Paris Ford quits

[4upmc]

Paris doing this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can be justified in terms of him potentially doing what is best for his future. On the other hand, it is pretty obvious that he is quitting on his teammates and coaches because the season is not going well. So an understandable action has a bad look about it.

I think that is a fair assessment. Nothing wrong with a kid looking out for himself. But he did quit on his team. I doubt he quits if the team is 5-2. I’m surprised he lasted this long at Pitt as much as he changed HS’s. PPL always say he can tear an ACL (that’s true) but just as many guys tear an ACL just working out and doing non contact drills. I assume that’s what he’s going to spend his time doing...working out doing drills etc.

Last year he played great IMO and was fun to watch. The truth is he has played poor this year. One could even say he has played selfish as he tried to play hero ball going for INT’s etc when he had no chance instead of making the sure tackle. We can blame PN for a lot but it’s not his fault Ford has been bad this year. If that’s the case the PN should get the credit for how well Ford played last year.

Ford acts like he was the only starter benched in the 4th quarter of a blowout loss. Most starters were out of the game. I don’t recall seeing any of the other starters throwing a temper tantrum on the sideline. It’s not like Ford was having a good game. I may be wrong but IMO he seemed to be trying for the big INT or big hit...which lead to him taking bad angles and giving up big plays. With our DL there is no need to take unnecessary risks or dare I say selfish risks.

If he runs a fast 40 etc the NFL ppl will overlook this. But if he does not test well there will be questions if he is a front runner etc. I don’t think guys like Jones or Weaver will quit but if they do at least they have excellent film this year unlike Ford. And there have never been any questions about their character.

I’ll take a positive out of this...Hill will gain lots of experience as he was going to start next year with Ford leaving no matter how the season went. I recall Hamlin saying Hill had athletic ability like Whitehead. With the season over it can’t hurt for young guys to gain experienc.

 

[Pittisit4me]

First of all I wish him well. However his play this year was uneven. But it begs the question why did we only get about 18 or so starts out of him. I don’t knowwhathappened his first two years on campus but I kept hearing how good he was in practice but not ever seeing the field.Then this staff tried him at corner which was another mistake. Even when we do somehow manage to recruit four stars a number of them don’t pan out or underachieve for whatever reason. Just another year of disappointment for we fans.

I agree with you. This staff is a boatload of dopes that starts with Pat Narduzzi. I am not certain that he was eligible to play that first season, but, if he was shame on this staff. They made a conscious decision to start and ride Dennis Briggs while he sat on the bench and watched. A decision made that is that stupid had me questioning Narduzzi back when it happened.

Pitt gets a kid as talented as Paris once every four or five years, and they were reluctant to play him early. The kid needed to be on the field. Many on this board suggested he didn't work hard enough, some said Narduzzi's system was to complex for him. All a crock of bullshit as far as I am concerned. We have been getting beaten deep and busting assignments since Narduzzi has been here. We did it with Paris and we will continue to do it now that he has left.

Defending Narduzzi and this staff is not an option anymore. They didn't handle Paris Ford propperly. I still remember that bag of wind Narduzzi blowing his ass about how great Ford would be and how infectious his attitude would be to the team in a positive way. All sorts of exaltations were uttered from Duzz about him. Then when he finally got here it took like what seemed forever to play him.

I am glad Paris decided to play for Pitt and I think he did the right thing in opting out. He stayed undoubtedly because he anticipated a good to great season. Now that this staff has shown its true colors and delivered a serious dud of a season, he needs to focus on his future. This kid in many ways has been a referendum on this staff, and they handled him much the same way they butcher the hell out of hiring offensive coordinators, and game day coaching and adjustments.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I mean - pro athletes quit on a team and season regularly to force a trade
I’m very glad Minkah quit on the dolphins

 

[tetonpanther]

When you have azsoecial talent like ford you never ted shirt him. Duzz balll

 

[Cap pitt]

Yes Paris Ford is a quitter

 

[pittdan77]

I mean - pro athletes quit on a team and season regularly to force a trade
I’m very glad Minkah quit on the dolphins

Antonio Brown has made a career out of it and he keeps getting hired.

 

[Pittx9]

He quit on his team mates. If he opted out to start no biggie, but at this point its quitting on his team.

I don’t disagree with that. But at the same time I think more of his teammates understand than don’t. At the end of the day you have to do what’s best for you. Risking exposure to the virus on top of the risk that’s always there for injury just isn’t worth it.

Again, the COVID thing is probably a cop-out. I think Ford himself even said that wasn’t why he left. This is still not a normal season though, even down to the fact that anyone is bowl eligible. So really the difference between 5 and 6 wins is meaningless. Why risk losing millions when there is literally nothing at all to play for?

 

[Pittx9]

This is a predictably long thread already so it’s likely debated already. But your reply prompts the obvious question.....what’s the demarcation on # of games into the season or how bad of a losing record before doing this gets labeled as a ‘quitter to your team’ vs a ‘smart thing for Your own personal interests’?

How bout 3 games played and 0-3, 4 games and 1-3, 5 games and 1-4 or 2-3. You’re saying 7 games and 3-4 is acceptable, heck, he should have just packed it in at 3-3.

At 3-2 even I think you start to think about it. At that point you’re almost definitely not going to the ACC Championship Game. So what are you trying to help the team accomplish? This isn’t a normal year where the difference between 5 and 6 wins is a bowl game or not. Anyone could go (or theoretically not go), so him being worth 1, 2, maybe even 3 extra wins really isn’t the difference maker it normally is.

 

[FireballZ]

Ford is pretty athletic. If he runs in the 4.4-4.5 range, he'll really boost his draft status. He's terrific against the run and everyone recognizes his ability to fly to the ball. He is tied for most interceptions in the nation with three this season. Every scouting report has concerns over his ability to diagnose and react to routes in front of him. I think teams will overlook that because he can be developed. He has good height and room to gain another 10 pounds or so to be that "prototypical" safety size. I think he can also play free or strong safety at the next level. I'm not sure if he's a first-round pick, but definitely second round and will be one of the top safeties available. I'm excited to see him play at the next level.

Whoops.

 

[pittiswhereiamfrom2]

Can’t blame the kid and nobody in the league will consider him a quitter.

Maybe 32 teams did

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

Maybe 32 teams did

After he ran he ran 4.9 and got out jumped by a DT, his decision to quit on the season seemed to become much more of an issue.

 

[revampedpanthers]

After he ran he ran 4.9 and got out jumped by a DT, his decision to quit on the season seemed to become much more of an issue.

It was a issue for a lot of teams tomlin was on record saying the Steelers prioritized guys who played. That's one team I guarantee you if ford runs a 4.6 he is still unlikely to be drafted before the 7th, teams don't want a quitter

 

[BFo8]

It was a issue for a lot of teams tomlin was on record saying the Steelers prioritized guys who played. That's one team I guarantee you if ford runs a 4.6 he is still unlikely to be drafted before the 7th, teams don't want a quitter

7 out of the 32 1st round picks opted out of last season with little impact to their draft status. The “quitting” wasn’t why Ford wasn’t taken, it’s that he showed up in no shape to perform on his pro day.

It was the equivalent of showing up to a job interview unshaven and hungover. It tells your perspective employer you don’t give a crap about a job.

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

It was a issue for a lot of teams tomlin was on record saying the Steelers prioritized guys who played. That's one team I guarantee you if ford runs a 4.6 he is still unlikely to be drafted before the 7th, teams don't want a quitter

Teams were so turned off by “quitters” like Sewell, Micah Parsons, Rashawn Slater, and Rousseau that they didn’t make it past the first round.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Also, what Tomlin actually said was not that the Steelers wouldn't pick guys who opted out, or that they prioritized guys who played last year. What he actually said was that if they had two guys rated the same that the fact that one guy played last year and the other guy didn't play last year would sway the decision to the guy who did play.

There is no doubt that if somehow a guy like Rashawn Slater had fallen to their spot they would have taken him in a heartbeat.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Also, what Tomlin actually said was not that the Steelers wouldn't pick guys who opted out, or that they prioritized guys who played last year. What he actually said was that if they had two guys rated the same that the fact that one guy played last year and the other guy didn't play last year would sway the decision to the guy who did play.

There is no doubt that if somehow a guy like Rashawn Slater had fallen to their spot they would have taken him in a heartbeat.

Yeah
It’s saying if two players are equal - the one with more data gets the nod

 

[revampedpanthers]

Also, what Tomlin actually said was not that the Steelers wouldn't pick guys who opted out, or that they prioritized guys who played last year. What he actually said was that if they had two guys rated the same that the fact that one guy played last year and the other guy didn't play last year would sway the decision to the guy who did play.

There is no doubt that if somehow a guy like Rashawn Slater had fallen to their spot they would have taken him in a heartbeat.

Of course but that's the point. Sitting out would cause some teams to drop you down their board not off it but down. And ford's is much worse than the guys who sat out the year. Ford started the year got benched bitches about it and quit

 

[Saboteur II]

Whoops.

There’s a reason I ignored him.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

There’s a reason I ignored him.

He is a one post ignore for me.

This board has become a lot more enjoyable since I ignored the resident big 10 fans who pretend to be Pitt fans, too.

 

[Dointhatrag]

7 out of the 32 1st round picks opted out of last season with little impact to their draft status. The “quitting” wasn’t why Ford wasn’t taken, it’s that he showed up in no shape to perform on his pro day.

It was the equivalent of showing up to a job interview unshaven and hungover. It tells your perspective employer you don’t give a crap about a job.

There is a difference between opting out before the season started during Covid versus quitting 3/4 of the way through the season. Those who opted out mostly did it for safety and health reasons. This wasn't an issue for Ford until the team started losing a few games. Then he quit. There is a big difference.