Pitt’s Latest Transfers and Declarations

532 thoughts on “Pitt’s Latest Transfers and Declarations”

1. O’Neill and Whitehead’s departures have been speculated for a while …. also, note that O’Neill is a redshirt and is very likely to receive his degree this spring,

   DiNucci was picked in late January, 2 weeks after Narduzzi took over. Why?, because the Pitt QB situations was Voytik and Bertke … and that was it. The fact is that the Pitt QB situation has been in a state of constant flux since 2004 …. go back and look if you don’t believe me.

   Who commits to the Univ of Penn St at the last minute, who leaves for Akron, who leaves for Delaware, what 4-star never makes it to campus, etc. Even under Chryst, — Savages transfers in, then a QB who was here for a couple years leaves for John Carroll, and another 4-star is denied entry because of an assault.

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   1. Not like this though. We haven’t been this thin in decent QBs since I can remember.

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      1. This is better than I can remember….we have one good QB.

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   2. THE LAST THREE YEARS pITT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL RECRUITING TOP NOTCH qb’S I WOULD STAY WITH THIS TACTIC. bROWNE WOULD HAVE BEEN A STUD BEHIND A DECENT OL AND TIME TO ADJUST TO OC.
      HE STILL WILL BE DRAFTED/3 QB’S IN A ROW USE THIS AS A RECRUITING TOOL FOR THE TOP QB TRANSFERS.

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2. What transpired the last week was not good for next years team. Lost some talent. Coach needs to get aQB in here ASAP. I agree Henderson should have stayed.

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3. OK Sean you got my attention. What transpired the last week?

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   1. Transfers and departures.

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4. Although it is true that players usually leave in January, the reason is because they finish out the season in a Bowl game and then leave. Even then, you see more players sitting out Bowl games than ever before.

   Whitehead and O’Neill, really no discussion. Is there? Sure they could have a senior season like Donald, or they could get a big time injury…both have a had serious injuries at PITT. O’Neill even has his degree.

   Moss. Suspended twice in the same season. Really no discussion, By his statements he still doesn’t get it.

   McVattie – No discussion. I still don’t know how to spell his name that is how little he was in the mix.

   Henderson. You point to his comments as proof there is a mutiny, but to me it points to a guy that either A) Simply thinks he is better than he is or B) a guy who knows he can’t play receiver and figures if he has a worse season on special teams his stock goes down even more. In reality, as WR, another guy passed on the depth chart. if Henderson came back, does anyone think he would catch 40 balls to raise his stock as a receiver. He would pretty much have to score at least three special team TD’s to raise his stock. Probably would not happen. He may have made the right call. In my mind there is no probable scenario he gets drafted. Just like it would have been better if he could have come out a year a go it may be better now football wise. The best move for him would have been to get a degree and network as much as possible at PITT.

   DiNucci. Yeah, for the football program it would have been good if he stayed. He is a legitimate backup in D1 and I think he will get better but like every QB in college, once they get passed on the depth chart they look to move. Nothing new. If he goes to Penn, it is a smart move. Ben DiNucci had more playing time then he ever thought he would and now wants to play. He got the hunger. If he had never played to date he wouldn’t be leaving, that’s the irony. The fact they already had a QB coming to the visit tells me that McVittie and DiNucci knew they weren’t the answer. Lets see where DiNucci transfers to. That will say a lot.

   Bookser and Ollison – These guys may go and again, no surprise if they did, Bookser was suspended and suspended players usually don’t finish there eligiability and Ollison was passed on the depth chart but regained a prominent role at the end of the year.

   Paris Ford – According to reports, academics have been an issue. I really want to see him play.

   Aaron Donald was smart, the reason some people are smart and why some aren’t are because they make decisions based on facts, and others don’t.

   Every year we lose about 20 guys and every year a class of 20 arrives. Nothing all that new.

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   1. True about Henderson. He said “My production numbers are down I didn’t want to run that risk again next year.”
      Translated, I hope no one saw I stink as a receiver and the jet sweep doesn’t work in the NFL, so…

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   2. What mutiny..? Don’t put words in my mouth. I said I think something negative went on with some players.

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5. A few thoughts and questions on this seemingly yearly mess.

   First off, I’m half between upset, disappointed and pissed off. What in the sam heck is going on with PITT anymore? They seem not to be able to get out of their own way.

   imo, no facts. I think there is more than one thing going on here with the players leaving? I absolutely believe that something real stoopid happened after the Miami game and some players who may have already left and maybe a few more were involved??

   Not sure if T Macvittie and Ben left for the same reasons others may depart the team?… and maybe not the same reason with each other. I agree again with Reed that the Ben Dinucci transfer potentially hurts the team down the road. I also have said I’m thinking HCPN let the QB’s know, he’s bringing in some juco QB’s, which he already has a young man there today. << Who btw looks like possible good get?

   I have to think O’Neill’s departure is separate from most of the others. I think most agree that this is not an unexpected move on his part. I would say the same thing about JW if not for his past transgressions.

   Seems like the college football landscape is continuing to change for different reasons but one may be the findings with CTE and young players wanting to start earning money before a window closes on them?

   I would believe almost every team loses quality players every year to the NFL, so some of this isn’t unexpected.

   So it could be some trouble down there, unhappiness and just plain old kids ready to move on… I still don’t like this much though.

   Suppose it would be irresponsible to guess if any more shoes will drop so… I’ll wait until a little more of the picture fills in… Certainly not in any type of panic mode….. ike

   H2P!

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   1. I with ya, ike. I’m in “wait and see” mode.

      But.. I think I’m a little more concerned than you.

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6. Reed, I’m sorry, but I really disagree about BD. He’s been here 3 yrs, and has what c ommand of the offense? He runs around like a chicken with his head cut off. He makes poor decisions, takes off too fast, has a really slow release, awful footwork, and bad mechanics. Now, you tell me what positives he brings. Knowing the system, really, with how many different OCs since he’s been here? And this is a kid who thinks he should have been playing all along. Do you really think he would be a positive sitting as number 2??
   Look, I would like a good, experienced backup, to avoid a situation like Maryland seems to be in every year, but BD would not be happy being the backup, and that can lead to problems. Sure, I’m really nervous just having KP, but the coaches know this also, so I think they’ll bring someone in, and in my opinion, it won’t be that much of a drop off from Ben.
   One final thing, with all the recent losses on O, Bens familiarity with the players is also negated. Maybe it’s a drop off but not that much.

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7. 

   Baaaaaaa

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   1. Love it!

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   2. Funniest post… EVER. And most accurate.

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   3. Upitt, are you behind this?

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8. You can make an argument that we were weaker going into last season at QB then this season.

   2017 – Browne, DiNucci, McVittie and Pickett.

   2018 – Pickett, Patti and “warm body”.

   Pickett at this time last year offsets Patti. I will take Pickett over Browne, McVittie and DiNucci going into next season.

   I like Patti. Pickett was a good recruit last year. Narduzzi missed on a QB his second recruiting class. DiNucci was a good last second addition in Narduzzi’s cobbled together first class. This is why you need a coach to stick around more then 5 years so you don’t have a lost class in your program all the time. Narduzzi also got Peterman (Thanks Chaney). In a perfect world last years starter and possibly this years starter would have been Chryst recruits.

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   1. Sorry but that’s nuts.

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      1. OK Reed, I may be nuts but:

         2017 QB’s – In hindsight, Browne, DiNucci, McVittie and Pickett. As it turns out the only QB in the bunch that may have won 6 games was Pickett. I think you would agree.

         2018 QB’s – Pickett, Patti, ? – The only QB that can win 6 games is Pickett, although he comes in with a little bit of playing time this year. If he goes down we lose, just like we would with any of the first three QB’s in 2017.

         I would rather have one possible decent QB that can win then none.

         Sure, DiNucci stays it is better for the program as long as he doesn’t turn into a locker room cancer but the fact is Patti and whoever else comes in can lose games just as easily as DiNucci. Again, if DiNucci goes to Penn good move in leaving, if he drops to a lower division that shows he really did not want to compete considering he would have been one play away from starting presuming he is better than “warm body”.

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9. No one seems to think BD was all that good, so won’t his departure just insure that Patti or whoever else comes in will just develop that much faster since they will see #2 snaps right away? Sure would be nice to get the potential transfer and or Patti in here in January to get their Spring development going.

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10. Tis true PT but QB depth is important especially for a player with 3 years in and second year with the OC but it is kind of like….

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11. The reason losing dinucci hurts so bad is depth. I’m perfectly fine with Pickett as the starter think he’ll work out great but if he gets hurt it’s 2007 and we’re running wild cat lol.

    Look guys we live in a society where if things get too hard you just quit. What kind of advice did these parents give thwre children. I would have died to get a free education I graduated in 2006 from Saint Francis Pa and I’m still paying almost done but still paying.
    Dinucci still had an opportunity to play a lot get a free education and start some games at a power 5 school. I don’t know about you guys but if I work with people that want to give up when it gets hard adiós don’t let the door hit you in the fanny.

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12. I’ve watched Nick Patti’s film and I believe he can throw 10 of 18 for 140 yards if called upon. That was about the Nooch’s avg game. Come on ppl get real, our offense was so so limited with the Nooch at QB.

    The reason players are bailing now and not in Jan/February I think is pretty obvious……we’re not playing in a Bowl Game. Had Pitt won against VT or the Tarholes, and made a crap bowl again, all these player moves would have occurred in January or February.

    Moss was gone pretty much after the Rice game, so there was nothing there after the season. Whatever he did during or after the Rice, sealed his fate.

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    1. I like Patti as well. His throwing of the ball reminds me of Pickkett and he is moble and can run as well.

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13. I think I finally figured it out…

    Pitt knows they can’t be competitive on the field/court in the ACC, however, if they can keep excitement going by creating a reality show like atmosphere for their loyal fans.

    Think about the “characters” we have as our coaches. Perhaps there is something to this.

    😉

    Hence the Southside should be renamed “Pitt Survivor Island”

    Dave D

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14. The Herm Edwards Era at ASU is off to shaky start. Those two coordinators that AD Ray Anderson planned on keeping are now gone just a week into Herm’s tenure.

    One of those coordinators…was good ole Phil Bennett.

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15. I don’t blame these kids for leaving early, to get some of that NFL scratch while it’s still around.

    

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16. Really enjoying Reed’s article and all of the comments this morning/day! Thank you Reed and Poverts very much!
    …..OK, I’ll throw in my .2$. Often in life we fear the unknown so much we are content with what we are use to, even if it’s inferior (like eating $#it sandwiches everyday because the ingredient is readily available!). So it is kinda scary to lose Ben at this time. Hey, he’s a local kid with heart, he’s worked with Watson, he has game experience, etc.) Ben makes us Comfortable as a backup QB for 2018. I get it. On the other hand though, we now have the opportunity to land someone with more D1 level talent for our QB2. Is it worth the risk? Is it worth trying ham between the bread instead of the $#it we usually eat? Me thinkth so.

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    1. Me’ith two’ith.

       Another good thing about the Nooch, leaving is..there will be no snaps with the first team, for anyone but Kenny Pickett. And there will be no, going back. Pickett’s Charge !

       (this time we win though)

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       1. Too bad Narduzzi can’t recruit ith at all
          ith. Sincerely Upitt ith

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       2. Let’s hope that the dominoes start falling after the top 20 QB’s that we’re recruited by the top teams realize they bought the line that that top 10 team needed them. Now they have 2 years left and see it’s unlikely they will move of to #2 QB although they have significant skills. Size, NFL arm as a the QB’s the compete with do.
          First we know Pickett has neither of these qualities he was recruited as a 2 or 3 QB. As in the last 3 years after their will be at least 10 quality transfer QB’s to recruit.
          They can be the 4th QB from Pitt drafted by the NFL if they transfer. Pickett will not be drafted or selected as a free agent. Major difference.

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          1. Have you actually watched Pitt play, Dennis? Pickett has every attribute that the NFL is looking for. Also, are you a distant relative of FRANKCAN?

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             1. Sorry, it’s me Walt.

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          2. Don’t make that wager that Pickett will not play in the NFL just yet?

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          3. Dennis, Pickett is the real deal for PITT. Whether he is a NFL player, we will have to see. Remember Palko? He did a good job as QB. Choosing him cost us Flacco.

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17. I better not stay …. MacV it’s cold outside
    I probably won’t play …. MacV it’s cold outside
    the coaches blow … MacV it’s cold outside
    UPItt says so … MacV it’s cold outside
    MacV, it’s cold outside

    I better not stay …. Quadree it’s cold outside
    Even though I’ll play .. Quadree it’s cold outside
    the coach stinks … Quadree it’s cold outside
    thats’s what UPitt thinks … Quadree it’s cold outside
    Quadree it’s cold outside

    I better not stay … Ben D it’s cold utside
    even tho I got to play … Ben D it’s cold outside
    UPitt says i’m not fit … Ben D it’s cold outside
    But he says that about everything Pitt … Ben D it’s cold outside
    Bend D it’s cold outside

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    1. hahaha….Snoop Fool or Sammy Cahn

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    2. Terrible.

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    3. I could add 11 more verses and a remix about Rockports and Heather and Narduzzi and his mifit OC and DC.

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18. wwb, excellent rendition of a Christmas song that is kinda creepy for the season with the message to the girl, have another (possibly) spiked drink, it’s too cold to leave, don’t worry about what people will think so spend the night with me. My daughter has always hated that song! :>)
    Your rendition is much better!!!!

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    1. Our minds have been shaped to always be in the gutter these days. By those that do the shaping. It’s sad.

       

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19. Well done, wwb!

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20. Thanks for nice comments, hope I shed some light. But now I’m afraid, it’s time for the dark side.
    ESPN3

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    1. and lo and behold, Ryan Luther is out …. and it just may be a stress fracture (but not yet confirmed)

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21. ……..yes, Pitt vs McNeese State @ 2 (1 central) on ACC Network and ESPNWatch.

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22. Good job wwb, great stuff.. Didn’t Luther have a similar injury last year?

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23. Hope none of starters follow BD to IUP….

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24. I seem to be in the minority with worry about Voytek leaving for the same reason Reed states about Ben.

    This time I don’t even care. Ben a much poorer back up than Voytek.

    Face it, unless you are tOSU, or the other schools with elite depth, your e
    season is in deep doo doo if your first string guy goes down.

    I remember Reed’s call for Whitehead to move to RB during the season. luckily the only ones that panic is us.

    All these kids are governed by self interest, who are we to say what is right for them?

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    1. We are their,,,,,uhhhhhh, ummmmmmm,
       fickle fans?
       And I don’t include you or me in that of course, 👍

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25. Pitt bb starting. Feel bad for Curtis Aiken, who has to announce this group of Panthers. Luther out with foot injury, which may be reinjued from last year.

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26. If there was some kind of big issue following the Miami game they have done well to keep it under wraps, from the media Emel fears and loathes.

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    1. Fears…..no. Loathes….why wouldn’t one ?

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    2. The media are puppets and have kids on the team. The Don would have thier knee caps busted if they challenged him. They are a joke.

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27. Panthers come out “cold as ice” losing 8-3

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28. Pitt has 1 FG at 12:10

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29. I don’t think either team is very good today but PITT should pull away based on nothing…

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30. Wow, I’m watching this game to support our panthers…… but in all seriousness it is 14-12 with 3:42 in 1st half and looks like a high school game! Very Sad!

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31. Luther is a big loss.. no one at the game against a weak team this year.. It adds up for sloppy play.

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32. Four freshman started for PITT BB today, a first, the other starter was JWF, who wasn’t at PITT last year either.. so ???

    I expect a few surprises of the good variety for PITT’s football team as far as recruiting goes.. PITT equals playing time, and that’s something that can trump attendance for the type of player PITT recruits. PITT is looking at a couple transfers right now..

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33. 5-5 Pitt (and ACC member) is playing a 2-6 team in McNeese State that finished 7-22 last season including 4–14, and dead last, in the Southland Conference.

    Pitt’s terrific freshman are currently shooting 9-31 against McNeese.

    Now put the head back into the blue and gold sand. December 30 is just around the corner.

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    1. LOL. Ro kports recruits wouldnt start at Gannon.

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34. Iek,
    Let’s hope the equation
    Playing time > people in the seats is correct buddy! It certainly needs to be.

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35. PITT wins going away… then silence struck…

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    1. I didn’t even know we were playing. Apparently cbs sports didn’t either. Can’t even find a box score on the big tilt with McNeese State. Hopefully we bring back Bethune-Cookman….a much higher quality opponent. 🙂

       https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/scoreboard/ACC/

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    2. What do you want people to say??

       YAY! WE BEAT MCNEESE STATE!! YAY!!

       Is that better?

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36. Pitt shakes the midterm rust to blow out McNeese State. Did some of you get your fix or are you pissed it wasn’t precision basketball for 40 minutes with sometimes five freshmen on the court?

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    1. YAY! WE BEAT MCNEESE STATE!! YAY!!

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    2. Mcneese is on par with Cal U.

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    3. WVU played 3 freshman. No one makes excuses for them. Team is a fraud let by a no hair fraud.

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37. Watching Pitt v Clarion match on WatchESPN..

    No commentary. Can’t see bout or match scores.

    2nd rate.

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    1. I couldn’t care less about announcers but not showing bout or team score? Lame

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38. Pitt basketball has now won more games than Pitt football. 6-5
    Not too bad given 5 frosh
    Not sure why frosh cant start right away in football especially in skilled positions
    I start my best and then the rest is the rest.
    I think Pitt might upset a good team or two in ACC play
    I like how the team is coming together
    Still its 12 wins at best this year. But hey we’re half way there

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    1. Name the teams we beat without choking on your fanta.

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       1. Hey Mark, PITT BB already has more wins this year than a few predicted. Not that it’s an achievement of any kind but that’s what was called, 5 wins at the most.

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          1. O/U was 13 though Ike.

             This is like marrying the prettiest girl of the 7 ugly ones. Haha

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39. Next up for Otis and the Gang. We go to 6 wins & 5 losses !!!!

    Pitt continues a nine-game homestand with a game against Delaware State on Tuesday. The Hornets have not beaten a Division I opponent this season.

    Somebody remind on Tuesday we’re playing !

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    1. I’ll make a note of it….

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40. Hey we’re above Duke in the ACC standings. Savor it bro’s. 🙂

    https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/standings/

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41. ^^ Jay, oh I’m concerned friend. Narduzzi has a lot of work to do until Feb 1. I don’t consider myself someone who didn’t appreciate Ben Dinucci’s role on next years football team but what does that say about the future at that position?

    Here’s a point I haven’t heard discussed. Now with Pickett going forward and brand new QB’s or about to be QB’s in the fold. Does Watson get more of a free reign with his own game plans now? Hell we really don’t know much about last year and his hand on the offense? The QB production wasn’t up to P-5 par imo. Although the Miami game gives us all hope…

    I’m really ready to move on and do hope for the best. We all have much to learn about this PITT football team 2018 version.. ike

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42. Great point about Watson. It would be good to know if he was handcuffed by Narduzzi or the players.. Or is he just a terrible play-caller.

    I guess we’ll see..

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43. Last thought on DiNucci. It would be better for Pitt if he stays, but only DiNucci gets to decide what is best for DiNucci. Maybe he is done with football, and maybe he just wants to play so he goes to CMU, Harvard etc. Athletic half life is short you only get one shot for a short period of time, then you are just another old man remembering glory days. Good for him if he just wants to be the starter at Case Western Reserve.

    Kids today transfer from high school to high school. Everyone looks for their best shot.

    If you really love to play the game you would rather start at Edinboro rather than ride the bench at Notre Dame. May not be the smart thing, but like I said you are only young once.

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44. First off the article was not about a bad decision by Ben DiNucci, I think it’s a good decision on his part.

    It was about the fans reaction to his leaving and the laissez-faire attitude they seem to have in thinking it’s no big deal… believe me it’s going to be a big deal come fall camp next season. We have absolutely no depth at quarterback now and whoever we bring in over the off-season will not have D1 depth and experience either. We are a missed OL block from disaster.

    Guys, if we were worried last year about having a down season then we should be now.

    Our defense will be a bit better I think, but we have little experience at QB; little or maybe no experience at OL losing O”Neill, JJ Smith and Officer… and maybe Bookser depending, and no experience at WR save Lopes. Our RBs run hot and cold and I can easily see us not matching our poor ’17 production (85th @ 148 mpg) on the ground.

    Hell, right now I’d say 4-5 wins next year.

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45. Here is a number to remember…23.9. That’s what we scored per game last year.

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    1. How many did we score against the #2 team in the nation with Pickett?

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       1. Miami was an overrated team and still is. Did you really think Miami looked like the #2 team in the country? They were coming off a struggle to beat UVA at home. Pitt beat Miami in every phase of their game. They were totally outclassed by Clemson on a neutral field.

          BTW, Miami is now ranked #10. Their two best wins are easily #14 ND and #22 VT at home. Somehow VT became ranked despite narrowly beating Pitt at home. They were then elevated 3 spots by beating UVA 10-0 in Charlottesville. I guess somebody has to fill out the Top 25.

          There sure is a lot of koolaid going down on here.

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          1. OK, against a Top 10 team then…

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46. Pitt has a QB and a more experienced defense. That’s a terrific start. The running backs and receivers aren’t terrible. The line is losing people but if the Rutgers grad transfer picks Pitt then Bookser kicks out to right tackle.

    If the JuCo QB picks Pitt then the position is much stronger than last season’s squad.

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    1. Last year- 2 bums + Pickett

       Next year – Pickett + ?

       What’s the problem again?

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47. Pitt gets 8 wins next year. Not worried. All Pitt needs is a spark. Didnt you guys watch the movie last night?

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48. If you are banking on the Oline to be even adequate you’re high. Saw a lot of the USC kids in HS and they aren’t all that. Plus the Pilato kid or whatever his name is is a stiff. We have big time problems on the line, and Reed is right, the receivers suck. Lots of issues and few solutions. This is why the backup qb is not going to matter. No matter who it was if he had to play we are down the tubes anyhow. Really think the Nucc could make a difference with players on the O.??

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    1. No, at least no positive difference.

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49. Geez are people negative on here. You people have no clue how the linemen are going to develop. Some you you must revel in the mediocrity and hope it stays forever. But hey, Pitt is doing great things in reasearch. You all can talk about that at the tailgates at least.

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    1. Yeah, but Narduzzi’s practices that’s top secret… 😉

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50. You guys aware this wanna be QB played WR at Texas. He isn’t a qb or a good one at that. We would need a whole new offense to make him fit. It is not a fit at all unless he will play WR.

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    1. But he is playing QB in JuCo. He would be a better backup than DiNucci. Being able to run and not falling sideways while losing his helmet would already put him way ahead of Ben. Pitt needs him as a body to redshirt Patti. I wanted Ben to stay but he bailed.

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    2. Looks good to me….but it’s not our system.

       2018 (@ReiverFootball ) JUCO QB @LOCKSnLOADED_3 will OV @Pitt_FB this weekend pic.twitter.com/h8IfwG6Nyx

       — JUCO Football Frenzy (@JUCOFFrenzy) December 14, 2017

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    3. Two words.. Greg Cross.

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       1. I was thinking of him, but Wanny wouldn’t play him, so we’ll never know. Why Wanny didn’t play him in the wildcat in the unfamous 3-0 bowl game I’ll never know.

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51. Missing the Nooch is like missing Luther, ain’t gonna make one bit of difference, just isn’t.

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52. It seems so obvious to me WATSON was a major problem this past season. Of course, he was told to play Browne. Maybe he was also told to use DiNucci next. But the limited use of Henderson had to be 100% HIM. Henderson is a flanker not a wide receiver. What was the purpose of Whitehead being used on sweeps vs. Henderson? Henderson clearly stated he was leaving because of not being used. It upset me too. Watson was/is clueless. How could an experienced coach not utilize his talent?

    By the way, who filled DiNucci’s head with the nonsense that he could be a D1 QB? Did he not watch himself play? His best games, he was baily OK. I blame Narduzzi for that. It is a good thing to encourage and praise your players, but you need to be realistic too.

    Go after a grad QB transfer or junior college transfer, but with no promises.

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    1. They were using Ffrench too on the jet sweeps. Maybe they knew he’d leave….

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53. I’m not worried about missing Nooch. Anyone can hand off a damn football. My kids saw how awful he was at passing. My kids! Much ado about Nothing.

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54. If Pitt gets Lockley this weekend, it would be Pickett. Lockley. And Patti next year. This year with Browne Nooch and Pickett. I will take next year’s QBs over this past years QBs any day of the week. I will take what I don’t know over what I saw this year. A walk on won the Heisman this year. That’s what is great about college football. Anything can happen. And usually does. Dinucci was not going to get better. Between a true freshman and Dinucci. I take the true freshman. Nothing against the kid. But he’s not a P5 QB. Pitt looks like it could have upgraded in the QB position. More athletic

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    1. Me too. Especially since Pickett is starting.

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55. Into the Night… Gee, we heard the same overly-positve posts last year at this time from most posters also. How did that turn out?

    Things didn’t look good before last season and they look worse now. But would you prefer cheerleading? If so this isn’t the site for that. Here we call them as we see them…and the funny thing is we are pretty much right most of the time.

    Of course we don’t KNOW what will happen next season, but prior to last year we specifically wrote that Browne was going to suck, the OL was going to play poorly and that the offense would produce 10-14 points per game less than 2016.

    Which if any of those things was wrong?

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    1. Our QB is better, our defense is better, our Oline cam’t be much worse than it was last year …. and IMO everything else is about the same

       Just another opinion (glass half full)

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    2. Best case I read on here was 8-4 and that was with Browne panning out, Aston healthy and Chris Clark being a weapon at tight end.

       None of those happened and this team still came close to winning seven games. Now there is a QB in place and a young defense that matured has me excited about next year. You keep writing about kids transferring when it is addition by subtraction. If Henderson the cornerback leaves next I’m sure I’ll read on here the rats are fleeing the ship when it will be more addition by subtraction. Do we want kids at Pitt who are not all in? I sure as heck don’t.

       Pitt is always going to be a little short on depth because that is how the school wants it since it might be the only program uncomfortable with winning.

       I’m surprised you think possibly just 4-5 wins next season. Pitt had its down year and now the swamp is mostly drained from Chryst’s dead-weight players. Narduzzi needs to do a better job, but a coach always looks better with a QB in place. Pitt has that in Pickett now.

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       1. One of my favorite movies. I think we will be all right if a young O- line comes together. The defense should be pretty good. 7 win over/under again.

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          1. Paying him 2.6M for 7 wins yet again?

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       2. The only reason he won what he did was b/c of Chryst’s Lineman.

          His Defense stinks.

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56. Zero

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57. For you jazz aficionados, Norman Brown’s Christmas show with Marian Meadows and Bobby Caldwell at the Manchester Craftsman Guild was excellent. They are in Alexandria tomorrow.

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58. The line will be bad enough to get someone killed. There is no wide out who can stretch the field so maybe that’s a good thing so KP won’t be holding on to the ball to throw deep.
    How ironic, we finally have a qb with the arm, and now we have no line or wideouts to take advantage of it.
    The transfers the staff will try to bring in should give a good indication of perceived weaknesses. Last year it was a qb, an o lineman, and a tight end. Can’t say they didn’t know where we were going to be deficient, can we?
    Also, if anyone is thinking French can do the sweeps like Qtip they weren’t watching last year. Ya, we are pretty screwed unless some of these guys step up. And much like last year the early schedule will get us behind the 8 ball and it could get real ugly again.
    And if there are more defections on either side of the ball we could be looking at 4 or 5 wins max. That’s just reality.

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    1. Aston the FB is back though.

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59. The jet sweep died a slow death last season. No worries if it is scrapped from the playbook. Still some more talent could be added to the wide out position and the two Florida red shirts will battle for PT.

    The potential Rutgers grad transfer guard would be a welcome addition to the line also.

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60. What’s so bad about DiNucci leaving? My fear going into next season was that Narduzzi would for whatever reason might think that DiNucci should be starting over Pickett. Now with the DiNucci transfer we don’t have to worry about Narduzzi and Watson’s lack of foresight at the QB position reappear.

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    1. He would have started against Miami if that was the case. Even Narduzzi isn’t that dumb…

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61. If Narduzzi’s had to play with Chryst’s ‘dead weight’ on the OL then why didn’t he play his own kids there?

    The old saw that an OL HAS to be an upperclassman is pretty much an excuse. They may be better to have but certainly it isn’t necessary to win games. Here are the teams that beat us last year and the # of FR & SO OL they started.

    PSU – 2
    OSU – 2
    GT – 3
    SYR – 3
    NCS – 0
    UNC – 2
    VT – 1

    Yet PN stuck with who I thought were substandard lineman in Officer and JJS. The only one of his kids to start was Morrissey. I sure as he’ll wouldn’t say the OL couldn’t be much worse because they sure can.

    It all depends if you believe that Narduzzi’s and staff’s 3* OL recruits are better than those Chryst’s recruited. I do not and think we’ll see a marked drop in play next year from that unit. Chryst’s had a great eye for OL talent.

    BTW you can say we ‘almost’ won 7 games but you could also say we ‘almost’ lost 8 considering it took an overtime score against FCS YSU to pull that one out.

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    1. Then I trump your YSU game with the Syracuse game, which Pitt let slip away after leading 14-3.

       Peterson rode with the older linemen and who would blame a coach going with fifth-year linemen over redshirt linemen? I’ve never been crazy with the line coach, Peterson. I thought he did a bad job this season, but he isn’t going anywhere so I hope he is getting these younger players ready in 2018.

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       1. Trump? I assume you’re talking about Pitt’s 10-3 lead midway through the second quarter. Pitt’s last lead in the Syracuse game was 13-10 early in the 3rd quarter.

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    2. Could have lost the Duke game too. Favorable call from the referees giving Weah possession on Pitt’s go ahead drive. Then a no-call on an obvious hold on Zeise on their final drive inside the Pitt 30 down 7.

       Iowa State had a very similar call to the Weah possession go against them versus Ok State. Ok State was awarded the interception.

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62. Being realistic and being negative are two different things. Reed is absolutely right about the O Line. They were bad this year and will very likely be worse. Doesn’t mean they WILL be, and some of the young guys could surprise us – but the stiffs we paraded out week after week say that is a stretch. That said, being better is not a high bar so maybe we get fortunate. I hope so.

    The thing most of us said for the last two years is that the receiving core sucks. I certainly did. The only playmaker with standout physical tools is lazy and only plays when he feels like it. BUT, some of that certainly had to be Ben. Inaccurate, panicked and late makes all the receivers look bad. Maybe, just maybe, Kenny makes these guys look better. Maybe they actually finish their routes because they know the ball might get there. I don’t know but that would help an inexperienced line a little if KP can get rid of the ball quicker to open receivers.

    I also think KP is the type of QB that will actually use the tight ends more. Again, that is important with an inexperienced O Line to give the QB a security blanket. I’d like to see Reeves step up. Clark is a waste. Soft, afraid, horrible blocker. Forget the 5 stars – he sucks so time move on.

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    1. They may start out worse, but will be better at the end of the year. Kinda like the QB’s.

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63. “Being realistic and being negative are two different things.”

    Amen. I’ve been typing the same for months. Maybe they’ll listen to you.

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    1. If someone mentions a promising defensive line I’ll then read that Pugh is a bust and is unhappy and that the Quip pipeline is broken, Narduzzi sucks, yada, yada, yada.

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64. Marvin Lewis Out. 5 years late. Drafts suck and Inmates run the Asylum there.

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65. Tyler Boyd better of earned a degree.

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66. I agree Jay and Htp. I prefer the realists on here Though I tend to be a Koolaid drinker.

    Boise State does more with less, IMO, and this is a school that Pitt should try and learn from.. 2016 2015 and 2014 recruiting class ranks were 68, 58 and 63 respectively. One four star recruit in total in those three years. They have to go out of state to get most of their players (California).

    None of the ‘big’ schools ((CU, OR, Wash etc) want to play them, as they play hard and are disciplined. And Boise finishes in the top 25 every year. Even after loosing coaches.

    Pitt could learn from these guys.

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67. The O-line this year gave up 31 sacks as stated before. Qb Browne couldn’t get out of his own way, too slow. DiNooch took off and ran instead of stepping up into the pocket. Watson did a lot of subbing to try to find the best 5 combo. All this contributed to those sacks.

    In 2018 it maybe Books, Morrissey an Dintino starting. Last chance for DintinO and Morrissey should be better with 1 year experience. The spring and the fall will give Peterson time to find and develop a left tackle and another guard. There is a multitude of redshirt players to choose from. I don’t see it as a given that the line will be worse than last years. Pickett at Qb should help to alleviate the number of sacks this year.

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68. Last years team could have won more games and looked better all the way around if Browne would have played much better. This is on the coaches for not seeing the MB couldn’t see the field when he dropped back to pass. This made the receivers look bad as well as the running game which includes the O-Line. Notice it looked a little better when BD came in?

    Then again, Were Max’s backups ready to play? As far as next year goes, for me, it’s await and see. We have little idea of what and who will be on the team, let alone the O-Line?

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69. For most fans ‘realistic’ means that someone hates Narduzzi, the players and the University itself.

    Look, I think Pickett has great tools to be successful but unless you have good OL protection and a good running game any QB will be limited in production.

    You know why Peterman was so successful? It’s because he had fantastic offensive linemen in front of him so he got sacked only 10 times on the whole year. He had time to pick-up his receivers and to throw the whole routes – which is huge in Watson’s offense as so many pass plays are timing routes.

    I don’t feel Pickett is going to have that luxury next season.

    During fall camp last season I wrote an article about the potential use of the TEs and that we wouldn’t see them on the receiving end much because they would be held back to pass block.

    Well see the exact same thing this coming season also…regardless of how mobile Pickett might be. In Watson’s offense the QB is strictly a pocket passer with a rollout or two per game. That QB needs time to go through his progressions and then pass the ball (which the ’16 OL allowed Peterman to do so well).

    It all revolves around the OL and the fact that we are still looking at possible transfer OLs to come in speaks volumes of the OL quality currently on roster. We’ll still have converted DL kids playing there also. Hey! Maybe Shane Roy can switch back to offense.

    Don’t laugh, it may well happen.

    According to the final Miami game 2-deep here is what the starting OL will probably look like going into Fall Camp:

    LT Bookser (If he stays, if not…)
    LG Herndon
    C Morrissey
    RT Pilato
    RG Hargrove

    That lineup scares me and should terrify Pickett and the RBs. Narduzzi’s last OL transfer, Hodges from Texas, was of no real impact at all…so I’m not holding my breath we’ll get much help on that front.

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    1. Peterman’s oline was all Chryst Recruits as well.

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       1. Had to be….did you expect Narduzzi to play all true freshman on the O-line?

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          1. ^^ Seriously Jack and the truth, thank you, but that’s now called realistic… lol 😦

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    2. Watson will have to limit “drop back” plays if we don’t have the linemen. Narduzzi will have to see to that or good bye, Narduzzi, sooner than he may want.

       Possible injury to Pickett scares me. So far he plays like a wild man. Eric Dungey of Syracuse plays the same way and he was injured towards the end of this season. Syracuse has better back up QB’s.

       Let’s agree the offensive scheme and play calling were poor until the end of the year. It is an area which will be (needs to be) closely watched.

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    3. Reed,

       If you think that more than 3 of those start game 1 you are dreaming. Sorry Reed.

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       1. You need to read the words I actually write. I said according to the Miami game 2-deep.

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    4. I Think you answered the reason why Browne struggled early. Physically only Savage matched him in arm strength. That is why he is listed in the top 10 NFL QB prospects.

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70. It’s all trenches – both sides of the ball.

    Have great trenches and a good qb, team will be fine. Time for Warren, Drake and others to take charge. This is where a culture takes care of the succession plan. If Bookser stays, he NEEDS to put the younger kids on his back and teach them how to work hard and not stop working. Conversely, he can party and show the younger kids that they can keep their scholly and just get by.

    Their choice, A winning culture and honest competition brings the play up.

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71. I agree QB depth is a reasonable concern, but its not a concern of mine. I think JoeKnew’s summary above is more reasonable. I’d take a shot with a deer-in-the-headlights Patti before I would with a Division-2 level DiNucci any day and role the dice. I’ve seen enough of DiNucci. If he can get into Penn and have a good life, all the best to him.

    I’m far more concerned with the OL

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72. BTW, where’s all the cheerleaders for Heathers wrasslin hire. 1-4, loosing to unbranded Clarion. Thank goodness for women’s volleyball. Let’s see:
    Basketball= mess
    Women’s basketball=mess
    Wrasslin= mess
    Soccer=semi mess
    Baseball= mess
    Football= TBD
    But let’s give it another 20 years, I’m sure better times are just around the bend!

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73. How Bill O’Brien is emplyed in pros as a HC is amazing. He sucks.

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    1. O’Brien won nine games in each of first three seasons with a soufflé of sh!t at quarterback, plus a playoff game. No easy task in the pros. The Texans are decimated by injury. Decimated at key spots. Not much any coach could do to stop the bleeding. I’m sure the next coach Texans will win a Super Bowl if Bill is canned.

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       1. They sucked when they won 9. Is 9 games that much of an accomplishment. He is the A hole picking terrible QB’s. He sucks and his butt chin shcks too

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       2. Injuries are in the whole league. Excuse every team could say. Jags up 31. Embarrassing. What did he win 3 games all year?

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          1. How many teams have made the playoffs or had a winning season missing its franchise QB, left tackle, two of the league’s premiere pass rushers, not to mention others? The Texans were looking at the playoffs when Watson started rolling.

             This isn’t college where a five star can replace a five star. The Texans just might be stupid enough to fire him.

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74. She went cheap, Hired a Never been HC. Meanwhile look at PSU’s Coach. Probably Best of all time. It is micky mouse central. Pay Terrible Coaches 2M+ Stallings and give 6 years and pay Relocation Vans to Corvallis for Watermelon Head Herman. If balls were in our AD Dept I’d love to know who has them. Surprised Gallagher didn’t send Herman a Ham.

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75. I thought it was odd that in the Miami game we finally saw Watson using Henderson as a WR like he should have been using him all year – throwing to him to the outside with Mathews there to block for him.

    I suppose Watson may have feared calling too many of these plays with DiNooch because of the possibility of a pick-six.

    I agree with the poster above that DiNooch is a gamer, but from his body language and post game statements, not the mentality you want in a #2 QB… I think his presence may have been detrimental, or at least a distraction, in Pickett’s development…

    Will be interesting to see how Coach Duzz deals with these personnel losses. Since the OLine played less than stellar, I don’t think we’re doomed, or at least not as doomed as some on here…

    Go Pitt.

    PS: We usually have the drama of a coaching search this time of year — so we needed some kind of dramatics to fill the gap…

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76. 41 bowl games this year…that is 82 out of 129 teams and we ain’t one of them. We are in the lowest 34%.

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    1. But hey we beat what turned out to be a weak Miami team so let’s all celebrate like we didn’t really lose to Syracuse and or 1-8 UNC.

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    2. Pitt beat Duke at Duke, and beat UVa by 17 … yet both of them are in a bowl.

       Hmmm … can’t figure out why

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    3. On the other hand…..the last time we had a spike up…was off of a 5-7 season in 2007.

       9-4 & 10-3 followed that 2007 season of 5-7, we didn’t make a bow.

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    4. Pitt isn’t prone to a down year and missing a bowl game? After so many mediocre years Pitt was due for a losing season after all the coaching changes and Moose’s disastrous final two classes.

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    5. Only 78 FBS teams. One of the bowl games is a FCS game (Grambling vs. North Carolina Central). Another game is the FBS championship. We are in the lower 40%.

       Still doesn’t excuse not beating NoCar.

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    6. gee thanks Reed I forgot we didn’t make a bowl

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77. I clicked on the ESPN app and watched the start of the WBB game against PSU. Pitt up 10-1, then went on a turnover foul rampage and gave up 17 straight points. Time to replace the Suz too!

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78. I wonder if anyone on the POV disagrees with PITT having a disappointing season last year?

    Did the QB play for PITT also seem disappointing . . .and on and on? PITT is out of a bowl game for lots of reasons. Their record is the #1 reason.

    I really don’t see the debate about it?

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79. I think Hargrove is going to be pretty good to very good. The kid is a very good basketball player, which means he can move his feet. And also means he’s a real athlete, not some fat kid.

    Kid didn’t even start playing football till his junior year in HS and became 2nd team all-Ohio.

    Mark it down Bryce Hargrove is going to a very good player for Pitt.

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80. Miami is weak? There is no reality in that statement.

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    1. Funny upitt was singing their praises just about the whole season, said the “U is back ” .

       They were undefeated (10-0) and **NUMBER 2 ** in the country when we beat them.
       But now they’re ‘weak’.

       Sometimes I believe upitt is really a pedo state fan..since he never has anything negative to say about the child molesters….but plenty negative to say about us.

       Say it ain’t so….my son upitt 🙂

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. You sent me to State College Dad… 😉

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81. Another great thing about this young man, is he is super smart.

    Both Harvard & Yale offered this kid.

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    1. Agreed, he never mixes up “your” for “you’re”, “of” for “off”, and never, ever combines metaphors. Genius in my book.

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82. I didn’t realize Dion Lewis is the Patriots leading rusher. DW could really recruit RB’s. Shady, Dion and Ray Lewis would have been a great NFL player had he not ripped up his knee. Maybe better than the other 2.

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    1. Ray Graham

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    2. All Studs he recruited for sure at RB!

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       1. Wanny couldn’t find a QB to save his life…

          Remember that letter he sent out asking if any HS QBs were interested in Pitt. Yikes.

          Go Pitt.

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83. Pat Signal up …. but of course, whoever it is will not be any good

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    1. Goes without saying.

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    2. If he has 4 stars let me know and I will be very excited.

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       1. As we all know, Pitt has had a bevy of stars that were less than 4 star rated coming out of HS. Dion comes to mind, Antonio Bryant, Aaron Donald ring a bell, Greg Romeus, Greg Lee, Chris McKillop, etc. etc.

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          1. Revis…

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84. er….Ray Graham I meant.

    Ray’s apc in 2010 was 6.2 yards a touch…..Dion’s was 4.8 yards.
    As the featured back the following year it was 5.8 yards per carry.

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    1. If Pitt keeps Wannstedt the backfield stable in 2011 is Lewis, Graham and Hyno with a solid line of Gibbs, Jacobson, Nix, Rotherman and whoever plays center. Bad , bad move, Nordy. Thanks for killing that scenario.

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       1. Cornhole probably had a deal with Nerd Ball, that if he came back to Pitt…Wanny would be leaving…sooner…rather than later.

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85. Nard Dog out coached the great Mark Richt…of SEC and Georgia fame. Pitt was out-classed at every position in that game of 2- 3 stars(Pitt) against 4-5 stars(Thug U).

    And came within a yard of being the also great Justin Fuente of VT, who also has better players than Pitt.

    So he must be doing something right…….right ?

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86. “One of the top running backs in the country has decommitted from his previous schools and has listed Pitt as one of his new finalists.

    4-star running back Mychale Salahuddin (Woodson HS, Washington DC) has decommitted from USC and is now considering five schools.

    Salahuddin (5-10, 193) announced that he is now considering USC, Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina and Pitt. ”

    Could this be the Pat Signal ?

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87. Guessing it’s DB Ayahi or something like that?

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    1. Just looked at Ahahi’s twitter. he has a lot of Pitt stuff on it. So that is a good bet iek.

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88. Looks like we could have some WR help on the way for Pickett’s Charge . And we know from the past freshmen WR can contribute immediately and in some cases HUGE….(see Fitz & Boyd)

    “Florida receivers Jeshaun Jones and Shocky Jacques-Louis as they took part in a photo shoot with a Fort Myers newspaper.

    Pitt is putting the full court press recruiting Jones, Jacques-Louis and Georgia’s Jatavious Harris.

    We know that Harris will choose between Pitt and Louisville while Jacques-Louis has a final three of Pitt, Tennessee and Kentucky.”

    Would love to have Shocky Jacques-Louis to go along with Ffffrenchy.

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    1. Reported that Pitt is out of it for Jones. He is focused on other schools.

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       1. Got a link….Austin.

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          1. Twitter.

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89. speaking of Shady ….

    LeSean McCoy is now the only player in @NFL history with:
    -10,000+ rushing yards
    -400+ receptions
    -An average rush of 4.5+ YPC
    -80+ career TDs

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    1. Him, Revis, Donald & Fitz are all going the HOF. We may pass ND soon if this keeps up. Should be 2-1 over the pedos.

       Notre Dame (13)
       Southern California (12)
       Ohio State (10)
       Alabama (8)
       Michigan (8)
       Pittsburgh (8)
       Syracuse (8)
       Minnesota (7)
       Illinois (6)
       Miami – Florida (6)
       pedos (6)

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90. Eagles great 2nd yr QB Carson Wentz had his season ending knee surgery in Pittsburgh on Weds.
    Wentz was having a MVP type of a year with 33 TD passes and only 7 picks.

    His ACL was performed by Steeler’s team ortho surgeon, James Bradley (yep Tom’s brother) who is also a clinical research professor pf orthopedic surgery at Pitt.

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    1. He should have asked him if Tom knew…. 😉

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    2. Close friend and old Florida golfing buddy is a North Dakota State grad. Of course loves Wentz. So do I; a lot like Rothenberger. There is a Doctor DeFelice, at Hospital of Special Surgery in NYC, who developed a new procedure for “certain types” of ACL injury. He has gymnasts doing flips in less than 4 weeks. How old is James Bradley? Curious

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91. Emel you being in NC check out the sun valley Indian Trail qb he is showing interest in Pitt according to some mutual folks .

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92. https://247sports.com/college/pittsburgh/Article/Ricky-Town-commits-to-Pittsburgh-Panthers-112393101

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    1. http://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2017/12/17/juco-qb-ricky-town-commits-pitt/

       Good thing signing day is Wed … a couple of years ago, he flipped from Bama, to USC to Arkansas

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    2. Already better than the Nooch & Co.

       Pickett + Patti + (Down) Town > than last year.

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93. high school Rivals bio

    https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2015/ricky-town-9454

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94. Strange

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95. Well I guess the poop will hit the fan on this…

    Most knew PITT was hosting 4* QB high school and Texas signed recruit turned juco Lockley but PN pulled in another QC west coast QB, Ricky Town. Sounds west coast doesn’t it?

    I know many of you don’t like elementary Watson and stubborn hardheaded Narduzzi but remember, you didn’t like like TM and BD all that much either… Now look at whats’ happened?

    Perhaps thinking a little like you?

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    1. A bird in the hand….

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    2. Ike, not sure what your’re saying. Narduzzi did good; brought in what was needed and fast, a JC QB. Pickett needed competition and some company.
       Patti was a good soccer player according to what I heard. He will need a couple of yrs. to be college level QB, I’m quessing.

       Now for some OL guys. This recruiting thing works if you work at it.

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96. Question is? Could this be why the two so called “sub-standard” (not so much me) PITT QB’s left the program?

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97. Narduzzi does an excellent job at bringing in transfers at positions of need.

    I wish he did a better job recruiting high school players, however.

    But, I think Towns is better then both TMaC and Ben.

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    1. Based on what criteria? We’ve all seen DiNucci but I don’t believe any of us have seen Towns or MacVittie.

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98. I also expect some oline help via transfer.

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    1. Pitt is looking at a Rutgers guard who started 10 games this past season. He will be a grad transfer. WVU might be in the lead though for his services. Kid’s name is Applefield.

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99. Max and Chris Clark 2.0.

    Is this his 4th program?

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    1. Do you remember any transfers who worked out?

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100. I can’t keep up. Is it Alabama, Arkansas, Ventura or USC this kid played for or all of them? Did he actually play anywhere he was other than Juco? If Narduzzi plays this stiff over Pickett he needs put in Jail.

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     1. He will try to be the backup. If he beats out Pickett he’s incredible…

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101. Connor Done. MCL

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102. Other than Pitt’s 7-6 loss to Penn State in 75 , today’s Steeler loss was the worst. Still shaking my head over the call and Gronk being open on 7 consecutive catches!

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     1. I called that fade….even before the guy went in motion and cleared out the safety. Tomlin & Co. are complete morons. Even a stupid coach would have called a TO there.

        The penalties called too…the phantom holding that killed the late drive that would have put it away.. The NFL is fixed…sad to say. NE was holding in the secondary and only got a 5 yd call when they had to call one.

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103. The book is still to be written on Chris Clark.

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     1. Clark stunk this year and is soft in my opinion. Anyone who quits 2 programs is soft.

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        1. Clark transferred from UCLA. That’s the only program he “quit”. He made verbal commitments to other schools but never played anywhere else besides Pitt and UCLA.

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           1. Verbal is giving your word.

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        2. I have reevaluated my opinion of you. When I actually saw and heard you on this site. The written word sometimes gives a certain false impression. I think you are a honest, smart, but overly critical in your judgements.

           UPitt, as hard as we try, nothing and no one is perfect. Clark will be okay, maybe not one of our best tight ends. I personally prefer the Solvic named players that come out of Western Pa. / Eastern Ohio.

           Clark comes from a upper middle class neighborhood in Northern NJ. Very high public school academics and sports. Word was his father rented a condo in Southern Cal when he started at USC. He went to a private Conn. School his senior year for an unknown reason. You’re right, he comes from a soft background.

           I think he is maturing and will get better.

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           1. Agree Buddy

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     2. I agree. I think he will be the most improved player.

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104. There you go. QB position is better now. True competition in the spring. Chance to redshirt Nick Patti.

     He apparently has two years of eligibility left so there is some risk. He could go grad-transfer route or transfer. Really just need him this season to redshirt Patti. We’ll have a QB or 2 in next seasons class.

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105. Forget his multiple commitments for a second. He doesn’t block well, drops passes and doesn’t finish routes. Time for the other TEs to step up.

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106. Steeler finish reminded me of Pitt – VT game. After exceptional long pass plays get you on the doorstep, how do both teams lose those games?

     Go Pitt

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     1. Yeh, the odds should be one of those teams makes the play to win.

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107. Depressed at how Steelers blew another NE game. How can our teams continuously screw things up.

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108. Circle of Life….The Steelers have become the Houston Oilers of the 70s.

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109. Conner was looking surprisingly quick and fast the last couple of games from the highlights i’ve seen. Didn’t see the injury.

     Took a knee for the game and it is not surprising that we snatched a loss from the teeth of victory. Belichick out prepares his foe, every time.

     Also okay with the 4 program qb, Ricki Bobbi

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110. As of today, I think every position on the field will be upgraded outside of OL. There may be some question about the receiver position but I think Clark (year 2)/Reeves will be better then Flannigan/Clark and I think that the wide outs will all look a lot better with Pickett throwing the ball, just like Weah looked better with Pickett or Peterman throwing the ball. Lopes is way underused in my opinion.

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111. Jay graduated 3 years before Tom did. So that puts him over 65 yrs old but less than 68 if that helps answer your question.

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112. All the receivers suffered this year due to primarily the QB and then the OL. So that pertains to the TE also. Yes Clark certainly didn’t look like a 4-star, but the only receiver to look any good entire season was Lopes … that’s it.

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113. We saw the greatest tight end of all time last night and he played his senior year at Woody High.

     Another local great that didn’t go to Pitt.

     Agree with wwb, hard to tell how good or bad our receivers are.

     Clark certainly wasn’t the only transfer that was a disappointment last year. We needed all of them to excell to have a good season and none did.

     The Steelers biggest loss last night was AB. With him and Shazier out, Super Bowl hopes are diminishing fast. Another tough break for Conner as well, football is a brutal sport, never critical of kids leaving early, the window to make a buck is small and short and fraught with peril.

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114. Clarke was essentially a freshman last year. He will be a good tight end at Pitt.

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115. Regarding DiNucci, he was a lock to transfer ever since that incident where Narduzzi claimed Dinucci was told that the plan was for Pickett to get snaps that one game, and Dinucci denied such a conversation took place. I also heard Dinucci’s father confronted Narduzzi about playing time. If that’s true, what coach would want to keep that kid around anyways? It’s only going to lead to more headaches.

     Regarding the timing of people leaving the program, with this new December signing day, you might as well get your transfers and NFL draft entries out of the program now to free up scholarships for the December deadline.

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     1. I think you are correct about this. Rumor has it DiNucci said he was staying then as soon as TM left DiNucci changed his mind. Getting this new QB was a dire necessity.

        BTW I think Narduzzi’s has swung and missed on college transfers overall. Peterman worked out but…

        Browne was a bust, Clark and Flanagan were average at best, Hendrix showed nothing so far and Hodges was nothing really also.

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        1. Plus the PSU Kid from the TV Show. He is weak.

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116. I agree NRS.

     He hadn’t played football in 2 years essentially.

     Regarding Denucci I also heard that he wasn’t very helpful in our efforts to recruit Jurkovic. Not saying we had a chance but he certainly didn’t help.

     If all these stories are true I am certainly not sad to see him go.

     This is another example of why recruiting local kids has become so difficult. Instead of being thankful that we were his only power 5 offer, he felt entitled to playing time because he has an inflated opinion of himself. Anyone could see he wasn’t a division 1 quarterback.

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117. I just watched the Ricky Towns highlight film and can confidently say that this kid far surpasses the kid we put on the field as our starting QB in the 2017 season, Minimum Brown. Towns has a strong arm, good vision down field, and is an illusive runner with quick feet. A great get!!! Good job Pitt coaches!

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     1. Are youbtalking about his Jr. college film? Temper your expectations if you are. That makes D2 look good.

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118. Jim, remember those are highlighted films only. Let’s not overly hype expectations until he gets into a Pitt uniform. Some fans did that with Browne and came crashing back to earth. He’s a needed addition and desperately needed for depth at this point though and that is a good thing.

     I’ll do what I did when Browne was announced to come here. I’ll reach out to some sports writers and bloggers from where Towns came from and see what they have to say about the situation. The guys I reached out to last off-season were pretty much spot-on about Browne.

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     1. Any QB coming in knows he won’t start. Don’t give me it is a open competition. So he is coming here knowing he will only play if Pickett gets hurt and or Pickett sucks.

        To me a stud QB is going where he will get the promise of a start. So, that makes me think Mr. Towns is focused on a degree and holding a clip board. Which also means to me he isn’t that damn good.

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     2. Looking forward to hearing what you come up with Reed and glad I finally matriculated over here.

        Change can be daunting but I’m glad to be here, hope you’re doing well.

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        1. Welcome aboard. It’s the readers well thought out and detailed comments that make this so much fun.

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     3. Can’t have an opinion of the kid without seeing him play in person. Let us know what you find out Reed.

        Will he be enrolled for the spring? Hopefully.

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119. The risk with this new QB is that if he doesn’t win the job in spring he may again transfer out to another program. No question in my mind that he has a lot of frequent flyer miles built up on his travel card.

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120. The risk with all QBs are that they will transfer. He won’t go any where unless he gets thrown off the team.

     If he can throw further than 20 yards with some zip he is an upgrade over DiNucci.

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     1. He may be an upgrade but ask yourself why in the he** would he want to transfer to Pitt? I mean there must be some other programs hurting for a starting QB greater than Pitt at this point in time. I’m sure he’s coming here with the goal to be the starting QB and not the chosen Pickett backup.

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121. I disagree that out QB transfers have been a bust (Savage and Peterman). Anybody who gets an NFL paycheck is not a bust. Who would have been our QB without them? How many D1 QBs from last year are getting an NFL check? Browne’s story is not over.

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     1. I bet it is. His mental makeup was not good for a D1 QB at all let alone the NFL.

        The rest of the offense felt very ambivalent toward him… regardless of Narduzzi fixing the Captaincy for him.

        You could see the uptick out on the field when even someone like DiNucci went it.

        Browne was a bust in college and won’t see a snap in the NFL.

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     2. I said most of Narduzzi’s transfers have not panned out.

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122. Ra Ra was a JUCO, he worked out. Hendrix played OK towards the end of the year this past season …. certainly wouldn’t term his a bust. Remember, with the injury in 20i6, he was practically inactive for 2 years.

     Transfers are like most players … hit or miss. The current Heisman winner was a transfer, as was the 2012 winner

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123. Reed,
     Totally agree with your response, thanks! Yes, no doubt the highlight is just that – the highest plays of the guy on tape. My point was simply that to me, he passes the “eye test” over Max (and Ben) with better all around skills of running and passing to be Kenny’s backup.

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124. Narduzzi is going to insist there is a QB competition just like he did last year (even though Dinucci played better than Browne at the end of camp he still b played his transfer).

     I don’t necessarily think having “competition” is always a good idea at the QB position, especially with an incumbent player who needs every single 1st team snap he can get in the camps.

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125. It will be a very short lived “competition”. Kenny Pickett is our starting QB. Regardless of the coach speak we will undoubtedly hear. Because we already have Nick Patti coming in this year’s recruiting class, we needed to add a grad transfer or JUCO once Nooch and MacVittie left. Good work by our staff to fill this void quickly.

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126. Players leave, transfer or get kicked off every year at every Div 1A program. Nothing new. It is NOT a referendum on HCPN.

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127. ” the rest of the offense felt ambivalent about him ” really ? Who? Did you interview specific players. this is a curious thing to put in print unless you talked to specific players.

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     1. I spoke to parents of players and some others. It wasn’t a state secret.

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128. So now we have three QBs of note in front of 2018 recruit Patti. SO Pickett, rsSO Townes and Erie CC rsSO Tyler Zelinski.

     Hmmm, what are the odds Patti signs an LOI with us now?

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     1. I give the odds that Patti signs on Wednesday for Pitt at 99.95%. I think he fully expects to be Red Shirted next year. And I’m sure he’s comfortable with that being the case.

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129. He signs. I have it on inside information that he has a terrific relationship with HCPN . I am sure that surprises you since your relationship with HCPN is somewhat frosty from what my sources tell me.

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     1. I have no relationship with Pat narduzzi nor do I want one…

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130. So you didn’t actually speak to the players, but rather parents. That evidence would not be admissible in any court and in fact many parents have a skewed understanding of team dynamics.

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     1. What are you – 16 years old?

        Are you sh*tting me… Nothing written, spoken or heard about Pitt football is “admissible in court” and by that I mean everything the staff and Pitt administration says also.

        You have to be joking with this right? I’m serious – I fell out of my chair laughing when I read what you wrote.

        Look, if you are going to be contentious on here at least you should not hide behind “anonymous”. This makes you look a bit like an idiot. Not that you are one mind you, but that last comment of yours was pretty idiotic.

        There is no burden of proof with any of this, never has been, never will be – and not in the mainstream journalistic venues either (which the POV is not one). The deal on here, and other blogs, websites, etc… is you take it, leave it and/or at least try to discuss things in a intelligent manner.

        Bottom line: I do not have to prove any damn thing on here one bit – although I think you can ask long time readers on here and of the Pitt Blather and you’ll hear that I’m pretty spot on with the things I write.

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        1. Love your response we Reed. Got a good chuckle.

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131. Tony Romo is ruining football by taking all the mystic out of playing QB. He often calls what will happen based on the alignment. He’s really refreshing…

     Which reinforces something I have come to think. That is, playing the QB position well is tough, but it’s not rocket science (hats off to NRS)…

     Some players get it and some don’t. Pickett obviously gets it and will be extremely good.

     Go Pitt.

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     1. I liked his coverage also.

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132. What it is to be a true Pitt fan:

     I was disappointed when the Steelers lost last night.
     I was devastated and punching my pillow for a couple days when Pitt lost in a similar situation to VT.

     Go Pitt.

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133. your statement also declares ” the rest of the offense felt very ambivalent about him” The remaining 10 starters or every offensive player? In fact it would be odd for the entire offensive starters to agree unanimously about anything. Perhaps some offensive players had doubts but your statement makes it appear the rest of the offensive players universally felt ambivalent. Odd just vey odd.

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     1. See the above… and I hope you are not in Law School or thinking about politics; naivety is not necessarily a virtue in adults.

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        1. Come on, what Anonymous wrote is not that bad. The admissible in a court of law thing is sort of a metaphor. As anvery older adversary of mine once told a jury about a co-defendant: of mine “Give the guy a break”.

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134. You know what Reed is a man of integrity and if you don’t trust his insight and bash him as your anonymous that is pretty low. Reed has created a wonderful blog where us pitt fans can have an open dialog please have some respect. I will say since I’ve been following this blog Reed has been spot on with his reports.

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135. Narduzzi brought Browne in due to the lack of talent and experience. He was a one year transfer. Pickett was given time to practice and learn the play book. DiNucci was at best a body who allowed that to continue. Narduzzi knows who can efn play. The JC is depth but maybe he is better than that and now we have a horse race. Isn’t that preferable for next year. Ol is an issue but by the middle of next year things will shake out. Like the DL, I said the D including the DLine would begin to improve after GTech. They did. Keep the faith, Pitt is building a good program and things look better than they have in years.

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     1. “… and things look better than they have in years.”

        Wow – since when have we last come out of a 5-7 season… losing at least three of our All-American at one time players, three starting OL gone, our best WR gone, two best DBs gone, our best TE gone, great Punter gone… All D1 snaps depth at QB gone…

        Yeah – things look great from this angle.

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136. Altoona Zach +2
     Dear nobody anonymous. If you want to pick a fight, get back with your wife.
     If you want to talk Pitt football, grow up!
     Thx

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137. Anon – let me guess who you actually are. We’ll play Hangman with it… “T_t_ _m_n” – correct? Might as well just use the handle you started out with on here.

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138. I agree, that’s not being fair to Reed. Reed, you should figure out who mr anonymous is by ip address. Reed is a stat man who more than anyone I’ve ever read backs up almost everything he says with facts and stats and when he doesn’t, he declares it’s his own opinion. Not fair

     A different topic altogether… I will say I looked up the difference between a realist and a pessimist/negative. They are found to be close relatives… Feel free to look the definitions up yourselves. Realists are pessimists in sheep’s clothing.

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139. Ike – or we ‘pessimists’ could all be from Missouri. You know, the state where “Show Me” is ingrained in the citizenry.

     I like to see someone in action at this level before I start praising them – that was why I waited until I had eyes on Pickett in the spring practices before I wrote a word about how good I though he’d be. I had talked to others earlier who told me he “was the gem of the 2017 class” but I held off until I felt I could reasonably believe and state that he’d be a good one.

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     1. Who wins by being measured?

        What’s the prize?

        Every year I get ultra excited by players I haven’t seen and sometimes I am right and often I am wrong. But who cares? That’s what being a “fan” is. Imo anyway.

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140. I can’t see how this effects Patti at all. He is in the same situation as he was two weeks ago, probably better. DiNucci has more expierence then Town (both two more years) and McVittie was a scholarship player vs a couple of walk-ons. I don’t think Patti is scared of competing against a JC transfer and walk-ons. Actually, almost a perfect situation for him outside of maybe Pickett being only one year older.

     DiNucci, this is why it is hard to discuss the decisions of others. I have/had the presumption that DiNucci was on his hands and knees thanking Christ every night that he got a last second scholarship to his hometown D1 school to play football and a chance to get a great education with the understanding that he would probably never see the field. Not only does he see the field, he starts about 6 games and plays in a few others before his Junior year. I would think he is living the dream, it’s almost “Rudy” like. Now people are saying he is pissed that he got passed by and that his dad is complaining about his playing time. Really, I simply cannot believe that for a second.

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141. Reed, did you look up the difference? It’s in black and white. I wasn’t necessarily referencing you there anyways. It was the term “realist” being thrown about. << In most cases it’s considered on the negative side. It’s a complicated definition to be sure.

     I don’t disagree with the wait and show me approach either but why not think something is good when there are highlights and past history to go by? Town like Browne who both went to USC and Town signed with Alabama is good enough for me to think positive about the young man.

     I absolutely know that you want and realize that Narduzzi is at PITT for a few more years. Also it’s obvious…. you don’t care for the man… get over it… ike

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142. Reed, I believe your argument about Patti not wanting to sign now does not hold water, and here’s why:

     As of now, Patti will have 4 years eligibility, Pickett 3 years, and Townes 2 years. It would appear that Patti is likely to redshirt this year, thus he will still have 4 years going into 2019, while Pickett would have 2 and Townes 1. I really don’t see how the addition of Townes would make that much of an impact to Patti, and he did send a tweet a few days ago that signing day is only a few days away with an H2P tag (or whatever it is called.)

     But on the other hand, this is Pitt and by 2019, we have 3 others QBs.

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     1. I was thinking about the Feb LOIDay, not the early… And I didn’t say he wouldn’t sign, just to keep an eye on him.

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143. btw, PITT gets another recruit in Ajayi a corner-back from Georgia.

     Narduzzi had two highly thought of QB recruits the same weekend (this last one) and Town committed on the spot. Good recruiting by Narduzzi. and I have little doubt both Ben and Tom-Mac both knew what was going to happen. << the hand writing was on the wall fro both.

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144. Ike – Ajayi is a 2 Star with a list of bad offers. I don’t expect 4-6 4 Stars but 1 occasionally would be nice.

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145. ^^ right on cue

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     1. Is he not a 2 Star??? Do his Offers not Suck? Sorry to bring up facts. Narduzzi can’t recruit and it keeps showing.

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     2. Back at ya blue sky.

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146. I wonder if Towns has 2 or 3? He had 1 year at Arkansas then a JUCO year…he gets five years to play four years of D1 ball by regulation.

     He left USC before camp started then in his Arkansas year he didn’t play at all (according to reports) so that should be declared a redshirt year… I believe?

     I may be missing something here but I just looked it up and am surprised reports are he has only 2 years at Pitt.

     Someone else look at his details please.

     Re: Patti…if he signs on the early LOI date the 20th of December then good. If not keep an eye on that situation…stranger things have happened with Pitt football.

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     1. a JUCO year counts as a year’s eligibility. Most JUCOs we get, just like Chase Brown coming in this year, played 2 years, and has 2 left. Lopes left after 1 year, as did Kam Carter. Going back a decade, Rob Houser and Jeff Otah were 2 and 2.

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147. I like the approach Coach Duzz takes to filling holes in the roster. No one gets it right all the time, but that’s recruiting.

     Bring in Peterman; recruit Pickett. Bring in Brown, recruit Patti. Lose DiNooch; bring in Ricky Town (is that his real name?)…

     Course he could be “Rich Town” – which reminds me, where is Richman??

     Go Pitt.

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148. Yes better than in years. Stability of coaching, system and players have another year of S&C spring practice and a significant number who played who were redshirt freshman and sophomores. Is Pitt there yet? No. But next season is the launch to a ACC coastal championship in 2019. Whitehead and O’Neil are losses but they are just top talents. But all the others are marginal and easily replace and in fact passed by develpment that is taking place. I understand the belief that the program is treading water. But beneath the surface the angst and snippy comments are just that. Narduzzi had to build a D. He needed to replace HCPC Ok at best recruits on D. He needed to upgrade the QB play with Peterman and Brown to buy time. Pickett, Hall, the TE’s, Tipton, will make a difference next year.

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149. It’s hard to get very excited about Town. PSN in talking to his Ventura coach(by the way OC under Walt Harris at Pitt) said Narduzzi was interested in both of the Ventura QB’s but settled on Town after the other one had an ACL tear and wouldn’t be available this spring. It does seem to me that he was more interested in looking for a “anybody” to compete with Pickett instead of looking for another Peterman. And after watching Town’s highlights if I were Pickett I wouldn’t be losing any sleep.

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150. We all realize that Towns lost the starting job at Ventura early on in the season, right?

     Guys, he was a backup JUCO QB for heaven’s sake.

     Losing DiNucci’s experience is going to bite us in the ass.

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     1. The Nooch probably would have been a backup at Ventura too ! Sheesh Reed I can’t believe your worried about a kid who threw 15 to 18 passes a game for 140 yards. You’re click baiting…right.

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        1. If so, you were just hooked!

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           1. lol, just doing my bit too 🙂

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151. Pitt just pulled in another 2* kid. ..Rashad Ajayi, an unranked (state or national) CB from Georgia.

     We are rolling now.

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     1. We don’t know how he’ll turn out at Pitt but we do know it won’t do any good for our recruiting rankings for this years class.

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     2. ^^ You mean like James Conner was?

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        1. And like a ton of 2*s, the majority actually, who didn’t pan out did…

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     3. Apparently the kid was offered by Big 10 Maryland and East Carolina. And FCS power App State.

        http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/230731/rashad-ajayi

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        1. That’s like fans at a different school saying ” He was offered by Pitt!”.

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152. I can’t be too concerned about losing DiNucci’s experience since I didn’t have much confidence in Pitt having a chance to win any game he started. My guess is the 2nd best QB on Pitt’s roster next season will be Nick Patti. But if Pickett gets hurt I fully expect he will bring in Town and Pitt will suffer as a result.

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153. A 2 star in Ga is a high 3 in Pa. just sayin.

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     1. Yes, because that is how national recruiting rankings work.

        On the other hand he does appear to have a Maryland offer as his only other P5 offer.

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154. Ricky Town
     @RickyTownQB

     Had an amazing trip to Pittsburgh… WOW, what an amazing Town! Honored and fired up to be a Pitt Panther. #HailtoPitt

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155. By ranking he is the worst recruit in this class and maybe last…but an average recruit for Chryst based on offers.

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156. Don’t know if this was posted above somewhere…..Ricky Town’s Highlite video.

     https://www.hudl.com/video/3/547334/5a1b22b25eed910e041a4b25

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157. PPPOV = Piss Poor Point Of View I wonder how all the non commentators and readers feel about this so called realist view?

     I think you all know how I feel…. and you say you’re not negative.. lol!

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     1. Get off it Ike, you are not the thought police of the POV.

        Good God – before last season you were crowing about Browne, Hendrix and Clark based on their 4 and5 star ratings coming out of HS…years ago. You thought the transfer OL Hodges was a ‘great get’, etc.

        There is certainly room for both skepticism and to wonder if we haven’t seen this all play out before. Not only did we lose 7 games last year but our only All-Americans in recent years plus a couple of All-ACC players.

        So yeah, you don’t have to dislike Narduzzi to think we may have big problems next season.

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158. Kid is very mobile, is a dual threat QB and can throw off the run pretty good. MUCH BETTER than the Nooch throwing off the scramble or rollout.

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159. I think i even saw some read progressions and stepping up into the pocket. JUCO ball in California is top notch, didn’t Walt bring in a QB (maybe John Turman) from JUCO in CA. And Rafi Lopes came from there too. Hey we got a new pipeline 🙂

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     1. correct …. and you knw who else came from a Cal Juco? Andy Lee

        Back in the day, didn’t QB Sal Genilla? (mid 80s) come from a Cal JUCO?

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        1. Dont’ know about Genilla, but here’s one for you…Princell Brockenbrough. Kid avg’d almost 18 yards/catch until he blew out his knee.

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        2. Not that we necessarily want Pitt to model itself after WVU but Holgorsen regularly recruits Jucos.

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160. Reed, any idea why Towns left Arkansas? Is he a disgruntled player or did he arrive and find 4 other QBs on the roster? Let’s face it, QB is the most difficult position to play, and also the experience factor is most important. And with only one QB on the field at a time, is it any wonder that QBs transfer all over the place?

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     1. usually when a player goes to JUCO, it’s academics … but not always

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161. Another 2 star player from Georgia not excited at all. He is a project recruit. A good coaching staff takes a project recruit in every class, the problem is I feel too many of are recruits are projects. This staff has yet to show me they develop talent even their best players seem to hit a wall ie whitehead, henderson, weah, o neil regressed.
     I’ll only be excited if we got Jurkavec parsons the 4 star back from dc and one of the 4 star receivers. Duzzy can’t close and he scars off top talent Raines hudson wade a good recruiter would have at least pulled in 3 of them.

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162. I’ll quote the last pitt coach that could flat out recruit and the only coach to win 10 games in my lifetime. “Coaches don’t win games players do.”
     I c more 5 or 6 win seasons. I hate to say that but I feel it’s true.

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163. First off, I like Ike. Patti signs on Wednesday. The Juco transfer has nothing to do with him coming here. I guarantee you the first call HCPN made before offering any Juco quarterback was to Patti to tell them what they are doing with respect to adding another QB. If Patti is a valued recruit, which he is, they you make sure you keep him in the loop. If he was enrolling in January, it might be different as he won’t participate in spring ball. They definitely want to redshirt him and he has to know this. If Pickett goes down, you have to have a decent backup. I also trust the staff on Ajayi. There are a lot of kids that don’t get a lot of offers and turn out pretty darn good and we’ve hashed those names to death on these blogs.

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164. I am not sure I can cope with all the negatives on here so I wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year as look for something brighter to end my year on than the current chatter here! H2P

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165. Pitt also got a 3-star CB today

     https://247sports.com/Player/VLique-Carter-46035994

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166. https://247sports.com/player/vlique-carter-46035994

     New recruit for Pitt

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167. You guys are hilarious. I trust Pat. You mean 3rd year 5-7 Pat? Pat who is one of the worst recruiters in ACC? Pat who never admits flaws or mistakes.

     I trust Pat, I trust him to win 5 games next year.

     Towns like Clarke run at any sign of adversity. Those kids son’t win you games when you need heart.

     I laugh at these California QB’s. My Grandmother 89 Years old wouldn’t of started Max Browne. Heck she is probably more mobile than he is.

     Narduzzi and Stallings would be a good tandom at a High School. Above that and they are overpaid.

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     1. Chryst was a poor recruiter too….while at Pitt that is. Now all of a sudden….

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168. sorry, since Rivals is the official recruit service of PittPOV, here is the new recruit’s Rivals bio

     https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2018/v-lique-carter-183815

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169. I don’t mind constructive negative posts, but the vitriolic name-calling and the deriding and ridicule of Pitt and Pitt coaches is childish and doesn’t add anything, IMHO.

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     1. Who is calling them names? Gosh you use big words. Dumb it down for Upitt.

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170. Oh jeez, the new kid is the 1250th rated recruit in the country? And he’s higher rated than the last kid. Wow, this is getting bad!

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171. Hey Son In Law. The Electrons are calling you. Unfortunately, they are looking for someone positive.

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     1. Thanks Dad. Just tell Pat to get a kid with 4 stars please. These 2-3’s won’t be Clarion.

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172. Happy holidays , what a bunch of scrooges…!

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     1. I love how pointing out 2 Stars and 3 Stars makes me a Scrooge.

        How about expecting more from 7 Year Itch Narduzzi and his extra money.

        Show some results…

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173. Newest Recruit (V’Lique Carter) has a pretty impressive Offer Sheet. (unlike most of Cheesehead Paulie’s)

     Oklahoma ( I believe they are in the 4 team Playoff)
     Colorado
     Iowa State (we beat out Matt Campbell, I think upitt said he loved him)
     Kentucky
     Purdue of the Great Big 10

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174. Only Flaw other than a 3 Star is he went to a small private school.

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     1. Had he committed to Oklahoma instead of Iowa State he would have been adjusted to a 4 star.

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175. What is also interesting….is Nard Dog,,,,flipped Mr. Carter who had previously committed to Matt Campbell at Iowa State…during Mr. Carter’s recent Pitt visit. And after Mr. Carter received an offer from Oklahoma.

     H2P !

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176. Dont underestimate the power of the Nard Dog side. I like it! These recent recruits are good. Beggers cant be choosers at this point. The coaches need to develop these guys and place them in the right positions to succeed but I see the upside in talent. Can we just stay positive about Pitt for once?

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177. Reed c
     And the rest of your morons crack me up. After trashing dinucci in every way imaginable reed is suprised dinucci left. “Not a d1 qb” thoufh he started 3 games he played the whole way, pittwon 2. Upitt was NOT a di ballplayer. Nooch “never got better” but after running out of bounds for a 3 yard loss he threw the ball away everytime thereafter. I could go on and on. I have mentored young professionals for years and NEVER personally insulted one like you mindless jokes. Dan72 you get upset when rockport throws players under the bus last year and you led the charge with insults, threw him under the bus then drove it over him. You are a disgrace and hypocrite like good ole reed. Now nard is promusing potwntial recruits at qb “open competition”. Ha ha. Clearly pickett has more talwnt and potential vut you can point that out without hurling insults at a young man who tried his best. Great men all of you. Well ine qb from erie cc and another failed everywhete 4 star. Who plys if picket gets hurt. Losers.

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     1. Anonymous – Someone should mentor you in spelling. As far as insults are concerned you just insulted the King and his English more than any of us combined against Rockports.

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     2. Get off it Ike, you are not the thought police of the POV.

        Good God – before last season you were crowing about Browne, Hendrix and Clark based on their 4 and5 star ratings coming out of HS…years ago. You thought the transfer OL Hodges was a ‘great get’, etc.

        There is certainly room for both skepticism and to wonder if we haven’t seen this all play out before. Not only did we lose 7 games last year but our only All-Americans in recent years plus a couple of All-ACC players.

        So yeah, you don’t have to dislike Narduzzi to think we may have big problems next season.

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     3. First off I said DiNucci would not be starting D1 QB unless it was by an injury. That is exactly what happened and the same would hold for ’18 had he stayed.

        Please point out one instance where I personally insulted any player on the roster. I have a strict rule about my not doing that. Everything I write and discuss about players is based on football.

        While you are at please quote any hypocritical statements I have made. You won’t be able to do it.

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     4. I will defer to your inability to spell or form a 3rd grade sentence as to your IQ and thus am honored by your attempted insult!

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        1. +1

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     5. Reed knows who you are Ike by your email address and ip address. You are not Anon here….

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178. +1

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179. If some of the posters on the POV would just change their screen names to something like…. “I love psu” or “PITT screwed me” then it would be easier to understand where some of you guys are coming from. Cause it sure doesn’t sound like it’s coming from a PITT fan and I’m just a screwy old man that doesn’t know anything about PITT and college football.. .

     JUST IN MY OPINION! ike..

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     1. Ike – I know 5-10 Athletes that busted their butts for Pitt that are not happy at all with the atheltic program. You know 2 of those 10. Sorry we want better than Stallings, Heather Lyke and Narduzzi.

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     2. We will if you change your name to “Pat’s Wife” or “Works for the BoT” or “Luv Rockports” or “Barnes & Stevieboy are A OK with Me” or…..

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180. Upitt in law is a great new screen name

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181. Upitt in law is a great new screen name

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182. Guys, I have no problem with doubting a recruit, but doing so based strictly on “the number of stars” is lazy trolling. At least do a little homework please, stop the gayness.

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     1. Offer Sheets.

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183. I think everyone should add Upitt to their screen name

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184. And out of those 10 maybe they have attended 3-5 games over 10 years. The program does it’s best to alienate and not embrace alumni and letter winners.

     Sam Clancy?? I mean you serious with that?

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185. The safety from Florida looks like he’s quick. Could return kicks

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186. When does Pitt play hoops again?

     Dixon is ranked 14th.

     Stallings is ranked 260

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     1. Big game tonight….

        Dixon’s assistants are ranked 14th.

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187. Delaware state tomorrow and Towson Friday night

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188. What’s the deal with Sam son? A great PITT man and not the son of Sam..

     Yes it’s me…. don’t become confused…

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     1. He does bothing but send a canned letter once a year.

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189. Please brother, amend thy hopes and please, start taking your medicine again.. love sis

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190. Wait. Offer sheets?? Upitt-that doesn’t work when we look at other recruits. Any time the “look at the offers” gets thrown out there you find another excuse to say the guy sucks.

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191. Disregard the two above comments. Only done in fun when prodded to do so..

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192. Well don’t we all just have the holiday spirit tonight – lol… Actually, I am encouraged. Using Rivals as a benchmark (because you have to pick one) we now have nine recruits ranked 5.7 (or higher) for this year. The keen observers out there know they are all 5.7’s (no 5.8’s which would be 4 star recruits). But 5.7 is important. It seems like it is the threshold figure to reaching potential greatness. Aaron Donald and James Connor were both 5.7s. There are other good examples. Now here’s the thing – you have to go back to the golden era of Wannstedt recruiting to get to that number… And we are still in the running for three more (the receivers and the running back). If miracles could happen and we get two of the three, it would tie Wannstedt’s best year…

     I think all of the negativity is a bit off… I now see this as a very effective recruiting class… The offers some of these kids have dwarf anything we have seen recently. Rivals has Bentley at a 5.5 and his offer sheet is stupendous – the crème of the crème…. Most of the other 5.7’s are pretty impressive as well.

     Some day soon, I will do what engineers do and work up a more complete analysis on the last three year’s of Narduzzi’s recruiting… I think it is better than what I often read on the blog here. There will be challenges replacing the top talent that is TRYING to get in the NFL (Henderson – wtf!!) but I don’t think the cupboard is actually bare.

     And Happy Holidays to everyone!!!

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     1. Thank you my fellow Pitt engineer for an excellent post.

        Wanny did bring in a lot of the precious 4 Stars, but most of them didn’t make significant contributions. But WANNY knew a RB and a DE when he saw one. An elusive RB and a QB pressuring DE can really elevate all the talent around them.

        Go Pitt.

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193. PSN reports Ajayi picked Colorado St.

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194. Ajayi to Colorado State, not Pitt.

     Some of you defensive back experts should be pleased.

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     1. Sounds like once Pitt got Carter, they may have told Ajayi the spot was gone.

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195. Good for us then.

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196. Reed, I don’t consider my self anymore than a regular commentator on the POV. If I didn’t know any better about your comment that I consider myself a POV policeman, I would have thought it came from you know who?

     I do have to laugh out loud. This is only for jokes and I can’t imagine the responses this one will get. I listened to the words again and this ain’t me talking but still posted it.. I think it’s funny NO WAY!

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197. Let me add a little “realist” to the fire…If Patti doesn’t sign early AND Pickett gets his redshirt with the new rules, then may be much more likely for him not to sign with Pickett potentially being here 3 or 4 more years. I have no idea whether KP will be able to redshirt, but if he does….’

     BTW, if Pitt puts together a great year in 2018, there will be much crow to be served next Thanksgiving at the POV. I’m just sayin’ 🙂

     H2P!!! H2KS!!!

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198. Oh man … why is everyone so salty today? Pitt got two new Pat Signals. One with a great offer sheet and another to be announced. It’s a good day.

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199. Yea offer sheets, maybe take your own advice and look at those. Use your brain to do something other than support your agenda

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200. Carter is a good get. He is explosive and has really good skills. He is a 5-10 DB and that was a consideration of his rating. But the young man can play. Pitt IMHO gets Shocky and Harris is still a guess at this point. But he is someone I really hope they land. We will know tomorrow. If they land both WR’s, Ptit is mid 30’s with two more to get to 20.commits which is the minimum number needed to get the total ranking. . For all the negativity and consternation, the staff did a pretty good job in recruiting. Lots of high end 5.7 near 4 stars which beats any class for quite awhile.

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201. Great video Iek…needed a morning laugh. Gets dark on here sometimes. Speaking of dark, I wish “Darkie” would return.

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     1. The only person more insanely positive about the current and future state of Pitt athletics than Ike. I used to really enjoy DK’s pumping posts about the pending success of Max Browne.

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202. Are we adding in the Town scholarship when we are counting the recruits number for this year? I believe Pitt will have to thin out their current roster some more before we have any room for the recruits committing this week.

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203. Offer sheets are one thing but here is the deal with them… The scouting services can’t really check with the schools to see if they actually offered or not.. And those scouting sites are kind of between a rock and a hard place because they have to take the kid’s word for it.

     And because of the NCAA rules that no employees of a NCAA covered school can discuss a recruit before that recruit signs a LOI there is no way to truly verify the recruit has the offers he says he has with one exception… Seeing the true formal scholarship offer letter.

     Now, some schools send out literally hundreds of letters to a recruit saying, in essence, we want you to come to play at our school. And they send those same letters out to hundreds of different recruits from the players 9th grade up until he signs a LOI letter.

     But those are not actual “offers” until that formal “We are now offering you a scholarship” letter that signals the school’s true intent is sent and received by the player and his parents.

     Many, many offers you see listed are not those formal letter true offers. Do we really believe that every kid who gets a letter from Pitt, in 10th or 11th grade can call up the Southside and say “OK, I’m committing to Pitt right now”? Of course not.

     I wrote an extensive article about this exact subject a few years ago for the Pitt Blather. I have talked with Pitt players’ parents and have been told that the kid received just a few formal letters but some recruiting sites listed every school that even just only initially contacted their son.

     We Pitt fans have laughed at those Penn State fans who have said that a recruit who chose to go elsewhere “didn’t have a real Penn State offer” because it sounds like sour grapes, but that happens all the time. It happens when kids who have Pitt listed and go somewhere else also…they may well have never have had a true, formal offer of a football scholarship from us.

     Here is Rivals listing of all the 2018 recruits Pitt has “offered”:

     https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/offers/football/2018

     I stopped counting at 200 but there were a ton more listed. Believe me if 90% of those kids called up Pitt and said “I accept” they would be told “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.”

     When you see an East coast player who is rated at 2*s and has all these distant Top 20 schools like Oklahoma,, Nebraska, USC, Alabama, Michigan, OSU, etc…listed you can be sure those were contact letters and not based on the formal scholarship offers.

     So this is why I tend not to get too excited about current or future recruits based on either stars or ‘offers’ and never write articles about who we are trying to get to ‘commit’ or get signed LOIs from. We have no idea what true scholarship offers a kid actually has and won’t know what a recruit will do in D1, Power 5 ball until they actually do it.

     That said, I do talk about the need for more 4* and 5* recruits on the Pitt roster because the odds are that more of them will turn out to be star players than the 3* and 2* players do.

     At least with the numerical (5.7 for example) and star ratings human beings have had eyes on the kids when they played HS ball in the majority of cases and it isn’t just a HS player telling a reporter that he had offers from all the better football programs when those may not exist at all.

     Exceptions exist of course and some 2* kids will excel and some 4* kids will be a bust but the advantage is on the side of teams that pull in more blue chippers than schools that don’t.

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     1. IMO, ratings are mainly based on physical traits since they are much more easier to measure than the intangibles. At Gateway, Shayne Hale was a manchild yet when he start playing against others who were as big and fast, he didn’t stand out.

        Most 5 stars are the real deal as they have dominated throughout their high school careers. 4 stars also have both great physical attributes as well as accomplished HS stats. 3 stars deal more with potential but no doubt 4 and 5 stars are optimal.

        As discussed on this site previously, teams like Wisconsin, Michigan State, TCU, etc make their living on mostly 3 stars. These are the peers for Pitt especially now that the attendance continues to dwindle.

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     2. As I had previously mentioned some pretty great offer sheets that Pitt’s CURRENT recruits have, I would like to follow up on this. I have noted that others say that there is no way to “audit” offer claims. So it is what it is. But I have to believe not too many players are anxious to claim offers from, say, Alabama where no such proposal was tendered. Coaches (at least the good ones) want players with credibility and integrity… Starting off as a liar is never a good plan… So lets look at Alabama. According to Rivals they have made 136 offers (if I counted correctly). About half of those are to 6.1 or 6.0 rated players. Why not – they are at the top of the food chain. One expects they will take about 20% of those.

        Why do I pick Alabama – its because I mentioned Bentley. Strangely he is only rated a 5.5 by Rivals. He IS on Alabama’s list. One of the lowest rated players they made an offer to (unless he is a promiscuous liar). I checked more on him. One of Rivals reporters saw him in a big match up game in Ohio during the season. There were other 4 star players (5.8 or above) playing. The reporter states that Bentley well outplayed his 4 star counterpart so his rating is well deserved?? WTF – he outplays a 5.8 or 5.9 guy so he deserves a 5.5?? Two points – the ratings by some faceless guy at Rivals probably means a lot less than what top coach is devoting time to any particular recruit. In the past, Pitt recruited some guys with decent ratings that didn’t have impressive offer sheets. Made me skeptical.. On the other hand I would always feel great about someone like Bentley who has offers from Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, LSU, etc. (always hoping he isn’t just a big fat liar – lol)….

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204. FWIW, Bernard Clark has just been hired as HC at Bobby Mo. If that name sounds familiar, he was an assistant at Pitt in 2010 … and has assisted Coach Gattuso at Albany for the past few years.

     Albany, which is Pitt’s opener for 2018, also includes Nate Byham and Jim Sweeney as part as the staff … not to mention former Pitt nemesis Bill Hurley.

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205. It’s hard to understand how there could be any disagreement with Reed’s post or for that matter what else there is to be said about the subjects discussed in the post except whether or not PN and staff have special skills at detecting talent. I think they do. But as they say “the future is truly unpredictable” so next season can’t happen soon enough for me.

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     1. One caveat … a program like Pitt’s, depends on 3rd, 4th and 5h year players … who are developed over time. These are mostly 3 stars who get bigger, stronger and smarter.

        This is why I thought that the harsh criticism of the 2017 was unfounded. There was only one 4th year starter on defense …. and of course, the staff had to bring in transfer QBs since the previous staff only left Berke.

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        1. EXACTLY

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        2. That’s what I’ve been saying…and in hoops also.

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     2. I actually find it hard to believe there would be agreement with the post regarding the QB situation. I could point to many inconsistencies and assumptions but think better of it for now.

        People will think what they want to and apply that process until proven wrong…we shall see, although I am with Upitt in thinking this Pitt admin has a lot to prove to make me believe they are anything more than talking the talk. So far I will wait and see but as for the BOT and admin, I am not “trusting the process”.

        H2P!!!
        H2KS!!!

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        1. Just for the record my post was in reply to Reeds most recent post about recruit “offers” etc. not his article.

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           1. Ok then, quit confusing me, I have enough difficulty with comprehension to begin with. 😦
              You are using “post” for “comment”.

              H2P!!!
              H2KS!!!

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              1. Sorry.

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206. Agree PN needs to pull in 4 or 5 four star recruits each year. Two years ago I think he had 5 of them. I am sure last years record is hurting those efforts but a good recruiter can over come.

     He does usually close strong so we will see.

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     1. As far as recruiting the 4 stars there is no question this years record along with our half empty stadium would probably the main factors in us not getting those higher stars.

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207. who predicted ” I still think if Duzz wins 9 games he’s gone” immediately after Duzz signed his extension? I will hang up and listen for your answer.

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     1. Me and I still believe that.

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        1. Depends on how many coaches get fired that year. Most bigger schools will look for a bigger name IMO. (Hope that MSU has a good year the next few years though)

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208. I think there is something wrong with a process that gives out 200 offers. I don’t know, shouldn’t a kid show some kind of interest before getting an offer. It seems to cheapen the process when a kid with absolutely no interest gets an offer and worse wastes the time of a finite staff with finite resources.

     Their process reminds me of the emails I get everyday asking if I want to refi my mortgage or borrow money, maybe a sucker out there that responds but for most they are just a nuisance.

     Unless a kid really want to go to Pitt, an offer won’t be accepted without face to face time and most likely an on campus visit.

     In any case, I think the Town get is a good one to provide needed depth. If Pickett is not annointed First String from Day 1, Watson and Narduzzi are idiots.Don’t screw with the kids mind. Everyone on the team needs to know, he is the “Man”. He better be throwing every day to his top receivers to develop the needed chemistry.

     Also they need to pick their first string O-line in a hurry and get them working as a unit. Last year they didn’t and it showed.

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209. 2012 – four 4*

     2013 – two 4* & one 5*

     2014 – four 4*

     2015 – two 4* (Both PC’s) One gone -Whitehead.

     2016 – five 4* One gone – Hill

     2017 – three 4*

     2018 – none so far

     PC was a better at recruiting the 4* and 5* kids while he was at Pitt getting 13 to commit in his three years.

     That is counting Hall and Whitehead who both committed to PC.

     Narduzzi had only 8 4*s commit so far in his three years.

     Narduzzi can’t get shut out this year, that would not be good.

     To me the real difference is in the OL recruiting… we’ll see how the current crop does in the next two years, but I’m not optimistic about the OL PN has brought in much at all.

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     1. the jury is out on PN’s OL recruits. Narduzzi came on board full time in early January 2015 and had less than a month to recruit. thus, he only had 2 full recruiting classes currently within the program, and these guys have been redshirted and being developed.

        No doubt that PC’s OL recruiting has been better thus far … but which one of his OL recruits made an immediate impact> The answer is none. D Johnson (who had previously committed to PSU) was the only one who played as a natural freshman, and you may recall how much he struggled his first years two years. (and he was a 5-star per Scout.com) Biz struggled at first after his redshirt year, and the rest assimilated slowly. Also, remember that O’Neill wa recruited as a TE.

        The current staff’s OL recruitment may well tun out to be deficient but it’s way too early to judge.

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        1. I agree that it’s too early to dismiss PN’s OL recruits (which I didn’t understand to be Reed’s intention). The thing that is concerning there is that for as much fault as many found in the play of Officer and Jones-Smith in 2017, Officer and Jones-Smith continued to play lots of downs and I recall having seen very little of the underclassmen. PN brought Morgan in as a transfer and he also played over the underclassmen.

           Totally agree with your assessment regarding the performance of DJ and Biz as freshmen (2013). Savage was frequently under duress that season. They still had trouble in pass blocking in their second year as starters (2014). Thankfully Voytik was very mobile and seemed more comfortable throwing on the run anyway.

           Biz and DJ were consensus 4 star recruits with many P5 offers. In other words they were thought of highly by recruiting services and apparently coaches at big time programs.

           I therefore think it’s reasonable to be concerned about the offensive line in 2018. Based upon the current roster there will likely be 3 very inexperienced guys playing. Those guys will be drawn from a pool of 3 star players. In addition, there will be yet another new LT. If that guy is Bookser, he’ll be playing a new position. To dismiss all of that as alarmist and pessimistic is to whistle past the graveyard.

           Not sure if this was your intention, but I think it’s a bit disingenuous to talk about guys being groomed and developed in the program as an argument against being concerned. Many complained all of this past season about Pitt’s lack of experience on defense, yet most of the guys had been in the program for at least a couple of seasons. You can’t have it both ways, but you can try. 😉

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        2. Yes, but my overall take on the current OL is that they are going to have to play this season and most are underclassmen.

           I think Dintino and Bookser are the only two with real experience.

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210. I believe this WR is announcing today between Pitt and Louisville. If this is his twitter site, I like our chances (unless he is really stroking us)

     Tweets by screamtaaye

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     1. click on @screamtaaye above to see his twitter page

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     2. He went to L’Ville

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211. Reed, I guess you missed my point or disagreed, either way is fine. But when we assess a recruit commit strictly based on stars it comes across as lazy, and more importantly, an inaccurate assessment more often than not. I’m just suggesting that if we’re going to discuss or try to assess recruits, it would be more interesting to put some thought into it.

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     1. for some people all they can do is assess on what some other geek gave a player in terms of stars. I rely on Duzz he can look at a player and assess his skill set and his ability to grow as a player. I really don’t give a crap if some geek recruit nut gives him stars. most of those guys don’t know a damn thing. In duzz we trust.

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        1. Or they can actually go to spring and fall camps during the recruit ‘s FR year and evaluate a bit there also. One of the reasons I’m not jumping up and down about PN’s OL recruiting is that in watching them in some practices, scimmages, spring games and in regular season play I get the impression they aren’t as good as the kids PC recruited for those positions. That’s my informed opinion and we’ll see off it is correct or not.

           I didn’t know a thing about Pickett until I saw him in an extended spring practice, talked with an ex-player about him and then asked about him with some of his teammates at Pro Timing Day. The answers were constantly very positive… Again, informed opinion.

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212. The young man has good taste, as he is wearing our ultra cool early ’90’s throwbacks…. minus some striping on the sleeves.

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213. Another 3 Star. GT and U of G didn’t offer him even though he is from Gerorgia. I find that odd.

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     1. don’t worry about it …. he committed to Louisville

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        1. he actually changed his twitter page from a Pitt motif to a UL one right before he announced. I guess that is the new pick up one hat, but then put on another one

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214. he was screwing with us….thought that might have been the case.

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215. As soon as his pic changed you know he was going to L’Ville. It was obvious and the new hat trick thing.

     Narduzzi now having hard times closing 3 Stars.

     Bobby can sell.

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     1. yes, with help from adidas

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        1. Yep that nerd needs all the help he can get. Of course Loserville has little to no academic requirements.
           probably the major factor in his choice and why Georgia Tech didn’t offer.

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        2. Well let’s get some help then from Nike or Adidas. We can use it.

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        3. And hookers….and $…and…

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216. He can now attend the strip clubs in L-Ville, with their nutso perv coach.

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217. Harris a a really good WR with big time upside. But he is a going to a program and supportive staff that reeks of low class trailer trash scum bags. I have zero respect for that coach and certainly the recently fired BB IHOP troll.

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     1. lmao…..IHOP troll. Loserville is lower than Hillbilly U. ACC should have taken the hoopies before them.

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218. I think Reed is right .. Pitt won’t stoop to the levels of its competitors … nor should it.

     In this decade alone, these happened with our principle competitors:

     — UNC more or less admitted 20 years of academic fraud and escaped without major sanctions

     — FSU’s Heisman winner was not even investigated by the school or the city when accused of rape

     — Syracuse and Miami both received slaps on the wrists for its transgressions

     — Louisville employs the 2 biggest scum coaches alive, and finally one of them has been caught redhanded … but only after the FBI had to step in

     — PSU was found guilty of the most heinous acts in NCAA history (yet their sanctions were lifted after a couple of years, and are now in better shape than ever)

     — and of course, our neighbors directly to our south granted the governor’s daughter an unearned MBA, the same person who now is CEO of a multi-billion drug company which last year raised the price of EpiPen 6-fold before congress stepped in. (when Congress sanctions a drug company, you know something is wrong.) Of course that school’s FB field now is named after that drug company’s founder.

     I’m sure I missed some other wrongdoings.

     Sometimes I think Pitt should have dropped to D2 as was rumoured back in ’96. And I wouldn’t blame them at all if the BoT finally says enough is enough screw you ACC …. Pitt is an exemplary academic institution and we’re tired of competing with scum

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     1. While Pitt is an excellent academic institution, as are some of those you listed, I would hold off on the name calling based on the article in today’s Post Gazette. While it is not sports related it shows that Pitt has had problems and may still have them as well. You know glass houses and all.

        http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2017/12/18/Old-accusations-of-illicit-sexual-relationships-resurface-at-Pitt/stories/201712180165

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        1. That’s a pedo paper….you should line your bird cage with it….

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219. A Pitt historical factoid courtesy of my Air Force son:

     45 years ago today: “It’s winning or death and we don’t want to die.”
     – Johnny Majors, initial Pitt press conference

     I also remember JM saying early and often:

     “We might not win, but we’ll play with pride and enthusiasm. “

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220. How in the world do you lose a really good receiver when we share facilities with the team that has the best receiver in the nfl? That in itself should be the closer. Makes you wonder….

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     1. Maybe he ran into Antonio Brown, who told him to go to Loserville.

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     2. $ & hookers…and “See Sally Run” academics….

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221. How many times do kids say Relationships. Raines, this Kid. Narduzzi doesn’t strike me as a guy kids connect with.

     Wwb – You are better than going there. Makes you sound jealous.

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     1. you obviously haven’t been reading post visit interviews with these recruits. To a man, they talk about the family atmosphere there is at Pitt.

        Then rival recruiters will of course point out the 25k empty seats and I’m sure rival boosters will even add an additional incentive

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222. Look like Conner out for the Season with another MCL.

     When he was signed by the Steelers, it was my position that they Conner held more value to them because of his history of playing Defense. They drafted him knowing that if he didn’t make it at Runningback there could be a backup plan.

     Based on what I’ve seen, it seems the backup plan might come to fruition. While he’s had his moments, Conner appears vulnerable due to his POWER running style combined with his emphasis on staying lean in order to maximize quickness.

     It would be interesting to see how well Conner could do after packing on some pounds and making the move back to Linebacker.

     I think pretty well.

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     1. I agree. His future if he gets back from injury is as a Defender.

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     2. Linebacker? He could never be a LB in the pros. Watch Watt move and drop in coverage. Conner could never do those things. He is too small for DL.

        He ran quick the last game. He can’t do the Bell hesitation move, he has to get his weight moving quickly and not stop and go.

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     3. 4.5 yds a carry this year.

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223. I find it amazing that all the really elite basketball powers recruit players who last no more than 1 or 2 years in college ….. that is all except UNC. Once again, UNC has a handful of key upperclassmen returning this year. Wonder what’s keeping them there

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     1. The challenging yet engaging curriculum no doubt!

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224. Fax machines will ring, Narduzzi’s listening.
     If a commit doesn’t come through, he’ll be bristling.
     If each is a three, then mediocrity.
     Recruiting is hard H2P.
     Hobie

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225. As for Pitt, no more excuses for Narduzzi.

     He’s got his Quarterback. He’s got his contract. It’s SHOW time!

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226. And no more CRYING the “Duzz” BLUES by Blatherites or POVers.

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227. You guys better watch out and you better be good to Narduzzi

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228. LikeLike

229. Everybody in the ballpark at Heinz for the spring game came away impressed with Pickett. That was a pretty obvious observation by JUST ABOUT EVERYONE People should not pat themselves on the back for that everyone saw it and commented on it.

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     1. You spoke to all 7076 in the crowd at Heinz? I know you have high standards. Did you do that during the game? If so, how did you also watch Pickett?

        If Pickett’s play in the spring game was that manifestly impressive I would have thought that the PG and Trib beat writers would have written something about it. Yet, nada.

        Pittsburgh Sports Now, standard bearer for favorable Pitt reporting, said the following: “Kenny Pickett showed that he still has some things to work on in the passing game, particularly downfield, with a 6 of 13 for 36 yards day. But he was able to make contributions with his legs, rushing for 35 yards on four carries.”

        Now, resume your half baked thinking resulting in fractured writing.

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     2. I wrote about him way before the spring game. I had a 60 minute window to watch all the QBs at the start of spring practices… And wrote an article about Pickett then.

        But nice try,again.

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230. Will we hear again next year that this is a “young” team that will. Emgood in 3 or 4 years????

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231. That will be good in 3 or 4 years….damn auto correct…

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232. PSN had Pickett’s spring game preparations and readiness down. He needed a lot of work and he finally was ready VT and Miami games.. imo . . . and btw… he still may need lots more work… I wouldn’t crown his ass just yet. Although I liked what I saw..

     Some folks don’t like Darrin Hall… Check the questionnaire that was handed out at the golf outing.. I said Hall would be the leading rusher but no PITT player would get 1,000 yards this year, it would be by committee, you know, since we are throwing roses and all..

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     1. yea we all toot our own horn when we get something right, and ignore our bad ones.

        I remember (like ike) predicting that the leading rusher would get < 1,000 because RB by committee, but on the other hand, I thought the leader would be AJ Davis (so much for 4-stars)

        I also correctly predicted Idowu to be leading tackler, but predicted Edwards to be sacks leader and don’t even think he played the 2nd half of the season … which is good I guess that the youngsters began taking over (like Rashad Weaver)

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233. Gotta love this blog with all the banter going back and forth. You just can’t get this kind of honest discussion about Pitt sports anywhere else via the internet. That’s why it’s so critical to keep this sight open come hell or high water. That was easy for me to say whiteout having contributed any articles to help the cause.

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234. I said Upitt would be kinder and gentler after marriage. I win, again!

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235. The four star thing is understandable. It is easy to grasp the cachet of having four star recruits. How close was Pitt this year (recognizing that there still may be a late addition or two). Rivals makes it hard (or I don’t know enough about how to negotiate around their website). I have to go indirect. So in the state of PA, they list their 35 top recruits. There is one five star. Positions 2-15 are encumbered by four stars. In order, the next three positions are: 16 – Danielson; 17- Kradel and 18 – Zubovic. So three Pitt recruits rated at 5.7, missed by a rounding error from being four star recruits. It is NOT time to head to the bomb shelter as the end of the world is nigh.

     Quirks in their website make it hard for me to systematically address this. I can say the following, however. Patti has gone from merely acceptable to a major get over this year. I don’t recall where they had him at the beginning of the school year but he has now risen to the #20 QB. He has passed over Doyle and Carter Bradley – both guys I think Pitt had been highly interested in. He is approaching Sitkowski who is at #16. For reference all three of those other guys are now 3 star 5.6-5.7s. The #13 position is required to get to 4 stars.

     The point is the same as I have stressed before. This is a pretty great class – the number of potential breakthrough players (at 5.7 or above) is likely to be ten. We haven’t seen that in years. Many of these guys barely missed.. It is no time to start manning the lifeboats – lol….

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236. Crap, that was my kinder and gentler post, not sure why it came up annon.

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     1. I say he is kinder and gentler more because the American blogger put his foot down than Estionian mrs attending to his every whim

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237. Here is my 2 cents on the supposed star ratings given out. Who is actually evaluating all these kids in all these programs? How can Rivals possibly employ enough people who have the skill set to evaluate high school players across the country. Are they watching video or sitting in the stands? Probably neither. You can read the papers and the local coaches are going to tell you who is a stud and who is not. Combine that with the offers you see going out along with the kids size and you basically can sit home and give a kid a star rating as good as Rivals or 24/7. Watch HUDL video if you are unsure. I blame Mel Kiper for all this stuff. Okay, I’ll blame my son in law too, as he seems more obsessed with star ratings than giving my daughter a decent Christmas gift. This year I ain’t accepting your Dirty O gift card.

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     1. Rivals has a bunch of professional scout across the country. And the have a lot of stringers in smaller areas.

        They get eyes on all 4* and 5* recruits.

        I think they are the most accurate of all four recruiting sites.

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238. I’ll take that re-gifted Dirty O card

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239. Looks like DiNucci to James Madison, which is defending FCS champ

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240. two Pat Signals …. one has to be a WR (I think)

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     1. those are from yesterday … Carter is one of them I believe

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241. Pitt is only as good as their QB unless D is Excellent.
     Much like all football teams – college or Pro

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242. Good for Nooch. Good school and program. He might be able to excel there on the field.

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243. pitt b ball about to get 7 wins
     this team is jellin

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     1. It’s Delaware State(2-10) Tex….they lost by 97-48 to Duquesne. They lost by 21 to UMBC (yea them) lol

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244. Well, to call Whitehead a Chryst recruit is a stretch to say the least considering he was coming to PITT no matter what according to…Whitehead. If you do that with 2015 then I guess you have to do the same for 2012.

     Lets remember a couple of other factors:

     1) Chryst was competing against a down PSU, Narduzzi is recruiting a PSU that knows they got away with child rape, I can just imagine what they are now doing to get recruits if the know that child rape will be over-looked. You think they worry about giving away cars to kids when they know child rape isn’t a big deal.

     2) How many 4 and 5* players were there during the Chryst years compared to now in western PA. Seems to be fewer and fewer every year.

     3) Count the number of 2* players Chryst got compared to Narduzzi.

     4) The offer lists are way better for Narduzzi but are we making the assumption that “padding” offer sheets just started a couple of years ago.

     5) Narduzzi gets transfers, Chryst was a lazy recruiter to say the least. Transfers are transfers because they have had issues somewhere. if you get 1 out of 3 to contribute, let alone start, you are doing well. When Clarke signed most thought he wouldn’t play a down at PITT. He played and started to look better as the year went on, basically his first year of D1 football. If you want to call him a bust I don’t know what to say. Flannigan, did what was expected of him. Hodges and Hendrix added depth, if you expected more, then that is on you.

     Reed, you called Flannigan and Clarke “average”. For a transfer, “average” is a success, not a failure. Those guys filled a role similar to DiNucci but you ragged on them but seem to think DiNucci is a great lose. I would have rather had DiNucci stayed but considering his transfer choice I tend to agree he would have been a cancer. I would have said differently if he had gone to Penn.

     One last thing, if Narduzzi wins just three games next year he is on par with Chryst. Take a look at the schedules between the two. Not even close.

     For the record I have no idea how Graham only won 6 games playing that schedule in 2011.

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     1. +1

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245. Duquesne hits record 18 3’s in 97-48 win over Delaware State. D State could quite possibly be one of the 3 worst teams in D1. Good job Otis…we need those wins over rec league teams.

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246. LOL….D State’s 2 wins are against teams with no links. Whatever PBU is ?

     https://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/teams/schedule/DELST/delaware-state-hornets

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247. I hear ya Emel. Tryin to look on the bright side else depression hits in and pills are poppin.

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248. Reed, you absolutely called Pickett months ago, in what is my favorite all-time article of yours. Well done sir.

     Uppity, really? We’re still calling for Conner to defense? Let me just go ahead and puke now.

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     1. Have you seen anything to make you believe he will be a successful RB in the NFL.

        Now 2 knee surgeries and it is his rookie year. He should move to D.

        I called Boyd and I’m right now.

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249. Pitt being outscored by 10 in the 2nd half….16-6…can not find this game on any site. Anyone got a link ?

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     1. I couldn’t find one either…..

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250. the akron/unf game is linked….but not Pitt. Oy

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251. It’s on espn3. They came out way overconfident and lazy in the second half

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     1. Not in Pittsburgh…

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     2. But they are jelling and playing aesthetically pleasing offense!

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        1. While being beaten on the glass again.

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252. another standing room only crowd at The White Elephant

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     1. Take a guess at the announced crowd?

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        1. idk,,,,say 2550

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           1. I’ll bet you’re close on the announced. In reality ~1000.

              3 point game with 1:10 to play.

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              1. looks like about 575 ppl. must all have jobs at pitt

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253. Pitt-i-ful effort. Duquesne beat this team by 40 points. Did someone say Otis has this team playing hard.
     lol

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254. otis must have 10 asst coaches….can any of them coach ?

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     1. Well, they’re up 2 with 22 seconds to play against a 2-10 MEAC team. Good times ahead.

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        1. d state is one of the 3 or 5 worst teams in d1….2 wins against d3 teams…

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255. Getting waxed in the 2nd half….

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256. pathetic. out coached and out played. Way to get them ready for the 2nd half! Good high school teams would beat these guys. Listening to Chilly Billy and Dick Groat – Even Billy can’t put a positive spin on it. Groat called the game stats “spooky”!

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257. I’ve turned into UPitt … at least BB wise. I admit for the first time ever, I actually was rooting for Delaware St coming down the stretch. I continue to not understand how Stallings get this offensive genius tag, when his teams continuously goes into these long scoring droughts yet they continue the same offense with no tweaks.

     It has to be Michael Young and Jon Artis faults

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     1. ikr….Pitt is taking 3’s up by 4 or 5 points under 2 minutes. He is a terrible coach. Just terrible. Can’t recruit either. This is basically a collection of D2 or D3 players.

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        1. Philadelphia Biblical

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           1. that’s bad ….but who in the heck is Georgian Court. LMAO

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              1. https://georgian.edu/about-gcu/directions/

                 Drive up over the holidays

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                 1. Delaware State doesn’t discriminate against religious opponents.

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     2. Wwb – Fight it or you will be screaming fire Rockports by Miami Game.

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258. 575 souls were on hand to witness…..quite possibly Pitt’s last win of the season. Dan72 says Towson State is pretty good. And then’s it going to be winless in the ACC.

     Thanks BoT, & Gallagher for letting this farce happen.

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     1. Pat Skerry will be Pitt’s next coach. Great recruiter and in game strategist. The kind of coach Pitt should have hired instead of the Stallings hoax. My wife, a Towson Grad. Been following Pat since he took over a team that hadn’t had a winning season in 11 years. Dixon asst coach in the glory years.

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259. Lane Kiffin is amazing. Destroying a good Akron Team.

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260. Ticket sales this year won’t cover in state recruiting expenses…

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261. Haven’t really commented much on b-ball the past 2 weeks. Honestly couldn’t see same things others saw. Thought perhaps it was me, not! This team is really, really bad. Not just because they are young, they are just bad. Short, small, and slow is no way to go thru life.
     One final thing, Stallings is a very, very poor coach. You can make any excuse you want, but if you know anything about the game I defy you to defend the guy. His coaching, or lack of is simply amazing. It’s stunning. I’m sure someone will defend him, I wonder if they will still do do 10 games into the ACC schedule and the Pete actually has 1500 in thehouse. That said, they will win at least one ACC game, it happens to even the worst teams. They will make JMll look like golden years.

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262. Stallings will be the guy between Dixon and the next coach. Narduzzi is signed for 7 years. Now the brass will turn to BB after this year. Stallings buyout is tough, but with certain money guys willing to help or assist with his exit, Pitt will be able to address the BB program. With the ACC network and more money from the ACC payout now coming in, Pitt has to fix the BB program. The good news BB can be improved in a shorter time frame. .

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263. Ya, all that’s true about b-ball being the easier fix, but I’m so jaded, I question if they have the will to fix anything.

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264. Emel,
     PBU is a school in Milwaukee where Pabst Blue Ribbon sends their future executives.
     Thus, Pabst Blue Ribbon University (LOL)

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     1. Oh yea right….it use to be known as PBRU. Al McGuire coached there before Marquette. 🙂

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        1. its big rival is MFU (I better clarify — Milwaukee’s Finest U)

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265. Next up Towson State who is 10-1 with an RPI in the 30’s. And former Pitt asst Pat Skerry is their coach.

     That’s going to be embarrassing losing to them.

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     1. We will get trashed…

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266. Bobby Hurley AZ St. undefeated. He was available when we hired Dockside Dick.

     Dixon Undefeated

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     1. Hurley wasn’t leaving ASU after two years for Pitt. His brother wouldn’t leave Rhode Island for Pitt.

        The job isn’t that great.

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267. for those who care

     http://pittsburghpanthers.com/signingday/football/football/1/

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     1. You beat me to it. I thought for sure everybody would be up, coffee in hand, discussing the merits (or lack thereof) of this class.

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268. Thus far, 50% of the commits have signed within the first 50 minutes ….. but no Nick Patti, Maybe Reed again has some inside info.

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     1. Sure they should sign. They are a weak class.

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269. Patti plans on signing, but his teammate is going to wait. Rutgers is in his ear apparently.

     Give me Patti anyday over a tight end.

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     1. Matt Alaimo’s younger brother Michael is a projected 4-star QB who started for his HS as a soph. They are both ND fans but apparently Matt doesn’t interest them. But he is tractive for everyone else.

        From the films, Matt is a very athletic TE who has made some amazing catches ,,, have no idea what kind of blocker he is

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        1. BTW, do you know that Rutgers will be hiring its 9th offensive coordinators in 9 years? We have some catching up to do.

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270. Hey Ike, can I stop praising KS after last night’s 2nd half?
     I think so.

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271. God rest ye merry commitments
     Let nothing you dismay
     Remember coach Narduzzi
     Expects you all to play
     To save us all from averageness
     But has our QB gone away.
     Oh tidings of discomfort and Yoi
     Discomfort and Yoi
     Oh tidings of discomfort and Yoi
     Hobie

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     1. +1

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272. Once the early signing period is over. Pitt will have 15 to 16 depending on the WR if he commits and signs before the 22nd. The TE is iffy on signing his LOI. Still look to get to 20 by February.

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273. I think we all need to give Stallings a break. Try putting 4-5 Freshmen on the court against kids who are older, stronger and faster and you get what we are seeing. No amount of coaching can substitute for game experience, including how to give maximum effort in every game. Take Duke vs. BC for example. Even mature kids don’t always play with the same intensity every game. Why don’t we just have a moratorium on Stallings bashing until after the season is over and the results are in. If these kids continue to get better as the season plays out, what more can you expect?

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274. Some of you guys are a cancer on here!!!!!!!!!!

     I have to go off on a rant….

     This basketball team is basically playing all FR. If you can’t see the talent in Carr, Wilson-Frame (not a frosh), Stevenson and some of the others you don’t know basketball. Carr will be a star at Pitt, guarantee. You can bash KS, but don’t bash the team for being inexperienced. Isn’t their fault they are just out of freaking high school.

     They are a smaller lineup but far from slow. If you think that you didn’t watch the WVU game. By the way, WVU is an extremely small lineup but it works in college with a good coach. Where were the positive posts after the WVU game? Oh, there were none because some you can’t say anything unless it is bashing someone. Miserable f—ks!

     The team isn’t good this year, everyone knows it. Repeating it over and over and over is psychotic.

     Oh, I know let’s talk about how great Dixon is after we bashed him for four years.

     I am finished….now continue to bash the 18 year old football recruits so you feel better about your miserable lives. 🙂

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     1. Last year with 5 seniors on the team plus Cam and Ryan, they did the same thing.

        Remember when they took the large lead against Penn St and they had to sweat it out in the final minute?
        How about last year vs Marshall when Pitt had a 29 point lead only to have to go into OT?
        These scoring droughts happened happened a large handful of times.
        How about against NC State when Pitt didin’y score a FG in the last 8 minutes plus.

        You Stallings apologists blamed everything on Young and Artis last year?

        Well, guess what?

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        1. I don’t care how inexperienced you are, you don’t blow a 23 point lead to the worse team in the US

           It’s both an epidemic and characteristic of this coach since he’s been here .. and the alleged offensive genius has yet to come up with a cure. Thus far, all he is a collector of paychecks

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           1. Lastly, if you followed my comments about the FB situation here you would know that I’m no automatic ‘negative Nellie’ who ins fault with everything Pitt (like a handful here) …. and even though I detested his hiring, I was more than willing to give Pitt’s BB coach a chance — but that ended in Feb last year when he deflected all blame on his players … and people like you bought into it lock, stock and barrel.

              Hey, I see some potential here and obviously this team will improve and with the addition of Golden, it will be better next year. But this coach has major flaws .. and again look what happened at Vandy his last year when he had 2 first round NBA picks yet only won 19 games. How do account for that?

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              1. Adding…. and made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in four seasons only to lose a play in game by 20 with those same NBA first rounders.

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     2. Wow, those are some well made arguments.

        “If you can’t see the talent in Carr, Wilson-Frame (not a frosh), Stevenson and some of the others you don’t know basketball. ”

        Carr, Wilson-Frame and Stevenson were a combined 8-21 on field goals and 5-15 on 3s last night. They combined for 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 turnovers. This was against a now 2-11 team from the MEAC. Delaware State’s two wins are against a DII and DIII opponent. Delaware State finished 10-22 last season.

        While Carr’s season shooting has been good, he has 47 assists and 33 turnovers thus far. He has proven incapable against the press. Those are terrible numbers for a guy charged with handling the ball and leading the offense. Wilson-Frame is shooting 41% on the year and loves to jack 3s (58% of his attempts) at a 36% clip. He has 42 rebounds in 12 games. He has 14 assists and 24 turnovers. Stevenson is shooting well from the field but only 26% from 3 yet he continues to take 3s. Stevenson has 66 rebounds in 12 games (not bad). However Stevenson has 19 assists and 22 turnovers.

        “Isn’t their fault they are just out of freaking high school.”

        Wilson-Frame is well into his 22nd year on earth and has 2 full years of JUCO experience. Stevenson is well into his 20th year on earth. Carr and Stevenson played AAU ball for years.

        “They are a smaller lineup but far from slow. ”

        If this is true why can’t they defend off the dribble (especially Carr)? Why can’t they find guys on the arc? Why can’t they defend pick and roll, the most basic play in basketball?

        “By the way, WVU is an extremely small lineup but it works in college with a good coach.”

        Is this a tacit acknowledgement that Stallings is not a good coach?

        “Where were the positive posts after the WVU game? Oh, there were none because some you can’t say anything unless it is bashing someone.”

        There were plenty of positive posts during and after the WVU game. You can always count on Ike at a minimum. Apparently still insufficient however.

        “The team isn’t good this year, everyone knows it. Repeating it over and over and over is psychotic.”

        This team is now 12 games into the season and has recently struggled to beat Mount St. Mary’s (with Luther) and Delaware State.

        “I am finished.”

        You’ll be back. You can’t leave these coaches or players open to criticism no matter how legitimate.

        “…now continue to bash the 18 year old football recruits so you feel better about your miserable lives.”

        You may need to reflect on this for a moment. You made a nearly hysterical post because you can’t leave these coaches or players subject to criticism no matter how legitimate.

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        1. KS does suck, not the players. Just like last year.

           I criticize KS often.

           At least give the kids a chance.

           Argue with you any day, your logic is that of a two year old. Just say everything sucks.

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     3. Carr will be great, but who says he’ll stay here?

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275. Patti just signed.

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276. 12 of the the expected 15 to 16 have made it official . Still waiting on Nick Patti…

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277. I do like that the class has lots of linemen.
     Unfortunately I don’t see anyone helping this year’s team

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     1. hard to say but they may not need help if some of the redshirt FR and sophs progress. There is ‘potential’ depth at every position except for QB .. but of course, it’s a crapshoot (as always)

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     2. Just Town the back-up QB, who hopefully we won’t need. But the way Pickett runs….

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278. Hobie…loved the “discomfort and yoi”… Myron Cope is smiling.

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     1. Thanks – Hobie

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279. Already looking forward to your position-by-position breakdown comparison for the 2018 team vs the 2017 squad Reed.

     When your OL isn’t very good, that weakness negatively impacts your QB, RBs and passing game.

     Games @Notre Dame, UCF, Miami (they won’t overlook Pitt) and North Carolina make 2018’s schedule more challenging than 2017. Plus, Virginia Tech will be better than they were this year.

     Narduzzi’s recruiting keeps falling behind Miami and VT.

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280. Pitt’s recruiting 45th at the moment nationally. ACC Coastal Division foes: the U #2, VT #13, UNC #41.
     The Atlantic Division: Clemson #19, Louisville #20, NC State #23

     https://n.rivals.com/team_rankings/2018/all-teams/football

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