How can Narduzzi turn this whole culture and team around so fast while a guy like Wannstedt couldn't
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Wannstedt inherited an empty cupboard? Please. You might want to take a look at that 2005 depth chart and compare it to our depth chart this year. He took more or less the same team that Walt took to 8-4 and our only BCS bowl EVER and ran them to a 5-6 record with blowout losses to every decent opponent on the schedule and a loss to Ohio U thrown in just for good measure. The fact that the Stache gets all the credit he does on this board is testament to just how beat down and whipped this fan base has been over the past 30 years.
Exactly, I can't remember the exact number, but the team only lost a few starters from the previous year.
Agree, but what he's done so far, without Conner, is very impressive.
1.) Narduzzi hasn't turned anything around yet. We are barely midway through the season. Let's see the first scene in the film through its conclusion before writing our review.
2.) Narduzzi inherited a much healthier program than Wannstedt inherited. A lot of people will NEVER admit as much but it's true.
3.) Narduzzi may just be a better coach.
2.) Narduzzi inherited a much healthier program than Wannstedt inherited. A lot of people will NEVER admit as much but it's true.
3.) Narduzzi may just be a better coach.
1. Agree. He's off to a good start, but a win tonight would go a long way to validate what he's done so far though.
2. Disagree strongly. How so?
3. No stretch there. Low threshold.
Agree with TheBaby2, Wannstedt decided to just change the system from the West Coast Offense to Pro Set and just refused to adapt his Players to being a winning team when he did that, and that alone in my opinion was very big disappointment to me. He needed 3 years to find recruits that were big lineman with quick feet and he lost games to teams and coaches with less talent due to that process.
Graham did the same thing for 1 year, he tried to implement his No Huddle but the Players were not there to do it, so he went back to a mixture of it the Pro Set-No Huddle Bi-System that was inconsistent and 6-6, then left!
Chryst comes in and needed time to find a Staff and recruit players that could adapt to his Wisconsin Running Offense with huge Lineman as Savage took beatings as all the Players develop 30+ Points Offense. Yet, his Special teams and Defense then let the team down on 2 to 3 Games a year and twice against UNC!
What I like about coach Narduzzi he has come in, challenged his Players first (Special conditioning) against themselves, (Individual Tug Of War) then against other Players, then as Teams, stayed with the Players to get to know them in the Dorm and spent hours with them to learn about them.
Chose a Staff quickly, and just adapted his talent to his Systems putting in charge his OC, DC, and ST Coaches using underclassmen and has them winning games with adapting and coaching their talent!
This is the difference I see, Walt put in West Coast Offense and that took 3 years and did not have 85 Scholarships until 2002, Wannstedt switched to Pro-Set Offense and that took 3 years, Graham Switched To No Huddle and went back to Pro-Set, and Chryst built an Offense taking 3 years, and all 3 struggled with Defense and Special Teams breakdowns during most years.
Coach Narduzzi comes in and finds a Staff fast, gets to know his Players, and adapts them to playing better on Offense, Defense, and Special Teams enough to hold onto winning games in the 4th Quarter mostly under 8 points or less, and has them playing COMPLETE 3 UNIT CFB!
A Coach that does that once or twice can be said to be lucky, but when you do it 6 Times, it is smart adaptable coaching as far as I concern!
Whether Coach Pat & Staff and Players as a team will continue to stay focus and win against UNC, ND, Duke, ULou, and Miami, all good Coaches and with more talent than the Panthers. We know in about 12 hours!
My judgment is he will!
I do agree we need to wait until the season is over to do a complete assessment of Narduzzi job this year but...
1) Narduzzi clearly has already turned much around:
- The team is pumped at the end of games and winning close games now.
- His team already has a 4th qtr come from behind win... Something that has not been done in a long, long time.
- He has players who many thought didn't even merit a scholarship playing very well now.
- His team has started off at 6-1 in his first season (most people were expecting Pitt to be 4-3 at best)
- The entire team is more confident.
2.) Some people won't admit Narduzzi inherited a healthier program because the evidence suggests otherwise. He doesn't have his star running back. He struggled to find a second WR. He is starting two LBs that had few or no power 5 offers. He has a defensive line playing well that most in the media and on this board thought would be terrible.
3) Narduzzi is without question proving to be the better coach because he chooses to pay attention to details and he actually knows how to make adjustments. I would also add that he has won the games he was expected to win (including all of his non power 5 conference opponents). How many years did it take for Wannstedt to start off 6-1 at Pitt (and his team played in a weaker conference). Wannstedt did have a respectable final season- but even in that season he could not win the big games.
Ditto, said all year long that every play and every game will be close Toss Ups and nothing has changed my mind and the results pretty much confirm it. I do feel Coach Pat & Staff has changed teh Attitude of the players and stepped them up another level on all 3 Units from Chryst near .500% Coaching.Yet, so little done and so much to do for the Pitt Football Program but it is a nice start? In my opinion, the Team that loses this game tonight will have a tough mental task to comeback from it, in my opinion. Things could go south quickly, if we lose a close one or UNC too if they lose? Just a Hunch!
Yet, so little done and so much to do for the Pitt Football Program but it is a nice start? In my opinion, the Team that loses this game tonight will have a tough mental task to comeback from it, in my opinion. Things could go south quickly, if we lose a close one or UNC too if they lose? Just a Hunch!
No question... I felt pretty confident Pitt would win going into each of their last 4 games.
Tonight's game concern me a bit. North Carolina seems to be the best team on our schedule to date. Maybe even better than Iowa. Pitt needs to play much better than it did against those teams to win this game. Can they dig deep and give a near flawless game?
I sure hope our guys are tenacious from the start. North Carolina has a lot to prove (including that they deserve to be in the top 25).
We just need to prove they don't belong in the top 25... ahead of us.
Apparently you are getting push back on item 2.
I am amazed that people still believe that the 2004 team was some kind of juggernaut that Wanny ran into the ground the following year.. The truth is that team only won eight games, needed big second half comebacks to beat the likes of Temple and Furman. Needed a fumble in OT to beat BC. Needed BC to inexplicably lose to a very bad Syracuse in order to get a BCS berth. It was no more BCS caliber than the UCONN team that followed it a few years later.
The truth is the 2004 team was the no different than many, many other mediocre Pitt squads. Some very nice pieces and average talent elsewhere with little depth. It did however get more of its share of breaks.
I was not confident at all and still not able just to pick Pitt because of the close wins. I predicted Toss Ups early last year and in august 2015 and still do especially against UNC, ND, Duke, ULou, and MiamI!
However, I now think Pitt can win them all and until see the UNC win, can lose them all too if we lose to UNC?
This is a New Coach just 10 Months old, and we have won close games, but we are now playing tougher Teams, we will know how much better Pitt is tonight or how much farther it can go if we lose!
My Head is with UNC my Heart with Pitt, but that is exactly what these Players and coaches have been doing, using their Hearts to play great CFB and Cuse, UVA, VT, and GT are not bad Teams! But UNC, ND, Duke, ULou, and Miami are better!
The 2004 team was no juggernaut for sure, but it beat the hell out of the 2005 version. That 2004 team had over 1000 yards more offense than the 2005 team, a QB who had his best statistical year in his first year as a starter as a sophomore in 2004, a 1300 yard, 10 TD WR who in 2005 under Cav's expert tutelage had 20 less catches, 400 \less yards and 3 less TDs in 2005, etc. etc.
To detract from what that team did do, you cite "breaks" that went their way throughout the course of the season. While we're talking breaks, I guess Ohio U got a pretty good break when they beat us in Wanny''s first game, and ND must've had a couple of breaks go their way when they buried us 42-21 in Wanny;s second game, etc. etc. ND and WVU beat us by a combined 54 points in 2005. We defeated both of those opponents in 2004 with pretty much the same Pitt team.
And to be clear, I was happy to see WLAT go, and initially optimistic about the Wannstatche hire. I can't believe anyone still defends the Stache. He was part of the problem, not part of the solution. The problem at Pitt was never in the firing of coaches, it was in the hiring of coaches. Hopefully this time we got it right, it certainly looks that way for the first time in a long time.
Nice deflection. I no longer litigate how good a coach Wanny was as if I am going to change anyone's mind. Let's just say while no one would confuse him for the second coming, I think he was better than most people give credit. We can agree to disagree.
I was making a comment on Yinzers post relative to returning material. I side with him; too many people overvalue the 2004 team period. Nothing in my post was incorrect. I'll also add that it suffered a WTF loss to Uconn and let's not forget how Utah took us to the woodshed. The beating was worse than the final score.
Addressing WV and ND. Yes we played both in 2005 with the team largely intact. But what you omit is both opponents were vastly better than they were the year before. Losing big to them with a mediocre team that was changing its offensive philosophy is no crime. A lot of other teams better than us got boatraced by them that year.
I agree, BUT, he still needs to sustain it for several consecutive years before we erect the statue.
Why are they overvalued, who cares about their subjective talent level, they went 8-4, they beat ND at South Bend, won the BE BCS bid. I do overvalue them, because I enjoyed winning big games, and not choking at the biggest moments, which is a rare season indeed for Pitt in the last 30 years. Where they a top 10 team? NO. Did they get their asses kicked in the bowl game? YES! Still a lot of memorable wins that season against good teams, when it counted too.
On Oct. 29, 2005, Notre Dame announced that only seven games into his contract, with a 5-2 record, the school was extending Weis' deal through the 2015 season.
"In a very short period of time, Charlie has clearly and impressively demonstrated the ability to take the Notre Dame program where we all want it to go," athletic director Kevin White said on that day. "We are excited that Charlie wanted to extend his commitment."
http://espn.go.com/moresports/story...s-notre-dame-20-worst-dead-money-deals-sports
"In a very short period of time, Charlie has clearly and impressively demonstrated the ability to take the Notre Dame program where we all want it to go," athletic director Kevin White said on that day. "We are excited that Charlie wanted to extend his commitment."
http://espn.go.com/moresports/story...s-notre-dame-20-worst-dead-money-deals-sports
No argument here.
I don't think anyone is suggesting we erect a statue of him any time soon.
Just that he has clearly brought about changes for the positive, thus far.
We now get to see what he can do with this team against tougher opponents.
WVU and ND became 53 points better than the same Pitt team they played the year before? Now THAT's a coaching feat!
My final word on the subject:
Not sure anything has been "turned around" yet...might just be that Pitt has been due (way over due) for some breaks and Narduzzi was there when it happened.
But then, you make your luck, I guess, so...
Strike that! What a turnaround...! (I just hope that the team is half as tough as those blood chilling twin lawyers...now that's T O U G H !!)
But then, you make your luck, I guess, so...
Strike that! What a turnaround...! (I just hope that the team is half as tough as those blood chilling twin lawyers...now that's T O U G H !!)
