I learned about two good things on Twitter today. First, Pat Narduzzi tweeted a somewhat cryptic “Pitt is It” with a devil emoticon. Many fans quickly pointed out that the tweet did not include any reference to 2020, and so it’s now widely speculated that the ‘Duz has brought in a grad transfer. One person on twitter joked about Tommy Stevens. That would certainly warrant a devil emoticon, but it’s also pure speculation. Would be a very interesting locker room dynamic if it were the case.
Second, Pitt now has a virtual campus tour online, and it’s really freaking cool. Here is a screenshot. Put this baby up on your bigscreen and it’s like being in Oakland all over again. If only there were a virtual stadium…
Third, Reed has officially retired and become a blogger emeritus, and he’s handed over the Pitt POV to me full time. So THANK YOU REED. Writing for this blog has really been a dream come true. I’ve always loved to write and I’ve had a passion for Pitt Football since I saw them upset Miami on that fateful Thursday night in 1997. Readers should expect the POV to be a fixture in the Pitt Sports webosphere for many years to come. In celebration of me taking over, I’ve relaxed the login restrictions to the site so you can post without having an account. I’ve also re-instated a couple of the posters that had been banned (notably Dr. Tom and RKB), so please welcome them back to the fold.
Please note that the rules still apply (no politics, no religion and no swearing) and I simply will not tolerate personal attacks in any direction. You’ll get one warning and a post deletion if I deemed you to have attacked someone directly, and if you do it again you’ll be banned.
With that being said, I think we’ve had some really lively and yet civilized adult dialog lately and I would like that to continue. Keep it up fellas and lady and Hail to Pitt!
pittpov.com 
We need more ladies on this site. MM, a young stud like you should have the ladies falling over themselves to sign on to your blog. The POV needs to recruit some lady Panthers to give more of the woman’s perspective!
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Haha thanks VOR…they are all on Facebook now. Just us old guys and throwbacks holding down the fort …
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Title IX is oh so fine!
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Need more women commentary
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One small point Dr Tom was reinstated a while ago but I just didn’t tell him!😉
Other than three people I banned only trolls so that’s a tricky thing.
I’m so very happy Mike took this over (again!) . I had to keep it until the LLC was legally dissolved and now it is.
I think we’ll still have some point/counterpoint going on as Mike was gracious enough to keep me on as ‘editor’ which means I can still post articles.
So, if Mike is busy or on vacation or something and you write a piece to post you could zap it to me and I can post it…but always check with the owner Mike first and foremost.
I had great fun with first the Pitt Blather and then the POV. But the more time and effort I spent in my veterans and homeless volunteer work the farther in the background the POV moved in my life…and you readers and commenters deserved more than I could give you.
I’m thankful as anything that I’ve been able make the friends I have via the POV and truly feel that this is by far the best media outlet for Pitt FB and it’s fans – because we never kissed ass on here.
If I can ever help any one of you for whatever reason you need but ask and I’ll be there.
Let’s not ever stop looking at Pitt and our athletics with a truly critical eye. That doesn’t mean negative but to be willing to question and observe in a true way.
Mike will be great as the owner and I just worry that some bigger organization will offer him a lucrative job. I got a few of those offers and so will Mike.
One last point…
wbb, I hope you can get a refund on the gravesite you were so sure I was going to bury Mike in.
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A big congrats to MM, who continues to do an excellent job; and a big thank you to Reed for a job well done.
Hail to Pitt.
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already checked Reed …. I can use it for myself
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Reed, speaking of not kissing ass, because I’m not. I’ve said this so many times, what you have created on this POV Blog is nothing short of miraculous and the family atmosphere has never been seen or thought of before. Here’s hoping that there are no lasting hard feelings as I feel that there may have been some here at the end. I’ve considered you a great friend for many years by now. I would like that to continue on down the road! Great luck to you and hope to see you at a PITT game or three this coming year.. ike
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Congratulations Reed and MM. I’ve enjoyed the POV during both of your tenures and I am glad the forum will continue to operate. Thank You both. As to Narduzzi’s tweet….any ideas?
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Thanks MM for lifting those sign in mandates. It allowed me to get my original screen name back.
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My college girlfriend from Carlow…her dad was a diver for the Pgh.Police. He told me you wouldn’t believe what’s buried at the bottom of the Mon! Hint..it’s not just sludge.
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A WWII airplane for one thing.
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Glad the drama is over. Now if TX will stop saying the same things over and over.
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OCS
OCS
OCS
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As soon as The University of Pittsburgh expands to include the North Shore as part of their campus, your wish will be granted.
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Like a genie in a bottle. Say it three times and the wish is granted. 🙂
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That bottle is unfortunately buried at the bottom of the Mon deep in the sludge.
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I thought it might be under The Pete…
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You might be right. Only the Spirit of Pitt Stadium knows for sure.
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The Pat Signal may be for us beaming-up a grad-transfer linebacker???
The transfer portal strikes again…
Go Pitt.
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“Probably the most exciting thing about this experience,” RMU president Chris Howard said, “is to see the looks in the eyes and the faces of the faculty, staff, students and alumni as they come into this space and think, ‘Wow, here on our campus, they built this. Here at RMU, we did something extraordinary that people didn’t think we could do.’ They’re very proud of the building.”
F-n Genie already granted that wish to Robert Morris
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Well, if it is a devil emoji, it could mean a transfer from ASU or Duke. I go with duke as it is a blue devil. Who knows! The last person i know in the transfer portal was Reed when he transferred the POV to Mike.
Tex will like this one. Maybe we can put the majority of the Pitt BoT in the transfer portal.
Maybe a new big time recruiter is in the portal….
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Does anyone think the transfer portal may be a way for Pitt to secure some 4 and 5 star talent?
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Congrats to both MM and Reed. It’s been pleasure meeting everyone from the POV, and following my favorite team. Hey Reed, how did the play go? Any callbacks from Broadway or Hollywood?? 😉
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The Pat Signal mid-day yesterday has yet to be verified that I can tell. So, I’ll take an educated guess at the new Pitt 3* while I have breakfast.
First, the devil emoji must be some sort of clue – if a high school recruit, then I’m not going to be close, nor should I be. I’ll focus on college transfers.
The first guess, would be DE Darius Slade from the Arizona State Sun Devils. He was recruited by Duzz to MSU – committed at one point, with Pat being the lead recruiter. When Duzz took the Pitt job, Slade de-committed and landed at tOSU. A few years later, he transferred to ASU. DE is a position of need depth-wise and Darius is a grad transfer from NJ who would be eligible immediately.
My other guesses will not have names because I need to leave for my golf match this morning. There are (2) DE Duke Blue Devils in the transfer portal, both former 3* recruits out of HS.
Then playing off of MajorMajor’s suggestion of a LB-er, there are also several (I believe 4) ASU Sun Devil LB-ers in the transfer portal. I’m casting a wide net, but Darius Slade is my #1 educated guess. I remember former Pitt HC Chryst recruiting Slade out of HS.
I’m hoping the transfer portal is my friend today as I plan to transfer my white Titelist through “some” portal to the green and into the hole in the most efficient manner possible. Once that fun and entertaining morning is complete, I will then need to transfer a newly purchased tree (for my wife) from it’s garden center container into a freshly dug portal in my yard.
The plan is to have “other” transfers into portals throughout the morning and afternoon that will enhance the value of my experiences.
H2P!
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How about the Wake Forest ‘Demon Deacons’?
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Whether you are right wrong EE’s knowledge and analysis is impressive. Thank you EE.
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I agree … he did quite a bit of research here
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This is the image the Falcons are using as they sign big Q to his first NFL offer –
https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/gettyimages-1067372520-e1556924344419.jpg?w=768&h=434&crop=1
Nothing finer than running over a Clemson Tiger National Champ. James Conner has a few of those photos.
H2P!
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I appreciate the shout out & yes Reed actually did previously reinstate my ability to comment some time ago himself on the POV but just kept that on the down low publicly. While banned I found that I didn’t miss the negativity that the blog tended to drift into many times in the past. However with MM writings coming on board now, that trend seems to have wained a lot & I just might poke my head back in for a comment or two down the road.
Still good policy, continuing to eliminate swearing, politics & religion from the dialogue here on the POV. I really can’t even discuss politics these days anyhow without swearing & considering how politicians have manipulated those with deep religious beliefs to their own benefit, has caused me to turn agnostic about the whole concept. So I agree, keep it about our University’s athletic endeavors & as always Hail to Pitt!
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Reed
Thanks for creating this forum. You set the bar high.
MM
Keep it going strong!
Welcome back Dr. Tom. Missed your positivity 😀
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Annie, Henry V went surprisingly well considering we were all amateur.
Funny thing was that I need cheat cards for rehearsals but when the lights came up I remembered every line.
I’ve done a lot of stuff in my life but have to say this was was right up there with other great experiences. I suggest anyone who has every wanted to act look at this type of thing…there are lots of opportunities out there.
If one is a veteran than Veterans in the Arts is a great place to start.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Veterans+in+the+Arts&oq=Veterans+in+the+Arts&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.5484j0j7&client=ms-android-motorola&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
I do have two full years of college left on my GI Bill (my daughter used the first two for a BA degree) so I’m seriously looking at taking some theater arts and acting classes.
There are tons of acting jobs for regular adults out there…extras, voice-overs, etc. So why not do something you’ve dreamed of?
Although at this stage in my life it will have to exclude nude scenes…
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^^^Reed>>>exclude nude scenes
Thank God…between Reed’s comment and Richman’s shorts 🤮
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Reed, it depends who is nude. Don’t rule out the concept—there are some female veterans who may be eager to share the stage with you.
H2P
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If women are to be recruited for the POV, may I recommend the cheerleader coach who Mike Gottfried allegedly knew a little too well?
And as for the devil emoji, perhaps it’s for a former 4-star who left the program unceremoniously….Reeves, perhaps. It’s about time someone speculates once again on his imminent return.
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Congratulations Reed on the passing of the POV torch and successful dramatic debut. My older son is active in community theater in our area and like the POV it is a great social network to be involved in!
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Tried to post. Not showing. Tried to repost and got error message- duplicate post. Weird.
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Having issues posting. I’ll try this again. My apologies if it posts multiple times..
Thoughts on the ongoing coaching discussion..
(This is in a vacuum. Assume SOS, OCS, etc. are the same.)
If a coach recruits 2-3 star players- kids who SHOULD win 5-6 games- and “coaches them up” (player development, scheme, game day decisions, etc.) to 8 wins, most believe him to be a good coach. See Harris.
If a coach recruits 3-4 star players (and some 5 star players)- kids who SHOULD win 10 games- and “coaches them down” (lack of player development, scheme, game day decisions, etc.) to 8 wins, most believe him to be a bad coach. See Wannstedt.
Isn’t 8 wins, 8 wins? Again, all other issues being equal.
I liked Harris. I liked Wanny. I believe both would have won 6-8 games every season, for as long as they stayed at Pitt. They just would have done it in very different ways.
But, if Pitt fans are expected to accept and be satiated by 6-8 wins each year, with some exciting wins and some infuriating losses, why has Pitt made ANY coaching changes? Gottfried is still alive. We could have just kept him.
And for those who give Narduzzi a pass due to a lack of true University support (a valid point in my opinion) how is that different than his predecessors? In the last 40 years, the only coach to receive true University support and fail was Fagio. Shouldn’t every coach from Gottfried til now be given the same “excuse”?
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It’s coming through jay, and I only see one. Maybe try switching browsers?
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Pitt played a relatively easy Coastal division this past year, and won it. But since Narduzzi has been here, Pitt has played cumulatively the hardest OOC schedule of any P5 team … and that’s where he deserves a pass!
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for those interested, Pitt baseball on local ATT Sportsnet vs FSU @ 1 pm
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Thanks – just returned home from golf. Pitt baseball on TV. Priceless…
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The University is supporting Narduzzi. He has a budget that no other previous coach had. What has hurt him is some bad hires and the fact he was learning the job. Thats why many were apprehensive with this hire because he was never a head coach. He’s definitely had growing pains. I do think he’s a good gameday coach.
Pitt is fine with attendance around 40k each year. Fine making bowl games and with generally being competitive. Competing for the Coastal each year is not the same expectation as winning it. Teams like Tech and Miami expect to win it each year. Its just a different mindset.
Right now I’m not sure what the university can do to help Pitt win besides easing up on the OOC schedule.
For Pitt to become elite, it would need to spend far more money and to cheat. But it is doing enough to at least get to bowl games and the chance to be ranked in the top 25
Its up to Narduzzi to find a good staff, develop players, coach and recruit. But his ceiling might be 9 wins like Walt. For Pitt, thats totally fine so he’s probably only to get fired if he totally loses it.
To me, he has to do better since Pitt is spending too much money on the program for a 12-14 record over the past 2 years.
And to be clear regarding an OCS to those who mock. I’ve never said it would help Pitt win. I’ve never said it would help with attendance. I’ve said it may marginally help with recruiting. Cornhole said the move off campus would result in more wins, higher attendance, better recruiting and a healthier brand. Those promises turned out to be lies.
I’ve always said it was about making stronger connections between students, alumni and fans with the school. Strong connections lead to lifelong supporters, more school spirit and pride, and higher donation rates. And I think, if built and designed the right way, can lead to a better overall fan experience and provide the university with the ability to generate revenues from multiple ways.
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But Tx, you hit the nail on the head with your one short sentence……. Ease up on the OOC schedule. If PITT played Western Michigan, Wagner and Connecticut last year instead of psu, ND and UCF, (like Syracuse did) you wouldn’t have anything to complain about. If they would have finished the job with Stanford (which PITT kicked their asses all day long) and not lucked out to win the coastal division, what would been their record?
I know I know, what could have, should have and what actually happened. Point is… last season a great season wasn’t a million miles away as some want and like to portray it.
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If Pitt played those schools, they would have 30k at home games and would have to pay to play these teams at least $500k each
Pitt cannot afford to do this
Pitt needs ND and WVU on their schedule every year. And Navy is another. I dont care what their records are. Those schools are just good business. And good coaches will find a way to win.
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Navy?
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top 5 Pitt rival and Americans support the military
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Pitt would get 40K to show up for the Navy game if it was lucky. Only WVU, ND and PSU would provide the sellout of Heinz that Pitt needs. We might get a 50K crowd late in the season if it meant the Coastal Championship was on the line however.
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It would be interesting to see what Pitt’s total pay to the football program is, compared to the total pay of the teams they faced last year.
That would give a pretty good idea of how they should be doing.
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Tex your argument that pitt is overpaying Narduzzi is just wrong. USA Today has him ranked 42nd in salary. You always cherry pick his last two seasons records and disregard the fact he has averaged 7 wins per year for four years in a real conference while playing the hardest ooc in college football. Given the challenges of winning at pitt over the last 40 years and the fact it has been a stepping stone job for 3 of the previous 4 coaches (very embarrassing), I would say Pitt is paying Narduzzi a fair amount. And when u look at the inflated cfb salaries in college football it makes sense to pay Narduzzi 3 mil.
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since his extension after a 5-7 season, he has gone 7-7
His total comp is close to $3.5M
Pitt is paying market
I’m saying that Pitt is over-paying for performance
Thats my opinion
I think $3.5M should buy my alma mater a bowl win and a final ranking
He was being paid close to $2.5M prior to the ill advised extension but that was far more fair in my eyes for a 16-10 record, no bowl wins, no final ranking
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Pitt only trails FSU, Clemson, Miami and one other team in total football spend. Its spends top third of the conference. But the middle third and Pitt is only separated by a million or two dollars. So to me Pitt is spending on ACC par. Its not elite levels because Pitt just doesnt have the revenues. Pitt will never consistently sell out Heinz….just doesnt have the fanbase. And it doesnt have a national brand for merchandise sales or enough wealthy boosters and an alumni base that supports sports.
We are who we are and should accept it
So for football, Pitt should be going 7-1 or 6-2 in the ACC each year based on their spend. No worse than 5 ACC wins. Pickup another 3 OOC wins and you may have your 10 win season.
Based on the overall spend for sports, Pitt really needs to be doing better. Its the worst ACC team across all sports. Its sad to say but Rutgers has better overall programs than Pitt.
Gallagher really should be challenged on this. Pitt spends a ton of money and has sky high tuition. Yet Pitt is at the bottom of the ACC in overall sports…in fact the worst P-5 school in the nation when you look at all sports.
And there are only 2 schools lower in the US News Academic Rankings than Pitt in the ACC.
Pitt is in the bottom 20% of BOTH academics and athletics in this conference. Thats Pitt’s identity.
Now you may say Tex its all relative. Yes it is. Maybe Pitt should be in a different conference or drop out of being a P-5 school.
Pitt is an expensive private school located in a City. It really should be affiliated with other similarly situated schools. Heck I’m beginning to sound like those administrators and professors who wanted Pitt associated with smaller schools where the emphasis is less on athletics.
If Pitt cant make sports work without going into a deficit of $10M each year, it really should consider dropping down a level.
Think about it, Pitt has lost over $300 Million in athletics over the past 40 years. Enough.
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So what exactly has Pitt’s acc record been each of the Narduzzi years? We know it was bad in 2017, but outside of that I’m pretty sure he’s delivered against your ask. You going to tear down the guy for having one bad season out of 4?
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The man is 28-24
Zero bowl wins
Zero final rankings
And attendance down
But lets continue paying him like a top 40 coach
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Not what I asked…
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AGAIN. How is it we all complain about the OCC schedule and then it out when we talk about Narduzzi’s record? I don’t get this. Is there an agenda here?
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dam it, that should say OOC schedule.
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If Pitt only trails Clemson, Miami, FSU and one other ACC school in FB spending, that’s pretty damn impressive.
Pitt has way more recruiting obstacles to overcome than those schools — no even close.
So Pitt going 6-2 in their Division is doing pretty well in my book.
All these coaches make big bucks. Makes no sense to me to say that we should win more because we pay our coach half a million more than somebody else — no sense at all to me…
Hail to Pitt.
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Right this very minute you can’t have it both ways. I keep reading over and over again. PITT has to win games to get butts in the bright yellow seats and out the other side of the mouths is that PITT needs to play the big rival games to put butts in the bright yellow seats. Well, until the PITT football program is on more solid ground and winning winnable games, I see no other choice but to let up on the OOC schedule and win games the easy way. You know, like state penn and Syracuse do. Believe it or not, PITT is not that very far off.
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The evaluation of a coach is on an ongoing basis. And the factors for evaluation are not necessarily based on your own expectations. I’m not (solely) addressing TX Panther. BTW
While we all want a program that averages 9 or 10 wins a year …. having this as your sole yardstick may not be fair
I do agree that ND and WVU should be a part of Pitt’s OOC long term schedule, and I’m not even against a hard OOC … just as long as this is part of the evaluation.
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and fwiw, my expectations of Max Homa winning Quail Hollow were nil
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If you like 30k yellow seats
If you like no bowl wins
If you like no top 25 rankings
If you like few if any NFL prospects
Keep spending your money on Pitt football and keep hoping for the best
and yes Pitt could pay a coach far less than $3.5M and win 7 games each year
See Chryst and Wanny
Done for $2M and $1M respectively
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Pitt is being proactive in paying Narduzzi a reasonable salary. 42nd highest in cfb. When u have been embarrassed by 3 out of the last 4 coaches using pitt as a stepping stone, it is good to pay the market rate for a coach who averages 7 wins in a real conference and played the hardest ooc in college football.
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Doozer is 20-12 in conference.
Wanny was 15-14 in conference after his first 4 years.
Go Pitt.
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Wanny was paid only $1M for those results and also didnt have the recruiting budget and staff budget of Narduzzi
For $3.5M, Narduzzi with the 42 highest salary should be doing better than an RPI of 76 and 69 and Saragin ranking of 46 and 50 over the past 2 years
For Pitt to get a good return, I would just expect more like a ranking (take Saragin) in the 30’s
And I’m not even saying that Wanny was worth his $1M for that record. I would not have extended him right before the WVU game like Cornhole did. He was not a very good coach and couldnt win a title in the weakest major conference. But he is the last coach to win 10 games.
Its Year 5 for Narduzzi. I expect 10 wins
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And with a cupcake schedule he’d likely deliver
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Tex. You realize Narduzzi has been the coach at pitt for four years right? Because you conveniently only mention the last two to fit your narrative.
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he was making $2.5M for the first 2 years
now he’s making $1 million more and his record is worse
thats my point
if Heather was smart, she would have back loaded his contract
given him bonus money for reaching certain goals; paid him a lower base
heck winning the coastal might have been worth $100k
but winning bowls, getting ranked and recruiting well are also worth something
he fails in those areas so from my perspective he should reap no reward there
I have no problem paying the man if he’s worth it
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Winning the Coastal is def worth 1M.
Geez, TX, I am a fan of yours from the past, but it seems you’ve lost train from the track.
I’m not one to consider you’re delusional. But perhaps, I’d posit, it’s because you live in the Mighty State of Texas, where bigger is better and FB, no doubt, is a conversational piece wherever you go; be that in a grocery store, talking to a neighbor cutting lawn, or a walk down the street, for instance.
It’s not that way here anymore North East. And whereas it may have been a talking point at one time in my youth (the state of Western PA FB), it is not any longer.
So perhaps this fuels your ongoing tirade, but it’s not relevant where I am here in the subs of Phila.
It’s kinda like time to move on not get too caught up in it all.
I watch e-v-e-r-y game in FB & MBB, but I attempt to be realistic and enjoy it (the events) for what it’s worth.
I am not kool with mediocrity. Yet I’ll take the ACCC wins in stride and with pride.
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I’m realistic myself
a 7-7 season is nothing to brag about (Pitt now has the odd distinction of being one of only three teams to have ever achieved that mark) Good Jeopardy question.
But I doubt winning the Coastal will substantially help recruiting
Pitt lost its last 3 games and 2 by blow out
any school going up against Pitt will say that and point out that Pitt only won because that division was the weakest division in all of P-5
Pitt makes it all too easy for other schools to trash it
My ‘tirade’ is that Pitt is spending real good money now on sports and not just football.
Where are the results?
Spending in the top third should produce top third results across the board
Wrestling and volleyball are the only programs doing well (above mediocre)
And every alumnus should be upset that Pitt cant run a balanced budget in sports
You cant sustain sports by losing $10M every year
It costs students an extra $500 every year to bail sports out
I think thats wrong
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I played golf with a Pitt grad this morning. His golf bag was a Georgia Bulldog red bag with a huge G on it. I asked him if he followed Pitt FB. He said yes, but they only have a chance to be good once every 3 or 4 years because they will never get the better players Lyke the top schools, such as Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, FL State, Miami, Michigan and tOSU. His reason not mine…
Switching to Pitt baseball: Pitt was in a weather delay – the Pitt pitcher’s name is Hammer. The FL State batter just hammered a 3 run homer.
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Pitt scores 2 runs with a bases loaded 2 out single in the bottom of the 3rd.
Pitt down 2-4.
H2P!
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That is what we call down here in Bulldog country, a Yankee CARPETBAGGER.
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It’s a simple truth – no way Pitt can recruit against southern football schools.
Go Pitt.
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then Pitt needs to find a different conference
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Post of the day IMO by FR. “Glad the drama is over. Now if TX will stop saying the same things over and over.”
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It’s easy to be critical of the coaching staff for not being able to beat the southern football schools for recruits.
But it’s a damn tough job, IMHO…lots working against us.
Go Pitt.
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Pitt must pay rent for Heinz that is a cost for FB that other ACC schools do not have not to mention student busing
The OCS in 2050 will save that money
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always tough to convince a kid from the South to go North or kids to go to a City campus
Coaches at Pitt need to work a little harder and become more creative
Give Narduzzi some incentives to reach goals
His comp should be base salary plus
Lower his base and pay him extras for winning the coastal, winning the acc, winning a bowl game, getting the team ranked, pulling in top 30 recruiting classes, running a clean program, graduating players, etc
I’m not sure if Heather structured his contract that way. We’ll know for sure this year when the info is disclosed to the public
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Thanks for the article Mike, great job per usual and I have three great mid weekend pleasures to share:
Great to read some lost POVer’s partaking a bit lately. Despite differences, it’s good to hear from old friends.
Great to read that the POV will continue on and hopefully into perpetuity. Shout out to Reed!!
Went to watch our middle grand-son at an absolutely beautiful Murrysville Community Park Miracle baseball Field this morning. It was awesome, so well done and the coaches were fantastic. My little guy is on an appropriately named team, (The Angels) and he eventually warmed up to the experience. A big shout out to those folks that make that happen. Amazing.
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Good God, Reed! Again?!
Seriously….
I have commented alongside you since 2003 from the beginning @ Chas Rich’s
— Creator/owner of (link: http://PittBlather.com) — PittBlather.com.
Chas, it seems, is no longer interested to continue in his seminal work as a blogger on-report.
But you, Reed, I had never thought to quit. And I will bet you’ll be back again.
—Neil
*Good work MM! Keep it coming, friend;)
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Reed thanks for all you have done to create a GREAT football blog. Among your many accomplishments, please don’t underestimate what you have done for the vast, frustrated mob of Pitt fans who have never had an outlet like this. Hope you are not a stranger to the blog.
MM it is absolutely great to hear your enthusiasm for keeping this blog going. Keep up the excellent work.
TxPanther, your points are well made, however I can’t get my head around the importance that you place on a bowl victory. Don’t get me wrong I’d love for Pitt to win every game.
However the old Penguin coach Bob Johnston said it best when he took over the Penguins and looked up in the rafter and said “We need to get some banners up there”. HCPN has done what no coach at Pitt has done for 30 years . . . . put a AC Conference Title banner (not shared like in the BE) in the rafters. Do I think that is enough, heck no, but doing it in his first 4 years is “not nothing”, and frankly doesn’t suggest he’s overpaid based on the ridiculously overpriced salaries of college FB coaches.
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bowl games are hardware in the trophy case
something to point to every recruit
and by winning your bowl, you have a chance to be ranked
recruits look for rankings
a school sells themselves based on rankings
so like Reed has said, you need those things to attract the better recruits
Take baseball for example
Pitt is playing Florida State today
They have a tradition of winning
They have sent people to the pros
They perennially are ranked and get into the college playoffs
They play in a stadium that is better looking than most minor league stadiums
They play in warm weather surrounded by beautiful women
Pitt has zero chance of ever recruiting a 5 star in baseball
But Pitt football does stand a chance. It just needs to get noticed. You do that by playing in good bowl games on national TV and being ranked consistently in the top 20. Recruits will take notice. Win the ACC championship and you’ll get noticed in a good way. Just getting there doesnt cut it when you get blown out.
Dont need nice weather or half naked girls for football. Football is a Fall sport meant to be played in the mud and snow. Girls are covered up in parkas.
Find recruits that like the city environment, dont mind the yellow seats and understand they wont be treated special.
Its not easy. Was always a challenge for a school like Pitt. Easier for Pitt to do that against NE and Mid-west schools. These ACC schools are tougher to compete against.
You want another easy way to get noticed. Get more former players like AD to donate money. Theres a future Hugh Green in the South that would be impressed by AD’s donation and the new ‘performance’ center. Reach out to Wanny and have him convince Reevis and McCoy. Reach out to Walt and have him convince Larry.
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I see the Kentucky Derby uses replay for interference calls. If football did that, the Saints would have been in the Super Bowl …. and Pitt would have beaten ND the last 2 times at South Bend
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I think tex and some of our friends on here look for things to hold against Narduzzi…bowl games are an example. If they actually mattered there wouldn’t be record numbers of players skipping them each year.
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And I will concede the Northwestern loss was a bad one. We laid an egg big time that game. That pitt team was much better than northwestern.
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and if targeting was ever called, JC and Peterman don’t go out…different game
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I guess more accurately, they both may go out but 2 Northwestern players go out too!
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I generally disagree with Tex’s position. Ie I think Narduzzi is doing a good (not great but good) job and he’s worth what we are paying him. But I do agree that we should have a bowl win or two at this point. Stanford and Northwestern were there for the taking. Injuries definitely impact the pinstripe and we were still a dropped Dinucci-to-Orndoff td pass away from tying it up in the 4th.
I think an injury also impacted the Sun Bowl because Watson was calling plays in the 4th quarter like he had a concussion. All he had to do was pound the rock like he did against Syracuse and we’d have won that one.
Still, Narduzzi is wearing the Silver Sombrero when it comes to bowls and ten years from now, nobody will remember the specifics. They’ll just see 0-3 in his first three bowls. This is not helping his case with fans who are slightly less than optimistic about coach Duz .
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the bowl games provide good revenue for the ACC
there is still a payout
its part of that $27M check Pitt receives each year
dont underestimate real trophies in the trophy cases
Heather actually understands that
She’s tOSU trained thats why
But thats the mindset you need to start changing the culture and breaking mediocrity
I’ll concede that some (Most) of these bowl games are crap. The best ones havent changed their names in decades and are on New Years Day.
But frankly recruits dont care about a division title. Win the ACC conference. Win a major bowl game. Get ranked in the top 15. That will get you noticed by 4 and 5 stars.
The only thing I hold against Narduzzi are the facts.
28-24
no bowl wins
no final rankings
I personally just expected better after 4 years. And I expected for some stupid reason that he could recruit better than Chryst. He can coach better however. Both were low risk/low return hires. However, the risk is now higher given Pitt’s payout so at least I expect a higher return. Thats all.
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Here’s a good one for you Tex. If Chryst has stayed, would Pitt’s record be any different over the last four years? Would we have beaten Penn State and Clemson?
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Look at what Chryst did when he went to Whisky. Whisky paid him more, gave him more money for staff and recruiting. But Whisky still doesnt come close to spending what OSU, Michigan and Penn State spend. Yet Chryst has beaten those teams.
Whisky found coaches for him. Thats Barrys role and how he is so much better than Pitt’s leadership particularly with football. His genius plan was for Pitt to groom his guy.
I believe if Pitt found more money for staff and recruiting, had guys who knew guys in that college football network that would work as good assistants, and kept that power running game, Pitt would have won an ACC championship by now. Imagine an ACC team trying to scheme for power running. Though Pitt would still have to solve for the typical ACC offense something that Narduzzi struggled to do for 3 years.
So yes, the record would have been different
And I was no Chryst fan. Didnt like his recruiting. Didnt like his coaching. But he goes to Whisky and starts winning Big 10 games. He has better assistants there and he learned how to be a head coach at Pitt.
But I’ll throw you a bone and again I’ll sing my praises of the Godfather, Whisky also scheduled patsies for the OOC. That built up their wins but more importantly was good practice before the Big 10 play and gave kids confidence and rhythm. Yet our AD schedules Tennessee.
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Also worth noting that whisky was an 8-10 win program prior to Chryst taking over. Pitt was a solid 6 before Pat
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Chryst stabilized the Pitt program
He could have used that stability as momentum to build something bigger at Pitt
Narduzzi used that stability for 2 straight 8 win seasons
Look at Chrysts bowl record…very impressive
Previous coaches at Whisky complained about the money and did not see eye to eye with Barry
Whisky is a good fit for Chryst, he’s learned how to delegate and he has a good staff that he trusts
Whisky will be a consistent 10 win program…has been and more under Chryst
so I guess the question is why cant Narduzzi reach that level here
The money is no different
Whisky’s recruiting is no better
Whisky’s division is just as difficult
I think it comes down to this – management of people. Chryst is a better manager. I didnt say coach.
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Are Pitt’s new colors the same as Golden State’s colors?
Just curious — I can’t tell – my wife always says I’m color blind… 😊
Go Pitt.
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Aysia Bugg has been granted a 6th year for Pitt’s women’s BB team after missing most of last season with blood-clot issues. Aysia will be 24 during next season. Coach White kiddingly said they call her “grandma.” 😊
This team is rebuilding (will have 5 freshmen and 2 transfers coming in) and will be lucky to go .500 next season. Yet here’s what Aysia said after getting the sixth year approved:
“Receiving another year means the world to me,” stated Bugg. “Not only do I get the chance to play a full year for such a great staff, but I get the opportunity to play the sport I love while representing an amazing University. I am truly blessed to be here today, and it’s the support from my coaches, teammates and family that made this process so much easier. I am so grateful….”
Easy to root for Aysia… And I’m looking forward to seeing how Coach White re-shapes the women’s team…
Hail to Pitt!
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Ok, last time, I disagreed with TX. This time, I agree wholeheartedly. The math is simple. Why do the Yankees and Red Sox expect to win every year? It’s because their payroll is the highest and the expectation of paying so much turns immediately to winning and winning big.
Same with basketball and the warriors.
Now, take it to football, the highest paid coaches seem to win the highest percentage of the time and have the highest ranked classes. Clempson, Alabama and a northern school, OSU pay the most and get the most. Actually if you listen to the brass at osu, they will say that Herb Myer actually under-performed based on what he was paid.
This is probably one of the easiest mathematical equations to solve. If Narduzzi is paid as the 42nd highest rate of ncaa coaches, we should expect him to recruit at 42 or better and be ranked at 43 or better each year that he is ranked at 42. This is not difficult math.
The most profitable companies in the world also pay their respective ceo’s the most money. It’s not about politics, religion, sex, etc. The market sets the standard and when yu are paying top 42 money for performance, the market will decide whether they feel they are getting top 42 results in wins and recruiting. I think the leash grows shorter quickly if results don’t improve.
Lucky whoever recruited Hugh Green and company didn’t use excuses about how difficult it is to get players from the south to go north. Those are excuses to me. You can either recruit or you can’t.
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fwiw, Hugh Green was by no means a 4-star recruit. Green was discovered on film by the staff who had their eyes on one of is teammates. Green probably would have been considered a 2-star or lowly 3-star
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oh yea, one other thing … Green was recruited either as or after Pitt won its national title … doesn’t hurt
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Former psuX enabler, Graham Spanier is still on paid administrative leave and NOT in jail –
https://www.ldnews.com/story/sports/college/penn-state/football/2019/05/01/appeal-coming-former-penn-state-president-graham-spanier-decision/3643617002/
If this statement is political, I will take my banned status and play more golf…guess who is paying for Spanier’s administrative leave? PA taxpayers – many on this POV blog. Makes me nauseous, but not as much as his turned head to child raping on the psuX campus he presided over.
SOP – Sick of psuX!
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Huff by that logic Narduzzi is a steal because his four year full class ranking is 38.25 according to rivals
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So you got my point. Unfortunately, business doesn’t work that way. We don’t go on 4 year rolling averages. Every year he should get ranked for wins and recruiting rank, against his pay. You either get what you pay for or you don’t.
This is why i said that if he goes another year under performing his rank, he should be on the hot seat. Glad I have you on board.
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test
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Tried getting on the site the old way but WordPress keeps highjacking me.
Wanted to send my appreciation to Reed and MM with all of you yesterday.
The story was that Hugh Green was discovered when scouting Rooster Jones who was the equivalent of a 5 star. This pretty much no longer happens because of the intensity of scouting these days.
Green was a man among boys even as a freshman.
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I believe TX has said (paraphrasing) that if Pitt can’t truly compete in the ACC it should drop down to the MAC, AAU level. I haven’t seen any responses to that so I’ll throw mine in. I like Pitt being in the ACC and playing in the highest level of college athletics. Obviously I would love 10-12 win FB seasons every year but given the choice between 7-10 win seasons in the ACC and the opportunity to see the very best in college basketball vs 10+ wins in FB w rivalry games in the MAC w Dayton or Akron or Youngstown State, give me the ACC. Narduzzi has to stay in within the 7-9+ range however ( max of one sub .500 year out of 4). H2P!
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Yeah and Narduzzi has the third or fourth most ACC wins during his tenure so it is a good spot for pitt.
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Third.
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would you show up to watch a Pitt basketball team that wont go to the Big Dance? (.500 record in ACC play)
would you show up to watch a Pitt team that averages 7-8 wins each year (5-3 record in the ACC)
I thought I always heard on here that Pittsburgh will support winners
What I describe doesnt sound like winning to me
And Thats what Pitt is banking on…you’ll support your school no matter what
To me thats just mediocre entertainment
Its not bad and you might catch a good game
But part of the fan experience is experiencing wins and an exciting team with marketable players
Its about being part of the journey (Pitt football blew that journey by losing its last 3 games)
My point about dropping down is to win more
How many of our programs do well in the ACC? Only 2 of them unless you count football.
Most are doing very poorly or just average
What made Pitt a better pick for the ACC than UConn, Cincy or some other schools.
Pitt has made the NCAA in 3 out of the 7 ACC years. probably looking at another 2 more years
Pitt has won 1 Coastal in 7 years
Pitt has consistently finished at the bottom of the conference across sports
what is Pitt doing to improve?
I’m not happy that Pitt is in the bottom 20% in both academics and athletics in the ACC
You may say well some school has to take up the rear
In the Big East, we had Rutgers to do that
Pitt is now Rutgers
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Gordon, you passed the test!
Wasn’t Rooster Jones the player Pitt was recruiting when Hugh Green was noticed on film?
Glad the POV will keep on truckin’
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Oops…posted too late on Rooster.
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So whatever happened with the last PAT signal?
Listened to the Psaros bball recruiting update on PSN, somewhat encouraging.
Boy, I hope we are not settling into another rainy spring and summer here in the Burgh.
Last year the golf courses were a swamp all summer. I love spring but my lawn needs cut every three days
right now. Really green though.
I have railed about Narduzzi not getting enough elite players, but he has been successful overall at getting bigger faster stronger players. There is more depth on the team right now than has been evident for a long time. Hopefully our guys are competing in the weight room and in general conditioning and that it pays dividends in the fall. Guys can really get better from year to year if they work hard like Aaron Donald the poster man for hard work. This is the best way for Pitt to get better right now.
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Sorry Tx but I do enjoy the hell out of watching PITT football games, whether it’s at Heinz Field or on the TV. The fact that PITT and Narduzzi have proven to me that they can and did beat the best team in the country in a given year makes it even better. I don’t get the rumpus, sounds like you’re just trying too hard to blame and dislike someone.
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Last years home games were a weather disaster. The only nice game day was the opener which I was ruled out of due to a non contact knee injury, the rest were pretty much miserable. (the swimming pool did it) If it wasn’t for Fran and JoeL’s tailgate I would be watching from home this year. But I just can’t miss those tailgates!
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So Reed’s comeback didn’t make it through a whole month? I guess the Sunday morning podcasts are back in the closet again? I really did enjoy those. Reed, maybe you should consider doing them again?
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Pittsburgh Marathon today. Amazed how many people run them.
I am sorry TX, but you may need a new hobby, really seems to be unhealthy to be so negative almost 100% of the time. It’s like when my golf game goes south, I take a few weeks off to get a new perspective and come back reinvigorated. I also recognize my limitations, I am never going to be a scratch golfer, kind of like Pitt will never be Alabama, but I still enjoy the game. Sure I get frustrated when I duff a shot but I can still enjoy when I make a birdie or two in a round. Just like I am ecstatic when Pitt upsets Clemson or happy when they win they Coastal. Yeah upset that we can’t seem to win bowl games, but still excited when Labor Day comes around.
If I couldn’t look forward to another season, I’d find another hobby, probably not running Marathons though.
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Gordon – call it negative if you like. I think a normal sports person, who appreciates winning championships like most Yinzers do, see last season as putting lipstick on a pig
I said the fun is in the journey. What fun was last year when Pitt lost its last 3 games (no bowl win for even a cherry on top). I view the Division title (division and not conference title) as no more than a participation trophy in a very weak overall league. Pitt finished .500 I dont apologize for not jumping up and down in joy over that.
Have you heard me be negative about Pitt basketball? No you havent and you probably wont unless Capel begins showing that he cant recruit and cant coach. I already Know that Narduzzi has failed in recruiting and player development. But please call me negative for pointing out what I think are facts and not just opinions after 4 years of empirical evidence.
I’ve sung the praises for wrestling and volleyball. The only 2 programs that were successful in my eyes this year (both finished ranked). And Pitt’s volleyball team did with the ACC…not just a division but the whole darn conference. Yet Pitt football consumes all the oxygen in the room.
Pitt wants to know how a negative fan like me can better enjoy the experience. Well – start first by winning. Too many of your programs are flat out losers. Then have honest discussions with your coaches on who the next Zion is for Pitt. Or in Pitt’s case, the next Blair, Fitz or AD. Individual players can help sell the experience and provide a fun journey.
So Heather if you’re listening or your minions who read these blogs and forums. Start with having the best coaches and facilities in the world. Winning will soon follow and everyone will have fun.
I’ll be the most positive guy on here when Pitt starts winning. Right now I’m probably about 20% positive. Thank you volleyball and wrestling. There are some great positive stories on those two very successful programs that nobody hears or talks about. They are programs that have shed SOP and ‘Pitting.’ They show what the future of sports at Pitt can be. And we disrespect them by having them play in a 70 year old dump.
Just Win Baby.
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TX I actually agree with a lot of what you say and believe, I just think you are obsessing about it more than most. I appreciate that you care and feel strongly about Pitt Sports. There aren’t enough of us that do and that is the biggest problem. Unfortunately I don’t see that culture ever changing. Pitt will never be Rah Rah like PSU, ND, WV etc. any more than CMU will compete in D1 Football. It is what it is.
The best OCS and all the money in the world won’t change that. I recognized that when we had TD, Hugh Green, Danny Marino and were the best, that we couldn’t fill Pitt Stadium for the lesser teams.
People just don’t care including most Pitt Grads.
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you are right
not enough Pitt fans desire what I desire so Pitt just does the minimum
Pitt has done a good job keeping down a sports culture at Pitt
The seeds were planted under Majors but the fields were plowed with salt during the late 80’s
i desire Pitt sports across the board to be much better
to actually win some hardware or get nationally ranked and recognized
unless Pitt is negligent on its ACC obligations, Pitt will continue doing what it has been doing with no incentive to change
for some fans like me, I find it tough to support sports at a school whose product is just mediocre or in many cases very bad
so again it comes down to winning. How can the experience be improved? Pitt needs to win more. How can fans help with that? They really cant.
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Tx is a really great guy, reminds me of myself. We are exactly the same just opposite. 🙂
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How can fans keep saying we have the deepest, strongest roster in years? It seems to me that when almost any starter has gone down in the past two years the sub at that position has been ineffective. MLB is a good example…Wirginis goes down and Reynolds played average at best ball afterward.
Wirginis, Roy, Zeiss, Idowu, Briggs and Motley all started and played because in PN’s 4th year he didn’t have any of his own recruits good enough to take their places…and those 6 players – half of the defense -certainly weren’t good enough not to be sat down. Actually fans though they sucked…under Chryst because he recruited them
This is why I have to laugh when fans say Chryst’s recruiting on defense sucked. Between those guys and throw in Caprara and Galambos in ’17, Narduzzi couldn’t recruit anyone decent enough to sit them down…and this from a defensive guru who fans thought was a great seer of talent.
I think we have been pretty thin actually.
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Motley wasn’t good enough not to be sat down? 🤔🤔🤔 what are you smoking pal he ended the season behind Jackson, Pinnock, and Mathis – with Coleman and Ford also getting occasional reps
I also seem to remember Camp, Watts, Wheeler, Alexandre, Danielson and Twyman getting reps at DT… and Roy was at least as dependable and productive as any of them. Was he Aaron Donald? No but I also don’t remember us getting gashed up the middle very often either.
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I though Reynolds played better than Wirginis
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They combined for well over 100 tackles;
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No doubt Ike, but going through life with rose colored glasses isn’t going to give you a stroke or make you kick your dog.
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I may have a stroke for watching Pitt football…I’ll give you that. But my dog wasnt responsible for Narduzzi’s failure to finish strong so I wont be kicking him. 🙂
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Reed – Pitt is deeper than at any point since Wanny. It’s pretty clear and not really worth even arguing. Pitt has to turn some corners on the field but depth should not be a concern. QB, RB, WR and every line of the defense has depth. The OL has some work to go but is deeper than at any point since Cheesehead left. TE is the one glaring hole but it’s a dying position in college anyways. Whipple has had successes with TE’s but he also runs more of a spread which pushed the TE to a big slot receiver anyways. If we pass as much as is expected, recruiting TE’s shouldn’t be a concern moving forward.
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To Text questions, yes I would and have attended games under your stipulations. Basically for the sake of stability I want and expect Pat Narduzzi to be our Kirk Ferencz.
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Or I want Narduzzi to be the FB equivalent of Jaime Dixon from the Big East days…
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and I respect that
Pitt is counting on that
40k fans will keep showing as long as the win range is 6-9 each year
that means the team is bowling and may have a shot at winning the Coastal and playing for the ACC title
But if Pitt wants to get attendance, donations and merchandise to the next level, its got to win more than that and have marketable players
I dont see any desire on Pitts part to do that (which is a shame because more football revenues can help eliminate the massive hole in the Pitt sports budget)
And there is only a small segment of fans like me that desire Pitt to consistently win 10 games and have players in the discussion for year end trophies
Thats my frustration
Pitt is running the Pirates model. They do just enough to tease you each year but you know they arent serious about winning and will never win a championship
I’ve seen the old Pitt that could become the new Pitt but Pitt has no desire and most fans arent pushing for it
Otherwise, you’d see significant declines in attendance
But I do wonder about the tiny group of boosters. I believe more of them think like me and thats why you dont see large donations
Again, it would take a transformational gift to jumpstart things to a different level and change the mindset.
I just dont see that happening without Cuban or Tepper stepping in
So it boils down to expectations and thats the disconnect. I see no reason why Pitt cant be a 9-12 win program each year while others are fine with the occasional 10 win season (once every 10 years).
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I’m guessing the “Pat Signal”/ transfer is a grad transfer who is still finishing up at their respective school. We probably won’t hear anything on the “who” until they graduate.
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TX – Bowl games mean nothing in this era. Sure you get some smaller schools elephant hunting but unless you’re in a New Years Day game or playoff it’s an exhibition game … and is treated like one. Snap counts are watched more closely. Draft prospect sit. Star players have smaller leashes with regards to injuries.
It’s all a way for ESPN to market and rack up advertising dollars … and the players and coaches understand this.
Does this mean the players and coaches don’t play to win? Hell no. They’re competitive. That’s what they do. But that’s different than having the same sense of urgency or pride in the game.
There is zero carry over to recruiting. Zero carry over to momentum. Zero affect on the team. There is so much turnover in college football that each season is its own season, independent of what came before it.
The view many have on bowls is brainwashing from ESPN or nostalgia from an era where they did mean something.
In 1985 there were 18 bowl games … so, yes, the bowl games probably mattered a little more. It was an accomplishment to make one.
In 2018 there were 40 bowl games … It’s just watered down exhibition now. A way for teams to get extra money and practices in.
Yawn.
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The roster is deeper than at any point since Wanny?
Where?
Tight end?
Offensive line?
Wide receiver?
QB – where ours was 119th in the nation.
What about linebacker?
Defensive tackle…where ours were ineffective.
Our mediocre recruiting has led to mediocre (7-7) results.
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Gasman – They have players at those positions with several years of experience that can step in and play. More than a 2-deep. In other words … depth. There are very few spots on the team where a true freshman would be forced into action. There is more depth and balance across every position group than at any time since Wanny. My comment had nothing to do with what you think the talent level is. Only that they have a roster that goes more than 2 deep at almost every position outside of TE.
So to answer your questions …
Where? Everywhere besides TE
Tight end? See above
Offensive line? Yes
Wide receiver? Yes
QB – where ours was 119th in the nation. … This is about depth not talent
What about linebacker? Yes
Defensive tackle…where ours were ineffective. … This is about depth not talent
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Again, PITT lost 7 games last year because they won their division. It’s NRS…
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Bowl games may not mean much but I’m ticked when Pitt doesn’t make a bowl and Pitt really at this point really needs to win one.
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That’s 100% fair. I have no issue with being pissed. That’s kind of my point. They mean more to fans than the actual participants.
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First you have to compete against your peers which is the Coastal. We did that last year. Even though the Coastal is far from the elite in football they aren’t chopped liver and it says something when you beat a lot of teams that have equal talent to what you have. To think that we can somehow jump to competitiveness with the entrenched top twenty is folly.
When I say that this team is deeper than recent teams, I am talking about the D-line who are now upper class men. and at other positions where there is real competition for playing time. The lack of true stars will hold us back from making a big jump as will the OCC.
When I say that we are overall bigger faster stronger, I am looking at the size of linebackers, height of d-backs, 40 times etc. It may only be marginally better and has to be proven on the field. This team is 100% percent Narduzzi so we shall see. I don’t expect a miracle, but we should be competitive, if the O-line comes together.
By the way, the ACC is very much where we belong. The strongest top to bottom basketball conference, with some good football at the top of the conference. As has been said Narduzzi has the third best conference record since his arrival and that is pretty good all things considered.
While Narduzzi has not been a brilliant recruiter, that is as much on being at Pitt than anything else. Hard to beat the ND’s PSU’s and others that kids grow up wanting to play for. No one grows up wanting to play for Pitt.
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I posted my bowl thoughts earlier. This is what bowing is or may become.
The college leagues would allow a 13th game and have it sponsored (paid for) by a local sponsor. They can be played at anytime before, during or after the season. Pitt vs PSU or WVU sponsored by a company that pays the schools and keeps the rest of the profits. Athletes get nothing. Game does not count in the standings. Welcome to the future of college FB.
So easy to make more money.
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Chryst left Pitt and immediately became a success
Was he held back at Pitt?
Did he suddenly become a good head coach?
What does Pitt need to do if anything?
My thoughts are:
He was held back at Pitt. Mainly not having the money for recruiting and staff. And he spent time stabilizing the program which also held him back.
I think he learned to become a head coach at Pitt but he found a better staff at Whisky
The Whisky AD likes to micro manage. What former football guy wouldnt. So Barry influenced the staff makeup and found the money to make it happen. But Whisky’s spend is still not anything close to elite levels. Barry doesnt overpay and is very judicious regarding expenditures.
And although I still think Chryst is just an average game day coach and recruiter (hes still not recruiting lights out but it has gotten better…mainly due to his teams averaging 11 win seasons and winning the Big 10), Chryst is a really good manager of people. He’s good at staff development and delegating. There will be head coaches coming from the Chryst tree.
So can Pitt help Narduzzi get to that next level?
Yes. They have already increased the staff and recruiting budget.
Its now up to Narduzzi to find the right staff and develop the right recruiting strategy and tactics. Its now Year 5.
My thought is that Heather did have some influence on moving Watson out and bringing in Whipple
If my hunch is correct, she needs to be doing more of that and using her network for assistant coaching recommendations
So these next 2 years are critical. Everything is now in place for that elusive 10 win season. We’ll know come 2021 if he is the coach to do it. I have my doubts but I’m rooting for him out of selfish reasons.
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Chryst inherited a great team and the the best DC in college football.
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Chryst’s predecessor at Wisconsin was Gary Anderson
Before Wisc, he was 24-22 at Utah St / In 2 years at Wisc, he won 9 and 11 games / He then went to Ore State, where he went 7-23 before leaving
In the 10 years before Chryst became Wisc HC, UW went 98-38 … with 3 different HCs, including 7 double-digit winning season
Chryst was 6-7 at Pitt in his 3rd and final year at Pitt, the following year at UW, he was 10-3
Program or coach?
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Pro-Gram
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If its program, what is holding Narduzzi back.
Gary left because he flat out said that Whisky didnt spend enough money on football. Barry is known for being cheap. Gary came off an 11 win season at Utah State as head coach. And you know that Barnes was his boss at Oregon State? Gary’s now back at Utah State.
Before Gary, it was Brett and he did well enough to land a job in the SEC
Theres little about Pitt’s program holding any football coach back now
I’ll concede that an ‘easier’ OOC might yield another 1.5 wins each year. Pitt would still not reach 10 wins.
I struggle to understand how other coaches have been able to reach 10 wins in 4-5 years (see Temple, Cincy, Memphis, UCF, etc), yet somehow its the programs fault at Pitt and not the coach.
The stars are aligned at Pitt for success. It just takes the right coach to lasso one.
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You mentioned 4 non P-5 teams. It is the difficulty to recruit to Pitt and the difficult OOC that has held all coaches back at Pitt since the 70’s. Wanny overcame to a certain extent because he was a former NFL head coach who could sell players on getting them to the NFL.
The overall decline in the WPIAL over the past few years has made it much more difficult for Pitt to recruit.
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The only team that doesnt find recruiting difficult in the division is Miami
Miami is surrounded by 4 stars and pays those 4 stars
thats why I’m so happy when Miami loses
Pitt just needs to recruit on the same level as these other teams in the Division and they arent too far off from matching Va Tech…swap in three high 3’s or 4’s for the low 3’s with little P-5 interest and Pitt is hitting the mark…50% of class rated 5.7 or above
and like I said plenty of talent still in surrounding states (see NJ and MD this year; OH and VA in previous years) so its silly to pluck a recruit from SC or GA unless Pitt is really serious about building pipelines and really knows how to sell someone on the City and black snow
Pitt can reach those consistent 10 win seasons. Assemble the right coaching staff. Step up the recruiting. Develop and effectively utilize players. Find a QB. And get TN off the schedule. You are at 11 wins. Jackie numbers.
But many Pitt fans and even those in the administration dont believe.
Master Yoda: And that is why you fail.
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The schedule has a lot to do with Wisky’s success…
Go Pitt.
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that DC lasted only 1 year – 2016
narduzzi could also find guys like that…but he doesnt
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Look at what Chryst did this year. 8-5 with a preseason ranking of four against a super easy schedule.
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Didn’t he have QB injuries?
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Happy Cinco De Mayo. I recommend Madero Cantina in Murrysville.
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I’m making beef and chicken fajitas today on the grill
The Spanish didnt do too well with wars on the American continent
I dont pass up any celebration when it comes to cooking and drinking
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Beating a dead horse but here I go. Last year was Chryst 5th year senior class. So lots of credit has to go out to him with the division title accrued. Or does it? All I remember reading was how lousy those young men were and Narduzzi couldn’t and didn’t over recruit them. Chryst did an ok job with the players he inherited but not like Narduzzi did with his inherited players. Bookser was the only O-Lineman to start last year that was recruited for the O-line by PC. I thought that he was an O-lineman guru? Oh and what was his ACC record compared to PN’s through 4 years? << I’m asking, to lazy to look it up.
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not to give Chryst too much credit, but he was the first coach that coached against ACC teams. Fraud would have been a good fit if Penny didnt have relatives out West.
takes some time to figure out a conference and get used to the style of play and coaching tendencies
Narduzzi should have known what he was walking into but for the first 3 years he failed to adapt his defense to a different style of play. Thats inexcusable for a defensive guru.
I give him credit now for finally starting to figure it out and for finally understanding its a passing league and Pitt needed a QB whisperer.
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Horse meat only tastes good when its been beaten
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Here’s a thought, everyone wants to rush and point out PITT only won because the Coastal was the weakest division in college football history but just as quickly want to include the loss accrued to Clemson because of that Coastal division Trophy. Stats suck without the knowledge to use them and they were never intended for sports.
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Tex if you think pitt can be a regular 9-12 win program you should probably stop following them as you are setting yourself for disappointment. I would love that too but there is just no chance given the state of cfb.
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Ironically Narduzzi would be a 9 win per year coach at pitt already if he played a powder puff non conference every year.
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Knowing Pitt, Narduzzi will finally win 10 games and then the new AD will fire him over some silly SI article
Pitt then self sanctions itself and gives up going bowling for the next 4 years
That scenario is probably not too far off
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see my Master Yoda comment above
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I give all due respect to Tx, we all just try to get through this life of ours anyway which we can. Gaad bless you buddy. I have a friend that threw objects at his TV when things weren’t going right in a PITT game. Went to quite a few games at PITT stadium with him. They weren’t very much fun for me at times from his carrying on and all and these were the good old days. Always great before and after games though. Still great friends to this very day.
Can’t understand why some are all worked up all the time and not just enjoying life as it comes towards us? We don’t have any say or choice in the matter anyways and hell, I’m not on an anti-depressant anymore either.
PITT is pretty much competitive in most games, that’s good enough for me….. and when they win a big game.. ahh beautiful!! << I still see another National Championship for my team before I go.
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The 4 game win streak last season to clinch the Coastal was awesome. The win against Duke to get it started was so improbable, the way Duke’s NFL 1st round QB was leading them to score after score – but somehow (Carter, KP, et. al) Pitt kept up and didn’t allow Duke to get up by two scores. Sensational edge-of-the-seat game to be at — and Carter’s father was sitting near us and smiling like a butcher’s dog…
Big let down at the end of the season (though with a decent offense could have been another story – we gave up only 24 to Miami and only 14 to Stanford…). But I’ll remember how much I enjoyed the 6-2 conference record. 😊
Go Pitt.
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I thought I was the only one to throw things at the TV during a Pitt game…specifically Cincinnati when we kicked off to the best returner in the country. Oh well, needed a new TV anyhow!
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TX – Please don’t suggest “Coach speed, speed, speed” would be a good fit for the ACC. His record from 2014-2017 at ASU was 27-24, playing OOC teams like N. Mexico, N Mexico St, Weber St, Cal Poly, and N. Arizona. Even worse, he averaged 4.5 wins/year in a Pac 10 that is arguably worse than the ACC in football. Making these statements undermines your argument.
Even the Dairy College can’t average 10 wins/year (9.5 wins 2015-2018) and that is with over 100k asses in the seats every home game and a football budget that is ridiculous. Their playing with 4-5 star players at most positions and still didn’t win even a conference championship over this time period. Also OOC teams like Kent St, App St, Temple, Buffalo, GA St, and Akron.
You got to be realistic, with 35-40k seats filled, a miserable WPIAL recruiting area, and limited support from the BOT PN’s 6.25 wins/year 2015-2018 and something neither ASU or PSU did (win a conference championship) with OOC games against ND, OK St, CFU, Iowa, and the Dairy College and a HC learning on the job seems about what to expect.
This has to get better for sure, but realistically 8-9 win seasons are not a disgrace, with hopefully a 10 win season now and again, and another couple of conference championships. Averaging 10 wins is just “pie in the sky”. Sad but true, the 70’s and 80’s are gone and never coming back.
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a no huddle spread like UCF would have worked in the ACC. Fraud’s scheme was a good fit.
I also believe a power running game would be a good fit because the ACC defenses arent built to stop it
the jet sweep is a gimmick like the wildcat. Teams soon figure it out. Penn State figured it out in one half but not after Pitt dropped 28 on them. 🙂
I’m not saying 8 win seasons are a disgrace but Pitt can and should do better. If Narduzzi would have done his job with the defense and won his bowl game, Pitt would be looking at 10-11 win seasons and a final ranking in the top 10.
I refuse to hope for a 10 win season. I believe it is possible. But Pitt and fans do not have the right mindset yet. They have not learned the way of the Jedi. Anything is possible with the right mind, training and attitude.
It doesnt take much to get there but excuses, fear, uncertainty and doubt can get in the way. Remove those obstacles and clear your mind. Much of this game is mental. It starts with Believing. Cue to ike for a song clip.
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Taxing, you cherry picked and it isn’t even cherry season! The Dairy HIgh School is in a division with OSU, Michigan and Michigan St. That typically gets them three losses per year. They do not recruit better than Michigan or OSU typically, but do beat out MSU.
This is why the Dairy faithful get so upset with franklinburger. He can’t win unless OSU,Michigan and Michigan St. all have bad years at the same time he has a great one. He has an easy OOC schedule every year to offset the three difficult conference games he must play each year. Pitt schedules three tough ooc games and then plays against teams in the conference that out recruit them each year. Wait, Miami and VT usually. All the others are close. That is why noone dominates the coastal. All teams are poor recruiters and miami goes for troublemakers when they don’t have too! They don’t understand how to win with more classy players.
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FWIW..
In the Narduzzi era, Pitt has not won a conference championship. Conversely, PSU won the Big10 in 2016.
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But lost to Pitt!
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Franklinburger gets canned that year without the upset win against OSU. Dairy didn’t win the big10 east outright that year Jay. C’mon now. You tried to pick one thing out of my statement to hang your hat, but missed the point. Franklinburger is 27-16 in the big10.
Urban Meyer had his worst record at ohio state in 2016 as well, by percentage. He is also 12-3 all time in bowl games, to support Reed’s point. Our current coach is 0-3 in bowl games. Hopefully he can run off 12 wins in a row starting this year.
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Well, if we would have won those ‘meaningless’ bowl games in 2015 &16 we have been 9-4 each year and ranked after both seasons. I researched where we would have ended up in ’16 with nine wins and it was between 16th and 13th…which would have been our highest post season ranking since DW’s in 2009 and tied for our best ranking since 1982.
Which btw led DW to an strong 2010 recruiting class. His 2011 class, coming off a bowl win and eight win season was poised to be the best we had had in a long time but blew up when he was fired.
No one can tell me that had PN won those first two bowls, especially after a nine win ’15 season, we wouldn’t have gotten a surge in recruiting.
What also happens with the real top shelf recruits who hold off committing until just before LOI Day is that they watch all the bowl games of the teams they are seriously considering. So when other teams win theirs and Pitt loses that is a negative impact.
I spent a ton of time talking with players parents and HS coaches at Pitt practices about recruiting and perception is everything. This 50th ranked 2019 class came about on the heels of a 5-7 no bowl season. I think well see another poor 2020 class following our .500 season with those three season ending losses (including the bowl).
These are the things that stick in people’s minds.
Those who say bowls are meaningless are excuse makers for a HC who can’t win any or even get to one.
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Well, I’m telling you that. Zero affect. None at all.
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The Stanford loss has stayed with me. Not because it was a bowl game but because once again, PITT was the better team. The good news is………… Narduzzi fixed his mistake and got rid of Watson. I give him this year and I will see where he’s at but I need to see improvement.
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ike – Stanford was sitting 6 starters
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Exactly … because bowl games mean nothing … and Pitt played like it.
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Tx fell for that one didn’t he?
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OT …. but ODU did not renew Justice Kithcart’s schollie. Can’t remember if JD or KS recruited him but regardless, it’s indicative of Pitt’s recent issues
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Jamie recruited him. He’s a lousy basketball player who was way over his head.
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I have to defer and somewhat skeptically accept your argument that a win in one of the 40 bowl games (made up simply for TV content and ESPN profits) would impact a recruits mind since I’ve never talked to a recruit and you have. However, its still hard and frankly I can not accept the argument that telling a recruit that you want him to help defend an ACC conference championship will have a negligible effect on recruiting.
My point isn’t that Pitt will see a boon in recruiting after last year, its that until Pitt can fix the impossible and (1) improve its local recruiting base and (2) put an additional 20k fans in the Heinz Field seats, the 3-stars will be the way this team has to be built. Bowl game victories or not.
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There is no denying that recruits look at consistent rankings by a school and the hardware collected
Pitt won a participation trophy for the Division title
It was not the Conference title
Pitt did not play every team in the conference and quite frankly would have lost to the likes of NC State, BC and Clemson…again
I doubt Pitt gets much lift from winning the Coastal
Again, if I was competing against Pitt I would focus on Pitt’s last 3 losses…two of them by blowout
And the fact that Naduzzi is zero for three in bowl games and has never gotten the team ranked
As Dino Babers, I would point out that I won 10 games after only 3 years and have won bowl games and got my team ranked. Momentum now on my side and great things to come.
If the kid asks me why we lost to Pitt in OT at Pitt, I’d blame Dungey for being hung-over
Pitt doesnt need to recruit locally when there is plenty of talent in 4 nearby states plus Florida where pipelines where developed under Walt 20 years ago.
Pitt will only be able to put more fans in the seats by winning games and developing marketable players. Thats on Pat and Heather. Few if any schools win without 4 stars. It takes a great coach and a unique scheme. Pitt has neither.
Narduzzi flat out doesnt know how to sell Pitt.
I’d personally take every recruit to a concrete plant and then to a cow pasture. I’d know right away if the kid is Pitt material.
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FWIW..
Pitt did not win the ACC Championship. Had they, Tex would probably much happier. I know I would!
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So Reed Narduzzi was one bowl win in 16 from the best finish for pitt since 82 (including wins over big ten champs and national champs that season)? Didn’t Narduzzi do a good job to put pitt in the position to be one loss from the best season for pitt in 34 years?
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he was a bowl win away from 9 wins in 2 years back to back with Chryst players
His defense was the reason why Pitt couldnt do it
A D that let up the most points per game since Majors 2
A D ranked outside the top 100
A D that should have never been this bad given Narduzzi’s defensive background
Wanny won 10 with a limited budget and boss who hated him
Jackie won 11 with an administration doing everything to make him fail
Narduzzi wins 7 last year with a competitive budget and administration doing a lot to help
what am I missing?
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so you expect finally getting a competitive budget after years of underfunding will turn the program around in 1 year? Get real TP!
I have saying for a long while both here and on the Blather that the problems of this program began with the admin indifference which emanated back in the early 90s. And that has been the pattern of Pitt FB since the late 40s.
And you know what …. you will never see what happened back in the mid 70s ever again … because conditions have changed drastically since then. And I’m not only talking about recruiting and attendance; there is lack of national exposure, media preference, recent success (30 years worth), and alumni interest not to mention location, location, location
So deal with it!
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TX, your critical eye and skepticism is warranted, but again you lose me when you speculate without any basis whatsoever that Pitt would have lost to BC and NCState. You have no way of knowing this and clearly these are not facts, they are your speculation. Also if any recruit is stupid enough to believe Dino Babers pathetic excuse for losing a game is pinning it on his own player’s drinking habits (which again is not fact) then that recruit is frankly too stupid to be in college. How does the recruit not think how long it will before Dino pins the next loss on him. Not a smart recruiting move – EVER.
Cmon, your arguments are usually much better than wild eyed, biased speculation. I get it, you scoff at the Division title, but the fact is that 6 other teams would have loved to have done what Pitt did last year. Its a step in the right direction. BUT where we agree is that it better not be the only step and more importantly better not be a once in a career thing for HCPN. .
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it is speculation
but kids are very impressionable
no doubt Dungey had a very bad first half
the rain delay helped him sober up in my opinion (the kid graduated so he’s perfect to be thrown under the bus). thats reality in how the recruiting game is played
Dino can sell recruits because he’s done something Narduzzi has not and only after 3 years…won 10 games, won a bowl and got the team ranked
Dino’s trajectory is up and Narduzzi is easy road kill for any coach that knows how to sell
Football is the only sport where Pitt doesnt play everyone in the conference at least once. Again, it is my opinion that Pitt would not have beaten those teams. So a 6-2 record in the ACC quickly becomes closer to .500
Every team but 1 now has won that division title. That step often doesnt take you very far.
I dont hate Narduzzi. I’ve given credit when its due. I dont insult him by calling him gorilla arms and big calves. I have said he has Meatballs for brains though.
If I was Heather, I’d manage him like a dog on a short leash. He’s in my doghouse but it doesnt mean I plan on abandoning him.
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All I can say is thank God u are not the AD tex. We wouldn’t be able to hire a high school coach
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You’re a real pip Tx, that was funny!
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Tex u are taking the lead as the pov biggest Narduzzi hater. Just no budging for u
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The losses to the Heels the last 2 years tell me we have a wayz to go ……….,.,,,,,we have to be able to whip the worst of the ACC ……..
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There is no way in hell that Pitt is top four in football spending in the ACC. That is BS.
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link
https://expo.syracuse.com/sports/g66l-2019/03/c0c7cc26641256/which-acc-football-programs-spend-the-most-money.html
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Great to see that Pitt is competitive in spending with most of its peers. Fl ST Clemson and Miami at the next level is no surprise. Money is obviously a big factor in success. A breakdown of those numbers would be most interesting.
Really glad to see that the ACC Network is finally up and running this fall. This should help us be more competitive locally and regionally with ACC programming to compete with the other conferences. Should help recruiting in all sports since parents will see more of their kids performances on TV.Hopefully they do a good job and get better announcers.
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Tx, you’re right, Stanford did have a handful of players sitting out for that bowl game but TT is even more correct pointing out how seriously these kids take a these bowl games anymore and it’s going to get a lot worse every year from now on. And to say PITT won a participation trophy for the division title and how you feel about not winning a bowl game is just not up to your standards of being so well articulated. In other words, I think you’re jumping the shark Fonzie. I get that winning the division title is not PITT’s ultimate goal but it is the very first goal PITT has at the beginning of the year, which is to win the Coastal Division. In order for the PITT football to get to where they want to go starts by winning the division title. A bowl game is the participation trophy game.
BTW, PITT lost in the now infamous POV bowl game against Northwestern while their starting QB, starting running back, starting guard, and a number of other players left the game with injuries. It was said that if the game was more important that a few could have returned to the game. This is after PITT kicked Norwestern’s butts up and down the field the first 12 minutes.
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So PITT has 9 players that are invited to NFL training camps this coming year, one is a 4* who was not drafted, the rest were 3* or less.
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How many 4* players did Pitt have eligible this year? Not too many I think.
Only 4s Hall and Bookser (who were recruited by Pitt) and Hendrix was a 4 transfer in along with Town who was a bust from the start at USC.
And didn’t all of those three guys get invited to camps – Hall, Bookser and Hendrix?
I’m not sure what your point is except maybe trying to, again, excuse Narduzzi for not being able to land blue chip kids out of HS.
Fans to don’t care if their HC can’t land immediate impact 4* kids are kidding themselves.
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Oh, Hendrix 4*’s count now? I thought they don’t “transfer” over? Not to mention, all but one are Chryst recruits. Where are all his super recruited stars?
I’ll wait until the end of this year and see who has more players drafted.
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I didn’t check the numbers, but I read on the Lair that Paul Chryst’s in-conference record at Pitt was 10 – 13. (The Doozer is 20-12. )
I root for any coach who has coached at Pitt and I like PC, though I wasn’t a fan of his lowest-key approach to recruiting. What saved PC from a worst fate at Pitt was Tyler Boyd, and PC knew it.
I remember PC very uncharacteristicly bubbling with enthusiasm when he talked about Tyler Boyd back on that signing day…
Go Pitt.
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Those numbers are from the Department of Education. That should tell you how accurate they are.
Clemson opened a 55 million dollar football facility in 2017. I bet that isn’t included in the numbers for any years.
Have they reported amenities like an HD theater, a barber shop, a nine-hole putt-putt course, a golf simulator, a basketball court, laser tag, a bowling alley, an indoor slide and outdoor firepit. All these things are in their new football complex.
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^^^ that answer. And I did give Narduzzi props for winning, albeit with those great OL, WR and RB kids he had from PC.
To say nothing of very good coordinators in Chaney and Canada.
My point over those two years was always lets see what he does when PC’s players are leaving and PN’s are fleeting up…and as that has happened we haven’t had a winning season.
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capital projects probably not much like the AD donation for improvements may not be reported as a cost
Nobody is saying that Pitt needs to go head to head with elite schools Pitt is in the game to recruit 4-5 four stars each year, not 20 of them.
Pitt will always spend less than FSU and Clemson and most likely Miami
These numbers prove that Pitt isnt being cheap
Look at this 7-8 years ago and Pitt would be near the bottom just ahead of Wake.
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PITT had a 6-2 conference record last year………. To me? That’s a winning season.
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Think what you would like but Hall is a Narduzzi recruit. That’s a fact and it’s official.
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Did Narduzzi convince Hall to come to Pitt out of HS Ike? That’s what recruiting is…not just being the HC when LOI Day rolls around.
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Hall had to be re-recruited. An example would be that they are allowing players to transfer and be immediately eligible in the NCAA these days when the head coach leaves said school. It’s just a difference of opinions I suppose
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Does Miami rent the stadium like us? Isn’t that a cost (including bus rental) that should be deducted from the total cost to obtain what is really spent on FB.
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rent should show up as a cost. That cost to Pitt is $1M every year
Pitt would have to spend more than that if they owned their own stadium
Pitt is getting a real good deal. Temple pays $4M every year
To me Pitt will always be cheap until it makes investments in facilities
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I’ll repeat myself and then I have to roll. This year is Narduzzi recruits year. Not last year but this year. He needs to do something big with this team. If PITT falls flat on their faces then it’s on the coach. Last year, it was the losses to UNC and Stanford that ruined a really good season. That team would have won at least 9 games if the offense hadn’t forgotten how to chuck the ball downfield.
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Speaking of Chryst Recruits…
8 Kickers invited to try out for the Chicago Bears.
Two remaining. One named BLEWITT!
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Every Bear’s fan I know don’t want Chris to make the team just because of his name.
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This is a family blog Ike…
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this just goes to show that Pitt is revenue poor and will have difficulty keeping up with its spending levels unless revenues increase. Pitt’s spending is not sustainable unless revenues start picking up. Thats attendance, donations, merchandise, concessions, parking, naming rights, ad and sponsorship monies, etc
https://expo.syracuse.com/sports/g66l-2019/03/7b6506287e3457/which-are-the-richest-and-poorest-acc-football-programs-.html
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Great point Tex. Time do do your part! If you don’t donate or go to at least some of the games no room to complain!
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I’ve told Pitt how to do it – multi purpose stadium
Regardless of winning or losing, Pitt’s attendance is 35-55k
Boosters will only donate to proven winners and leaders
Boosters will only donate to a bigger cause and needed investments
Pitt does not receive 100% of the cut at Heinz
Pitt receives no cut from naming rights and other ads and sponsorships since it is a renter
I’ve done half of the feasibility study for them pro bono already
I’ll purchase the ACC Network to watch games if they want my money
They should at least not ignore my ideas.
My donation check for an OCS is sitting on my table already endorsed. The only thing it needs is a date.
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If we had so and so…
If we won such and such game…
If we remembered how to pass…..
If we continue to bury the truth…..
Fact is, 7-7 puts us in a bad spot every year, but eligible for a bowl.No chest thumpin here. . If we win the coastal at 6-2 that is good. 8 yards passing shows what we really were. An average team at best. Does it feel better to say we won the coastal, I guess!
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Certainly fells better than if we didn’t win the Coastal.
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It was only a momentary high. The buzz went away after the Miami loss. The Clemson loss made me straight sober. The Stanford loss made me drink again.
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True, the only redeeming factor in a blah season.
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Fully expect Whipple to have a noticeable IMPACT on Pickett and the Passing Game. How could he not?
Even with that being the case, don’t see winning the Coastal this year being quite as easy as last.
Competition up both with maturing Players, VA’s QB among them… and NEW Coaches.
Finally winning a BOWL might be the best Pitt can look forward to.
But I hear they really don’t count for anything.
Lol
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Raised the question before that in hiring Whipple, did Narduzzi possibly hire his SUCCESSOR?
Going to be interesting if the Offense ends up getting MOST of the credit for whatever good comes.
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NotRocketScience – you are correct, Pitt is #5 in spending not #4. #5 is close to #4 but is not #4. If you are providing facts, please use the correct facts especially that you are now providing the link for your claim.
Also in the second link that TX Panther provided at the bottom of the article is this note under METHODOLOGY:
Do not include:
Capital assets and related debts (money specifically identified to pay for capital assets). Money for indirect facilities
Now this is under the revenue link. But I may be wrong but I remember trying to understand the EADA report a few years back & vaguely remember that capital projects & debt repayments are a separate category. So If AD donated $1M to PITT football & specified no particular use for the money, it’s revenue. Same as a seat donation or Panther Club dues. If AD specified it’s used for capital upgrades or debt repayment it’s not included in revenue under EADA.
Now this take is different then USAToday report on college football revenue. They don’t care where the money is used. That’s why Texas A&M has been 1’st or 2’nd the last few years. Bulk of donations where for paying for stadium expansion & renovations.
That is why you always need to read how (methodology) reports are assembled. For example, the USAToday report on head coach salary does NOT include bonus money earned for the prior year results but paid in the current year. But since USAToday is using Pitt tax filing info, bonus income is included. You either have to subtract out bonus paid money from Pitt tax filing or add the amount shown in the USAToday report to compare apples to apples.
I take EADA (or most gov’t reports) with a grain of salt. I used to do two or three fed or state reports a year. In total, the numbers were true but I probably spent only slightly more time on this comment then I did on any individual report.
Hey we are # 4 (from the bottom) in revenue.
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These figures aren’t perfect. Only way to truly know is via internal audit. Public and private report differently. Everyone has their own accounting methods.
What I wanted to point out are some high level findings based on the limited info at hand.
Bottom line conclusions.
Pitt is not cheap on football spend
But they aren’t breaking the bank either and are not at elite levels
Pitt is revenue poor relative to other P-5 and ACC schools
Pitts spend is not sustainable at these revenue levels
Pitt needs to find more revenues and/or cut spending
Simple economics
But if Pitt cuts football spending, the program will struggle to even be mediocre
Revenue is ticket sales and donations primarily. Pitt has a small fan base. And Pitt has few boosters and fewer fans that donate to sports. Reasons have been discussed. No easy or quick fix.
That’s why I support a big facility project to rally behind. Why I support a multi purpose venue to increase revenues.
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7 wins last year with that ridiculous schedule was a good season. A reasonable non-conference and we are 9-5. Did it suck to lose the last three games when two were winnable? Of course. But we have basically sucked for 40 years so yes 7 wins last season was a good season.
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PittMan – its all about expectations
I had Pitt winning 7 games last year…on was on record here
What I didnt expect was 3 losses in a row, 4 blow out losses
I did expect another bowl loss though
I did not expect Pitt winning the Coastal
Mixed bag really
But I’m still disappointed that Pitt didnt exceed my expectations
That would have made me less bitter or negative
Good seasons to me are 9-10 wins and a final ranking in the top 25. Ideally finishing with a bowl win.
Everything else is just meh
6 wins has been Pitt’s mark over the past 30 years
7 wins was just a tad better than that
But now Pitt is actually spending money to achieve it
Pitt still doesnt know how to win
I’d force every coach and player to watch the womens volleyball team. And then I’d require upon pain of death to have every coach and player bow down to those women. Because they are ACC Champions.
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On the record in 2018 with Pitt winning SIX Games and LOSING a Bowl.
Could not have anticipated that the Coastal would be so AVERAGE that Pitt could eke out a Championship.
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BTW… GUARANTEED Pitt’s loss to Stanford.
First time ever I went on the record predicting a Pitt loss. PAINED me to do it.
Did it only to PROVE a point.
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I predict Virginia to win the Coastal They are the only school that hasnt done it yet.
I see Pitt winning 7-8 games
Vegas will probably peg Pitt at 7 regular season wins…last year was 5.5 I think
I’ve seen ACC publications predicting Pitt 3rd or 4th in the Coastal
I do predict Pitt beating Penn State. And to me that win alone will mean the season was a success. I doubt Pitt plays Penn State again for 20 years.
12-0
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TX… Hope you’re right in every one but the last one.
But you’re chance of being right there is probably at least as good as in the Wins and Losses.
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Unless Pitt christens a NEW OCS!
Lol
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Tex I hear u about expectations. I want more than last year’s season. I am saying good “for Pitt.” Strength of schedule is always lost in people’s minds. I remember thinking last year that with their schedule I would be happy to get 7 wins and they did. Not great, but good for Pitt. I sm hoping that we wil continue gettymore
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Getting more
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Saw that Darrin Hall was already cut by the Browns. Wonder what’s up with that?
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Could be that he is primarily a straight ahead runner that lacks field vision. Have said that since he has been here. He was very good at Pitt, finding success in an era and in a conference where defenses use 5 defensive backs and smaller linebackers with speed to protect against spread or run pass option offenses. Pitt used a pro style offense with an emphasis on the run and big ugly linemen that created success for its running backs in terms of yards over the last few years.
We haven’t had the most talented backs, or the most talented offensive linemen. We had the best offensive game plan for running backs…..and running backs against nickel and dime defensive packages. This will hopefully change with much needed balance. Hopefully Hall catches on with another team but I don’t see him as a special teams star, which is where undrafted free agents typically cut their teeth before getting an actual chance in the league to carry the rock.
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Totally surprised to see it happen this soon.
https://triblive.com/sports/browns-waive-ex-pitt-rb-darrin-hall/
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What do you expect? He was a Narduzzi recruit!! 😉
What really matters is that he did well at Pitt.
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LOL! Great timing….
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Maybe the Steelers can pick up Hall for the practice squad. Barring an injury it would be tough to make the traveling team with the Steelers drafting Bennie Snell.
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Competition was stiff in Cleveland. But must be more to the story. You don’t cut a Runningback for just how he looks running around in shorts.
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Conner might not make Steelers “traveling team” with Snell coming on board.
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Hall was dropped by the Browns in favor of Trayone Gray, a free agent RB from Miami. Gray is 6-foot-1, 233 pounds and rushed for 294 yards and five touchdowns in four seasons in Miami. (not making that up)
I have been telling everyone here for years of the superior talent that The U has year after year after year. And they are much better example of SOP than Pitt ever was.
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picture a squad filled with Antonio Browns and Le’vion Bells. BTW, Bell just skipped his first training session with the Jets saying that he’ll show up when they start playing football.
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Being totally serious, Snell is going to give Conner plenty of COMPETITION when it comes to carries.
Similar speed with more power. Better SHORT yardage Back.
And much more DURABLE.
Conner’s time as Le’Veon Bell’s replacement looks to be just about up.
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So he should have played defensive end?
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I’m on the record right after the Steelers drafted Conner saying they might have done so knowing he could switch to D-End or Linebacker if the Runningback thing didn’t work out.
His problem at the NFL level is that in order to maintain QUICKNESS he is having to play LIGHT at 225 lbs. Conner is a natural 250 pounds which is pretty much where he played at Pitt early on.
So far, he is showing trouble holding up to the beating he his taking at his current weight. Likely to continue UNLESS he finds a way to BULK up and continue to be productive carrying the Ball.
It’s been my opinion that Defensive End might be his BEST position in the NFL… and especially for the Steelers given the kind of Defense they play.
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But no, Defensive End was NEVER going to be his best position at Pitt.
Lol
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But maybe in the pros
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The problem with running back is the sustained beating, and Conner has been somewhat injury prone, which is understandable. That is why for him D-End may have been a better long term choice, but we will never know. Agree that he made much more of a difference at RB at Pitt than he would have at D-End.
But in the NFL RB’s life expectancy and therefore earnings are a lot less than D-Ends that get to the passer.
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Coming from Conner’s FIRST and Biggest Fan during his early days at Pitt.
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Actually having Snell may be a blessing for Conner. Fewer carries may increase his longevity, and lower the injuries. He is still a beast at the goal line, a much needed asset on any team.
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PoD – I’ll arm wrestle you for that title…
Erie Express (where do you think this handle came from)
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I don’t doubt Pitt has raised the bar in spending but there are just so many factors in the college football arms race that these reports may not consider. For instance, Pitt is not going to compete with the big boys in facilities. Clemson is just one of many that are over the top. I hope it comes back and bites them in the arse some day.
TX hit the nail on the head. Pitt’s revenue streams are a huge issue.
I also agree with TX that Narduzzi needs to raise the bar in wins this year. Those revenue numbers are not going to get better until Pitt starts reaching 9 and 10 wins per year.
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The only way to solve those revenue issues is through higher attendance and donations Pitt is in a tough spot.
It needs to spend money to make sure everything is in place to get 9-11 win seasons. Yet it doesnt have the money to sustain that level of spend unless attendance improves and fans donate.
But attendance wont improve without rivalry games, consistent 10 win seasons, and players in the running for the Heisman. All this takes time and Pitt may run out of money before then. Maybe theres a pot of gold under the Cathedral.
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Money was the reason Pitt backed off after the 70’s. The ACC has helped and will help immensely with guaranteed revenue, the ACC network will help even more. The fact that the ACC holds both National Championships right now also helps the league.
Capel will put the butts back in the seats at the Pete. The Heinz deal makes an increase in attendance increase revenue with marginal increases in cost. Winning is the only thing that will increase attendance in the long run. One rivalry game is all that is needed. The tough OOC has done little to help attendance. PSU, ND, and WV are the only ones that move the dial. The OK ST, UCF and Tennessee don’t fill seats and add another loss to the record. When Clemson, FL St ND or Louisville get added to the schedule it becomes really tough to become bowl eligible. What will happen when we have WV, Tenn and get one or two of those four on the schedule? Especially in a down year you are looking at a repeat of 5-7.
Most AD’s are smart enough to recognize this an appropriately adjust. Even ND has lightened their schedule over the last few years. Penn State as well. Conference play has changed everything. It no longer matters who you play OOC< the more wins you have the better bowl you get and higher rated you are and that is what matters.
The impact of a tough OOC on attendance is marginal at best. What will increase attendance over time will be wins and new rivalries created in conference.
Pittsburghers love winners and only show up for winning teams. The Pirates and Pitt Basketball are points in fact. You can’t give a ticket away in this town when a team is a loser. Unfortunately Pitt has the long earned rep as a loser in this city. The only thing that changes that is sustained winning over a period of time.
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Amen!! Tex, we have a convert! This is not hard except that our AD’s don’t get it as she has just done what GC said not to do! They think they are smarter! ugggh!
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Historically, the numbers show Pitt Football draws about the same at Heinz or the Old Pitt Stadium when the team wins.
Problem is when you’re a .500 Team and not playing PSU or WVU… the “Yellow” Seats at Heinz are absolutely HORRID and Heinz becomes a “No Man’s Land” as a College Football venue.
Soon going to become much the same for the Steelers once they start losing to the Browns on a regular basis and coming up short on the playoffs.
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The solution is to do something along the lines of what Major League Baseball has done with its approach to new Stadiums over the past decade.
The focus of MLB has been to make the stadium a place for FAN EXPERIENCE rather than just a place to sit and watch a BORING baseball game.
It’s my opinion that ONLY a New Pitt Stadium on or near Campus can accomplish this!
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Blue in the face saying the same thing!
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And as many here have stated… connecting the Stadium with the Campus and University history is KEY!
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Just buy Heinz Field when a new Steeper stadium is built. Convert it to all Pitt identity.
Buy an office building or two on the Nort Side also and have classes in them…then it is all the Pitt campus
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^^^build a hyperloop between Oakland and North Shore campus. Gets you there in 2 mins. Now that’s a win
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Agree with this tactic 100%. Pitt returns to its original home. Heinz Field could be downsized by removing the upper tiers.
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EE – I don’t follow Pitt baseball except for an occasional check of the record. I see they are currently 17-30.
Looking closer, I’m not sure if it’s good news or bad news, but 10 of the losses have been by one run…
Go Pitt.
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A few things:
Reads to me that we have identified PITTs problems and they are great.
)1. PITT plays in a too big of a stadium
)2. Lack of attendance, too many yellow seats.
)3. PITT needs to play rivalry games to improve attendance.
)4. PITT needs to play rivalry games that they can win.
)5. Oakland is not connected to the north shore.
)6. PITT plays too many tough OOC games that don’t help recruiting or attendance.
)7. PITT needs money while they sit on billions of dollars.
)8. etc etc etc………
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)9. PITT needs to win more games!!
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Buy Heinz and PNC and the hotel between the two. Wait until they are ready to fall down and cheap. Start courses in athletic accounting, medicine, management, etc. Are university facilities tax free?
Steelers will be out in the burbs.
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It baffles me when Pitt asks fans for input on ways to improve the fan experience yet ignores the primary way that pro sports teams transform the fan experience – building and re-designing facilities
simple design changes such as moving fans closer to the pitch and building overhangs (keeps fans at least dry) are being done on new stadiums in the Premier league. A League that is top of class when it comes to fan experience. Thats done for the viewing experience as well as other techie things to get fans off their sofas at home. And of course the other tradition things inside and outside the stadium that are constantly being nurtured. You still cant get the complete experience on TV regarding all the sights, sounds and smells.
Ultimately the best designed stadium will fail if the team is bad. Nice stadiums do draw in the casual fan. But to keep the fans coming back, you need to be entertained. Now granted much entertainment exists inside and outside stadiums. But the actual game is the focal point and unless your team wins, plays exciting ball, has marquee players or is playing an elite team, you’ll have a tough time getting people to attend.
Thats why its important for Pitt to start winning games, collecting hardware, developing players into bonafide stars, scheduling WVU
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There’s always “Rib Fest”!!
Of course the very best “fan experience” is stopping by Fran’s tailgate…
Go Pitt.
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actually, if you wanted to get picky, Darrin Hall committed on 8/19/2014 right before Chryst’s final season at Pitt (see link below). Nonetheless, he signed his LOI under PN and played his entire career under him
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2015/darrin-hall-5166
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Just observe the high school QB Alex Hornibrook or whatever his name is… He verbalized to PITT while Chryst was still head coach at PITT. Did he end up at PITT after PC left? No he did not, Narduzzi had to re-recruit him which he didn’t. That’s how the cookies crumble. Hall was a 100% Narduzzi recruit and yes, subsequently cut by the lowly Browns yesterday.
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Baker-Mayfield will not put up with a RB missing a chip let alone a blitzing LB or rushing DE.
And Hall has missed quite a few.
Wasn’t going to happen as the lowly Browns being lowly might be coming to an end.
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Pitt will be drawing more than the Steelers soon
Steelers will blame TV
And convince Yinzers they need a new retractable roof stadium
Pitt moves with Steelers to Cranberry
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Ike. I need some good news with basketball recruiting. Any word lately? We lost out on another one today…ORN
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Think more along the lines of the time of the school year……….
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Oh my gosh Tx, you’re losing me buddy. You’ve gone from an on campus stadium to one that’s 20 miles further away than Heinz Field. The Steelers will not leave the north shore in anyone’s lifetime on this Blog.
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Think there might be room right next to the Penguins practice facility.
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that’s the old Civic Arena site and it might be the best location for a 40k Pitt Stadium yet. It’s not that far from Oakland, the T runs pretty close to it, and I believe there is room for parking lots in the lower Hill
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When the Steelers move to West Virginia, Pitt will become the Weirton Panthers. Get used to corncob pipes, road kill and moonshine.
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Pitt’s latest volleyball recruiting class has been ranked 19th in the country! If you win, they will come!
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I love those women
And Pitts wrestling class is pretty good as well
I’ve always said if you build it, fans will come
But I digress 🙂
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Ike what do u mean?
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All stadiums must have light rail or subway or any kind of mass transit.
Otherwise you get thousands of parking places with pay gates and traffic jams. No pleasant times there.
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BTW, it just dawned on me that the topic of this blog dealt with the alleged Pat Signal, yet we still don’t know who the commit is … or even if it was a commit for that matter
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Ethan Morton will be deciding on Thursday. Rumor is Purdue will be it.
Pitt’s basketball struggles continue.
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Heather – you need to pay for basketball players. Thats how the game is played. If you dont, Pitt will end up with 4 ACC wins at best every freakin year. Everyone does this but Pitt. There is no enforcement. The NCAA actually encourages this. Get with the program
Its not cheating if everyone does it and gets away with it. Basketball is ruleless.
Only Pitt thinks it is high and almighty.
Have Narduzzi cough up some money. He’s obviously not spending it on 4 stars.
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Excuses for Capel. Abuses for Narduzzi.
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Narduzzi inherited a stable program
He’s had 4 years
Capel walked into a dumpster fire
His first class was very impressive
I’m still waiting for any class of Narduzzi’s to be impressive
Narduzzi couldnt sell snow to Eskimos or water to a whale
hair products to Patrick Stewart
condom to a Kennedy 🙂
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just 13 months ago, Jeff Capel was considered as one of the elite recruiters in basketball
once again …. program or coach?
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program for basketball
coach for football
Narduzzi doesnt need to pay to get his 2 stars
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u know I do this to p you off wbb. when you walk into it, its all too easy. no hard feelings.
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wwb. cant even get your handle right. my bad
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Basketball recruiting has been depressing lately. Just so many misses.
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Off topic.
To me the LB position depth chart will be one of the most interesting things to watch during camp (and by watch, I mean we wont’t get to watch or hear anything).
In the middle we have Chase Pine (RSJR), Elias Reynolds (RSJR) and Wendal Davis (RSFR). Reynolds has the most experience. Pine has experience. Davis has none. All are reasonably big at 255, 240 and 245, respectively.
At the two outside positions we have Saleem Brightwell (RSSR), Cam Bright (RSSO) and a converted Phil Campbell (RSJR). Brightwell has the most experience of the LB crew. Bright and Campbell both played quite a bit. Reynolds and Brightwell can play both inside and outside. Who will replace Idowu’s production on the outside?
Interesting that all have redshirted.
We may see more of a rotation this season.
Any thoughts on who the three primary starters will be?
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I am hearing the football commit may be an lb grad transfer from Florida. Not sure how true that is. Peak thinks we’ll know who the commit is this week.
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Rocky – thank you for that post. I get tired of the other crap and wish there was more discussion on here about the players…
Will be interesting to see if the talk about Campbell was the real deal or just Coach-speak. Campbell was getting a lot of praise for his ability to get off blocks.
Reynolds looked surprisingly good last season. We need Bright (or somebody) to make a big splash this season. Where’s Zeke Gadson when you need him… 😊
Go Pitt.
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highlight tapes are just that … nonetheless, I remember Bright’s highlight tape blowing me away. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he stepped up
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Ummm, since when was Pitt a favorite for Ethan Morton? Pitt has always been a long shot. Not sure how this chalks up as a miss. Y’all should relax. This is a long burn. From very the beginning, Capel said he’s building a program not a team. Almost paraphrasing Duzz. Once he said that, expectations should have been let’s build a foundation and go from there. Even in the one and done era, you need a culture to be winner.
Lower your expectations a little and just enjoy the rise. It will happen. If anyone was paying attention to what he was saying when he was hired you’d have realized this already.
Jeff Capel quotes:
“Being winners and changing a program is not going to be easy. We have to always fight, and we have to always battle with ourselves and with everybody else every day,” Davis said. “None of us have been winners, right? For us to fight with ourselves, it means we have to keep going our hardest every day, because we haven’t won, so we don’t know how hard we’ve got to go.”
… and he’s learning from his mistakes:
“But beyond the controversy, Capel was fired for the team’s performance on the floor, something he believes was due to a lack of what he hopes to build in Pittsburgh.
“To get the thing that I didn’t realize at the time, I thought we had a solid foundation, we didn’t,” Capel says. “Some of those values that you think that you have, where everyone’s all in and it’s about the team and what can we do, you realize that that wasn’t the case. There were some agendas. We weren’t all on the same page. That’s why it came crumbling down.”’
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Darrin Hall claimed off waivers by the Bengals…
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Correction: Cincy Bungles.
(And remember, watch what you say because Fran is an official Cope-a-nut!)
Go Pitt.
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Don’t care how things look at this point, I’m giving Capel an A+ for Recruiting.
When he was Head Coach at Oklahoma, it became pretty clear that Capel wins ONLY when he has Superior Talent.
I would hate to think that Heather hired a Coach who can’t win.
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2019 Intermat rankings of college wrestling recruiting indicates Pitt did not make the top 29.OSU # 1, Dairy High #22 which was a big drop for them. Maybe because we plucked one of their leans? Crazy! This is the first time ever I commented on wrastling.
Capel talked about building a program and that all were not on the same page because of their personal agendas. Now we have a point guard declaring he wants to go to the nba early. Not sure what that means. A new agenda?
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He hasn’t declared anything. He has said he doesn’t see himself at Pitt for 4 years … and he may be right. Early 2020 draft boards have him in early 2nd round next season. If he moves into the first round, he has to go pro. You cannot give up an NBA guaranteed contract. It’s one of the best in sports.
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Is that really different or did you just want to jab me first thing in the morning. If not the NBA, where do you think he was indicating he was going, private equity? The article was all about his current second round grade in the NBA!
I’d like him to stay because that gives Capel an extra year to get a big as a compliment player. Recruiting is also about balancing classes. We are missing balance right now.
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Huff – I think I misread what you were saying in regards to an agenda this morning. Not meant as a shot. Capel was talking about his assistants having agendas and recruiting kids they shouldn’t have. Capel selected very ethical coaches and doesn’t want to cut corners getting kids. It’s going to require patience.
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Capel wants to build a program and I get that, but the thought of a fourth consecutive losing season is tough to swallow and really starts to put the 13 NCAAs in 15 seasons further in the rear-view mirror.
I didn’t expect to land Morton, but no excuse to not sign Puff Johnson and Gordon. I’m still hoping for Sy and Nadir granted a sixth season for 2019-20. That would be huge IMO. The JuCo guard, Murphy, is committing to Pitt tomorrow.
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It appears that Pitt is no longer the cool place to be for both area football and basketball stars. So Morton isn’t seriously considering Pitt, just as the previous area ND Rob Carmody who is going to ND.
Carmody’s younger brother is the big area blue chip next year, 6-7 280 OL from Mars High School. According to Rivals, he has visited Pitt and OSU twice, and PSU about 10 times. It makes you wonder why he has taken so many trips to the Dairy School, but one thing that helps these large schools are its boosters …. and they are well versed in not directly involving any of the coaches in their dealings with the players.
However, all these visits to Centre County may be for naught, as ND just offered Carmody this past weekend. Whatever … just another local blue chip, BB and FB, which Pitt never had a chance to get
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clarify …. Rob Carmody, last year’s big blue chip BB player, went to ND …. not “is going”
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Thinking ahead to the opener, don’t believe it’s been decided yet but here’s hoping it’s a later kickoff. On that note, I happened across this little song on another message board so I looked it up. Thought it was funny and reminded me that PITT is just a lot alike some other schools… Take a watch and listen.
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It will take a while to get local players to look favorably on Pitt, All they know is how poor Pitt has been in recent years. Top players want to go to top schools. The world is a much smaller place these days and kids are not worried about leaving home.
When I was a freshman, there was one phone on each floor of the towers, shared by all. Guys would go home almost every weekend to be with their girlfriends or high school buddies.If you stayed you could pick up extra steak tickets for the cafeteria, which was deplorable. Times have changed. Kids never stop texting and can Skype their girlfriends whenever they want. Campuses compete for the best food service and dorm rooms are like hotel rooms. Almost everyone has a car.
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Another miss
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2019/05/07/2019-forward-olivier-robinson-nkamhlua-commits-to-tennessee/
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This is a case when last decade Pitt was dominating and would lose a recruit to a bad program and fans would say “Better chance for playing time there as he’d have to sit and wait at Pitt.”
Now, Pitt has the PT available and I’m reading “Tennessee is a much better program than Pitt, so why wouldn’t he go there?”
This kid had the four spot pretty much his as a freshman at Pitt and I’m guessing he won’t start at Tennessee in 2019-20.
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Don’t forget the one community bathroom gc, if I remember they were on every other floor?? Note’ I actually didn’t live there, well technically that is.
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I think every floor, but I still remember all the first time drunks sleeping it off in the showers.
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Missing the postseason is part of rebuilding. Lol.
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No reason to freak out about basketball recruiting until the end of the signing period. There are players out there like Xavier Johnson that nobody knows about.
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Saw an interview with the new RMU AD. Seems like an impressive guy but he dropped the ‘front porch’ line and I gagged thinking of Herman.
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I think too many people are worried about next season. Next season is still a transition year. The expectations should be a few more wins with the eyes on the 2021 season and beyond … and I’m talking NIT first. Not a jump straight to the NCAA’s.
Scorned Pitt fans crack me up … Like we’re entitled to win. Just because we’ve not won does not mean we’re entitled to win.
I disagree with a lot of what TX has been preaching but one thing I take away from his rants is that if Pitt wants to play with the big boys they have to earn it … and Pitt, historically, has not earned it.
I believe you create your own luck. What has Pitt done to create their own luck? Exactly … nothing. Now, I do believe that Heather is doing a lot of the right things to where Pitt may get lucky at some point. And that luck is what may open the door to further success but nothing is a quick fix … and nothing is ever given … you have to go out and earn it.
And yes … there are success stories out there. Generally, they’re fluky … so I don’t want to hear about Texas Tech.
Fixing fundraising with a scorned fan base is not an overnight project. It may take 5 years before even a little success is seen … And 10 to 20 years before money really starts rolling in. And even then, Pitt needs consistency.
Capel is going to have to win at Pitt before he starts landing these super recruits. That’s just the reality of the situation. Dixon was a system coach who was able to find a niche spot in the Big East. It broke in the move to the ACC. Capel is not a system coach … which leads me back to Texas Tech … they hired a saber metrics guy, like Dixon was, who was able to find a niche system that works in the Big 12 (and NCAA tournament apparently).
https://www.theringer.com/march-madness/2019/4/3/18293467/chris-beard-texas-tech-jarrett-culver-final-four-defense
Let Pitt go out an earn respect … and recruits … and wins. Stop expecting them. Pitt has to earn it and that should be our expectation … that Pitt goes out and earns it’s place in both football and basketball. This entitlement era drives me crazy. Pitt is not entitled to jack.
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Pitt fans are entitled to an administration that supports athletics. Particularly any fan thats paid to be entertained. And any former student whose fees and tuition have been used to support sports. I purposely use that word entitled because we Pitt fans have earned it. Any fan that is still loyal to this school after 40 years deserves far more respect than given from this university. Like stop insulting our intelligence for starters.
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Except we’re not entitled to that because we’ve never demanded it … We already don’t donate. If Pitt fans want a say they have to donate … and then withhold their donations or threaten to withhold when things need to be addressed. We don’t have that leverage so I 100% disagree that we’re entitled to anything.
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Pitt fans voted with their wallets regarding KS. When your program goes from making $10-15M in profit to losing money, the BoT takes notice
The same can and will happen with football. Pitt experienced the lowest attended home opener last year in like 20 years. It also generated very low attendance figures once you normalize for the Penn State game (34k) Fans are tired already of mediocre seasons and uninspiring play.
Narduzzi’s act is getting old. Fans are voting with their wallets. I dont see any attendance improvement this year.
Fans are also not supporting the full scale Victory Heights. Volleyball will be playing in that dump for another 50 years.
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Question, when did X-man, McGowens and Toney commit to PITT last year?
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ike – Question … Which of those 3 are top 50 recruits that really change programs?
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McGowens was the highest rated high school player until he reclassified and I’m pretty sure that all three were still un-committed at this time last year.
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None are program changers and Dixon landed quite a few top 100 recruits. I just don’t think using them as examples of his recruiting prowess is very effective. Fans want top 50 recruits. Final 4 teams generally have at least two.
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McGowens and X were committed in April 2018. Toney was June 2018.
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Thanks EE, so it was close to this time of year. No reason to panic yet but I did get your comment Rick, on how and why Capel gets a pass and Narduzzi gets dumped on.
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link to Pitt wrestling class
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2019/04/03/pitt-wrestling-recruiting-class-update/
Fills holes and all these guys look like high 3 stars to me. I have no idea how grades are made in this sport but it does look solid and fills needs
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and Pitt ladies volleyball
https://www.chatsports.com/pitt-panthers/a/source/pitt-volleyball-hauls-in-top-20-recruiting-class-15302166
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No disrespect intended, but the idea that someone’s actually ranking women’s volleyball recruiting classes gives me a bit of a chuckle.
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it goes to show that when you win the ACC conference and go to the playoffs and finish ranked, you can reel in the best class in Pitt volleyball history
I want Narduzzi to see that when he reads tonight
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Great news 2003, Skippy 4 is the one. Here they come.
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ike — congrats on landing a “Skippy!”
I read somewhere that he works with Steph Curry??? Can’t be a bad thing…
Go Pitt.
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link
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/pitt-lands-a-juco-guard
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After the loss of the big from Finland (ORN), this is a big relief getting Murphy, yeah we still don’t have our other big, but we needed shooters desperately. ORN was the big I wanted the most (of the ones I was aware of).
With Murphy on board along with Drumgoole, I feel a lot better about the loss of Frame; Coulibaly is supposed to be an efficient scorer/shooter as well.
I have no idea how many bigs (including reclass possibilities) are out there, but I sure hope Capel pulls a rabbit out of his hat. Really, I’d be happy with a strong rebounder/defender, doesn’t have to be a traditional Center.
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Much-needed shooter off the bench. Hopefully Sy is next.
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Not a big guy but a complete stud is still in the Capel mix as well. There is also a big (size) grad transfer that may come to PITT.
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Ike, I presume you can’t name names… At this point I’d certainly be fine with Sy, but if we could get a solid grad transfer big that would be fine too, don’t care either way.
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The recruit I’ve heard is Timberlake and a few grad transfers. It could be something and it may mean nothing. Starting to look like he may not reclassify. tick tick tick
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now if Capel can get a big guy (Juco/transfer) who can defend and rebound, then the team will be much more competitive this year
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off topic but the Texas Rangers’ Joey Gallo has 100 career home runs and 93 career singles. That’s absurd.
No wonder his lifetime avg is 210. But of his 250 career hits, 157 are extra base hits
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A position of need.
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Ike, I loved the noon kickoff video…reveille is 4:30 around here for a noon start. Haha.
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Fran, I certainly thought of you when I found that. I hope everyone appreciates you waking up at 4:30 then sitting in your car at 6:30 in the morning to reserve the parking spot for your tailgates. I know I sure do.
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No hardship for me Ike…labor of love. Plus Scooter and Wolfe are there too!
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A good Pitt man!
http://espn.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/post/_/id/34204/falcons-rookie-qadree-ollison-keeps-the-faith-through-brothers-murder
We seen this story locally.
H2P!
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Clint Hurdle seems like a great guy. He’s a super talker pre- or post-game.
But I’ve never been a fan of his game management. Today, once again, he showed why he should move on, IMHO…
BTW, Pitt baseball playing WVU at PNC on May 14th. I got to play a few games at Forbes Field back in the day – very cool…
Go Pitt.
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Yeah John, that’s a cool story… Forbes Field. WOW!
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JUCO guard Ryan Murphy coming to PITT. Still waiting on a big…
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Sorry Gordon, somehow I missed your video.
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