Watson on Browne

[Sean Miller Fan]

on Peak's podcast. "He's a pro at his position and what he knows."

Now, to be fair that quote came when Watson was talking about QB knowledge so he could have meant he had pro knowledge not necessarily ability but it was an interesting quote nonetheless.

Said Aston was the best player in the country at his position. I do believe his and i think he plays on Sundays. Do you go Hyno, Lou, or Aston?

Said our WRs remind him of a basketball team, long and athletic. Hope its not our basketball team.

 

[H2P333]

Max Browne is a possible number one draft pick. Talked to multiple high level guys who do the major recruiting and star evaluations and he is a big time
QB with a big time arm. He is a 5 star guy. We have the number one QB and TE both on our roster. That is major talent acquisition by CPN.

 

[MajorMajors]

on Peak's podcast. "He's a pro at his position and what he knows."

Now, to be fair that quote came when Watson was talking about QB knowledge so he could have meant he had pro knowledge not necessarily ability but it was an interesting quote nonetheless.

Said Aston was the best player in the country at his position. I do believe his and i think he plays on Sundays. Do you go Hyno, Lou, or Aston?

Said our WRs remind him of a basketball team, long and athletic. Hope its not our basketball team.

Good OP. A most excellent interview by Chris Peake. Would like to hear more interviews like this with other Pitt coaches.

 

[thebadby2]

Max Browne is a possible number one draft pick. Talked to multiple high level guys who do the major recruiting and star evaluations and he is a big time
QB with a big time arm. He is a 5 star guy. We have the number one QB and TE both on our roster. That is major talent acquisition by CPN.

He's been a college football player for 3 years and has started two games.

Now he's a possible #1 NFL draft pick?

Only on the Lair.

 

[KennyTheKangaroo]

He's been a college football player for 3 years and has started two games.

Now he's a possible #1 NFL draft pick?

Only on the Lair.

I really try to avoid being a negative nancy, but calling max browne a #1 overall pick wreaks of hyperbole. I hope he plays well for pitt and I hope he plays well enough to get drafted. Savage was essentially a grad transfer, and he was drafted after a good year, so it is possible. But #1 overall pick? yeeeesh.

 

[H2P333]

Max Browne is very highly rated and rivals has him as a 5 star consensus all pro QB. He got screwed over by college politics and thrown under the bus by his coach and USC alumni after a bad start by the team last year. Kid could have went anywhere in the country and likely gotten the starting WB spot at 110 programs in the country. Look at his rivals and scouts and 247 composite star rankings by the major taiene evaluators in the country. Fact is he chose Pitt. When we play at PSU he will be the best QB on the field. The kid is a stud. There are no guarantees in life but he is aw close to a grand slam as could have been had by CPN and staff. With him at the helm and our Rb corps we will be favored in 10 out of 12 games and will challenge for the coastal division. We have never had this fire power and star rankings all at once. Say what you want but stars matter and I sure as hell like having the top QB and top TE in the country.

 

[pittfanfromNC]

Max Browne is a possible number one draft pick. Talked to multiple high level guys who do the major recruiting and star evaluations and he is a big time
QB with a big time arm. He is a 5 star guy. We have the number one QB and TE both on our roster. That is major talent acquisition by CPN.

Wouldn't hold your breath on Clark. Heard some stuff about him that makes me think Charles Reeves will start for us. (off the field/work ethic)

 

[H2P333]

Wouldn't hold your breath on Clark. Heard some stuff about him that makes me think Charles Reeves will start for us. (off the field/work ethic)

You do realize Clark was the number one rated TE in the country. 5 star consensus player and all state and had over 40 college scholarship offers. You don't get that level of recruitment unless you are a major stud. If he has a big year he could be trying for the NFL draft next year and that is what has me worried.

 

[thebadby2]

Max Browne is very highly rated and rivals has him as a 5 star consensus all pro QB. He got screwed over by college politics and thrown under the bus by his coach and USC alumni after a bad start by the team last year. Kid could have went anywhere in the country and likely gotten the starting WB spot at 110 programs in the country. Look at his rivals and scouts and 247 composite star rankings by the major taiene evaluators in the country. Fact is he chose Pitt. When we play at PSU he will be the best QB on the field. The kid is a stud. There are no guarantees in life but he is aw close to a grand slam as could have been had by CPN and staff. With him at the helm and our Rb corps we will be favored in 10 out of 12 games and will challenge for the coastal division. We have never had this fire power and star rankings all at once. Say what you want but stars matter and I sure as hell like having the top QB and top TE in the country.

I'm glad we have him too, and I'm hoping his second chance pays off as it did for Nate Peterman, but your post is so full of nonsense i don;t even know where to start. The fact that he was hte #1 rated QB coming out of H.S. 4 years ago means very little today. For what it's worth, half the recruiting services had Hackenberg as the #1 QB that year. Shane Morris, who struggled badly at Michigan and is now at Central Michigan as a grad transfer, was top 3-4 that year as well. None of the rest of the top 5 QBs from 2013 accomplished much.

Browne played 4 years at USC. He redshirted as a freshman then was backup to Cody Kessler for two years. he got his shot to start, struggled badly against tough teams, and was benched for Darnold, who is a phenom. That wasn't politics, the coaches played the better player, as all coaches do.

He will certainly get his shot to compete for the starting job and impress at Pitt, and there is reason to believe he can do very well here, but he's a very long way from being a NFL player, let alone a #1 overall pick, which is an absurd statement that you apparently based on the kid's hype as a H.S. prospect, as opposed to what he has done in the 4 years since.

 

[NCanton Panther]

I'm glad we have him too, and I'm hoping his second chance pays off as it did for Nate Peterman, but your post is so full of nonsense i don;t even know where to start. The fact that he was hte #1 rated QB coming out of H.S. 4 years ago means very little today. For what it's worth, half the recruiting services had Hackenberg as the #1 QB that year. Shane Morris, who struggled badly at Michigan and is now at Central Michigan as a grad transfer, was top 3-4 that year as well. None of the rest of the top 5 QBs from 2013 accomplished much.

Browne played 4 years at USC. He redshirted as a freshman then was backup to Cody Kessler for two years. he got his shot to start, struggled badly against tough teams, and was benched for Darnold, who is a phenom. That wasn't politics, the coaches played the better player, as all coaches do.

He will certainly get his shot to compete for the starting job and impress at Pitt, and there is reason to believe he can do very well here, but he's a very long way from being a NFL player, let alone a #1 overall pick, which is an absurd statement that you apparently based on the kid's hype as a H.S. prospect, as opposed to what he has done in the 4 years since.

yep, everything you say is plain ole common sense logic. High star ratings coming out of HS don't guarantee anything, particularly when it was 4 years ago as you note. The list can go on and on with examples such as your Hackenberg as to why it doesn't guarantee or mean much. Locally related to us, Morelli and Bostick immediately come to mind.

 

[thebadby2]

yep, everything you say is plain ole common sense logic. High star ratings coming out of HS don't guarantee anything, particularly when it was 4 years ago as you note. The list can go on and on with examples such as your Hackenberg as to why it doesn't guarantee or mean much. Locally related to us, Morelli and Bostick immediately come to mind.

If you look at the list of the top 2013 pro-style QB prospects, you have to get to around #15--Jared Goff--before you find that NFL first rounder. Of the top 5, Hackenberg was far and away the most accomplished, which says a lot about that class.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Max Browne is very highly rated and rivals has him as a 5 star consensus all pro QB. He got screwed over by college politics and thrown under the bus by his coach and USC alumni after a bad start by the team last year.

Umm. No. He got beat out by a better QB.

 

[bwh05]

You do realize Clark was the number one rated TE in the country. 5 star consensus player and all state and had over 40 college scholarship offers. You don't get that level of recruitment unless you are a major stud. If he has a big year he could be trying for the NFL draft next year and that is what has me worried.

you do realize that what he's talking about doesn't have anything to do with his on field abilities

 

[H2P333]

you do realize that what he's talking about doesn't have anything to do with his on field abilities

I'm not sure what he is even talking about. Clarke got screwed over at UCLA by Jim Mora Jr and then got hurt so that's slowed him. I don't know what other off the field issues are cooking.

 

[thebadby2]

I'm not sure what he is even talking about. Clarke got screwed over at UCLA by Jim Mora Jr and then got hurt so that's slowed him. I don't know what other off the field issues are cooking.

Ah. Another poor, innocent elite H.S. prospect who got "screwed" by an evil, conniving college coach. You seem to know a lot of those.

I'm sure a lot of coaches set out to mess with their most prized recruits and screw them over every chance they get.

Are you familiar with this kid's background since HS at all? To say he has some red flags would be an understatement. Squirrelly as hell. I still won't believe he ever plays a down for us until I see it with my own two eyes.

 

[H2P333]

I'm hearing Max Browne is SO GOOD, that he is entering the 2017 Draft!! He is currently in route to Indy for the combine

It's "enroute".

You must be a Nitter trained at one of the branch campuses.

 

[President Stache]

It's "enroute".

You must be a Nitter trained at one of the branch campuses.

Agree... like "Pitt's offense looked stellar in route of penn state."

 

[BFo8]

Not every single 5 star will pan out at the next level. Some of them may have hit their athletic peak in high school and don't improve when facing better competition. Some may not be emotionally ready to be an adult and adapt to the college lifestyle.

I will take any 5 star Pitt can get, but not every single one will play up to their high school ranking. I think Browne will be solid in the Peterman/Savage type mold, not so sure about Clark, seems to have some baggage.

 

[deepelemblues]

he is not a bust, he isnt anything. he hasnt had a chance to be anything yet.

he was cody kessler's backup for 2 years. he wasn't given a chance in those 2 years and rightly so, cody kessler was one of the best college QBs of the last 10 years.

then he really wasnt given a chance last year, of course making his first college start ever against alabama he was going to have a bad time. and against stanford his second college start ever the whole damn USC team played like crap not just him. a lot of USC people wanted to pass over browne entirely for darnold in 2016, have darnold start from game 1. it snowballed after the alabama game and even if USC had beaten stanford i think darnold would have gotten the starter's job anyway.

 

[CJsE]

He may be good...but is he lightning?

 

[steel_curtain]

I'm glad we have him too, and I'm hoping his second chance pays off as it did for Nate Peterman, but your post is so full of nonsense i don;t even know where to start. The fact that he was hte #1 rated QB coming out of H.S. 4 years ago means very little today. For what it's worth, half the recruiting services had Hackenberg as the #1 QB that year. Shane Morris, who struggled badly at Michigan and is now at Central Michigan as a grad transfer, was top 3-4 that year as well. None of the rest of the top 5 QBs from 2013 accomplished much.

Browne played 4 years at USC. He redshirted as a freshman then was backup to Cody Kessler for two years. he got his shot to start, struggled badly against tough teams, and was benched for Darnold, who is a phenom. That wasn't politics, the coaches played the better player, as all coaches do.

He will certainly get his shot to compete for the starting job and impress at Pitt, and there is reason to believe he can do very well here, but he's a very long way from being a NFL player, let alone a #1 overall pick, which is an absurd statement that you apparently based on the kid's hype as a H.S. prospect, as opposed to what he has done in the 4 years since.

-Actually, your post is full of nonsense.

-His offensive line single handily crippled him with false start penalties and offensive holding the first 3 games of the season. I already posted this and well documented it.


-Browne started 3 games. He had a 78% completion percentage against Utah State and 65% completion percentage against Stanford on the road. He was bad against Alabama, one of the best defenses in the last 20 years in his first start ever. That's it, period.

-Sam Darnold is probably the future #1 pick in the NFL draft too, the guy that replaced him.

 

[#99HUGHgreen]

While I'm sure Browne doesn't mind a little positive press, this "#1 in the draft" kind of hype is brutal in that it basically sets him up for failure. There literally is no other place for him to go from there but down.

Let's just be happy he is in the mix with a group of other good looking QBs on the roster who appear to be talented enough to start at a Power 5 school.

If either he or MacVittie (or another QB) should prove to be better than a solid starter, then we can all feel pleasantly surprised (instead of feeling disappointed he did not reach expectations that were next to impossible).

 

[thebadby2]

-Actually, your post is full of nonsense.

-His offensive line single handily crippled him with false start penalties and offensive holding the first 3 games of the season. I already posted this and well documented it.


-Browne started 3 games. He had a 78% completion percentage against Utah State and 65% completion percentage against Stanford on the road. He was bad against Alabama, one of the best defenses in the last 20 years in his first start ever. That's it, period.

-Sam Darnold is probably the future #1 pick in the NFL draft too, the guy that replaced him.

Yeah? Why don't you show us all how smart you are and list specifically what parts of my post are nonsense, and explain why. Whaddya say there, Kithcart?

 

[steel_curtain]

Yeah? Why don't you show us all how smart you are and list specifically what parts of my post are nonsense, and explain why. Whaddya say there, Kithcart?

-You said in quote he struggled severely as a starter. He struggled against 1 team. Repeat, 1 team, Alabama. And his oline buried him in that game. So that statement is false.

-You said he clearly isnt anywhere close to making the NFL. That statement may or may not be true. The player that played above him is already in the NFL. The one that took is place now is the probable future #1 pick in the nfl draft. There are big boards that have Browne rated as high as the #4 overall QB in next years draft. So again, the statement may or may not be true, we dont know, since the future #1 player in the country took the starting position. USC is an NFL factory for players and only 1 QB is going to play. Darnold replacing Browne does not show whether Browne is any good or not. Darnold would take the starting position at any other college in America, including Alabama, Day 1.

 

[thebadby2]

-You said in quote he struggled severely as a starter. He struggled against 1 team. Repeat, 1 team, Alabama. And his oline buried him in that game. So that statement is false.

-You said he clearly isnt anywhere close to making the NFL. That statement may or may not be true. The player that played above him is already in the NFL. The one that took is place now is the probable future #1 pick in the nfl draft. There are big boards that have Browne rated as high as the #4 overall QB in next years draft. So again, the statement may or may not be true, we dont know, since the future #1 player in the country took the starting position. USC is an NFL factory for players and only 1 QB is going to play. Darnold replacing Browne does not show whether Browne is any good or not. Darnold would take the starting position at any other college in America, including Alabama, Day 1.

So what part of my post was nonsense again?

Clay Helton benched Browne because he was unhappy with his QB play. The USC offense wasn't moving the ball or scoring in any of Browne's 3 starts. One of Helton's biggest problems with Browne was his lack of mobility. He's a statue.

Browne has a shot to be a NFL player. But it's by no means a lock. He needs to establish himself as a starter at Pitt first. That's not a gimme-even if he's the starter in Game 1, he might not be in Game 4 if the offense is struggling. He chose Pitt for one primary reason-we are one of the thinnest P5 programs at the QB position. No entrenched starter to beat out, only an untested RS freshman.

I hope he ends up finally living up to his hype, but until he does, I'll stay skeptical.

 

[steel_curtain]

So what part of my post was nonsense again?

Clay Helton benched Browne because he was unhappy with his QB play. The USC offense wasn't moving the ball or scoring in any of Browne's 3 starts. One of Helton's biggest problems with Browne was his lack of mobility. He's a statue.

Browne has a shot to be a NFL player. But it's by no means a lock. He needs to establish himself as a starter at Pitt first. That's not a gimme-even if he's the starter in Game 1, he might not be in Game 4 if the offense is struggling. He chose Pitt for one primary reason-we are one of the thinnest P5 programs at the QB position. No entrenched starter to beat out, only an untested RS freshman.

I hope he ends up finally living up to his hype, but until he does, I'll stay skeptical.

-He had a 77% completion percentage against Utah State in a blowout win and a 65% completion percentage against Stanford on the road. He played better against Stanford than Darnold did. Those stats are almost identical except Darnold was picked off against Stanford. And this was another game the USC oline killed both QB's with penalties.

USC Passing
C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT
Max Browne 18/28 191 6.8 0 0
Sam Darnold 5/7 45 6.4 0 1
TEAM 23/35 236 6.7 0 1 --

 

[raleighpanther]

I'm not sure what he is even talking about. Clarke got screwed over at UCLA by Jim Mora Jr and then got hurt so that's slowed him. I don't know what other off the field issues are cooking.

This post is so funny - and by that, I mean stupid funny - that this can't be a serious comment. What exactly does a coach do that qualifies as "screwing a kid over?" And if there is such a thing, is it possible that a coach can pull it off in the first few weeks of a kid's freshman year?
If you were actually serious with this comment, please enlighten us with the story of how Clarke got screwed over.

 

[H2P333]

This post is so funny - and by that, I mean stupid funny - that this can't be a serious comment. What exactly does a coach do that qualifies as "screwing a kid over?" And if there is such a thing, is it possible that a coach can pull it off in the first few weeks of a kid's freshman year?
If you were actually serious with this comment, please enlighten us with the story of how Clarke got screwed over.

Clark was banged up and 2400 miles from home and dealing with injuries and being a little home sick. Mora Jr pounced him and instead of supporting him told him to go to Rutgers if he was not ready to compete at this level. It was a demeaning comment. Clarke was heavily recruited and many many many schools wanted him. Mora lands him and all of the sudden the support stops and essentially he's treated as if is a walk on scrub. Kid was an All American and should have been treated as one with due respect and support. He wasn't and thus left to Pitt where Narduzzi and staff will support him and give him the tools and coaching and mentorship to be an All American like he has been. That's the truth and can't be disputed. Mora Jr let the kid down and he was not shy about letting people know about it. When you are the number on TE in the country that demands respect and I recall and article where Chris felt that he was hoodwinked. All of the love and other accolades and support stopped once he signed on the dotted line and he felt betrayed.

 

[thebadby2]

-He had a 77% completion percentage against Utah State in a blowout win and a 65% completion percentage against Stanford on the road. He played better against Stanford than Darnold did. Those stats are almost identical except Darnold was picked off against Stanford. And this was another game the USC oline killed both QB's with penalties.

USC Passing
C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT
Max Browne 18/28 191 6.8 0 0
Sam Darnold 5/7 45 6.4 0 1
TEAM 23/35 236 6.7 0 1 --

Helton’s Sunday was consumed by film from USC’s first three games. He was watching for one thing, he said: quarterback play. By that evening, he’d reached a decision.

After USC’s Sunday walk-through, Helton summoned Max Browne. The offense wasn’t working, Helton told him. It needed a change.

 

[thebadby2]

Clark was banged up and 2400 miles from home and dealing with injuries and being a little home sick. Mora Jr pounced him and instead of supporting him told him to go to Rutgers if he was not ready to compete at this level. It was a demeaning comment. Clarke was heavily recruited and many many many schools wanted him. Mora lands him and all of the sudden the support stops and essentially he's treated as if is a walk on scrub. Kid was an All American and should have been treated as one with due respect and support. He wasn't and thus left to Pitt where Narduzzi and staff will support him and give him the tools and coaching and mentorship to be an All American like he has been. That's the truth and can't be disputed. Mora Jr let the kid down and he was not shy about letting people know about it. When you are the number on TE in the country that demands respect and I recall and article where Chris felt that he was hoodwinked. All of the love and other accolades and support stopped once he signed on the dotted line and he felt betrayed.

I see-so Clark should've been treated special-he should've been babied and pampered because he was a top prospect. Why should he be held to the same standard as everyone else on the team?

Sorry dude that's just a crock of $hit. If you actually believe what you posted, you cannot have played team sports in your lifetime.

And how do you explain the 4 different schools he committed to and decommited from before he went to UCLA? Or his saga after he left UCLA?

This guy has head case written all over him. He has a lot to prove before anyone's gonna buy into him. And if the reports in the post above-that his work ethic is lacking-are true, he'll be looking for yet another program to transfer to in no time, because he won't play here.

 

[chethejet]

Find it hard to believe being in the program for a year with Orndorff, didn't rub off. If he doesn't have the drive to be his best, then so be it and move on. But I will reserve judgment until I actually see him on the field.

 

[steel_curtain]

Helton’s Sunday was consumed by film from USC’s first three games. He was watching for one thing, he said: quarterback play. By that evening, he’d reached a decision.

After USC’s Sunday walk-through, Helton summoned Max Browne. The offense wasn’t working, Helton told him. It needed a change.

-Which still does not prove anything. The only two teams that did anything on offense against Alabama was Clemson, the National Champion from the ACC, and Ole Miss. No one else could score or move the ball against them. Expecting a player in his first start ever to score at will against one of the best defenses in decades is silly.

-The quote you posted says nothing about Browne's potential or the results. USC crushed Utah State, and Browne did perform better than Darnold against Stanford. Those are facts.

-You act like the guy was a complete failure in the first 3 starts at QB. That is 100% false.

-I also do not know who will be the #1 QB between Browne or TMAC, but I like both of them based off potential.

 

[thebadby2]

Find it hard to believe being in the program for a year with Orndorff, didn't rub off. If he doesn't have the drive to be his best, then so be it and move on. But I will reserve judgment until I actually see him on the field.

Me too. But we have a poster who has penciled him in as a NFL first rounder before he's even taken a game rep at Pitt, based solely on his HS recruiting hype from 3 years ago.

 

[thebadby2]

-Which still does not prove anything. The only two teams that did anything on offense against Alabama was Clemson, the National Champion from the ACC, and Ole Miss. No one else could score or move the ball against them. Expecting a player in his first start ever to score at will against one of the best defenses in decades is silly.

-The quote you posted says nothing about Browne's potential or the results. USC crushed Utah State, and Browne did perform better than Darnold against Stanford. Those are facts.

-You act like the guy was a complete failure in the first 3 starts at QB. That is 100% false.

-I also do not know who will be the #1 QB between Browne or TMAC, but I like both of them based off potential.

He started the first three games, his coach, who studied the issue intently, didn't think Browne was getting it done, so he benched him for Darnold.

Those are the facts. That doesn't mean he can't do well here, but Helton didn't bench him because he was killing it at USC.

 

[steel_curtain]

He started the first three games, his coach, who studied the issue intently, didn't think Browne was getting it done, so he benched him for Darnold.

Those are the facts. That doesn't mean he can't do well here, but Helton didn't bench him because he was killing it at USC.

-Describe the word bench to me. Darnold is the future #1 player in the NFL draft. Do you disagree with that statement? Darnold would start for any college in D1 in the country. Do you disagree with that statement? Darnold is better than any QB Alabama has had under Saban in the last 10 years. Do you disagree with that statement?

-You use the word bench loosely.

 

[PhPanther1]

H2P333, what is your relation to Steel_Curtain?

 

[steel_curtain]

H2P333, what is your relation to Steel_Curtain?

-Zero

 

[thebadby2]

-Describe the word bench to me. Darnold is the future #1 player in the NFL draft. Do you disagree with that statement? Darnold would start for any college in D1 in the country. Do you disagree with that statement? Darnold is better than any QB Alabama has had under Saban in the last 10 years. Do you disagree with that statement?

-You use the word bench loosely.

Darnold is a phenom, no doubt about that. But he didn't beat Browne out in practice. The piece I cited above about Helton's decision speaks for itself. He decided to bench Browne for Darnold after studying film on the flight back from Stanford, and focusing on the QB play because, after studying the film, Helton concluded that with Browne at QB the offense "wasn't working." The context of that statemento is clear and it is not subject to multiple interpretations.

Clay Helton knows what he's looking at when he studies film of QB play, do you disagree with that statement?

 

[jimmoyer]

If I'm an OC with Browne and McVittie on my team, I find a way to get them both on the field together. Think of the fun you could have with those two moving and shifting and playing multiple roles in a creative offensive. Lets hope we can see such imagination.

 

[thebadby2]

If I'm an OC with Browne and McVittie on my team, I find a way to get them both on the field together. Think of the fun you could have with those two moving and shifting and playing multiple roles in a creative offensive. Lets hope we can see such imagination.

Not gonna happen, and it shouldn't happen.

By the way, what role or position outside of QB do you tnink Browne would be suited for? He's not exactly known for his athleticism.