I try to get out but they keep dragging me back in…
Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi Announces Disciplinary Actions
PITTSBURGH—Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi announced disciplinary actions for four players prior to the Panthers’ opening of training camp on August 1.
Senior defensive end Rori Blair has been dismissed from the program for “conduct detrimental to the program.”
Junior offensive tackle Alex Bookser will be suspended for the season opener for his involvement in an offseason legal situation involving a motor vehicle.
Senior linebacker Quintin Wirginis and junior safety Jordan Whitehead will both be suspended for the opening three games of the season for violation of team policy.
“Our program’s foundation will always be built on discipline and personal responsibility,” Narduzzi said. “These are highly disappointing situations but I am hopeful that each of these young men will be better, stronger and wiser after taking accountability for their actions.
“Alex Bookser will sit out the season-opening game and has also been subject to internal disciplinary measures and accountability. I’m confident he will make better decisions moving forward.
“In addition to sitting out multiple games, Quintin and Jordan will continue to be held accountable to internal standards of conduct.”
The Panthers will open their 2017 season on Sept. 2 against Youngstown State at Heinz Field.
So – what exactly is there to say about this. Well, I can think of a few things with the first one being how bad must have Whitehead and Wirginis’ conduct been that their discipline eclipses Bookser’s, Boyd’s and Blair’s (1st) offenses?
This adds up to something but I’m not sure exactly what it is yet -but I have feelers out.
I will say that I like these moves from Narduzzi in the leadership arena. Not many head coaches would sit down three sure starters (and Wirginis would have started) and dismiss a fourth with two of the toughest games on the schedule being missed – even if they are out of conference games. Add to that out only returning DL starter Taleni’s earlier dismissal also.
Plus a bigger question in my mind at this point is if Bookser, Wirginis and Whitehead are going to be allowed to take part in fall camp. Remember that Tyler Boyd and Blair had to sit out some summer team drills and meetings, I believe a month or so two years ago – and that was even before their suspensions were made public. If they miss fall camp that is a huge setback going into 2017’s schedule.
When Narduzzi says the quote below only three days before camp starts it means something;
““In addition to sitting out multiple games, Quintin and Jordan will continue to be held accountable to internal standards of conduct,” Narduzzi said.”
I have been saying all along that YSU was going to be a handful opponent in the opener – it looks even more of a hurdle now. Perhaps the only silver lining here is that these personnel moves come before the actual games and not on the eve of the opener as was the case back when YSU beat us in Paul Chryst’s first game.
I can’t help but feel that because of the quick nature of theses disciplinary actions that this is the tip of the iceberg on some bigger issue(s). There are no arrest records for Wirginis or Whitehead posted yet except for a two-year old traffic warrant of Whitehead’s.
That is of 8:00 am this morning, but given this is Saturday morning and the discipline was announced on a Friday evening something may be posted on the Docket over the weekend or early next week.
Blair hasn’t been arrested lately nor has Bookser – so Bookser aside, something transpired in these last couple of days for Narduzzi to drop Thor’s hammer on those three guys like he did.
I say stay tuned as this might not be the end of this story… Fingers crossed but I wonder.
As far as football goes this means we are going into the opener with only two starters back from last year’s horrid defense. Given my lack of trust in Conklin’s ability to coach defense at any level I think we are in for a very rough ride.
No defensive line starters return – unless you want to call Hendricks a returning starter which I don’t. We will have an almost totally inexperienced linebacker corps for the first three games also which, given how much experience counts at that position, is a big red flag.
And the only consistently decent player in our defensive backfield will be watching the games from the sidelines… expect to see All three QBs we face in the beginning of the season to be able to sit back on their heels and pick us completely apart with the passing game.
I don’t see an offense that we will put out on the field in these games that will score enough points to overcome our defensive deficiencies, especially because I had my doubts about our offensive line anyway.
With Bookser gone for the opener and with Conner Dintino and Jared Jones-Smith huge question marks in my mind anyway I think we’ll see flat-footed Max Browne on his back way more than any of our QBs going back to Sunseri’s Days.
I do worry about what losing these integral players for games this year will do for the psyche of the rest of the team going into the game on Sept 2nd. Right now there is no betting line put out for that game. Expect that to change and perhaps drastically when camp breaks.
I don’t buy the common belief among Pitt fans that Narduzzi is always a great motivator on gameday. Yes, I watched the PSU and Clemson games and he did a great job there, but I also watched the Miami and Northwestern games. There is a lot of inconsistency there so I believe come Sept 2 and then the next two weeks afterward will be a real test of his motivational skills… then again one week later with the Rambling Wrecks RBs from Georgia Tech down in Atlanta.
I always make my formal predictions for the upcoming season after fall camp breaks but if I had to bet right now I’d say it isn’t a stretch to see Pitt at 1-3 going into the Rice game.
Guys – these personnel losses are major setbacks to an already inexperienced and untested team. It is a Big Deal no matter how much wishful think you throw at the situation.
pittpov.com 
Any word on what the boys did?
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I still say the over/under is seven and would probably take the under if I was a betting man.
What is the cumulative effect of losing two senior starters on the D-line after losing three from last year?
What is the impact of losing your best athlete for the first three games? A senior middle linebacker?
Even more pressure on the transfers, and young guys to produce early. Counting on guys like Hamlin and Ford to make up for Whitehead is wishful thinking. Hamlin hasn’t stayed healthy and is at a new position. Ford isn’t in school yet and will have a big learning curve when and if he arrives. Brightwell is learning a new position and is lean. Who will call the defensive plays with Wirginis and Whitehead on the bench?
We are going to take a physical beating vs PSU, how many guys will leave the field with injury?
This team had way too many unknowns before this happened All of these guys should have been team leaders, who are the leaders now? Especially on defense.
I don’t think Narduzzi gets a pass. Don’t know how much is his fault, but none of these are first time issues.
Taleni, and Blair were seniors, as is Wirginis. Bookser and Whitehead could go pro after this year and just hurt their draft status. How do this many guys take their eye off the ball?
No Aaron Donalds in this bunch.
Thinking this is just a blip is wishful thinking. The best you can hope for is that it may pay dividends for next year getting the young guys experience early.
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gc – I’ll be paying attention to see if you use these player loses as an excuse if Pitt loses to psu.
I vaguely remember you banging the drum for psu last year because their best LB was out for the Pitt game.
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Team rules is a pretty broad explanation.
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I don’t know how you blame Narduzzi? He can’t sit and hold everyone’s hand 24/7. You can set an example and provide parameters for what you want your kids to do but eventually you have to get potty trained. My parents did a great job of raising our family and I still managed to have my share of “learning experiences” through no fault of theirs.
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Teds – I don’t see anyone blaming Narduzzi – if anything the article praised him. A comment did say ‘you can’t give him a pass’ and that is true also – any leader needs to be held accountable in part when his guys screw up.
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Rumor has it W&W failed a piss drug test…. 2nd time each. This is my 54th year of Pitt Football. Too many of them have started the season with “unpleasantries”. Can’t blame coach. At best 7 wins!
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Was JW suspended last year for the YSU game? If so, two suspensions indicate a deep problem that wont be solved anytime soon. Look for him to bolt no matter how this season unfolds.
Blair was a consistent problem – speeding while stoned, held out of the bowl game, and now this. If the miracle of playing college football after a brain bleed wasnt enough of a wake up, then what is?
And as for Wirginis, if playing second fiddle to lead-footed Matt Gallambos wasnt motivation enough, you go and get yourself tossed for a quarter of your senior season.
Funny – we complained about losing the bowl games. Perhaps we wont even make a bowl this year. UGH!
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I thought a failed urine test was more punitive than a few games on the pine.
Anyone know for sure?
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If it is a NCAA mandated test it is one year suspended. If it is a Pitt or external (internship) test failure then it is at the HCPN/athletic department’s discretion.
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This is interesting in that all 4 are WPIAL products. That said, I don’t think this is a fatal blow to the TEAM. Reed, if you go back to the article of which starter was the most replaceable, there were opinions that Blair and Wirginis were easily replaceable and several on here, including me, indicated that Wirginis is injury prone and wouldn’t last in his position for more than 3-4 games because of injury/concussion concerns.
Whitehead is a difference maker, but remember that we played without him for awhile when he broke his arm, right? Did we play better during his absence, probably not.
Losing Bookser for one game was expected. There will be a slight decrease in talent, but nothing that should stop a victory against ysu.
Blaming any loss on not having these players, for an athlete is “an excuse”. For fans, it’s easy. Every athlete worth anything prepares himself to the max for every play and expects his teammates to do the same thing. My expectation is that the next players up on defense will thrive.
For me, the new front seven must play downhill on every play to have a chance at success. Stop the run and create pressure with zone blitzes. Maybe we see a more aggressive defense because of the new speed. Let’s get em!
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Well they blamed Wanny for his guys indiscretions.
The problem is we really don’t know why. Failed drug tests could be a lot of things, Pot or performance enhancing substances, coke meth, pain meds. Could be consistently missing classes. (That’s a joke by the way)
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Remember that Whitehead has more than one bump in the road at Pitt- he was suspended for the Oct 1st game of last year, had a suspicious absence from practices last season and now this infraction.
One point – these suspensions may have been in the works for longer than it first appears. But I also heard that some issue were pretty serious. One sportswriter at PSN stated that he thought that Wirginis’ suspension should have been more than 4 games.
I heard the same thing from someone else. I will disagree with this guys statement that “look how far Pitt has come” – Pitt loses a great Safety and is possibly replaced by a true freshman 4* IF he can meet academics standards is not a great place to be. A great place to be would be that we already had an experienced decent safety to take Whitehead’s place – but rely on a fingers crossed freshman who hasn’t even suited up for Pitt yet.
Now – something to understand – if these were drug offenses and the tests were NOT NCAA mandated then discipline is at Pitt’s discretion. Hell – Elijah Fields failed at least two of these Pitt tests then was kicked off for something else.
What could have happened was that these kids may have failed a previous test been put on double secret probation then screwed up again – and the 2nd thing may not have been drugs.
I’m not saying it is drugs – just giving some insight on how discipline at Pitt works sometimes.
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Disappointing. Especially with Penn State sitting there. Can’t imagine losing to them. Oh… guess I can. Don’t like the feeling at all. Sick stomach.
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However, Narduzzi is to be credited with his willingness to take decisive action. Others in Pitt’s past would not have done so.
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Man….it really hurts to know that Pitt’s NFL quality Guard is gonna miss a ton of time, and Quadree Henderson, Jester Weah and really important players are gonna miss time….
Oh wait, not, sorry I knee-jerked for a second and got hyper overdramatic lol.
So….Alex Bookser misses just one game against FCS Youngstown State…. AND Pitt got more O-line talent and depth in a 6’5”, 310 pound experienced lineman who started 9 full games at Texas last year to start that game one, then provide depth all season.
….Well — next that means one completely ineffective, zero-impact undersized D-end is gone. He is lighter and infinitely less-talented than RS Freshman Kazeon Pugh (already 250 pounds) so it’s better to get Pugh up in the lineup for experience as the #3 or 4 D-end over Rori Blair.
Then — a Senior Backup linebacker / special teams guy misses the first 3 games. He never, ever could even start over a Matt Galambos obviously — but he also could never earn a spot over Matt Caprara + all of last year couldn’t even earn a spot at OLB over Idowu which = Coaches don’t think he’s all-that good.
Plus he’s always hurt. Seriously??? Wirginis is a back-up, and he’ll be back anyways for ACC play to play special teams and give the starters breathers.
Jordan Whitehead is the only real head-scratcher and is confusing for sure. But he’s not the Quarterback or the top receiver. He is not a difference making pass-rusher, nor frankly some Darrelle Revis level STUD D-back (not even close, at least as of his career so far) so Plug-‘N-Play
Last season, Pitt finished the year relying on Terrish Webb and Reggie Mitchell as the two starting safeties to finish Clemson Win, then with Duke and Syracuse. —Yeah, I’ll take my chances with this year’s superior talent at Safety no matter how inexperienced.
Zero need for any disappointment or any drama — only one single real Starter in Whitehead is gone (for 3 games) and there is talent to replace him.
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I don’t think we know enough to give Narduzzi credit for anything. If these guys are consistently breaking stated rules, there is no choice. It is like mandatory sentencing. It looks to me like he let Bookser off easy.
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OK, Dark Knight (aka Mr. Optimist). You’re saying Pitt WILL beat Penn State? Just want to get you on the record.
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So who is calling the defensive plays on the field with Wirginis and Whitehead on the bench and a brand new defensive line?
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Let’s just say JW and QW won’t be and probably weren’t going to anyways – they can call the plays for the scout team D 🙂
My bet is Brightwell is the main man in the middle. Briggs has been in this system for all three years as well – if two are needed.
To finish my thoughts on the scout team – JW can now play the role of S.Barkley and Wirginis can mimic the psu MLB in our 1st teams prep for the creepy valley showdown.
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Highly disappointing that these guys are given an opportunity to lead and instead they now become an example of what not to do. Whitehead has gone from sure first round NFL to maybe the Bengals or Raiders will take a flier. Narduzzi has no choice but to lay down the law on these guys and if it means we start 2-2 or 1-3 then so be it-those guys have to own it and man up. If the team starts 3-1 then they will have to earn their way back which to me is the better punishment and scenario because the team will realize they are not needed-plus it could knock down their highly inflated entitled egos.
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On the plus side, these guys will hopefully learn a valuable lesson. And, Whitehead and Wirginis will have fresh legs when conference play starts after game 3. Some young guys will get more 1st team reps in camp and subsequent practices as well. This will strengthen us down the stretch
It’s not like this team was a 10 win team to start with.
We are in good shape… for the shape we are in…
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More pressure on the offense to produce early and often.
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The rest of the players will think that, “I better stay clean or Coach will … ” It also gives the other kids a chance to step up and it could bring an even better player to the forefront.
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On the positive side of the PITT calamity the next men up are being schooled in the classroom and will get all the
reps in fall camp and during the 1st 3 weeks of the season. It’s what it is and will grow this team for the future. Any game could be won or lost and there are no gimmes on the schedule.
Here’s a big what if… we enter week 4 with a 3-0 record….would you start W &W.
I wonder about Whitehead… suspended against Marshall last year……
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Those who are glad Narduzzi/the school dropped the hammer will the first ones complaining if Pitt starts 1-3 or finishes 6-6 and will want coach on the hot seat. That you can take to the bank. I think Pitt can start 2-1 and get W & W back for the trip to Georgia Tech.
I’ll be curious how many coaches are suspending important pieces to their respective team. I know it isn’t a Pitt issue, but every year Pitt guys are getting suspended. I always remember Dixon not happy with Durand Johnson’s year-long suspension, so I’m thinking it is a school punishment and not Narduzzi. Pitt has always thought of itself as being different than the rest of college football when handling issues, thus your 35 years of mediocrity.
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Obviously, the big difference between the indiscretions of 2010 and those at the beginning of 2012 and this year is that those of 2010 were public arrests and were well publicized. I take no issue with Pitt, or any other school, for not making public the internal rules that were broken .. and like 2012 and Taleni, we will likely never know what happened.
I certainly don’t blame PC or PN …. these guys have been around the program for a while and none of them seem like bad characters (unlike in 2010 when Wanny took a chance on Peeler and Knox who already had baggage, and it blew up in his face.)
IMO the players are to blame. These guys all have been with the program at least 3 years and should be responsible. 3 and 4 year players need to be leaders …. and while I personally don’t know any of them, my perception of the guys who were drafted this past spring is that they were all leaders .
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Can you believe I really can’t think of anything to say about all this. I would normally just use a few swear words and try and put a positive spin on this but I just can’t. It sucks but before we start pointing fingers we should know exactly what each infraction was or is…. and to blame Narduzzi are people who complain about anything and everything constantly and all the time. It’s gets old.
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Only Whitehead is significant and all the suspended players are back for ACC play. This is the most level-headed read on the situation …
http://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2017/07/28/impact-four-pitt-football-suspensions/
Ultimately, recruiting and depth have given Narduzzi the leverage to make this kind of statement. The replacement players are unknowns to us but not to the coaching staff. I’m, honestly, not too worried.
Pitt played 4 1/2 games without Whitehead last season and only lost once. Marshall, 1/2 Clemson, DUKE, CUSE and Northwestern.
This isn’t the NFL. Talent outshines experience in CFB. The backups may be more raw but they also have more talent. You also have to remember this is a system defense. Plug and play. All the kids stepping into the suspended player’s shoes will have been recruited for this system and practice and played in it for 1-2 years.
The suspensions sting but they’re hardly the end of the world. Let’s not resort to PSU’s levels and start blaming losses on players not being there. It’s football … next man up. You play with you who you have and outside of Whitehead, the backups have more upside.
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Ike – I’d rather not know what the kids did. It’s private. They aren’t paid. They have no representation. What happened, happened. They aren’t there now. Time to move on. Knowing what happened won’t change that.
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Looking thru the blue and mustard yellow glasses …. this will make the Nitters all the more self-confident especially if Pitt is sluggish vs YSU … and maybe complacency takes over for resolve. Hey, I’m trying to see something, anything here that will provide any hope
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Narduzzi’s isn’t to blame.
Dark, you are correct that we won those last few game but again like every win we had, it was the offense.
Take Whitehead out and we give up 61 points to SYR and 258 yards rushing to NW. ..
Anyway fans want to spin this it is bad for the team.
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Reed, why did I ever question you? Bo Peking must be salivating with anticipation of beating this depleted Pitt football team to a pulp come Sept. 2nd.
Narduzzi has lost this team, there is no leadership and I suspect multiple transfers in the very near future.
Can you imagine the number of injuries that will occur after we get humbled by YSU when we go into Beaver Stadium flat. Then whoever is left has to go against the aerial bombardment of OK St. The following week! That’s when the defections begin. The only possible game we could have won now is in jeopardy too when we only have 60 or so scholarship players left on the roster by then.
We should have gone down to FCS when we had the chance but nooooo, Steve Pederson screws us again by allowing us to be duped into accepting an ACC birth. Now we’re nothing more than a doormat for the likes of blue blood programs like Duke & UNC to wipe their feet on.
Where is Upittbaseball with his well placed insults and disparaging comments when you need them?
My new prediction, 0-11. And yes I can count, it’s just that I’m anticipating the football program will be disbanded before the Miami game so that we can avoid that embarrassment.
SOP.
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Bad for the team now, but in the long run it will be good for the team.
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Reed – I’m not saying that it’s not bad. I’m only saying that’s it’s not as bad as some say it is. I’m not a fan of Wriggins or Blair. I think their losses are negligible. Losing an OL for YSU won’t even be noticed. I’m excited to see who steps up.
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Reed,
To answer the question of your title: “Care to Revise Those 17′ Predictions?”
Sure! I had us winning 8 games this year and now I have us winning 7 or 8.
So am I saying this situation is not a big deal? NOT AT ALL!!!!
Our D was shallow to begin with and Reed is absolutely correct in stating that we now have only TWO starters coming back on a pathetic D to start the year! Hey, guys often get hurt during fall camp for goodness sake and a few injuries, which are the NORM in football will cripple us!
These players have really let down their team, their coach, themselves, and their fans!!!! We need all the depth we can get on D and now for 1/4th of the year it is gone. Heck, we may need the band’s tuba player to suit up and take the field. Yes, I’m exaggerating, but for the guys who think it’s no big deal – give the rest of us whatever it is you’re smoking and making you ignore reality. Maybe you’re even smoking the same thing our suspended players are!!! :>)
Here’s the Deal – Get Real!
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@Dark – we agreed on something and now I am afraid! lol.
Look, the kids embarrassed themselves and let down their teammates, no matter what transpired. Unreliable is not a good term when describing a teammate. Selfish is another. The NFL wants leaders, not followers.
This isn’t drama or the end of the season. Need to focus on YSU first. Most think we were going to lose to Dairy and OSU, right? Now, the coaching staff can use this to help recruit and gain momentum that way. “Look recruit, we were 1-3 during our suspensions. We finished 6-2 when we got our players back and we are on a roll. We need your help”.
I am disappointed in the WPIAL guys, regardless of issue!
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Hey Dr Tom were you in a serious accident and hit your head or did you drink a gallon of sarcastic juice this morning?
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I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel and just realized this morning that is an oncoming train.
This program is doomed. Earlier today Upittbaseball typed out “Pitt is It”! What other sign do you need to see confirming the impending apocalypse?
We just don’t deserve to ever have anything nice happen. Losers, we’re all a bunch of losers. Go ask Upittbaseball, he’ll tell ya.
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Oh so it was sarcastic juice, glad to hear you’re alright.
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I posted on the last chain but I always seem to be the last one! So reposting on the new chain:
I think the major concern here is the numbers….4 players. Not 1 or 2, but 4. Football of course uses way more than 22 players on O and D. Heck we won Clemson with plenty of non-starters making key plays. Many above analyze this development one player at a time, and by doing so, sure it can be seen as not that bad. I would argue it hurts collectively…If each of those players make just 1 or 2 really important plays in a game, it very likely turns a W into a L without them. They don’t need to be superstars for this to hurt when we lose all 4 at once.
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I thought we were headed for a 6 and 6 season with losses to PSU and OS. So now those 2 losses are more likely. That’s not a big deal. What matters is how the team (and by that I mean all the players) react to the suspensions. That’s an unknown. But what we do know is that a young safety and linebacker are going to undergo trial by fire. Trials are not losses. They are tests. And a test is an opportunity to succeed.
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Tossing, Thanks for bringing needed logic into the discussion as always. As far as player losses go, Whitehead stands out as significant (though we did beat Clemson without him), the others not so much, though I fear we’ll miss Wirginis a little too. More importantly, I hope those young men get it together, for their own sakes. And yes, we do know enough to give Narduzzi credit, even starters/stars are not above discipline, and no one game YSU suspension either. Building a program is more important. And frankly, Pitt’s not there yet anyway, the defense is not put together yet, and we are still waiting for a talented young qb to take the reigns.
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BTW Reed, FWIW I continually enjoy your pairing of the blog article headlines with the pictures. Often amusing and always apropos.
Nietzche — “That does not kill us makes us stronger” We Pitt fans must be some of the strongest people on earth; although I fear Pitt sports will eventually be the end of me.
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Pitt vs Clemson on now.
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Pitt Clemson on ESPNU now. #4 game from last season.
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Bet this really helps ticket sales.
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Bring Cancers in like Kam Carter then don’t complain when cancer spreads.
Narduzzi has had these kids 3 years to teach and mold. This many suspensions tells me then tune him out.
Doc – Good to see you as usual know everything and we should be happy to breath your air. There is a pattern here and sorry we won’t go 12-0 like you thought. Be happy we have Heather Luke as an AD or Narduzzi might actually have to explain himself but not with compliance puppet as an AD.
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I know this, when you’re right, you’re right. And you’re right Upitt. Narduzzi never feels the need to explain himself & as you’ve previously alluded to Heather Lyke is nothing more than a cheap MAC make believe AD, a Narduzzi hand puppet.
As always the SOP Pitt administration is hopeless. And of course you know that you’re always welcomed to use my air when I’m done with it.
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The juice is loose.
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Nard and the university did they felt was required. Hopefully, the players realize they are accountable as adults off the field as well as football players it. Whatever happened, it’s done, over move on. Next man up will have more talent than years past. On a limb, this team goes 9-4, and a few stars are born (and no one jumps overboard).
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Whitehead is the only loss here.
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What kind of program is Saban running. A program out of control …
https://articles.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2017/07/alabama_football_player_arrest_1.amp
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Watching the Clemscum vs Pitt game on ESPNU – it figures that JW and QW are in on almost every tackle in the first qtr. And the last play shown was JW’s 100 yards fumble return.
I guess we will miss them both – it is what it is…
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I predict Hand will be suspended the first series of the season opener. So long as Florida State opens up on offense.
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^^Dam it, I meant Alabama opens up on offense. grrr
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Upitt, what you thinking man? These problems with these men festered before Cam set for on campus. Further, I don’t care about his past right now, just what kind of a character he is now. Better know someone really well before making those comments. At the very least, the young man deserves a chance.
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Kam Carter got his chance at penn state. Now this bitter reject via Laat Chance U gets to crawl into Pittsburgh to inflect his Netflix malignancy in the Panther roster where it will metastasize throughout the team.
It will only be a matter of time before Max Browne gets busted selling crack out of his car down on Bigalow Blvd.
I’m with Upitt on this one.
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On fire.
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Might as well call us the U. Except we have no talent and swagger. Just a bunch of thugs it appears.
I dont want a pretty boy program. Not sure if these crimes would have been covered up and not made public at other schools. But Pitt gains no momentum when things like this happen. Wanny got fired for less.
SOP
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I heard a great story about momentum when at the Boy Scouts Jamboree in West Virginia.
Losing your momentum sounded like it was a pretty bad thing. Losers lose their momentum was the moral of the story I think.
No momentum SOP.
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Doc – quick, turn on ESPN-U and get your optimism fix.
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1618 – Watch the show then tell me your comments. He will be let go mark it down.
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Upitt posted
“1618 – Watch the show then tell me your comments. He will be let go mark it down”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Great point Upitt and I agree. It’s a SHOW!! Made for entertainment… You do know there was no wicked witch of the west… right?
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^^^ http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20191143/alabama-crimson-tide-dl-dashawn-hand-charged-driving-influence
Baylor almost just go their whole program death-penalty stricken just last year because their players were committing sexual assaults, and the Head Coach basically covered it up.
In emails used in court later, against multiple of the players who he didn’t discipline, he frankly said (literally, verbatim in one account): “What is wrong with these girls, these are bad dudes they shoulda known better.”
Alabama’s best returning player, who woulda been a high first round pick last year just got arrested for DUI.
This stuff happens every single year to all the top teams, having to discipline players. No one watches ESPN when some high profile player hits a woman, fights with some drunks dudes at a local bar, etc??
Ole Miss’s Head Coach had to abscond in the night from the program because he’s been using Escort Services (not UBER!!! — The tight dress, and “lip-stick” type escorts lol) to lure in high ranking recruits.
The world is falling! — a backup Senior D-end is gone! Forfeit the season! 🙂 lol
One game for an o-lineman, 3 for a backup Linebacker, and 3 Jordan Whitehead.
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Dark Knight, no need to go overboard on this. Forfeiting the Miami game should do well enough, especially if we’re still winless by then. Why endure the humiliation of getting thumped by those bullies from Florida anyhow?
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Kicked out of PSU – Coaches in Mississippi are not even fans of his.
Excuses and enabling.
It is reality TV – Which makes me think this moron would of put his best face forward.
He is a goof.
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Plus he eats his roommates snacks. No respect. I bet you he also farts in the shower after games too. Upitt has this dude pegged, what is Narduzzi thinking?
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LOL, those coaches in Eastern Mississippi took the trouble maker in and allowed their team to be on the TV tube. and Please don’t tell me you believe in reality TV. On the other hand you don’t have to tell me, I already know.
Since when does a reality TV actor put their best foot forward? The bachelor? Now I know you’re just jacking us all around. I’m seriously convinced you’re trying throw us all off the rumor you’re a nice guy. ike 🙂
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Ike, come on, those are called “reality” shows for a reason.
They are real! Not like all the fake news we get from the true make believe TV like “Meet the Nation”.
Next you’re going to tell me the WWE is all staged. Geez.
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Or Face the Press, for that matter.
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Dr. Tom: You’ve fallen to the dark side. Nothing that an SSRI and some electroconvulsive therapy wont fix.
Before you know it, you’ll be wearing a Cam shirt and booking your hotel room for Pitt’s inaugural foray into the national championship game.
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My Prozac Rx ran out last week. My golf game is in the crapper, I can’t break ninety anymore for some reason. My favorite Chief of Staff just got axed, I got a nail in my car’s tire and now this Pitt $hit!
There is no hope.
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” It is reality TV – Which makes me think this moron would of put his best face forward. ”
Lol, I mean ‘takes-one to know-one” here guilty-as charged —- But similar to how we all act with such Civility, Sophistication, and Noble Class on a message board when we know someone out there will see it, right? haha
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“I swear, in ‘Real-Life’ he’s the nicest guy!”
Maybe Kam Carter, WWE, “Real Housewives” style playin’-it-up for the High Def cameras is actually just the sweetest guy! But, he just chooses to act up and be a …. “Heel” , for fun and silliness lol in a specific forum?
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It was often speculated why Wirginis did not beat out slow Galambos. We now know, Wirginis is not very smart and a burnout.
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Kam Carter will be a star at Pitt.
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You’re not paying attention to Upitt if you believe that.
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Galambos, Caprara, Webb, Mitchell gone. Easily replaced!
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Not sure if reverse psychology will work on Mr Wonderful II or not but it’s sure funny reading the attempt. For you guys that met Upitt what were his first words? “Pull my finger” or “Is that tape on my backside”? ike
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Actually it was, “let me pickup the tab for these drinks before dinner”.
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these players made decisions that were counter to the rules. In one case a series of bad decisions that led to his dismissal. As to Narduzzi, he did what any reputable head coach would do. Chryst bounced 21 players of the team in 2 years. Every program has issues. Pitt as well. But at the very least, they address them and move on. I had PSU as a loss and OK ST as a possible. Still the GTech game is the swing game here. Win that one and build some momentum Brightwell, Zeise, Pine and others are the players who will be here to build the D. Other players step up in place of those who are on the list.
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Reality shows are junk. I assure you I’m not making this up. I knew a participant on a reality show … and the producers take about 10% of the weekly content to use …. and the other 90%, mostly all good and fulfilling content, is edited out.
The junk, drama and bad stuff is what the audience wants, and has them coming back for more. Just like political news and commentary (from both sides)
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Chyrst did bounce a lot of players but 4 of the 5 guys disciplined since last year were his recruits. Now I’m not saying he is at fault here, just saying it’s not on the coach to babysit the babies.
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Kam was kicked out of PSU. Let that sink in for awhile. The same school where captain touch my sword ran wild. So when I’m right and I will be on this one he will then transfer to Marshal.
Doc – Hope your stomach is better. You were missed by Bruce and I and his Mrs.
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Ike – You are something.
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Reed, one comment I would make is that I don’t think we can state unequivocally that this is the first time that Whitehead and Wirginis have been disciplined for wrong doing. If you recall, Whitehead was sidelined during the Marshall game and Narduzzi was completely closed mouth about why that happened. It seems that if it was anything other than a disciplinary action, Narduzzi would have been willing to say what it was.
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Dr. Tom, Forget about your golf game and your drive to make the senior tour. You’ve found your retirement career-as a writer of satire and parody! The sky is the limit! All you need is for dumb things to keep happening with the Pitt football team and you’ll have plenty of material. Enjoy!
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Doc,
If your vying for the POV Sarcism Award, you can stop – you’ve already won hands down! Congratulations!!! :>)
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….Sarcasm Award!
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Cam doesn’t have to be a saint, just keep his nose clean and develop with hopes of playing at the next level. He plays a position of need for us due to our youth on the D LINE. I’m going to guess he will be watched very closely, even without our msg board input. He goes over the line and he’s gone, so what.
And no. None of today’s college coaches can be accountable for all their players all the time,
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Like someone said it is what it is, so just move on. We all are speculating as facts are not known. One point I heard on Fri. is that our university policies are more stringent than other P5 schools like with D/A infractions and that means the coaches hands are tied to some degree,depending on the infraction . I prefer the bright side. We have recruited a lot of new talent that will see the field early and who hopefully show why we recruited them. Real problem is football teams are microcosm of society today. In the 50s the only weed was what the Carnegie Tech Fine Arts students were smoking next door or if you went to a coffee house in Shadyside. Our football players did not have the money to be driving cars and therefore did not get DUIs.The football team was also sequestered in Oakland under a tighter controlled environment and not scattered hither and yon between Oakland and the southside. Saw on another blog S. Barkly stagerdinto Thon at PS and had to be removed, wonder if he will be suspended for 3 games?
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–Maybe E. Zeise gets a shot at MLB? EZ seems like he would be a heady player and he’s put on a lot of size. Can’t play Brightwell in the middle at his size – he won’t last the 3 games until Wirginis returns… Maybe Chase Pine or EZ will surprise us in a good way.
–The pressure on OC Watson and QB Browne to produce mucho points just went way the hell up.
–The good news — the probability of Whitehead and/or Wirginis suffering a season-ending injury in one of the first three games just went to zero!
–Obviously we need a couple of the young, totally inexperienced DEs to step it up and make some plays…
Our Panthers — always something!
Go Pitt.
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Change them?
No.
Why?
Blair was a nonentity, Wirginis is a minimal contributor despite showing a flash here and there last year who is always getting hurt, I’ve spent the last 9 months or so hearing how Whitehead was basically barely better than average all last year, plus all I keep reading here is that the defense isn’t going to be better anyway and that was when Whitehead was not suspended the first 3 games… and Bookser is only going to miss the YSU game.
So I see no reason to change my expectations of Pitt is going to do this year shrug
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Pitts players in the 70’s and 80’s werent Saints. But they kept out of trouble and the university covered up many things. Pitt’s players these days are too stupid. And the coaches are too holy because the Chancellor wants choir boys. In this day and age, you need to practice street smarts and you need to play between black and white. Pitt will never learn with these bozos in charge. I’m not advocating covering up real crimes but conduct detrimental can be handled without suspensions. Do even the players know the real reason behind the suspensions? It makes us look nationally bad when ESPN kept scrolling the Pitt suspensions. Nationally people think we are no better than North Carolina and Louisville. They cheat but at least they win. Best example is Pedo State. The systemic and sanctioned rape of over 20 children over decades and no death penalty. Now they are the darlings of the football world. Like nothing happened. Pitt might as well give up. It has always been gutless and leaderless when it comes to college sports. No true visionary or champion of athletics. I think Wanny was the closest Pitt got…given his passion.
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Darlings of the football world????
Sounds like your in line for your own suspension Tx with the smoke you’re blowing down in the Line Star State. Outside of creepy valley everybody hates penn state.
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Lone Star State of course.
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Almost certain that this is Jordan Whitehead’s third disciplinary action, which means he’s now going to school at last chance university himself. I’m almost as certain that he’s a good young man that show lots of respect to all. The terms pothead and knucklehead possibly come to mind. < This is speculative and not an indictment as I do not know.
Plenty time for all that later JW!… just ask Martavis. Break the bank and then party like it’s 1999. or 2029? With all due respect ike
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wanny isnt really the best example to use when talking about players misbehaving/committing crimes being revealed to the public and embarrassing the program/athletic dept/university…
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What is Nard Dog doing now with his players? Suspension after suspension. I see no difference. Wanny at least bled blue and gold and was committed to winning and bringing Pitt back to national relevance.
Pitt will never win because it will never play between black and white. It will always portray themselves as some Ivy league school wanabe that plays in a P5 conference. It will always be satisfied with mediocre. Yet we are mediocre and we have these suspensions nationally scrolling on ESPN. At least most schools that suspend players end up winning and are relevant. Pitt cant afford this. Brand wise, depth wise, etc.
The B1G loves a successful Penn State. ESPN loves a successful Penn State. Those decade long crimes are long forgotten. As long as they continue winning, all is good. They rake in the ratings and revenue. Cheating isnt punished by the NCAA, its rewarded. Bad behavior helps sell. This is after all the entertainment business.
We are fooling ourselves if we think we can graduate Stanford type players and be competitive and relevant yearly. Our administration doesnt support athletics like Stanfords.
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I’m with you Tx Panther. Ben & Jerry’s needs to produce a SOP flavor. What does it taste like?
Mediocrity! What does mediocrity taste like? Well you start off with appearances. So you start with a blue and gold swirl. Then when you eat it, you just scoop it out in your hand because mediocrity flavor isn’t good enough to own it’s own cone or bowl.
The taste, OK to begin with but plenty of sourness towards the end. Usually an after taste of bitterness.
Should not be a very good seller, only about half the customers actually show up wanting that flavor to begin with.
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Sure seems like most of you have drank the kool-aid. I guess if Soto were dismissed before last season, you would have said he never did much, same with Jarrett, I remember people saying he was too fat. You need experience and maturity on the lines. Pugh may be great in time, same with the other sophs, but they won’t be ready soon enough.
This team is not nearly good enough to lose anyone that can contribute when we have PSU and OKST in the first three games. Wirginis is by far the most experienced linebacker we have.
While I agree that this isn’t the end of the world, but to shrug it off and say it doesn’t matter is wrong, Losing Blair after losing Taleni hurts a very suspect line. Even with them we were not going to be that good.
I would like to be proven wrong and the retreads and new guys kick butt, I just don’t see it, especially vs PSU and OKST.
Regarding Whitehead, he is a big loss because you need talent vs talent. He makes tackles and covers ground.
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If the dline wasn’t going to be that good with them then it really doesnt matter that they’re gone. What would the difference be? Losing by 7 points or losing by 14? Losing by 10 or losing by 20? So ehat?
That moment when pitt fans want to talk down the team even more but realize they’ve already done it so much they don’t have any more down to go to.
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^^^ Can we stop with not understanding how the NCAA works here?
Drug tests are all distcrete to fans and media. Regardless of personal beliefs — Marijuana is stringently tested by the NCAA especially in D-1 football….
Some guys like it too much and clearly have trouble with it. If these were violent / harmful acts or arrests it would all be public.
Pat Narduzzi wants “choir boys” Waaa???
Pat Narduzzi may not give the slightest Hoot if players all go smoke Marijuana when they’re not in the facility — but one they test positive the NCAA gets the lazer-sights on them. I think they even can give random and surprise tests once you get on their radar!
What would be “Choir Boy” coaching / Admin is if guys get suspended for public arrests and reprimands, a la Alex Bookser — who got only one game from all at Pitt — admin on down — for freakin’ speeding an SUV through city streets, crashing at high speed into parked vehicles then smashing to a stop into a brick wall….then getting arrested at gunpoint. Lol — All on VIDEO. One game for that — because that’s the utter minimum the Admin and Narduzzi could do without getting publicly destroyed by the media.
So silly — some may want to learn NCAA rules (many here are assuming we all know about) regarding Mary-Jane testing and their intense, no-forgiveness rules on it.
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I can’t comprehend the logic behind 95% of your ravings TX panther.
This is a non story to non pitt fans. How many times it scrolls by on the espn chyron is irrelevant. Nobody but pitt fans cared when chryst suspended several players at once.
How pitt portrays itself is also irrelevant. Pitt has taken on plenty of good players with questionable characters and pasts. It is a bitter delusion to think that pitt doesn’t try to recruit a lot of good players it would have gotten because those players aren’t choir boys. It is a myth.
It’s also a bitter delusion to think that most schools who suspend players also win and are “relevant.” All schools suspend players. Most schools aren’t “relevant.” Most schools are in the same 10 wins would be a big deal boat pitt is in.
Wanny had players getting arrested right and left. The program was on course for a major disaster if he had stayed. The administrations actions compounded the bad PR but the way things were going that was inevitably coming anyway. You’ve got the wanny colored glasses on anyway if you think he was making pitt “relevant” again. At his best pitt was a top 20 team. That’s not really relevant these days. It wasn’t that relevant when he was coach either. Even top 10 isn’t that relevant anymore. It’s the top 5 then everyone else if you’re talking about national media relevance. If you aren’t in the top 5 you’re only relevant if you’re playing a top 5 team or if you have a chance to get into the top 5 yourself.
Getting back to prominence isn’t being made tougher by anything save money. Money for an elite recruiting staff at every position, money for elite facilities and housing for players, money for all kinds of trips and events and other perks, hell money for the bagmen and the cars if you think that is truly widespread among the ‘prominent’ and ‘relevant’ programs. Those programs have money coming out their everywhere being used 1000 different ways to recruit. In amounts the pitt football program simply doesnt have.
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Getting that Mich State LB – the one they dumped – would have been really helpful with these latest developments.
It’s always dicey getting thru July without bad news for the upcoming season…
I do think we are in much better position to deal with this situation because of the athletes we now have – though they surely are young and raw…
Go Pitt!
Go Pitt.
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gc, PREACH! We start out 0-3, then it gets worse.
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Pitt won’t win another game until it drops to division III in 2031.
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Next year there will be factory mass producing pot for medical use only a couple miles from the south-side sports complex, while many other states have it legal for leisure use. Is it time for a different frame of mind considering the severity of the punishment for something that is fast becoming legal in this country?
Hey don’t shoot the messenger. Just food for thought. ike
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sporting organizations like the NCAA and coaches in particular are likely to be among the last to lift restrictions on marijuana use and the punishments for it
altho who knows maybe they’ll go the way of the NBA where marijuana use is technically not allowed but the drug testing regime (testing and punishments) as far as marijuana goes is a complete joke
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Tom, that’s a lot more likely than 3-0
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What scares me most is Pitt breaking bad news on a Friday afternoon ala the “sewer “in DC thinking no one would notice. How’d that work out? News broke at 3:48pm and within 10 minutes every major sports network had the scroll moving at bottom screen! Nice job Heather!
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You have two full classes that Narduzzi recruited and the other being Chryst commits. So far Whitehead, Wirginis, Blair and Bookser have been suspended or released. Add Taleni as well to the list. See any Narduzzi recruits on that list? Doesn’t mean they will not get into some rules breaking, but it is clear who is getting into trouble.
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Whitehead and Wirginis suspensions are drug related. Not the first time for either – better be the last time for both.
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Losing Taleni hurt a lot, Blair not really. But I agree the d line is way too young. This a key reason why, with Narduzzi’s scheme, I suspect our d will be limited this year, and the team for that matter
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I didn’t see the scrolling on ESPN about the Pitt players. I stopped watching espn and listening to the espn radio for over a year now, except when Pitt is on it.
When espn got into politics about black lives matter and used the espn sports radio to discuss it for an hour, I stopped listening…..and watching.Sports, particularly, Pitt sports is my escape. Politics and sports don’t mix well. Hollywood and politics doesn’t mix well and the POV and politics don’t mix well.
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Suspensions scrolling on ESPN is a bad thing. Wanny got fired for this publicity. Many schools hide indiscretions and deal with it differently. Not sanctioning the behavior but telling you how it is.
Breaking news on a Friday…always a bad thing.
Smokin dope? Give me a break.
Its up to our AD to raise the money. Wanny could and would have raised it. Heather is just a pathetic compliance pawn.
You want relevance? The administration needs to go. A stronger athletics leader needs to be hired. The BoT should have nothing to do with athletics meaning that bureaucrat Gallagher needs to stay hands off.
Pitt is an abortion now and will always wallow in mediocrity with the bozos in charge. You talk about a swamp, a cesspool, thats the athletics department for the past 30 years. You want to drain it, stop drinking the Koolaide that this garbage administration feeds you. Pitt athletics is set up to fail with this structure, leadership team and apathetic fans.
Again utterly amazing that Pitt has at least produced football talent to the pros despite all the roadblocks. But record speaks for itself. Pitt gets what it pays for and what fans/boosters pay for. Embarrassing that the university is near last in overall sports performance.
And they talk about the front porch like it has some meaning. Pitts front porch looks like those in Morganhole with ratty couches and animals living underneath.
The ACC made a mistake in selecting Pitt if it wanted a university committed to sports excellence. We have become BC and worse.
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And one last point. the NCAA is a joke. It rewards cheating. It should be disbanded. It creates an uneven playing field and is not here to protect the players interests…only their own financial interests. Its like Fn FIFA.
What I dont understand is why schools cannot disclose if the suspensions were drug related. Frankly, these piss tests are ridiculous for Mary Jane. So is Whitehead like Martavius Bryant and the star of Reefer Madness?
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the NCAA are the schools themselves which purposely limits its enforcing agency when they become too big for their britches
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Looking conveniently
beyond the loss of these players, my 2 questions to Coach Narduzzi (who I am happy is our coach) are:
1. Since this is Year 3, WHEN are you going to put a defense on the field?
2. When will you release the hounds to start recruiting?
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like you said, it’s only the beginning of Year 3. His players will be infiltrating the defense en masse this year
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Wow! Grateful for this community and the real effort everyone makes to keep the focus on the game. It’s a seriously smart group, and I honestly don’t know as much about football as most of you, but I love my Panthers–34 years in, LA and I still follow them like a kid. What I do know is that unknowns are a big factor in the success of middle of the road teams… Who would have predicted such horrible defense on any Pitt Team let alone a Narduzi coached team? And I seem to remember even Reed saying after the Villanova game that that game’s mediocre offense was really a fair representation of what Pitt was capable of–that the coaches were being truthful when they said they didn’t hold anything back. Even after the PSU game I thought the offense was a fluke. Where did QH come from? How did Peterson suddenly look like a star? And Orndorf? How did we win without QO? As all of these surprising unknowns unfolded , the most amazing thing to me is that we managed to win only 8 games last year. In my heart, we did win the UNC game. I’m sure we’re good for 8 this year. We’ll probably win the ACC Costal. Every game is winnable.
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PS. I wonder if someone keeps the stats on D2 defenses against D1 defenses. I’m guessing Pitt’s Defense with its D1 3 star +/- players did worse against D 1 teams than most D 2 teams with mostly unranked players on D.
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