I must admit, I have been waiting for "Lafayette Is Here" but it seems he may be another Vinopal whereby he will develop finally into the player expected when he came to Pitt. I remember a few attacking Vinopal when he made big mistakes in his early games, but all he kept doing was making himself better all the time, and ended up great at Pitt, as far as I am concern.
I hope to see the same improvements from Pitts.
Still, the Pitt Defense fell apart in the second half of the last season it is hard to blame one Player. It seemed when almost every Player at times made mistakes and letdowns and missed tackles with poor coverage and so itw as hard to pinpoint 1 or 2 Players.
Looks like that is changing by Coach Pat & Staff!
ARTICLE & LINK:
Pitt coaching staff challenging senior defensive back Pitts
In Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi's defensive scheme, nothing is more important than stopping the run. Yet, such focus can lead to problems if the cornerbacks can't handle pass catchers - sometimes the best athletes on the field - without much help.
Pitt defensive coordinator Josh Conklin was serious when he said, "Those guys (linemen and linebackers), 95 percent of the time, we want them worried about the run. Stop the run. Stop the run. Stop the run. We'll react to the pass.
"I say that a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but that's really what we want to get done."
The aim is the type of tough, physical defense Narduzzi built at Michigan State. Perhaps with fewer playmakers initially, but the right mindset to prevent what happened last season in losses to Virginia, Georgia Tech and North Carolina (a total of 916 rushing yards and 120 points allowed).
To that end, four players in Narduzzi's 15-man 2015 recruiting class are defensive backs. It's time to restock a secondary that had only nine scholarship players for four positions at the start of spring drills. Former running back Dennis Briggs has since joined the group.
The veteran member of the secondary is senior Lafayette Pitts, a three-year starter who can combine speed with toughness on his best days. Pitts and sophomore Avonte Maddox have been working with the first unit through the first 10 practices of the spring. Coaches expect Pitts to provide experience and leadership to a young group of cornerbacks that includes three freshmen and a sophomore. As such, he has been the target of scrutiny.
"We are challenging (Pitts) every day to come out and be consistent," Conklin said. "The corners can't hide. What we ask them to do, every rep they have to be on."
Narduzzi has asked Pitts - listed at 195 pounds - to lose 5-7 pounds to help improve his stamina. Pitts said he thought about losing weight before Narduzzi mentioned it. "I've been saying it," Pitts said. "I'm comfortable around 190, 192, so I have to lose 5 pounds. Just cleaning up my diet, eating the right stuff and not eating super late at night. Just taking care of my body." Pitts also said he has been working to improve his consistency at practice.
"It's a lot better," he said. "These coaches preach it. They are on us about running to the ball, running when you're not supposed to be running, just to build the instincts." Running to the ball is such a point of emphasis that coaches demand all 11 players run to the spot when a pass falls incomplete.
Pitts' competition will grow this summer with the arrival of freshman cornerbacks Jordan Whitehead and Dane Jackson, who will join freshman Malik Henderson, who enrolled early, and redshirt freshmen Phillipie Motley and Briggs.
"It's good motivation," Pitts said. "It's going to make me fight and push even harder to become better." Pitts, who has NFL ambitions, said he likes working with new secondary coach Renaldo Hill, who played in the league as recently as 2010.
Pitts said former secondary coach Troy Douglas challenged him. "He was rough," Pitts said. "I like a tough coach, though. He stays on you and keeps you alert."
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at @JDiPaola_Trib.
Pitt cornerback Lafayette Pitts practices during spring drills Tuesday, April 7, 2015, on the South Side.
By the numbers
Pitt cornerback Lafayette Pitts' career statistics:
Year Tackles Int.
2014 39 2
2013 44 0
2012 33 1
Career 116 3
Source: ESPN.com
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/8110748-74/pitts-pitt-run#ixzz3Wq08uCZf
I hope to see the same improvements from Pitts.
Still, the Pitt Defense fell apart in the second half of the last season it is hard to blame one Player. It seemed when almost every Player at times made mistakes and letdowns and missed tackles with poor coverage and so itw as hard to pinpoint 1 or 2 Players.
Looks like that is changing by Coach Pat & Staff!
ARTICLE & LINK:
Pitt coaching staff challenging senior defensive back Pitts
In Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi's defensive scheme, nothing is more important than stopping the run. Yet, such focus can lead to problems if the cornerbacks can't handle pass catchers - sometimes the best athletes on the field - without much help.
Pitt defensive coordinator Josh Conklin was serious when he said, "Those guys (linemen and linebackers), 95 percent of the time, we want them worried about the run. Stop the run. Stop the run. Stop the run. We'll react to the pass.
"I say that a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but that's really what we want to get done."
The aim is the type of tough, physical defense Narduzzi built at Michigan State. Perhaps with fewer playmakers initially, but the right mindset to prevent what happened last season in losses to Virginia, Georgia Tech and North Carolina (a total of 916 rushing yards and 120 points allowed).
To that end, four players in Narduzzi's 15-man 2015 recruiting class are defensive backs. It's time to restock a secondary that had only nine scholarship players for four positions at the start of spring drills. Former running back Dennis Briggs has since joined the group.
The veteran member of the secondary is senior Lafayette Pitts, a three-year starter who can combine speed with toughness on his best days. Pitts and sophomore Avonte Maddox have been working with the first unit through the first 10 practices of the spring. Coaches expect Pitts to provide experience and leadership to a young group of cornerbacks that includes three freshmen and a sophomore. As such, he has been the target of scrutiny.
"We are challenging (Pitts) every day to come out and be consistent," Conklin said. "The corners can't hide. What we ask them to do, every rep they have to be on."
Narduzzi has asked Pitts - listed at 195 pounds - to lose 5-7 pounds to help improve his stamina. Pitts said he thought about losing weight before Narduzzi mentioned it. "I've been saying it," Pitts said. "I'm comfortable around 190, 192, so I have to lose 5 pounds. Just cleaning up my diet, eating the right stuff and not eating super late at night. Just taking care of my body." Pitts also said he has been working to improve his consistency at practice.
"It's a lot better," he said. "These coaches preach it. They are on us about running to the ball, running when you're not supposed to be running, just to build the instincts." Running to the ball is such a point of emphasis that coaches demand all 11 players run to the spot when a pass falls incomplete.
Pitts' competition will grow this summer with the arrival of freshman cornerbacks Jordan Whitehead and Dane Jackson, who will join freshman Malik Henderson, who enrolled early, and redshirt freshmen Phillipie Motley and Briggs.
"It's good motivation," Pitts said. "It's going to make me fight and push even harder to become better." Pitts, who has NFL ambitions, said he likes working with new secondary coach Renaldo Hill, who played in the league as recently as 2010.
Pitts said former secondary coach Troy Douglas challenged him. "He was rough," Pitts said. "I like a tough coach, though. He stays on you and keeps you alert."
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at @JDiPaola_Trib.
Pitt cornerback Lafayette Pitts practices during spring drills Tuesday, April 7, 2015, on the South Side.
By the numbers
Pitt cornerback Lafayette Pitts' career statistics:
Year Tackles Int.
2014 39 2
2013 44 0
2012 33 1
Career 116 3
Source: ESPN.com
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/8110748-74/pitts-pitt-run#ixzz3Wq08uCZf
