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I'm finally back in the swing of things, I've finally actually observed some workouts and a scrimmage and I've finally gotten a chance to talk to the coaches and some players both on and off the record and that means I am finally ready to start discussing this new staff, the Panthers and all things spring football
It really was strange missing the first two weeks of spring football with this new staff and I'll be honest, for the first time since I started on this beat, I felt like I had to catch up, but I'm settling in and I can tell you that this staff is very honest and very open when it comes to discussing things and Todd Graham encourages his staff to get out there and talk to us media guys and build relationships because it is beneficial to everyone.
But here are some of my observations of camp and some interesting things I've picked up in talking to some of the coaches and some of the players and watching practices:
** Let's start with tempo. I know we've written a lot about it, we've talked a lot about it and Todd Graham is fond of talking about it but let's try to put some context to it. Calvin Magee spoke about the tempo and said that while it is about speeding up, it isn't always about going fast. The Panthers will operate the no-huddle at various speeds. In general, they want to get a snap off every 15 seconds (from whistle to snap) and this is something they time every practice and are working to get to. Watching the scrimmage Saturday we timed about ten plays in a row to try and get a feel for it and I'd say in general they were getting snaps off in about 18 seconds - which Graham referred to as a "turtle's pace". The thing is that is merely a guideline. At some points in the game against certain opponents, they will try to go faster than 15 seconds and others - like when they are trying to give the defense a rest or they are trying to ice a game - they want to go slower than 15 seconds. So it will be interesting to see the team operate the offense and figure out what tempo it is being played at as the change of speeds is something that is every bit a part of the difficulty in stopping the offense as anything they are doing X's and O's.
** Also, speaking of tempo, one guy who is extremely happy to see Magee on the staff is defensive coordinator Keith Patterson because he said the tempo of the offense really does affect the defense. I know we've talked a lot about Tulsa's poor defensive numbers but part of that is just due to the fact that Graham is a (his own words) "pull into the left lane, put the hammer down all the way" kind of guy and thus Tulsa's offense was always in ultra fast mode. Well that's great, but it also means your defense is out on the field a helluva lot more than most defenses and it also means they don't get a breather often in between series. So if, in an average Tulsa game, there were four or five more possessions than most other teams, that explains why there were so many more yards given up by that defense. But back to Patterson - he said Magee is probably the best spread offense guy ("spread offense" being his words, by the way) around because he is so good at mixing up the pace and the tempo and keeping defenses off balance with it. He also said for his defenses purposes that should really help because he knows he can go to Magee and ask him to slow things down while his defense recovers. He said often at Tulsa, especially when Gus Malzahn was there, the offense would score so quickly his defense couldn't get a rest.
So again, tempo and pace is something we talk about a lot since Graham was hired but it really will be a key to just how well they do on both sides of the ball.
** One thing that should really excite a segment of Pitt fans is Graham's quote about having his pedal to the medal at all times because from what I have seen, that is certainly the case. This is going to be an aggressive football team. I know one of the main complaints about the old regime was "playing not to lose" and the sort of predictable style of football they played. I happen to believe there are more ways to get the job done and they have all been effective at one point. But this staff is really all about attacking on both sides of the ball. And the biggest change will come on defense, where Patterson talked at length about the idea of attacking every play out of every formation.
One other thing that should also make some of the Pitt fans happy is that the "base" defense is designed to stop spread offenses and is versatile enough to also line up against power running games. In other words, we won't see linebackers trying to cover slot receivers. He also used the phrase "zone blitz" a lot in our conversations and he talked about the versatility of some players like Carl Fleming and Greg Williams who could play everywhere from the stand-up defensive end spot (Panther) to the outside linebacker (spur) or even the inside linebacker spot and how they will be used. Pitt will be mostly a 3-4 team but there will more likely be three linemen, two linebackers, two corners, a safety and three hybrid type players on the field at all times.
** It is hard to get a grip on personnel just yet because there are so many key players not participating in camp. At last count there were 14 sitting out which means there are a lot of patchwork type things going on just to get through the practices. Fall is always a much better gauge of the depth chart. I'll tell you one guy who has impressed me in my limited view of him - Mark Myers. I didn't know how he'd fit into this offense but it is so obvious to me that he has the best skill set of any of the quarterbacks. He really has a good arm and boy, the ball just zips from his hands.
** I'll have more tomorrow from today's practice. I will be writing about the offensive line and it will be my first dealings with the new offensive line coach, Spencer Leftwich. It should be interesting to discuss the changes in how the linemen will be trained and what they are going to be asked to do. Speaking of linemen, Graham raved about Chris Jacobson, Lucas Nix and Jordan Gibbs - which is a good thing as they should stand out seeing as they are the three returning starters and most experienced linemen on the team.
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written by Joe D, March 29, 2011 - 08:00 PM
why are there 14 on the sidelines...
injuries or they don't like to run... can't take the grueling workouts?
As Bob Hurley would say... bunch of candiass softees
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written by Joe D, March 29, 2011 - 09:59 PM
I hear he doesn't do combines because he is slow... 4.9 in 40. That written in scout and rivals is not verifiable..
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written by have a dave hart, March 29, 2011 - 10:03 PM
Thanks again Paul......I am psyched for the season as we know for sure, the college guys will be playing!
wish I could take a pill + wake up August 1st !!
Hail To Pitt + lets put that "pedal to the metal"
( maybe TG will be plying a little Sammy Haggar on the locker room sound system.....
"One foot on the brake ( Coach Patterson )
+ one on the gas ( Coach McGee )
HEY...there's too much traffic I can't pass
post my face, wanted dead or alive...
I CAN"T DRIVE 55!"
Panthers will be rockin + rollin for a change !!
Sincerely,
Dave in SD
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written by AZPGHFAN, March 30, 2011 - 12:56 AM
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written by Garyz1954, March 30, 2011 - 10:57 AM
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written by Joe D, March 30, 2011 - 12:19 PM
Only 9 are out of WPIAL... thank goodness.
After seeing the Nike combine Pittsburgh results, it confirmed wpial is slow, slow, slow!!!
Go out for track fellas... not baseball!!
R.Shell has yet to get officially clocked in the 40 and will not go out for track. He has gained weight and his speed is allegedly over 4.8 in 40. I see him as a LB in college.
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written by pmdhailtopitt, March 30, 2011 - 12:27 PM
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written by mark, March 30, 2011 - 01:04 PM
we only get to watch the first 40 minutes of practice and since about 36 of those minutes is stretching and kicking, it will be much tougher to give you an honest assessment of how the Panthers are really progressing. And with a sign on the door that says "no note taking, no video, no photos, no cell phones....." it is clear that secrecy is valued by this coaching staff, which is fine.
P Zeise, 3/17/11
this staff is very honest and very open when it comes to discussing things and Todd Graham encourages his staff to get out there and talk to us media guys and build relationships because it is beneficial to everyone.
P Zeise, 3/30/11
Come on Paul...which is it?
BTW
Thank you for writing several paragraphs about Pitt football without once using the phrase "High Octane"
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written by Joe D, March 30, 2011 - 01:38 PM
http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/springcamp.html
Bostic is doing a heck of a job.
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written by joebull, March 30, 2011 - 02:36 PM
If you look at all the camp numbers from the Nike Combine, only 13 kids across the nation ran under 4.5 at their combines. So, not as slow as you think.
Saw Shell play baseball recently. He is put together like a brick house. Fills out a baseball uniform. Saw him run as well without pads. Was the fastest player on the field. I would say he is a legit 4.6 40 kid which is fast.
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written by Joe D, March 30, 2011 - 02:55 PM
How are you and how is baseball season starting off? Central NJ is bigtime HS and youth baseball but football sucks.
Those Nike results are hard to cull out data... they only sort 1 way... by sparq rating. How many kids out of wpial were under 4.6?
No doubt, Shell is built like a brick house!!! Saw him up close without pads last fall. He looked 225 to 230 to me. Don't think he is under 4.6. Look at Foster from CV... many thought he was fast... he popped a 4.82... now granted he is a 10th grader, but he runs track and I expected under 4.6 out of him. That prompted me to look up his track results, his 100m is 11.5 to 12.3 as a 9th grader... so I look to see how he will progess this track season.
I think Shell is 4.7 to 4.8... clearly he is quick... no doubt about that. Shell has yet to get timed in the 40 independently...
But he is going to be converted to a LB in college.. mark my words.. and he will be a great one at that.
Just because Shell was fastest on the field, does not mean he is fast... you were comparing him to other Hopewell kids speed. Come on Joe, you know better than that. Put him up against some quippa kids.
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written by Joe D, March 30, 2011 - 03:12 PM
I counted 4 players under 4.6 out of wpial...
Durden out of Montour only got 4.62..
told you wpial is slow..
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written by Central Pa Bucs Fan, March 30, 2011 - 09:29 PM
Nothing underhanded about partially closing practices on the one hand while being cooperative with the press outside of practice. Mike Tomlin does something like that every week during the season it seems.
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written by joebull, March 30, 2011 - 10:39 PM
Baseball is going (if we can ever play a game since it snowed us out today).
Saw Shell against Steel Valley and Beaver Falls. He was fastest kid there. Also, no way he is 225 lbs now. I'd say closer to 200 lbs.
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written by quip4life, March 31, 2011 - 01:18 AM
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written by mark, March 31, 2011 - 10:26 AM
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written by Joe D, March 31, 2011 - 11:53 AM
Only 4 players out of approx. 600 from Wpial ran the 40 under 4.60.
Slow, slow, slow....
Check out the Florida combines... wow those players are fast!!
JoeBull... if your estimates are correct, he lost some weight which was a good thing. Last winter, spring, summer, Shell sat back and ate bon bons... this year, he played HS BB, HS baseball, and will be playing AAU basketball presumably to stay in shape and improve his speed and quickness.
Also, no way Shell is going to Ohio State... some stud RB committed... Dunn. Check out Dunn's combines.. That is why Ohio State is no longer in Shell's Top 5.
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Anyway, Nike combine was this past weekend... here is the site... check out the results.
http://rise.espn.go.com/football/articles/2011/03/27-Pittsburgh-recap-Nike-combine1.aspx
Many of the "top" wpial players did not show... and of those that did... slow, slower, slowest!!! The ones that didn't show don't want anyone to know their "slow" times in the 40 or shuttle.