and him bolting.  Love the record and the job he has done at FIU.  Read about the obstacles he overcame therehere, under his summary by Chris Dokish.  Also pointed out in the article are two things I love….OC is from North Carolina (ACC Country) and the DC is from Pittsburgh.  Not a bad recruiting base to have Florida, mid-atlantic, and Pittsburgh covered!

3.       Paul Chryst – I would love to finally have a great offensive line, but I just wonder about the staff he would have and his personality.  However, if this is the guy that ends up with the job, I still like it a lot.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

GRAHAM BOLTS FOR ARIZONA STATE!!

Warning….there will be some strong language in this one.

To borrow a line from the end of the controversial 1995 movie, Kids….”Jesus Christ, what happened?”  Seriously though…WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED!?

I was having lunch, received a text from the Rivals’ site with the news and just sat there for a full 2 minutes probably.  I left a message for my brother with the news and took to twitter.  Checking it over and over again and hoping for a cruel joke finish to the whole thing.

The punch line never came.  The joke was on Pitt the whole time.  Todd Graham is headed to Arizona State and leaving Pitt.  To add insult to injury, he texted his resignation to Assistant Athletic Director/Football Operations Blair Philbrick.  Philbrick then sent it on to the players.  Hell of a way to find out.  I knowhow that would make me feel. 

So much for doing things “the Pitt way” or being a “Pitt man” about this whole situation, as Graham acted in a VERY classless way (please note that everyone associated with Rice football told us this would happen and no one there is shocked).  In the aftermath, Keith Patterson will step up and coach the Panthers in Birmingham on January 7th.

Some Pitt players took to twitter, and my favorite is courtesy of senior defensive end, Brandon Lindsey:

"For someone who said they read the bible everyday, he must've missed the pg that said 'thou shall not lie'"

I really don’t even want to speak of his name anymore….except to find out exactly what happened.  According to Graham, this was his dream job and they were going to win championships here.  Just last week he called the three assistants who followed Rich Rodriguez to Arizona “mercenaries” and then spent the next week recruiting players and finishing up this recruiting class by selling them on him being at Pitt.  According to Pitt beat writer, Paul Zeise, Graham also just spoke at an engagement emphasizing loyalty and trust.  He can take all of that shit and him and his self-obsessed wife can shove it up their asses.  What a bunch of bullshit that he fed Panther fans.

Fuck him.  Let’s turn to what will surely be a circus of a coaching search.  Here are just a few names that I have heard tossed around and quick thought about them:

-          Jim Tressel – Doubt it.  Too much baggage and too expensive, but I wouldn’t mind. 

-          Tom Bradley – Please no.  Not this again.  No way Pitt can touch him until this is all resolved.  If you don’t think he knew about the whole mess at Penn State, you are kidding yourself.

-          Russ Grimm – I just don’t know….I like, but I just don’t know.

-          Teryl Austin – See the note next to Grimm.

-          Todd Haley – Kind of like it.

-          Greg Gatusso – I like it, but the fact that over 20 kids have left the Maryland program since he and Randy Edsall joined the staff scares me somewhat.

Things should be very interesting. The coming posts may not be long and may be just links to articles, but I’ll try and keep it up to date.

Monday, December 5, 2011

HE SAID WHAT???

So, I am going about my day at my new job today and I start seeing things pop up on twitter about some comments made by former Pitt football coach, Dave Wannstedt. I immediately start thinking about how to defend him, because that is what I did for 6 years. I found an extra minute to read the article and you can read it here as well. Let me tell you how I feel about the article:


Among the highlights are Wanny sticking up for Tino Sunseri. Ummmm, has he watched at all this year? I wonder if it has anything to do with his relationship with former Pitt player, Sal Sunseri...yup, Tino's dad. Wanny goes on to say that he would yank his kid out of Pitt right away...weird, I always thought Dave was a "Pitt guy" and would always be a "Pitt guy"? Yea, sounds like he's sticking up for his alma mater real well. Wait to wait until the very last second to form your opinion Dave.


He went on to criticize Pitt’s current team saying they were co Big East Champs when he left and now they are 6-6.  I wonder what Pitt was before Wanny took over???  Anyone, anyone…anyone want to take a guess??  Nope?  Let me tell you.  They had just played in the Fiesta Bowl as the Big East co-champs.  Then Dave took over and went 5-6….good memory Dave.


Well, not to worry, now that Dave is a defensive coach in Buffalo, I am sure the Bills are doing well this year in defensive categories.  Especially since they play The Sanchize and whatever QB the Dolphins are putting in this week, I am sure they are at the top of the NFL.  Let’s see what their statistics are right now….22nd in total defense, 19th in passing defense, 25th in rushing defense and hold onto your hats….DEAD LAST IN SACKS!  Good job…don’t look in the mirror or anything.


He also went on in the article to talk about how he offered Rushel Shell a scholarship when Shell was in 9th grade.  Yes you did Dave.  With your accurate talent eye, you spotted this 4 star recruit right away.  The same kid told Pitt no, no, no, no, no, no, no….until Graham came along.  Only then did Shell look Pitt’s way.


Lastly, at least Wanny can say that he left the program with class and dignity.  Oh wait, what?  They ranked number one in all of Division I football with players having run-ins with the law??  Weird!  I always thought he was a great disciplinarian.



I can’t even go on anymore.  Thanks for remaining a true Pitt guy Dave.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

RECAPPING SYRACUSE

Pitt took out Syracuse with the help of 6 turnovers and a quick start for a 33-20 victory.  This allows Pitt to send off their seniors with a bowl game and gives them 15 additional practices, which should help them get more acclimated to the new systems.  They will be slated for either the BBVA Bowl or the Beef of Brady Bowl…so it is either St. Petersburg or Birmingham for the Panthers.  No word on whether the DotcomDGHIwhateverwhocares Bowl is still in play for Pitt or not.  All jokes aside, this why I like Bowl games no matter where and who Pitt plays:  Todd Thomas.  I want to see how much he improves with a couple of more weeks.  Did you notice no defensive timeouts were used yesterday??  He may not have showed up on the stat sheet that much, but you notice him!  You notice how fast he closes on a blitz…you notice how fast he gets to a ball carrier, and you just notice him.  He looks like a guy who could play in the SEC.  He is going to be a good one, so enjoy it.


On to a little recap to the game: Pitt came out quick and had a nice little throw back to Isaac Bennett for a TD and that is something I would like to see more of…WAAAAAY to many throws straight out to the flat to RBs yesterday…Bennett had 7 catches and Corey Davis had 4 others.  I liked the first route to Bennett much more than the quick throws to the flat…as Syracuse (and other defenses will too) caught on to that.  Don’t believe me?  Syracuse almost got a fat guy touchdown out of sniffing out one of those passes. 


Bennett also ran for 51 yards and as noted in this blog, Anthony Gonzalez did a solid job of running the wildcat with 36 yards and a touchdown.  Devin Street continued to improve with 5 more catches, despite not practicing all week.  By the way….THEY FINALL CONNECTED ON A DEEP BALL!!!!!!!!!!  Tino took some sacks, and as always came up with another, “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING” moments when he simply jogged out of bounds 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage instead of just throwing it away.  He also did complete 25 of 34 for 259 yard and as stated before, HE COMPLETED A DEEP BALL!!!


Pitt once again settled for field goals instead of closing out the game with touchdowns.  This was a frustrating part of the game and Pitt had a great chance to really put the game away.  Two rushes put them at 3rd and 1 and around midfield.  Syracuse had just used their first time out and with about 3 minutes to play, they….tried to pass the ball?????????  What was that??  It stopped the clock and also did not put the game in the hands of the best option with the game on the line…no offense, but Tino is not their best option there.  You could run the ball, and the worse case is that you don’t get…Syracuse calls their second time out…and you pin a team that just used 10 minutes to go the length of the field to do so with one timeout and 3 minutes to play.


Fortunately, the defense stepped up with their 5th turnover of the game (the 6th came on the series after that…and I would like to formally thank this guyfor having sex 20 some years ago).  Brandon Lindsey pulled off a great sack popping the ball in the air and plucked by Antwuan Reed for a TD!  I originally thought it was a pick 6, but it was ruled a fumble.  Great hustle by Lindsey on the play…awesome effort there.


So there you have it..Pitt gets to a Bowl game and Syracuse goes home.  I for one can’t wait and I don’t know if that is sad or just crazy, but I really can’t wait to watch Pitt in their Bowl game.


Before moving on…we may have some bad news about the coaching staff, as reported by Paul Zeise this morning:


*** One thing that seems certain - as I wrote about the other day - the three former Michigan assistants - Calvin Magee, Tony Gibson and Tony Dews - all seem to be headed to Arizona to join Rich Rodriguez's staff. Several sources have now said it to me - as in more than three - so I am now fairly comfortable in saying that they are indeed headed out the door.

It isn't a surprise - there is some saying about "blood being thicker than water" and the bottom line is those three are Rich Rodriguez's guys and have been for a long time. Also, Magee would like to call his own plays and run his own offense again and Dews would like to be a receivers coach (he now coaches tight ends) so this will give them both the opportunity, presumably, to do these things again.

As always, there could be a last minute change of heart but it doesn't sound like it and it sounds like we will hear something formal about it in the next few days.

Now this sucks and I don’t want to see them go and hopefully no recruits will follow them should this happen...however, if they leave, Todd Graham has an opportunity to go get some other coaches that will show where Pitt will focus their recruiting in the future.  That is VERY exciting as they have the chance to possibly get someone that is very good at recruiting Florida and maybe the DC area (or as I call them...ACC country).