Walt Harris and his relationship with Narduzzi, staff

[JoeScaz]

I would love to see Pitt extend an offer to have Walt as a "special offensive assistant". I believe in some capacity, that is what he contributes now.

Walt's had some deficiencies as a Head Coach, and quite honestly, it kind of takes a helluva guy to come back to a place that put the boot to you, regardless of how it went down, his agent, etc.

It is not arguable that Walt was elite at developing quarterbacks, and had some pretty good offensive schemes that kept us in games from 97-04.

Put Walt on the staff, kind of like Sid Gillman contributed to our staff in the late 80s. It can do zero harm, and put one more good offensive mind on the staff.

 

[MajorMajors]

I'd love to see Walt involved somehow too, but if you put him on the staff, which position coach do you get rid of?

Walt is a master at the passing game. But I still remember a draw play he called against VT back in Pitt Stadium on a third and long where the Pitt tailback ran for 20 yards before anyone on the VT defense realized he had the ball.

Go Pitt.

 

[JoeScaz]

You don't get rid of ANY.. you add as a "special assistant".. Continue to open the wallets. The guy is a special offensive coach.

 

[Hailpitt]

Next you guys will be asking for another failed Pitt coach--Wanney

 

[MajorMajors]

Isn't there a limit on the number of coaches? Can you get around that with a "special assistant?"

Go Pitt.

 

[JoeScaz]

Not sure... I think it's 9 FT..... but could play the some role in Admin I am sure if not. Walt seems like a good guy to be around this team..... Gut feeling on it... and expertise at a very tough position...

 

[thebadby2]

I respect what WLAT did to resurrect Pitt football from the dead-and it WAS dead.

However, it is certainly arguable that he is "elite" at developing QBs. How many of his Pitt QBs played in the NFL?

If anything, he was elite at recruiting and developing WRs, all of the best ones we've ever had were his players.

I think he did pretty well with the O and what he had to work with. He had below average OLs and that limited what he could do with the O greatly.

 

[tgbst88]

Lytle was really the only QB with NFL talent. He got a lot out of some pretty average college talent.

 

[wbrpanther]

They can't put him on the staff. there are limits to staff numbers. They can give him a title in some other area of the athletic department and let him coach. Maybe Walt doesn't want that and is fine with just dropping in. But it was great to see him. he saved Pitt football in the 90s and that is a fact.

 

[MajorMajors]

In the state that Pitt was in when Walt arrived, what decent QB would come to Pitt? Walt did a great job with Pistol Pete, who had not played at all under the previous coaching staff. Then Walt had guys like Turman and Priestly, who he certainly got a lot out of. He recruited Palko and Getsy - two very good local QBs.

I still say that it was circumstances that kept Pitt from taking the next step with Walt - and the circumstance was Tyler Palko. I think Walt felt the need to keep TP at QB because he was a good QB and because he was local and because TP wanted to more than to play QB, but if Walt had moved TP to safety (which was a weak position) and played either Getsy or later Flacco at QB, Pitt would have been a better overall team. Course TP would have been very unhappy...

Go Pitt.

 

[djbpitt]

With all due respect to the man who truly did bring us back from the dead, it's just fun and feels good to write this every so often: Wlat si dog.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I think as time goes by, history is being kinder and kinder to Walt Harris's tenure at Pitt. I would argue that it was everybit, if not more, than Wanny's, just based on the overall quality of the league we played in vs what the Big East was when Wanny was there.

But IMO, Walt made 3 big mistakes.........at the QB Slot

1) You can argue about Flacco vs Palko, but what Walt should have done is implement the spread offense when Palko was QB. It suited his strengths more, and it also suited our strengths and lack of an OLINE.

2) Implementing the spread during Priestlay's year. We had a physical team., and we blew that year, finished 6-0 after starting 1-5.

3) The biggest mistake IMO was Walt tethering Rod Rutherford to the pocket his Sr year. I know he wanted Rod to not always resorting to run and using his athleticism, but I feel RR got too big and lost some speed and we lost a real threat from the QB position that could have won us a game or 2 more in a year we were 9-4. I remember specifically against ND where RR could have easily kept it for a TD but he threw an incomplete pass and result was a FG in a really tight game.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Actually, you can't really argue about Palko and Flacco, or at least not if you want to make any sense. I've posted the numbers before so I won't bother doing it again, but Palko and Flacco actually had remarkably similar college numbers. Except that Palko's numbers were actually a little better. And Palko got those numbers while playing teams like West Virginia and Notre Dame and Flacco compiled his numbers against teams like New Hampshire and James Madison. There is no coach in America who was going to sit a guy coming off a season like Palko had and who had put up the kind of numbers that Palko did to play a completely untested guy at quarterback. This isn't a situation where Pitt was looking to replace a bum like Tino Sunseri, they would have been replacing a guy coming off a good season as a college quarterback with a complete unknown. Had Harris made that move he would have been crucified, absolutely crucified, for it. And rightly so.

Some of you people need to understand that some guys are better college players than they are pros, and vice versa. Just because Flacco is a better pro than Palko ever was doesn't mean that he was a better college player. Because he wasn't.

 

[Pitt is #1]

I don't think anyone doubts that Walt hit the wall and wasn't going to take Pitt to further heights just as Dave did. I will say that I felt Walt was screwed by a lack of commitment from the administration. Once Walt resurrected the program, the AD should have doubled down and invested in the program to keep the momentum going. Instead, they continued the "let's see if we can do it on the cheap" mentality. It put Pitt exactly where it is at...an average team in an above average TV market.

 

[wewantmiller]

wlat would be an incredible OC for us. Take Wannstedt as a recruiter and we have a family reunion. All of our coaches had strong areas and that is why they were hired.

 

[Pitt79]

Next you guys will be asking for another failed Pitt coach--Wanney

Walt wasn't a failed coach, he was driven out for no good reason the year he won the Big East title and went to a BCS bowl.

 

[Pitt79]

However, it is certainly arguable that he is "elite" at developing QBs. How many of his Pitt QBs played in the NFL?

As far as Pitt, I don't care if they play in the NFL! If we can develope a guy to have a Tyler Palko career at Pitt, then fail in the NFL that's all that matters for Pitt. It's great that Pitt has some top NFL players, but I honestly am not moved by what they do if they don't play for the Steelers.

 

[TD_6082]

I don't think anyone doubts that Walt hit the wall and wasn't going to take Pitt to further heights just as Dave did. I will say that I felt Walt was screwed by a lack of commitment from the administration. Once Walt resurrected the program, the AD should have doubled down and invested in the program to keep the momentum going. Instead, they continued the "let's see if we can do it on the cheap" mentality. It put Pitt exactly where it is at...an average team in an above average TV market.

I don't know that I feel too sorry for Walt over the investment in the program. He was the beneficiary of the brand-spanking new facilities on the South Side & the hype surrounding the move to Heinz Field. Walt really screwed himself over with the move to the spread in 2001. That team had no business losing more than 2 or 3 games.

As far as Walt & Wanny hitting the proverbial wall... Until Pitt can consistently stand toe to toe and recruit with elite programs, that wall is always going to be there.

 

[Pitt is #1]

Let's be honest TD...DW was recruiting some very highly rated classes. I think many times he recruited stars over needs to often...but regardless, his recruiting was fine. Wanny's problem was that Brian Kelly was doing more with much less.

 

[TD_6082]

Most of his classes were ranked between 15 and 30. That won't cut it. The 'doing less with more' thing will never sustain a program. Talent is always first and foremost.

 

[Pitt is #1]

I don't buy that unless you are talking about being a top 10 program. The top 11 to 25 programs are recruiting as well or worse than Pitt.

 

[TD_6082]

Walt & Wanny were giving you teams that were routinely ranked from 15-25 or just outside the Top 25. Obviously, that wasn't good enough.

 

[Pitt-Chains]

Let's be honest TD...DW was recruiting some very highly rated classes. I think many times he recruited stars over needs to often...but regardless, his recruiting was fine. Wanny's problem was that Brian Kelly was doing more with much less.

That Cincy game still makes me sick... I had my wife ready to go to New Orleans... Still stinks !!

 

[Pitt is #1]

Walt & Wanny were giving you teams that were routinely ranked from 15-25 or just outside the Top 25. Obviously, that wasn't good enough.

When you use the term "you" are you finally admitting you're not one of us Pitt fans.

 

[JoeScaz]

I think many are missing the point. A guy like Walt is GOOD to have around the program.

 

[TD_6082]

When you use the term "you" are you finally admitting you're not one of us Pitt fans.

No, I use the term you because I was not in favor of dumping Walt or Wanny at the time they were fired.

 

[Pitt79]

Let's be honest TD...DW was recruiting some very highly rated classes. I think many times he recruited stars over needs to often...but regardless, his recruiting was fine. Wanny's problem was that Brian Kelly was doing more with much less.

The thing I didn't like about wanny was he had no creativity, he was mired in that early '90s, Bill Cowher, Emmitt Smith, run out the clock, run the ball, attrition football crap and ultra conservative, like a football Jamie Dixon, shorten the game, no variation, I wasn't surprised he lost to Cincy after leading 31-10!

 

[melwood]

That Cincy game still makes me sick... I had my wife ready to go to New Orleans... Still stinks !!

Then we would've gotten TEBOWED in front of the nation.....

 

[vegasgreed]

Which schools have offered Walt a job lately?