Well, the two areas that I personally felt had to be dealt with by Pat Narduzzi over this offseason have been addressed with the firing of Defensive Coordinator Josh Conklin (and he was being let go) and now the same (mutual agreement!) with Offensive Line coach John Peterson.

We have discussed Conklin’s work and his shortcomings on here often so that’s old news, but what are we losing with Peterson departing?

Not much I believe and the play on the field by the last season’s OL proves that.  Here is a chart that breaks down the two main jobs of the OL – QB protection and the running game.  I included the last three years as that is Peterson’s tenure at Pitt.JP1As you can see I highlighted in red the very poor play by the OL last season. That is a very dramatic drop in play.

We understand that OL play also depends on who is running the ball and who the QB is behind them – for instance in 2016 we had both Peterman who had a quick release and great field awareness at QB and James Conner running the ball and who was able to bull his way through the LOS even if his OL wasn’t blocking well.

But still – to be 101st, 99th and 84th in these three categories last season  is pretty damned bad and can’t be replicated this next season.

Now, with any position coach a lot of the quality of play depends on his personnel he has available to field.   Here are the starters for Peterson’s three years with a guess at 2018’s OL lineup.JP3

What helped with that group of lineman is that Johnson was a 5* recruit with Bookser and Bisnowaty being 4* players.  Since 2015 we have landed no blue-chip OL and populated that part of the roster with 2* and 3* kids.

What I see for next year is an inexperienced group with only Bookser and Morrison having starters’ games under their belt. Also, and in my opinion, I don’t think this is nearly as talented a group of OL as we have seen in years past.  If true that is a real problem.

What I think Pat Narduzzi saw here was first off the poor OL play we had in 2017 – that was brutal and hard to miss.  But secondly he sees a younger lineup (my gut tells me he’ll play a underclass OL in place of Herndon) which means these starters, and especially the two-deep, are young, inexperienced and are going to need a very good teaching coach.

Peterson didn’t fit that bill.  He inherited almost all his starting OL, save Morrison, and didn’t have to do much teaching but more practicing toward game day.  An exception maybe Brian O’Neill who was switched from TE to the interior, but he’s  such an exceptional athlete I think he was an easy student.

Narduzzi must feel that if he can’t get his new and younger OL up to speed quickly and taught well to play successfully at this P5 level then he’s screwed for not only ’18 but years afterward.

That really worries me especially if this next OL hire isn’t as strong as we like.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed we can pay someone established and previously successful a decent salary for this so important position coach.

I believe this is a great move by our head coach. It was proactive, necessary and sends a clear message that poor performance won’t be tolerated.  This is what he should have done before last season with DC Conklin but he waited hoping things would drastically changed. As we saw the defense got a bit better but was still not strong enough for us to win games by it.

It is a good thing he is making this move to stave of any repeat of that with the OL.  My wish?  Pay what you need to get Jim Hueber back on the Pitt staff as the OL coach – he is one of the best in the business.

 

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.

315 thoughts on “Changes Being Made and Good For It…”

  1. I see Jerry Drake (RS FR) and Chase Brown (JUCO who enrolled in this month) as possible starters but mostly agree … except that Jimmy Morrison will be the center

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  2. I fear PN will elevate James Patton who I think is a quality control coach for the offense. He is buddies with Watson but has little experience. For PN it’s a safe cheap hire the way he likes it.

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    2. Far too important a position to make a move like that. Not sure what kind of budget PN has for this hire, but who he selects is going to be instrumental in the success (or lack thereof) of the offense in 2018.

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    3. Safe until he wins 5 games again.

      I’d hire Sweeney from Albany – current OL coach the past 3 years ex Pitt great & NFL vet learning from a former Pitt coach.

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  3. No use of fretting until an announcement is made …. but be assured, it likely won’t be a splash (big budget) hire. To my knowledge, Pitt has had two big budget FB hires (at least recently) …. Todd Graham and Jim Chaney.

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  4. Off topic. The PG is no longer putting the writer’s name on a (local) newspaper article, including all the sports articles. What’s up with that? Also, in the “box score”, such as it is, of the NCSt game, there is no attendance figure.

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    1. Brian Batko@BrianBatko
      11 hours ago
      More Brian Batko Retweeted Brian Batko
      Attendance for this one is listed at 2,566 by the way, a new low for a conference game at the Pete by nearly 1,000.

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  5. Jerry Drake starts on the OL for 2018, and for as long as he is at Pitt. The new OL coach is one coach they just cannot go cheap on. But, then again, this is Pitt.

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  8. If you notice, the slant of the last article is much more favorable. Me thinks Myers may have gotten a little heat for his last article pointing out some of Stallings shortcomings.

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    1. I believe there are 2 reasons for the optimism

      ESPN raised him from 3 to 4 stars after watching films of his senior year
      2.. he enrolled last January and got raves during spring practice

      while, of course, the above doesn’t necessarily mean a heckuva lot, it does indicate potential

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      1. Yeah, he’s a big kid and maybe the best of the incoming. I hope so anyway because on a 1-10 scale of nervousness I’m at 8 right now about the OL

        Last year I wrote I was at around 7 for the OL and unfortunately that came true.

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  10. It’s always exciting when there is a coaching opening to fill. You look forward to the pick and announcements with wide eyed hope and enthusiasm. Then you realize you were sold out again, and gloom and despair take over, until the next cycle.

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  11. Patton is out recruiting and I do expect him to be the new OL coach. Or he may be the 10th coach as special teams coach. Narudzzi is surrounding himself with seasoned coaches who have the depth of experience to let him focus on what he does really well. close on recruits and upgrade the pipeline. The new DC is a big deal as well. Good things are happening and and the debbie downers are on the wrong side of things. Pitt isn’t cheap here, They are paying enough to have a good staff. Remind me again that massive talent drain and where those transfers ended up.

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    1. Since when has Narduzzi “closed well” at Pitt? Honestly, he even admitted that he swung and missed at almost every big target he went after in 2017…and this 2018 class is all 3* kids.

      What he needs to do is hired a truly professional Recruiting Coordinator because Pitt has been screwing up big time on that front.

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      1. You remind me of the news media today… guy makes 5 points and you pick out one to criticize and ignore the rest. Wow.

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        1. Going back on Rivals and bitch about us again?

          How about adding to the discussion instead of just complaining every single time.

          I know you have a good handle on Pitt BB & FB because I have read your stuff over there…how about sharing some with us?

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  12. Craig Meyer‏@CraigMeyerPG
    After going 8 of 15 in the first half, Pitt was 0 of 14 from 3 in the second half in the loss to NC State.

    Again, remind me how KS is an offensive genius. As I recall, Chukwuka took 2 of those 2nd half 3s last night in final minutes. When outside shots aren’t dropping, other teams look to work the ball down low … or to work in an out, where the low poster throws a ball back out on to the perimeter after drawing the outer defenders in …. I don’t see anything like this It’s the same offense constantly

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    2. Pitt has no center, no point guard and D3 talent everywhere. If you were coach, what would you do? Only hope is to put em around the perimeter and chuck it from the cheap seats.
      Same offense as he had at Vandy for 19 years.

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      1. In fairness Chukwuka is a bad 3P shooter at 26% but still has a green light. Pitt was getting to the rim in the first half for layups, floaters and FTs. It seems that may have been due in part to poor NC State defense and that Pitt was raining 3s.

        An alternative to the chuck 3s offense might be to work for a more intermediate game for everybody but Davis and Stewart and hit the glass. They do have some height and some grown man bodies (WF and Stephenson).

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  13. Interesting about our old DC Matt House as he was hired as Kentucky’s DC. Here is what he did at Pitt after we joined the ACC:

    https://www.seccountry.com/kentucky/matt-house-defensive-coordinator-kentucky-pittsburgh-florida-international

    “Pittsburgh: 2013
    Total defense (nationally): 33rd
    Total defense (conference): 6th

    House’s defense gave up 367 yards per game in his first season as defensive coordinator and a 33rd national ranking is respectable.

    And how about this for balance? The Panthers ranked 44th in the country against the run and 44th against the pass. Pitt surrendered 27 points per game which was 11th in the ACC.

    Pitt’s run defense was given a boost by defensive tackle Aaron Donald. He went on to become the 13th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and has already been named to three Pro Bowls.

    Pittsburgh: 2014
    Total defense (nationally): 34th
    Total defense (conference): 8th

    The rankings dropped a bit from his first to second year, but the numbers slightly improved.

    Pittsburgh gave up 359 yards per game as opposed to 367 and one less point per game. The Panthers were 4th against the pass and 8th against the run in the ACC.”

    Here is Conklin’s comparison:

    2015
    Total Defense. 37th
    Yards Per Game. 363
    ACC. 11th

    2016
    Total Defense. 101st
    Yards Per Game. 452
    ACC. 13th

    2017
    Total Defense. 69th
    Yards Per Game. 397
    ACC. 11th

    Schedules differed…but really, I’d rather we had House over the last three years. But let’s hope DC Bates is way better than both of them.

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      1. “Per a source close to the program, Stoops still has faith in the direction of the defense despite disappointing numbers this season.

        Kentucky ranked eighth in the SEC in rush defense, but the Wildcats gave up a conference-worst 264 passing yards per game. Kentucky ranked 93rd in the country in total defense — allowing 426 yards per game.” (Pitt finished 69th)

        https://www.seccountry.com/kentucky/kentucky-football-matt-house-will-return-defensive-coordinator-10th-assistant-mark-stoops

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        1. But, but…our schedule was so much harder than theirs!

          …and we gave up a grand total of 10 yards less passing yards per game…

          Conklin sucked big time, no denying that Wbb no matter how you spin the opponents…he was terrible.

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              1. what are you talking about? Your’re the one who initiated this … all of the sudden you revisit ‘the how much you hate Conklin’ issue … out of nowhere. So, … you’re the one with the preemptive strike based on your historical views (for Christ’s sake)

                Conklin’s gone. I suggest you let sleeping dogs lie.

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  14. Change is a good thing if you UPGRADE. The question remains-Will Pitt do the right thing and UPGRADE this coaching position ?

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      1. When have we ever upgraded. Stallings, Sgt. Slaughter (Lifetime LB a Coach) you guys know we are cheap and hire friends. It is semi sad at this point.

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  15. Wasnt Bob Bostad going to be the OL coach for Pitt when PC was hired but deferred to go the the pros. He was supposed to be an up and comer. He’s inside LB coach at Wisky…just a thought…. Would OL line coach at PItt be an up-grade over ILB coach at Wisky if there was better pay at PItt…just dreaming……

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    1. you’re correct. He was allegedly the OL guru back then. Hey, although I seriously doubt it will happen, I would love to see it

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  19. To play the devil’s advocate, I think the chances for another 5-7 season are greater than an eight win season.

    We will be dealing with a first year QB, behind a rebuilt O-line with no great running backs and no great receivers. Yes Pickett looked much better by comparison to our other guys, but there is no great body of work to say he can get it done week after week. He will also be surrounded by a pretty average bunch of guys.

    While the defense should be better, there are no proven stars. There is only potential.

    We can all hope that some of our guys will step up and make big plays to win big games,

    We had the hope that the transfers and young guys would step up last year, most didn’t

    There are very few certain wins on this schedule. We will be the underdogs in many, the favorites in a few, with a bunch of toss ups.

    As for the guys leaving, we will miss O’Neill, Henderson, Whitehead and Maddox. So we will not lack experience. As for the O-line we also lose Officer, Hodges and JJS, along with O’Neill, that is a lot of beef to replace. QB,s that aren’t protected aren’t successful, especially young ones. Running backs without holes to run through, don’t fare well either.

    This will be year 4 for Narduzzi.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. As much as I like Pickett it is a long shot we see big-time stardom this season.

      I’m thinking along the lines or Peterman’s first year here…

      20 TDs – 7 INTs – 2300+ yards, or so

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  20. Henderson is a big loss:

    Career Stats

    Kick returns 1942 yds 4 TD,s
    Punt returns 495 yds 3 TD’s

    Rushing 887 yds.

    The majority of those numbers put up in two years.

    Seven special teams TD’s. Teams can go years without getting 1.
    Field position is extremely important.

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    1. Agree that Henderson is a big loss – was fun to watch him return kicks.

      At the same time, tough to erase the memory of at least two fumbles which cost us victories…

      I wish him well.

      Go Pitt!

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  21. Old saying, When your hot your hot, when your not your not. So went BB last night. I agree with WWB above. Kids looked great in first half but came apart. KS had no idea how to manage the NCST comeback. We all could see it coming but he did not. Sadly onto Cuse.

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    1. Frame played well in the first half shooting and passing. Awful second half.
      The press really changed things in the second half. If they had a go to guy, like Sam Young or Lamar Patterson, the team would be a lot better. I think Brown and Peace can be pretty good if they put 20 lbs of muscle on during the off season. They are pretty skilled for big guys but get pushed around to easily.
      They really need a go to guy though, someone they can count on to make the tough shot when needed.
      Frame should be that guy but just isn’t.

      Their defense actually looked better at times. But not nearly enough.

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      1. The go to guy at the end was Chukwuka…who took 2 of the last 3 shots. Kid is shooting 25% in ACC games. I don’t see what you’re seeing with the other two tall kids. Neither have any game, with back to basket. And neither have any defensive skills whatsoever. Both are grossly overmatched in the ACC.

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        1. Brown can definitely be a guy who develops into a solid big. Nothing should be expected from him this season but a year in the weight room will do wonders. Peace is nothing more than a guy off the bench, but you need a guy like that in the rotation.

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    1. both are horrific as was Baylor’s. But the big difference is that most of the issues with the MSU doctor occurred offsite while during his lengthy stay as USA gymnastics doctor. Don’t get me wrong, there were still was issues on campus … but nothing to do with MSU FB or BB (at least MBB)

      You can make the case that MSU doctor was indeed worse than PSU, but PSU was directly related to football

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      1. maybe this will end up putting the entire MSU athletic program on probation

        Outside The Lines‏@OTLonESPN

        BREAKING: Outside the Lines has learned that Michigan State University failed to hand over documents outlining accusations of sexual assault by Larry Nassar to federal Title IX investigators, despite dual ongoing investigations

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        1. Maybe the most heart-wrenching piece of info re MSU is that there were two young women who complained about Nassar in 1997 and were made to believe that they were wrong. If MSU had investigated probably over 100 young girls 8 to 20 years old would not have been abused.

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      2. Wasn’t comparing PSU to MSU, just the criminal behavior. The guy was a Doctor who betrayed his patients in the worst possible way. Not sure of the comparisons between cover-ups. Don’t know the details on MSU. This is more on USA Gymnastics although MSU did play some role.

        In PSU’s case I think the cover-up was worse than the crime, and allowed the crime to continue. Not sure about the cover-up with the other case although one lady says she reported him in ’97.

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  26. The way you beat a press is by making them pay for it by taking it to the hoop. Apparently Stallings content to just get it over half court and set up offense, which failed miserably.

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    1. Agreed GC…the next pick I see against the press will e the first. No inside game at at all. Have to get the ball down and inside quickly. The offense in the second half looked like a good IM game at Trees! No picks set, no attempt to play inside out, just running around like Lemmings then chuck it from 3.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. Rich get richer (Skip if you can’t stand anything PSU-related)

    PennLive: Penn State lands 12 in final ESPN300 ranking for the Class of 2018, included three in top-20 for first time.
    http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIw3e_5vDM

    …and here we are with a class ’18 full of 3* kids. If it holds, and I think it will especially because or the early signing period, it will be the first time since Walt Harris’ 2003 class…15 years ago. He’ll, even Graham landed two 4* kids in his short stint.

    I truly hope PN has his hooks in a surprise or two but with two weeks to LOI Day I kinda doubt it.

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    1. And appears to have taken RB coach Ja’Juan Seider from University of Florida. He supposedly is a great recruiter especially of South Florida so they could be getting even better in the future.

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          1. Jesus – That gives them a direct line into Belle Glades and Miami Dade and Broward.

            If I was Narduzzi, I would of hired him and made him Recruting Coordinator and gave him 500K.

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  28. Note: At this point we are at 86 scholarships, one over the 85 limit.

    Either Narduzzi starts cutting the 5th year Seniors or we need some more transfers to open any slots for new ’18 recruits…better do it quick though.

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    1. You have to be at 85 by the start of summer camp, right? It has never been a problem getting there.

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  29. One last thought on last night’s game. How does KS let the clock get to 10 seconds in a close game w Pitt only committing 5 fouls!??? Any HS coach would have made sure Pitt had 6 fouls by about the 4 minute march. Horrible coaching on any level…

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    1. Spot on. At the latest it should have been done when NC State took the lead. The drought was well underway and momentum had been turned.

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    2. How does a HC (don’t care who) let your 6’9″ center who is not a good 3 point shooter, take two (2) of Pitt’s last three(3) shots of the game. And both were 3’s. One can see why Otis only had 5 winning season in 15 years of SEC conference play. Offensive Savant ?????

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      1. Actually the kid is a poor shooter from 2 as well. 42%, much lower than that in ACC play, like in the 25% range. Really,,,, this is who you want taking 2 of the 3 final shots of the game.

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  30. as you may know, Brian O’Neill is at the Senior Bowl this week, prompting the following …

    Chris Dokish@ChrisDokish
    It sounds like the general consensus from the scouts on Brian O’Neill is that he’s a big time athlete that has a lot of flaws with his technique.

    if so, this would seem to justify what Reed wrote about Peterson

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  31. Thanks Reed to a timely topic with an analytical approach for us to chew on. And I agree with you that it was a necessary, proactive move to cut Peterson loose. Seemed like a good guy, well liked, but we had quite a bit of regression last year in O’Neill and Officer, and in the line play in general (though we lacked a true D1 Center). This is a good opportunity for the team to upgrade- IF we make the right hire. Not too many areas of a football team that are more important than the offensive line in my book.

    Regarding the DC, Reed, I had no idea that you thought that lowly of Conklin, to the point that you apparently would’ve preferred Matt House. That’s shocking. I still never got a good handle on Conklin (how much was personnel, how much input he had vs PN), but at least the defense improved considerably last year. If I had to pick in this hypothetical scenario, I’d choose Conklin over House. But more importantly, as for the new guy, none of us really know anything substantative, but in a way that should make it interesting to see how the defense unfolds next year; and our scenario is a little unique, in having a HC as a primary influencer in the DC spot.

    Stallings – He seemed to have his team prepared last night and I’ll give him credit for that, there must be a lot of pressure on trying to get 1 win this year, eh? The team certainly played well in the first half, but the adjustments made at halftime by NC state to turn the game around show that it’s not just about the players, it’s about coaching too, and I didn’t see any signs of offensive genius come to the rescue.

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  34. My guess is that with all green OTs, we see Bookser move out to tackle. I think a new guy has a better shot at playing decently at guard.

    We can’t have DEs flying around the corner and sacking KP.

    On O’Neill, one of my lasting memories of him was him “leading” QH down the field on one of those two consecutive jet-sweep TDS against the Orange the season before last. I mean the big OT was flying down that field and stayed ahead of QH most of the run…👍

    To say the least – the saga of this year’s Oline will be interesting.

    Go Pitt.

    PS – ike, hope you’re doing well.

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  35. You are probably right about Bookser, but no idea if he is capable.

    But what do I know, I thought the O-line would be a strength last year.

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  36. The bad thing about this is : they now have a built-in excuse if the O-line stinks next year. Oh…well it
    was a new coach and he has to get his players, his methods…etc. etc.

    So as usual we just have to wait and see what kind of retread Nard Dog can beg to come to Pitt.

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  37. I though Conklin was way over his head at Pitt. I didn’t think House was all that good either actually… I just mention him sometimes because the fans hated him and the only reason for that was that he was a Chryst’s guy.

    But Conklin as a Narduzzi guy had even excuse made for him.

    I truly felt that back in 2016 when it was obvious we were going to have a great offense, and the defense was horrible, Narduzzi should have taken the over DC duties on and either demoted or fired Conklin.

    And let’s not think that hasn’t happened in CFB before. It isn’t all that uncommon.

    We squandered a real shot at a championship season that year because of our defense. I wonder if we’ll have another offense with so many high quality players on it again.

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    1. Ike posted this last night on the hoops thread: “That’s a horrible thing to say mark. You should be ashamed of yourself! I’m done with this outfit altogether”

      Oh UPitt….

      Given where the hoops season seems headed I’m guessing we won’t here from Ike again until spring practice. That is unless PN strikes gold on NLI day.

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      1. seriously guys we cant get our panties in a bunch. We should all have thick skin from just the Pitting over the years.

        I know many would like to give KS another year but you cannot deny the economics. Pitt loses roughly $500k each game since the Pete is at 20% capacity.

        Pitt B ball needs an immediate jump start

        Hire a young and brash coach

        Play some sort of scheme that is a gimmick until you get real ACC players in.

        Recruit personalities if you have to.

        Give the fans some fun and entertain them.

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        1. The people aren’t coming back by the 1,000’s if a new coach is hired. Most from Pittsburgh won’t know the new coach from the man on the moon. Why should I believe Pitt will hire the right coach when the same administration had the right guy in Dixon and just needed to give him more funds to hire better assistants? Gallagher is a moron for not knowing Dixon needed some recruiters on his staff. Tough to know that stuff when talking to the BoT and sipping tea.

          Instead, Gallagher hired an AD who before he made the Stallings hire was thought of as a God by Pitt fans because he was tall and had a basketball background. The dude even contacted the George Washington coach who later was fired by the school because he was abusing kids. Why all of a sudden should I think Lyke is going to hire some up and comer? Right now her best contact is Thad Matta. Matta or Crean would laugh at Pitt’s offer I’m sure.

          If a new coach is hired there could be some massive transfers and the coach hired won’t be good enough to stop the bleeding. How do we know the next guy will bring in a better class than what Stallings just brought in? The likely scenario with a new coach is 2018-19 brings less than 8 wins and we are putting our eggs in a really good recruiting class that likely won’t happen. I wish it would, but I’m dreaming since that kind of coach capable of bringing in a top-flight class is holding out for a better job.

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    1. he had talent; knew what to do with it; not get in the way
      just like tomlin is a better coach because of Ben
      Canada looked good because of the talent
      the talent makes the coach
      the coach can destroy the talent

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  41. If I’m doing the hiring, no way I’d bring back Canada as an OC. He was creative and did a nice job finding ways to get playmakers the ball while he was here, kudos, but he now has a long history of job-hopping, ala Fraud. So with guys like that, you either prepare to pay them elite level mega-bucks, or you’ll be looking over your shoulder with every job opening, every season. And if he was worth mega-bucks, LSU wouldn’t have let him go after one season. No thanks.

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  42. We had a saying in business as we merged and bought out company’s …if you worked for us before and left for any reason…and we just bought your company…leave again. Agreed on Canada. He was fired at NC St, left Pitt on his own, fired at LSU and will leave MD high and dry at the next opportunity. You can’t recapture time.

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  43. Peterson was not as good as Pitt needs to win. OL is critical for programs like Pitt. His recruiting was not good enough. Same with Sims. Narduzzi is a very good closer and his record on last visits the last two years is very good. On the latest recruit. he is a good take. He is a very good BB player, was a very good wrestler and I believe won the state championship in the high jump. 6-5 230 and his brother was a pretty good player at MSU. OK offers, but that physical ability and length is worth the take. I think the get the DB, RB, and another DE. All in all I like the class. This will be the red shirt develop class as the two deep is much better now.

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  44. I think its telling…no 4 star recruits

    First since Wlat

    But Wlat at least knew how to coach them up

    Seriously one of the most under-rated coaches in Pitt history

    He gave me hope

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  45. I went to that cold bowl game in Memphis during New Years Eve where we got spanked by some Mississippi school. I went because I believed.

    I then went to that Fiesta Bowl game (Walts last before departing to Stanford) because I thought Pitt was in good hands with Wanny.

    I also kind of saw that game in Morganhole that led to that bowl game…the first in many years for Pitt. 4 OT winner.

    Walt did give us some good times. And Wanny did to. The Dog has given us an upset or two.

    But we need more. Sustained winning. 9-10 win seasons.

    But again, with this nation you can go 1-11 but they will remember you beating the top ranked team.

    Pitt football seems to be a giant slayer from time to time. Thats good. But we need to get into good bowl games based on overall record and not a game.

    We lose that Clemson game 7 out of 10 times.

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  46. I’m not buying Ike’s I’m leaving guys. He just wants to make it seem like he is leaving b/c of me so Reed gets mad and scolds me. Ike – A day later those kids and the coach are idiots. You do not give up a 14 point lead with 8 mins when you lost what 8 straight games??? Stalling’s is worse than an idiot and is 4-23 in ACC Play.

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      1. If Ike want’s to play the victim for the sympathy vote then that is up to him. We have a hoops coach who is 4-23 in League play.

        Ike – Get your butt back here. You are reading these posts I know it and probably drinking a stoney’s with your latrobites.

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  47. More importantly as far as an indicator of his coaching inabilities….he only had 5 winning seasons of 15 in the SEC league play. That sux in anyone’s book and how they let him be hired is criminal.

    So he’s costing Pitt $67K per game and $500K per home game per lost revenue.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Maybe as incompetent as Back to the Future with Majors.
      When I see Gallagher sitting in an empty section, I wonder what he is thinking?

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      1. How many points does a basket give you
        Will I still be able to make my tea party this evening
        I’m glad these seats aren’t yellow
        Can I get my money back
        Will free Fantas be given away
        How do I leave at halftime unnoticed
        I like the pitt script at center court much better than the 50 at heinz

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  48. Historically Pitt only does something drastic when their programs hit Rock Bottom.

    DO SOMETHING DRASTIC !!!

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  49. I have no faith in Pitt hiring anyone. One thing for certain, I will most likely be stunned by the choice and immediately think it is a sick joke.

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  50. Ike, c’mon you should know by now to take everything UPitt writes with a grain of salt .. for goodness sakes.
    Heck, I can’t think of anything more idiotic than calling a .bunch of players who play hard idiots. They may not be any good, but for a grown man to call them idiots says about about that man than the team … even if it was done, as I suspect, to get under the collar of others her

    Like

    3. Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black.

      Playing Hard? Who? They are embarrassed daily and play with lazy effort and turn over the ball because they are sloppy. I still think they are idiots.

      Like

  51. The kids are trying. Not their fault that they aren’t good. The coach is at fault. Heather at fault. Gallagher at fault. His knights of Gallagher on his senior advisory committee at fault. But don’t blame players or fans. I shed tears for how bad Pitt is. I will bottle those tears and send to Heather. Maybe she will then understand.

    Like

    1. wouldn’t blame Heather just yet, See no purpose in firing a coach mid-season (unless he yells at a player ..I’ll ‘freakin’ kill you” like he did 2 years ago)

      Like

      1. Heather is the AD, The CEO. She deserved blame the day she was hired. God you some of you guys are enablers.

        Like

          2. The day she took the job Kevin was her problem. That is how it works in the business world you always like to bring up.

            Like

  52. I don’t blame Heather,,,,,yet. But if this sad state of affairs is permitted to continue after the season ends, THEN she is at fault big time.

    Like

  53. Tack on the buy-out reduction, and Herman made a very inauspicious deal.
    Glad we paid his relocation expenses to Corvallis.

    Like

  54. Why is it ok for someone to call PITT student athletes idiots and morons and I’m not aloud to call the immature name-caller one as well? I guess that’s Heather’s fault as well.

    Like

      1. Mark: I’m in nearly 100 percent agreement with your thoughts on accountability. You take it a little too far, but you’re not wrong. But as it relates to our terrible basketball team, it cannot be argued that they are not very talented and are inexperienced. But if you REALLY watch the games (and I watch them all) closely, you can’t really say that they don’t play hard. There are plenty of flaws and criticisms to hand out, mostly relating to poor coaching. But the kids have given a lot of effort. When you are losing game after game, it would not be surprising to see a kid quit or show frustration, but that has not happened. The kids don’t deserve to be denigrated by the fans. They didn’t ask for this mess, created by the BOT, Gallagher, Barnes, Dixon and then Stallings and Lyke, in that chronological order.

        Like

        1. Buddy, I truly don’t see effort. Effort wins a game you are up against a weak NC State team shooting 28% from Field while up 14 points with 8 minutes. I think some guys see young kids and feel bad for them and say at least they are trying because there is absolutely nothing else to say positive. It doesn’t matter, I’m not spending another minute watching them on Tv (if they actually get on tv) or iPad. It is just to brutal.

          I’m ready for Football. I can’t even look forward to Baseball with our team/coach.

          Like

          1. Can’t blame you for not wanting to watch. It’s a lot of ugly basketball, with an occasional sprinkle of hope.

            Like

  55. If pitt fired everyone as often as upitt calls for we would be Billions in debt and declaring bankruptcy within 5 years. Upitt didnt u take your ball and go home over the 4th string punter kneeling? Hang in there ike, can take blowhards too seriously

    Like

    1. I am over a 1.1B profitable business chief…. We make money. We don’t have empty arenas and losing records.

      Like

    2. I want all nonperforming coaches fired and there are many at Pitt. Sorry if you can’t see logic in that Mr. Anonymous.

      Like

  56. As CEO of sports (Heather), KS should be canned at the end of this year. You really think attendance will improve next year. You cant have 2 years in a row losing millions upon millions. This program will bankrupt Pitt and will impact the spending for Football…the real money maker. Right now Basketball is a huge money loser. You cant have that. Sorry KS but you’re Fired. Trump drops the Mic.

    Like

  57. Pitt has enabled mediocrity for the past 30 years. It continues to hire enablers as its leaders and continues to allow the rape of Pitt sports.

    Liked by 1 person

  58. Heather is going to have a rough March. The women’s hoops team lost badly again tonight. The two hoops programs are each below .500 overall and a combined 1-15 in conference. Second year in a row for poor performances for both. Attendance for both programs is abysmal. I actually feel badly for Lyke given what Barnes left for her. He extended SMS his first year and hired KS.

    Like

    2. And the women’s b-ball coach is a PSU Alum. Can we please get rid of all BOT and Pitt employees who are PSUAlums!!!! I’m sure they all have Pitt’s best interest at heart….yeah right.

      Like

  59. Men’s soccer – losing record
    Football – losing record
    Baseball – losing record
    Wrestling – losing record
    Men’s hoops – losing record
    Women’s hoops – losing record.

    Perhaps it is time for the BOT to take notice. If athletics are an important component of the collegiate experience, then we are not living up to any adequate standards.

    Like

    1. Gallagher does NOT care.
      The standard for sports at Pitt is mediocrity or less
      Just graduate the athletes, stay out of trouble, get a good GPA, and upset a good team every once in a while
      Yet the university expects us to donate, pay more for parking and tickets each year, attend games, and say nice things
      Thank you Pitt for your understanding as I lift my middle finger, drop my pants and fart in your general direction.

      Like

      1. I have no problem keeping my hard-earned to myself.
        While athletics are essentially a tribal behavior, there is a give-and-take, and when one party does not fulfill their responsibility, it becomes much easier to walk away.

        Like

  60. Bozik, Cornhole, Barnes and Heather are all cut from the same filthy cloth.

    They are the real idiots.

    And we are real idiots for attending these games.

    I’m sorry. I’ve tried to give Heather the benefit of doubt. Shes in over her head and is utterly clueless.

    I tried to believe in Gallagher’s promise about repairing the front porch and now know it as just lip service.

    So as we stand, our football has recruited ZERO 4 stars. Our rivals in Central PA have 16. Future is bleak.

    Our basketball team is the WORST in all of the P5 conferences and we lose at least $5M per home game.

    Yet Heather is hosting an AD conference off campus in Dahntown soon to collaborate and share best practices.

    Tell me I’m the idiot.

    Like

  61. Players and coaches really should not be blamed.

    The AD hired the coach

    The coach recruited the players

    Who hired the AD?

    Didn’t Harry S Truman say the buck stops at the TOP?

    Like

  62. Why field teams if you are half-assing the effort?

    If Pitt wants to phone in the effort, then why should i devote any emotional or financial support?

    Liked by 1 person

  63. Escaping the negativity for a moment….

    just caught a Facebook video of the historic Jerome Lane backboard-shattering dunk. It never, ever gets old. First thing that comes to mind is how bad, yet great the Fitzgerald Field House was. I remember being at the Khalid El-Amin game (if you are any kind of fan, you know what game I’m talking about). I was near the top of the building and it was around 100 degrees. But what an atmosphere.

    Second, how about the talent that Paul Evans was able to recruit while playing in that bandbox? Don’t know if they had recruiting “stars” back then, but Miller, Matthews, Lane and Smith would all have been 4/5 star kids. Third, hearing Bill Raftery say, “Send it in, Jerome”? I could put that on a reel and play it over and over and over.

    Finally, if you are really paying attention to the audio feed, the Pitt Band is playing the Pitt Fight Song in the background. And when they get to a certain part of the song, the Dairy School to the East is prominently mentioned. It warmed my heart. Someone more technically advanced and me, please link the video for the pleasure of all of the POV family. H2P!!!

    Like

    1. Curtis Aiken was a 5 star recruit and then Charles Smith, Jerome Lane, Brian Short and Bobby Martin were all 5 star recruits. So we could get them then in Fitzgerald, but not now. lol

      Like

    2. Speaking of Evans and recruiting (Calipari), he recruited Pitt’s version of the Fab Five: Sean Miller, Darelle Porter, Jason Matthews, Brian Shorter and Bobby Martin. Those who say it can’t be done at Pitt, there it is. Those guys were all 1000+ point scorers. Porter was so versatile he led the Big East in assists per game one year. Miller was a terrific FT and 3P shooter. Matthews shot 46% from 3 for his career on a shorter arc. Shorter was a double-double every game. Had Shorter been able to play his freshman year he could have been Pitt’s all time leading scorer and helped the 1987-1988 team avoid being Goheen-ed.

      Like

      1. Herb Sendek and Jeff Van Gundy were also Asst’s in that era under Evan Earlier under Doc Chipman we had Cal and Seth Greenberg.

        Like

      2. I wish Pitt would have had a healthy Shorter in 1990-91. What the heck was wrong with him anyway that season? Should have redshirted Brian that season since McNeal and Jones were available.

        I would have taken Goodson and Brookin over Shorter in 1987-88. That team had zero depth. Pat Cavanaugh as Sean’s backup wasn’t good enough.

        Like

  64. Fitzgerald was a great place to watch a game. Yes – it was old and dirty but it had a certain character and charm. Much like olde Pitt Stadium. But Fitz was very intimate. It was always packed based on my memory. I loved sweating like a sardine in that place.

    Like

    1. I still have the game program… 12:00 noon game on CBS. I believe my Freshman year. We were drunk by 10:00 am. Oklahoma was #2 in the country as memory serves.

      Like

  68. all this and Pitt has lost another assistant FB coach

    Da’Vell Winters, who joined Pitt this spring as assistant director of player personnel, apparently is heading back to Oregon. At this point, we’re not sure of his exact title but from his tweet, Winters has joined the Oregon football program. (from PSN)

    Like

  70. UPitt/Mark. Love u brother, but gotta draw the line at calling the student athletes idiots. See above.

    Like

      1. Get a life wwb. You are one of those people who can dish it but can’t take it.

        Wlat – Love you too man but I see players that have no talent, don’t work together, zero fundamentals and no little to no basketball IQ. What are they to you? Nice D3 kids that have no basketball sense?

        Like

        1. The unbiased truth is this…there is not a lot of talent. Stewart can shoot. If Carr were in our former program, by year three, he could turn into a good Big East/ ACC player. He’s playing with 4 other freshmen mostly, which steepens his learning curve. I agree totally that many of them have poor fundamentals, which I mostly attribute to poor coaching at both the high school and college level. It helps none of them that they are playing with a bunch of other freshmen. The style that they are being forced to play is due to a lack of anyone on the team that can play with a back to to basket and play in the post. Again, not their fault. Just call them nice D3 kids. No need to refer to them as idiots. Unless you were simply referring to their decision to play for Stallings…. No they’re still not idiots for taking a free D1 scholarship at an ACC school where they will get a great education.

          Like

          1. Nice D3 Kids it is!

            Stallings gets 2.3M a year and can’t teach basic basketball 101.

            If you are AD, You let him go after the season right?

            I’d take Pitino and get him a VIP Card to the Cricket.

            Like

            1. The Cricket??? Never heard of it? Or at least that’s what I tell my wife. I’ve always been of the belief that when you hire a coach, you have to give him 4 years to build his program. In this instance however, I don’t think he survives. You just can’t continue to alienate your alumni, fans and donors who are speaking loudly with their notable absence at the games. He was a bad hire, he rubbed a lot of people wrong last year, and nothing on the horizon makes me think he can turn it around. He inherited a bad situation with no depth in the program, but regardless, there are others who could have rebuilt more quickly. I realize that the Duquesne is not in the ACC, but Dambrot is an example of how quickly you can turn a program into a winner.

              Like

  71. Anybody the Tossing of the Dead Fish game at Fitzgerald against WVcc ? I was a teen and my dad took me to all the Pitt games. We got in for free 🙂

    Like

  72. Couple things:

    Upitt I haven’t called you names and I haven’t known about you for three years.

    I’ve been on record as not being a fan of Stallings and especially the way he was hired. Heather was a bit of a disappointment of a hire to me as well. I’s just not into bashing people without giving them an honest chance.

    IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PEOPLE IT’S ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE

    About this article, kind of related to the above. Never said I like Conklin and have to admit I thought Peterson was ok after the Nate season as the O-Line looked really good. It was the discipline that impressed me the most. I do realize there was still that transitional period between PC and PN players. << Often times this story is told different ways depending on what you may want to prove.

    Firing Stallings after one year and that is what I heard daily before this season began and calling Heather names before she was on the job for a month to me is the same thing as wanting Conklin fired after two seasons of terrible defense. It’s timing and much much more. There’s contracts, recruiting and there is reputation plus so many things that none of us (including Reed) really don’t know.

    Thinking Narduzzi after year three, with maybe a little nudge from the AD, took a look into some ways to improve the team. I celebrate the changes made as I also look at the Bates hire with a little bit of a positive feeling. I think the coaching staff has made some good changes this off season. One reason I like it is because the timing was right. The reputation of the coach being fired as well as the team doing the displacement is important for integrity to both sides. << This is what some just don’t get.

    Narduzzi works very hard to protect his entire team, coaches and all the players and he should be lauded for that.

    Again, this season’s schedule looks really tough and the brand new QB with an inexperience O-line looks to make it even more difficult. One other thing though. Taking out who PITT plays but looking at when they play, this schedule looks like it could be favorable to a young team like PITT. Aside from UCF, PITT plays at home a lot early on. Which could be good if the POVer’s can get behind a PITT sports team……….. I know I am…

    Good game last night PITT basketball team. The great effort was appreciated! ike

    H2P!

    Like

  73. I never called Heather a name until she proved she was controlled by the BOT. Then I called her a puppet since she is a puppet. She doesn’t control her own destiny and is happy to be making 350k.

    So Stallings is 0-8 in ACC Play. Do you not think we would be better off if he was fired after 1 season.

    Great Effort – Give them a trophy. They blew a 14 point lead with 8 mins left. Did you really say great effort?

    I’m glad you are back after a 1 day hiatus but I can’t believe you see things so differently.

    Describing me as Negative 99% of the time doesn’t count?

    Again, I’m a realist and look at the records someone above posted. We are under .500 losers in 80% of sports we play in.

    To leave you with a positive. I love our volleyball team and the coach and Heather better lock him down before he moves back to California.

    Like

    1. PittPT – We just signed a 5 year deal with Rockports???? Does that count? Nike is out. AirRocks are in.

      Let me answer for Ike – He will say he sees improvement and that we won’t make a hire that is that good so keep him and cross fingers as the kids get another year or two of experience. He will also state they are 1-2 solid recruits away from being a .500 team in ACC Conf.

      Did I do you justice Ike?

      Like

    2. To the good Mark, no, I have tried to make it clear. I do not like Stallings one bit or the way he was hired. However, after the fact he should be given the chance. I’m still not sure what he can do but I do think he’s brought in some good recruits that will make a fairly competitive group next year under any coach that’s with the team. SS is like a young Chevy driving around out there. Take care Mark. ike

      Like

  75. To make it doubly clear, yes I think PITT should go with a younger upcoming coach that Upitt will surely make fun of the second after he’s hired. …… and yes…. that was a serious comment. Get rid of KS asap, it’s time.

    Like

    1. I swear I won’t and I would rather be patient with a young possible up and comer than an older cat.

      Goodnight Guys!

      Ike – Glad you are back buddy. Yes, My Dad loves Stoney’s.

      Like

  76. Emel,
    I would take my then girlfriend and now wife of 40+ years to the Fritz Fieldhouse Saturday nights as a date night. Even have a picture of her with Tiger Paul on the court at half time. And YES, I remember the fish!

    Like

  77. Thought I would add my 2 cents on the Chipman Evans era. It goes to the point I always try to make, it is about recruiting high quality players and not as much about coaching. It was more about Calipari than Evans.
    Calipari was the master recruiter, still is of course. Pretty sure it was Chipman that got Aiken, then Smith to get things going. But it does make you wonder how A school like Pitt was able to attract that bunch of guys?

    Obviously much tougher today with the shoe contracts and trust money, payoffs to coaches etc. to land the high profile guys today. Rowan and that other guard are two recent examples. What do you think LSU had to do to get O’Neill.

    Pitt got very lucky with Blair being a local guy and then being flat out dominant as a freshman, but other than him and Adams, Jamie had no sure things like Duke gets every year.

    I think the kids we have right now are as good as the kids Jamie recruited. Some could be pretty good in two or three more years in the right system with good coaching. I think the comments about them are pretty unfair. Two and three star freshmen aren’t ready for ACC ball. How many ACC games did we win last year with mostly seniors? Stallings is an average coach with an average career. Why anyone thought he could compete in the ACC is a mystery. Barnes should have been tarred and feathered and put on a freight train to Oregon. Instead Pitt paid him and let him stay for a month. That should tell you everything you need to know about Gallagher’s commitment to the front porch.

    My first visit to Fitzgerald was to compete in an indoor track meet. Pretty awesome for a high school sophomore. Still remember the wooden track. By the way, I still hold the intramural high jump record at Pitt.
    Since they don’t hold the meet anymore, the record may never be broken.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. LSU got Shaq because Dale Brown was te first to meet him as a 13-year old and kept tabs. LSU also went to two Final Fours in the 80s, so it wasn’t some wasteland. Now, the recruiting of Stanley Roberts, Brown hired Roberts’ high school coach so there was some shadiness there. Too bad those two only played one season together at LSU.

      Like

  79. WLAT… “ can’t continue to alienate alumni”…..I don’t know if they give a damn. They kept Peterson around for 10 years. His biggest talent was alienating alumni!

    Like

  80. Note that Pitt had made a conscious effort to be ‘totally above board’ even before the return of Smug Steve. This was evidenced by the fact that John Calipari had expressed interest in the Pitt job when Howland left, yet wasn’t even considered. Note that at that time, he was much more qualified and accomplished than Dixon … not to mention the fact that he was a former Pitt assistant and an area native. It was further evidenced by Wanny’s firing even though he was on a really good 3-year run and was not in trouble with the NCAA.

    It appears that many of you take issue with that approach, but on the other hand, had Nordy still been in charge, Stallings would have never been hired here due to character issues. (Unlike Haywood’s issue, Stallings’ past was much more publicized and apparent)

    It should be clear now, whether this site likes it or not, that Pitt does not value wins above everything else. While that may not sit well with you, it is also commendable to many others. Yes, we would all like to see Pitt optimize its athletic output, but it must also be realized the constraints that goes along with it.

    And the amount of the incessant, and mostly ludicrous, bitching on this site won’t do a damned thing to improve things.

    Like

    1. Well Wbb, you said what I have been saying in 7 years of writing about Pitt football.

      Of course Pitt doesn’t value wins Above All Else otherwise they wouldn’t have made them administrative and personnel moves they made in the past. It is an academic school; that’s where it’s strength is, that’s what the alumni want, and that’s the way it’s going to be in our future so we better just get used to it.

      There will not be an on-campus stadium and we will not go any extra mile above and beyond what is already being done to assure championship seasons. And Piit will do everything they can not to break any rules or recruit any players who are not going to at least try to be a source of pride to the school.

      I keep talking about the impact of that Sports Illustrated article and all those arrests in 2009 and 2010 and fans don’t think it’s that important. But I can tell you for my conversations with people that that was a turning point in history of modern Pitt football. After that no Pitt HC was “ever going to have free rein over the program again.” And that is a direct quote from a conversation I had.

      It alienated the alumni and angered the academic side of Pitt so much that it pulled the football program down a few pegs in matter of importance to the university. Wannstedt had very good administrative and financial support up to 2010…and after he was fired his successors paid the price.

      Like

      1. But the SI article was a joke. Why did some of you take it so serious? A kid throwing rocks at an abandoned building when he was 16 was factored into the statistics. What a joke. Pitt got what it deserved for firing Dave based on its reaction to such an absurd article.

        And Pitt wouldn’t be ranked in the top 15 had it factored ALL D-I schools rather than just the top 25.

        Like

  81. PSU Hoops beat Ohio State. Not sure if OSU is good but they used to be.

    I’d hire PSU’s Coach. He is doing great in a non basketball school.

    Like

    1. Really? Chambers record at PSU has actually been grossly inferior to Stallings at Vandy.

      7 years at PSU. 33-84 in the B1G. 101-117 overall. Highest conference finish was 10th place. One CBI postseason.

      He started there during sanction times before Franklin and long before PSU became a national power again in 2016.

      Like

      1. when you get down to it … PSU really doesn’t care about BB. FB keeps that entire county (not only the school’s athletic budget) in the black.

        Like

      2. At a school like PSU, I would be patient for progress. They will make the tourney and win a few. They are really good. Big 10 in hoops trumps the SEC in hoops by a lot.

        Like

    2. OSU is ranked and has been playing well. Dixon whiffed big on Carr and Stewart, two of PSU’s best players. How do you make 10 NCAAs and not land them? The excuse of being shut out in Philly due to the Jaylen Bond situation from 2011 is the biggest excuse. And a joke of an excuse BTW.

      Like

  83. They want him fired at PSU. He has “elevated” the program with a couple Philly recruits but they have not been relevant in the 7 years he has been there. He has one winning year barely and has finished no higher than 10th in the Big easy. Yea, lets hire that guy. Stallings may be out with some help on the buyout. But he will certainly be gone once the buyout is 4 million after year 3. The big question is the hire. One coach removed from Dixon generally is a better sell. PItt BB can be the program in town that can be a big winner. Personally I would hire Calipari as he would love to compete with Duke and NC. Plus he would probably be OK with less money to take the gig.

    Like

    1. Agree regarding being the coach once removed from the one replacing the “legend” (hate that overused term). People have overdone the replacement coach perception in denying that Stallings should be terminated after two seasons. Pitt’s bigger problem was any replacement coach perception that Dixon was forced out after years of good to great success. However even that looks better now with Barnes being gone and replaced by Lyke. Add Stallings’s abysmal record at Pitt, poor recruiting, and the appeal should be that Pitt is a decent job again in a major conference.

      Like

  84. Interesting article in the PG this morning. Apparently a NY based investment company has gobbled up a number of properties along Second Ave in Hazelwood bounded by the Hot Metal Bridge to the north and Tecumseh Street to the south. The PG article speculates that it might be speculation (nice) around Amazon HQ2 but it isn’t clear of the new owner’s intentions. Being a deveoted POV reader I believe it may be UPitt and Emel building a near campus stadium with a people mover announcement to follow.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2018/01/26/Developer-buys-18-Hazelwood-properties-near-potential-Amazon-site/stories/201801250199

    Like

      1. It would seem to be a solid location for that. It may be the only way that the UPitt/Emel dream comes to fruition.

        Like

    2. We actually are building a “The Yuengling Center” It is a new brewery stadium that combines football with beer and the growth around this project will be amazing.

      Like

  85. Chambers recruited an entire AAU team from Philly. No shady stuff there at all. Even Nitters will give you a wink,wink,nod,nod on that one!

    Like

  87. Bravo, when Pitt passed on buying that Hazelwood property, which would have fit the bill for a new Pitt Stadium, was a big mistake.

    They could have gotten that land for a decent price and it would have been a good place for it since we won’t see one in Oakland.

    Hazelwood Ave
    Pittsburgh, PA

    https://goo.gl/maps/9chsiTLrwLP2

    Like

  88. It is interesting that the one time Pitt hires an existing P-5 Head Coach (although he was going to be fired) instead of an up and coming assistant, they go straight to the bottom of the ACC. It is the worst hire since Majors II. Just an observation although some may call it incessant ludicrous bitching.

    I agree that Pitt won’t go all in for sports, and I am fine with that, but a poor, lazy hire, by a poor lazy AD, who jumps ship shortly thereafter is incompetence, not being cheap, just being stupid. Hiring an assistant from an ACC school, may also have failed, but I think the fans would have been more supportive and the Pete would not be a morgue.

    Like

      1. Reed – No joke…. That was some crooked backroom deal. Take care of my buddy Todd. Bet your backside, Todd put Barnes at Oregon State.

        Like

  89. I hope PGH gets Amazon, but they are looking at Montgomery county here in MD which is the 11th richest county in the US and they are willing to throw up to $5-10B to entice them.

    But I truly hope PGH gets it. Seems like a no brainer to me.

    Like

    2. I have used my WordPress av, but posting is a pain…you have to log in for every post, so I gave it up. Can’t ‘like’ a post either now.

      Like

  91. It is a pain to sign up and get one in my opinion.

    I would love to see what you pick for me.

    I can pick WWB’s.

    Like

  93. Looks like the property would have light rail
    Investors love property next to light rail
    Property in DC Md VA next to rail leads to big development

    Like

    1. I wonder how much it would cost to create a T line from the north end of the T bridge along the north short of the Monongahela to Hazelwood. I am not all that familiar with the frontage, but it appears the only clear property ownership along the line is the Tech Park opposite Bates and adjacent to Hot Metal. They’d probably be happy to have a T station at the Tech Park.

      Like

  95. MEDIA ADVISORY

    From: E.J. Borghetti

               Executive Associate Athletic Director/Media Relations

    Re: Pitt Football Supports Dollar Energy Fund’s “Cool Down for Warmth”

    Coach Pat Narduzzi and members of the Pitt football team will support the Dollar Energy Fund’s “Cool Down for Warmth” effort in Market Square on Friday, January 26, from 8 to 9 a.m.

    To help build awareness of the many families who are without home heating during the winter months, the Panthers will work to raise funds for utility assistance grants while inside of a house constructed of ice blocks.

    Photographers and videographers are welcome, and the Pitt athletics media relations staff will be on hand to assist with any media requests. For a full schedule of Friday’s Cool Down for Warmth events, click here.

    To donate, please click here.

    https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/pitt-football/dollarenergyfund

    Like

  96. FWIW, I’m ok with the avatars

    gc, I wouldn’t call it a lazy hire, I would call it collusion …. and I am willing to donate $750 to begin a ground swell movement to have Barnes, the search firm (and anyone else identified) sued. It will take a lot more of course

    Liked by 1 person

    3. The fix was in. Barnes paid Todd Turner’s search firm $100k to get Stallings phone number. Todd Turner was Barnes’s boss at the University of Washington. Pitt could have saved the 100k — Vanderbilt would have gladly given anyone Stallings’s phone number; probably would have paid for his moving expenses too.

      This was not only a case of “the fix was in”, it was also Barnes trying to burnish his resume: look at me, now an AD at a P5 school, I can play like the big boys do.

      Like

      1. So, let me try and get this straight. Todd Turner ran the search for Pittsburgh AD Scott Barnes — who just hired Kevin Stallings. Turner hired Kevin Stallings when he was the AD at Vandy in the late 1990s. Then Turner went to Washington where he was the AD (hired in 2004) and Barnes was a senior associate AD (hired in 2005). Now it makes sense, I guess.
        Jeff Goodman, ESPN Insider

        https://www.cardiachill.com/2016/3/27/11313080/kevin-stallings-pitt-basketball-coaching-hire-pittsburgh-panthers-candidates-vanderbilt-commodores

        Like

  97. From the Pitt Blather on the meltdown against NCS:

    “Coach Kevin Stallings couldn’t even explain his own brain fart of having Wilson-Frame on the bench for several minutes as it fell apart.

    It takes a team effort to give a game like that away in the final minutes. Pitt was up to the challenge.”

    Like

  98. This is what kills me about our recruiting…because we can’t land blue chip players earlier we resort to doing this just before LOI Day:

    https://247sports.com/college/pittsburgh/Article/Pitt-Steps-into-Recruitment-Of-3-star-2018-QB-Riley-Smith-114143554?utm_source=247Sports%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=180125_051055_Pitt%20Panthers&utm_content=Link&liveconnect=05-23-55-F8-0C-EF-75-BE-22-07-F8-54-A3-9A-DD-3A180125_051055PittPanthers

    The media make a big deal out of it then, boom:

    https://boisestate.rivals.com/news/riley-smith-commits-to-boise-state

    That makes us look like a joke…

    Like

  107. Upitt has hired and fired Chambers and gotte ris of K S this morning. In red 10 illion and is not noon.🤡

    Like

  108. I was going to remove mine to see what I would get but obviously MY avatar is too powerful to be overwritten by some random POS SOP avatar. 🙂

    Like

  109. I’m no KS fan, but when you shoot 0 – 14 from 3 as a team in the second half of a game, good things will not follow.

    Like

  116. Let’s go with the gunner’s advice. The more times you miss the three shot, the closer you come to making one.

    Happy Friday fellas! There is an AD opening at MSU. Could we see the Tressel name floated out there? He and Dantonio are best of buds.Or could we see………nah, it will never happen, will it? Can it? They are a progressive university.

    Like

  118. POSSIBLE MAJOR NEWS: ESPN Outside the Lines is reporting alleged improprieties at MSU for FB and BB. http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/22214566/pattern-denial-inaction-information-suppression-michigan-state-goes-larry-nassar-case-espn

    Since Dantonio’s tenure began in 2007, at least 16 MSU football players have been accused of sexual assault or violence against women, according to interviews and public records obtained by Outside the Lines. Even more, Dantonio was said to be involved in handling the discipline in at least one of the cases several years ago. As recently as June, Dantonio faced a crowd of reporters who were asking questions about four of his football players who had been accused of sexual assault. Six questions in, a reporter asked Dantonio how he had handled such allegations previously.

    Like

    1. The possible implication, of course, is HCPN Just like Schiano not getting the Tennessee job because he worked for Sandusky in the mid 90s, will Narduzzi be guilty by association (at the least)

      In fairness, he has been a strict disciplinarian, to a fault, here at Pitt. Stay tuned … sure hope I’m overreacting

      Like

      1. I can remember an ESPN show about 5-6 years ago where they had a discussion with college BB coaches. Dixon made the statement the he periodically talks to his players’ profs to ensure they are keeping up with their studies. And Izzo shot back saying he would never be caught dead doing that because it would give the impression of complicity … what a weasel

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  119. At this point I don’t think Stallings makes it to next year, but I do think there are several kids on this roster that as upperclassman can be really good players. Whoever the coach will be I hope most of them stick around. I watched the last 35 game minutes the other night (it was 17-6 NC State when I turned it on) and not once did I see lack of effort or attitude issues on the team.

    Like

      1. Who are the SEVERAL kids on the roster that can be REALLY GOOD PLAYERS as upperclassman?

        I believe that the only two that MAY develop into GOOD players are Davis and Brown. Davis just seems to play passively or defer to others but has shown glimpses of the most complete game. Brown is very long, seemingly athletic, and has occasionally shown some post game and the ability to block shots. Brown also arrived with a reputation of having some shooting range but I haven’t seen it yet. In fact I have no idea why Brown isn’t playing over Chukwuka now. I think Carr, Stephenson, Stewart and Chukwuka have demonstrated all that they have to give.

        BTW, I know people talk about how young these guys are and sympathetically note that they’re just out of high school. Davis is 20 years old as of last September. Brown will be 20 in June. They’re inexperienced. They’re not particularly young.

        Like

        1. I think Carr, Stephenson and Stewert all have the potential to get better. They are Freshman and getting tons of minutes which is not typical. They have no other steadying influence out there to lean on and are forced to carry the load. I am not saying they will be all ACC but I certainly believe they have room for growth. I also like Brown. Doesn’t Wilson Frame have another year left too? He really struggled the last 10 minutes Wed night but from 10 minutes to go in the first half to 10 minutes to go in the 2nd half he was the best player on the floor for either team.

          Like

  120. I can understand why Pitt’s leaders want a clean program. Maybe thats why Heather was hired with her compliance background. Sexual harassment and rape charges can bankrupt a university. Cant sweep these things under the rug. But it still doesnt excuse Heather’s lack of marketing, fundraising and business sense.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Chris Dokish@ChrisDokish
      25 minutes ago

      People think I’m making excuses when I say Pitt FB and BB don’t win as many others because they won’t look the other way like many others do. Well, add Michigan State to the list of examples

      Like

  121. I was able to change my avatar by clicking on it. Had no clue it was that easy. But had no idea how to even get one. I didnt want to be a 1 tooth Hoopie. Sorry Reed. I’d love to know who Pitt is playing on that field though. Yes – Pitt stadium was a Shthole. But it was our Shthole. Campus looks beautiful in the background. Love the Cathedral of Ignorance.

    Like

  122. Heather was hired in June and stepped into a group of sports programs that, outside of football, that at best were in transition and at worst are in shambles. I run a sales organization with 92 people working here. When I hire someone, sure they have expectations day 1 but I always reserve judgment on there performance for what happens between years 1 and 2. Its why, despite my disapointment with the KS hire I have waited till now to decide he truly is a bad fit and I think he is. The AD job is a massive undertaking and if I was hired I sure as heck would spend the first year getting the lay of the land and the second year doing what needs to be done. I am hopeful that Heather will follow that path as I think it is the wisest one.

    Liked by 1 person

  123. I heard Stallings this AM on 93.7 The Fan during my commute.
    I’ve not weighed in much on Stallings to date, but its time for the mercy rule to be put in place.

    If the AD waits for the end of the season, thats not a big deal to me, but she should do it quickly thereafter.
    I like the idea of giving a basketball alum a shot. Rutgers isn’t doing so well, but would Brandin Kinght be a good choice?

    Like

  124. UPitt and Barvo – you are totally wrong on the Yeungling stadium bit. First, thats Penn State frat beer of choice – at least it was when I was in college. And Yeungling was considered bottom of the barrel stuff at that time with the cheap looking label. All they did was change the label and reposition themselves from a marketing perspective. No change to the beer and voila! A true marketing case study.

    Second, I have a better suggestion:

    http://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/13228354-74/new-pittsburgh-brewing-owner-wants-to-rebuild-iron-citys-iconic-status

    This guy is a Pitt grad. Someone from the athletic department needs to see if he’s a football fan.

    Final thoughts – as for the avatars, UPitt should be a Mr. Yuck sticker. Ike should be the smiley face from Walmart and Eat N’ Park cookies.

    Like

    1. Hey, I was just looking to invest and piggy back off of the marketing success.

      I hope you never passed out at PSU.

      Like

    1. Those guys are everywhere. I tripped over one today. Did you?

      Maybe they are on a tree in your yard because young, proven coaches grow on trees.

      Like

  126. Two thumbs down for me on brandin knight, sorry.

    Avatars rock.Too busy laughing and marrying up the avatar to the commenter to even read the comments correctly. Dilly dilly.

    Like

  127. During Brandin Knight’s coaching tenure at Pitt, the team went downhill, recruiting went downhill, guard play was extremely week, don’t know how much was on him, but yeah Pitt will probably hire him. He did dress extremely well. And nobody tried to steal him from us.

    Like

    1. I’d love to know whether Meyer or Batko wrote that. It was probably Gentille though. Kind of interesting with the no by-line.

      Like

      1. I am ready to buy 4 season tickets as soon as KS is gone. I think Jackagain is in too. Just need 2000 more! Who is with us?

        Like

  129. I’m not advocating Knight; not really sure how he would fit. But I recall there was a lot of noise when he didn’t get the job before Stallings. I’m a Richmond Spider grad and BB season ticketholder, so I don’t follow as Pitt as much. But Stallings sounded lost on The Fan – more so than the last couple weeks. And he makes a Jamie Dixon interview sound colorful.

    Like

    1. Knight seemed to have some former player support. Dixon reportedly had current player support in replacing Howland including Knight.

      Funny you should say that about a Stallings interview versus Dixon. Dixon was always fairly drab and you could have recorded his responses and replayed those. When Stallings arrived I remembered people talking about what a great interview he was. I remember listening to some post games in the car with my then 10 year old. My son said “That guy doesn’t speak very well. He says “umm” and “ah” like he doesn’t know what to say.”

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      1. During this morning’s interview, Colin Dunlap asked him how he felt about the calls for his dismissal. He searched for words and found none.

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      2. Pitt hired Dixon because Prosser didn’t want the job…and frankly neither did anyone else. Heather’s job is to change that perception that this place is a crap job. Right now I doubt Andy Toole from RM would take the Pitt job.

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  130. Correct on the need for strict compliance on matters of student conduct especially with in the athletic department. Pitt has zero interest in cutting check in the millions for such unchecked behavior. PSU is what up to 200 million in costs. Narduzzi had zero exposure to the issues of the head coaches at MSU. In fact he has been quick to nip it in the bud for football players under his watch. Parents see this and have to feel pretty good with keeping junior out of trouble.

    Like

  135. I changed them again – this time monsters.

    As said above you can change your own by clicking on it then getting a new one… it might not be that easy and I wish I could change yours.

    I’ll get rid of the auto-generated ones later.

    Like

  136. It’s easy to change them. Just click on it. In less than five minutes you can be whatever you like.

    Like

  138. Wow, 10 mill?? This is stunning! It just keeps getting better and better. Let’s see if Heather can get buyout down to reasonable number. Still probably have to do it as damage to program snowballs yearly.

    Like

  140. GC 4 million after next year. He will be gone then.Pitt is running some risk here for next year but a decent team and winning some games may bring some fannies back knowing he is gone and lets support the players.

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  141. I’ll need at least step by step instructions and most likely a youtube video to change my avatar to anything close to reflecting my lovable personality which seems to get lost in translation with words only. Thus the round-table needs to rear it’s ugly head again sometime soon.

    btw Reed, I have an idea on that subject for next season if you are interested. We’ll talk. ike

    H2P!

    Like

  142. Pitt is also thinking the ACC network will add 7 million in 2020 to the coffers. Looks like a 33 to 34 million payout so Pitt can afford a really good coach and staff for BB. Pitt when in the BE was pretty close to selling out and that was some nice cash coming in. Pitt can get there again.Think about 50 million in revenue football and BB with adding the ACC payout of 34 million. That is much more money that Pitt has seen ever for the athletic dept. .

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  143. I have drafted the LOI Day festivities article and am waiting from a call-back from EJ verifying some info… will post it ASAP. It was a lot of fun last year. This season it’s on Feb 7th.

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  144. $10M buyout.
    $4M/ year deficit.

    I say keep him .
    I’ll just pretend we wont play basketball for the next 2.5 years

    Like

    1. Its probably breakeven. 2k fans vs 12k fans is about $600k in lost revenues per game. $600k over a 20 home game schedule is $12 MILLION.

      I’d buy him out.

      Remember when a game is sold out (Pitt is winning), the more expensive seats sell, people spend more on concessions and merchandise. Ticket prices jump with demand.

      Like

  145. LOI Day article posted – also links to breaking news re: MSU athletics and football program.

    Pay attention to this my friends – you never know where the tentacles of evil reach…. The AD just resigned also. This story ain’t over and it may be a lot bigger than the PSU scandal when all the dust settles. Wasn’t just gymnastics…

    https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2018/01/26/michigan-state-university-athletics-espn/1070081001/

    And here is the actual ESPN story posted less than an hour ago:

    http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/22214566/pattern-denial-inaction-information-suppression-michigan-state-goes-larry-nassar-case-espn

    Like

  146. Upitt wants a dinocat avatar….

    Anyone hear from rkb? He was my old neighbor in upper st. clair growing up! He was my baseball coach and they snuck me on the team when i was 6. Played against the 7-8 year olds. Great family! Check in RKB!

    Like

  147. I like the suggestion to let Stallings ride and put $10 mill into the football program.Maybe we could start getting 50 k seats filled per game at the ketchup bottle. Never could get overly excited about pumpkin pushing. Let’s fix football first because I don’t think Pitt adm. can do both at once.H2P

    Like

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