in Pitt Football 143 Words

Wednesday Night Roundtable and Call-In; 10-11-17

The time has come around again for the Roundtable Call-In – seems like it is shorter after a loss, doesn’t it?  here are the details and I’ll be on around 8:55 or so…

Meeting ID
303 520 973
Moderator Passcode
2615
Want to dial in from a phone?
Dial one of the following numbers:
  • +1.408.740.7256
    (United States)
  • +1.408.317.9253
    (Alternate number)
Enter the meeting ID and passcode followed by # (Like this below)

408-740-7256-303-520-973-2615#
From the “Too Funny to Not Be True Dept”:  This is exactly the state of our recruiting right now… and it may get worse before it gets better.
Wiltfon.png
Guys – Stanford didn’t even target and reach out to Symonds… he went looking for another school all on his own once we started losing games… and this is the guy Pitt fans were talking about replacing Aston in 2019.

 

56 thoughts on “Wednesday Night Roundtable and Call-In; 10-11-17”

  1. Symonds was also the 2* player everyone was pointing to when complaining about Narduzzi’s sub-par recruiting. jus saying….

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  2. BTW, that wasn’t Symonds advertisement, it was Stanford’s. I wonder if we could get a look at that. Fairly sure it will have something to do with academics?

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Just to provide an alternative perspective..

    He’s only a 2* player and we couldn’t even win the battle against a school that wasn’t actively recruiting him.

    I guess it’s all in how you look at it, huh?

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  6. It was academics Jay and Reed. Stanford > PITT by a little. Depending on what he wants to do.

    The other point I was making is, Narduzzi gets ridiculed for recruiting a 2* player and then again when the said 2* player decommits. It’s just not being fair on the coach imo…

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    1. Way off topic. “Stanford > Pitt by a little”? I agree to some extent that it depends on major.

      Stanford is currently tied for #5 (with Columbia and MIT) among National Universities in US News & World Report. Numbers 1-3 are Princeton, Harvard, University of Chicago and Yale (tied). Pitt is #68. If you don’t like or respect US News, pick any other service or publication.

      Believe me I am all about Pitt having graduated from there and having a daughter enrolling for Fall 2018 (very proud dad), but I would choke (or finger cramp) in making that statement.

      I am with you on the decommit. It’s not the canary in the recruiting coal mine to me. Pitt’s projected depth at TE is RS-Jr Clark (who doesn’t appear to be ready to go anywhere), Sophomore Sear, and RS-Fr Carrigan. They also have two other RS-Fr who may challenge. Alaimo is still on the recruit list for 2018. Losing what appears to be a marginal recruit to a better school and program doesn’t seem like a big deal. Pitt seems to have plenty to pick from for a couple of years.

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      1. This myth that Pitt’s academics demand football play 3rd fiddle to its top ranking must be debunked. Pitt is a great school but it is no where near Stanford and Michigan and Penn State rank higher. Last ranking I checked had Pitt in the top 100 public universities around 68. I understand UPMC is a separate entity although the Pitt chancellor is on the board which runs the conglomerate. If Pitt had half the passion, winner-take-all philosophy evidenced by the predatory nature of UPMC, Heinz Field would be full, we wouldn’t be talking about an on campus stadium, the the finale vs. Miami would already be sold out.

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  8. Ike.

    Again, it’s all in perspective…

    It’s one thing to ask out the prettiest, smartest girl in school and lose out to the honor student, captain of the football team.

    However… it’s much worse to get spurned by the ugly girl, leaning on the gymnasium wall hoping someone will ask her to dance.

    So, I disagree. It’s more than fair to ridicule Narduzzi for whiffing on 2* players. If Pitt had rescinded the offer to land a 4* (or even 3) TE, like Banks, there’d be little or no criticism. It’s bad enough to hang your hopes on 2 players. But to have them tell you, “No thanks” is far more embarrassing.

    If that’s not clear, I don’t know any other way to explain it.

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  9. You win some, you lose some. EVERY school does. 2* to 5*, hardly a big deal if you watch schools around the country.

    HbgFrank is correct. Wake me on NLI day.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. It is all about perspective Jay and depending on ones feeling. A bunch of things though.

    1) losing is not the right word, Symonds made that real clear that his moving on to Standford had nothing to do with PITT
    2) This isn’t necessarily about football, there is a difference, it was academics imo
    3) It’s ok to criticize Narduzzi for only getting a 2* player
    4) It’s ok to criticize Narduzzi for “losing” a 2* player
    5) It sounds hypocritical to me to do both

    It just is very obvious to me that at the slightest opportunity, Narduzzi gets worked over. This after two 8 regular win seasons. The natives seem restless.

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  11. ike

    All fans freak out over a bad years. Dantonio, Franklin, Doeren, Kelly,…the list goes on and on. Some coaches recover, some get canned.

    We won’t be complaining about Narduzzi after Franklin bolts for Notre Dame.

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  12. IMO Pitt did not put up resistance if the kid called Pitt before announcing. Priorities change and Pitt probably had bigger fish on the line. There are a limited number of scholies available. It would be interesting to see posts from when Nard announced this back when. Agree with Ike it is academics primarily.
    Of course it reminds me of the quote from AD Bozik when Pitt deemphasized again “We want to be the Stanford of the East.” I wish the kid well, it is a non-story. rkb

    Liked by 2 people

  13. He had an offer from Wisconsin. I guess Chryst sucks at recruiting worse than PN. I mean if we are going to just find any negative thing so we can post trivial nonsense…. Maybe we can make fun of more players based on their pictures?

    Liked by 2 people

  14. Harry Psaros tweet said Symonds wants to attend Stanford’s med school. I thought Pitt’s med program was first rate. – Hobie

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  17. I think it’s ok to let a 2* future doctor go, I think we need more players that want to send their opponents to the hospital not work there.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Hi Fran – I’m gonna do my best to drop in on the tailgate and say hello. Will have already eaten and may have a couple buddies with me. Looking fwd to meeting you and my source for positive thinking, Ike. Always a treat to run into BigB as well.

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  20. Ike.

    It’s ok to criticize Narduzzi for only getting a 2* player
    It’s ok to criticize Narduzzi for “losing” a 2* player
    It sounds hypocritical to me to do both

    I already explained above. What part was unclear?

    If you date an ugly girl, your buddies will be less than impressed.. not likely much of a catch. If she turns you down, it’s even worse because you couldn’t even get the ugly girl.

    If we land all 2* players, the fans won’t be impressed.. not likely much of a catch. If they choose to go elsewhere, it’s even worse because you couldn’t even get the 2* players.

    Now do you see what I’m saying? It is not hypocritical in any way you attempt to define the word.

    But hey, you’re right. It’s only a game. Not hardly important enough to get upset about.. or spend time and money on, if you think about it. In fact, there’s really no reason to compete at the NCAA level. There are many Pitt students competing in club sports (hockey, rugby, golf, etc.) that are actual students who compete for the love of the game only. We should all start attending their events as an alternative.

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  21. Fran/Lastrow:

    I’ll make an appearance, if only to get the chance to meet Big B. Any other newbies who weren’t at the last two tailgates?

    I have a kidney disorder so I don’t drink much. And I have at least two other tailgates to visit, so I won’t eat much either. What a cheap date I am…..

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  22. Jay: your scenario was spot on about asking a high-school girl to have a dance with you with the refection I knew all to well growing up. It fits here to a degree.

    For me Jay, to much assumption though. When the not so pretty girl turns you down for a rocket scientist. It’s apples and oranges. What part don’t you understand?

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  27. Point of clarification…Big B plans to attend the North Carolina game, not NCState this week. I asked him when I saw him Friday because I wasn’t sure either.

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  30. Just a FYI, Unable to attend the round-table tonight. Lend Reed your hand, face and knowledge if you got the time. A phone call is is just as great! Have fun.

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      1. In your case Wlat, lend Reed your face he will find someone else to lend their knowledge. lol 🙂 We will settle this on Saturday.

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  31. Anyone know what the unsportsmanlike like conduct flag was for on Hendrix in the 1st half that kept the cuse TD drive alive?

    That 7 hurt real bad in the grand scheme of that game.

    Muzzle the wolf pack!

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    1. I thought Pine’s hit was in the 2nd half? That was a legit flag.

      I did not see the 1st half but I heard Duzz’ post game presses and he said he needed to look at the tape.

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  35. So where are all the guys that called Reed’s analysis too negative?

    Losing recruits is normal and not especially newsworthy Unless it is an elite guy.

    Really hard to put any lipstick on this pig right now, searching for anything positive.

    I guess we will find out what Narduzzi is made of. He needs a solid recruiting class very badly and it is going to be a very hard sell. He also needs a couple of wins and an upset, which does not look remotely possible at this point. Leadership is key, from the coaches and players. Maybe it is time for a players only meeting, Gutcheck time. We need some leaders men!

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  36. Pay CLOSE attention to what happens the rest of the Season. The way this Team plays is going to tell you whether Narduzzi has ANY chance of succeeding as Coach.

    Unfortunately, with each passing Game it looks MORE and MORE like “Alea iacta est.”

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  37. First test… is Narduzzi SMART enough to commit to DiNucci long enough to see what he is capable of?

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  39. Reed

    Credit where credit is due…

    You called the OL struggles. I disagreed with you and was wrong.

    I do think the young DL will be really good next year. We tend forget that these kids are 19, 20 year olds. It is rare they excel their first year playing. 2nd year is usually a big jump. Exactly why Narduzzi should go young on offense also.

    I think you did miss on Ollison, he seems slow and goes down easy. Obviously part of that is the OL play but second level he isn’t doing crap. Maybe the TD run last week will be a start.

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    1. When Ollison runs the way he ran on that TD, he does well. Haven’t seen enough of that from him this year. Recallling that he was in the doghouse last year for issues with pass-blocking, one might wonder if he will ever be what we saw in his freshman year.

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    2. There are 3 guys from the current DL 2 deep that are under 20. That’s Camp, Watts and Weaver. Camp turns 20 in December. Watts turns 20 in January. Weaver turns 20 next month.

      Among current third stringers: Wheeler turns 20 in December. Jones II turns 20 in September. Twyman turns 19 in July.

      Though not on the depth chart, given his size and some statements it sure looks like Pugh is headed for the DL. He’ll be 21 in March.

      Edwards is the only senior loss from the 2 deep next season.

      Ollison looked pretty good on the second level for the 19 yard TD on Saturday. He also looked good on some runs against PSU. Whitehead’s 35 yard run Saturday was Pitt’s longest from scrimmage this season. Ollison has the second longest at 32 yards. The next longest from another RB is Hall at 12. I am not sure there has been much “second level” this season.

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  40. Ollison runs best with a fullback lead blocker (like in his ACC MVP year), off tackle, or up the middle. It is inconceivable that Watson sets up his own players to fail by having Ollison run wide and Max running QB run/option plays.
    Stupid is what stupid does. Coaching is a BIG part of Pitts problem!!!

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