The first rule of Pitt football is to love the game. The second rule of Pitt football is to love the school. Just ask Rushel Shell. This week when Shell asked to be reinstated to the program after a change of heart coach Paul Chryst and his staff decided they no longer needed him. Shell, a Pittsburgh native, requested a transfer to UCLA only to change his mind to stay close to family.
The words Pitt Panther football and mediocre are one in the same. Over the past decade, the Panthers have been mediocre at best. Sure they’ve had winning seasons, and yes, they have been to five straight bowl games, but they are just mediocre. When you think about the program as a whole, top to bottom you don’t think, “Gee, this program is just a year or two away.” That is until Chryst arrived.
Since coming to campus, coach Chryst has said repeatedly that he isn’t overly concerned with a players skill set. Instead, he only requires a player to love the game. Now it looks like his requirements also include making Pitt your first and only choice. That’s understandable. Sure Shell has more talent than the other backs on the roster, but Chryst refuses to let someone disrespect his program.
As a fan, I don’t want him either. Why would I want to root for a player that doesn’t really want to be here? For the first time in years I have a good feeling about the Panthers. Do I expect them to be atop the ACC this year? No, and far from it. But the groundwork is laid, and I think this will open the eyes of a lot of people. Pitt will no longer except being a sub-par program. They won’t be a pushover. As Dee Snider would say, they ain’t gonna take it, anymore.
