in Pitt Football 355 Words

He’s No Longer No Ka’Oi Brah….

My favorite Pitt player has gotten himself kicked of the football team.  I have sung the praises of Jeremiah Taleni since he was recruited back in 2013 by our then DL coach and my new best friend Inoke Breckterfield.

Jeremiah TaleniI guess I liked Taleni so much because 1) he was from the town where I lived in a tree house right on Kailua Beach in Hawaii for two years (really) and 2) my wife is part Hawaiian.

When stationed in Honolulu in the early 1980s I watched as much HS football as I could and was very impressed with the talent they had in those leagues. Taleni was only a two-star kid but he came from a football factory school.

Here is his recruiting video:

Last season he had more playing time then previously and toward the second half of the year really turned up his game which we saw writ large against Clemson…

2016: Played in seven games, starting three…starting assignments came in the final three regular-season contests…totaled 24 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and three sacks…had a career-high eight stops at Miami…in a start at Clemson, had four tackles and a personal best 1.5 sacks…had five tackles and a sack against Northwestern in the Pinstripe Bowl.

So what does that leave us with on the interior of the DL?  Well, here is an older video of a break-down of what we had along that line coming into this year… (just mentally delete any references to Taleni)

Well, criminal arrest case searches turn nothing up on Taleni in either WPA or Hawaii so that’s good but it is intriguing to think about what it might be the cause of dismissal.  Then again he was a music major – maybe he threw a ultra-violent fit when a Pitt Grad Assistant threw out his ukulele thinking it was just a toy.

But this is another example of Pat Narduzzi not playing the depth chart game.  He just kicked one of our best defenders of the team – and from a defense that needs all the help it can get.

46 thoughts on “He’s No Longer No Ka’Oi Brah….”

  1. You seem to infer that this was a Narduzzi choice. With the lack of experience on the DL, I don’t believe one bit that Coach wanted to do this, especially with all of the acclaim Taleni was receiving by the staff recently

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    1. This will be an even better Fall season as we watch Conner try to make them team. I would guess that he’s going to have to compete as do other draft choices unless the Steelers are going to sign him to a one year ceremonial-type gig – which would be stupid on their part as he’ll do that one year in PGH then become a starter somewhere else.

      Can you imagine what that Southside Facility is going to be like in August?

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  3. Reed, figured there would be an article fairly soon on this topic. You may also have to readjust your 2017 PITT sack leader as well?

    Maybe Narduzzi got Taleni confused with Brecterfield? This would be good since Inoke has already been dismissed from the team?

    Put this comment in the last article but I think sometimes we need to slap the hard working players on the back that keep their stuff together. Let’s think positive

    Breaking this Taleni incident down in my own head a bit. We may never know the details and maybe we shouldn’t know. I would guess it’s not academic’s though. This is too bad for PITT and really too bad for Taleni. No winners here and I’m going to wait before I comment further on the young man.

    Now, I know I did, and others may have started speculating who the dismissed player may have been, the player you were hoping that wasn’t dismissed and the players you were confident that it couldn’t be the one who was dismissed. Taleni fell in the latter category for me. Shocking! The other two players I was sure that didn’t fall into trouble? Maddox and Whitehead.

    This is shout out to all the players that are keeping their noses clean and wishing you all well in keeping it that way!

    One player I want to give much credit too. Dewayne Hendrix. An All-American football player in high school who has seen very little playing time since 2014. (that’s a long time) From O’Fallon Tennessee, this young man comes up north and keeps waiting his time. I just feel that sometimes we don’t give these student athletes the credit they deserve.

    I realize there is an education to be gained but we know why most of these players sacrifice their young adult lives. Being a marginal student myself (obviously) I can’t imagine balancing the time between all that’s required to stay eligible.

    Kudos to all the PITT athlete’s that work so very hard for this fine University of Pittsburgh.

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  4. Oh for crying out loud. Come on. Be better than I would have been at 20 year or so years old. Someone needs to step up to the plate.

    Talen===you dishonored the people who sent you to us.

    Duzz—Thank you for drawing a line that cannot be dishonored

    I would rather lose with glory than do what so any other schools are willing to scoop to do.

    S-word

    H2P

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  5. We need some good news for a change. My morale is flagging with all this negative stuff on the basketball side of the ledger and the slow start the recruiting has gotten off to.

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  6. Rumor has been Taleni has bad grades and is not eligible. He should be eligible for the 2nd NFL draft this year and if not drafted in that he can sign as a free agent. Maybe this was his plan all along once he missed the cutoff for the first draft this year.

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  7. Does anyone want 2 Pitt vs GT baseball tickets for Monday May 8th?

    Text me 214 912 6638 if you want them, I cannot go to the game I’ll be in Mississippi, hopefully i make it back to the good ole USA.

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  8. Just another reminder of the mess Narduzzi inherited on defense from Chryst. Good job, Taleni. Way to be a leader.

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  10. Blindsided by this one. Being that it’s a termination, not a suspension, it must be a pretty serious transgression. A big loss. Hopefully he finds his way.

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  11. Watts, Camp, Carter, Weaver, Roy and Herndon: six tackles to find production from.

    No excuses.

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  12. Gasman,
    Maybe he’ll take a Greyhound to Huntington Beach and swim the rest of the way……….

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  13. The Sarcastic, Negative comments about Taleni seem bizarre to me, not my style / or my speed, but whatever.

    Jeremiah Taleni by all previous accounts appeared to be a respected teammate and player and was percieved at a positive attitude person it seems — but only the staff ‘Behind Closed Doors’ knows what the situation is —- and all it would take is one, single slip / bad decision and Pat Narduzzi would not wait one second, and he has zero fear to act immediately and do what he thinks is right.

    — Before I would constantly say that what I love most about Narduzzi is that, say if Pitt becomes a National Power but some Jerry Sandusky / Baylor Football sexual assault situations became known to him he would grab a Louisville Slugger and go take care the problem, and do what is Right.

    Football wise Taleni was stockily-built, 6 foot, 285 poundish older player (5 years in the weight room) but he was never, ever gonna be any difference maker / pro level player. Pitt has 3 guys on the Roster at DT who are NFL level Physical talents.

    What really matters now though, since Narduzzi made his call and that’s done —-

    HAIL TO PITT, JAMES CONNER TO THE STEELERS!!! YAY, GREAT NEWS, #HAPPYNOW LOL 🙂 🙂 !!!!

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  15. Very cool, first Panther to go being JC!!!!!!!
    Hoping for a long and HEALTHY career!!!

    H2JC!!!
    H2P!!!

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  19. Holy Moly!!!!!
    James Conner a Stiller!
    Who would of thunk it!!!! Wonder what Dan Rooney would of thought?

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  20. Way to early. Could of got him in 4/5. Good for him though. Insurance for Bell. Put him on defense.

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    1. Yeah, Steelers definitely drafted Conner to compete for Defensive snaps against Bud Dupree, James Harrison, and #30 pick T.J. Watt , along with Veteran OLB Arthur Moats for sure…… lol

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  21. Le’Veon Bell (sickness and injury free coming out of Michigan State), completely healthy and ready-to-rock coming into the NFL — ran a 4.60 40 yard dash, and had identitcal 225 bench press, verticle jump, and broad jump in the combine as James Conner. Only James Conner ran a 4.65 40 at the combine a couple months ago.

    Le’Veon Bell transformed his body and is not 6 foot, and a very-lean 215 pounds. James Conner was just in-depth with the NFL Network last week and says he truly feels BACK, and he’s now 6’1”, 220 pounds and 7% body fat ready to rock the NFL> James Conner and Le’Veon bell are the identical size (Conner is a maybe a couple inches taller and 5-10 pounds bigger) and they have very similar athleticism and smooth agility — Le’Veon Bell is gonna MOLD Conner to be just like him with their identical skill sets — The Best Situation behind a top-3 hands down Offensive Line and Big-Ben that the wonderful Conner could ever have dreamed of, yay!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Conner EARNED his spot with the Steelers with amazing, slot-receiver hands and great routes in all of his private workouts and at the combine+pro day, and that made coaches salivate, this versatility ———– just to go along with his awesome running back skills we Pitt fans know and love.

    (Dang, PLUS, DETAILS: Conner was pick 105 overall, Steeler’s Compensatory-pick (NFL ‘Bonus Picks’ for losing players) the NFL awarded them — theoretically he was the 9th pick of the 4th round, the NFL just doesn’t push Compensatory Picks into next rounds otherwise there would be an 8th round + so-on lol.)

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  22. Nathan Peterman has get scooped-up pretty quickly tomorrow — Brian Hoyer 2.0 — Bigger, Faster, Stronger with a better Arm and way more Alpha, Charismatic personality: I don’t see Nathan Peterman as a “Journeyman Backup” at all in the NFL — I see him as a career “Bridge Starter” , guys who may never be NFL all-pro, MVP type guys but are capable players who give their team a chance to win, even though they may never be true stars.

    Nathan Peterman should he stay healthy will be a really, really solid player a la Alex Smith who can really be a solid starter for a team. Guys like Peterman can play 10+ years, win some ball games for some teams, and yup — make tens of millions of dollars (then hopefully donate some generous amounts back to the Universities that gave them their opportunity for the NFL 😉 😉 ) which for Peterman will always be Pitt!! Tennessee can take a hike Peterman will always be Blue, Yellow and Gold never orange.

    Dorian Johnson is gonna be a good player and he’ll get scooped up quickly. He’s only fallen this far because he kept getting hurt — in the Bowl Game, and multiple injuries in his post-draft training.

    Adam Bisnowaty could be a really, really good guard in the NFL, or emergency right-tackle if he has too. It’s not fair to ask him to try and block pass rushers on the outside one-on-one in the NFL, as he doesn’t have the athleticism to do it at that level. But he can play 10+ years with his lean 6’6”, 300 pound frame at Guard similar to Dorian Johnson.

    Bisnowatty and Dorian Johnson should be gone within the first 30 picks tomorrow along with Peterman.

    How about Ejuan Price in the last two rounds to the Steelers?! — Price is going to clearly (obviously) going to have one clear new role in the NFL: 3-4 outside Linebacker . Ejuan Price can follow James Harrison like a puppy-dog (both the same height — but James Harrison has about 30 pounds more beastly muscle and would need to whip Ejuan into shape and show the young Padawan the way lol) . Ejuan Price could be an awesome special teams player and a nice 3-4 outside linebacker fit on the Steelers and could get 5+ sacks this year in that role. Honestly — the best fit in the whole NFL right now where Ejuan Price would have the most use would be with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so I hope it happens!

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  23. http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2017-nfl-mock-drafts-profiles-video-clips-highlights-steelers-analysis-breakdowns-news/2017/4/29/15482462/watch-james-conners-incredible-reaction-to-being-drafted-by-the-pittsburgh-steelers-pitt

    ^^ video of James Conner and company hearing about the pick …. then Mike Tomlin Calling Our Boy Up and letting him know they picked him because they he’s going to the Steelers to PLAY and contribute asap, and it’s time to get to work!!! 🙂 🙂

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  32. This will be an even better Fall season as we watch Conner try to make them team. I would guess that he’s going to have to compete as do other draft choices unless the Steelers are going to sign him to a one year ceremonial-type gig – which would be stupid on their part as he’ll do that one year in PGH then become a starter somewhere else.

    Can you imagine what that Southside Facility is going to be like in August?

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    1. LOL — Awww man, @Reed you really are not that ‘into’ the NFL lol not to be condescending or anything…

      This is an Big-Time business with very strict forms of contracts that are very specific especially based on exactly where in the draft you’re taken. Third Round picks get very specific (Lucrative) contracts — it’s all based on a really detailed Collective Bargaining Agreement that’s always negotiated between the Player’s Union and the Owners (represented by Commissioner Roger Goodell — that dude in the suit that first round announcing all the picks.)

      Unless Conner totally goes-nuts in his personal life / gets in a high speed chase / falls in love with the Mary Jane / Performance enhancing drugs (for bicepts not for the ‘other stuff’ haha) / etc. he’s gonna get *paaaiiiid 🙂

      It’s actually kind of a huge-deal that James Conner was picked so-high — he became a Millionaire obviously — BUT to be picked so high by the Steelers (who DO NOT make Sentimental Picks, EVER) shows that they truly feel he is a Big-Time Running Back. Last Running back they picked that high was Le’Veon Bell in the middle of the second round 4 years ago….and before that it was Forever since they ever took a RB as high as Conner. They just don’t draft Runningbacks high, so go-Conner. 🙂

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    2. Wow. The NFL doesn’t work this way. Darrell Revis might sign a one-year deal with the Steelers, but Conner certainly won’t.

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  34. I got my wish, Conner to the Steelers. A big bruising back to add to Bell, the best back in the league.
    Hopefully they share carries, Bell lasts longer and Conner becomes a star early.

    Remember Bell was out early vs the Pats, pretty much sealed the deal.

    Thunder and Lightning!

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  35. Reed Conner will get 3rd round bonus money and a multi year contract to go with it. However the multi year contract is based on him continuing to make the team. Conner can be used on either the O or the D for the Steelers IMO. I see him being a force at any position the Steelers employ him.—-As for the Pitt defense wit the loss of Taleni it was ugly last year and t’s getting uglier this year on the depth chart if no where else.

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  36. Some teams are going to help themselves with Pitt players today. Like to see the Steelers get Biz or Johnson. Peterman also worth a shot.

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  37. Taleni was an impact player based on his performance vs Clemson. Now the young guys really need to step up. A crying shame for Pitt and Taleni.

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  38. Wow…Just getting the news that James Conner is a Steeler. Could not be happier for that young man. Brought tears to my eyes.

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  39. We keep losing impact players, Conner two years ago, Hendrix, Hamlin and Whitehead last year and now Taleni. On a team with few stars and little depth, it really hurts.

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  40. …and about Taleni… we really have little idea what sort of impact he was going to make. Especially if he was taking any performance help of any kind. The coaches did like him though. This gives the younger players early playing time to really get their feet wet now.

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  41. Yesterday was my birthday . Seeing Pitt’s favorite son taken by the local NFL team was the greatest present this loyal Pitt fan could ask for. Hail 2 PITT !

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  42. Clapped and cheered when he was selected. Woke my wife up. Thought Peterman would go first for Pitt, but James being selected by the Steelers was a dream come true. For me at least.

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