Pittsburgh
Sports Report February 2004 |
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| PSR
Showdown Yes, And He'll
Get Better Be careful what you wish for, it might come true. That is the cautionary advice I offer to those Pitt fans who want to get rid of Walt Harris because his Panthers underachieved this season. You can't give Harris a pass on Pitt's inability to develop offensive lineman or some of the game day wackiness that makes you scratch your head, but the positives are many. The quality of the athletes the Panthers are recruiting has increased dramatically. That comes from continuity, stability and relationships developed between assistant coaches and high school coaches across the country. If you blow that up, you essentially start over. Now is not the time to do that. Larry Fitzgerald doesn't go to Pitt if it isn't for Harris, and Rod Rutherford never develops into a quarterback who throws for 37 touchdown passes in a single season without Walt Harris. Can Walt Harris take this program to the next level? A fair question, but I ask the Pitt fans this, can anybody? With the tenuous condition of the Big East, Jimmy Johnson isn't coming out of retirement to return to this old haunt. The challenge ahead is great, but don't think that the wavering by Anthony Morelli and Andrew Johnson is because of Walt Harris. It has more to do with the shaky future of the Big East. These kids want to play in big games like they witnessed when Pitt hosted Virginia Tech and Miami. Harris continues to grow as a head coach and I contend that there is an upside. The next level is only attained by a scant few and more programs fall from that perch than reach that pinnacle every single year. He and his staff have put Pitt back on the map. Will he ever contend for a national title? I believe there is much better chance of that happening if Jeff Long and the administration stay the course. Pitt fans need to realize what they have rather than dwell on what they don't. Walt Harris is recruiting good players and good kids. The program is competitive and with some luck and a couple of stud lineman, a BCS bowl is possible. Sure, I think Walt Harris can do a better job and if he's afforded the opportunity, he will. No,
But He Needs To Before this past football season, I wrote a column urging Pitt to extend Coach Walt Harris' contract. That was before Harris let quarterback Rod Rutherford play the opener instead of suspending him for a late-night incident. That was before the loss to Toledo, which basically ruined the season (nobody looks at you the same after you lose to Toledo). That was before the whipping from Notre Dame, the one where Notre Dame's Julius Jones ran for more yards than any player in that school's 100-plus-year history. That was before Pitt gave up 52 points in another loss to West Virginia. That was before Harris presided over the costliest defeat in Pitt history, one in which the Panthers were barely competitive (the drubbing by Miami with a $12 million bowl bid at stake). That was before it became abundantly clear that Harris has fallen short on recruiting quality linemen, even as he has succeeded in attracting good skill players. That was before Larry Fitzgerald watched from the sidelines on the goal-line plays in the Tire Bowl Travesty. That was before repeated innuendos from Pitt players that confusion reigns on the sidelines, not to mention in the playbook ("Our quarterback sneak is one of the most complicated quarterback sneaks you'll ever be around," Rutherford said.) That was before stud recruits Anthony Morelli and Andrew Johnson began to waver on their commitments. Walt Harris had a bad year. It was year in which the Pitt program was supposed to take a step forward but took a Big Foot-sized step backward, instead. Nobody expected a national championship. The disappointing thing is that Pitt failed to play anywhere near its potential. It failed to beat a good team, outside of overrated Virginia Tech. Harris deserves to return, because a bad year shouldn't erase all the good he has done. But if this trend continues, he shouldn't stay for long. His contract runs through 2006 and pays him an annual total salary believed to be worth $600,000, or half as much as coaches at the high-profile programs make. That is as it should be. |
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