First off I would like to thank the fans for their kind words and prayers...I also would like to thank everyone in the CFL who reached outWith that being said I'm scheduled for surgery later on this week and will likely miss the remainder of the regular season.
Darian Durant on Twitter.
So that being said who is Tino Sunseri .. the man who must now replace the irreplaceable. Well Sunseri comes in with some pretty impressive credentials from a college career with the University of Pittsburgh.
2012: Started every single contest the past three seasons (39 games)...finished his career second all-time at Pitt in total offense (8,591) and third in passing yards (8,590)...saved his best season for last, completing 65% of his passes (256 of 393) for 3,288 yards and 21 touchdowns against only three interceptions...his passing yardage in 2012 marks the second-highest single-season total in Pitt history...had a streak of 271 consecutive passes without an INT, stretching from the fourth quarter of the Sept. 15 Virginia Tech game to the first quarter of the BBVA Compass Bowl vs. Ole Miss...ranked second in Big East and 23rdnationally in pass efficiency (151.52 rating)...two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Week in 2012 -- was honored for his play in 35-17 win over Virginia Tech (19-28-1, 283 yards, 3 TD) and 27-6 win over Rutgers (21-39-0, 227 yards, 2 TD).
Personal:Santino M. Sunseri, born 12/21/88, is the son of Sal and Roxann Sunseri...has two sisters and one brother...both of Tino's parents are Pitt products and former standout athletes for the Panthers...father was an All-America linebacker at Pitt, lettering from 1979-81...Sal, who also graduated from Central Catholic, was on Pitt's coaching staff from 1984-92 and currently is the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee...mother was an All-East gymnast at Pitt and a high school state champion...brother Vinnie is a sophomore defensive back for the Crimson Tide...communication major.The following article on Tino Sunseri is pretty interesting. Here in Saskatchewan we chew up our quarterbacks pretty good and it seems the same thing happened to Tino in Pittsburgh.
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — I don’t mean to make out Saturday’s soggy series of events to be anything more than what they produced: an impressive victory over an unimpressive opponent.
I’m not wanton enough to ask the masses who still made it to Heinz Field–home of one of the most tortured fan bases in major college football–for any favors.
Expect, maybe, this one:
Give your quarterback a break.
I know, I know. Tino Sunseri is still the same player who made “High Octane” look like my father’s old lawnmower.
He’s still the same quarterback who has had trouble with the deep ball, has taken ill-timed sacks, and has missed easy targets.
He’s probably not the best quarterback in his conference. Years from now, he might not even be remembered as the best quarterback on his own roster (here’s looking at you, Chad).
He’s not the second coming of Marino. He may not even be the second coming of Trocano (go ahead, kids…that’s what Wikipedia is there for…).
But he is responsible for re-routing the Panthers’ season with a 47-17 flattening of Temple during which the offense spent most the rainy day on cruise control, with the windshield wipers at full speed, speed, speed (sorry, old habits die hard), and three uninspiring Big East defeats in the rear-view mirror.
The redshirt senior is also the player who has made perhaps the most palpable progress of any under the guidance of new coaches Paul Chryst and offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph.
“He’s making all the right decisions, and when you do that, you’re going to keep the ball away from the other team. He’s played great all year for us, and he’s somebody we can turn to,” said center Ryan Turnley.
So it's now Tino Sunseri's team to take over and follow in the huge footsteps of Darian Durant.
