PITT STINKS/FIRE THE COACH

Until further notice, Pitt stinks.

If you’re going to bore people to death by playing teams like Buffalo and Maine, you had better bore them with ridiculous blowouts.

If you can’t do better than one touchdown in the first half against Buffalo and you need two dropped TD passes to help you win the game, you stink.

Just as you stink when you win seven games and two of them are against teams like Buffalo and Maine. That means you actually won five games and that means you stink.

Sorry.

It’s the first game with a new coach and blah, blah blah and maybe the two exhibition games will make Pitt a much better team and blah, blah, blah, but that doesn’t change the fact that this team picked up where it left off last year under Dave Wannstedt.

Right now it stinks.

If I were the athletic director at Pitt, Todd Graham would have been fired at half time.

That’s because I would have made it clear to him when he was hired that, if he ever punted from inside his opponents 40-yard line, he would be fired.

He did it twice in the first quarter.

Against a team that was 2-10 last season and shouldn’t be on his schedule.

That’s disturbing.

Date: September 4, 2011

Categories: Sports

Tags: BIG EAST, BUFFALO, DAVE WANNSTEDT, MAINE, PITT DISAPPOINTING WIN, PITT FOOTBALL, PITT PANTHERS, PITT STRUGGLES WITH BUFFALO

Comments RSS TrackBack 31 comments

Reply

Matt

in September 4th, 2011 @ 08:52

They should have kept Wanny.
Reply

jwit

in September 4th, 2011 @ 09:27

I had the same thought while watching. Same bad penalties, same drops from recievers, same inaccurate qb, who shows flashes then more mediocrity. I don’t care if his whole family played at pitt, he’s just not consistent enough to play if you truly want to be a strong D1 program.

Defense really stinks, not enough space here to cover it.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 4th, 2011 @ 11:44

Keep in mind that I’m not saying that they stink for 2011. They could get better and end up being an entertaining team. Right now they stink and I won’t be taking what happens against Maine into account—unless they struggle again–and then they’ll still stink.

Reply

Bobzilla

in September 4th, 2011 @ 10:07

John: Your above summation and evaluation are a perfect example as to why you are one of the most insightful and entertaining sports columnists in the business. I agree completely with your astute assessment.
However, all the blame cannot, and should not, be laid soley at the feet of the major universities for scheduling these kinds of games.
All the Buffalos, all the Indiana States, all the Eastern Cupcake Schools of technologies should also share in the blame… They should all simply say “no” to all the major universities who come calling for a patsy.
Indiana State coach Trent Miles, before the Penn State game, told The Trib: “We’re getting on that plane, we’re going there, we are going to fight all we can, play the best we can and collect our money and come back home.”
For the major universites, it’s all about the easy “w” … but for the cupcakes, sadly, it’s all about the easy “$.” Teams should play other teams for competitive reasons, not for the money or for a meaningless victory.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 4th, 2011 @ 11:37

I don’t understand how you’re doing the kids at Indiana St. a favor by leading them to slaughter.

Reply

Bobzilla

in September 4th, 2011 @ 13:35

Agreed.
Nor is playing, and slaughtering an Indiana State, going to help Penn State when it comes time to play REAL opponents.

Reply

Mike V.

in September 4th, 2011 @ 22:26

Akron made $1 million yesterday playing Ohio State. Their annual Athletic Department budget is $13 million. They have no chance of making that much money on their own. I’d rather your idea of teams playing at their own level take place, but as long as the smaller schools need the money and the big schools want an 8th home game, this is what we get.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 5th, 2011 @ 08:36

Knowing why something happens doesn’t make it any less ridiculous. How does how much money Akron is getting for a 74-0 blowout make it worth my while to watch the game?

Reply

Bobzilla

in September 5th, 2011 @ 14:28

The first weekend of college football should be a “showcase weekend.” Instead, we got Ohio State and Akron on ESPN, Penn State and Indiana State on the Big 10 Network, and Michigan and Western Michigan on ESPN. Wonderful.
One of Saturday’s better televised games was Notre Dame and South Florida, which took a mere 10 hours to complete.
Instead of college football leaving us wanting more after Week One, it left us asking this question: We waited nearly eight months for that crap?

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 5th, 2011 @ 21:00

I watched one game. TCU-Baylor. Spectacular.

Reply

Mike V.

in September 5th, 2011 @ 19:19

I agree it is rediculous.

It isn’t worth watching the game. That’s why I turn it off at half. It isn’t even about the game at that point. These early season games are played for a couple of reasons:
1. Teams like Akron need the money.
2. Teams like osu want the money and an 8th home game.
3. BCS teams want to play a team they can easily beat so they get to six wins and a bowl game faster.

None of it is about the game.

Reply

Niblick

in September 6th, 2011 @ 07:46

Wasn’t Dave Wannstedt highly criticized last year when he scheduled Utah and Miami in the first 2 or 3 weeks of the season? Sports writers were saying that the tough early schedule set a bad tempo for the rest of the year.

These early cupcake games serves two purposes. It gives the so called “better” team a couple of warm up games and it gives the “lesser” team a paycheck. Seems to work okay.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 6th, 2011 @ 07:50

It may be the smart thing to do but it’s still stupid. If every team stopped scheduling teams that they have no business playing a team wouldn’t have to go undefeated in order to win the stupid mythical national championship.

Reply

franji1

in September 4th, 2011 @ 11:53

The University of Tennessee PAID Univ of NC $750K to NOT play them in week #5 (Oct 1) so that they can pay University of Buffalo $750K to PLAY UT instead.

$1.5M – and people are concerned that NCAA BCS head coaches make too much $ (they do, but that’s another story…). This was a TON of money JUST TO CHANGE AN OPPONENT.

I could see paying big $$$ if it was used by UT to play Notre Dame or some other “big name” non-conference opponent to get better exposure for Tennessee on NBC on a national TV audience. But to switch from “power house” UNC (tongue planted firmly in cheek) to Buffalo, shows that Pitt doesn’t have a monopoly on idiotic athletic departments.

Pitt, UT, (list any former big football program) schedule weaker opponent games “just until we can get over this minor hump. We need to recruit, and it’s hard to recruit if we can’t get to a Bowl game. That means we need to get our record to 6-6, and we need to get our respect back” blah blah blah.

College football makes me sick. Make it all Division III like CMU (where EVERY PLAYER is TRULY a STUDENT/ATHLETE), no athletic scholarships, and let the NFL develop their own minor league system (they got the money).

P.T. Barnum was right about the frequency of humans coming into existence who are willing to contribute to the deliquency of themselves, their families, and their society.

Reply

Bobzilla

in September 4th, 2011 @ 13:15

College football is NOT a minor-league system for the NFL. Just as high school football is not a minor-league system for college football. Each level is a completely different brand of football.
College football is a feeder system, yes. But in no way, shape or form are college coaches preparing their players for pro football. Tim Tebow, and hundreds just like him, can certainly atest to that.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 4th, 2011 @ 20:40

Most of them are being prepared for nothing because too many of them think they’re going to the NFL. But it is a defacto farm system.

Reply

mickey

in September 4th, 2011 @ 12:51

we gave wanny 6 years, he should’ve been fired after year 2 when he missed a bowl game for the second straight year in the lousy big east

can we give graham more than one game?
Reply

Chuck

in September 4th, 2011 @ 14:50

Don’t hold nothing back John. You have to learn to be more open in your feelings and just let it out…. You don’t want to end up with an ulcer……… WHEW!!!!!!!!!!
Reply

Gary M

in September 4th, 2011 @ 16:26

Last nights game was not encouraging because of many of the things you stated and a few more.
Last year Sunseri couldn’t connect on the deep pass and that continued.
The team had their first team RB in against this cream puff in the 4th quarter because they had too.
But at least they won. The Wanny era began with an embarrassment against Notre Dame followed by LOSS to that MAC powerhouse Ohio. Advantage Graham.
I’m giving Graham the benefit of the doubt. He came in late and is saddled with a QB who’s accuracy immediately shortens the field for the opposing defense.
Let’s give the guy a chance.
Reply

Mike from Monroeville

in September 4th, 2011 @ 21:02

Spoken like a true Kent Stateer
Reply

Donald

in September 4th, 2011 @ 22:49

Punting 2 times inside the opponent’s 40?

That is probably the most troubling to hear. That’s what play-it-super-safe losers like Wannstedt do. I’d be far more concerned about that then whether they’re blowing out creampuffs on their schedule. That sort of mentality is what keeps your program from ever making the step from “good” to “great”. They aren’t at that point right now, but (assuming things go as fans would hope) they will eventually be. And loser mentalities bar you from making that step above 7-5 records and Poulin Weedeater Bowls.
Reply

Esteban

in September 5th, 2011 @ 05:55

I agree with you John on the punts inside the 40. I am surprised that they would be so conservative in those situations when they otherwise play so aggressively on offense. I was reminded of Wannstedt calling a timeout last year against ND and then deciding to punt in the fourth quarter of a tight game. Inexcusable.

However, I did enjoy watching the new system on offense and I think when Graham gets a few recruiting classes of his own in place (not to mention a quarterback better than Sunseri) this team will light up the scoreboard on a weekly basis.

The real test will be in Iowa in a couple of weeks.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 5th, 2011 @ 08:34

I agree. I said –until further notice –Pitt still stinks. That’s all.

Reply

Isteve Roissy

in September 5th, 2011 @ 20:11

Meh. It’s smart to start a new era and system against a few cupckaes. Much better than going to Utah game one and getting beat. That’s how the game works. Coach Graham will recruit his type of QB and then it will all start to fly. Sunseri is just not a Division I QB.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 5th, 2011 @ 21:02

It’s smart for the fans to to ignore those stupid match ups. Too bad they’re are enough stupid people to fill the stadiums to make sure that we keep getting the stupid match ups.

Reply

Isteve Roissy

in September 6th, 2011 @ 20:26

Why are people stupid if they enjoy going to games against crap opponents? It’s fun going to a football game. Weren’t you a young guy once who liked hanging out with his buddies, drinking a bit, acting like idiots a bit after a long grinding week at school or at work, hanging out in a rowdy, party atmoshphere where there are tons of young women around in a rowdy, party mood? That’s a big part of college football. As well as older guys and gals in their 30′s, 40′s and 50′s who for 9 or 10 hours on a crisp Saturday get to relive their wilder youth with tailgates, the game and the after parties.

It’s not a freaking clinic John, lighten dude, for real.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 7th, 2011 @ 01:04

When I say it’s stupid. I’m talking about the people who say that they wish there weren’t cupcakes on the schedule but go to the games and cause more cupcake games to be scheduled. And really, why have opponents? Just put tackling dummies on the field and party your ass off.

Reply

Esteban

in September 6th, 2011 @ 02:23

Penn State vs. Indiana State? Pitt vs. Buffalo? These two teams should be playing each other now. Can you imagine the atmosphere at Heinz if Penn State came running out decked in their white uniforms instead of Buffalo?

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 6th, 2011 @ 06:40

Pitt can’t fill the stadium with Buffaloes and Indiana States. Penn State can. As long as 110,000 keep showing up for Indiana St. they’ll keep getting Indiana St.

Reply

Bobzilla

in September 6th, 2011 @ 13:24

Get real.
Pitt seldom fills any stadium … for any one.
Whether or not people go or don’t go to see a college football game has nothing to do with networks televising such trash. If there aren’t any attractive matchups scheduled, then networks should simply not show such farces. I can’t imagine the ratings were very high for any of the games that were televised.
Maybe networks shouldn’t start braodcasting games until about Week 3. That way, the NFL could start its seasons on Labor Day Weekends, which is when it should start its seasons.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 6th, 2011 @ 13:50

Pitt fans are smart enough to stay away from garbage games.

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