We have to get better players. We know this. Obviously Narduzzi knows this. But I love some of the fans on this board, these Pollyanna fans who are criticizing fans for bitching or being upset or moaning, because at the end of the day, we got blasted by Navy. Navy is good. Navy is also not Clemson. Navy is not Ohio State. Navy is not Florida State Almost to a man, no player Navy has would have been recruited by Pitt. Maybe 2-3. And Pitt is not Clemson. Not Ohio State. Not Florida State. Not Alabama.
No doubt one thing that makes Navy special, is they are smart kids, men, tough kids, men, eminently coachable kids, men. They are men. So they execute. They are strong willed. They are ferocious. They handle adversity. Did I mention they execute gameplans? Pitt? Not so much. Maybe not the smartest kids on whole. Not the kids that execute the best. Definitely not the strongest willed. Not the toughest. Not the most ferocious. Again, not the group that executes the most, or handles adversity that well. Sure, there are some, but on the whole? Well the 6-1 start and the 8-5 final record tells you the answer.
Pitt has overall better athletes. They have guys who can run better 40's, bench more weight, have better vertical jumps, shuttle runs. You can break up each roster into 5 man basketball teams and Pitt probably has at least 10 teams better than Navy. But.......Navy's triple option offense is designed completely to make you not run fast, not be quick, not be strong. It keeps you guessing, off balance, reaching, being out of position and overpursuing, all of which we saw a lot yesterday. What Pitt isn't is "too fast". I harken back to Wanny's "run faster" and I think of Pitt's defense yesterday. Matt Galombus and Mike Capara (not to pick on them) are as athletic as the Navy kids (men) or moreso, but when you cause them to have to hesistate, they all of a sudden are slower. It doesn't have the athleticism of say Alabama's LB's who can be slowed a bit, but still be so damn fast they can make up for it.
The Navy QB ran the triple option beautifully, but the disappointing thing is, the passes weren't so brilliantly disguised and for the most part took some time to develop, I cannot believe they still had WR's so open and we didn't pick off a pass or two. Conversely, on offense, it seemed like Navy knew our passing plays better than our own QB. Ahem. What this was, is a group of highly motivated, highly intelligent, hard working seniors who are well coached and have had 4 years under this system. That is tough to overcome. Really, there is no shame to lose to them, especially on their home field.
But.......It was "Same Old Pitt'. I know a lot of you cannot stand this moniker, but it fits and Pitt still hasn't shaken it. Sure things look so much better under Narduzzi and the future looks brighter than in many years. But the stench, the "Pitting" of this program has been so incredibly pervasive, that it runs so deep, one rinse cycle (this season) is not enough to cleanse it. It was Same Old Pitt. I mean, how much more "Pitting" can you get by returning the opening kickoff 100 yards, then watching Navy completely dominate the football game and take our manhood away. It reminded me so much of the 1989 game against ND were we drove the ball down ND's throats on our opening drive at South Bend and ND then scored the next 45. Ouch.
As Pitt fans, we should know we are allowed one week. One week of joy, there is no joy for 2 weeks or months and obviously years. We can get a nice win, a nice recruit, but if you are a true Pitt fan who has been around, you then start waiting for the next shoe to drop. Well yesterday was that shoe. Same Old Pitt. Yinz don't want to hear it. Navy was the better team. But when does Pitt actually suck it up and beat the better team? Sure, there was progress shown. On the field. Off the field. On the recruiting trail, which is probably most important. But at the end of the day, a 6-1 Pitt team turned into a 8-5 pumpkin. And again, the same feelings and questions remain. The same missed opportunities to elevate the program were missed just like any other year. What is funny, is the fans actually stepped it up and elevated their game. But what has happened seemingly every time Pitt fans rise up and be counted, they get let down by the football program. So for now at least, Same Old Pitt. We still have to wear it whether you guys like it or not.
No doubt one thing that makes Navy special, is they are smart kids, men, tough kids, men, eminently coachable kids, men. They are men. So they execute. They are strong willed. They are ferocious. They handle adversity. Did I mention they execute gameplans? Pitt? Not so much. Maybe not the smartest kids on whole. Not the kids that execute the best. Definitely not the strongest willed. Not the toughest. Not the most ferocious. Again, not the group that executes the most, or handles adversity that well. Sure, there are some, but on the whole? Well the 6-1 start and the 8-5 final record tells you the answer.
Pitt has overall better athletes. They have guys who can run better 40's, bench more weight, have better vertical jumps, shuttle runs. You can break up each roster into 5 man basketball teams and Pitt probably has at least 10 teams better than Navy. But.......Navy's triple option offense is designed completely to make you not run fast, not be quick, not be strong. It keeps you guessing, off balance, reaching, being out of position and overpursuing, all of which we saw a lot yesterday. What Pitt isn't is "too fast". I harken back to Wanny's "run faster" and I think of Pitt's defense yesterday. Matt Galombus and Mike Capara (not to pick on them) are as athletic as the Navy kids (men) or moreso, but when you cause them to have to hesistate, they all of a sudden are slower. It doesn't have the athleticism of say Alabama's LB's who can be slowed a bit, but still be so damn fast they can make up for it.
The Navy QB ran the triple option beautifully, but the disappointing thing is, the passes weren't so brilliantly disguised and for the most part took some time to develop, I cannot believe they still had WR's so open and we didn't pick off a pass or two. Conversely, on offense, it seemed like Navy knew our passing plays better than our own QB. Ahem. What this was, is a group of highly motivated, highly intelligent, hard working seniors who are well coached and have had 4 years under this system. That is tough to overcome. Really, there is no shame to lose to them, especially on their home field.
But.......It was "Same Old Pitt'. I know a lot of you cannot stand this moniker, but it fits and Pitt still hasn't shaken it. Sure things look so much better under Narduzzi and the future looks brighter than in many years. But the stench, the "Pitting" of this program has been so incredibly pervasive, that it runs so deep, one rinse cycle (this season) is not enough to cleanse it. It was Same Old Pitt. I mean, how much more "Pitting" can you get by returning the opening kickoff 100 yards, then watching Navy completely dominate the football game and take our manhood away. It reminded me so much of the 1989 game against ND were we drove the ball down ND's throats on our opening drive at South Bend and ND then scored the next 45. Ouch.
As Pitt fans, we should know we are allowed one week. One week of joy, there is no joy for 2 weeks or months and obviously years. We can get a nice win, a nice recruit, but if you are a true Pitt fan who has been around, you then start waiting for the next shoe to drop. Well yesterday was that shoe. Same Old Pitt. Yinz don't want to hear it. Navy was the better team. But when does Pitt actually suck it up and beat the better team? Sure, there was progress shown. On the field. Off the field. On the recruiting trail, which is probably most important. But at the end of the day, a 6-1 Pitt team turned into a 8-5 pumpkin. And again, the same feelings and questions remain. The same missed opportunities to elevate the program were missed just like any other year. What is funny, is the fans actually stepped it up and elevated their game. But what has happened seemingly every time Pitt fans rise up and be counted, they get let down by the football program. So for now at least, Same Old Pitt. We still have to wear it whether you guys like it or not.
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