Well, ok then...
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pittdan77
Athletic Director
I think they're calling out Franklin kind of "losing it" a little. He could have just said "I don't have an update" or "I can't answer that right now" or some other BS answer and moved on.
The flip side is, why ask a question or act entitled to a response if you already know with 100% certainty what the end result will be?
Snyder works at a paid subscription site and just wasted a chance to get some type of story on a topic she may have actually been able to pry more information away from the presser.
There is absolutely no need to embarrass Audrey like that when he knows the cameras are rolling.
She asked a question that a reporter SHOULD ask.
Just say, "You know our policy is to not discuss injuries. Next question..."
and Audrey is usually the biggest PSU homer there is. But then there is always this guy waiting in the wings to claim that title
Take PSU and Franklin out of this for a second - I'm simply asking as a reader, would you want a reporter covering your team to ask questions everyone already knows the answer to, or use your 1 question in a press conference to provide some actual incite to something you can write about?
Side note, if you watch the whole presser that's not really what's going on (ie, embarrassing a reporter). He's almost joking around that they asked the question.
Audrey knew the type of response she would get and this is really a fairly tepid response. If Audrey was embarrassed by it, and I doubt she was, she should not be in the business. Many coaches I have seen, college and pro, have responded in much more critical ways. Most people that know my posting history here, and elsewhere, know I have been critical of Franklin at times when I thought it was merited. This is not one of those times.
Fuller context - Media are given access to practice on Wednesdays towards the end of the session.
From pictures alone I can gather that McSorely
1 - Appeared to be in a knee brace
2 - Participated in drills with 1st team.
If you're looking for an update, it's right there. The question was a waste.
Coaches complain about the lack of in depth positive coverage of players that used to exist. They also limit access to those exact same players to a much larger extent than they used to.
They complain that the media doesn't know what's happening in practice so they don't have a right to ask this or criticize that -- while keeping the media (and fans) out of the vast majority of practices.
They don't answer questions about injuries but play all sorts of games with depth charts and injury lists.
They say they don't care what happens on social media or that they won't respond to stuff on social media, while they all use it for recruiting and their own PR.
The coaches only have themselves to blame if have to do this dance of asking the same questions. The media is trying to do its job of letting fans/readers know what is happening.
They complain that the media doesn't know what's happening in practice so they don't have a right to ask this or criticize that -- while keeping the media (and fans) out of the vast majority of practices.
They don't answer questions about injuries but play all sorts of games with depth charts and injury lists.
They say they don't care what happens on social media or that they won't respond to stuff on social media, while they all use it for recruiting and their own PR.
The coaches only have themselves to blame if have to do this dance of asking the same questions. The media is trying to do its job of letting fans/readers know what is happening.
While generally true, McSorely was made available yesterday for media just hours before the post practice presser that Franklin had, and he commented on getting treatment and how he was feeling. What is Franklin going to add?
true, but any media member will ask that question no matter how obvious the answer is. Look at the super bowl media sessions for totally inane questions. Part of the business. Usually Audrey is a huge homer and not known to rock the boat. So this is earth shaking for her. Check out some of the usual cast of PGH media characters coming to the defense of your coach and against one of their own.
Think too much is being made of it to be honest. Franklin can get very loose with reporters in joking around with them but he's also long winded. His response to Snyder was some combo of the two.
There are other ways of prying some info on Trace or some related content as opposed to asking directly about an injury. I just think it was a waste of time.
Could have tried....
"James, we saw Trace out there this evening - how good does it feel to see him out there after he was obviously uncomfortable on Saturday?"
"James, does your offense change much if Tommy Stevens takes more snaps"
"James, do you believe Trace is taking too many hits this year and how can you lighten the load on his rushing attempts?"
Don't think any of these would be unreasonable alternatives to a question everyone with a drop of common sense knew was not going to be answered.
Hagman might be the worst member of the Pittsburgh media.
That is probably true for many media members, but the great ones, or those who aspire to be, look for new angles and greater depth. You or I could ask mundane questions and get the same trite answers. I know this is not brain surgery, and certain things must be asked, but if I had but one or two questions I could ask at a press conference, I would not waste them on what I knew would be an obvious response. Actually, maybe Audrey is smarter than the room. She asked a question that has us talking about her on this board, something we would not be doing otherwise.
He's bad, but then you also have Bittner, Adamski & Biertemfel who are huge PSU fan boys. Then you throw in Filiponi, Benz, Madden & Cook who aren't PSU homers but have been pretty anti-Pitt. Really, look at that crew. No reason to follow local media if you are a Pitt fan.
I think the quality of sports writing in this city has greatly diminished over the years, regardless of what teams you cheer for. I miss a guy like Jim O'Brien, who was the consummate professional.
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And this is news why? Every college coach responds in a similar fashion. Because they know who is watching and listening.
Ziese has a vendetta against PSU. Makes himself look like a fool. Who cares? Franklin, and every other college coach rarelydiscuss injuries.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
It's kind of their job to ask the question. I fail to see why anything but a direct approach is more appropriate. It's going to be asked of any coach in any program. If the question isn't asked, they will never know what response they'll get. But it's something because there was some obvious exasperation instead of the canned response.
Yes, a reporter is entitled to ask any question they want, but contrary to their egos, they're not entitled to an answer when it comes to an individual's health.....my point was whether or not it is really the best use of a reporter's Q&A (especially when, as in Snyder's case, they're employed by a paid subscription site like The Athletic) where you're allotted one question max and put forth what is essentially a dead end question that even readers know is not going to be answered, nor would they expect an answer.
Rather than waste a question on something you already know the answer to, why not give your readers something more.
Maybe the question to ask is why is a PSU fan continuing to post about it on a Pitt board?
pittdan77
Athletic Director
He spent a long time talking about it instead of just saying “ no questions about injuries”. Next
And why does Duzz catch heat when he says basically the same thing all coaches say.
Because Franklin has continually said "no questions about injuries" and Audrey knows that as well as anyone, yet she asked the question anyway. Why did she do it? Well, we are still talking about her when, ordinarily, no one would give her a second thought. Perhaps that's why.
As to Duzz, he should not catch heat for "coachspeak". I guess it's just part of the game we nearly all play. Reporters ask a question. The coach answers in a way the reporter, or fans, don't like. They, or we, bitch, and life moves on.
