As we get ready for spring camp and digest the news on Kevin Stallings, I'm wondering where we go from here:
1. The Pitt fan base and administration has, in my view, consistently taken the sports programs for granted. By this I mean when we were good, I mean really good, the administration had this unique ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Some of it was incompetence, but a lot of it was arrogance and some was a horrible lack of vision by the Pitt administrators.
2. When Jackie Sherrill left for more money to Texas A&M, an offer that the administration refused to match, with the number 1 team in the country coming back, the administration made the assumption that they could plug and play Foge Fazio (Great DC bad coach). A certain Jimmy Johnson wanted the job (he was head coach at OKS at the time) but the admin never reached out. Johnson was formerly on Johnny Majors staff.
3. When the admin fired Mike Gottfried, a very good coach, they immediately hired Paul Hackett without a search once again. And it goes on and on By then the program went from a top 5 program to a borderline top 25 program.
4. Hopefully the program has stabilized somewhat with a coach that I think the majority of the fan base likes but let's be clear on what the expectations are. In my mind, it's 8-10 wins a year with an occasional great year where we compete for a conf championship. We just aren't a reload program for a lot of reasons, demographics being one of them as the talent has moved South and West from the glory days of WPIAL football.
5. As much as I hate PSU and hated Paterno his Eastern League had tremendous merit and was visionary in many ways. But the Pitt administration never viewed PSU as a partner (in many ways Paterno fueled that) but as a rival so when the Eastern League was put on the table it was nixed by the Pitt administration. Imagine a league where Eastern Rivals played each other with the lynchpins being pitt and penn state?
6. Flipping to the MBB program. Look at the lack of vision with Jamie Dixon. We lowered the buyout so he could leave. WE LOWERED THE BUYOUT SO THE BEST COACH IN MBB HISTORY COULD WALK TO TCU. Yes, Jamie's recruiting was down but that's a specific function to the cheating. Do you think a blue chip recruit like Mav Rowan and Mustafa Heron commit to Pitt and suddenly have an change of heart and go to NCS and AUBURN because of bball or because of $?
7. Jamie was coming off an NCAA team and four starters coming back but many of the fan base were complaining about a coach whose made 11 out of 13 NCAA tournaments. Arrogance lack of vision whatever you want to call it. A perennial top 10-15 program has been shredded. A program that refused to get dragged into the muck that is cbb in two short years is one of the worst.
8. I hated the Stallings hire don't get me wrong but a coach who doesn't cheat, whose team went to class is now being dragged through publicly on his buyout for some minor incident at Louisville. I mean forget about the optics (which are awful) but whose making these decisions? What a shortsighted incomprehensible decision that will resonate with other coaches. Spare me the university is trying to save money argument. It's cheesy and reeks of incompetence.
9. I'm relatively optimistic about this football team. Optimism means around 8 wins. I think the holes at DE and OL are going to be problematic but love the LB and DT and the RB. I also think the back four have talent and are a fit with Narduzzi's style finally . Wish the schedule was a little more manageable tough.
Pitt82
1. The Pitt fan base and administration has, in my view, consistently taken the sports programs for granted. By this I mean when we were good, I mean really good, the administration had this unique ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Some of it was incompetence, but a lot of it was arrogance and some was a horrible lack of vision by the Pitt administrators.
2. When Jackie Sherrill left for more money to Texas A&M, an offer that the administration refused to match, with the number 1 team in the country coming back, the administration made the assumption that they could plug and play Foge Fazio (Great DC bad coach). A certain Jimmy Johnson wanted the job (he was head coach at OKS at the time) but the admin never reached out. Johnson was formerly on Johnny Majors staff.
3. When the admin fired Mike Gottfried, a very good coach, they immediately hired Paul Hackett without a search once again. And it goes on and on By then the program went from a top 5 program to a borderline top 25 program.
4. Hopefully the program has stabilized somewhat with a coach that I think the majority of the fan base likes but let's be clear on what the expectations are. In my mind, it's 8-10 wins a year with an occasional great year where we compete for a conf championship. We just aren't a reload program for a lot of reasons, demographics being one of them as the talent has moved South and West from the glory days of WPIAL football.
5. As much as I hate PSU and hated Paterno his Eastern League had tremendous merit and was visionary in many ways. But the Pitt administration never viewed PSU as a partner (in many ways Paterno fueled that) but as a rival so when the Eastern League was put on the table it was nixed by the Pitt administration. Imagine a league where Eastern Rivals played each other with the lynchpins being pitt and penn state?
6. Flipping to the MBB program. Look at the lack of vision with Jamie Dixon. We lowered the buyout so he could leave. WE LOWERED THE BUYOUT SO THE BEST COACH IN MBB HISTORY COULD WALK TO TCU. Yes, Jamie's recruiting was down but that's a specific function to the cheating. Do you think a blue chip recruit like Mav Rowan and Mustafa Heron commit to Pitt and suddenly have an change of heart and go to NCS and AUBURN because of bball or because of $?
7. Jamie was coming off an NCAA team and four starters coming back but many of the fan base were complaining about a coach whose made 11 out of 13 NCAA tournaments. Arrogance lack of vision whatever you want to call it. A perennial top 10-15 program has been shredded. A program that refused to get dragged into the muck that is cbb in two short years is one of the worst.
8. I hated the Stallings hire don't get me wrong but a coach who doesn't cheat, whose team went to class is now being dragged through publicly on his buyout for some minor incident at Louisville. I mean forget about the optics (which are awful) but whose making these decisions? What a shortsighted incomprehensible decision that will resonate with other coaches. Spare me the university is trying to save money argument. It's cheesy and reeks of incompetence.
9. I'm relatively optimistic about this football team. Optimism means around 8 wins. I think the holes at DE and OL are going to be problematic but love the LB and DT and the RB. I also think the back four have talent and are a fit with Narduzzi's style finally . Wish the schedule was a little more manageable tough.
Pitt82
