Dave Wannstedt Rips Todd Graham Over Tino Sunseri
by CardiacHill on Dec 5, 2011 7:10 PM EST
in Pitt Football
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I've got to admit, this is the first I can recall of Dave Wannstedt making any significant comments on Todd Graham since he was let go.
And Wannstedt, wasn't all that complimentary of Graham when it came to discussing Tino Sunseri, to say the least:
Appearing on TribLive Radio, Wannstedt, now the assistant head coach of the Buffalo Bills, said this in regard to the way coach Todd Graham has handled Sunseri:
``If he was my son, he would be gone. I would pull him out of there and transfer him.''
Then there was more ...
In the radio interview, Wannstedt, who was fired after last season, said, ``I'm really shocked the way people have put a microscope on this kid. It is very disappointing to me.
``In the NFL, you do it when a guy is making $10 million a year. You throw him under the bus and try to run him out of town.
``But not a 20-, 18-, 19-year-old college kid (Sunseri will be 23 later this month) who had other places to go and chose to come to Pitt and he won a state championship there at the local high school and his father (Sal) was an All-American there?
"If he can't play, don't play him, but do it the right way."
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I'm a pretty strong supporter of Dave Wannstedt. He didn't do everything right and there were plenty of times I criticized him as the coach. But I really thought he deserved another season as the head coach, even though I realize that's not the popular opinion. People wanted to kill him for winning only seven games in his final season after winning 19 in the two seasons before that. Well, this year, the team won six.
I've also been a bit more supportive of Tino this year than most. I think he's had good games and that kind of gets brushed under the rug due to the absolutely abhorrent decisions he's made at times.
If I'm looking at this objectively, I think Wannstedt's got this one right. I've got no problem with the media calling Sunseri out for his play, but for Graham to do it in public was a bit over the top. Regardless of where you stand on Sunseri's ability, Wannstedt's right in my opinion for saying not to play him rather than bash him.
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Well.....
Graham wouldn’t have to criticize Tino if Wanny had left him something that resembled a QB on the roster…..
Graham has been a little too critical of Tino
But is he wrong? I mean, outside of Louisville and South Florida, Tino’s been mediocre at best. Why compliment a player who’s had 2 good games in the season when he doesn’t have the consistent play to earn it?
We all knew Tino was bound to have troubles running the system. But when things go wrong with the team, it falls on two people: the head coach and the QB. Don’t like the criticism? Don’t be a head coach or play another position.
Cardiac Hill contributor
Also
What would people rather have Graham do? Lie about it?
One of the things I hated about Wanny was his inability to just be honest with the media during interviews and say why Pitt wasn’t doing well. It was always “This is a really young football team” or “There were a lot of injuries”. Pretty sure Wannstedt would play mostly upperclassmen and every team has injuries. Work around it and make some adjustments and maybe he’d still be Pitt’s coach
Cardiac Hill contributor
Tino had issues
I have no problem with Todd Graham criticizing Tino in public. I mean, Tino has really been a mostly awful QB- other than a few good games he had against Notre Dame and this last Syracuse game. Yes, he has shown flashes of being good, but he isn’t consistent, and whenever Pitt needed him in a big situation, he has never produced.
You need a QB to deliver today in college football, and we don’t have one right now. I would rather have a coach being honest and blunt rather than say what is pretty.
If Dave Wannstedt said I was doing something wrong, I would immediately do more of it.
Editor and Ombusdman, Voodoo Five, South Florida Bulls SBN Blog
by GarySJ on Dec 5, 2011 8:04 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
More on the interview
The Trib’s website has a bit more on the interview including Wannstedt’s thoughts on Rushel Shell, Pitt’s 6-6 season, and NFL prospects Lucas Nix and Brandon Lindsey.
Manager of Cardiac Hill - SB Nation's Pitt Panthers blog
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Tino
I have to agree, Tino sucks, but I think Graham didn’t help his confidence by throwing him under the bus. If he made one big mistake, it was letting Tino throw the ball deep. Anything over 15 yds. was too deep for his weak arm. If he kept on the short passes, he might have won more games. Once he threw an int., he was done. I blame a lot of that on Graham. I think Tino was terrified to make a mistake because of what Graham’s reaction would be.
Wanny needed to go
The goal at Pitt is to clearly win a BE BCS bid, and under Wanny, you were never going to do that. Wanny had a 2 game lead last year in the BE and what did he do? Choke when the stakes were big. He did it each of the last 3 years actually. All he had to do was beat Cincy in 09’, 10’ or UCONN in 11’, and Wanny would still be coach right now. You were never going to get over the hump with Wanny.
I don’t mind having one bad season if it means getting a (what I think will be) a great new coach like Todd Graham. Give Todd Graham some time, he will deliver a BE or ACC championship once in the next 3 years I predict.
Wanny on Tino?
You know, if you go back and look at Wanny’s press conference over his tenure at Pitt You’ll see him throwing players under the bus. Wanny never took blame; he always deflected it to the players.
Sunseri has lost this team and the coaching staff’s confidence, it all began last year when his arrogant attitude alienated the upper classmen and it was evident this year after his press conference after the South Florida game.
Everyone is giving Graham the business because of the 411 yard average performance comment, well in Grahams offense the QB is expected to pass for 411 yards a game, an average performance in this offense.
If you notice Sunseri doesn’t spend a lot of time on the sidelines with anyone during the game and when he is sacked his team mates do not extend a hand to pick him up.
Tino is an arrogant, self centered person who is a cancer on this team, it’s evident.
Wanny has been a spoiled child who rode Jimmy Johnson’s coaching coat tails and Wanny couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag if his life depended on it. Pitt gave him 6 seasons and he did not take Pitt to a BCS Bowl game, when Wanny was hired he shot his mouth off and said HE was going to take Pitt to the next level, well did he????
what a difference a week makes
How are the Graham supporters now? Wanny did take them closer to the BE BCS than Graham ever will.
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