OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: They Killed Kenny!

[DanielPlainview]

What systematic offense at Iowa State? They’re not exactly Mike Leach Texas Tech.

What I’m seeing is a young QB who makes advanced reads, has a cannon of an arm, and can place the ball accurately. He also protects the ball, turning it over very infrequently. I literally see nothing that makes me think he’s a product of a system.

 

[JTG]

What systematic offense at Iowa State? They’re not exactly Mike Leach Texas Tech.

What I’m seeing is a young QB who makes advanced reads, has a cannon of an arm, and can place the ball accurately. He also protects the ball, turning it over very infrequently. I literally see nothing that makes me think he’s a product of a system.

They are a spread offense.

 

[DanielPlainview]

They are a spread offense.

That doesn’t make a QB a system QB

 

[JTG]

That doesn’t make a QB a system QB

It kind of does - big difference in the SF is he takes more snaps under center, but a lot of that is because they are feeding McCaffrey. There is a reason a dude was drafted in the 7th round and he looks like an NFL Pro Bowler. Because he understands the system and the reads that need to be made. Put Purdy basically anywhere else and I'd guarantee he doesn't have this type of success early on. Put Pickett in his place, and I think they look similar.

I'm not knocking his talent, but he's in a perfect situation where the similarities between his college offense and his pro offense are definitely there. It's predicated on him making quick reads and getting it to receivers that can rack up yards after catch. Fact is there is a long track record of QBs under Shanahan having career years - Matt Schaub, RG3, Matt Ryan.

 

[DanielPlainview]

It kind of does - big difference in the SF is he takes more snaps under center, but a lot of that is because they are feeding McCaffrey. There is a reason a dude was drafted in the 7th round and he looks like an NFL Pro Bowler. Because he understands the system and the reads that need to be made. Put Purdy basically anywhere else and I'd guarantee he doesn't have this type of success early on. Put Pickett in his place, and I think they look similar.

I'm not knocking his talent, but he's in a perfect situation where the similarities between his college offense and his pro offense are definitely there. It's predicated on him making quick reads and getting it to receivers that can rack up yards after catch. Fact is there is a long track record of QBs under Shanahan having career years - Matt Schaub, RG3, Matt Ryan.

No it doesn’t. At all. Shanahan being a good offensive mind doesn’t make his QBs system QBs, it means he knows how to get the best out of his guy. A system QB is one totally reliant on the system for success. It’s almost entirely a college phenomenon.

Pickett does not display the same skills as Purdy at all. His arm isn’t as good, he doesn’t process as quickly. Granted some of that is probably the piss poor offense Canada has drawn up but it’s still obvious watching them both that they are not anywhere near the same.

 

[JTG]

No it doesn’t. At all. Shanahan being a good offensive mind doesn’t make his QBs system QBs, it means he knows how to get the best out of his guy. A system QB is one totally reliant on the system for success. It’s almost entirely a college phenomenon.

Pickett does not display the same skills as Purdy at all. His arm isn’t as good, he doesn’t process as quickly. Granted some of that is probably the piss poor offense Canada has drawn up but it’s still obvious watching them both that they are not anywhere near the same.

I disagree. If Pickett was in a system like Shanahan's and an offense as talented as SF's, I have no doubt he'd have success in it. I actually thought SF may have taken Pickett in the draft had the Steelers not snagged him earlier than he probably should have gone.

Purdy does have a better arm, by a lot. Shanahan's system is notoriously QB friendly. People who have played this game at a very high level their entire lives have even said that Purdy probably doesn't do what he is doing in SF anywhere else. To me, that says the system is making the QB, not the other way around. I think you hang up is that they had guys like Lance and Jimmy G and it didn't look as good as it does with Purdy, and that's just because Purdy is much smarter than both of them because he had to process the offense very similarly in college, and he has an awesome run game that is really opening things up for him.

Again, I like Purdy a lot. I wanted the Steelers to take him as a developmental guy behind Mitch and Mason. They went a totally different direction though.

 

[DanielPlainview]

I disagree. If Pickett was in a system like Shanahan's and an offense as talented as SF's, I have no doubt he'd have success in it. I actually thought SF may have taken Pickett in the draft had the Steelers not snagged him earlier than he probably should have gone.

Purdy does have a better arm, by a lot. Shanahan's system is notoriously QB friendly. People who have played this game at a very high level their entire lives have even said that Purdy probably doesn't do what he is doing in SF anywhere else. To me, that says the system is making the QB, not the other way around. I think you hang up is that they had guys like Lance and Jimmy G and it didn't look as good as it does with Purdy, and that's just because Purdy is much smarter than both of them because he had to process the offense very similarly in college, and he has an awesome run game that is really opening things up for him.

Again, I like Purdy a lot. I wanted the Steelers to take him as a developmental guy behind Mitch and Mason. They went a totally different direction though.

Absolutely not. A QB-friendly system just does not exist in the NFL. You can either process the reads or you can't. You can either make the throws or you can't. Purdy simply does it better than those guys, and would certainly be successful in another offense. Whether he'd be as successful elsewhere is a red herring.

It's obvious good coaching makes a difference. ANYONE would perform better in a superiorly conceived offensive scheme. That's completely irrelevant when looking at what an individual player brings to the table. Every once in a while the league scouts have a collective blind spot about a player and he drops way down the draft. Purdy is simply that guy. A very talented player that for some reason no one wanted.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

I disagree. If Pickett was in a system like Shanahan's and an offense as talented as SF's, I have no doubt he'd have success in it. I actually thought SF may have taken Pickett in the draft had the Steelers not snagged him earlier than he probably should have gone.

Purdy does have a better arm, by a lot. Shanahan's system is notoriously QB friendly. People who have played this game at a very high level their entire lives have even said that Purdy probably doesn't do what he is doing in SF anywhere else. To me, that says the system is making the QB, not the other way around. I think you hang up is that they had guys like Lance and Jimmy G and it didn't look as good as it does with Purdy, and that's just because Purdy is much smarter than both of them because he had to process the offense very similarly in college, and he has an awesome run game that is really opening things up for him.

Again, I like Purdy a lot. I wanted the Steelers to take him as a developmental guy behind Mitch and Mason. They went a totally different direction though.

The offense looks the same with Purdy as it did with Jimmy G and Purdy's career numbers look almost identical to Jimmy's last year. There's very little functional difference between the two. They're a lot closer to the 10th best/most important player in that offense than they are to the 1st.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Absolutely not. A QB-friendly system just does not exist in the NFL. You can either process the reads or you can't. You can either make the throws or you can't. Purdy simply does it better than those guys, and would certainly be successful in another offense.

It's obvious good coaching makes a difference. ANYONE would perform better in a superiorly conceived offensive scheme. That's completely irrelevant.

This was maybe true 45 years ago. But with the rule changes over the past two decades making it easier for QBs, the system is probably the most important part of a successful passing offense. Guys are open so often now accuracy isn't as crucial, so when your system gets guys wide open in the middle of the field, all Purdy has to do is throw it to a spot.

 

[ChaosAgent]

It kind of does - big difference in the SF is he takes more snaps under center, but a lot of that is because they are feeding McCaffrey. There is a reason a dude was drafted in the 7th round and he looks like an NFL Pro Bowler. Because he understands the system and the reads that need to be made. Put Purdy basically anywhere else and I'd guarantee he doesn't have this type of success early on. Put Pickett in his place, and I think they look similar.

I'm not knocking his talent, but he's in a perfect situation where the similarities between his college offense and his pro offense are definitely there. It's predicated on him making quick reads and getting it to receivers that can rack up yards after catch. Fact is there is a long track record of QBs under Shanahan having career years - Matt Schaub, RG3, Matt Ryan.

It's kinda wild to think that SF traded the kitchen sink for Lance when they didn't need to.

 

[DanielPlainview]

This was maybe true 45 years ago. But with the rule changes over the past two decades making it easier for QBs, the system is probably the most important part of a successful passing offense. Guys are open so often now accuracy isn't as crucial, so when your system gets guys wide open in the middle of the field, all Purdy has to do is throw it to a spot.

It's most certainly still true. Defenses are still more complex today than they were back then. While they have been handcuffed, the idea it's somehow easy in the NFL today is absurd.

This conversation is beyond ridiculous but I have to remember all the absolute dumbskulls 20 years ago trying to tell us Peyton Manning and Tom Brady weren't up to snuff and could never compare to Montana or Marino and the game is just easier now. There are always people who feel the need to pooh-pooh the next gen of great QBs.

 

[Rossi Rat]

I hear you all on Garrett, but there is no denying while Watt may be better that he still is really good and the media just seems to like him more.

How ‘bout the BUS in attendance in South Bend to watch his Irish put on an utter shellacking of this garbage sPitt team! 51-7… not quite as good as 51-6 though!

 

[The Old Master]

How ‘bout the BUS in attendance in South Bend to watch his Irish put on an utter shellacking of this garbage sPitt team! 51-7… not quite as good as 51-6 though!

what is it with people that feel it's necessary to find some low life that just crawled out from under a rock to compare themselves to just to make themselves look better. but in reality, it just makes them an object of pity? just asking for a friend.

 

[JTG]

Absolutely not. A QB-friendly system just does not exist in the NFL. You can either process the reads or you can't. You can either make the throws or you can't. Purdy simply does it better than those guys, and would certainly be successful in another offense. Whether he'd be as successful elsewhere is a red herring.

It's obvious good coaching makes a difference. ANYONE would perform better in a superiorly conceived offensive scheme. That's completely irrelevant when looking at what an individual player brings to the table. Every once in a while the league scouts have a collective blind spot about a player and he drops way down the draft. Purdy is simply that guy. A very talented player that for some reason no one wanted.

There is a reason, but it's not worth going into.

It's kinda wild to think that SF traded the kitchen sink for Lance when they didn't need to.

I get why they did, but to draft a guy knowing full well he needed a ton of time and then be surprised when he can't fully take the reigns in his 2nd year is kind of the NFL in a nutshell.

Purdy played like 4x more football in college than Lance. He was way more prepared for the NFL. Lance is in a perfect spot now. If he can't succeed in Dallas with some seasoning, I don't think he will succeed in the league.

 

[JTG]

Slowing hits down makes any hit look dirty. I think that is a good hard football play. I actually like Shilo Sanders as a player. If he doesn't lean his weight forward in this play (which brings the crown of the helmet forward) he get's absolutely steamrolled by someone 50-60 pounds heavier than him. I'm at the point with football, accept the health consequences of playing or don't play. These rules are absurd.

 

[Rossi Rat]

what is it with people that feel it's necessary to find some low life that just crawled out from under a rock to compare themselves to just to make themselves look better. but in reality, it just makes them an object of pity? just asking for a friend.

Not sure what you mean by this.

PSU and Pitt have two very different problems.

PSU will win 9-11 games most years, but have consistently been coming up short against Ohio St and Michigan. Still a shot against Michigan at least, but it may not mean too much if Ohio St doesn’t lose 2 more games anyway.

Pitt will win more like 6-8 games on average most years, which is OK considering who they are. Them losing like they did to a Notre Dame program that is similar to Penn St is very telling of who they are in the college football hierarchy. Their best hope is to every so often bust through and win a few more games than their mean to have a shot at relevancy, which they did in 2021, but absolutely failed to capitalize on it (and still had an embarrassing typical Pitt loss anyway to western Michigan). And now suddenly they have bottomed out, having their worst season in over 2 decades and their coach is an absolute dunce who everyone hates and just isn’t going to be the answer for them.

At the end of the day, especially with the 12 team playoff, I would obviously much rather have PSU’s “problem”, which is why I’m thankful to be a proud alumnus and fan.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

This Lawrence and the Terrible Towel controversy is so f***ing stupid.

Even Cowher is mad.

“You know what the Terrible Towel is?”

“Ya a little yellow towel they wave around”

Ohs nos! He described what it looks like!

Yinzer nation continues to be embarrassing as hell.

 

[Power Surge]

This Lawrence and the Terrible Towel controversy is so f***ing stupid.

Even Cowher is mad.

“You know what the Terrible Towel is?”

“Ya a little yellow towel they wave around”

Ohs nos! He described what it looks like!

Yinzer nation continues to be embarrassing as hell.

My exact reaction too. Like who cares?

I'm actually surprised at Cowher, tbh.

 

[JTG]

This Lawrence and the Terrible Towel controversy is so f***ing stupid.

Even Cowher is mad.

“You know what the Terrible Towel is?”

“Ya a little yellow towel they wave around”

Ohs nos! He described what it looks like!

Yinzer nation continues to be embarrassing as hell.

"It nawt a lil yella tahl...IT'S A TERRIBOWL TAHL!"

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

"It nawt a lil yella tahl...IT'S A TERRIBOWL TAHL!"

He should just go to the 50 yard line and wipe his ass with it at this point.

 

[JTG]

He should just go to the 50 yard line and wipe his ass with it at this point.

Whatever they need to do to get up for these games at this point, I guess.

 

[pistolpete11]

The Terrible Towel is a symbol of something more than what it physically looks like....at least it used to be. Lawrence using the world 'little' is clearly meant to be disparaging. The team, and particularly the defense, should take offense to that and use it is added motivation. If they don't, then maybe that's part of the problem with this franchise nowadays.

 

[JTG]

The Terrible Towel is a symbol of something more than what it physically looks like....at least it used to be. Lawrence using the world 'little' is clearly meant to be disparaging. The team, and particularly the defense, should take offense to that and use it is added motivation. If they don't, then maybe that's part of the problem with this franchise nowadays.

I don't know...it's a yellow dish towel. If you know nothing about the Steelers, I can actually see how someone who doesn't know anything about the Steelers has no idea what the towel is even called. I just didn't take it as personally I guess.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I just didn't take it as personally I guess.

That's the way to go for most things I've found. Things like that just aren't serious enough to bring out anything close to real anger. I'm saying this with 5 terrible towels in the room (and a Pitt, 3 Pens, and a Riverhounds towel) with me as I watch this game Like I get that it is a symbol here, but it's still just not that serious. That said, if the team can use it to get fired up, great. Go do that football.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

The Terrible Towel is a symbol of something more than what it physically looks like....at least it used to be. Lawrence using the world 'little' is clearly meant to be disparaging. The team, and particularly the defense, should take offense to that and use it is added motivation. If they don't, then maybe that's part of the problem with this franchise nowadays.

That’s literally what it is… a little yellow towel.

I used to use throw terrible towels in my hockey bags to dry my skates because it was a small ass towel that didn’t take up much space.

What did people want him to say?

“It’s a glorious yellow towel with magical pahers!”