Pitt / Penn State football notes
Posted: May 8th, 2008, 4:12 pm
PENN STATE:
Real quick, losers, I found out that Austin Scott has indeed been picked up by the Cleveland Browns. If he is actually signed, I am not sure, but he is definitely working out with them. This is an interesting situation. I said Scott would end up in Cincinnati, and was off by 5 hours driving time. Got the state right, though. I'm curious as to what Cleveland saw in this kid that made them even offer him a workout. Paterno said he had been in contact with Scott, and that he was going to try and get Scott into the NFL. This is a nice gesture by Paterno. But what I am hung up on here is the old saying of everyone deserves a second chance. I agree with that notion, but I am hung up on whether or not a rapist deserves a second chance. Aren't there a few crimes out there that don't warrant another opportunity? To a much, much lesser extent, why was Scott even given so many chances as a starting RB at Penn State? He's not fast enough for the Big Ten, and think about that idea and how bad of a statement it really is.
Dan Connor to Carolina, and I called it. Poz to Buffalo, called it. Had King going to Baltimore, and missed that one. Had Morelli going nowhere, and I guess I hit that one because he didn't get drafted. What a prediction on Morelli, right?
Who says crystal balls don't work? There was no research done on my part as to where Connor or Poz would end up in the last 2 drafts, but I had a very strong feeling that they'd end up in Carolina and Buffalo for some reason.
Still no QB named yet. Interestingly enough, SENIOR Paul Cianciolo is supposedly doing very well. Keep an eye on that.
Recruiting is going okay. They need more weapons on offense and they are chasing a lot of them, but some may be ghosts again. It is imperative that this recruiting class fields a quarterback and some WR's. PSU is in the lead for a QB from Philadelphia named Curtis, but they may not want him as a QB, which is what he wants to play. We'll see.
PITT:
Honestly, I am excited about Pitt this season. I think that defense will be much improved and I think Pitt has a real shot of winning that conference. If a few chips fall their way, this team might seriously be looking at 12-0. Bostick needs to stays consistent and keep his head, and let the weight of the outcomes ultimately fall with McCoy, who will not disappoint. That kid is the best RB in the country, and is easily my Heisman frontrunner. It's probably going to come down to him and Wells at Ohio State.
Pitt's recruiting for 09 is off to a slow start. Both Pitt and PSU are losing PA recruiting battles to Ohio State. There's no excuse for this. Wannstedt is a good recruiter and Paterno is a legend. Field production is hurting both of these schools. Pitt has a real chance to make an impact this season, because WVU should have at least 1 year of a coach transition. Louisville was terrible last season, and there's a 50% chance that Kragthorphe (whom I loved at Tulsa) is not cut out for this. USF sucks. And as much as I dislike Pitt, I would rather see PA kids go to Pitt than to go to Ohio State or somewhere else.
My fear as far as Pitt / PSU recruiting goes, is that Pitt is making silent progress with lower-rated specialist players that Penn State needs to have on that roster, moving forward. Pitt is all over the east with offers, targeting Maryland, PA, DC, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, etc. That's traditional Penn State territory that is being raided of lower-rated, under-the-radar gems that PSU finds. I have a big problem with this and with PSU's lack of it's acknowledgment. Now, if I am sitting in Euless, TX and I am watching this unfold as the days roll by, how can they not see this in State College? I don't even have a %&%$# subscription to those recruiting sites. I don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
For this upcoming season, Penn State is supposed to have the best defensive depth they ever had. Okay, awesome, I love that. Here's the potential problem: player substitutions. Having depth is great when you utilize it. So what I am hoping we see, and which to me makes perfect sense, is that PSU is rotating a lot of kids in and out of there to keep pressure on these quarterbacks. The new Big Ten is about to be unleashed over the next few seasons, and there's a *possibility* that Clark can add Penn State to that list, as a number of schools move to speed formats. Why is this so important to apply pressure? Because Lydell Sargent is the worst CB I have seen at Penn State, and he's the #1 CB now. Penn State is going to have to either apply pressure to the QB's on a 75% basis, or get slaughtered in a short-passing game because Sargent and Wallace (another kid I am leary about) have to give WR's a cushion b/c they can't cover anybody. Penn State has a great chance to make strides this season, with either QB starting, b/c of the WR's. But, at the end of the day, what can we rely on other than blind faith or historical record? For me, it is historical record: Jay Paterno is QB coach.
Pitt's success directly hurts Penn State. But what is really going to hurt both of them is what happens at WVU when Bill Stewart turns out to be a better coach than Rodriguez. That will really hurt recruiting in PA and in the Chesapeake regions. Another thing that will really hurt Penn State and to a lesser extent Pitt, is the fact that Maryland is going to have a very good year in 2008. Maryland is a real problem for Penn State right now, because Maryland is in a terrible conference that is very well respected. Maryland also has a new recruiting coach, who is doing a very, very good job. That's bad news for Penn State fans. I am looking for Maryland for really blow up this year and for years to come.
I get accused a little of being an alarmist, and that's probably true, but I see writing on the wall. You can't sit idly and expect things to work out for you. Penn State needs to make the adjustments. They are 10 years overdue. Pitt needs to make the adjustments as well, but Pitt has already made a major one, when they hired Bennett to run that defense. They have got to win games. It is really that simple. Every worry goes away when you take care of your business.
When you win your games, you don't have to worry about attendance or recruiting. So if winning the games is the problem for you, why are Jay Paterno and Paul Rhodes on your coaching staff?
Real quick, losers, I found out that Austin Scott has indeed been picked up by the Cleveland Browns. If he is actually signed, I am not sure, but he is definitely working out with them. This is an interesting situation. I said Scott would end up in Cincinnati, and was off by 5 hours driving time. Got the state right, though. I'm curious as to what Cleveland saw in this kid that made them even offer him a workout. Paterno said he had been in contact with Scott, and that he was going to try and get Scott into the NFL. This is a nice gesture by Paterno. But what I am hung up on here is the old saying of everyone deserves a second chance. I agree with that notion, but I am hung up on whether or not a rapist deserves a second chance. Aren't there a few crimes out there that don't warrant another opportunity? To a much, much lesser extent, why was Scott even given so many chances as a starting RB at Penn State? He's not fast enough for the Big Ten, and think about that idea and how bad of a statement it really is.
Dan Connor to Carolina, and I called it. Poz to Buffalo, called it. Had King going to Baltimore, and missed that one. Had Morelli going nowhere, and I guess I hit that one because he didn't get drafted. What a prediction on Morelli, right?
Who says crystal balls don't work? There was no research done on my part as to where Connor or Poz would end up in the last 2 drafts, but I had a very strong feeling that they'd end up in Carolina and Buffalo for some reason.
Still no QB named yet. Interestingly enough, SENIOR Paul Cianciolo is supposedly doing very well. Keep an eye on that.
Recruiting is going okay. They need more weapons on offense and they are chasing a lot of them, but some may be ghosts again. It is imperative that this recruiting class fields a quarterback and some WR's. PSU is in the lead for a QB from Philadelphia named Curtis, but they may not want him as a QB, which is what he wants to play. We'll see.
PITT:
Honestly, I am excited about Pitt this season. I think that defense will be much improved and I think Pitt has a real shot of winning that conference. If a few chips fall their way, this team might seriously be looking at 12-0. Bostick needs to stays consistent and keep his head, and let the weight of the outcomes ultimately fall with McCoy, who will not disappoint. That kid is the best RB in the country, and is easily my Heisman frontrunner. It's probably going to come down to him and Wells at Ohio State.
Pitt's recruiting for 09 is off to a slow start. Both Pitt and PSU are losing PA recruiting battles to Ohio State. There's no excuse for this. Wannstedt is a good recruiter and Paterno is a legend. Field production is hurting both of these schools. Pitt has a real chance to make an impact this season, because WVU should have at least 1 year of a coach transition. Louisville was terrible last season, and there's a 50% chance that Kragthorphe (whom I loved at Tulsa) is not cut out for this. USF sucks. And as much as I dislike Pitt, I would rather see PA kids go to Pitt than to go to Ohio State or somewhere else.
My fear as far as Pitt / PSU recruiting goes, is that Pitt is making silent progress with lower-rated specialist players that Penn State needs to have on that roster, moving forward. Pitt is all over the east with offers, targeting Maryland, PA, DC, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, etc. That's traditional Penn State territory that is being raided of lower-rated, under-the-radar gems that PSU finds. I have a big problem with this and with PSU's lack of it's acknowledgment. Now, if I am sitting in Euless, TX and I am watching this unfold as the days roll by, how can they not see this in State College? I don't even have a %&%$# subscription to those recruiting sites. I don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
For this upcoming season, Penn State is supposed to have the best defensive depth they ever had. Okay, awesome, I love that. Here's the potential problem: player substitutions. Having depth is great when you utilize it. So what I am hoping we see, and which to me makes perfect sense, is that PSU is rotating a lot of kids in and out of there to keep pressure on these quarterbacks. The new Big Ten is about to be unleashed over the next few seasons, and there's a *possibility* that Clark can add Penn State to that list, as a number of schools move to speed formats. Why is this so important to apply pressure? Because Lydell Sargent is the worst CB I have seen at Penn State, and he's the #1 CB now. Penn State is going to have to either apply pressure to the QB's on a 75% basis, or get slaughtered in a short-passing game because Sargent and Wallace (another kid I am leary about) have to give WR's a cushion b/c they can't cover anybody. Penn State has a great chance to make strides this season, with either QB starting, b/c of the WR's. But, at the end of the day, what can we rely on other than blind faith or historical record? For me, it is historical record: Jay Paterno is QB coach.
Pitt's success directly hurts Penn State. But what is really going to hurt both of them is what happens at WVU when Bill Stewart turns out to be a better coach than Rodriguez. That will really hurt recruiting in PA and in the Chesapeake regions. Another thing that will really hurt Penn State and to a lesser extent Pitt, is the fact that Maryland is going to have a very good year in 2008. Maryland is a real problem for Penn State right now, because Maryland is in a terrible conference that is very well respected. Maryland also has a new recruiting coach, who is doing a very, very good job. That's bad news for Penn State fans. I am looking for Maryland for really blow up this year and for years to come.
I get accused a little of being an alarmist, and that's probably true, but I see writing on the wall. You can't sit idly and expect things to work out for you. Penn State needs to make the adjustments. They are 10 years overdue. Pitt needs to make the adjustments as well, but Pitt has already made a major one, when they hired Bennett to run that defense. They have got to win games. It is really that simple. Every worry goes away when you take care of your business.
When you win your games, you don't have to worry about attendance or recruiting. So if winning the games is the problem for you, why are Jay Paterno and Paul Rhodes on your coaching staff?