Interesting comment by Scott Loeffler about Pitt D: "They run Ohio State's

[thebadby2]

Defense to a T." I get what he's saying, but the fact is OSU is attempting to run Narduzzi's MSU D, with superior players, but without the same results Dooz had at MSU. Luke Fickell ain't no Dooz.

My point--they can copy the Duzz, but they can't be the Duzz. Michigan State is finding that out this year as well. Barnett and Tressel, the two Dooz disciples that have taken over the D are struggling a bit this year. In fairness, they do have some personnel issues in the secondary, and they lost their top LB before the first game, they lost a top CB and their best safety as well, but they went from #4 last year to #64 this year, all the while with more raw talent on their paper roster than they've ever had.

Of local note, Montae Nicholson is really struggling at safety for MSU both in coverage and making plays in the run game. He's supposed to be a sprinter but he looks slow out there. Maybe it's more that he's out of position and taking bad angles, but he doesn't look like the elite athlete he's supposed to be. Looking like a severely overrated recruit at this point.

 

[Pittx9]

Scott Loeffler must be a Buckeye. Narduzzi just said not too long ago Ohio State basically stole Michigan State's defense. Well, obviously Pitt is going to run the defense Narduzzi ran at Michigan State. This Loeffler guy seems to just be shifting the blame away from Ohio State.
I sort of liked the Buckeyes when they had Tressel and Pryor. I don't like Urban Meyer though, however I'll still root for them against Penn State.

 

[thebadby2]

Scott Loeffler must be a Buckeye. Narduzzi just said not too long ago Ohio State basically stole Michigan State's defense. Well, obviously Pitt is going to run the defense Narduzzi ran at Michigan State. This Loeffler guy seems to just be shifting the blame away from Ohio State.
I sort of liked the Buckeyes when they had Tressel and Pryor. I don't like Urban Meyer though, however I'll still root for them against Penn State.

Loeffler was a QB at Michigan under Lloyd Carr. He's been a journeyman as a QB coach and OC and has been run out of a couple of jobs. No wonder VT's O sucks as bad as it does.

 

[Pittx9]

He's been a journeyman as a QB coach and OC and has been run out of a couple of jobs.

Even better. What a clown. I may have been wrong about the Buckeye point, but the point is like you and Narduzzi both said, it was OSU that stole his defense.
Could you imagine if one day Pitt plays Ohio State in maybe a bowl game or even schedule them non-conference? Narduzzi is pretty intense on the sideline, in that game I think they'd be checking his blood pressure every 5 minutes.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

"Thebadby2, post: 378596, member: 1492"]Defense to a T." I get what he's saying, but the fact is OSU is attempting to run Narduzzi's MSU D, with superior players, but without the same results Dooz had at MSU. Luke Fickell ain't no Dooz. My point--they can copy the Duzz, but they can't be the Duzz. Michigan State is finding that out this year as well. Barnett and Tressel, the two Dooz disciples that have taken over the D are struggling a bit this year.
Excellent point and exactly showing it still takes attitude, innovation, and teaching execution as well as making sure Players are listening. If one recalls the early selection of coach Pat Coaches and change in attitude before , during and after Spring Ball, now all can those results? It is still a work in progress and future Big Offensive challenges are ahead from GT, UNC, Duke, ND, ULou and Miami that all attack the Pitt Defense changes and then see all the results. As cautiously stated on the Boards Pitt is adapting to the New Coaches but the other Teams will be doing the same to Pitt now. This is why Chaney has to step up the Offense and that has been lagging.

In fairness, they do have some personnel issues in the secondary, and they lost their top LB before the first game, they lost a top CB and their best safety as well, but they went from #4 last year to #64 this year, all the while with more raw talent on their paper roster than they've ever had.
Still, most of these Teams such as OSU, MSU, and others have way more talent than Pitt? The entire hs to be judged and will be soon as Pitt takes on GT's Johnson Offense, UNC Offense, and ND and Duke. These will be the real test!

Of local note, Montae Nicholson is really struggling at safety for MSU both in coverage and making plays in the run game. He's supposed to be a sprinter but he looks slow out there. Maybe it's more that he's out of position and taking bad angles, but he doesn't look like the elite athlete he's supposed to be. Looking like a severely overrated recruit at this point.
As usual you know much of the little necessary to explain what is happening. As I like to evaluate Coaches and follow Trends on certain Teams and how they interact and teach and learn with their Players?

Good Post!

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Even better. What a clown. I may have been wrong about the Buckeye point, but the point is like you and Narduzzi both said, it was OSU that stole his defense.
Could you imagine if one day Pitt plays Ohio State in maybe a bowl game or even schedule them non-conference? Narduzzi is pretty intense on the sideline, in that game I think they'd be checking his blood pressure every 5 minutes.

Pitt played MSU under Wannstedt and the games were good, but right now Pitt played Iowa the last few years and very close wins and losses. Pitt taking on Penn State next year will foretell how Pitt would do against OSU soon.

I don't see it as Meyer's stealing anything, I see it as Meyer & Staff struggle to adapt and follow Coach Pat innovations and coaching. It must be remembered the Mark Dantonio ran the Ohio State Defense before going to UCincy and MSU with Narduzzi? Coach Pat has learned from working under Dantonio, then with him, and now at Pitt! The actual Defense started at OSU with Dantonio and has spraad to other Teams and why Coach Pat was such a leading catch as a DC to become a Head Coach?

 

[Pittx9]

Pitt played MSU under Wannstedt and the games were good, but right now Pitt played Iowa the last few years and very close wins and losses. Pitt taking on Penn State next year will foretell how Pitt would do against OSU soon.

I don't see it as Meyer's stealing anything, I see it as Meyer & Staff struggle to adapt and follow Coach Pat innovations and coaching. It must be remembered the Mark Dantonio ran the Ohio State Defense before going to UCincy and MSU with Narduzzi? Coach Pat has learned from working under Dantonio, then with him, and now at Pitt! The actual Defense started at OSU with Dantonio and has spraad to other Teams and why Coach Pat was such a leading catch as a DC to become a Head Coach?

Very good points. Surprising because Narduzzi is from Ohio, but he seems to really hate Ohio State. Must've had some heated games while at MSU.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

Guys, I think you need to look at his comments in context. Virginia Tech played both Pitt and Ohio State. Therefore my guess is that he was comparing the two philosophies in that context and assessing his team's effectiveness in dealing with it. I sincerely doubt that Loeffler, the former Michigan QB, was going out of his way to snub MSU so as to praise OSU. That makes no sense.

 

[Pittx9]

Guys, I think you need to look at his comments in context. Virginia Tech played both Pitt and Ohio State. Therefore my guess is that he was comparing the two philosophies in that context and assessing his team's effectiveness in dealing with it. I sincerely doubt that Loeffler, the former Michigan QB, was going out of his way to snub MSU so as to praise OSU. That makes no sense.

Very good point.

 

[MajorMajors]

"Thebadby2, post: 378596, member: 1492"]Defense to a T." I get what he's saying, but the fact is OSU is attempting to run Narduzzi's MSU D, with superior players, but without the same results Dooz had at MSU. Luke Fickell ain't no Dooz. My point--they can copy the Duzz, but they can't be the Duzz. Michigan State is finding that out this year as well. Barnett and Tressel, the two Dooz disciples that have taken over the D are struggling a bit this year.
Excellent point and exactly showing it still takes attitude, innovation, and teaching execution as well as making sure Players are listening. If one recalls the early selection of coach Pat Coaches and change in attitude before , during and after Spring Ball, now all can those results? It is still a work in progress and future Big Offensive challenges are ahead from GT, UNC, Duke, ND, ULou and Miami that all attack the Pitt Defense changes and then see all the results. As cautiously stated on the Boards Pitt is adapting to the New Coaches but the other Teams will be doing the same to Pitt now. This is why Chaney has to step up the Offense and that has been lagging.

In fairness, they do have some personnel issues in the secondary, and they lost their top LB before the first game, they lost a top CB and their best safety as well, but they went from #4 last year to #64 this year, all the while with more raw talent on their paper roster than they've ever had.
Still, most of these Teams such as OSU, MSU, and others have way more talent than Pitt? The entire hs to be judged and will be soon as Pitt takes on GT's Johnson Offense, UNC Offense, and ND and Duke. These will be the real test!

Of local note, Montae Nicholson is really struggling at safety for MSU both in coverage and making plays in the run game. He's supposed to be a sprinter but he looks slow out there. Maybe it's more that he's out of position and taking bad angles, but he doesn't look like the elite athlete he's supposed to be. Looking like a severely overrated recruit at this point.
As usual you know much of the little necessary to explain what is happening. As I like to evaluate Coaches and follow Trends on certain Teams and how they interact and teach and learn with their Players?

Good Post!

Good point that it takes a lot more than "knowing" a defense to actually get a team to execute that defense at a high level.

Some coaches - and they are the elite coaches - can take their knowledge of a "system" and convey it to the players and get the players to buy in, understand, and execute. Some coaches can know a "system" forward and backwards, but teaching/conveying it to the players and getting them to execute it at a high level is another matter.

Go Pitt.

 

[thebadby2]

Guys, I think you need to look at his comments in context. Virginia Tech played both Pitt and Ohio State. Therefore my guess is that he was comparing the two philosophies in that context and assessing his team's effectiveness in dealing with it. I sincerely doubt that Loeffler, the former Michigan QB, was going out of his way to snub MSU so as to praise OSU. That makes no sense.

Thought that was fairly obvious,.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

"MajorMajors, post: 379823, member: 1140"]Good point that it takes a lot more than "knowing" a defense to actually get a team to execute that defense at a high level. Some coaches - and they are the elite coaches - can take their knowledge of a "system" and convey it to the players and get the players to buy in, understand, and execute. Some coaches can know a "system" forward and backwards, but teaching/conveying it to the players and getting them to execute it at a high level is another matter. Go Pitt.
Exactly, and Pitt's Harris, Wannstedt, Graham and Chryst all knew Football but had Hiccup Wins & Losses, looking good one game, then very bad another game, lapses of bad game plans, play calling and causing losses in not doing the little things that would help change their players listening, discipline, and executions???

These traits within all of them showed up by not having great Half-Time Adjustments and these Coaches often lost 2 or 3 Games that should have been wins, and then win a big upset game that should have been a loss.

Few improved Pitt as seasons went on and their Teams would often make the same mistake in the 10th to 12th games as they did in 1st to 5th games? To be fair all had Assistants that weer under paid or moved on or left or replaced almost every year too, causing a stability problem?

So far, Coach Pat & Staff at least to me has improved the Defense from YSU to Akron to Iowa to VT, and its shows and they are not satisfied whatsoever and just want to get better together, coaches and players! Remember, we had very little coming back on Defense and no one expected the Defense looking this good so early? In 2014, Pitt Defense was not so bad either from games 1 through 5? It was later in the season it pretty much collapsed with Special Teams non-existent?

The Special Teams has been inconsistent but made progress compared to where they were under Chryst that did not have much in any year of his coaching and cost Pitt Wins every year too?

The Offense has regressed from last year and injuries is not all of the problem. They have much more work to do and New QBs, New RBs, and New OLs, under a New OC with New Play Calling and that takes time to blend but still no excuse. They have plenty of players and talent back too, and just not getting it all together like last year?

But Coach Pat has both Coaches & Players seem to be listening and improving better than what I saw from the first years of Harris, Wannstedt, Graham and Chryst!

Just a feeling of the little things I am seeing and just a hunch too! They will get better each game, but they have to show it, prove it, and only up to all of them to do it together without letting each other down?

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

Loeffler was a QB at Michigan under Lloyd Carr. He's been a journeyman as a QB coach and OC and has been run out of a couple of jobs. No wonder VT's O sucks as bad as it does.

Dude (no pun intended) was absolutely CLUELESS when he was Addazio's OC at Temple (though in his defense, nobody could really be Addazio's OC except Addazio).

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

Loeffler may be a really bad OC but when your OL is that horrible and your quarterback is even worse, they could have Bill Walsh calling the plays from the great beyond and it wouldn't matter.