Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Pitt post

*Todd Graham will officially be named head coach of the PITT football program today and will put to rest (hopefully) one of the most bizarre periods in PITT football history. I don't know much about Graham, but he was 36-17 at Tulsa and will reportedly bring a spread offense to the program. All I can go by is what everyone says about him, and on paper, he looks like the right hire. We'll see.

*I'm a little disappointed that Tom Bradley didn't get the job. Not because I necessarily think he's the best guy for the job, I just wanted to see if he was the one. He's supposedly wanted the job since 1997, and at age 54, this was undoubtedly his last shot at the position.

*I'll admit I bought into the whole notion that Bradley could go into any high school in Western, Pa. and recruit a kid. That's what he's been doing at Penn State for years. But the more I think about it, would he be as successful a recruiter without Joe Paterno as a selling point? I guess we'll never know. He is a really good guy. I'd like to see him get a job somewhere. Maybe UConn.

*Speaking of Bradley, the Rooneys apparently highly recommended that he be the guy or at least get an interview. The sentiment I heard from more than one person last week was how disappointed the Steelers were with the job Steve Pederson was doing with the coaching search and how embarrassed they were with the Haywood fiasco. They weren't happy at all with everything that transpired. With all due respect to the Rooneys and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will always be number one in my heart, but in my opinion, it's none of the Rooney family's business how the PITT administration conducts their business. Aren't they equal partners at Heinz Field and the South Side facilities? Even if PITT is a tenant of the Steelers, what are the Rooneys going to do? Kick out PITT and bring in the Duquesne football program to make up for 6 or 7 revenue-generating home games? If I was PITT chancellor Mark Nordenberg and the Rooneys were sticking their noses in my business, I would tell them to go fly a kite (or a plane because Dan knows how to do that.)

*PItt athletic director Steve Pederson has been under a lot of scrutiny for how he handled the Mike Haywood hire and a lot of PITT alumni and fans want him gone and are speculating on whether or not Nordenberg will now send him packing. I say, no way. There is no way Nordenberg would allow Pederson to be in charge of such an important process as hiring the football head coach and then fire him as soon as the process is complete. But whether or not Pederson remains athletic director will be determined by how the program responds under Graham.

*PITT won the BBVA Compass bowl against Kentucky, 27-10, and from the highlights that I saw, they looked pretty impressive, but after watching those highlights, I now know what people mean when they say PITT doesn't travel well. I didn't see very many PITT fans in the stands. I did see a ton of Kentucky blue, however. But I don't blame PITT fans for not going to Birmingham to watch that game. There was so much promise before the season started and they had that BCS trip right in their grasps and they let it slip away. Fans spent the majority of the season dreaming of a trip to Arizona and Birmingham, Alabama isn't a great consolation prize.

*Finally, the ratings for the BBVA Compass bowl are in and the number of televisions tuned in to watch the game were the ones in Mike Strejcek's house.

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