Thoughts on Watson?

[PantherO]

I assume this includes receiving yards? But, if so, it's fair. All of his receptions were at/near the LOS.

Yep...it was both. My bad...I remember the stat on TV, thought it was all rushing.

Also, looking at the box score... Biggest differences that hurt us are the 3 turnovers (I don't count their 1 because it was a chuck at the end of the half). Total Yards, Time of possession in our favor. I think the staff had the team prepared well. A little better execution, and PSU may have had there cheeks clenched in the 4th qtr.

 

[SouthTulsaPoke]

We saw a lot of Watson in the Big 12. I watched both of your games, twice. What I'm seeing is Watson trying to be Canada.

He's not real comfortable calling another guy's offense.

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

Great point - these same people were complaining about Canada going into a shell in the second half vs PS and UNC. A lot of these same posters blamed Canada for the loss to UNC for his play calling in the 4th quarter. Hypocrites.

Well, I like Canada, but that doesn't mean he is above criticism. To be fair that UNC game did have some "not-to-lose" play calling in the second half.

I don't think that Watson has done a bad job so far. As others have noted, the offense lost a lot of talent and experience from last season.

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

Rumor is Gundy has "Sweet Caroline" on a loop at practice this week so his team is ready for it at any moment.

 

[PITTLAW]

? So the Pitt fan's complaining is what put Canada at LSU??
Fan complaining has Zero to do with winning or losing.
It's just another reason for those who think that they're smarter than everyone else to complain about other fans.

No, you missed the point entirely. The simple and uncontroverted point was that Pitt fans were very critical of Canada when he was hired [and before he coached a Pitt game] and were critical of him during a good part of the early part of the schedule last year. As it then turns out, everyone in college football realized the guy did an incredible job...and he parlayed his one season at Pitt into being one of the highest paid OC's in college football. So in comes Watson, and Pitt fans are behaving similarly. Just like shampoo, rinse and repeat. Get it now? Hail to Pitt!

 

[pbrad]

Must be a Pittsburgh thing, blame everything on the OC. Canada, Watson and even Haley with the Steelers.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

Rumor is Gundy has "Sweet Caroline" on a loop at practice this week so his team is ready for it at any moment.

Well done.

 

[Pittx9]

So far he reminds me of Jim Chaney which is no compliment.

I'm not impressed with Watson at all. I don't think I can go that far quite yet though. Chaney was an absolute train wreck. I never even got the impression he even cared about winning, as long as everyone knew he was the boss on offense. I think narduzzi was relieved even that he left. His handling of the offense in the UNC game that year was nothing short of an embarrassment and narduzzi probably should've ripped him apart earlier than that.

 

[VAPITTALUM]

I'm not impressed with Watson at all. I don't think I can go that far quite yet though. Chaney was an absolute train wreck. I never even got the impression he even cared about winning, as long as everyone knew he was the boss on offense. I think narduzzi was relieved even that he left. His handling of the offense in the UNC game that year was nothing short of an embarrassment and narduzzi probably should've ripped him apart earlier than that.

Wholeheartedly agree! The mishandling of the final drive of the half, resulting in 0 points from the UNC 18; Ollison disappearing from the game after receiving 7 carries for 39 yards in the first quarter. He only had 3 carries for 15 yards after the first quarter.

 

[pittmeister]

My thoughts:

1. OC's like Matt Canada doesn't come along everyday
2. An OC is only as good as his personnel. Watson can't coach any of us to All-American status.
3. What role would you have for Max Browne besides handing the ball off to Ollison? Do you have any confidence in his ability for Watson to expand the playbook? I don't...
4. The jet sweep is not fooling anyone anymore. It still can be used against teams that are not quick or athletic enough to stop...

I still have to see more from Watson before we pass judgement....

 

[Pittx9]

Wholeheartedly agree! The mishandling of the final drive of the half, resulting in 0 points from the UNC 18; Ollison disappearing from the game after receiving 7 carries for 39 yards in the first quarter. He only had 3 carries for 15 yards after the first quarter.

Yes ollison in that game, the anger behind my referencing Chaney only wanting them to know he was the boss of the offense. I get that if you can't get the job done you have to sit. But the kid missed one block (something that happens a lot more than most realize with a young running back.) Ollison was our best option to win that game, he was very capable of running through their d-line, and because Chaney was so upset about that missed block, he took away Pitt's chances of winning that game.

 

[perchance]

No, you missed the point entirely. The simple and uncontroverted point was that Pitt fans were very critical of Canada when he was hired [and before he coached a Pitt game] and were critical of him during a good part of the early part of the schedule last year. As it then turns out, everyone in college football realized the guy did an incredible job...and he parlayed his one season at Pitt into being one of the highest paid OC's in college football. So in comes Watson, and Pitt fans are behaving similarly. Just like shampoo, rinse and repeat. Get it now? Hail to Pitt!

Because you declare in your statement what "the simple and uncontroverted point" is does not make it so.
Let me again quote the poster's statement. "All that complaining about Canada worked out well for Pitt football, didn't it?" This links the loss of Canada to LSU with fan's complaints. Fan's complaints were completely unrelated to Canada's departure for LSU. It was about money and professional opportunity. That Pitt fans are often critical of coaches, their decisions, and the administration is obvious and was never disputed in my reply.
There seems to little difference between posters who constantly complain about the program's shortcomings and those who complain about others complaining about those shortcomings.
"Get it now?"

 

[PITTLAW]

Because you declare in your statement what "the simple and uncontroverted point" is does not make it so.
Let me again quote the poster's statement. "All that complaining about Canada worked out well for Pitt football, didn't it?" This links the loss of Canada to LSU with fan's complaints. Fan's complaints were completely unrelated to Canada's departure for LSU. It was about money and professional opportunity. That Pitt fans are often critical of coaches, their decisions, and the administration is obvious and was never disputed in my reply.
There seems to little difference between posters who constantly complain about the program's shortcomings and those who complain about others complaining about those shortcomings.
"Get it now?"

Well then your response was made to the wrong person. I never suggested or said that fans complaints about Canada led to his departure from Pitt. Such a statement would be ludicrous. I only suggested that people complained about Canada...then by the end of the season thought he was a God...and that perhaps complaints about Watson were premature. Do you get it? Hail to Pitt!