2017 Pitt Football Camp, Day 3 Recap
The Panthers Wore Shells for Thursday Morning’s Workout
PITTSBURGH—The Pitt football team put on shoulder pads for the first time of training camp during the Panthers’ third practice of August on Thursday morning at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on the South Side of Pittsburgh.
Head coach Pat Narduzzi held his daily morning media session before practice, and special teams coordinator/running backs coach Andre Powell and linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator Rob Harley answered questions after the workout.
Pitt men’s basketball head coach Kevin Stallings also stopped by for a visit during practice.
Interview Videos: Pat Narduzzi | Andre Powell | Rob Harley
Below are transcripts of all three media sessions.
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi
Opening statement:
“The first thing we do is compete against ourselves. We’ve had two great practices, obviously in shorts. Today is the first day in pads, which I always think is a big day. And our kids have done a great job of practicing. I think sometimes you overlook how important that is, staying healthy and keeping your guys on the field. The last two days, just staying up off the ground is important.
Today is just shells, so they have everything on except their pants [pads]. When you look at it overall, the guys have stayed up, and we expect them to stay up today. There should not be a lot of guys on the ground. We’ve done a great job talking about “thud.”
Today is a “thud” day; it’s not a live day. Just because we are in pads doesn’t mean we’re going out there and going crazy. Our guys have to practice smart today, and that is what we are expecting of them. This is real football, and we’ll see guys coming to the top today—young guys, old guys. I’m excited to see what we have.”
On if it makes more sense to skip shell days and go straight into full pads:
“With the acclimation period, we have two days in shorts. Our guys have been acclimated all summer. They’ve been here all summer. I think the NCAA will eventually get rid of it because we really don’t need it. We’ll try to take the heat off it early. Early on, we will just give them two plays. So the ones will get two plays, the twos will get two plays and the freshmen will get two plays.
Then we just break back into individual so they get it out of their system early. If we have 20 plays, it could end up in a scrimmage situation. It turns into, ‘I hit you low, and then you hit me low.’ All of a sudden it turns into a lot of competition.”
On which players can provide depth on the offensive line:
“It’s so early. They are out there blocking in shorts, but Bryce Hargrove, [Jerry] Drake Jr., [Connor] Dintino. Jimmy Morrissey has done a great job through spring and all the way up into this fall so far. And that’s just to name a couple, so I feel bad throwing names out there. That will be easy to settle, and we hope to have an addition here soon.”
On how Bricen Garner and Jazzee Stocker are performing at safety:
“They have done a nice job, but it’s covering guys in shorts. Those guys have done a great job competing. They all have to step up really at every position, and especially back there. Jordan [Whitehead] will compete when he gets back. I’m sure he will be hungry, too. There’s always competition at every position. There’s nothing given to anybody. You have to earn it. Earn that Pitt jersey and play the day.”
On whether Mike Herndon will be playing on offense or defense:
“Mike is going to do a little bit of both. We’ll start him off on offense because he started out on defense in the spring. Mike selflessly said, ‘Coach, I’ll do whatever you need.’ I think he’ll be a great addition. He was originally there and we moved him over. I really think he can do both, and impact both sides. He’s got defense down. I think defense is easier to play at that position. As we move forward offensively, I think he will be great.”
On Aaron Mathews’ practice status:
“I expect Aaron. He’s a guy who has some personal obligations to take care of right now, like some other guys I mentioned earlier. He has some things going on that he needs to take care of. We expect to have him back here in the next week.”
Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs Coach Andre Powell
Wearing a “Find a Way” shirt:
“We find a way. No excuses. Someone gets hurt, it doesn’t matter. We have to line up 11 guys who know what to do and know how to execute. Find a way.”
On his running backs corps after James Conner left:
“I’ve got three veterans that know how to function and can play winning football. It’s just a matter of getting reps and getting better. We don’t really have guys listed as one or two. Everybody is running with the ones, everybody is running with the twos. We’re just trying to get better.”
On the possibility of redshirting the two freshman running backs:
“In a perfect world, I would like to have that, and a six-pack. In a perfect world, you like to save those guys, but we get guys ready to play. We will get them all ready to play and it will sort out. If we don’t need them, we will redshirt them. If we need them and they can play winning football, we will play them.”
On what the freshmen running backs have shown in camp so far:
“They’re talented. It’s just the volume of things they’re required to know that’s slowing them down. That’s typical for most freshmen across the board.”
On whether running backs usually see the field earlier in a career:
“That’s a position where you can say ‘okay, you can learn this group of plays and play.’ And the defense doesn’t know that it’s a limited amount of plays. You can’t do that with the line obviously. If we’ve got enough guys ready to play, we’ll just play with what we’ve got and we’ll make it work.”
On if having five running backs that can play makes his job more difficult:
“It will sort out. Someone ends up making more plays and falls into a leadership role and it sorts out. Some guys say, ‘I’m a little bit behind and can’t get it.’ Or some guys just don’t get it. It just sorts out.”
On Qadree Ollison stepping up in a leadership role given James Conner’s departure:
“He’s done a good job. He’s vocal. He’s trying hard and giving a great effort. I’m pleased with him along with all those other guys.”
On Qadree Ollison’s development over the past few years:
“Ollison’s always been a smart guy. He could be a great coach someday. It’s just a matter of him just being aware of his body and being aware of space and where he is in space and how to get all those extra yards and how to get a little extra on his blocks when we ask him to block. He’s just come a long way. I don’t know how to say how far he’s come, but he’s come a long way.”
On George Aston’s role for the upcoming year after his breakout in 2016:
“Our offense is our offense and everything we do, we do from multiple personnel groups. So if it’s a play where the ‘F’ gets the ball, if George is in the game, he’s the ‘F.’ If we’re in a different personnel group, another ‘F’ gets the ball. At the end of the day, when we start putting our gameplan together, we’re going to try and put the guys that can play winning football and give us the best chance to win in a position to make plays.”
On if Qadree Ollison can be better than he was during 2015:
“He was a redshirt freshman and that was two years ago. I think he can. That’s the bar. We’re trying to raise the bar. He rushed for 1,100 yards, but he’s a little bit wiser. With the ability to anticipate, see things before they happen, receiving the tips that the defense gives, he could have had more yards. Hopefully he knows those things now and is learning them now and when it comes time to play, hopefully he can be a better player.”
On Chawntez Moss and Darrin Hall looking more like seasoned veterans:
“They’re more seasoned than what they were last year. It’s still a process; they’re still learning. They’re still getting better and I’m pleased with where they are.”
On Darrin Hall bouncing back after being held out in the spring:
“Good. He’s not wearing a knee brace; he made some good cuts on it today. He’s not favoring that leg. That’s the biggest thing, mentally getting over putting that foot in the ground and bracing on it. He’s done that.”
On the ideal way to split up running back carries:
“The guy who’s hot is going to keep getting it.”
On how the other running backs reacted to James Conner getting most of the carries:
“I think all those guys during the season all get amped up to play, all excited to play, but we got a guy like James [Conner] who just keeps getting the ball. With his talent, we just kept feeding him. Guys see that and every game goes by and they say ‘I’m getting four reps, six reps or ten reps.’ And I think at some point they go, ‘this is James’ year, so I have to wait my time.’ It’s part of the process.”
On Quadree Henderson being limited because other teams might kick away from him:
“We’ve got plans. They have to kick it somewhere. That’s the nature of the game. They kicked to him last year and he made plays. We’ve thought about this and have plans if they start not kicking to him. If they don’t kick it to him, they have to kick it to somebody and we’ve got guys that can catch and run with it. It will sort out too.”
On other options showing promise in the kick return game:
“[Maurice] Ffrench, [Avonte] Maddox, Rafael [Rafael Araujo-Lopes] and some of those freshmen do a good job. We’ve got guys.”
On emphasizing letting the running backs know it’s their time:
“Every day, every meeting, every time they take a rep that’s not their best. I make them aware of it. Back when I was young, we couldn’t communicate real well. I was always yelling at them. Yelling doesn’t do any good. They stop listening when you start yelling. So I’m just pointing it out. I ask them, ‘is that your best?’ I make them say it. I make them hear themselves say it. They know what the bar is, so that’s the deal.”
On if he has ever had a backfield that is this wide open before:
“I’ve always had good backs where I’ve been, with one exception. But that’s the nature of the position. You recruit good athletes and guys that can make plays and hopefully you get a bunch of them. They’ll help you somewhere—offense, special teams, you could have some guys that are two-way players. They’ll help you somewhere. That’s the nature of football. You get a bunch of good ball players and let them play.”
On the process for breaking in a new kicker:
“You have to handle those guys different. They’re not offensive linemen. You have to make sure they’re rested. You can’t kick them too much. People who just go out there and kick, we count kicks. We’re not going to let them kick too much. We want to keep them fresh. You have to talk to them differently and you have to treat them differently.
They’re different people; they’re a different breed. There’s a lot more to it than ‘just kick the ball.’ And then when things aren’t going well, you have to find out what it is. Whether it be something little with your plant foot, it could be their drop, it could be the approach, the off-arm. There’s a ton of things that most people don’t even take into account, but it’s a very technical position. You have to be technically sound to be good at it.”
On talking football and fishing during his fishing trip with George Aston:
“A little bit of both. We had [Kenny] Pickett with us, too. We had a good time. We went down the river to one of my secret holes. I can’t tell you. Somewhere between West Virginia and Lake Erie. We caught them good. Caught a bunch of small mouth. We had a lot on, but we didn’t get a lot in the boat. The small mouth are pretty sassy, but we had a good time.”
Linebackers Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Rob Harley
Opening statement:
“I lost my voice on the first day. It’s just coaching. We have the music going, so it’s good, it’s all energy. I have to do voice warmups like Beyoncé before a concert. I have to call her and see what she does. I don’t have her number though.”
On Saleem Brightwell’s move to the Mike Linebacker:
“He’s been good. It’s always tough when you move positions because you get a little bit more responsibility, but he can handle it. He’s a third-year player and he’s welcomed the role last spring. He’s been really good. He’s an introverted person; but on the field, he does not lack that one bit being vocal and that’s you love about him. He’s physical and we’ve forced that leadership role on him, and he’s taken it and run with it and we’ve been really happy with him.”
On the leadership and veteran mentality of Oluwaseun Idowu:
“He’s consistent. That’s the word that you would use for Seun. Every day, you know what you’re going to get: great energy, great effort and the guy is just meticulous about the details. He’s been a big-time leader for us through the summer. Obviously last year, he played basically every snap for us and we’re looking for him to be a guy that really leads the entire defense this year and not just the linebackers.”
On Oluwaseun Idowu playing hard through training camp:
“It’s great. We’ve preached that for three years since we’ve been here. There’s no job that’s final and that’s weekly, all week long during the season. Whoever plays the best is going to play. He’s a guy who’s taken that to heart, and everyday he’s competing. He’s going to help the younger guys, but he’s not going to give up the spot. He’s going to play tough and that’s what you really want. He’s a program guy—great athlete and does everything correct. You can’t get any better than him.”
On Elijah Zeise playing Money Linebacker:
“For those guys, it’s the same position. It’s just a matter of where they go, where are they aligned, what are they doing, so it’s the same position. You’re just looking to get your best three. So if he ends up being that, then we kind of like that rotation right now. And if he can keep his job and win that job, then we like those three guys. We like having two Star-type guys on the field at the same time. So that’s where he’s taking reps right now, but really all those guys can play.”
On what Elijah Zeise brings to the defense:
“Not just because he was a wide receiver, but obviously he’s athletic enough to play wide receiver. He can move, he’s quick, he’s got great feet, he’s smart and he’s learning back to his high school days how to be physical. He learned that last season through fall camp and through spring ball and he’s really brought a lot of maturity to our room, too. He’s a serious dude and he wants to be good. He’s kind of that quiet leader in that group.”
On the loss of Quintin Wirginis for the first three games this season:
“We’re moving on. All of that is behind us now and it’s ‘next-guy up’ and we’re rolling.”
On the progress of Chase Pine:
“He’s a big, big kid. He’s athletic, he’s physical and we’re looking for him, after a redshirt year, he’s been in the system now for a year. Obviously, he’s got a lot more to learn. You never master it in one year, but he’s got a chance. He’s got a chance to be an impact for us and be a guy that plays a lot of plays for us. He’s been good, but, if you think about it, it’s his first action, spring and now fall camp, in his whole career. There’s a lot of growing pains with those young guys, but he’s been good. Those guys are kind of dialed in through the leadership of [Oluwaseun] Idowu and [Saleem] Brightwell and [Elijah] Zeise telling them, ‘this the standard.”
On the benefit of bringing back a lot of experienced players due to injuries last year:
“No injury is a good injury, but we’re always look to roll six guys in this day and age of football. Like we always say, it’s like a hockey line-change. You have to be ready to move guys in and out if a guy needs a blow and playing a lot of guys definitely helps you. So we have a lot of guys with some experience in big-game situations. Just experience in game situations is critical. We’ve had that, so now it’s just about getting guys to be more consistent, and they’re going to get that through experience and reps.”
On who are the guys after the starting three:
“We have Chase Pine, Jalen Williams, Anthony McKee [Jr.] and Elias Reynolds, and you work those guys in. So those guys are working, and then you have your freshmen and see which one of those guys can be a guy that can fill in there. Right now, we’re so early in it that you’re just trying to throw guys out there and see what the best mix is and see who plays the best.”
On the implication for the future of Saleem Brightwell moving to Mike Linebacker:
“I think that it’s good for Saleem because you’re learning more positions. Saleem can play all three of them and it just helps his development. Obviously, we needed him there, but you have Chase [Pine] and you have Elias [Reynolds] and you have other guys who can move in there. So I think that it’s good for our depth, but it’s good for him because now he’s played Money. He played Money all last year, so he can be closer to matching the defense earlier because he’s seen it from a different angle. It’s good for our defense and it’s good for him, and I think we’ll be okay.”
On the versatility of this year’s group compared to last year’s:
“I think that we have some guys who have been in the system as opposed to a couple of years ago. Obviously, you come in as a new staff and you’re trying to put your system in. Right now, we have a lot of guys who have heard a lot of this stuff before and that really goes a long way. So maybe we’re more versatile because we have more guys who understand our terminology and what we expect.”
On Harley’s new duties as recruiting coordinator:
“I work 25 hours a day, so there’s never enough time. I need more time. You have to give me your time, I’ll work on your hours. It’s almost a liaison role if you really look at it because obviously our recruiting department handles a lot of our stuff behind the scenes. Obviously, we’re the boots on the ground, as coaches out on the road.
Those guys aren’t going out on the road. They’re not doing a bunch of talking to the recruits. So we obviously have our ear to the ground and we know what those guys like and what they want to hear, what positions they want to play and all of those things. It’s my job to coordinate that and manage that group and get what coach wants told to those guys through our eyes and have those guys go execute. It really is a liaison role more than coordination.”
pittpov.com 
It will be Ollison starting on Sept 2nd.
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The ubiquitous RICHMAN again…does he pop up when you search stock photos of Pitt football? LOL.
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Where’s Waldo? <<< Richman….. I do believe he’s a very rich man in more ways than one!
If Ollison is the cat to carry the ball and beats out the others then I rejoice! Play the best Pat!
Would like to see a bunch of the young guns get some playing time this year. Pine, McKee, Coleman, Miller etc………. …..and a back-up QB or two. Play for NOW! and plan for the future if you can! ……. ike
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Coach Powell is a trip. My favorite from yesterday …. “We went down the river to one of my secret holes. I can’t tell you. Somewhere between West Virginia and Lake Erie”
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It’ll be interesting to see if moving him from Defense to Offense and him playing both where they take the extra lineman for the side of the ball. I think that is the main key in the cog if he does play both sides of the ball.
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Good point ted, with the OL graduate from Texas, PITT now has a little bit more depth over there with Herndon moving as well. Does this mean the PITT coaches have faith in the younger DL players and as someone else suggested faith in Carter? or not much faith in the OL backups?
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I hate to say it but I believe our offense will have to have a repeat 2016 performance for us to even come close to tasting the 8 win mark this year. And I also believe our inexperienced 2017 defense can well duplicate its 2016 performance.
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The offense will not be as productive as last year’s & the defense will be a completely different animal from the one we witnessed in 2016. Young, and inexperienced when digging into the two deep but a whole lot of potential. I see a 2-2 start mainly because of growing pains in this def naw, especially with no Whitehead, Taleni & Wirginis in the first three games. By the way BD of the season however guys like Camp, Watts, Coleman, Miller, Hamlin,Hendrix & Edwards will have shown that this defensive system works well when the proper athletes are plugged into the system.
Better than last year will be a pretty low bar for this 2017 Pitt defense to aspire to but they will be. Come 2018 though, we’re in for a treat. Get ready ACC, you’re about to see one Beast of the East defense emerge at Pittsburgh cone 2018.
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http://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2017/08/04/perspective-pitt-football-commit-cameron-oneil/
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………….another example of Narduzzi picking up a great looking prospect that isn’t your “4 or 5 STAR” type. It’s all in the recruiters eye.
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Ike,
You are spot on!
I was in a Barnes & Noble and all the Where’s Waldo games were replaced with Where’s Richman!
But the truth is I know where Richman is – in Mount Lebanon off of McFarland Road! :>)
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….. which is maybe a mile from where I grew up in Dormont.
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So, does Pitt football now commence the cloak of silence?
Every camp,,,shhh.
At least no injury reports or suspensions.
But would it kill them to allow a few videos?
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Awaiting the Richman photo op from Pebble Beach…
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The Powell article reveals very little insight. no one really standing out.
The Hugh Green/Aaron Donald comparisons from a previous thread are very interesting.
No doubt Donald is exceeding Green in the pros. I still think the car wreck affected Green’s pro career.
In any case, I would vote for Green’s dominance as a college player. He stood out on an all-time great defense, for four years. I have seen one TV production that named him the greatest college player of all-time.
It is a really tough choice though, Donald is also in a class by himself, and his senior year was incomparable, although we still only won six games.
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Any Kam Carter sightings on the Southside yet?
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I’m pretty sure Kam’s practicing Doc or we would have heard he isn’t. Plus with Herndon moving back to the OLine it would seem the PITT coaches are happy with their DLine??
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gc, I never thought I would see another player like Hugh Green. Completely dominated his entire time at PITT. It was the greatest to watch that defense ass a whole but Green stood out as the best college defensive player of his time.
Then, unexpectedly, along comes Aaron Donald. Now I saw him play (TV) at Penn Hills a few times, when everyone was interested with Dan Mason but it was AD that jumped out at me even in high school as a junior. Never in my wildest dreams did I think he would be as good as he was.
I have to say in my view Green and Donald are on equal sacred ground as far as the best to ever play at PITT for sure and maybe in college football history. …………….. ike
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IMO Green had the better Pitt career .. his numbers over 4 years are unprecedented. Donald’s numbers over his career were really good for a DT but he dominated like few DTs ever did in his senior citizen.
In the NFL, Green played in the anonymity of the worst team in the league his first few years but still made all-Pro. Remember, there was no internet and only CBS was covering the NFL except for Monday night Coverage of all sports were much less than today. Nonetheless, if Donald .continues as he is, he will join L Fitz and D Revis in NFL HOF. Right now, Pitt is 3rd or 4th behind the likes of ND, USC and OSU in the amount of HOFers.
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I’m everywhere, mmwwhahahh! If i could figure out a way to post a pic here of Pebble i would. It was gorgeous. Am reading this now from a hotel room in San fran. Fly back tonight. . Can’t wait for the tailgating to begin. H2P
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Richman = WaldoMan
Gasman, there have been a few brief video’s. I think Reed posted a few the other day and PSN and Pitt live wire has had a few as well. Being early there really isn’t much to glean from fall camp just yet. Reed is on his way up there in a few days. He will get lots info back to us, I’m sure of it.. …ike
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One of the LSU QB’s showed up at camp on the first day with an Air Canada shirt. Nice!
I heard that on XM84 College Sports Radio.
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^^ Yeah Kam Carter was Practicing from Day 1 and multiple writers have said how impressive he looked made the staff quickly move Mike Herndon over to the O-line.
Brian Batko, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette beat writer said that Kam Carter was the most “Physically Impressive” looking Pitt player who was legit 6’4” +, and looked more svelte and slimmed-down from “Last Chance U”.
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There’s not gonna be much at all to get from Fall Camp right now — because the media only gets access to the first 20 minutes or something of practice. They just get to “eye-test” all the Players during warm-ups, stretches and some drills — so they can see who has been hitting the weights and who looks athletic running around but not see any “live” real Football in scrimmage full-speed stuff.
So, really the only info to glean is what the Coaches are willing to share in their interviews.
Plus this first week was just a little truncated practice week due to the NCAA getting rid of two-a-days so Narduzzi started the Training Camp a week early (since they only get one practice a day now for this fall) to get the guys in early and working together.
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http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2017/08/04/Qadree-Ollison-Darrin-Hall-Chawntez-Moss-Pitt-football-Andre-Powell-Todd-Sibley-AJ-Davis/stories/201708040147
The Give the ball to whoever’s ‘HOT’ thing with the runningbacks is not my thing though lol. Not to the level of the Quarterback of course — but it’s just nice to have a solidly-set #1 Running Back ‘Bell-Cow’ back there who you trust and rely on to get the job done and just comes-off for breathers and rest.
Chawntez Moss is actually really a big dude (5’11” , 215) and he is the only one of the 3 upper-class running backs with wiggle + Elusiveness at all. It should be him and Qadree (health permitting!) fighting for the #1 starting spot.
Obviously James Conner was the epitomy of the “Bell-Cow” runningback for Pitt last year and Andre Powell and most of all Pat Narduzzi gave him every opportunity in the world to be the true #1.
Darren Hall to me should have been moved to Linebacker where he coulda been a BEAST . Obviously that’s probably not a move he would ever want to or have been willing to make — but this is not a James Conner scenario — Hall just has zero Vision and Instinct to play running back.
But he’s 6 foot, 225-230 and built like a TANK, and really fast….. problem is he just, GET’S BALL, RUN FORWARD and just runs right into the back of offensive lineman, and right into defenders making zero cuts and with zero vision. He’s gotten the ball numerous times with huge wholes and tons of room to evade tacklers — plays where a Dion Lewis or even ‘in his Prime’ James Conner would bust-off 20 plus yard runs — and Darren Hall just clumsily barrels right into defenders with ZERO WIGGLE and gets tackled.
In high school he was just so superior and faster to all the other ‘kids’ he could just grab the ball and run forward and those poor kids were helpless.
Darren Hall is just going to kind of fade away as a running back — when as a 6 foot, 230-235 pound linebacker he could be a monster. Oh well.
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DK,
I agree it’s nice to have a main guy back there but sometimes you have to let someone win it over the course of 2-3 games….and even then, other dudes can get better. No shame in having 2-3 guys gain 500-600 yards in a season versus one guy having a big year. Wisconsin for several years seemed to have that scenario and it worked out pretty well for them.
Hall has got really good burst thru the hole, and size as you mentioned, so I’d hate to give up on him just yet…sometimes a guy with no ‘wiggle’ is a guy who hasn’t figured out where to go yet, given limited carries. Now that Conner is gone, let’s let them all get a lot of carries in camp and rotate them in games if nobody proves they are head-and-shoulders better. People get hurt too, so always smart to have a deep bench…and of course, one of the freshmen may come in and make all our arguments moot!
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I repeat myself by saying but the coaches really see something they like about Darrin Hall. Since they like him as much as they do, I’m thinking he will get his chance to shine. imo, he will shine brightly! He’s not just fast for high school, he’s fast for college ball as well. He’s ready to blossom like a wild flower.. .ike
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Here’s a tidbit. Notre Dame restricting practices starting this year and people are pissed off. Here is a few:
Among the new rules:
• Media members are forbidden from tweeting or using any form of social media until practice is over and/or coach Brian Kelly has met with the media.
•Media may not release more than three minutes of video per day, and the video must be “shot tight”- shots including multiple players, formations, play type or “other strategic elements” are forbidden.
•Reporters may not reference play type, formations or personnel information.
•Media may not report on practice injuries until the program has released an official update.
•Media may not quote or paraphrase comments made by the coaching staff during practice.
The release has drawn the ire of multiple media members who believe the new regulations to be unnecessarily restrictive.
Sounds like HCPN may have started an unpopular trend?? ….ike
We Are All We Got
We Are All We Need
H2P!
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Some of you guys talking about DH have a lot of knowledge and I appreciate you sharing it but I just don’t see the speed you guys say DH has.
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If Hall blocks well and if he can catch passes out of the backfield then IMO they will find a place for him in the backfield He will split time with the others and RBs tend to get injured so he will see his share of playing time IMO. He may not have the ‘wiggle’ but he did show a nice spin move against PSU last year for some extra yards. I’m rooting for him..
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One big thing all of the media have been noting universally already though after these three “intro” practices, is that the players all look Lean and Strong out there.
That’s just a great testament to Dave Andrews along with his Conditioning and Strength staff.
Dudes are looking all Ripped-Up and strong — I like too how when Pat Narduzzi first got hired he was obsessed with players shedding all the Fat and Junk-Weight and wanting lean muscle on his players.
For one-example, has anyone seen the pictures of OLB Sean Idowu this year?? I stil think he’s gonna be the 2nd-team, utility backup linebacker and a young guy is gonna grab that starting position quickly —- But I give credit he looks absolutely Shredded this year. Then again Nicholas Grigsby went into his last year in 2015 at LB looking ridiculously shredded then proceeded to not perform, so who knows lol.
You just can never rely on the “Eye Test” though —– in Paul Chryst’s last year (that 6-6 season before Narduzzi where Conner went-off) — the team looked big and strong and the Media all thought at Minimum Pitt was good for an 8-4 season in ACC year two —- so much like that year, if Pitt Flounders at the Quarterback position again and the defense is anywhere near as bad as last year, Pitt will not reach the 9 regular season wins they should get — but I think Pitt succeeds and goes 9-3 in the regular season 🙂 .
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Hello from South Beach!
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hate to do this but ….
?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.post-gazette.com%2Fsports
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Check this out. Jeff Knox, who was one the guys kicked off the team in 2010 by Wannstedt, is now 2nd team SAM LB for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went to Cal (PA) after being dismissed from Pitt
here is TB bio
http://www.buccaneers.com/team-and-stats/roster/Jeff-Knox/8fe7db13-4553-46cb-b91c-d250a8caefca
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Here is Knox’s Rivals profile back in 2010
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https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2010/jeff-knox-jr-51061
I guess some people just take too long to mature
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If memory serves, Knox followed the course of Tommy Campbell who started at Pitt, dismissed, went to Cal and then played LB in the NFL
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Well something else to read: Most underrated players in college football. One PITT player. He’s not underrated by POV followers.
.http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/most-underrated-college-football-players/ar-AApoasa
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South beach? Nice Upitt.
Pittcocks, thanks for the link. In Weah we trust! …ike
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Correct me if i am wrong, but didnt he beat up his pregnant girlfriend?
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believe so
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Jester Weah beat up a pregnant girlfriend???
That’s what I garnered from the above comments????
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“OH” — Jeff Knox lol okay.
Anyways —- there are only, LITERALLY, 3 Power 5, Potential ‘Big Time’ NCAA Football programs who are in Pitt’s “Stadium Situation”…. i.e. : “On Campus Stadium is MOOT” –>
UCLA —- “On Campus Stadium is moot no room in Westwood, CA” (North West “Los Angeles Proper”) — They go 25 miles East across the Heart of Downtown LA to get to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena….. Yet their ‘Baller’ fans show-up and sell it out if they are .500 or above at 100,000 capacity.
#2 — MIAMI (FL) — they have to go 25-30 LEGIT MILES to get to their Home stadium, “Hard Rock Stadium”. They paid proud-Alum Mark Richt 4.0 million a year though, and he’s brought in top-10 recruiting classes at his Alma Mater….
#3 is… PITT!
Hienz is…… 4 miles from HOME so quit whining, EVER!!! lol Is it “too big”?? It’s 65,000 and Hard Rock Stadium is the same, so WE and Miami, FL are in the same boat.
I said the RIVAL I WANT now and in the future is Miami…..and, sorry….”old-heads” kept saying, “Oh no penn state is the rival ‘cus Joe Paterno and blah-blah-blah 🙂 hahaha.
Pat Narduzzi will build it here….OR…. if he goes to the Jets after this year, Chancellor Gallagher will bring in Terryl Austin (Pitt Alum and current STUD Detroit Lions D-Coordinator) at 4 mil a year to build Pitt — I guarantee one of the two. 🙂 🙂
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Well that’s the reason Knox was thrown off the PITT football team.
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Jeff Knox was originally from Pgh and played at Central Catholic and got into trouble. Moved to DC and played at DeMatha and stayed out of trouble. He lasted all of 2 1;/2 months before he (allegedly) punched his girlfriend (Chatham coed) when she told him she was pregnant.
He was one of 4 freshman that were sent packing during the FB season. The other issue which was more publicized was Jabal Sheard in July throwing a guy thru a glass door in the presence of 2 policemen. He never spent any jail time, paid a fine and expenses … the story I got from a southside businessman was that the guy was drunk and throwing racial slurs at Sheard. Anyway, Sheard was voted captain, drafted by the Browns, was nominated for NFL Man of the Year, and just won a Super Bowl ring … so go figure
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actually Knox didn’t allegedly punch his girlfriend .. he did punch is girlfriend
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The reason I say that too —- Is that I KNOW Miami very-soon is going to be a program that over-takes Alabama under Richt in competing for the National Championship……
BUT….
The University of Pittsburgh too is going to be a Football (AND BBall program too lol just watch 😉 )that is right-there competing at the Pinnacle-Level.
I think Pitt and Miami are going to become ELITE programs who split their wins — and who make the whole Nation tune-in.
Pitt has ONLY BEEN POWER-5 FOR 4 YEARS NOW!!! —- Pitt is a ture “GROWING CHILD” (Into a Giant!) of a Football Program!
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There was a Pitt scrimmage on the South Side today. Currently there are 4 photos and 1 quote by Duzz.
In one photo, it shows Hall carrying the ball with Wirginis on the ground after what looks like a missed tackle. Fitting…
Another photo shows our rsFR kicker, another shows Browne rifling a pass and the last one shows Maddox breaking up a pass to Flowers.
Way to not show too much.
HTP!
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I guess this replaces the Regatta’s Anything that Floats race … certainly better IMO than those power boats that were louder than the music at Pitt FB game and would occasionally kill people
http://triblive.com/local/allegheny/12585949-74/video-red-bull-flugtag-takes-over-the-north-shore
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🙂 Jason Taylor ( Why didn’t Pitt recruit him and he ended up at Akron???? lol) is giving crazy+mad credit to Dan Marino!!!
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Book the Tickets Now —>
We all know, Larry Fitzgerald and Darrelle Revis are no-doubt, First-Ballot Hall of Famers in a few years after they choose to retire 🙂 .
Then: Aaron Donald is just a guy who’d getting there too. What a Beast. 🙂
LeSean McCoy — If he just keeps playing for 3+ more season, he’s gonna get in. He’s been such an ‘Undercover’ NFL star and if he just keeps staying strong in his play he’s gonna be a Hall of Famer too.
That’s 2 zero-doubt NFL Pitt Hall of Famers etched in stone already and two more who are very favorably probably gonna get there….
#HAILTOPITT!
Is a Quadree Henderson / Jester Weah / heck Max Browne the next one up???
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EE, why is it that Hall isn’t breaking a tackle in the photo instead of Wirginis missing a tackle?
Maddox all 5’9″ breaking up a pass on a 6’3″ receiver.
Good stuff, huh?
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Amazements will never cease. The PG has done a nice job covering camp!! And most amazingly not a Nitter article in sight! Has there been a shake up in sports staff? Seriously, this is really different, those of us who live locally actually have decent stuff to read, and not bombarded with PSU propaganda. Wait, tomorrow’s edition will probably be all PSU. lol
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Hall is a youngstown guy with lots of speed and quickness. His shortcoming in my view is vision. That is why he so often seems to run into tacklers. You can’t teach football vision without a lot of work by the athlete…He is the Ron Flockhart of college football if you ask me. For those that don’t remember, Flockhart was a penguin hockey player that skated faster than everyone, but could’nt do anything with that speed, often skating past the play because he was too fast.
Narduzzi is smart to give Hall a chance as he continues to make inroads in the youngstown akron recruiting area. There is talent in those areas and Narduzzi knows it. Hall will continue to get his opportunities.
Is Asamoah committing tomorrow?Would be a nice commitment. I wonder why the high school seniors begin to practice and risk injury before committing. Seems risky for the athlete.
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Check out 93.7 The Fan radio on Saturday afternoons. Dorin Dickerson is the host and often has former Pitt players as quests.
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Huff, verbal commitments have no binding obligations associated with them for either party. Committing early just gets the athlete a reserved spot in their respective recruiting class and sometimes that doesn’t even pan out for the recruits at the top recruiting schools.
Look at the reasoning behind Todd Sibley becoming a Panther after committing to OSU as an example.
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The PG now has Brian Batcko covering Pitt FB who, believe it or not is a Pitt grad. He has been at this post for a while now and is writing much more about Pitt FB than his predecessors. Craig Myer is PG Pitt basketball writer who also is doing a good job thus far …. don’t know where he went to school …. but he also looks to be pretty involved.
DiPaola continues to be Trib’s Pitt man in both sports. He is an area veteran sports writer. and does a solid job. IMO, Pitt is getting pretty decent coverage in local papers now all things considered .. hope it lasts
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I misspelled both … it is Batko and Meyer
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Upitt,
Well, I’m at Ocean City, MD (with the grandkids) – so take that South Beach guy!!
:>)
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Was there a scrimmage yesterday? No articles in the PG or Tribune.
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If Duzz can get this team to 9+ wins this season, then I don’t need to know nothing until I see it on game day.
Shhh…greatness may be in the making.
The Pursuit!
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If Duzz gets this team to 9+ wins this year, I pray the Admin team is prepared to open the checkbook !
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Yeah Doc, I know that. I think the Sibley’s are a different story. The big programs get early verbal commitments from Sibley at a consensus 4 star and then during the season he is not a consensus 4 star and is replaced by a consensus 4 star and is offered a grey shirt by a big program. That offends the athlete and Pitt (in your example) is the beneficiary. Despite what many believe, most verbals are not flipped. Sibley is a great example of why our coaches stay in contact with early, highly ranked kids that begin to fall off the boards of the big time programs.
The reason I asked about Asamoah is that Oklahoma has allegedly been gaining momentum with him since his visit. However, the Sooners are going to hear about a consensus 4 star LB today, which would be a direct competitor at his position. Smart move by Asamoah to push his announcement (which was also scheduled for this weekend), back.
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