Differences between Pitt and Elite teams

Figured I'd piggyback on Sean a little bit here. Sean said that we have started to realize the difference between our team and the elite teams. I would like to articulate what I believe the differences are:

1) Intensity on the sidelines - This is a multifaceted problem. For one, I know that every time the O line scores, the D line just walks out on the field quietly as if nothing has happened. With the elite teams, when there is any score, everyone rushes the field and cheers. I think this is a VERY positive thing and is something that we should start doing...ESPECIALLY in the big games. In the Davidson game, we should have been really excited every time we scored, but when we did everyone just acted kinda...for lack of a better word..."blah." The only time I heard us cheer the way we should after a score was when Stu got those callahans against Minnesota. That's how we should do it after every score.

2) Running down pulls - We run down pulls slower than any elite team in the nation. OK, so I probably can't back that up with real facts, but having watched us run down pulls and watching the way other teams ran them down at nationals, along with someone saying on the sideline at nationals "man, they run down so slowly," I'm lead to believe that we run down very slowly. Running down a pull should be a 70 yard (or until you get to your guy) sprint, and nothing slower. It should be as fast as we can possibly run. There should be no excuses about this one.

3) Uncontested drops - We definitley drop more passes uncontested than other elite teams. We must stop doing that. We probably have 2 or 3 uncontested drops every game. They are absolutely killer. They hurt us in our two biggest games of the weekend - against GT and Davidson. It killed us against Georgia at QCTU also. If it hits our hands, we have to catch it, and there can be no excuses about this.

4) Defensive pressure - On defense, we can't play lazy. We have to put pressure on their cutters and handlers the whole time, and that means more bids on D.

5) Bad decisions - Good teams put the disc alot. We do too...but our hucks aren't good enough for that. We throw too many jump balls and what I would consider "bad shots." Our decision making must be better if we want to win against good teams. And if we're making shots that are technically good decisions but we keep executing them poorly...we must stop taking those shots.

Basically, these five things come down to three main ideas: Intensity, Focus, and Discipline. The elite teams that we keep losing to have more intensity, better focus, and stronger discipline - and that's why they keep pulling those games out. If we improve ours, we will be able to beat them.