This experiment with hiring head coaches without any experience will be over soon, and should not be repeated anytime soon.
Hamlin tweet
- Thread starter Outdoorsman814
- Start date
This experiment with hiring head coaches without any experience will be over soon, and should not be repeated anytime soon.
What perplexes me is that Wade and Ford were considered 1A and 1B in any order and some felt Ford was better. Yet, Wade gets semi-consistent PT for a loaded national title contendor but Ford cant get on the field for a glorified MAC team
I’m not saying you are wrong... just hoping you are in this instance. I can’t see how a coach thinks pointing out the mistakes of a few specific players during a press conference (especially when a good 10 other players made even bigger mistakes) is going to help with trust or team unity or even build the confidence of those few players he criticized.
I'm sure he's disappointed that he chose a poor program that isn't committed to winning at any cost,
Please explain a little further. If you were Lyke, what would you differently to show your commitment to winning at all costs.
Not give a 5-7 coach a 7 year extension for starters.
And got his head kicked by OSU, too. Of course, MSU wins at OSU the year after he leaves.
I've watched Hamlin fairly closely. When he came into the program I expected to see a rangy, athletic DB with loose hips and track speed. He is not that player. For the past 3 years I've assumed his core muscle injury was holding him back athletically. For all I know that may still be the case. But for whatever the reason, what I see is a safety that plays upright and stiff, that lacks quickness, that has average straight line speed--maybe a 4.6 or so at best--that is slow to react especially to RPO pass plays, and that takes bad angles way too often. Hamlin's play hasn't been the only or biggest problem with the D by any means--we still get virtually no pressure on the QB out of our 4 man front which puts way too much pressure on the next level defenders--but he has not been a strong suit either. He played a pretty good game against GT, but that's a team that doesn't throw the ball at all. If he's got "it", I'm not seeing it.
Pitt79 is the one that wants to pay recruits and cheat. That is what he is saying.
Urban Meyer came into this season 47-3 in the B10. 2 of his 3 losses were to MSU and Narduzzi's defense--one while Narduzzi was coaching, the next the year after he left with his protege Harlan Barnett calling the shots in the exact same 4-3, press quarters scheme they've run since Dantonio and Narduzzi got to MSU.
Clearly, though, Narduzzi's scheme hasn't worked at Pitt. I think the types of offenses he's faced since coming to Pitt is a factor in that equation, but only one of several. Teams that can throw the ball deep have been hugely problematic against the Pitt quarters coverage--not just by throwing the ball deep, but by keeping the safeties on their heels all game by threat of the deep throw, which opens things up in front of them. The best way to defend the deep ball is to pressure the QB, and we have been woefully deficient in doing that. The biggest problem by far is the lack of good enough personnel. Just not enough good P5 level athletes on the field to make the scheme work. That's on Narduzzi as well. And if you don't have the players to effectively run the scheme, you need to make some changes to the scheme, to adapt to what you do have. He hasn't done that. For starters, we can't pressure the QB out of our base D--we just don't have good enough players up front to do it--so blitzing is essential. When you blitz, you are vulnerable. But I'd rather see us get beat by being overly aggressive than not aggressive enough.
While we're on the subject, OSU employs Narduzzi's press quarters scheme as well. Seems to work a little better when you have guys like the Bosa bros. up front and a bunch of future NFL early rounders at LB and DB.
Just last year everyone wanted to throw money and a long term extension to Narduzzi to show their commitment. Now it is showing they aren't "committed". There is a difference between being committed and making bad choices. In the PG article, it showed Pitt spends more on football than any ACC team outside of Clemson, FSU, and Miami. And they make one of the least in revenues. To me, that is some pretty strong commitment from this admin. I can't say it's been that way in the past, but they are committed now IMO. Now, are the decisions they are making correct? Only time will tell. But the whole "the admin is not committed" is getting old now.
I thought it was a dumb idea at that time, too. He’s a loudmouthed blowhard that hasn’t done dick. And don’t bring up PSU 2015, Clemson 2016 of Miami last season. If you can pull that off, you should be able to beat UNC at least once in five years. Can’t wait until he’s gone. He is Franklin without recruiting or results.
"There is a difference between being committed and making bad choices."
Bingo. I don't question the commitment, it's the choices that are on trial.
Much of your criticism of Hamlin is technique: taking bad angles, playing upright. Hamlin still playing upright is as much on the coaches as it is on Hamlin.While we all know Hamlin is not as quick as Jackson, he looks faster than 4.6 to me.
Look, I am not suggesting Hamlin or any other DB on Pitt looks anywhere near ALL-American or even ALL ACC level at the moment. What I am suggesting is that not even the best of them looks at that level, largely due to the shortcomings of the staff.
The DL has indeed been atrocious. If they only had to stop the run, they’d probably be adequate. Unfortunately they get almost no penatration and put almost no pressure on the QB (which certain isn’t helping the DBs in coverage). The DL rarely steps up and makes big plays. When they do, they usually also get flagged for roughing the passer or some other boneheaded penalty .Hendrix has been an absolute bust so far. Maybe his leg never fully healed and he can’t push off of it like before. If that’s the case... next man up.
Last edited:
Spot on. Hamlin is slow and skinny. Met him once before and he was really nice so yes I would like to see him do well but no way he should have been a 4 star. I mentioned Coleman before as a guy I would like to see get a chance over either of our starters at safety. I recall him doing well and looking like a player when he got PT last year against Syracuse.
To me a kid like Coleman was ranked lower than Hamlin because he played in the city league. Have him and Hamlin switch HS and no way is Hamlin a 4 star. Coleman is bigger, stronger, faster etc compared to Hamlin and I would like to see him get the same chance Hamlin is getting. (No I’m not family of Coleman and don’t know him) just not impressed with Hamlin and we all know Briggs sucks.
"And don’t bring up PSU 2015, Clemson 2016 of Miami last season. If you can pull that off, you should be able to beat UNC at least once in five years."
Bingo!
That's what really pisses me off. To me, that is a lack of preparation and focus in year #4.
This is complicated but try to follow me on this one!
Here's how Lyke came to the conclusion that 7 was the right number for a Narduzzi contract extension.
His record was 5-7. So Lyke said I like 5's and 7's, maybe his 2018 record will be 7-5 so we'll go with 7.
That's it a 7 year extension. A 2, 3, or 4 as numbers wouldn't have fit into lucky 5 and 7 number pattern?
It's kinda like how Mrs Buffett picks numbers in roulette? And she's almost as successful as Narduzzi?
"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go PITT & CSU Rams!
Last edited:
All RECENT Central Catholic players have been vastly over rated.
Well Pitt wouldn't be paying the recruits or cheating they would simply not be looking that way when the payments are made by boosters. Bring back the golden panthers! While I am not seriously advocating it I do think the vast majority of the top 40 teams in the country are cheating seriously, and I am not talking about 100 dollar handshakes after games that happens everywhere.
I don't know certainly possible but Wade hasn't been that good either. He isn't horrible but I really think he is getting as much playing time as he is because franklin doesn't want to burn any bridges.
Well, Paris Ford graduated from Steel Valley and spent his sophomore and Junior years a Setan LaSalle. I’m not sure if he even played JV during his one (freshman) year at Central.
Also, as a RS freshman, CJ Thorpe is destroying guys as an OT at PSU.
This version of Pitt's team stinks with him on it. If he leaves, nothing changes.
Wade's not close to starting. There's just too much competition in the PSU secondary, and he can't break through. It's not that he's played bad, but he surely has not stood out.
Wade did well in the camp setting, but otherwise the kids who play at the smallest classifications are often underperformers. He's just not big enough to play safety. I suspect he'll get moved back to slot/nickel corner, where he belongs.
Dane Jackson most certainly looks like a All-ACC possible All-American. You mentioned Whitehead earlier. Is Hamlin playing anywhere close to Whiteheads level?
The thing that bothers me the most about Hamlin is knowing he was recruit 1A for Pitt that year. He was the one Nards drooled over. Without using hindsight because it was not needed it was so obvious the player who should have been 1A was K Hudson. He was and is better than Hamlin in every facet of the game. That is the real shame of it all.
The funny thing about Hudson is that everybody missed on him. PSU slow-played him, Pitt didn't prioritize him, and somehow Michigan swooped in. He was just a 3-star guy at the beginning of his senior year, but the kid could play. Of the whole 412crew business, he is probably the best of the bunch thus far.
He was the best of the bunch back then too. People were too concerned about his size and him being a tweener. Nobody care that he was actually a football player unlike the others who were athletes playing football. The top players that year were Hudson followed by Sanders then a drop till you get to the others.
