2019 QB commit - Davis Beville

[#99HUGHgreen]

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/tyler-palko-1.html

This is what I've been trying to get across to people who are railing on Pickett. Poco's Junior season was similar to what Pickett did this year in his first year starting.

Had the same discussion about stole with someone on the pay board, Pickett's first season starting was better than stalls first to season starting.

People have selective memories and want to compare a quarterback in his second year playing in college to pass quarterbacks very best years.

He looks like a guy who is going to progress into the kind of quarterback people want to remember the other quarterbacks having been.

Just saying, he's not as bad as what people want to join him up to be.

Again, I do see a twinkle of specialness with in Pickett and he did have his moments midseason where he looked like he might be the real deal, but then he took a major nose dive in the last few games. He deserves a little slack becasue of the troubles with his OLine (particularly the loss of the center and position changes of other Olinemen due to that loss), but not being able to move the ball in the air AT ALL was beyond the amount of slack any QB deserves.

As for the comparison with Palco... Kenny’s first full season stats aren’t exactly helping his cause.

Pickett’s first full year as a starter

1833 passing yards
12 TDs
6 INTs

Palko’s first true year as a starter

3067 yards passing
24 TDs
7 INTs

Palko blows Kenny’s numbers away. More than 1200 more yards and twice as many TDs.

In fact Palko’s first full season as a starter was better than Marino’s first or second year and may have been the best first full season by any Pitt QB.

While, you are certainly right in pointing out Palco’s second season’s numbers were worse than his first, he still had 5 more TDs (17) and more than 500 more passing yards (2392).

Now maybe it’s not completely an apple to apples comparison: Maybe Palko had better pass protection (although Picket had pretty good pass protection for most of the ACC coastal games), and maybe Palko had a more talented group of players surrounding him on offense, or maybe the playcalling Palko had was setting him up for a better chance of success. I might buy some of those arguments.

Still, Picket needs to show that when he is facing adversity... when things aren’t working... he has it in him to find a way to succeed... to recognize specific problems and communicate and help figure out alternative solutions (based on what he is seeing with the defense or what he is seeing with his offense): It’s what QBs who are great leaders do.

There is no rexcuse for Pickett and Mack to miscommunicate twice with the same route in the same game. Kenny must own that second screw up for not making sure he and Mack were on the same page 100% before leaving the huddle.

If Pickett truly has the talented and has the leadership skills to be very successful as Narduzzi and the offensive staff proclaim he does, then very soon we should expect to see a QB progressing in all areas: accuracy throwing downfield, reading defenses, communicating to coaches why plays/ receiver’s routes/ blocking schemes aren’t working from his vantage point, understanding alternative plays that might work, learning when to leave the pocket, knowing when to call an audible.

I honestly hope he can do it. At the same time, the Pitt coaches have to be smart - they MUST have a legitimately talented backup in place (Beville?) who is ready to step in if things don’t get better.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Palko had Walt his Freshman year. Pickett has Watson.

 

[BPKY]

Again, I do see a twinkle of specialness with in Pickett and he did have his moments midseason where he looked like he might be the real deal, but then he took a major nose dive in the last few games. He deserves a little slack becasue of the troubles with his OLine (particularly the loss of the center and position changes of other Olinemen due to that loss), but not being able to move the ball in the air AT ALL was beyond the amount of slack any QB deserves.

As for the comparison with Palco... Kenny’s first full season stats aren’t exactly helping his cause.

Pickett’s first full year as a starter

1833 passing yards
12 TDs
6 INTs

Palko’s first true year as a starter

3067 yards passing
24 TDs
7 INTs

Palko blows Kenny’s numbers away. More than 1200 more yards and twice as many TDs.

In fact Palko’s first full season as a starter was better than Marino’s first or second year and may have been the best first full season by any Pitt QB.

While, you are certainly right in pointing out Palco’s second season’s numbers were worse than his first, he still had 5 more TDs (17) and more than 500 more passing yards (2392).

Now maybe it’s not completely an apple to apples comparison: Maybe Palko had better pass protection (although Picket had pretty good pass protection for most of the ACC coastal games), and maybe Palko had a more talented group of players surrounding him on offense, or maybe the playcalling Palko had was setting him up for a better chance of success. I might buy some of those arguments.

Still, Picket needs to show that when he is facing adversity... when things aren’t working... he has it in him to find a way to succeed... to recognize specific problems and communicate and help figure out alternative solutions (based on what he is seeing with the defense or what he is seeing with his offense): It’s what QBs who are great leaders do.

There is no rexcuse for Pickett and Mack to miscommunicate twice with the same route in the same game. Kenny must own that second screw up for not making sure he and Mack were on the same page 100% before leaving the huddle.

If Pickett truly has the talented and has the leadership skills to be very successful as Narduzzi and the offensive staff proclaim he does, then very soon we should expect to see a QB progressing in all areas: accuracy throwing downfield, reading defenses, communicating to coaches why plays/ receiver’s routes/ blocking schemes aren’t working from his vantage point, understanding alternative plays that might work, learning when to leave the pocket, knowing when to call an audible.

I honestly hope he can do it. At the same time, the Pitt coaches have to be smart - they MUST have a legitimately talented backup in place (Beville?) who is ready to step in if things don’t get better.

It's really hard at this point to make a comparison. So many variables to consider. I just look for the moment where the light turns on for players. For some, it never does. But KP seems to have the potential. All you can do is make the players compete and start the better player.

 

[BPKY]

No, he wont

Picketts issues are the same as tino's.

The moment he feels pressure, or the moment the pocket collapses,

He runs for his life or takes the sack rather than step up and throw it downfield or at the very least throw it away. He is Tino sunseri redux. ( and forget defending Tino. That kid never improved while at Pitt and the above mentioned Pickett description dogged Tino his whole career)

I know many of you will rip me for this but until I see improvement in this kid my statement stands.

And I am quite certain that this wont change with pickett.

Open up the competition to all QBs on the roster and find someone that can work with and truly develop quarterbacks.

This program goes nowhere until the above is considered.

It's only fair to point out that Tino was still running backwards up through his senior year (as you mentioned) but that his is only KP's first year starting. It's something that every QB has to work on. Tino was the worst I've ever seen in football at taking sacks. There's no reason to believe now that KP could ever become nearly that bad. And when you have such poor pass blocking, it tends to magnify bad habits. All I'm saying is that it's too early in KP's career to write him off.

But I agree with you. Open up competition and bring in good coaches.

 

[BPKY]

Everything is NOT fine for sure but its not near as bad as some make it out to be with recruiting being one example

If you are ratings focused Pitt ranges from the low 30s in rivals to the mid forties in other sites. More important than the rating # is the delta rating between Pitt and its closest competitors in the ACC Coastal. IMO Pitt within the statistical margin of error with all the coastal teams this year with perhaps the exception of Miami and VT. In other words Pitts recruiting is good enough in my opinion to keep improving the program with continued development of players. With continued improvement the rankings and overall quality of player added will improve. I dont think anyone is saying that PItts current recruiting is good enough to compete week in and week out with the Clemsons of the world. But it is good enough for the program to continue its climb to respectability. Its NOT the disaster many make it out to be.

I'd also add that Like Beville many of the recruits are being viewed more favorably over time. Just as importantly, Duzz has historically closed strong and gotten some highly rated kids at the end of the cycle as well and it appears he may do that again this year.

So in my view Pitt and Duzz are recruiting at a level to continue to improve and elevate the program along with good coaching. Its not the level they eventually need to be to get to the top 25 type program we all want it to be year in year out but it is good enough to make progress towards that goal.

Every new coach should get 5 years to change a losing program into an FBS power. If not, the tried and proven means of developing a program is through repetitive coaching turnover. It never fails to produce results!

 

[Jeffburgh]

Again, I do see a twinkle of specialness with in Pickett and he did have his moments midseason where he looked like he might be the real deal, but then he took a major nose dive in the last few games. He deserves a little slack becasue of the troubles with his OLine (particularly the loss of the center and position changes of other Olinemen due to that loss), but not being able to move the ball in the air AT ALL was beyond the amount of slack any QB deserves.

As for the comparison with Palco... Kenny’s first full season stats aren’t exactly helping his cause.

Pickett’s first full year as a starter

1833 passing yards
12 TDs
6 INTs

Palko’s first true year as a starter

3067 yards passing
24 TDs
7 INTs

Palko blows Kenny’s numbers away. More than 1200 more yards and twice as many TDs.

In fact Palko’s first full season as a starter was better than Marino’s first or second year and may have been the best first full season by any Pitt QB.

While, you are certainly right in pointing out Palco’s second season’s numbers were worse than his first, he still had 5 more TDs (17) and more than 500 more passing yards (2392).

Now maybe it’s not completely an apple to apples comparison: Maybe Palko had better pass protection (although Picket had pretty good pass protection for most of the ACC coastal games), and maybe Palko had a more talented group of players surrounding him on offense, or maybe the playcalling Palko had was setting him up for a better chance of success. I might buy some of those arguments.

Still, Picket needs to show that when he is facing adversity... when things aren’t working... he has it in him to find a way to succeed... to recognize specific problems and communicate and help figure out alternative solutions (based on what he is seeing with the defense or what he is seeing with his offense): It’s what QBs who are great leaders do.

There is no rexcuse for Pickett and Mack to miscommunicate twice with the same route in the same game. Kenny must own that second screw up for not making sure he and Mack were on the same page 100% before leaving the huddle.

If Pickett truly has the talented and has the leadership skills to be very successful as Narduzzi and the offensive staff proclaim he does, then very soon we should expect to see a QB progressing in all areas: accuracy throwing downfield, reading defenses, communicating to coaches why plays/ receiver’s routes/ blocking schemes aren’t working from his vantage point, understanding alternative plays that might work, learning when to leave the pocket, knowing when to call an audible.

I honestly hope he can do it. At the same time, the Pitt coaches have to be smart - they MUST have a legitimately talented backup in place (Beville?) who is ready to step in if things don’t get better.

As ganga noted Poco was playing under Walt his first season. It isn't any coincidence that his performance flattened under Wanny, Cavanaugh.
That said, I definitely take a lot of your points. There definitely are some things when you look at Pickett at this year that are legitimate criticisms.
I am mostly just pushing back at the overly negative take on him.
I certainly am not trying to say for sure he's going to be a good QB. Just that he has a chance to be, and wasn't as bad this year is someone to think.

 

[bignorthu2]

Suppose they replace Pickett with another qb and they play well...will people here acknowledge that Pickett was the problem and lay off Watson?