I'm saying the best players on the team that were here before Pioli are still the best players here. A GM who has had 3 full years should have made a bigger impact in that area.

I understand your point and it has some merit, but also keep in mind that it's not like LSU had pulled their starters and Geno put up those numbers on the #2 defense. It was a bowl game...college football's Superbowl and very few of those yards were gimme yards. They also had to throw the ball because they couldn't run the ball, not totally because they were behind although that was a factor of course.

Roethlisberger didn't just lose to Iowa that year, he threw 4 picks and looked absolutely TERRIBLE.

Obviously, that didn't hurt him AT ALL at the NFL level. Probably made him BETTER actually.

welp, take him off the draft board..../black boob

It was a game in September.

Pioli came to a team already in Year One of its rebuild. In that year they had the 2008 draft, a DAMN ****ING FINE start to that rebuild.

There was tons of shit, but there was also tons of great talent. The only problem is they were all very very young players.

You are the one going full reerun here.

Let's also consider that the young talent already on the team when Pioli came aboard is the ONLY part of the team that has done jack ****ing shit for him.

So yeah. Young talent. We had it.

There are plenty of teams that have their games broadcast showing less than half full stadiums. Take the entire state of Florida, for example. There is really not much of a financial need for Clark to have Pioli put asses in the seats under a) the collective bargaining agreement and b) with TV revenues. Clark was the primary number cruncher when negotiating those deals for the owners; he made sure the owners- himself included- were positioned to be in a no lose situation.

Even if fans aren't in the seats, local advertisers will buy tickets to prevent a blackout because they know more people watch the games than go to them in the first place.

Outside of KC, no one really gives two hoots about the banners. Even in KC it is only relevant to disgruntled fans.

Pioli is going to be given a VERY long leash. He is Clark's hire; he was NFL executive of the decade; and, rightly or wrongly, he is given a lot of credit for helping to build a dynasty in NE.

See above.


I'm not a Pioli apologist- I think he is doing a lousy job- but people just can't cherry-pick facts and think things are going to change just because they aren't happy.

Talking Can has once again raped the reerun critics. Almost as if he went in a time machine back 40,000 years to Africa and snuffed them out at the source.

http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Do...HeismanW71.jpg
This week is very special for the Heisman race — it's the first time two legitimate Heisman contenders will face each other.
West Virginia's Geno Smith will square off against Kansas State's Collin Klein in a battle of two of the nation's most exciting quarterbacks. Klein will look to keep the Wildcats on top of the Big 12 and contending for a BCS bowl while Smith will be trying to rebound from last week's thrashing at the hands of Texas Tech.
This game could have major implications on the results of the Heisman race. Smith has been the frontrunner all season, but can't afford another rough game. Klein has been pretty steady and could supplant Smith with a stellar performance.
As for the rest of our Heisman candidates — they're highlighted in pink today for Breast Cancer Awareness Month — all of them have the ability to make up ground against their various opponents this weekend.
We thought this Heisman race was over, but it's about to get pretty interesting. Smith holds his bronze-statue-hoisting fate in his own hands.
Check out Dr. Saturday's Heisman Watch heading into Week 7:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-...31--ncaaf.html

Oh snap...stepped in it here. I guess it seemed like a bowl game to WVU fans...until it was over that is. My point is still valid about them not taking out their starters.

He's added alot of talent it's just all still young like the guys he inherited. He's failed at the QB position and that undermines all the talent that we have. That said there was more shit on this team then talent when he got here. I'm not apologizing for Pioli but the narrative that he took over a team loaded with talent that I've read lately is bogus. Like I said there's plenty of reason for fans to want Pioli gone without having to make that claim.

:spock:

Define this "talent" that you speak about.

Yeah I went full reerun in two post that weren't three sentences long.

Loaded with talent? No. Did it have some cornerstone pieces to build upon? Yes.

The biggest problem is the QB position, but beyond that the team has become progressively worse.

In 2010, Pioli's 2nd year, the team had 10 wins, 14th in pts scored, 11th in pts against, 13th in point differential, and 5th in takeaway/giveaway ratio.

In 2011 the team had 7 wins, was 31st in pts scored, 18th in pts against, 29th in point differential, and 18th in takeaway/giveaway ratio.

In 2012 the team has 1 win, is 29th in pts scored, 29th in pts against, 30th in point differential, and 32nd in takeaway/giveaway ratio.

So from years 2 to 3 to 4 in the Pioli regime we've scored less points, given up more points, have become non-competitive (pt differential), and are turnover machines.

It's not just the lack of success - it's the progressively worse failure.

This...