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We are 13 point dogs right now.

--MH

That's just one more reason to go.

Good. I think we were 19 point dogs to Minnesota. The more, the merrier!

That sounds about right, but maybe the bookees forgot how we usually play in these types of games. We'll either win by 1 point or lose by 40. LOL

Keep in mind the Falcons have one distinct advantage in this game: Pitt is coached by Dave Wannstedt. As a Dolphins fan, I can attest for how bad this guy is. He's ruined every team he's touched. Lol.

jlozer8 wrote:Keep in mind the Falcons have one distinct advantage in this game: Pitt is coached by Dave Wannstedt. As a Dolphins fan, I can attest for how bad this guy is. He's ruined every team he's touched. Lol.

How do you define irony?

Jacobs4Heisman wrote:

jlozer8 wrote:Keep in mind the Falcons have one distinct advantage in this game: Pitt is coached by Dave Wannstedt. As a Dolphins fan, I can attest for how bad this guy is. He's ruined every team he's touched. Lol.

How do you define irony?

If you're referring to Brandon's coaching abilities, I see your point, although with the exception of the GMAC bowl last year, I don't think he's done too terrible with the talent he's had.

Can Brandon really be blamed for that performance against Tulsa? You can't run out onto the field, grab a kids arm and say "Woah, look where you're about to throw."

VDub26Falcon wrote:Can Brandon really be blamed for that performance against Tulsa? You can't run out onto the field, grab a kids arm and say "Woah, look where you're about to throw."

Good point. I really wasn't trying to call Brandon's coaching ability into question, and if anything I was defending him. It sounded like Jacobs4Heisman was calling Brandon out, and I don't think he's been as bad as many seem to think. That GMAC bowl was just a game I don't ever care to think about again, and I can see that some might, in some way, blame the coach for it.

jlozer8 wrote:

VDub26Falcon wrote:Can Brandon really be blamed for that performance against Tulsa? You can't run out onto the field, grab a kids arm and say "Woah, look where you're about to throw."

Good point. I really wasn't trying to call Brandon's coaching ability into question, and if anything I was defending him. It sounded like Jacobs4Heisman was calling Brandon out, and I don't think he's been as bad as many seem to think. That GMAC bowl was just a game I don't ever care to think about again, and I can see that some might, in some way, blame the coach for it.

Not so much calling Brandon out (although I'm obviously not a fan), just pointing out it's incredibly ironic for a BG fan to say we have a distinct coaching advantage against Pitt because of Dave Wannstedt. Wannstedt's resume absolutely destroys Gregg Brandon's, in spite of his failures. I don't think Wannstedt is a fantastic coach, but to say Brandon is head and shoulders better is laughable.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg.../901526-233.stm


" In his first four seasons [at Miami], he was 11-5, 11-5, 9-7 and 10-6"

In 04, Ricky Williams left for weed and they were down to their 4th string running back early in the season...

DW gets a lot of sh!t, but I truly believe its just people believing what others are saying instead of actually looking for themselves... You can judge any coach any way you feel necessary, but Pitt believes they have the right guy and the fans/alumni/recruits/players believe they have the right guy as well... Now if you REALLY feel DW is a bad coach, thats fine.. But just make sure its your opinion, not just re-hashed garbage you read off of another's message board..

PITTMAN wrote:http://www.post-gazette.com/pg.../901526-233.stm


" In his first four seasons [at Miami], he was 11-5, 11-5, 9-7 and 10-6"

In 04, Ricky Williams left for weed and they were down to their 4th string running back early in the season...

DW gets a lot of sh!t, but I truly believe its just people believing what others are saying instead of actually looking for themselves... You can judge any coach any way you feel necessary, but Pitt believes they have the right guy and the fans/alumni/recruits/players believe they have the right guy as well... Now if you REALLY feel DW is a bad coach, thats fine.. But just make sure its your opinion, not just re-hashed garbage you read off of another's message board..

Pittman, you beat me to posting the link. I was unable to open yours.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08216/901526-194.stm

Smizik is an azz clown most of the time, but this is a decent article. I hope DW succeds since he is from the burgh, except in the opener of course. He seems like a genuine person. You bring up good points. I have poked fun at DW as well. Johnson didn't do anything with the Dolphins before DW.

Pittman, what is your opinion of Cavanaugh as the O coordinator? I am not a big fan of his.

Funny you should ask, he was a topic of an article today..

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 81089.html

I do have mixed feelings on him.. His offenses were notoriously conservative and most of the time below average in the NFL and now at Pitt... However, in 06 his offense was the strong point and Pitt's Defense was torched.... Last year he had to cut the playbook in half b/c of two freshman QBs starting 11 out of 12 games(along w/ other key injuries)...

While the national media and other teams think that DW is on the hot seat, its actually Cav.. In 2008, he has a seasoned QB (although not game tested) who knows the playbook, a Heisman candidate in the backfield, an All-BE WR returning from injury, a 5-star WR (frosh) who is 6'6 and runs a 4.4 40, the nations #1 Tight End recruit from 2006; and another 5 star athlete that has moved from RB, to LB and now at TE in his 3d year at Pitt... Our O-line is a question mark, and again, the national media is holding that as a negative against us, but the truth is that it will be a very, very talented line, it is just inexperienced... Its not that they'll be bad, the problem is that no one knows how they will perform...
Lastly, A 4-star JUCO QB transferred to Pitt over the spring who will see a lot of PT this year in different formations... He is the definition of a running QB; average/slightly below average accuracy but runs like a deer...

With all of that being said, there is absolutely no excuse for Cav to underachieve with this talent.... I do give him the benefit of the doubt last year b/c of the injuries, but I thnk this is the year he gets it done..

One thing that gets overlooked in regards to Wannstedt's coaching career is the fact that in Miami, he inherited a team that Jimmy Johnson had built into a legit playoff contender, and Wannstedt did absolutely nothing to improve the team. Yes, I know Wannsetdt never had Marino, but to be honest, going from an OLD Marino to Jay Fiedler at QB was not a very dramatic drop off in skills. The defense Wannstedt inherited was one of the best in the league, so Wannstedt was able to coast for a few years just on the talent that Johnson had put in place. After few years though, the team was in complete disarray, and Wannstedt was partly to blame. Yes, Ricky Williams retired out of no where, but that was no reason for the Dolphins to completely fall of the face of the earth.

His situation when he coached the Bears was somewhat similar in that he followed a legend (Ditka) and did absolutely nothing to improve the team. The main difference is that the Dolphins were a playoff team when he inherited them, and the Bears were coming off a 5-11 season. Still though, he managed to run the Bears into the ground before getting fired.

I just don't think too highly of Wannstedt, perhaps to my own detriment, but I wouldn't even want to hire the guy to coach a high school team. I really do understand all of the arguments for why he's not that bad, I just disagree and wanted to offer a different perspective.

jlozer8 wrote:One thing that gets overlooked in regards to Wannstedt's coaching career is the fact that in Miami, he inherited a team that Jimmy Johnson had built into a legit playoff contender, and Wannstedt did absolutely nothing to improve the team. Yes, I know Wannsetdt never had Marino, but to be honest, going from an OLD Marino to Jay Fiedler at QB was not a very dramatic drop off in skills. The defense Wannstedt inherited was one of the best in the league, so Wannstedt was able to coast for a few years just on the talent that Johnson had put in place. After few years though, the team was in complete disarray, and Wannstedt was partly to blame. Yes, Ricky Williams retired out of no where, but that was no reason for the Dolphins to completely fall of the face of the earth.

His situation when he coached the Bears was somewhat similar in that he followed a legend (Ditka) and did absolutely nothing to improve the team. The main difference is that the Dolphins were a playoff team when he inherited them, and the Bears were coming off a 5-11 season. Still though, he managed to run the Bears into the ground before getting fired.

I just don't think too highly of Wannstedt, perhaps to my own detriment, but I wouldn't even want to hire the guy to coach a high school team. I really do understand all of the arguments for why he's not that bad, I just disagree and wanted to offer a different perspective.

It's definitely a valid perspective. My point was that Brandon does not have the coaching chops to ever even get the opportunity to run 2 different NFL franchises into the ground.