Once again, others can differ, but this Pitt's Coach Pat & Staff is perfect for Pitt. Time will prove he is developing a Pitt Persona that will Rebuild the Pitt Program! Pitt has just been in the ACC since 2013 and with a Budget that can do it. Others can worry but that is on them. Those with established Top Programs have some advantages but time will see the demands on them are far greater than the task Pitt Staff has in the end.
Excerpts:
Video machines turn, and lights burn at Pitt's training facility well into the night. Coaches and some players eat cold food from styrofoam boxes while searching for any clue that will help defeat third-ranked Clemson on Saturday...............................Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin said the staff is trying to build a program that flourishes far beyond the outcome that plays out Saturday in Memorial Stadium, whether it's a 50-point victory for Clemson or a 50-yard field goal by kicker Chris Blewitt that wins it for Pitt. “Our coaching staff, they're in,” Conklin said. “They're in it for the long haul.” Conklin said this season in which Pitt has fallen to 5-4 after a 5-2 start is similar to 2009 at Michigan State when Narduzzi was defensive coordinator. Coach Mark Dantonio was 6-7 in his third season, but in the next six years, the Spartans won 65 games and three Big Ten championships. “All of a sudden, they got the guys in the right positions and had a couple of recruiting classes, and they had a lot of success,” Conklin said. “We're going to stay the course.”
That's not easy for Pitt with a roster that continues to need fortification after medical issues and injuries sidelined 12 defensive players for various times. And that's before you mention impatient fans who are wondering why a team whose coach has a reputation for defensive genius is last in the ACC in scoring defense (34.4 points) and passing defense (317.1 yards). “Sometimes the progress that you want to see immediately is not there,” Conklin said. “But the foundation we are building in terms of resiliency and the desire that they want to be good, it's there.”................Injuries have been difficult to overcome. Defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and linebacker Elijah Zeise were lost for the season in the opener. Cornerback Avonte Maddox missed two games, and his replacement, Phillipie Motley, might not return this season. Now defensive tackles Tyrique Jarrett and Shakir Soto are hurting. “Having to play some younger guys has hurt us,” Conklin said. “Those are not excuses. That's the reality that we're in, and we accept that reality. “Injuries are part of it. You want to get the next guy to step up. Sometimes the reality of the situation you are in, to be quite frank, is you don't have the depth chart right now. It takes multiple years.”..........
LINK:
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11436156-74/conklin-pitt-defensive
Excerpts:
Video machines turn, and lights burn at Pitt's training facility well into the night. Coaches and some players eat cold food from styrofoam boxes while searching for any clue that will help defeat third-ranked Clemson on Saturday...............................Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin said the staff is trying to build a program that flourishes far beyond the outcome that plays out Saturday in Memorial Stadium, whether it's a 50-point victory for Clemson or a 50-yard field goal by kicker Chris Blewitt that wins it for Pitt. “Our coaching staff, they're in,” Conklin said. “They're in it for the long haul.” Conklin said this season in which Pitt has fallen to 5-4 after a 5-2 start is similar to 2009 at Michigan State when Narduzzi was defensive coordinator. Coach Mark Dantonio was 6-7 in his third season, but in the next six years, the Spartans won 65 games and three Big Ten championships. “All of a sudden, they got the guys in the right positions and had a couple of recruiting classes, and they had a lot of success,” Conklin said. “We're going to stay the course.”
That's not easy for Pitt with a roster that continues to need fortification after medical issues and injuries sidelined 12 defensive players for various times. And that's before you mention impatient fans who are wondering why a team whose coach has a reputation for defensive genius is last in the ACC in scoring defense (34.4 points) and passing defense (317.1 yards). “Sometimes the progress that you want to see immediately is not there,” Conklin said. “But the foundation we are building in terms of resiliency and the desire that they want to be good, it's there.”................Injuries have been difficult to overcome. Defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and linebacker Elijah Zeise were lost for the season in the opener. Cornerback Avonte Maddox missed two games, and his replacement, Phillipie Motley, might not return this season. Now defensive tackles Tyrique Jarrett and Shakir Soto are hurting. “Having to play some younger guys has hurt us,” Conklin said. “Those are not excuses. That's the reality that we're in, and we accept that reality. “Injuries are part of it. You want to get the next guy to step up. Sometimes the reality of the situation you are in, to be quite frank, is you don't have the depth chart right now. It takes multiple years.”..........
LINK:
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11436156-74/conklin-pitt-defensive
