Here is a submitted list from NotRocketScience and on it a lot of good things he noticed happening.

Can you come up with 10 POSITIVE things about Pitt that occurred this past year?  Please exclude UPMC.  Keep it positive for the Christmas season.  This will be difficult for some.  Ike can probably do a list of 100, LOL.

Here are mine.  Some I discovered today!  Man, Pitt needs to learn to get the word out.

  1. Beating Miami – after a disappointing season this was an easy choice.  
  2. Kenny Pickett – All I want for Christmas is for Pitt to finally have a star QB and LB.  Maybe I will get one of those.
  3. Pitt POV and Reed – it is a fun, clean forum.  Some of you piss me off, but I respect your opinion ☺
  4. Pat Narduzzi and assistants new deal – I think he is on the right path.  Give him the tools.
  5. Defensive improvement – it was slight, but they didn’t get worse.
  6. Marcus Carr and Shamiel Stevenson – their future is bright.
  7. Women’s volleyball team – first ACC title
  8. Pitt is developing a campus master plan.  Say what?  Again, way to get alumni support.  We may actually contribute.  Only found it in the Pitt news.   https://pittnews.com/article/122959/top-stories/pitt-invites-input-master-plan/
  9. $44 million approved in renovation projects covering campus academic and living space as well as sports broadcast facilities for the ACC
  10. Pitt Sports Dome – completed Spring 17, houses a full size football/soccer/lacrosse field, as well as three turf outdoor playing fields.  Pitt should publicize this stuff more!!!!

 

 

 

Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

45 thoughts on “10 Good Things Pitt Did in ’17”

  1. I love the good things but there are probably at least 30 bad things. Until the good outweighs the bad, its SOP. I’m surprised Free Fantas didnt make the list. 🙂

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  2. I would also add the mens soccer team. What excellent coaches and recruiters can do. Plus it helps being in the top soccer conference. I’m a ‘football’ guy.

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    1. Seems like a loaded question there doesn’t it Upitt? Plead don’t have a stroke trying to think of one they are no fun and we already know you’ll struggle like a man in a straight jacket coming up with only one… so drink up and be merry… ike 😉

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    2. I believe its for acquired tastes only … and I have yet to acquire it after many years. In fact, I find it very predictable

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  4. Supposed to say please don’t have a stroke trying to think of one. I’m stuck on 56 myself.

    Can anyone think of any negatives? << You’re up kiddo.

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  5. BIG Negative:

    Haven’t fired Conklin yet….two good defensive games out of a total of 38 is a piss poor track record.

    If Narduzzi’s defensive recruits are really as good as Pitt fans believe they are then hell, let’s get a decent DC and see what kind of ball they truly are capable of playing.

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    1. where do you come off saying 38 games? In 2015, Pitt held 5 opponents to 20 points or less … including a dominating, multi-sack performance at Va Tech as well as at Duke holding both to 13. Duke averaged 31.5 and VT 31

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    2. Maybe after his recruits sign in February… 😉

      Don’t count on it though. It’s Narduzzi’s system.

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  6. Btw no one says you have to carry 9 or 10 staff coaches. If I were Narduzzi I’d not hire a 10th and/or fire an existing coach then combine that freed up salary $$, combine it with the current allocated DC salary and get a good defensive coordinator for the program.

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    2. WE agree on something!!!!

      Huff
      December 8, 2017 at 4:47 pm

      Okay, so did anyone listen to the coach with respect to the hiring of a potential 10th coach?

      Here’s the quote from the presser regarding the 10th coach OPTION. “People are going to be stealing from everybody. I’m just going to stay patient, see what happens, see who gets stolen. It’s going to happen. We’ll just kind of wait around and see what happens in that respect.” He is waiting to react instead of targeting a great coach that will help. That is a defensive posture. I will wait until someone poaches our guys and react accordingly”.

      WHAT!!! Candidly, and on first blush, I wouldn’t add the 10th coach right away, if at all. I would take the 10th coach money and go find the best 9 coaches and pay them more. Getting a mediocre 10th coach, gets you mediocre results. Go get high achieving superstars and pay em that way. I can see Harley and Partridge getting poached and we would lose two of our best. He needs a strategic plan to keep them and to upgrade others. Upgrade others by paying more. Pay more by not spending on a 10th mediocre coach. Have a Strategic Plan.

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  8. As A member of the Kool Aid drinking society , I will list the recruiting class as a good thing that Pitt did this year. Maybe not great but solidly good.

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  9. An excellent recruiting class given the situation Coach Duzz has to work with. I liked Coach Chryst, but these guys are not the reaches that made up at least 25% of his classes…

    How ‘bout having Coach Partridge in a pear tree on the staff…

    I think #1 positive have to be the exciting debut of Mr. Pickett…(With the talent recognized by Commander Reed…).

    And I’ll nominate Fran’s POV tailgates. Go LastRow!

    Go Pitt.

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    1. What situation exactly? Is it the facilities upgrades? The extension? The increased budget for assistants? This is his fourth class.

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  11. Thought of another positive this year — “The University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band!”

    I thought the band was excellent this year…

    Go Pitt.

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  13. Majors, what do you mean by this phrase…”An excellent recruiting class given the situation Coach Duzz has to work with. ”

    His situation this season is a hell of a lot better than what both Graham and Chryst’s had to deal with in 2011 &12 respectively.

    Every modern Pitt coach over th!e last 30 years has had the exact same inherent administrative, financial and competitive problems Narduzzi’s had this recruiting season. Those things are no worse for HCPN and he (should) have had the momentum from those two successive 8 win seasons.

    Instead his recruiting after those first two years has been getting worse…

    HCPC

    ’13 – 35th – 3 blue chip (1 5*)
    ’14 – 44th – 4 blue chip

    HCPN

    ’15 – 65th – 2 blue chip
    ’16 – 29th – 5 blue chip
    ’17 – 38th – 3 blue chip
    ’18 – 49th – 0 blue chip (so far)

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  14. BTW guys, we have read posts that we have 10 of our 2018 recruits who are one rating point away from being listed as 4* recruits, which good if we are really splitting hairs I suppose.

    Well, we also have four recruits who are one point away from being listed as 2* recruits. If we are speculating then lets be honest about it.

    Working on a recruiting article for this weekend now.

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  15. While attempting to be honest about it but going purely on memory, while some feel that Pitt’ s recruiting is declining, I remember large portions of the recruiting classes under Chryst had offer sheets from smaller MAC type schools with a couple higher rated recruits sprinkled in. By comparison nearly or all of this recruiting class had other offers from major D1 programs, and the numeric average of the recruiting rating of our incoming class is higher than in the past… Am I wrong on this?

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  16. Reed – I think all Pitt FB coaches have had the burden of Pitt’s sorry attendance to deal with when trying to bring in high level recruits.

    I thing it may be magnified as the local talent pool declines. That is, less high star guys who are good with staying home and playing for the home town team.

    I just picture a 4-Star, who is used to big-time attention, visiting for a Pitt game, and then the next week going to a game at PSU or even WVU…
    Unless Pitt is playing ND or PSU, we look second class – and these big-ego kids can go to schools that check all the boxes – Pitt just doesn’t.

    I know you will point to all the 4-Stars Wanny brought in. I’ve listed them before on here – most of them were not big-time players. Shady was a difference maker and there were a few others, but the majority were busts, relatively speaking…

    My .02.

    Go Pitt.

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    1. Majors, between 2006 to 2009 DW recruited 23 4* and 5* players…averaging almost 6 per class, Of those I count 5 who were not solid and good starters. As for “busts” I’d say only Collier, Duhart, Tucker, Burns and maybe Lippert (though he was a starter at one point),

      But I count 10 who could be considered star players . Two were All-Americans and the majority were All-BE are some point or another.

      Those blue chip kids were the nucleus of 9, 10 and 8 win seasons. Sorry, but no one will ever convince me 4* and 5* kids aren’t vitally important for a school like Pitt.

      2006

      Jeff Otah
      OL Wayne, PA 6’7″ 340 0

      John Malecki
      DT Murrysville, PA 6’3″ 275 5.8 4/4/05

      Dorin Dickerson
      ATH Imperial, PA 6’2″ 202 5.9 6/23/05

      Nate Byham
      TE Polk, PA 6’3″ 215 5.8 8/12/05

      Aaron Smith
      ATH Monroeville, PA 6’0″ 180 5.8 8/28/05

      Kevin Collier
      RB Churchville, NY 5’10” 184 5.8 8/29/05

      Aaron Berry
      DB Harrisburg, PA 5’11” 157 5.8 1/27/05

      2007

      Chris Jacobson
      OL Pittsburgh, PA 6’3″ 284 5.8 2/19/06

      Pat Bostick
      QB Lancaster, PA 6’3″ 220 5.9 5/12/06

      Tommie Duhart
      DT Coffeyville, KS 6’2″ 275 5.8 10/1/06

      Aundre Wright
      WR New Berlin, NY 5’11” 185 5.8 10/12/06

      Tony Tucker
      DE Washington, DC 6’2″ 225 5.8 1/7/07

      LeSean McCoy
      RB New Berlin, NY 5’11” 204 5.9 1/15/07

      2008

      Jonathan Baldwin
      WR Aliquippa, PA 6’6″ 233 6.1 12/11/07

      Chris Burns
      RB New Wilmington, PA 5’10” 185 5.8 4/3/07

      Lucas Nix
      OL Jefferson Hills, PA 6’6″ 295 6 6/22/07

      Cameron Saddler
      RB Monroeville, PA 5’6″ 157 5.8 12/6/07

      Shayne Hale
      LB Monroeville, PA 6’3″ 235 5.9 1/6/08

      Jarred Holley
      DB Easton, PA 5’10” 175 5.8 1/16/08

      2009

      Jack Lippert
      DE Harrisburg, PA 6’3″ 243 5.8 6/28/08

      Raymond Graham
      RB Elizabeth, NJ 5’9″ 177 5.8 8/17/08

      Todd Thomas
      WR Beaver Falls, PA 6’3″ 200 5.9 10/18/08

      Dan Mason
      LB Pittsburgh, PA 6’0″ 220 5.8 1/23/09

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      1. We will find out in a year or two. In the NFL, the Cleveland Browns have managed to be continously unsuccessful despite getting to pick the best of the best year after year, while New England and Pittsburgh have had sustained success despite picking near the bottom of the Draft each round. In the Steelers and Patriots cases they have had coaching stability and good to great QBs. Hopefully, with Pickett and the coaching contract extensions we we have some of that on a smaller scale. Although I don’t disagree with you Reed about Conklin IF you knew you could get a more accomplished coach to take his place..

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  17. Major and PittPT…thank you both but it’s the POVers that attend the tailgates that make it work. Many drive much farther than me and some fly in from out of state (bless you Bernie). It’s watching people meet for the first time and becoming friends…it’s looking someone in the eye and having a civil dialogue regarding Pitt sports. Its Reeds vision and ability to sell an idea via the written and spoken word on his podcasts and roundtables. I am thankful to be part of the POV.

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  18. Number one has to be a QB that gives the team to win close games. Haven’t had a legit QBfor years. Peterman doesn’t qualify. I went to school with Marino. That is the standard.

    Fred’s points on Conklin have me torn, the cheerleader in me says maybe he is learning. The get real in me says get someone who already had it together. I come down with Reed. The suggestion of foregoing 10th coach and increasing Partridge makes sense. Or, promote him to DC.

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    1. Learning on the job is for 1st and 2nd year coordinators, not someone going into his 6th year. I really don’t get this Pitt fan support for a guy who was responssible for some of the worse defenses Pitt has ever had.

      We make every excuse for the guy even when his poor work kept us from having what could have been a truly outstanding season in ’16 with our record setting offense.

      2017:

      Value

      Total Defense 68th 396.6
      Rushing Defense 40 142.4
      Passing Yards Allowed 105 254.2
      Team Passing Eff D 89 136.42
      Scoring Defense 66 26.6

      Better than 2016 but still crap .

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  19. I don’t know Reed, I am more concerned with Watson than I am Conklin.

    Considering the strength of the schedule, I thought the defense improved quite a bit from the previous two years, and a lot of young guys played and are coming into their own.

    Watson couldn’t get the O-line to gel, Get much out of his running backs and couldn’t see that Pickett was his best guy later than he should have..

    However, I think for continuity and stability both should stay for at least one more year.

    The defense is only losing Whitehead and Maddox, two productive guys, but only two and the D-line should be much more mature, Depth will be better as well. Let’s see what Conklin can do with better more experienced players.

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  21. I still say the sub-par QB play made the whole offense look weak. We should get a better idea next year…. and btw… this coming season will be the first year I start judging Narduzzi’s recruiting. but not completely.

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  23. There’s something happening here. PITT has added two more preferred walk-ons. This is a good sign and a smart idea..

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