If you all remember I did a series of articles in June of 2017 that looked at the departing starters from the 2016 season and who I thought would be replacing them for 2017.  With that I assigned a grade of “Upgrade“, “Downgrade” or “Draw‘.

Here is the lead-in for the first article of that series…

What I’ll do first is look at each position, or unit, along the offense as of today and write down who I think will be the starter and why it will be that guy.  Then I’ll assign a ranking of “Upgrade” if I see an upgrade, “Downgrade’ if I see a downgrade or “Draw” if I think we’ll match last year’s player(s) in the position or unit. 

Please remember that this is in comparison to the departed player and not a grade of the new player himself.  Thus a “downgrade” from NT when Aaron Donald departed would have been assigned even if it had have been anyone college and in the NFL almost and they would still have been a loss at that position.

I’ll do a whole series pertaining to 2017 through 2018 prospective starters this summer but for now let’s look back at some of what I wrote about each position and how you felt the grades should have been awarded.  So remember – these are excerpts and were written back in June of 2017:

Quarterback:

Pitt fans point to the fact that at the beginning of last season (2016 at USC) Browne played a few tough games before being benched.  Let’s say that was one tough game against Alabama, and walk-over against Utah State, then a bit over one half of play against Stanford.  Since we are comparing the two QBs I don’t see anything there that is harder than what Peterman went up against this season, do you?

I think Browne is what we see on the surface after his four years in college ball – a player who didn’t live up to a lofty ranking and had become an afterthought at his original school.  But that ain’t all bad. Nate Peterman was exactly that (albeit with one less star in his rating) then came to Pitt and did well his first year and there is nothing saying Max Browne can’t waltz in and do the same thing.

I do wonder though and the fact that Browne is about as mobile as a drugged water buffalo doesn’t make me jump for joy – especially since he’ll be playing behind a rebuilt offensive line. That is one area he doesn’t come close to Nate Peterman as Peterman was very good with his legs.

DOWNGRADE

Well, I think we can all agree that this grade was on the mark.  It was more like A TRAGIC DOWNGRADE.  I was actually pretty tame in my description of Browne in that article – that must have been one of my more ‘optimistic’ days (see why I don’t have all that many of them?)

Here is what our main QBs produced in both 2016:

wld2016.png

Then what our top three did in 2017:

 

wldqb17

Surprisingly there wasn’t really a huge difference in yards passed  with 2,871 to the next year’s 2,597.  But the real separation came in TDs thrown with 28 to 11 and yards per completion with Peterman and DiNucci’s great 15.3 ypc to 2017’s measly 7.8.

The Passing efficiency ratings of the starters is mind-boggling really: Peterman’s Pitt record 163.4 (15th nationally in 2017) against the combined Max and Ben show’s horrid 120.95.

Those are the statistics – the real difference was in-game and team leadership with Pickett the only QB in 2017 who exhibited any of it at all.  So that was obviously a big downgrade in my eyes. What say you?

Another reminder that I’ll do a full series along these line comparing positional units from 2017 to the prospective 2018 starters next month...

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.

76 thoughts on “Look Back: POV’s Win, Lose or Draw for the ’17’s QBs”

  1. Love these retrospectives, Reed. I must admit I was on the Browne bandwagon, and still think he would have progressed nicely if he had not gotten hurt. The 5 star rating really had me thinking upgrade over Peterman. But unfortunately, it was not to be. As for his year’s QB duo of Pickett and Town, I am more guarded this time and reluctant to predict a major upgrade of the position based on one game (Miami). Still, it does appear like it will be an upgrade.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Well you’ve definitely proven the optimists wrong here. But…I can only wonder if Browne would have rounded into form in the back half. He wouldn’t have been as good as NP, but he could have been better than 120 passer rating. Yes Rice was a VASTLY inferior team, but sometimes just a game is the tonic that a shaken qb needs. Of course we will never know…

    Also I do agree with you on field leadership. None until pocket stepped up.

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  5. welcome back Reed
    I think leadership and moxy are what it takes
    Kenny seems to have it
    I worry about his line and lack of an elite running back
    I wonder if he has a go to guy for his safety net
    I fear this poor kid is gonna get killed this year

    A QB is what makes or breaks a football team much like point guards in basketball
    I hope Kenny’s confidence isnt shattered this year
    I hope the line somehow gels and gets substantially better as the season progresses
    I hope a guy emerges as the elite running back
    I hope Kenny can find someone when under pressure

    I do have a good feel about the D this year…finally

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  6. ike, you’re sharp as usual! 🙂 I really hope that Pickett is the one we’ve been waiting for. I wonder if Browne signed anywhere as a free agent.

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  7. A poor offensive line.
    Receivers that strike fear into no one.
    Unknown tight ends
    And running backs that are mediocre.

    Is this a recipe for a Tino-esque year at QB?

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    3. Fear not Man of Gas, the RB situation will be the pleasant surprise this sason for the Panthers.

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  8. Reed – good to see a new article. Appreciate all your work.

    I have a question for you. Would you have high positive expectations for Pickett if Pitt had a proven OL coming back? I ask this because you were very high on Pickett’s skills last year — then he finally plays a bit and looks good (despite the TD number), and now you seem to be reining in your expectations.

    Is this because of re-evaluating Pickett or because of your lack of faith in the players surrounding him? Just curious.

    Go Pitt

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    1. I do have high expectations for him. I have predicted 2500 yards, 18-20 TDs and 9-11 INTs. For a young SO in his first starting season that is pretty good work.

      But yes to your question in a way.

      If he’d had 2016’s supporting cast I could think he would be a All-ACC pick possibly.

      But the reality is almost 180° from that. I don’t see any unit on the offense that is going to truly excel this year, save Pickett as the QB, just like none excelled last season.

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      1. RBs will shine this year. Getting Ollison experience at FB last season & with another leader, George Aston back as well will spell succuss in our running game.

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  9. ^^ John that is a very interesting question and got me thinking Reed, it does seem as though you are cautioning us all to not expect miracles out of KP this coming season and temper our expectations. I get that just based on his lack of experience which he has very little of. Despite the fact he did have some good moments last year but they were just a few. Of course you weren’t very high on the O-Line last year and are fairly certain this years O-Line could be even worse.

    Are you have any second thoughts on KP cause I’m liking him more than ever? I think he will pull this PITT team together enough to win at least 6 games.

    As far as this article goes, I think it’s a little unfair to rag on Max to badly considering he couldn’t finish the season yet at the same time there is no comparison with Nate’s senior season and I never thought Max or last years offense could keep up the same pace as the year before.

    Nate passing stats are so interesting considering he didn’t throw for all that many yards which you point out but the offense was so diverse and prolific scoring and the small amount of time it took PITT to put points on the board. I don’t think PITT will see that kind of proficiency in a long time. Having said that… I’m not so sure that is a horrible thing either. A defense best friend is a ball control offense which that team was not… ike

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    1. 6 wins – UGH!

      If one is vs psux then I’d breath a little easier.

      Duzz has to win at least 8 or 1 vs pedo state to keep me coming back for more. I played golf with two pedo enablers this afternoon who were as arrogant as any I’ve ever met. When I brought up the Pitt win at Heinz and how that crowd was electric, they tried to give their cult credit for the size of the crowd.

      OH HOW I HATE PEDO STATE!!!

      Smug, arrogant, conceited and young boy rape enablers since 1976.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Calm down friend. I’m practicing my temperance in positivity spew that offend so many. … and I did say at least. 🙂

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  13. Mobility mobility mobility that’s what Pickett brings to the QB position for Pitt this season. And I for one believe our OL will be better(absent significant injuries) than almost everyone that posts here believes. The defense this year will give the offense many more opportunities and as a result the Pitt offense and defense will challenge the scoring numbers of our 2016 season.—Since Ike has gone into hiding I believe EE and I will have to take up the optimist gauntlet going forward.

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    1. These two pathetic pedo enablers were bragging about how they are already planning their away game tailgate at Indiana this Fall.

      I told him that our fans were planning in much warmer parts of the country Lyke Wake Forest, NC, Orlando and Miami, FL.

      The smuggest of the two then said, “yeah, but psux travels well anywhere, doesn’t matter who we play”. At that point I was ready to wrap my club around his neck, but did not want to go to jail. So I said, “you should watch the movie Paterno if you already haven’t before you plan your next tailgate event”. He mumbled something about that’s a fictional account and is not accurate…

      Mind you, I never met these smug duffers, this is a competitive match in my league. With 5 holes to play, no more talk about pedo state FB.

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      1. Whatever the sport, the answer that always turns a “We Are” cultist into a whiny little bitch is to simply beat them like a drum. Please tell me you finished them off in those last few holes with a win like 3 up with 1 to play?

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        1. Finished with four 4’s (3 pars and 1 bogie) to close out the match with a win.

          My last drive was 260 down the middle.

          I dropped the mic on the poor boy…

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  15. Reed – nice follow-up article. For me, at QB Nate Peterman had the “IT” factor and lead the offense very well in 2016. He earned his NFL draft position.

    In 2017, “IT” did not happen until the miami game. QB Kenny Pickett, as you had pointed out is a fine looking general of the Pitt offense. Most think his supporting cast is suspect at best and that 2018 is going to be a big disappointment.

    A part of me wants to stop right there because a certain crowd thinks I’m too optimistic. Heck, I’m a fan of the school I graduated from. I have fun speculating what our Pitt FB teams could become.

    Why can’t this supporting cast win FB games?
    Bookser – 4* RS SR who started in many games the past 3 years.
    Aston – he of 10 TD’s in 2016 and injured in 2017.
    Hall – 4* SR RB who started in many games the past 3 years.
    Ollison – ACC Freshman of the Year in 2015 – give him the ball!
    AJ Davis – 4* SO RB from FL. (Does that make him a 5* in WPA?)
    Michael Sud……. – 4* FR AP RB from DC –
    R.Flowers – 4* RS SO WR who looked very posed in the Spring Game and caught many (SG) passes.
    C.Reeves – 4* RS FR who is a mountain of a man. Mixed reviews from the Spring Game – I saw a BIG man running hard down the field on KO’s and split wide at times running good routes for a 285 lb TE.
    Tipton, Mathews, RaRa Lopes, Ffrench – all WR’s with starters experience and big game catches.
    Dintino, Herndon and S.Milan – OLinemen who are RS SR’s with experience.
    J.Morrissey – Starter for all 12 games in 2017, who is smart, gutsy and has a heart to be the best C in the ACC.
    Ricky Town – 4* QB back-up to KP.
    OC Watson and OL coach Borbely – very successful stints together at Louisville and Colorado. Why not Pitt?

    The formula is there for success. Is HC Narduzzi the right chemist to put it all together?

    That is the big question…

    I’d Lyke to do the same with the D, but I have a job to go to.

    I’ll leave you with this – I know hope is not a strategy – I don’t know if our current coaching staff can develop a winning strategy. I do know that Watson & Borbely won at two different P5 locations together. I know that HC Narduzzi won 8 games in each of his first to seasons ever as a FB CEO.

    I have season tickets and my plan is to be entertained. When the entertainment value goes away, so do I. (Message to Heather)

    H2P!

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  16. It could be PSU, Michigan, tOSU, ND, they all act like that because their team has given them many winning seasons, bowl victories etc. It is called school pride. Pitt has it, it is just tempered with a lot of angst and self doubt.

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  17. I don’t really understand why some Pitt fans keep thinking that Browne would have been better toward the second half of the Season had he not gotten hurt. There was not one indication of play, except for again that singular game against a terrible passing defense, that made me think that he could do anything on the field against adequate opponents he did not really.

    Against the five teams other than Rice he averaged 117 passing yards per game and had only one (1) TD in 103 attempts. That was the OT TD against YSU… Other than that zilch. Plus he threw 2 INTs which was OK there.

    His QB rating in those five games was 113.2 which is horrible.

    I truly doubt he would have been much better unless he was up against a bunch of Rice-like teams which he wasn’t. I believe he would have been pulled soon for Pickett anyway.

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    1. Agree Reed, I saw how immobile he was in the first game. Was in Europe for a month after that, but a QB that can’t move, behind a porous line isn’t going to get better.

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  18. The O-line was improving by the time we met Miami last year. We did have a second round draft pick and a couple seniors, that played a lot that we don’t have this year. Dintino, Herndon and Milan, are largely unknown, the first two have played little and the third is stepping up in class. All QB’s need time to throw, especially young ones. Pickett can hopefully buy some with his legs. It will help if he can throw on the run.
    His receivers will need to come back to the ball.

    But we don’t have a running back that can make his own holes, that could be a problem.

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  19. Pickett has moxie and confidence but that could be derailed early in the season so they need to game plan to his strengths. I hope Taysir Mack is eligible because they seem to have a connection already.

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  20. The big question marks on this team are how the OL comes together & who decides to shine as our featured WRs.

    The OL question is further complicated by having a new OL Coach plus we don’t know what the impact that the Kent State transfer will have in the OL player mix. This question won’t really have a legit answer until the end of September or so. It will take that long just to figure out if these guys are going to gel or just go to hell.

    The WR situation remained under wraps in the Spring with numerous injuries to key players. Anybody who says they know how this group will pan out, whether adequate or awful are kidding themselves. Major unknown at this point in time.

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  21. BTW, credit when credit is due, Reed was spot on in his expectations of Max Browne. Considering that Pitt trudged through last season utilizing 3 different QBs was the factor that most impacted the less than mediocre record at season’s end.

    What I witnessed in our last two games however was a coming of age of a young untested QB & the self realization of a defensive squad that they can beat anybody if they play up to their potential.

    IMO, we were one play away from a 7-6 season. If Weah never looked over his shoulder and just turned on the jets instead, Pitt beats VT and after the Miami win gets a crappy bowl invite. Pickett & Company then brings home a bowl win finally and the momentum going into the off season is even better.

    No excuses. Eight wins is the low bar for this team in 2018. This team can do that even with the imposing questions still needing to be answered. That’s Narduzzi’s challenge for this year.

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    1. I don’t care what others think .. you cannot make predictions in a vacuum. For example, at this time last year, we had no idea how good NC State was going to be or how bad UNC was (not that it made a difference.) Those are just 2 examples.

      BTW … PSU had 6 players drafted and 7 more that signed as free agents. Also, you might want to take a look at how many NC State and Ok St players were drafted.

      I do agree that the Pitt 2018 team will very likely be hindered by the OL and the team’s overall success will depend on how its (OL) impact will be minimized.

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  22. That’s why they play the games wbb. It will be exciting to see how much the defense has improved. Timely turnovers can make a big difference.

    But absolutely right that our opponents level of play also dictates the outcome.

    The schedule may not be as daunting as it seems, but then again, it could be.

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  24. Pitt needs to begin grooming quarterbacks. These transfers are signs of desperation. I’m hoping Kenny can be successful and show strong development. That will bode well for recruiting future QB’s. QB play will make or break the Offense this year. The O-line may break Kenny however.

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  25. Reed

    You were and are correct on Browne’s assessment. He wasn’t good or even average. Doesn’t matter what might have been. He didn’t perform in the games he played. Last year was a Pitt sports year I want to forget.

    I would rather Pitt have an exciting offense and a crap defense if only one side of the ball is going to be good. At least the games are fun to watch.

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    1. It helped that I am a member of two different sportswriters associations and thru that I call people who professionally covered these transfer players…you get all the background stuff that isn’t publicized elsewhere.

      I knew Clark was a bigger headcase then appeared in the press. He had attitude problems going back to HS.

      I knew Brown had virtually no self confidence and only came to Pitt because it was his only P5 offer (out of only two schools with real offers to him). One writer called him a “scared rabbit in a USC uniform”

      I called a Cincinatti writer who told me MacVitte was an average HS player but with amazing receivers around him. He said he was shocked that a P5 school offered him. Someone from Mesa AZ emailed me just a few days ago about him. TM is in the CC there.

      I’ve gotten a bunch of the same kind of calls asking about Pitt kids transferring out from other writers…one about Shell from a USC beat writer when Shell flew out there. I was truthful and it was negative.

      A reporter in Buffalo asked my opinion on Peterman before the draft last year. I said he was great at Pitt and he’d be a good back up in the NFL but they would never have discipline problems from him.

      So lots of info about kids back and forth all the time. Some of the info is pretty negative but I never write about that on here due to privacy issues (unless there is public documentation like arrest reports). But I form opinions from it.

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  26. BigB, going back to our previous discussion yesterday on another thread … this statement is from a 4-star prospect about Capel from PSN:

    “He just seems like a really good person and I think he’s going to be a really good coach at Pitt. I’ve never met a coach like him before, he’s really nice and I think he’s going to bring Pitt’s program back and they’ll be good. I like him.”

    Now again, Capel is a renown recruiter and communicator .. no doubt. But just because Narduzzi may pale in comparison doesn’t mean he is a loner-recluse.

    wwb

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  27. Once again, the Stars have lied. I agree with Reed, Browne was just not a very good quarterback, it wouldn’t have mattered if he had 2 more years here, it just wasn’t happening… Seemed like a good kid, I wish him the best. Although Pickett is unproven, he played 2 outstanding games against 2 of the toughest teams on our schedule last year, so with the exception of the most dark & dire ‘fans’, almost everyone is on board with Kenny Pickett, myself included. But again, I agree with Reed’s comments regarding KP’s intangibles, you can actually see the level of energy on the team pick up with him in the game, something we have lacked in a very, very long time….

    And I’m still not sure what to think about the WR position; as others have stated, besides the OL, this is an area of concern. That said, I think we’ll at least have 2 solid WR’s this year in Lopes & Tipton, both of whom seem to be good route runners and have good hands, my concern is who will step up as the explosive threat guy. Even though Henderson wasn’t a receiver, he provided that threat for the offense last year, and now that he is gone, we’ll need someone to take that role. Maybe a freshman WR will be too good to keep off the field in the Fall? Maybe wishful thinking, but I can still hope…

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    1. I’m not sure many pit fans realize how different Watson’s offense was from the year before.

      I posted an article with some stats the other day about how many carries the wide receivers and DBs had under Canada and the rushing yardage we got from them .

      It was an amazing yards-per-carry average with Henderson leading a 10.6. But last year we didn’t even have half the number of wide receiver and defensive backs carries and the tight ends weren’t used as much either. It’s a whole different offense and I’m not sure this year’s offensive line is able to do what Watson wants it to do and it didn’t happen last year, and this year I fear it’s not going to happen again this season.

      Pickett’s going to be running around out there and he’s going to have be able to make quick decisions and that’s why tight ends and slot receiver is going to be so important. He is going to have to be able to get the ball off as quickly as possible most plays.

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      1. Which is why Watson needs to go Spread. Quick passes out in 3 seconds, before General Pickett gets mauled. With an avg offensive line at best and no great RB’s unless Houdini is a phenom like Shady, Dion or Ray Ray….long drop backs is going to get La Pickett, La killed.

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  29. PSU, Rut and MD are eastern schools in a mid west conference, We are in a southern conference and WVU is in a Texas conference. How screwed up is college FB. Maybe money talks more than we think. Not sure how much recruiting is affected by money in a supposedly amateur world.

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    1. Think of this ‘Eastern’ conference as being a strong rival to the ACC
      BC
      UConn
      Syracuse
      Rutgers
      Temple
      Pitt
      WVU
      Maryland
      Navy
      Army
      Penn State
      Cincy
      Louisville
      Va Tech

      What could have been
      The ACC will probably need another team or two. I figure UConn, Cincy, WVU as possibilities.

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  30. ^^ … and going strong as ever… and who questions Reed’s expertise in PITT football? 🙂

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  31. Watson did pretty well as the offensive coordinator when Teddy Bridgewater was his QB at Louisville. Don’t be surprised if you witness a repeat performance this season when Pickett is at the controls.

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  32. Watson’s offense was different last year. I think the lack of talent was a big factor in that. If you can’t run the ball up the gut or throw, no one is biting on those fakes for the jet sweep to work. However, he called a great game against Miami.

    I think this year we will see what Watson is about. Making him use Canada’s playbook was idiotic IMO. He will have his own twist on things this year, a QB and he knows which player can handle what now.

    Don’t expect it to look like Canada’s offense this year.

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    1. Agree with this – last season Watson tried a hybrid offense, this season no need to worry about keeping any of Canada’s stuff.

      I agree with Reed and others that Max was not going to “get it” against decent teams.

      I do give Coach Duzz credit for trying to find a QB fix – just didn’t work out. I hope he learned that sometimes you should just go with the freshman and take some lumps…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  34. Coordinators must be able to take the personnel hand dealt and use it the best way possible.That’s what all college coaches must cope with. If they can’t do that they are not successful college coaches. Like the idea of Watson/ Borberly’s past success and collusion. Hopefully they get some the old Louisville mo going here. H2P

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  35. It’s amazing how much better an offensive coordinator can be with the right man in the QB position. Canada did very well in his short stay here at Pitt and Peterman IMO helped him greatly in getting that big contract with LSU.

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  36. Great article on a great idea. Anyone else think a PITT sports Hall of fame was long overdue? Never crossed my mind either.

    Another thought I have been having is that maybe there is not enough made of the coaching attrition for PITT recently. Don’t get me wrong as some of the changes have worked out real well for PITT (canada) and some were absolutely needed (conklin). At the same time and generally speaking, drastic changes in college can have a big impact with the unit involved directly. We all know the recruiting coach will favor the player he recruited.

    Again, Narduzzi reminds me a little of DW at this stage of their head coaching careers at PITT. Both after 3 years had some changes midstream of their tenure. A revamping if you will. 3 brand new offensive coordinators in 3 years? Seems like PITT got a little lucky to me to have one great offense out of that stretch.

    So Watson will be back and he has had KP for well over one year to work with and the praises being sung by Watson on Pickett is really eye opening. If this PITT offense can move the ball half decently maybe the defense will be strong enough to keep PITT in many games this coming year? ike

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  37. Teddy Bridgewater while at Loserville under Watson had 2 future NFL WR’s to throw to.

    One was a 1st Round Draft Pick…..Devante Parker (Dolphins)

    The other one wasn’t drafted but he was good enough to make the Steelers and had 48 receptions for
    the Steelers in 2016. Eli Rogers

    Do we have anyone on their level at WR for La Pickett ? (hopefully the French Connection will become real)

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    1. Ruben Flowers, Paris Ford, Mo Ffrench, Tre Tipton, Shocky Jacque-Louis and Aaron Mathews will provide a good French connection for La Pickett to throw to. Throw in a little Spanish spice with RaRa Lopes and the French Airforce will fly at Heinz Field…

      H2P!

      Like

  38. So if we throw out the Syracuse game which Max got hurt, he wouldn’t have been hurt??

    Jus kidding. Although he was 15-22 for 161 yards in that game before going out with his injury. Not trying to stir anything up here but we simply don’t know how the season would have progressed and finished up last year if Browne hadn’t got hurt. ike

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  39. Or had the WR’s not dropped several of Mini Max’s passes in the 1st half vs Creepy Valley State.

    Imo we beat GT had Mini Max played the entire game.

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  40. Dropped passes kill your momentum. Or any ability to gain any momentum. Pitt won the Yardage battle

    Team Stats
    Stat PITT PSU
    First Downs 24 14
    Rush-Yds-TDs 45-155-1 24-148-1
    Cmp-Att-Yd-TD-INT 24-41-187-0-2 15-28-164-3-1
    Total Yards 342 312
    Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
    Turnovers 3 1
    Penalties-Yards 6-55 1-15

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  41. Hard to get beat by 20 when you have 24 1st downs to the opponents 14.

    And the nerve of these Pedo’s to be arrogant like they crushed us or something. Pitt had more rushing yards, passing yards, Total years and ……..more penalties.

    Nard Dog/Watson overreacted to the 1st half of the Okie State game….by benching Maxie the next game.

    Of course does anyone know if The Nooch’s dad is some big operator.

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    1. Total years ? lol……Total Yards. Although I think most of you would have known what i wanted to type.

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  43. People want to remember 5-7 and that was the record. If we throw out two of those losses last year PITT finishes with a 500 record. “If, ifs and buts were candies and nuts we’d all have a merry Christmas”.

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    1. Ike, It was a 5 win season after two 8 win years and when the turnover in player personell was going from one HC’s to another’s.

      That is why it is important because it sets up the next seasons importance for this HC. Another losing season, especially after the first two good years means your HC isn’t what you thought he was nor is his recruiting.

      A winning season brings opinions back up. So yeah, last year was very important.

      No other recent HC at Pitt started off that well in their first two years then dropped like he did. They all started low and then went high. It’s a big difference.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Exactly Reed. That’s why I’m beginning to feel great excitement for this coming season. << This is the first year I hold Narduzzi’s nose to the grindstone. BTW big guy. I hope to see you for more games this upcoming football season than last year.

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  44. Pitt was every bit a 5 win team last year. They deserved no bowl game even a bowel game in Detroit.

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  45. They were not a 5 win team had Pickett started from game one. Also getting Paris Ford involved might not have hurt either. By the way getting P Ford involved in some of the offense this season might just be the ticket for a much better team play on that side of the ball. Sometimes you have to think outside the box and getting your super athletes involved any way you can should be the norm and not the exception.

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  46. Well, I’m pretty disappointed! Lettered two years in baseball but didn’t make the cut for Pitt’s inaugural Hall of Fame!

    Dorsett? Fralic? Ditka? Who are these guys???

    Go Pitt.

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  47. Seriously, if there’s more low hanging fruit out there for our vacationing AD (😀), it would be how Pitt treats its lettermen.

    The pre-game get-together they used to have in the Great Hall was pretty embarrassing. All they did was curtain off a small area in front of a bar. Don’t know if they still do it – I lost interest…

    I understand, and imagine, that lettermen at big-time schools are treated big-time… Pitt needs to step up here…

    Go Pitt.

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  48. Major, don’t despair. You are one of 25 finalists for the POV tailgate Hall of Fame.

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