After a evil-looking hypo needle filled with of complaint slipped through my sea-salt hardened skin and penetrated into my Pitt-fed bloodstream this morning I awoke from the drug-induced coma and my first coherent thought was “Wow, one of my readers is a real ass!“.
Just kidding – But the fact that I am sometimes repetitive was pointed out to me earlier so let me make one thing perfectly clear; I mean I want you to understand this point I’m making; and I insist that you really, really get what I’m saying…
I am not repetitive at all. Let me say that again . I am not repetitive at all. Once more, not repetitive over here!
That was fun, now onto Pitt football.
Let’s take a spin through Pitt Media Reporting Land of Make Believe and see what breaking news we have to talk about.
- Does anyone recognize this “Land of Make Believe” print from their dentist’s office when they were a kid? If so comment on it please and I’ll tell you an interesting story…
OK – for timely Pitt football news here is a culling of local media reports:
The Pittsburgh Sports Reporters with an article titled Pitt Can’t Overlook Villanova Game“. That is interesting. Never would have considered writing about that!
Tim Benz does make a good point in the piece though:
The topic isn’t necessarily pertinent because of the opponent. The 1-AA Wildcats play in the CAA of FCS. And last year, they weren’t very good in it. Nova finished 6-5. In theory, unless Scottie Reynolds has some football eligibility remaining that we don’t know about, Pitt shouldn’t be threatened by Villanova.
But it is pertinent because of Pitt’s history. Youngstown State beat the Panthers in Paul Chryst’s 2012 opener. The Penguins also had the ball with a chance to tie with roughly three minutes left last year too in Pat Narduzzi’s debut. Bowling Green also infamously ruined a home opener in 2008 27-17. And even though it wasn’t a loss, let us not forget the Furman OT near disaster of 2004.
We clearly remember that YSU game as it was Chryst’s first game as the Pitt HC and he suspended six players that early morning. I’ll repeat what I have written earlier in that I was at a tailgate before that game and when someone read of the suspensions off his phone I turned to the crowd and said “We are going to lose this game.” They looked at me like I had three heads.
But I’m a firm believer in Karma and what flashed at that moment was like a Hari Krishna dude tapping me on the shoulder in the airport lobby and offering me money. It just felt extremely wrong and that’s what eventually happened. I felt so smart!
So, I’ll say this now with the same conviction – if we lose against Villanova on Sept 3rd it won’t be because the team looked past the Wildcats to Penn State – it will be because there are closed practices… Karma my friends, it’s a bitch. 😉
The Pitt News has this nugget of investigative reporting: 4th and long: The moment Pitt’s Ryan Winslow lives for.
Well, on 1st, 2nd and 3rd downs he’s got his back turned to the field and is trying to get a date for the parties that night so that article makes sense. Now if Walt Harris was still our head coach Winslow would have to pay attention on 3rd downs for the quick kick call, but that’s not the case now. They do write this though:
“[Football is] a game of inches, and there’s an inch everywhere,” Narduzzi said.
Although Narduzzi admits “everybody wants to talk about offense and defense,” to find that inch, he is looking just as much towards special teams to provide it. Andre Powell, Pitt’s special team’s coordinator and running backs coach, knows the alchemy of football — how to turn an inch into six points.
The Post-Gazette graces us with this: Which has more poster swag: Pitt or Penn State? It follows with this gem of a hard-hitting paragraph…
I’d be surprised to hear of any Football Bowl Subdivision team not creating one of these posters hyping their season, and as with anything, some posters are better than others. Which brings me to the Poster Swag rankings. Poster Swag is a blog with a mission statement of “showcasing the best in college sports graphic design.”
The Trib-Review comes in with a human interest piece that explores the depth of the Offensive Lineman’s psyche with a ‘peel-back-the-skin’ look at Adam Bisnowaty and Dorian Johnson. The title says it all: Pitt senior linemen Bisnowaty, Johnson are contrast in styles.
Thank God they differ in some personal ways because they look almost like identical twins (except for the glasses):
The P-G’s Redshirt Diaries had to look long and hard to find something original to print. They couldn’t, so they posted this (which I do sometimes too). It is surprisingly similar to a press release the Pitt Media Department put out yesterday: Pitt football practice report: Aug. 25
They highlight a quote from Pat Narduzzi that really allows the fans an insight into what happened in the practice that day:
Opening statement from Narduzzi:
“Good morning everybody. Practice 19 today. We had a good practice today. I thought it was solid. We got a lot of work done today and we’ll continue to move into that opener for Sept. 3 with some more periods on our opponent.”
Let’s see – “good“, “solid” and then the kicker “A lot of work done“. Wow! Thank goodness I donated all that money to the Athletic department, otherwise I wouldn’t have known all that.
My last words on closed practices are “ؼؿلب خىخخع٘ ۓڼڿ !” and that’s all I’ll say on that matter!
All of that above is in semi-jest of course. The beat writers at those outlets do the very best they can in trying to get the good word out, I know and respect that. In addition to those pieces the Post Gazette had this bit about Damar Hamlin probably missing the opener.
Coach Pat Narduzzi said before the team’s practice this morning that Hamlin is dealing with a minor injury that required bringing in a specialist.
“I say a minor little thing right now that we just can’t get right. We actually brought in a specialist to look at him and you saw enough early that we know he can help us,” Narduzzi said. “But we’ve got to get him back on the field. So is he going to help us in the opener? Probably not. Is he helping us during the season? We’re going to work on that.”
Try penicillin coach, it worked for me 35 years ago.
Mr. Chas Rich has emerged from his writing vacation and has posted a good article on The Pitt Blather about the ACC Network and Scheduling. Interesting stuff…
Jerry DiPaola of the Trib-Review speaks out about the article he wrote about if Pitt can become an elite program again along with the thought that “Pat Narduzzi is Pitt’s greatest weapon“.
Sorry but when I listen to this reporter talking with Jerry D about his thought that Narduzzi “has dipped into places like Florida, New Jersey and Ohio (like that’s new for Pitt) and not only recruiting but getting strong recruits…” I have to think either he was born yesterday or is purposefully hyping Narduzzi without mentioning past Pitt recruiting in just those same areas.
He overlooks 4* kids that we landed before Narduzzi got here like:
LB Grigsby – OH, QB Voytik – TN, QB Chapman – OH, OL Officer – NY, RB James – NY, WR Jennings – NJ, and other contributors… to say nothing of those great recruits who we got from out-of-state under DW.
It isn’t that Narduzzi is missing out-of-state recruits – that isn’t the case. In two years he’s pulled in 4* kids RB Hall – OH, WR Flowers – OH, ATH Hill – OH and DL Watts – IL.
But it bothers me when someone states something and blows it out of proportion without doing even a modicum of research. Narduzzi isn’t doing anything now in recruiting that Pitt HCs didn’t do before him.. and just as well if not better.
Jerry D. is honest about Narduzzi’s recruiting though when he says that “Narduzzi’s recruiting is just average” – which it is.
pittpov.com 
The Villanova piece is a Tim Benz, actually. But we do appreciate you reading/linking.
Thanks – corrected. I appreciate the writing you guys do also.
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I don’t get how Coach Duzz’s recruiting is “just average” after the class of freshmen he brought in. The most recent class is a way better class in talent and depth than Pitt has had in many years.
If Coach Duzz can bring in a few classes in a row like that last class, then Pitt will be back in the top 20 on a consistent basis — IMHO.
Go Pitt.
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The quality of any recruiting class will not be known for 3 or 4 years. Now if you want to judge the quality based on the number of star ratings attached to every recruit then I guess you can rate those classes today. For me, I think I’ll wait the 3 to 4 years before I hand out any stars.
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Reed, I understand your frustration with the closed practices but until Pitt continually loses I have no problem.
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Majors – there are many ways of looking at recruiting. I think Pitt fans tend to grade the quality as opposed to all other Pitt recruiting classes. DiPaola (and I ) was referring to it being put against other FBS school’s recruiting.
Jrn – I think 2-3 years is more like it but get your drift.
John, my point was that there is no correlation at all between winning & losing and open or closed practices.It is all just what the HC feels like doing and, IMO, this way gives short shrift to the fans.
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I also find it interesting that we are a week away and no two deep from the coach.
Narduzzi definitely doing it his way, but I have always heard that it takes time for an O-line to gel as a unit.
If we do have a successful season, does that me that Chryst was an excellent recruiter?
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Just on a whim I compared this year’s Press Release from camp to Paul Chryst’s 2013 year Press Release at the same point in camp. Chryst’s is 672 words and Narduzzi’s is 915… but Narduzzi says more with his comments:
Head Coach Paul Chryst (August 21st, 2013)
Opening statement:
“As camp winds down, we still like the way guys are going about it. We’ve certainly got to keep practicing, but I like where a lot of the guys are at. We appreciate the whole effort they’ve given to camp. It was good to get Isaac [Bennett] back and get him some work. All in all, it was a productive day. There’s certainly some stuff we’ll see on film that we’ve got to keep cleaning up, but the guys have been getting closer and we feel good about that.”
On Isaac Bennett:
“He’s moving alright. There’s a lot he’s got to keep doing, but it was good to get him back.”
On the depth of the defensive line:
“It’s good. Darryl Render has done some good things. He got some action last year, so he has an idea of what to expect. Q [LaQuentin Smith] is giving us some things. We’re able to get some depth at the end spot, so we feel pretty good right now.”
On the overall depth of the team compared to last year:
“We feel that there are some positions we have some depth. There are some spots that guys are creating niches for themselves. I think we are slowly building.”
On Gabe Roberts and Artie Rowell battling for the starting job at center:
“We’re talking about depth; depth creates competition. There’s nothing better for any athlete than to have to compete for a job. You’re competing to be the best you can be so you can be the best at that position. With Artie and Gabe, it’s been a good competition.”
On linebackers Shane Gordon and Anthony Gonzalez:
“They are having good camps. I was talking to Shane earlier about the same thing, and it’s fun to see him flying around. He’s very confident. He’s certainly played enough snaps. He’s feeling really comfortable about what he’s being asked to do. And the more you’re around Gonzo [Gonzalez], you see he’s a smart football player. He obviously has some talent. Both of them are doing things that you say ‘that’s pretty good linebacker play.’”
On the overall depth of the team:
“I think there are good teams; then when you get to the point where you’re a really good program, you do have that depth. Guys aren’t playing earlier than maybe they should. Once you get to the point where you truly are deep, even if a guy is ready to play, it’s harder. I’ve appreciated this group. They’ve been fun to be around. They come to work every day. They seem like they want to be coached. It’s been good. I think we’re getting better, but we’re not where we need to be. They’ve been fun to be around.”
On Larry Fitzgerald attending the Florida State game:
“Obviously it’s a huge thing. I’ve been fortunate enough to be around him a little bit and understand the kind of guy he is. I think that’s one of the great things about this football program and this University: the number of great players. It means a lot that Larry will be there. He appreciates the honor. We learn more about the great history here at Pitt. We want to make sure our players understand it. We’re surrounded by greatness. I think it’s one of the things that make Pitt great.”
On Tom Savage and Devin Street developing chemistry:
“I like the way they’re working. I think that’s important to them. They’re representative of the whole group. It’s important to a lot of guys. We appreciate what Tom and Devin are doing, but there’s a lot of that going around.”
On the Western Pennsylvania talent on the team:
“I think that’s one of the great things being here: football is important. There’s great coaching and talented players. They enjoy playing the game. For us to be successful, the heart and soul of the team has to be from Western Pennsylvania. I love the kids we’ve got right now.”
On Chris Blewitt’s injury:
“He’s going to be fine.”
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi
Opening statement:
“Practice No. 19 is today. Yesterday was solid; we had a really good practice. We’ve got a lot of work done today as we continue to move forward to that opener September 3rd. I’ve got one little change in the roster that I’d like to let you guys know about. Chris Wuestner, one of our seniors, has decided to transfer. He wants to play more. We totally understand; as a senior, he has been through a lot in five years. We granted him that opportunity. We think it’s important for him to feel it out and reach his dream of playing more wide receiver. He’s a guy that looked like he was going to play a lot of special teams for us. We wish him luck in his future endeavors.”
On where Wuestner is transferring to:
“We don’t know yet. We’ll help him wherever he wants to go. We don’t have an idea right now but he graduated, got his degree from Pitt, which is a great thing. He can go just about any place he wants to.”
On the clarity at backup quarterback:
“We need to see a lot more. There is still a battle going on. It’s an interesting battle. I think guys are getting better. Every day you see a little bit more of what you want to see. The guys have had opportunities to find out what they can do. When you get into game week it might be something that plays out then, depending on how the game is going or what the situation in the game is at that point. I feel much better about it now on practice 19 than I did on practice two.”
On the development of Quarterback Thomas MacVittie:
“Thomas MacVittie has done a nice job. He’s a guy that throws the ball well and can run. He’s going to be an exciting player here in the future.”
On the current shape of Running Back James Conner:
“Did I expect him to be in this shape? I expected to see it—without a doubt. He’s the kind of guy who has got a smile on his face every day. He had another scan the other day. We expected it to come out clean, and it came out clean again. He feels great, so we’re excited.”
On the progress and the plan for Defensive Back Damar Hamlin:
“Well right now he’s dealing with a minor thing that we just can’t get right. We actually brought in a specialist to look at him. We saw enough early to know he can help us, but we’ve got to get him back on the field. He probably is not going to help us in the opener. Is he going to help us during the season? We’re going to work on that.”
On the expectations for Defensive End Rori Blair:
“With Rori, the knowledge of the defense is key. I think he’s got a good feel of what’s going on. I think he played quite a bit last year. He started most of the year. I think he played a majority of the year—just wasn’t as productive. Maybe other teams were doubling him and that allowed Ejuan [Price] to get loose, I don’t know. Maybe they didn’t know who No. 5 [Price] was. But Rori [Blair] played a lot. Sometimes you get the glory and sometimes you don’t. He’s a tough player and he’s got a great motor. We’re expecting big things from him this year.”
On the progress this program has made in the past year:
“To me you find that out on game days; it’s hard to see it in practice every day. You don’t know. You’re playing against each other; you’re hitting each other; you’re sick of hitting each other; you’re cheap shotting each other; you’re loving each other. You just don’t know. That’s why you’re looking forward to playing that first game of the season. I think you really find out where you are at that point. I love the chemistry and the unity our team has right now. We have an unbelievable group here, I really believe that. It has to come together on game day. That’s when you really find out.”
On the upcoming schedule the next few days:
“We’ve got Fan Fest this evening [in the Great Hall at Heinz Field]. We’re going to take our team picture today as well. Tomorrow we’ve got the kickoff luncheon. We will give the players off on Saturday, and then Sunday we’re back on normal game week preparation. The coaches will be here in the morning and the kids will come in at noon. It’s game week; it’s on.”
On the significance of Friday’s rehearsal scrimmage:
“The rehearsal scrimmage will not be a physical thing; it will be more of a mental thing. We’re going to teach them how to come out of the huddle and how to stand during the national anthem. It will be mostly a game operations practice, making sure they understand how things go, teaching them how we come out of the tunnel and where we come out on the field, here they stretch and where they line up—most of those things. There’s a lot of freshmen out there doing it for the first time and there’s a lot of older guys who forgot from last year. We’ll just review all those situations to make sure we’re primed up and ready to go.”
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BTW – That comment about MacVitte above – don’t expect to see him on the field this season. He is in no way ready.
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This recruiting class took a huge ding with the loss of Hill due to his diagnosed cardiac condition after his matriculation to Pitt. Good for him because of this diagnosis, horrible for the recruiting class with the loss of such a talent.
I will tell you this Reed, I am making the trip up to the Burgh from Savannah for our home opener just to welcome James Conner in uniform. If however the Villanova Wildcats spoil my weekend by upsetting the Panthers on Sept 3rd, I want you to know that I will be holding you personally responsible, because of your nonchalant inappropriate karma reference.
You just don’t flippantly throw around karma like it’s a joke. That’s bad karma right there my friend. I will hunt you down! At your height that big mellon of your’s just sticks out of a crowd like a sore thumb. There will be no place for you to hide.
My advice to you would be if Pitt is trailing the Wildcats after our rendition of Neil Diamond’s Caroline into the 4th Q, you best vacate the press box early because that’s going to be the 1st place I’ll be looking for you.
On the flip side of this issue however. If karma forgives you for your transgression and permits Pitt to ike out a win anyhow, when I catch up with you, I’ll buy you a victory beer to toast with me the first of many Panther victories for this season.
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Reed- Villanova article was in Pittsburgh Sports Now (Vulokcan’s site) not Pittsburgh Sports Reporters.
I found the link to https://sportposterswag.wordpress.com/2016/08/24/posterswag-com-2016-fbs-football-poster-final-rankings/ (poster swag rankings) interesting.
Not that PITT was 12’th, WVU 9’th & psu was 4’th but that psu has two posters – one using their stadium & the other with the Pittsburgh skyline.
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Reed wrote, “But it bothers me when someone states something and blows it out of proportion…”
Hmmm, like a certain blogger writing (over and over) about the media not being able to see a full practice.
I realize I totally used it out of context. 🙂
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Thanks, Reed. I like the emphasis on Special Teams. My memory (which is foggy, I admit) is that we gave up way too many opportunities to establish or maintain field position in games between 2009 and 2014.
I am still interested in hearing your thoughts about the current Strength and Conditioning program. And, if you already posted about S&C, my apologies.
H2P
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Last seasons special teams were very good, Powell probably the best special teams coach we have ever had.
My guess is that Narduzzi will beat Villanova without revealing too much of the offense. Seems like he really wants to surprise Penn State by keeping everything so secretive. Head games with Franklin maybe?
From Chas’ article it seems that wide receiver is much more of a concern than I thought with Ford and Chally injured. No Boyd in this group of freshmen.
Also sounds like we won’t see Hamlin till the middle of the season, if at all.
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If Pitt is a legit team, they will crush Villanova with a generic offense and defense. Many starters will get to sit the second half.
Ford is better than most people think. Tipton, Henderson, Lopez, Mathews. No worries.
My bet is on Tipton to emerge this year.
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Standing room ticket for PSU at $165 on stubhub.
Many tickets available for Villanova or Marshall at $6.
Thank you PSU.
Face it guys this is the biggest event at Heinz since the big Cinci game.
Was the ACC opener vs. FSU a sellout?
Which game will be the second best attended this year and how many will show up?
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@gc I believe the FSU game had a lot of buzz about it due to the fact it was the only college game on a Monday night and my brother said it was the best pre-game atmosphere he could remember in quite a while(I couldn’t make the game). After it started it kind of went downhill fast. PSU will blow that away from start to finish. I am very curious to see the true number of PSU fans who bought season tickets for one game. I live in Lancaster and arrogant PSU fans seem to think they are responsible for tens of thousands of season ticket sales, AD SB thinks it is very minimal, I believe it is probably somewhere in the middle closer to the lower number. As for the second most attended game…at this point with the Throwback and it being Homecoming I would say G-Tech…of course all bets are off if Pitt is barely .500 at that point. My last point is that closed or open practices don’t matter…in the end WIN BABY and the fans will show up, I of course will be there no matter what. H2P!
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First I don’t recognize the Fairytale Painting then again my dentist was not a sedation dentist, hell he didn’t believe in any painkilling agents. Repeating myself on closed practices @$%#$$$$#$# and Narduzzi recruiting is average this year, sorry to those of you guzzling kool aid. Every time the traitor DW comes up we hear about how many stars, national ranking blah blah so it does matter some. Just signed two 2star TEs – yawn. Breaking camp news “boy we had a hard practice….we get sick of hitting each other…” Not satisfied with this.
First I don’t recognize the Fairytale Painting…….
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@gc, yes, FSU was a sellout ticket wise, and more importantly, sold out with butts in the seats.
No yellow seats. At least until the 2nd half anyhow. LOL
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I think that PSU fans will be 15- 20 thousand strong at the game.
I hope it is not more than that.
I attended the FSU game and was amazed at how well their fans travel.
They were mostly pretty gracious.
Their freshman QB was very sharp that day and we had no chance.
They did win it all that year.
I agree GT is a good bet, VT depends on whether both teams are still in the hunt.
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PITT-cocksFan, great link. I love that type of stuff.
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PITT-cocks… Is that Pittsburgh’s skyline? Am I losing it? Doesn’t look it to me. The bridge looks like ‘burgh but I can’t match any of the skyscrapers.
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That’s Philadelphia’s skyline. Not Pittsburgh. In that PSU poster.
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I agree that assessing recruiting prowess at this point is really premature, but I think the general assessment that Narduzzi’s recruiting to date is only average, is disputable and a bit naive. That said, it makes for interesting discussion.
Will be interesting to find out how all the QB’s play during tonight’s scrimmage!
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HCPN did a very impressive job of closing in last season’s recruiting. Over half of the recruits committed after 12/1/15 and the likes of Hamlin, Miller, Camp, Watts, Matthews, Weaver, and Reynolds were within the final weeks.
Now, while I don’t think this is necessarily the best plan of action, except for some locals, we will likely not get big recruits until the very end. Jeter is committing on Halloween and Wade after the HS season .. these are probably the 2 biggest recruits that are seriously considering Pitt, but a mid-Power has to rely on potential more than 4/5 stars … we can never expect to be like OSU and ND where blue chips fall right into their laps.
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Bisnowaty, Price and Connor just named as captains
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Excellent, wwb… Excellent. Can’t say I’m surprised by who was picked but gotta love the choices.
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I’m in total agreement with wwb on the recruiting scenario for Pitt. There is no way we can compete with OSU, ND, ALA and many others when it comes to early commitments from the 4 and 5 stars. It’s when the big boys fill their quota’s and several high profile stars are still uncommitted is when Pitt will have their chance hopefully at these players. Their only chance at the high stars early is if some of the locals want to stay at home and play in front of friends and family. But early returns on that front have been disappointing to this point this year(exception Paris Ford).
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johnnygossamer – I re-looked & it’s not the burgh. Who associates psu with a city skyline & bridge?
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Pitt-cocks fan, maybe that’s the bridge they named after Paturno?
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I just assumed PSU had three posters instead of two. One of the stadium, one of the Philly skyline and the other of the Pittsburgh skyline. That would’ve made the most sense.
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Okay now….even though I’m the most relentless Pitt Kool Aid drinker around, those PSU Posters are sick. Lol but so was Pitt’s marketing campaign after the #15, 10 win 2009-10 season when Tino Sunseri took over and Pitt started at #15 —- in 2010-2011 when Larry Fitzgerald Tweeted and even got on Sportscenter saying he thought Pitt could win a National Title…..then we found out Tino Sunseri was the Worst, half the team got arrested, and Pitt limped to 7-5. So, hype and cool graphics and stuff are cool and all (For Pitt, PSU, Mississipppi Tech A&M regardless lol), but….go hard on the football field come game day.
#HateToBeThisGuy —–
But I have to trash-on the “Pitt is not (insert team here)” argument or whatever that comes up in terms to recruiting. The school is irrelevant: Recruiting is all about the Head Coaches, their recruiting “prowess” and drive, and their philosophies.
Alabama was an also-ran team for like 15 years before Nick Saban came. They too were hiring and firing coaches since they won the 1992 National Championship, and they slipped into SEC middle of the Pack mediocrity. Then they sold-out to get their coach Nick Saban.
—— It’s like when Pitt fans try to talk about Michigan State like they’re some long-term Power Program. They were 6-6 if lucky until Pat Narduzzi and co. got there, then they transformed what was a Purdue-level program into a powerhouse. Pat Narduzzi would’ve done the same if he instead went to an Indiana / Purdue / Illinois / wherever in the Big Ten. But now he’s at Pitt 🙂 .
Jim Tressel at OSU was consistent but not some world-beater. Their lone 2002 National Championship was B$ as Miami won the game but the crooked refs called what we all know was a pass interference that should’ve got them banned forever.
And look at OSU even this year, they’re ranked like 20 in every poll.
Anyways it’s not the school. It’s not Alabama / OSU / USC / LSU / Texas etc. The argument is: Coaches like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Brian Kelly are going to get top recruits to their schools and Pat Narduzzi is not going to be able to recruit the same way.
Guess what: the recruiting class and rankings are going to be about what Head Coach is at the school, and their recruiting philosophies. Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and certain other coaches around the country are just as caught-up in recruiting rankings and national-rating and media-recognition as the fans are. To them it’s truly a competition to see who can get the most top-100 and top-150 ranked recruits each year and they Live for that battle. They want their fan bases to ooooh and ahhhh over the recruiting classes and stars, and who they beat-out to get each guy.
That’s just not who Pat Narduzzi is guys. With a big year this year, and most-likely bringing in Favorite Sons Donovan Jeter + Lamont Wade in a few months, maybe Pat Narduzzi and co. with consistently bring in top 25 ranked, 25 player each year recruiting classes with multiple guys who are 4 star ranked by Your Rivals / Scout Psuedo-Scouts lol.
***** You guys know that the Nick Sabans and Urban Meyers base a HUGE part of who they recruit on not only Rivals and Scout, but they also pay organizations exactly like them to compile ratings and stars and other offers and give them this info to choose who they recruit, right?
Nick Saban and Urban Meyer especially have always been obsessed with that $illy Pi$$ing contest. Look at how Urban Meyer caused this huge stir in the Big 10 about recruiting, he loves it and loves the competition of collecting players like they’re these “Pokemons” in a game! 🙂 lol
Mack Brown was the same way at Texas, and even in his last 3-4 really unsuccessful seasons he was bringing in top-5 ranked classes each year with multiple 5 star players, at least 12-15 4 star players, and about 10 3 star guys. Yet Charlie Strong comes in and his classes are barely in the rankings at all, except for when a bunch of the top ranked Baylor recruits defected to him in the aftermath the the Art Briles Baylor Scandal.
…….Pitt is in Awesome shape, and In Narduzzi I Trust!!
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Lots of words but I agree whole heartily. PITT, imo is indeed in good hands all the way around.
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Shilique Calhoun (http://247sports.com/Player/Shilique-Calhoun-2125) and every single one of Pat Narduzzi’s players here in his final year making all these plays for top 15 ranked Michigan State against elite competition of “Low 3 star” Players with almost no “good” D-1 offers besides Michigan State.
In Narduzzi I trust 🙂 🙂 —– Pat Narduzzi did it TOTALLY with low-3 star players at Michigan State. He didn’t even get the Jordan Whitehead’s + Damar Hamlin’s + Amir Watts’ + Keyshon Camp’s + (? Donovan Jeter + Lamont Wade ?) 4 star-studs and hyper-quick young linebackers he’s already brought and will continue to bring into Pitt.
Hail to Pitt 🙂 !!!! The season Commences in a week (#NoMoreTalk — #MoneyWhereYourMouthIs) , and don’t worry it’ll be all radio-silence from me!
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Michigan State just lost so much $wagger and so much….MOJO after Pat Narduzzi left and came to Pitt. This is the the first Pregame week at Pitt for what, 8 months??? Hail to Pitt, Pitt vs. Villanova in a week in game 1 of 12!!!
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I am CALLIN’ IT:
Thomas MacVittie>>>Connor Cook. Bigger, Faster, Stronger (already 10 pounds heavier) and will be a great passer from the pocket and when evading pressure + on the run. Book it for 2017.
Nathan Peterman has it covered for 2015 and the 2016 Bowl Game.
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For 2016 Pitt has a Great Kicker in Chris Blewitt. NFL kick-strength and ability — a Top Tier kicker and sometimes it’s easy to overlook how amazing of an asset Blewitt and a great kicker can be for a team.
I’m hype for 2016!!!
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http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2016/8/26/12664570/penn-state-pitt-football-keystone-classic-peoples-natural-gas-sponsor
Lol Penn State fans getting in the spirit: They’re saying is “$hitt on Pitt” …… lol that has always been humorous, cannot lie.
Makes me think of when Joe Paterno literally went in his pants against Ohio State, then he ran across the field with soggy-pants in the middle of the game!!! HAHAHA
HAHAHA PS “WHO??”
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Dark Knight half empty stadiums don’t get many 4 and 5 star recruits to Pitt on top of their “go to” list. Playing early and entering the NFL draft in 3 years is Pitt’s best selling card at this point in time. However that fact that didn’t seem to make any difference to our local 4 and 5 star players this year that decided that Notre Dame was their ticket to fame did it?
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Any chance that Pitt won’t announce the 2 deep for any position until after the Villanova game to keep everyone hungry for Game One?
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No news from the super secret scrimmage.
Barnes says 63,000 tickets sold for Villanova.
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Villanova lower level seats available for $6.
PSU Standing Room $145
Cheapest seat $219
StubHub
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Jurkovec looks exceptional, no sign of Carrigan.
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