Big Lead Sports Bar

11/12/2010

Pitt Once Again Capitalizes on the Opportunity to Disappoint



One thing I've learned over the years as a fan of Pitt football: just when you start to feel the least bit good about yourself, you should prepare to be let down. It's a pattern that never fails.

And once again, that theory came true in an embarrassing, nationally-televised loss to a UConn team that was 4-4 on the season, owning losses to Rutgers and Louisville, programs that Pitt beat earlier in 2010 by a combined 38 points.

You name it, this Pitt team botched it on Thursday night. Offense. Defense. Special teams. Coaching. It was a total team choke.

I don't know what it seems to be about national television that disrupts this team so much, but if the Not Ready for Primetime label wasn't already taken, I'd imagine it was created for the Panthers. There are so many miscues to go over that it seems like a waste of time to point all of them out, but some of them have to get mentioned. 

You could start with the fourth-and-1 call that UConn went for on their own 19-yard-line with 2:45 to play - and converted. From there, anything is fair game: allowing Jordan Todman a career-high 222 yards rushing; giving up a momentum-destroying touchdown on a kickoff; not one, but two horribly shanked punts from Dan Hutchins; Ray Graham's fumbled kickoff, directly resulting in seven UConn points in the fourth quarter; Tino Sunseri throwing two picks, overthrowing receivers and in general looking like was running a disorganized offense, one that drew a penalty on a fourth-and-1 and had to punt; Jon Baldwin giving an on-again, off-again effort that Randy Moss would be proud of; and of course, the Wannstache and his staff.

As much as I love Wanny, his game prep, management, and failure to adjust in-game has become tiresome to watch after all these years. How much time did Pitt need to prepare for a .500 Connecticut team? Because the bye week did absolutely no good. 

Within the game, I don't know how Graham and Dion Lewis only carry the ball a combined 29 times. I really didn't like the management of Greg Romeus in his return, and in general, I did not care for the focus and preparedness of the Panthers as a whole. With so many mistakes on the night, it's clear that their heads weren't in the game. Fair or not, that always gets pinned on the coach.

I know, I know...Pitt can still go to a BCS game. But really, would that even be something to look forward to at this point? They've been on national TV four times this year and after each one, I walk away shaking my head in disbelief. Utah. Miami. Notre Dame. UConn. Each game uniquely different in the way that it disappoints you, threaded together by the common bond that Pitt figuratively (and sometimes literally) dropped the ball yet again. That's a team you want to represent the school and city against the likes of Nebraska? The conference is enough of a punch line already without having to endure that looming embarrassment.

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

44 comments:

The Abiding Dude said...

How embarrassing was that 4th and 1 conversion? I mean, that just show you how much respect UConn had for the Pitt D at that time. Unreal….

And I do not want them to make a BCS game at this point. They don’t deserve it. I had such hopes for this team too…blows.

If Sunseri could possibly not stare down a receiver, that’d be a start. Geezeus that kid doesn’t know a second option still. I’m not even going to tap into the possibilities of passes being led to Baldwin, instead of the turnaround, run back 2 yards, to catch a pass.

The Abiding Dude said...

To note the positives of the game...

- WHAT a TD catch by Baldwin last night! That and the long ball he laid out for...kid is unreal.

- Lewis ran over Lloyd Junior...which always brings up the story of Lloyd Senior holding a gun in his mouth.

http://mondesishouse.blogspot.com/2007/02/greg-lloydstill-crazy.html

Steve said...

Well, at least the Pirates have that going for them...they can't disappoint since there is no realistic expectations to succeed, therefore; no bed to $hit in.

The Steelers, Penguins and Panthers on the other hand have all been making trips to the Laundromat lately.

Adam said...

People are going to call for the Stache's job, but really, I think that's a little dumb. He's a company guy. He's not going to pull a Brian Kelly and bolt after a couple good runs. He recruits and he runs a relatively clean program.

No one with any potential is going to stay at Pitt very long. People need to keep that in mind before they burn Dave at the stake.

Anywho, NickDawg, where are you now? Care to tell me how great Jon Baldwin and Dion are again? What's that?

Penn State > Temple > UCONN > Pitt?

O. OK. You can keep your mouth shut if you want. I understand.

HomeRunFromBehindTheMeatballs said...

That defense should be absolutely ashamed of allowing a conversion on 4&1 on the opponents 19 yd line with 2:45 to play in a 2 pt ballgame! That clearly shows how little UConn respected Pitt... and they were right! If i played on Pitt's DEF, i'd be thinking "maybe football's not for me" right about now.

@ Adam - Yes, Pitt is disappointing. But as a fellow PSU alum, i disagree with the Pitt bashing via anything positive about PSU. When has PSU NOT disappointed this year as well? They are also having a turrible year and, even you, must admit that. If they can do the unthinkable and beat OSU tomorrow, the entire outlook of the season will change for me, but i'm not gonna hold my breath. Sure Pitt has lost to some lower class talent, but PSU has fallen down a lot this season too. Your JoePa goggles are too strong.

Adam said...

I'm not at all disappointed with Penn State. I said 9-3, 8-4 if they had a hiccup all summer and it looks like that's exactly what we're going to get. The Illinois game was disappointing, but outside of that, things have gone about exactly as I figured they would.

It's a young team, and there's definitely growth to point to. I'm not sure how you could be disappointed with that.

I'm more making fun of Pitt FANS than Pitt itself. All summer long, people on this site in particular had nothing but Heisman/11-12 wins on their mind when that was unrealistic from the very beginning. Of course, Pitt has failed to meet any of my expectations, but I can't help enjoy ignorant Pitt fans wallowing in the pity of their broken dreams of grade's, and frankly, a lot of Pitt fans I'm friends with are, too. They hate the bandwagon/yinz/stillerz rulz fringe of the fan base that shows up after a year like last year and thinks they can talk the team into being on the same level as Penn State let alone Alabama or Florida. They're more or less...relieved things will be going back to normal.

HomeRunFromBehindTheMeatballs said...

Both teams were, no doubt, disappointing compared to their preseason rankings in the AP polls. Which, is exactly why the BCS polls don't come out until after week 8. I'm disappointed at how much Iowa OWNS us, and nothing more needs to be said about the Illinois game. The problem i see is that PSU had all cupcakes on the schedule aside from Alabama, Iowa, Ohio State, & Michigan State. I'd be disappointed to not take 1 of those 4. Still possible as the offense looks a billion times better with McGlo(v)in in there. So far, they've looked extremely outmatched in their 'tough' matchups.

I hope it turns around tomorrow though. Let's go STATE! Show Terrelle Pryor what's 'too rural'!

HomeRunFromBehindTheMeatballs said...

Also, it looks like Baldwin/Lewis are playing themselves out of the first round on the NFL draft! Maybe the 2nd round too!

Adam said...

Penn State is going to beat Michigan State, so I wouldn't worry about that.

I don't lose sleep about losing to the other three, though. They're more tested and more experienced, and I never really had any expectation of beating them. If they can get out of this thing with 9 or 10 wins including the bowl game, it will have been a pretty good year.

The Abiding Dude said...

YAY!!!!

I love that it became a Penn State discussion....again. It is seriously unreal how much Nitters want to make PSU relevant in a forum, so you insist to bring them up at any chance.

They weren't even in the discussion!!!

Adam said...

You only bring "Nitters" into the forum yourselves when you've got something to kick them around over, and now we're returning the favor.

People, that NickDawg moron, told me all summer how much Penn State sucked and how Pitt would be unstoppable. You don't think I'm going to rub his nose in this? Au contrar. I'm sorry if I'm a pain in the ass to rational Pitt fans, but if you were expecting a Heisman Trophy and undefeated season this year, you deserve all the nose rubbing you can get.

The Abiding Dude said...

One person can ruin it all...for either argument.

Guess who is representing "the otherside"? I'll give you a hint, it aint' NickDawg.

Adam said...

What "other side" am I poorly representing? The one that says Pitt isn't as good as people crack it up to be? I'm not saying anything that's not true. You just don't like that I'm happy about it.

The Abiding Dude said...

Yeah...that's what I am even discussing, not being happy about Pitt being as good as people crack it up to be. NOT the fact that practically every PITT discussion turns into "WOOO!!! Fucking Penn State mahfuckahs!!! They're awesome and better than Pitt!!! WOOOOOO!"

Seriously...I could not care less about Penn State or their comparison to Pitt. Neither program means dong to the other.

I just tire of hearing them brought up in Pitt topics and it seems you do it the most....just saying'

Adam said...

I actually didn't bring Pitt up. I just gave my little buddy NickDawg a shout out. Meatballs started talking about Penn State being disappointing so we had a nice little chat about it. BFD

The Abiding Dude said...

And your happiness of the topic means absolutely nothing to me...seriously. If you think it does, then more power to you. I just enjoy discussing topics that articles are about. I tyr and keep them on topic (for the most part).

HomeRunFromBehindTheMeatballs said...

Is it any coincidence that the word you used to represent us is remarkably similar to any other word synonymous with hate/ignorance? I’ll thank you to not make such parallels in the future. Way to make your university proud. It speaks to your class that you would pull that out as an insult.

"I couldn't care less about Penn State or their comparison to Pitt" ...actually, you seem to care quite a bit!

Chip said...

Comparing Pitt to Penn State is ridiculous. How do you think Pitt would fare in the Big Ten? We can't even beat the UConns of the world, we'd be lucky to finish 5th in a conference that had REAL teams like MSU or Ohio State.

Honestly, I hope Wannastache craps the bed from here on out so we get the Meineke Car Care Bowl again. Can you imagine this team against a Nebraska or Alabama? We'd get humiliated on national television.

I hate PSU but Pitt fans really have to own up to being irrational about how great our team was in the off-season. I don't think there's a single team in the SEC we could beat and yet I heard people talk like we should finish with a top 10 ranking.

The Abiding Dude said...

I actually didn't bring Pitt up.

Exactly....

The Abiding Dude said...

Is it any coincidence that the word you used to represent us is remarkably similar to any other word synonymous with hate/ignorance? I’ll thank you to not make such parallels in the future. Way to make your university proud. It speaks to your class that you would pull that out as an insult.

That's a reach......was not my intentions at all. Just what I have always called them?

HomeRunFromBehindTheMeatballs said...

I don't believe it is a reach. Perhaps you don't even realize that's WHY you've always called THEM that.

HomeRunFromBehindTheMeatballs said...

Would you put an "I hate Nitters" bumper sticker on your car?

The Abiding Dude said...

With a Penn State logo? I absolutley would...and that is actually a fantastic marketing idea.

Maybe folks shouldn't look to find everything so offensive...?

HomeRunFromBehindTheMeatballs said...

If you can honestly say that your intention wasn't to offend PSU alum, then i won't 'look' to find offense.

The Abiding Dude said...

I can honestly say that it was not my intention (or in my nature) to make that as offensive as you took it.

I have used that term many, many times and never thought it in the way you thought I intended.

Dallas Mike said...

Despite his insecurity over the success of a football team, I actually think Adam has made the most responisble arguments with regard to Pitt and expectations since the preseason rankings were unveiled...The most telling stat from ESPN last night was that Wannstedt was something like 3-9 with over 10 days to prepare for a game. That speaks volumes for the type of organizational competence the man possesses. Adam is correct in stating that DW is a company man, but I don't think anyone or any school should settle for mediocrity - which is the only thing that Wannstedt brings to the table. I have said this before, but Wannstedt's tenure at Pitt has mirrored his stints in Chicago and Miami. Just talk to people from those cities and you will hear the same frustrations and complaints. Lack of organization, missed expectations, vanilla schemes, no adjustments, befuddled sideline expressions, etc....Adam, I do think you are off the mark with regard to a guy like Brian Kelly. When the administration decides that the 6-7-8 year sample is large enough to determine DW is not the answer, I think you look to a young energetic guy that will use Pitt as a stepping stone job. The only coaches that view Pitt as a destination job are guys like Wannstedt with no viable alternatives. Maybe the football boosters should learn from the basketball program and bring in somebody with a fresh perspective that can be objective and honest, rather than trying to rekindle the glory days of yesteryear.

Dallas Mike said...

Not to bang on a kid who is only 21 years old, but I see Jonathan Baldwin as a potential Fred Gibson. Huge talent, but a ton of question marks. I think Gibson ended up in the NBA D-league after not making it with the Steelers or any other NFL club.

Anonymous said...

Adam,

You never change, go troll on a PSU column.

If you know so much can you give me the lottery numbers?

You are and always will be the biggest turd on the planet!

Louis Lipps is my homeboy said...

Jon Baldwin and Dion Lewis are great Adam.

You'll see when they're stars in the NFL in the next few years.

It's not their fault the coaching staff sucks.

Louis Lipps is my homeboy said...

Pitt's going to be a team that sends individuals to the NFL to become stars, but can't accomplish anything as a team in college (they already have: Fitz, Revis, Shady....)

That's the fate i have foreseen under Wannstedt.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

I just love how Adam jumps on a post about a Pitt game, turns it into a Penn State discussion , then when someone calls him on it he totally denies it despite his posts proving otherwise.

When whoever-it-was invented the term douche bag, it must have been shortly after an encounter with Adam.

Honestly,his life must be pretty sad and worthless is this what he does to feel better about himself.

okel dokel said...

Well played, Burress! Well played. *slow golf clap*

Unknown said...

Nobody was generating any Pitt discussion anyway, so who cares if Adam brings up PSU on this site? If you don't like it, just stop reading. Besides, this is the only realy PSU discussion I've seen so far all season. Not like it's overkill.

The Abiding Dude said...

Nobody was generating any Pitt discussion anyway

Actually....I did? Must've skipped all of that to make your point relevant.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

Dan,
Why should Pitt fans go somewhere else? This is a Pitt-centric blog. You have BlackshoeDiaries, go there.

Don't tell the people who read this site religiously to go elsewhere because some DoucheTroll has a major inferiority complex and runs his mouth here probably because nobody else cares to listen to his same old garbage.

I think YOU are the one who should stop reading this.

BURGH08 said...

Well, first of all I prefer to keep this on topic regarding Pitt. I don't remember the discussion on Lewi being a Heisman winner at the time, but if he deserved to be considered as a 'candidate'. Big difference, but it's one (if not the) most overrated events in sports.

Secondly, although I thought this could be anywhere from a 7 to a 9 win team, I don't see where ripping the "fringe" for wanting more comes from. Wasn't it Adam of all people coming up with ridiculous stats of how the Pirates could compete as long as they gave up "X" amount of runs in mid April? Pitt and Pirate fans have a lot of similar thoughts...both want more, will blind themselves to the facts, and know it's a matter of time before they truly will be disappointed.

Speaking of stats, Dallas Mike has the key one regarding the layoff at 3-9. That's about preparation, and to go in there last night to a team losing to Temple and blown out against Louisville is unacceptatble.

Finally, I don't know if moving the head coach is the solution, but don't buy the 'stepping stone' job rationale if you pick someone else either. Besides, how many top notch college jobs are there to really jump to? Or how many realize the grass isn't always greener? For every Brian Kelly, Nick Saban, and Urban Meyer there is a Dan Hawkins, Mike Price, or George O'Leary.

Thanks for the rant.

The Abiding Dude said...

Thanks for the rant

Nicely done...all points are good ones....

Adam said...

@ Joe

Love you too, buddy,

@ BURGH and Dallas Mike

I can see the wisdom in your points about Wanstache's future. I just think Pitt needs to be more careful in considering whether to get rid of him than if it was say, Florida. To me, for a school in Pitt's position, the grass isn't always greener. If Pitt jumps the Big East ship and goes to the ACC or Big Ten, then maybe that changes, but right now, no coach is looking to stay in the Big East very long.

@ Me bringing up Penn State

I'm fairly sure I specifically called out one individual who comments on this site, who happens to be the biggest lunatic here. Still haven't heard from him. Peace, NickDawg. Again, sorry if it pisses you rational people off.

BURGH08 said...

They are not going to get rid of him regardless of record this season, so the discussion is really pointless.

That said, your "no coach is looking to stay in the Big East" is more opinion that can be disputed with a more objective look.

Most coaches would leave to coach at Michigan, or Notre Dame, which are seen as top jobs in college football. Same with the NFL, which led to the departure of Bobby Petrino.

Mark D'Antonio leaving Cincy for MSU is the only legit one in in my opinion that would fit your scenario, but one could counter with Greg Schiano at Rutgers was also rumored to get an offer at Michigan before he withdrew from consideration. As well as the Miami job. If he didn't get those jobs he surely had a pick of what is seen as a 'stepping stone job', especially a few years ago.

The Big East deserves critical remarks as a football confernce this season, but the idea that coaches are jumping ship for any available job is a pretty far reach when you break it down.

Adam said...

We all know what job Greg Schiano is waiting for.

BURGH08 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BURGH08 said...

Yep, would be a great addition to Jay Paterno's staff.

Adam said...

That's not going to happen...unless Joe decides to retire during the summer...40 years from now.

JW said...

There was no reason for Pitt fans not to be incredibly optimistic about this season. Not because they were the most talented or best coached team out there, but because this team and its schedule (non-con and conference) should require 10 wins every year.

Antagonists bring up that Pitt cannot compete with the Floridas, Ohio States of the world, etc. Well, it doesn't matter because they DON'T. They compete with the Utahs, Miamis, Notre Dames, as well as the South Floridas, UConns, WVUs of the world, and I'm sorry but I expect 10 wins against that schedule every year.

Now, having been a Pitt fan for more than 30 years, I also have come to KNOW that it will rarely happen. In fact, I called this UConn loss to many people because it's just the type of game they lose. But what's the big deal if I'm incredibly optimistic heading into a season. Perhaps it is "ignorance" but I'd rather be ignorant than miserable and pessimistic.