I was recently interviewed for a podcast (season preview for Pitt football, will be published around July 4th and I’ll post the link when it goes up).  One of the questions was, “Do you guys have a quarterback?”  My answer was, “Well…no”.

Now that is not entirely true.  And when you listen the podcast you’ll understand why I said what I said.  It has to do with history versus potential, and right now, history shows we “kind of” don’t have a quarterback.

In fact, every first year quarterback since Bill Stull has – for the most part – has posted better stats than Kenny Pickett.

Screen Shot 2019-06-26 at 10.36.59 PM
Pitt first year QB’s since 1998, with over 280 attempts.  Fields in yellow are equal or below Kenny Pickett’s 2018 stats.  More Yellow means that Kenny did better.  Less Yellow means that Kenny did bad.  As you can see with the exception of Completion % and INT’s per Attempt, KP his near the bottom of every category.

You’ll notice that Stull and Pickett have pretty similar stat lines, and very similar completion %’s.  They have exactly the same Adjusted Yards per Attempt.

Pickett was more efficient though.  He posted higher TD’s per attempt, and a much lower INT per Attempt number.  Pickett also protected the football better, throwing 12 TD’s versus 6 INT’s.  Stull threw just 9 TD’s and a whopping 10 picks.  As a result Pickett’s QB rating was a tick higher.

It’s also worth noting that Stull’s schedule was much lighter than Kenny’s 2018 slate.  According to Sports-Reference.com, Stull’s 2008 SOS was 3.17.  Pickett’s SOS in 2018?  6.55.  (Incidentally 6.55 is the toughest Pitt SOS since 1982.)  So it is safe to say that Pickett posted better numbers than Stull against tougher competition.

Big deal right?  Well, kind of.

You see, there are quite a few parallels between the 2008 Pitt Panthers and the 2018 Pitt Panthers.

1) Both teams were broke in new quarterbacks.

2) Both teams put up poor offensive showings in the Sun Bowl, which led to…

3) Both teams let go of ineffective and unpopular OC’s in the offseason in the interest of improving their passing games.  In 2009 Pitt fired Matt Cavanaugh and brought in Frank Cignetti.  in 2019, Pitt fired Shawn Watson go and brought in Mark Whipple.

Stull flourished under Cignetti.  En-route to ten wins in 2009, Stull completed 65% of his passes, threw for 21 TD’s and posted an excellent 150.6 passer raking

Screen Shot 2019-06-26 at 11.06.41 PM

Of course Dion Lewis went for nearly 2000 yards from scrimmage that year (as a freshman!) as well…

Screen Shot 2019-06-26 at 11.06.53 PM

And five-star WR Jonathan Baldwin caught 61 balls for nearly 1200 yards.

Screen Shot 2019-06-26 at 11.10.25 PM.png

and All-American Tight End “Scorin” Dorin Dickerson caught 10 touchdowns.

Screen Shot 2019-06-26 at 11.11.54 PM.png

and all that means that the O-Line was probably pretty good.

Okay so maybe there are some non-parallels as well.  We can only hope for such a supporting cast in 2019.

But still, the 2019 team is not totally devoid of talent.  WR Taysir Mack is among the ACC returning leaders in Yards Per Catch.  WR Maurice Ffrench flashed last year.  We all saw how explosive newly-converted running back V’Lique Carter can be.  On top of that,  four-star redshirt Freshman running back Mychaele Salahuddin looks to be back at full strength.  Screen Shot 2019-06-26 at 11.16.06 PM.png

If our veteran offensive line coach Dave Borbley can manage to develop two competent Offensive Tackles (50/50 chance IMO), then it will all come back to our boy Kenny Pickett.

And so the question is, can Whipple work his magic on a guy who has all the arm talent in the world, but who’s also got a well-documented case of happy feet?

We won’t truly find out until the Virginia game, but we might be able to glean some insight from Pickett’s offseason QB coach, Tony Racioppi.  Pantherlair’s Chris Peak interviewed him a few weeks ago, and the recording is definitely worth a listen.

Here are the quotes that jumped out at me:

“The quarterback it’s all about what’s around him and the playcaller.”

“If you have a lot guys around you who are talented, but you have a playcaller around you who are talented and the playcaller who is shaky, you have a great game you have a bad game, it’s never kind of a consistent kind of thing’

“What’s exiting for [Pickett] is that [there’s more around him] and Mark Whipple’s a fantastic offensive coach”

“At the end of the day the only thing you can’t simulate live is people coming at your quarterback.  When you are in the game it’s a feel for moving an understanding, and it only comes with reps”

(on KP’s tendencies under pressure) “I think it’s a combination of of A the repetition of doing it and B, you don’t really know what he was taught sometimes.  You don’t know if it was like ‘listen on this play we are only sending out one and two, you’re going to two-hitch the one and hopefully he gets open, if he doesn’t then try to get to two or make a play with your feet’.”

“Sometimes it’s what’s taught with the quarterback.  Like sometimes for instance the quarterback is taught to work high to low.  Sometimes on the same pass play it might be low to high.  If you saw his stats last year, a lot of times at halftime he was 7 for 10 or 8 of 12 for 70 yards.  That was the offense.  A lot of [Pitt’s] stuff was low to high, and I think, you know, he did his job.”

“[A quarterback] is going to do what you are coached to do.  You know if it’s a curl-flat and you were taught to read it flat-to-curl and the flat is open, you take it right away and get the ball out of your hands, and you do it and you complete it, it’s a five yard completion, but you did your job”.

Wow.  Just wow.  I mean for all we know Racioppi was just giving us generic examples of “things that happen in football”.  Right?

Or for all we know, that was a genericized insider look at how Shawn Watson ran his offense.  Right?

Now to be clear, removing Watson doesn’t guarantee that Pickett will develop, but at least he will have a chance to flourish in what Racioppi calls “a very quarterback friendly system”.  In other words, it’s probably safe to assume Whipple isn’t coaching KP to take the five yard out in the flat as his first option.  Whipple may even allow three receivers to run routes on the same play!  Needless to say, I’d expect Pickett’s YPA, TD’s (and probably interceptions) to go up.

Last but not least, and this is more an item of interest than something I think will help Pickett’s game, Pickett was recently invited to the Manning Passing Academy.  You’ll remember that Tino Sunseri was also invited to said passing academy in 2011.  His numbers took an immediate nosedive in 2012.  Granted Sunseri transitioned to Todd Graham’s “high octane” in 2012…so that may have affected him.  Here’s to hoping, nay believing that Pickett has more Stull than Sunseri in him, and this will be his  breakout year.

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

Kenny Pickett - University of Pittsburgh
Eye of the Panther

 

 

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

339 thoughts on “On Kenny Pickett”

  1. Another great writeup MM. Can Pickett really see the field under Whipple and actually be able to look for his second and third receivers before he decides to run? And will the OL give him enough time to look for those 2nd and 3rd options. Otherwise IMO it’s going to be go to the called pass play or run. Not the answer I’d want to witness come the 2019 season.

    Like

  2. My guess is that Kenny is going to get more opportunities this coming season to begin drives because on paper, this Narduzzi defense looks like it has talent & experience across the board. One more LB is really the only position that a younger player needs to emerge to make it complete. Giving the ball back to the O for another try will hopefully be a theme that will carry Pickett into the winners circle this season.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Tale of 2 Kenneys- physical and mental. Can he get it together and develop consistent poise. Kenny could be our quarterback for the entire year or he might have a very short season giving way to the next man up. It all starts with Virginia.

    Like

  4. Just yesterday on his twitter account, Chris Peak noted that it was the 15th year anniversary of the Steeler’s hiring Mark Whipple to mentor their rookie QB, Big Ben. The following year, they won the Super Bowl and repeated that a few years later.

    Pitt will not be winning any titles but Pickett will have an opportunity to improve. I’m not expecting a brand new QB but do expect a respectable and efficient pass game.

    Like

  5. Pickett’s WORST habit is the way he stops looking downfield once he reacts to pressure.

    Hopefully “Pappy” can work some magic.

    Optimistic he can.

    Like

  6. Great look at the historical stats MM. Kenny will only be as good as his O-line. He needs the confidence to stay in the pocket as long as possible, also the confidence to move up in the pocket. Had none last year and was flushed much to often. Also must improve passing on the run and look to pass first and run second.

    Hopefully the year’s experience has improved his ability to read defenses and improved play calling will give him better opportunities to execute.

    A balanced offense is always preferred. Hopefully Whipple teaches KP how to take what the defense is giving, and designs plays that our guys can execute at a high percentage.

    Pitt cannot be afraid to throw over the middle. I am hopeful we don’t see as many bubble screens and long out patterns. More slants and outlet passes to the backs please.

    The most important unsung hero will be the guy that can protect KP’s blind side.Second will be the back that can pick up the blitz.

    Still see Whipple relying more on the run like he did with Bettis in Ben’s first year.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m cautiously optimistic that the transfer te fron Rutgers could be good. Whipple will give him a fair shake, if that I’m sure. If he turns out to be a weapon, he’ll be used

        Like

        1. Speaking of TEs, the rumor seems to be that Pitt will give incoming frosh Kyi Wright a look at TE.

          He’s a good athlete. Played LB and QB in HS. He was listed as 6-3 and 210 but should still be growing…

          Not an immediate answer but could be promising down the road.

          And I saw where Scorin’ Dorin endorsed him for the job…😊

          Go Pitt.

          Like

  9. I think the good Doctor touched on a very key ingredient to KP’s success, or lack of same – The D.

    Getting the ball back to the O quickly, with good field position will:
    1.) Give KP and Pappy more confidence to “expand” the O;
    2.) Give the O more opportunities;
    3.) Tire out the opposing D.

    Don’t underestimate the effect of a lockdown defense to KP’s success!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Griffin-Stewart (aka “The Griff”) is PERFECT for the “Pappy” Offense. Fullback/Tight End.

    He’s good enough as a Receiver, but EXCELLENT as a Blocker.

    Put him down as a Starter against VA.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. BTW… it is surprising considering how good of a Runner he is.

    But Pickett is also not the most fluid Passer when rolling out. Too mechanical.

    Another area of improvement for “Pappy” to focus on. Although this fix might even be more difficult than getting Pickett to keep his eyes downfield while avoiding pressure.

    Again, optimistic.

    Like

  13. Toward the end of last season it appeared KP was chucking the ball just to get rid of it in many instances when under pass rush pressure. His qb psyche was shattered due to poor pass protection. This is anew year with a new oline, his success or lack of success will be dependent on how good the pass protection will be.
    I wish him luck but expect Patti will take the reins sometime in the first quarter of the season.

    Like

      1. I think if it is up to Nardo it would be George based on his being previously a starter. I think coach Whip will use whoever he thinks is better. Might be Patti, might not. I have no inside info.

        Like

        1. Given this staff’s clear history of playing seasoned veterans you have to think George is the guy. Plus he has a better spring game than Patti…not that that’s the end all be all.

          Liked by 1 person

  14. Excellent article, MM.

    Here’s what we should look for this fall camp. About half way thru camp in a post-practice interview, in response to a question about Coach Whip’s offense, we want to hear Kenny Pickett say: “This offense gives us answers. Whatever the defense does, we have answers.”

    The only other time I remember hearing a QB say this, and it was music to my ears, was Pistol Pete Gonzales in the first pre-season camp after Walt Harris arrived…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Great article Mike!

    The O-Line wasn’t the only problem last year and it all wasn’t on my dear Watson. Pickett lacked confidence throwing the ball on time. Seemed to me the WR had to be wide open for his to throw the football. << That’s a problem. I do think he was over coached with mechanical tendencies. Then the play would break down and he scrambled like a chicken without a head.

    I have a lot of faith in KP but would like to see more of a gunslinger approach by him. Kinda of like a young Brett Farve. Not every QB needs to hold the ball by his ear when they drop back. Whipple needs to find KP’s comfort zone and let him fling the rock.

    Like

  16. Funny how we write off or forget about players that have not seen the field yet because they are RS FR or RS SO.

    TE Kaymar Mimes RS FR – 6’5″ 240. Played basketball, did high jump and ran on 400m relay team in high school.

    Don’t forget about SR WIll Gragg. He didn’t get to show much last year but the kid was a 4 star coming out of high school and is by far the fastest TE on the roster.

    If Whipple opens up the passing game, there are athletic players at TE. Guess it depends on what he saw in the spring from these guys.

    Liked by 3 people

  17. I’m not optimistic, myself. He had time and open receivers in the bowl game against Stanford and the results weren’t pretty.

    Like

  18. Love to see Mimes come through, but transfers from Rutgers who were part time players and caught 2 passes last year don’t give me great comfort.

    Like

  19. Good stuff, MM! It seems most agree that KP’s challenge is primarily mental, he has the tools physically. I’m hopeful like (most of) the rest of us, that the Whipple Effect will make all the difference. Actually, I’m so confident in Whipple (not really even sure why), that if KP stumbles I’d give someone else reps. I do think the QB ‘competition” will be interesting this Fall; regardless of how well KP adjusts to the the new offense, he does like to run the football, which means our #2 will need to be ready.

    Like

  20. I’m not too fussed up over the lack of depth at tight end for PITT. I think the Rutgers TE will help with the blocking aspect of it and Gragg will handle the pass catching for the TE’s. I also think that Mimes could become a real stud at that position.More to the point, you can still run the ball effectively without even playing a TE. I would love to see Whipple use a more of a spread type offense this year and open up the field a little more.

    I guess that philosophy opens up the question, who would be the receivers? I am looking for Matthews to have a big year but of course I’ve been looking for that to happen the past two years, maybe the third time brings some luck?

    Liked by 3 people

  21. Call me crazy but the fact that Mack, French, and shocky among the rest of the wr’s all returned is a good sign for pickett. The three mentioned would have had decent transfer options and we all have seen how popular the portal was this year.
    I wasn’t impressed at all with pickett last year but am hoping that all the new changes and a year under his belt will be the difference for improving

    Like

  22. The problem with Pickett last year was Watson. However a new OC takes awhile to adjust too. Another year of seasoning will be required. Senior year he will be the real deal.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. If he can do will Bill Stull did in year 2 I think Pitt will be in good shape

        Like

  23. Watching Quarterbacks in their High School highlight reels is one thing. Seeing them in person is something else.

    Seeing them all together at the Spring Game, it was obvious that Pickett has the BEST arm of the bunch. Not sure about strength, but certainly in terms of motion and the quality of pass.

    What surprised me the most was seeing Beville throw in person. On tape he looked great. In person, his whole throwing motion seemed to have a bit of a hitch to it and NOT the best Ball.

    George and Patti both looked to be pretty average. Nothing really to distinguish them either good or bad.

    Of course, arm alone does not say how EFFECTIVE of a Quarterback is going to be when it comes to getting the Ball to the right Receiver at the right time.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Davis Beville will see some playing time this year as well. Playing George in a mop up situation doesn’t do PITT any good at all. He’s got the four game waiver and he should play in four games for the experience.

    Liked by 2 people

  25. I doubt Beville sees the field. It would take a huge blowout (which never happens) and the main backup would get the call first.

    Like

  27. Pitt has no issues with skill players on offense. They have enough at each position where guys will step up. If the OL is even average, the offense should have some success.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree. With Ffrench, Shocky and Carter, we have what you need — SPEED…

      And we have speed at RB. They’re mostly four-stars so they must be awesome…👍

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. PITT also has a LBer on the roster by the name of Jackson Henry…… You think that’s ever caused any confusion?

        Like

  29. Maestro – thanks for the post. Good stuff.

    Various thoughts:

    I listened to the Racioppi podcast and felt that he very delicately said Watson was a problem.

    Lets hope that the only playing time that Patti or George sees is mop up duty. But if KP is injured or isn’t playing up to expectations, one has to believe Whipple will go with the one who he feels gives the offense its best chance – regardless of Narduzzi’s preference for using seasoned players. Whipple should get (and deserves) at least as much leeway to make those calls as Bates has had on the defense, given his experience.

    I cannot wait to see throws to the TE this year. I will admit to being downright giddy over that probability along with screen passes. I can hardly contain myself, Im so excited and relieved after the nonsense of the past two years. Mind you, I am not saying we will have tons of success there; I’m just excited that they will use what I believe are great tools in the passing game – especially when one isn’t sure how the pass blocking will be. Lets recap that thought – downright giddy about the strategy; have no idea about the outcome.

    The latest UVA alumni magazine was delivered to my house a couple days ago (family members are alums) and much of the issue was dedicated tot he Final Four championship. I have to say it was a fun read to relive those thrilling moments during the tourney. Would love to see a Pitt magazine issue like that come out some time. But think about the Cav’s march to the title this past spring. They had a lot of bounces and decisions go their way…even the Clemson’s of the world need that stuff to win FB titles. We’re gonna need a little bit of that this year in both FB and BB.

    The first pregame tailgate is only 65 days away. Im flying in from San Diego that Thursday and would love to play golf on that Friday with a group of yinz if there is any interest.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Excellent post, JoeL.

      A big question in my head is how many games does it take for Coach Whip to get the offense cranked up? Unfortunately there’s that annoying humongous difference between what happens in practice versus what happens in a real game…

      Agree that Coach Whip will likely be way more attuned to calling plays that help cover for the flaws of the Oline, e.g. screens, flat passes, etc…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

    2. Joe, I listened to that podcast as well. There was no mistake. He pretty much said that Watson was the problem. Having said that, I came away wondering whether that was completely true or the QB coach was just trying to protect Pickett and also his personal reputation. After all, if Pickett stinks, its a reflection on him. Conversely, if Pickett does great, Racioppi gets QB guru status and some more clients who pay!

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Like reading the varied opinions on KP. Personally I am most skeptical of his accuracy. Physically he has enough everywhere(run speed, arm strength, durability) and mentally there are so many factors that play into it that I believe if things start out good may continue to grow and lead to success and that success will snowball. He communicates like a leader and plays in some ways like one(although I have no way to know what he is like in the huddle).

    If I am wrong about his accuracy, if so, then I look forward to seeing the KP that Reed set me up to expect.

    I am hoping we don’t ever need to see any other QB behind center other than in mop up role.

    Like

    1. Hahah … will triple hosting costs for the blog , so if you guys all want to pitch in $20 a year then I can probably make it happen

      Liked by 1 person

  32. From what I am reading we appear to unanimously see KP in a similar light…I was concerned over his accuracy, NOT throwing the ball away when he had time-holding it too long and ended up taking really bad sacks, embarrassingly bad….flash-back to Kenan when he continued to run backwards toward our goal..FUGLY…if Kenny gets the mind and the body workng together, he could have a very good year…hopefully, Pappy Ship and will bring him along and help grow KP’s confidence.

    Like

  33. Pappy Whip….(above) UPitt comes up with the BEST nicknames and savannah can be relied upon to write the commercial jingle…..a true master of limerick and rhyme

    Liked by 1 person

  34. anybody going to the GT game who is not buying tickets through PITT,,,will be ordering mine soon…would like to be near some POVerts…last time I got them through PITT…not good seats and darn that Georgia sun gets HOT…..

    Like

    1. I’m going bc it’s in my backyard. Will probably bring a buddy as well so let me know where you want to sit

      Like

  37. I’m afraid we have chased away most of the antis. I’m sure some out there are dying to tell us that Pickett will be a failure even with Pappy’s input. (and of course that possibility exists)

    While I really like being surrounded by positive people, and would advise as such to young people, we certainly don’t want all yes people here either.

    Nonetheless, an exchange of opinions by Pitt fans is always enlightening and I can live with it.

    Like

    1. Well Pete Pitt is here with a nice contrarian perspective so have at it

      Like

  38. I really love when they comment, I don’t want anyone going away. Just like PITT winning games last year in the ACC Coastal division, a good recruiting class chased them away this year, not anyone on the POV.

    They complain that POVers quit posting because of all the conflict. They don’t have a clue how many quit or limit their viewing and posting from the negativity on here. Easily 10 to 1. and I can prove that.

    Liked by 2 people

  39. still having to sign in to WordPress. What a pain.

    As the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In the case of this year’s football team, that weakest link is the offensive line and pass blocking. No matter how much Kenny Pickett has improved under the tutelage of Pappy Whipple and the Manning passing academy, it won’t matter one whit if he is always running for life.

    Borbely has a proven track record of not being able to coach pass blocking — at both Maryland and last year at Pitt. He was so bad at it at Maryland, they took coaching duties away from him and made him “special assistant to the head coach.”

    This was basically the same track record for Shawn Watson (with whom Borbely coached on two prior coaching stops. His last stop before Pitt was as the “offensive quality control coach” at Indiana. After Pitt, he lands a job as the “offensive quality control coach” at Georgia.

    For some reason, in both cases, Narduzzi saw a great coach where their previous teams had seen quite enough of his coaching. Well, we know what an absolute mistake it was to have Watson as the OC at Pitt. Based on last year’s OL pass blocking, it is painfully obvious Narduzzi made another big mistake. In Narduzzi’s defense, he doesn’t know much about the offensive side of the ball, so I suppose one could say those mistakes were born out of ignorance.

    The only hope this year for the passing game of Kenny Pickett and Pappy Whipple — Whipple sees what a mess Borbely is making of the pass blocking and makes an intervention, either having to do it himself or hiring someone else to coach the pass blocking.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sorry to hear that. I wish this site had never been put on lockdown in the first place. Try clearing your web browser history “from the beginning of time”

      Like

    2. I have totally discounted the arguments about Borbely’s abilities due to what happened at Maryland.
      I’ve talked to PItt OL about him and place a lot more stock in that than the speculation because his title was changed by a guy of DJ Durkin’s caliber. But hold onto that if you must.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Borbley has had some success in the past. But I agree with Pete he has no success at Maryland.

        Like

      2. And I will add that his work with the line last yr shows he can coach. This idea that he can somehow excel at run blocking but sucks at pass blocking is utter nonsense. He did a nicer job with our Jimmys and Joes last yr than most expected.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. akaPete, I don’t think Watson was Narduzzi’s 1st choice … or his 2nd, 3rd or 4th. You may recall that Canada was hired away in December but Watson wasn’t hired until February. (same as Matt House). Watson was a fallback hire IMO. There was a handful of guys rumored to be interviewed but many of them were hired elsewhere, so maybe it was a $$ issue. And we certainly weren’t going to hear if any offers were rejected unless the candidate publicizes it, which is considered bad etiquette (same as if a recruit would say something negative about a place he visited).

      Like

    4. Wonder if anyone’s ever pointed out to Coach Borbs knows how crappy he is at coaching pass-blocking?

      Any chance that Coach Borbely will attempt to modify his pass-blocking coaching?

      I guess not — he’s too old for that.

      Like

  40. I don’t know John my good buddy. Since it was drilled in our heads last year that PITT’s O-Line would be the worst in college football history… I think they did ok with the hodge podge bunch of no names with a true sophomore QB starting for the first time. Not saying you’re not right but I’ll wait until after this year to decide.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. No man you are right. We had a walk on center. Two converted DT’s. A transfer from Kent State and a guard that was converted to tackle. Were they the best pass blocking unit in the country. No, actually they were one of the worst. But if you look at the tape and subtract all the times Kenny held the ball too long, they weren’t actually that bad.

      I would think the guys coming up this year are a tick more talented, if not a bit more raw.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. That would be 2 QBs from SC in 2 years….nice. Anyway, I hope we can land a QB this cycle; and another 4 star rated player would be sweet.

      Like

    2. On tape he seems like a carbon copy of Pickett. A good running QB likely to run 2nd if his primary receiver is covered.

      Like

  43. I take HS QB ratings with a big dose of salt with my tequila…. would love to see how many of the 4 and 5 stars really make it big time… just look at the ones who have been at Pitt since Boston’s.. add to that list JJ Constantino… Jurkovich appears to be struggling…

    Liked by 1 person

  45. Enzo Jennings was suppose to pick his school at 4:30, haven’t heard anything. I imagine it must be Mizzou?

    Like

  47. Boston= Bostick, Savage , Brown ,,,the 5 star kid Reed wrote the 2-3 pice article on cant remember his name….

    Like

  49. BigB, while I gladly will take any 4-star, I never look down on a 3-star. BTW, you left off MacVittie who was upgraded to a 4 (I think). I believe he is contention for starting QB at Kansas now.
    Too early on Jurkovich who only saw mop-up duty as a natural frosh … and maintained his redshirt. The assaulter was Chapman who ended up at Akron but didn’t do much

    Maestro, did Garcia even visit Pitt? Something doesn’t seem right (or maybe as a typical Pitt fan, I’m look a gift horse in the mouth) But again, I will gladly take any 4-star if he will come

    Like

    2. Idk. If he didn’t then we he probably goes somewhere else. But then again you never know.

      Like

  50. Pickett seems to work hard so hopefully holes improves since the RBs are a unknown commodity right now.

    Like

  51. Louisville has 2 QB commits — both had good offers. We offered the 4-star from AZ. The other is a 3-star from GA.

    Maybe one of them has a change of heart? Makes no sense to me to join a class that already has a top QB candidate…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  52. After PoD’s comment I started thinking about Pickett’s arm strength. He threw very few long balls last year, and I don’t particularly remember a lot of out passes where he drilled the ball in. The Spring game didn’t appear to resolve this issue. Can anyone shed any light on PK’s arm strength?

    Like

  53. VoR… if you can watch last years Wake game- do so. He looked like the real deal on that particular Saturday.

    Like

  55. Watch the 2nd half of the Wake game. Pitt was too predictable in the first half resulting in a halftime score of Wake 10 Pitt 6.. Wake stopped the first down runs and blitzed Pitt on 3rd and longs. Pitt adjusted in the 2nd half with much better play calling. Kenny was crisp in the second half.

    The Pitt defense played well the entire game except for one missed assignment on Wake’s one long pass play and only TD.

    Like

  56. Loving the discussion and prognostications on Kenny’s season. Liked the sophomore comparisons with Bill Stull also. Great job again, Maestro!

    Liked by 1 person

  57. Hey Bernie – Dianne and I will be at Ga Tech. Count us in for tix. Prolly 3 more NC friends , possibly 2 Fl friends. I’ll let you know.

    Re OL – I thought 1st year
    Coach Borbs did a great job throwing together a new OL which opened up a really good running game. We couldn’t pass block – obviously- but was that his bad coaching, or did OC have him concentrate on the run, and not take practice time on pass block?

    Me thinks the latter – or we would have seen TEs left in to block LESS, and monster FB (of 10 2018 TD fame) thrown to more than 5-6 times all year.

    And, I’m not too worried about Borbs sucking at Md – what coach hasn’t??

    But I did think KP sucked on the quick slant pass mostly all year. Would really like that in his repertoire this year!

    Liked by 2 people

  59. Pickett will be fine and we will all be praying he stays healthy if we see the others in action. Last year was not his fault. Horrid OC w no deception combined with an O Line that couldn’t block jello! Marino in his prime would have had similar success with that combination. Trust me fellow POVers, KP is the least of our problems.

    Liked by 1 person

  60. KP may be the least of our problems but if the OL doesn’t pass block adequately then Pickett may have more running yards than passing yards.

    Like

  61. The problem for KP and Pitt once again is the schedule. No tune up game, hard start with VA, but at least it is home. Ohio could be tough if we don’t beat VA. Then PSU and UCF. UCF should be less tough with a lot of new guys and at home, hopefully a strong crowd, but only if we haven’t already flopped. Then a break with Delaware, then Duke on the road, starts the ACC season a second time.

    Early for predictions, but if the O-line doesn’t jell quickly, eight wins will be real tough. The defense has to help and give KP a lot of good field position.

    Like

    1. I agree that the inexperience on the OL can be a problem. The one hope for the opener is that you would expect a low scoring game between UVa and Pitt so IMO it is winnable. Trouble is that you never know about the opening game.

      Like

  62. in the 2nd half of the season, Pitt ran the ball so well that the pass was rarely used. Duke – 19 passes; UVa – 14; VT – 11. Because WF stacked the line, Pitt threw 30 times.Then after clinching vs WF, Pitt ran into the 3rd and 5th ranked defensive teams in the entire NCAA. Neither team had to stack the line to stop the run.

    BTW, Clemson had 3 DL drafted in the first round of NFL Draft — three. They also had a CB taken high. The following game, they gave up 3 pts to ND. They gave up 3 pts to WF, 7 to NCS, 10 to FSU, 6 to Duke, and 7 to BC. They gave up 16 to Alabama which averaged 45.6 ppg.

    Don’t get me wrong — 8 passing yards is ridiculous. I strongly agree Pitt needs a balanced attack. I’m not sure though that the OL coach is the sole blame, however, for the poor pass blocking.

    I noticed this year that only 1 transfer in the OL mix. The rest are homegrown. The 2015 commit class had 2 OLs who are no longer on the team. The 2016 had 3 of which 1 is no longer around but Hargrove was switched over from DL.. The 2017 class had 5 OL who are all still very active. The 1st and 2nd teams on the OL depth chart is made up the 2016 and 2017 classes. This is the way OL are supposed to work for programs like Pitt.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Yes good news if the O-line comes together, because we will have guys that play multiple years and that is how you get good.

      Good stuff wwb, last years O-line is the reason Pitt won the Coastal, which unlike others I think was quite an accomplishment. Reason being we came out on top over a lot of evenly matched teams. Too say we beat a weak Coastalis true tp a point, but we are certainly no juggernaut which makes the wins quite tasty and shows good coaching. A team that beats its peers who have similar talent on the field is a well coached team.

      To say we need a new coach because we can’t compete vs Clemson, PSU or UCF last year shows a complete ignorance of relative talent levels. Even close losses to UNC and Stanford while no fun are also no mystery. A flawed team will have hiccups. This was also a team that almost upset vaunted ND on the road but only for two missed field goals from a guy that set a record with two, weeks before that initiated the Coastal run.

      No one know what ups and downs this season will bring.

      Liked by 6 people

    2. Jimmy Morrisey was injured in the Wake game if I remember correctly. Not sure how much that impacted the offense, but possibly significantly.

      A balanced attack will help Kenny. And, less predictable play calling….

      Like

      1. On the stupid TD play they called….the whole team went into the toilet right after that.

        Like

  64. So Jimmy Morrissey was a walk-on lineman. Has started at center for two years now. Some are suggesting he may turn pro after this season. I guess instead of being critical of Narduzzi and his coaches for having to start a walk-on, they should be congratulated for a great recruiting coup.

    Like

    2. Nothing wrong with preferred walk-ons and they do sometimes work out great.
      However, none of Narduzzi’s scholarship recruits have contributed just about anything on the O-line so far, and that is nothing to brag about.

      Like

      1. Hargrove was first off the bench and seemed to do ok? but you’re right nothing to brag about up until now. I will say I’m in the camp of O-Lineman take the longest, generally speaking, to get to the mature level they need be to block 300 lbs+ D-Lineman.

        Like

        1. Ford played pretty well at guard in the bowl game as well. I think he played most of the second half. Interior line should be solid. As many have said before It’s the tackles that will make or break us

          Liked by 2 people

        2. I agree that O-linemen take the longest to mature and fifth year guys are an asset. But the really good ones see the field early and we just haven’t had enough of those under Narduzzi. O’Neil the last one and recruited by Chryst. Morrisey the only one recruited by him so far.

          Like

  68. JoeL. excellent…I loved NDs Mt Rushmore…only 1 player-3 coaches…Agree with your buddy PITT puts 4 studs up that could run circles on most other teams…we still get real solid players who turn into professional stars but never enough of them playing at the same time at PITT.
    I hope yinz all saw that short vid by Chris Long giving his honest assessment of PITT FB players …all positive…

    Like

  69. Just saw where TE recruit Boatwright from Georgia commited to Willie Taggart and the. Criminals….PSN

    Like

    1. Couple of thoughts on this.

      I think Boatie is a deep South Georgia boy so from a friends ana family FBS standpoint this makes a lot of sense
      Taggert now offering three- stars with one other FBS offer? That’s like Paul Chryst recruiting

      Like

  70. Polusny and Arrington were pretty good players but they can’t be the best from LBU can they?

    Heck, do you realize that Pitt’s Mt Rushmore didn’t include Joe Schmidt or Ricky Jackson? Either would be better than the aforementioned Nits.

    Like

    1. Jack Ham and Franco were pretty good Nitters

      My Pitt Rushmore would have Jock Sutherland, Joe Schmidt, Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett and Hugh Green

      Mount Washington can support 5 faces

      My second Rushmore would be Pop Warner, Dan Marino, Ricky Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald and Bill Fralic

      The third Rushmore would be Russ Grimm, Chris Doleman, Curtis Martin, Darelle Reevis, and Marshall Goldberg

      The fourth Rushmore would be Mark May, Mark Stepnoski, Lesean McCoy, Ironhead, Ruben Brown

      The fifth Rushmore would be Randy Holloway, Jimbo Covert, Bill Maas, Randy Dixon, Tony Woods

      The sixth Rushmore would be Antonio Bryant, Keith Hamilton, Burt Grossman, Tony Siragusa and Scott McKillop

      Liked by 3 people

  71. Seems like we are snake bit at that position…..I hope Taggart is there a couple of more years … it’s about time they appear on our schedule…

    Like

  72. PSN has a tease on Pinder for the pay side “die hards”
    Any of yinz get that?

    Like

    1. In a scant six hours we will all get the news for free…

      Like

  74. Off to the OBX shortly…planning on a round of golf with the great Biggie B and his buddy Whiskey…cant wait.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. “Whiskey!”

      Fran – maybe you should take Scooter with you to even things out…😊

      Go Pitt.

      Like

    3. #jelly

      Pack a sandwich beforehand for Bernie at the 19th. Last time we played, he could only get a package of Nabs at the bar.

      Like

    5. You’re being honored by BigB’s presence on the course. I’ve been unsuccessful on getting him to ante up in any of our foursomes as of yet.

      Like

  76. Whiskey… not to be cofused with Crown Royal… a living breathing crazy sidekick…. together we are like the Skipper and his “ little buddy” Gilligan…

    Like

  77. lastrow, FWIW according to 5 analysts from Rivals, Pinder is headed to UNC. I’m sure he enjoyed his Pitt visit but ….

    The guy I would like to know more of is Aaryn Park, the OL who decommitted from PSU and visited Pitt. He supposedly has 2 on his final list but don’t know who they are, and also don’t know what other visits he has planned. Both 247 and Rivals currently have him as a toss-up between PSU and Pitt

    Like

    1. Pitt and Oklahoma are Park’s final two. The other lineman Pitt is very high on, Branson Taylor, has Pitt in his top two or three. If Pitt goes 0-2 on these two, I’m not sure who the Plan B guys are. Two more linemen need added for sure. It stinks the Western Penn., region doesn’t pump out the linemen like it used to.

      Like

      1. I agree need to land at least one of the two top OL targets

        I’m surprised we didn’t offer local Center Josh Katlenberger. He’s not an elite talent but neither is Jimmy Morrissey and Morrissey worked out pretty damn well. I think at center you can get away with guys who are smart and maybe just a little less athletic .

        Like

    3. His final list include Oklahoma and Mississippi State. IMO he is completely lost after he decommitted from PSU. Now he wants to wait to commit much much later. I don’t think has much of a chance on Park.

      Like

  78. nate Pat Kugler,we still pump some of the mouth but several committed to Notre Dame including Josh Lugg,Robert Hainsey and we lost a good 1 to Michigan several years back..there was a Pa product who de-committed from a team, think UCLA, showed interest in PITT and I think eventually committed elsewhere…help me out wwb…

    Like

    1. I have a mental image of you with three arms….one massaging somebody’s shoulder, one thumbing a POV post on your phone and the other holding a glass of Crown.

      Liked by 3 people

  80. Rumor has it that PSN reported that Pitt pulled their offer for Pinder. So all you old folks(me included) won’t have to stay up past 7:30 to find out his final destination.

    Liked by 1 person

  81. In my post upstream about Borbely and the terrible job he does coaching pass blocking, I meant to add that he also can’t recruit a damn. Potential offensive linemen recruits are not exactly chomping at the bit to play for him.

    Like

    1. Well that may be true. But they certainly weren’t chomping at the bit to play for Peterson either.

      Like

    2. Too early to tell if Borbley can teach pass blocking at Pitt. Last year if was four guards and a tackle starting.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I think leadership comes into play. If your boss tells you that you need to hit a goal, then you generally work towards that goal. If you are good at what you do, you generally hit it. I’d hope that whipple is a better boss / leader than Watson was, from a goal setting / expectations perspective

        Like

  82. A quality zone blocking offensive line often doesn’t translate well into a good pass blocking line. With our two big strong RB’s in place last season Pitt’s zone blocking OL worked very well for our two 1000 yard rushers. That’s why this year we know not what we are going to get with the RB’s we have in place for this season. Whipple’s passing game may not work very well with another version of last years zone blocking OL.

    Like

  83. If PSN is correct and Pitt their offer for Pinder I think it all has to do with too few scholarships available and too many other positions of need TE, OL and a possible QB. Adding that Brooklyn RB to an already large contingent of RB’s in house may have been the right decision but it did sop up another scholarship for this year.

    Like

  84. Jennings recruit from Michigan committed to Penn State. Supposed to be announced via PSN at 11:03 a.m. after his 11:00 announcement, but it has not appeared on PSN as of a bit ago. I looked it up via Google. Big 10 too much of a draw for a Midwest kid I guess. Maybe a Southern school will work that way for Pinder later on this evening. Oh well.

    Like

  85. BigB, sorry don’t know whom you are referencing

    the 2018 class brought Pitt two pretty promising local OLs, both 5.7 three-stars. Blake Zubovic (Belle Vernon) had offers from Mich St, NC St, PSU, UVa, VT and WVU. Jake Kradel (Butler) offered by Iowa, Iowa St, OSU, Cuse, UCLA, Cuse, Uva, VT, WVU and Wisconsin.

    Both will be RS Frosh this year. That class also had 5.7 JUCO Chase Williams but not sure he saw any action last year

    Liked by 1 person

  86. Couple things here:

    )1. gc, I would never take task to your opinion. (or anyone’s else for that matter) but I will say. PITT and Narduzzi (I hate nicknames) know how many spots they have that will allow them to start next season with an eight-five man roster. I have no doubt about that.

    )2. As far as PITT recruiting O-Lineman? I don’t expect or see it improving at the moment but I do feel it’s respectable under Narduzzi.

    )3. We all complained about the make shift O-line last year who were not Narduzzi recruits. Now? His recruits are going to see some playing time yet still hand wringing… nuff said. << read between the lines.

    Like

  87. just read a story online where the ND AD was quoted as saying that he didn’t notice a difference in talent between Clemson and ND after the semi-final last year despite losing 30-3. Well, if that is the case Mr AD, then you should consider firing your coach

    Liked by 2 people

  89. Notre Dame could have lost to PITT (at their house) if not for a couple of missed field goals. PITT is not that far away folks. JUST IMO!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. don’t forget that bogus PI call … 2nd time in a row that a 4th quarter PI call against Pitt at South Bend was a major factor

      Like

  90. Apples and oranges fellas. The beauty of sport is that you can compare final scores and take a big leap that everything else was exactly the same, including elements, crowd, health of players, health of coaches, playcalling, individual matchups/exploitations, who is dinged up, who is not, teams they play the week before, the week after…everything! Too many variables to make a comparison. It’s wins and losses only.

    That is like saying we were only 15 points away from three more wins (no research here, just a point of emphasis). We could have also been 15 points away from 3 more losses. Like saying if Pickett woulda shoulda had just a normal game instead of tossing it around the playground for an impressive 8 yards, we would have won.

    EVERY play determines the next. Every one of them and it starts with a kickoff.

    Like

  91. Zubovic looked terribly soft when he went to Pitt. The kid needs the weight room and some intensity. Narduzzi’s oline recruiting has been bad Ike. That is a no doubter.

    Like

    1. I wouldn’t call it bad just yet Mark. Maybe it is though. We shall see. I’m a wait and see-er.

      Like

  92. warning for those going from downtown to Parkway East. Parkway is being shutdown at 8. You will be routed thru Oakland and Wilkinsburg (40 traffic lights) … up to 2 hr delay when traffic begins to back up

    Not sure how long this will be

    Like

  93. wwb… Ricky Towns… I think was the QB I asked you about…

    UPitt.. I saw a couple of the OL underclassmen leaving the stadium in Charlotte.. I concur.. a couple of them looking pudgy and soft…. hope the off season chiseled some of those chubby cheeks!!!

    Like

  95. Looks like, counting the grad transfer, we have 7 candidates
    for the OT spots.

    Here are the numbers on the OT recruits.

    Houy 6-6, 305. RSOPH
    Van Lynn 6-5, 290, RSOPH
    Dick 6-7, 295, Freshman
    Zubovic, 6-4, 315, RFRESHMAN
    Drake, 6-5, 315, RSOPH
    Warren, 615, 315, RSOPH

    Obviously we have a glaring gap in the roster with no upper class-men OT candidates.

    Houy has played a bit. Drake and Warren were pretty highly recruited. They are both huge. The question is whether they can shuffle those big feet fast enough to stay in front of a speed rusher…

    Really, this is not a big deal — only the fate of the entire season is hanging in the balance!!! 😳 😳 😳 😳

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  96. I’m pretty sure the Michigan transfer will play OT. RS Carson Van Lynn played a lot at the HB/TE/ OT during the second half of the season last year. I could see him starting at the right OT position this year.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Narduzzi’s first full class of 2016 gave us nothing for oline. The 2017 and 2018 classes have potential but they are still on the younger side. IMO the oline recruiting in 2016 and 2019 was pretty bad but 17 and 18 was decent. Average them out and oline recruiting has been a weakness for the duzz.

      Like

  97. did some checking …
    Houy started one game last year when Bookser was suspended, appeared in 6 games
    Ford was on PAT and FG team and played mop-up in 2 games
    Drake saw action in 5 games as a reserve
    Van Lynn saw action as an OT in 2 game and 10 games as TE — 5 of which he started

    Like

  98. As Erie Express would lament, no Bill Fralics in the bunch…

    We have to hope that a couple of these guys have improved their quickness and are ready to go…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  99. Mack Brown is Smoking Narduzzi. At this point this can’t be happening. Mack has to be 68. He got Pinder and five 4 Stars. He has a Top 10 class and we are down to 25. Probably finish out around 35 is my guess.

    Liked by 1 person

  100. Right, in Narduzzi’s fifth season, for the second year in a row we will have a totally rebuilt O-line, and potentially with a transfer player or two. This is far from an ideal situation. Probably not a disaster but definitely a weakness and not a strength.

    No doubt in college football teams replace guys every year, but you hope for smooth transitions and possible improvement. At least unlike last year some of these guys will be here for multiple years and we shouldn’t require a total rebuild next year.

    If Ike is right everything is rosy and all these guys are ready to excel. I kid Ike.

    Like

  101. You guys do the homework between PITT and UNC and the cheating Mack Brown. It’s second grade math.

    Like

    1. It always has to be cheating or paying recruits. Can’t we just admit Mack has presence and can sell and has respect even at 70 years old. Narduzzi is the opposite of all those things.

      Liked by 1 person

  102. For a while there, it looked like Narduzzi was putting together a good class and some were thinking about a top 10 class next year. What happened? Upitt thinks it’s now dropping into the 30s. I think they are still 2 OLs and a TE away from Narduzzi’s best class, but there’s still time

    Liked by 1 person

  103. Pinder put a picture on his twitter of a $70,000 SUV today before he announced. The field is not level and the NCAA doesn’t care and UNC knows it. Disclaimer, I don’t do twitter, it was on another site. ike

    Like

    1. Jesus Ike. His Dad and Mom have a nice home in Tampa with a Pool and everything else. He comes from money and a nice faith centered family. Mack didn’t buy him a jeep.

      Like

  104. UNC has recruited well for a long time. Brown is off to a good start but this is nothing new for them. Fedora was regularly in or close to top 25 throughout his time. He underachieved big time in spite of recruiting (except against pitt).
    I am just glad he’s gone!

    Liked by 1 person

  105. Off topic, but then i guess its recruiting news of a sort.

    Pitt announced election of 5 new members to the Board of Trustees. All appear to have Pitt degrees. No apparent cow college connections.
    All appear to have pretty impressive credentials but the only link to athletics is former Panther RB Adam Walker.
    Here’s the link:

    http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/pitt-board-trustees-elects-five-new-members?fbclid=IwAR0h5JTPontKQv0H9u38we5RLZZhiSctP5E_Eyss4fjCA3YwTS-XRnYyxt4.

    Like

  106. Mack Brown won a national championship and was very successful in a previous stint at UNC. He has had loads of exposure as an ESPN analyst over the past few years. The Carolinas, FL and Georgia are loaded with recruits … why shouldn’t he recruit well?

    Liked by 1 person

    2. You’re right wwb. There is no dirty money in college football.

      Like

    3. Because is is 70, uses a rascal and his team with a bew HC won 2 games last year.

      Those reasons kinda matter.

      On tbe other hand Narduzzi is on year 4 and has full support of his AD he hired and more money than we ever spent and will barely be Top 35 if his Florida kids don’t stay home and go to one of the 5 good programs in state which my gut says 2-3 will not sign and will end up staying home after the pressure of sign here lights up lock gates wears off.

      Like

      1. well, the old rascal is not only outrecruiting Narduzzi … at No. 10, he is outrecruiting Tex A&M, Oklahoma, PSU, Oregon, Auburn, Texas, your TCU and many, many more

        Liked by 1 person

  107. Well I guess that’s my bad then. I tend to follow the money trail. I guess UNC, Texas and UNC again are all straight and narrow football programs and follow the rules type of schools? OK. Again, my bad…

    Like

  108. Hey Ike, Penn St is now up to 17th in Rivals rankings while Pitt has dropped to 25th as expected. I told you to tone it down a bit. Pitt hasn’t been a Top 10 program whether in rankings or recruit rankings since the early 80s, and it is not going to happen again. Meanwhile, Miami already has 12 commits for 2021, of which 4 of them are 4-stars .. and a few of them are unrated but will likely be upgraded after evaluation.

    If Pitt is anywhere near the Top 25 in recruit rankings, it is absolutely a great year .

    Wanny was the best recruiter in recent Pitt history, and had many more 3, 4 and 5 stars in WPa than what there is today. Here is his Rivals recruiting rankings

    2005 38 / 2006 21 / 2007 26 / 2008 29 / 2009 47 / 2010 33

    Like

    1. Pitt will finish between 30 and 35

      Penn state will be higher once they reach the same number of recruits and their two jucos get ranked.

      Nitters have a small but excellent class. It would be elite if not for defections. Franklin must be offering some good hookers and cars.

      Like

  109. Playing offensive line is more mental than physical in my opinion. I don’t care if you are chiseled or chubby. It’s your mental outlook. Every play, an offensive lineman has to have the thought process that he will not be beaten by the guy across from him. Every offensive lineman has to have that mentality on every play. If they don’t, it is a weakness and a breakdown will occur.

    That to me has been our problem. How often have we heard OL player x be described as having a nasty streak. I like nasty, but success comes from beating your opponent and having the mindset of beating your man on every play. Now, the odds of beating your man on every play of a game is not that great, but somebody needs to win each snap.

    I don’t like Pitt missing on Rawlings. Pitt was his school for years and Pitt didn’t offer him until late, thinking he was a lock. Not worried at all about Enzo or Pinder going elsewhere today. Pinder looked slow off the snap if you ask me. Strong as a bull but slow to get started.

    Like

    1. I agree that Rawlings was a disappointment especially when Pitt has beaten UVa every year since 2014. Guess he just wanted to get away,

      Like

    2. Sounds nice, but I don’t care how mentally tough he is, if an offensive tackle can’t move quick enough laterally, he’s going to get beat.

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  110. I don’t see us getting a couple of stud OLineman or a TE… maybe next year if we win nine games and a bowl… this class will end up in the high 30’s to mid-40’s…..

    Liked by 1 person

  111. This is my guess of the OL that we’ll see trot out for the first offensive series of the Virginia game.

    LT Jerry Drake, Jr, 6’5″, 315lbs, 4Star
    LG Bryce Hargrove, RS Jr, 6’4″, 305lbs, 3Star
    C Jim Morrissey, RS Jr, 6’3″, 305lbs, Previous Walkon
    RG Chase Brown, RS S, 6’5″, 305lbs, JUCO Transfer
    RT Gabe Houy, RS So, 6’6″, 305lbs, 3Star
    TE Carson Van Lynn, RS So, 6’5″, 290lbs, 3Star

    The most interesting physical stat that I noticed is the 305 pound thing. I guess that’s so they can all borrow each others wardrobes, like the ladies like to do before going out on a Saturday night.

    Like

    1. One thing this line won’t lack is the BEEF! Whether it will be lean & mean beef or just that fatty ground chuck beef remains to be seen.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. My guess is that Coach Borbely will opt for the guys on the roster that he has worked with the longest first. That doesn’t mean that that Grad Transfer from Michigan won’t see the field. He may even become a starter if need be, if one of these younger linemen can’t pull their weight. But if I was Coach, I’d want to award starting positions to those in the program who had been putting their time into the system already, especially considering that that underclassman is going to be around for the next season as well.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Dr Tom you may want to go back and check your spring practice notes. Carter Warren spend the entire spring at left tackle and also won the most improved offense player award. If Ukizio doesn’t grab the spot I think Warren has the inside track over Drake.

      Speaking of Ulizio – my gripe with him is that he dropped out of the starting lineup at Michigan when they started passing the ball. If he can’t block In the BiG 1p what makes anyone think he can block In the ACC?

      Like

  112. The transfer Ulisio (sic) from Michigan has starting experience and will most likely be playing against Virginny somewhere along the line.

    Like

    1. One thing Ulizio has going for him though is that he’s 6’5” & 305lbs! I 💩 you not. So I hope that he has a nice wardrobe to help him assimilate in with the rest of the OL crew.

      Liked by 1 person

  114. I think some of you may be forgetting about OT Michael Stratham 6’7″ 340 lbs. He comes from St Francis, a football mecca, where the program was kicked out of the Maryland leagues for recruiting all the great players from the tri state area. Now he won’t start this year but he’s a really good recruit from a really great prep high school program.

    Like

    1. Agree on statham. He is a good start and he has a big time offer sheet. We just need a few more linemen though for this class.

      Like

    2. Going to be kinda hard for Stratham to help out against Virginia in our home opener Ike, since he’ll still be in high school. LOL!

      Like

      1. LOL Doc, I get that, my comment was in reference to PITT having trouble recruiting O-Lineman. He will be a good one down the road a bit. 🙂

        Like

  115. Mason Garcia won’t be coming to PITT. He put PITT on his final list out of courtesy. Want to know why? His name is Davis Beville. He would be block for years. Some say DB is as good as Trevor Lawrence. Just so we are straight here, I don’t know how good he is but “some are saying”

    Like

    1. Yea after I read that PSN article and looked at the depth chart I would not be surprised if they don’t take a qb this year (although I think they should).

      If they don’t they’ll still have 3 qb’s on the roster. Pickett a SR, Patti rSO, Beville rFR

      Then in 2021 QB battle between rJR Patti and rSO Belville with a true freshman or transfer portal guy as 3rd string. Not optimum but an okay scenario

      Like

      1. To me, it depends on who you could take instead of a QB. If the alternative to a lower level QB were someone who I thought could be a significant contributor, I’d go with him and roll the dice on the depth at QB.

        Might make Patti and Beville happier too…

        Go Pitt.

        Like

  117. Said hello to Beville on the field after the spring game. He’s a legit 6-5.

    He made some plays in the spring game – both passing and running. But I must say that when I saw his stats after the game, they surprised me by how good they were…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  118. The running back competition in camp is going to be interesting. Bunch of unknowns; bunch of possibilities.

    A.J. Davis
    Salahuddin
    Sibley
    V’lique Carter
    + the Freshmen…

    Right now, my wild guess is Davis as the normal back, spelled by Salahuddin.

    Sibley comes in for “power” back situations.

    Carter comes in as the “speed” guy for special plays and as a decoy…

    Davis and Sibley are probably best prepared, by experience and size, for picking up blitzes…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  119. Many know this but for those that don’t. Both of Davis Beville’s parents went to Clemson and played sports there. Clemson didn’t give much notice to Beville until his senior year when he really exploded on the QB scene. Story goes, Clemson came sniffing around after Davis committed to PITT. His parents wanted him to reconsider but DB said NO. I’m going to PITT and that is it! Keep an eye on this young man.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Good info, ike.

      I really enjoy reading the POV more when the discussion is about the Pitt players – that’s what I’m most interested in…

      I know it’s tough because we get such little information about how the players are progressing — or not progressing — but the other stuff gets old fast for me…

      Go Pitt

      Like

    2. With Trevor Lawrence at QB for Clemson Beville would have little chance of seeing the field the next two years. His chances at Pitt are much greater and may come much sooner than many think if the Pickett of 2018 shows up in our first 3 games.

      Like

      1. Point being jrn. He’s a legacy and already committed to PITT verbally. Then they came calling and knocking on their door very hard. Beville would only have sat behind Lawrence for one year after his re-shirt. Too late and too bad. Clemson wanted him.

        Like

  120. Doc, I get what you are saying. I shouldn’t have said this year. LOL He won’t start next year either. 🙂

    Like

  121. 6’8 Pitt frosh Karim Coulibaly led his native Mali to a win over Lativia in the U19 World Cup with 21 pts 6 reb 4 assists and 4 steals. A few weeks after this world cup, he will join his Pitt teammates to a tour of Italy where they will play a handful of games

    Karim and his fellow frosh will play key roles this coming year and this pre-season activity should help. IMO if Pitt BB is to have a big improvement this year, Karim will have to step up the most and play a lot of minutes

    Like

    1. I actually think the guards need to step up the most – and that’s mainly their outside shooting, pull-up jumpers, and better dish-offs…

      Maybe it’s because to me the guard, for as good as they were for freshmen guards, still have the most potential and room to step up…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Agree 100% on this, both X and Trey(not to mention Toney) were inconsistent with their pull up jumpers all year long. They also need to work on their t/overs, way too many when you consider how poor we are rebounding wise. If Coulibali or the grad transfer can handle the PF position Toney should be in a much better situation as a SF.

        Liked by 3 people

        1. certainly the guards need to get even better, but Pitt’s weakness is definitely at the 4 and 5 positions. I think Couribaly is the best chance of see a better presence under the boards. Brown may get a lttle better but he is near his ceiling

          Like

      2. I feel with X, Trey and Toney, Pitt should be fast breaking teams to death with these three athletes. Need to rebound to start the break, but these guys need to be let loose for increased scoring chances.

        Like

  122. Right M&M I agree, the guards are the best assets for PITT BB but at the same time they are the young guns, so there should be room for a nice jump in improvement next year.

    Liked by 2 people

  123. Well the final Directors Cup standings have arrived and Pitt placed #137. The nearest ACC team was BC at #87. Four ACC schools placed in the top 10. Basically these standings offer a good assessment of the sports competitiveness across similar division schools (D1, 2, etc).

    Pitt’s volleyball, wrestling and football picked up the points. Volleyball and wrestling have good coaches, recruit well and get into tournament play. Football picked up points for being bowl eligible. Football would have scored more points for wining their bowl and being ranked.

    Hopefully, Pitt’s other programs can start winning. We’ll see with the new coaches over the next few years. Mens soccer should pick up points next year since I expect them to get a tourney invite. I’m surprised Pitt’s swimming and diving didnt point given this program has historically been pretty decent.

    But this placement is pretty embarrassing given Pitt’s $90 million dollar budget. Many schools spend a much lower dollar and get far better results.

    A new track should help significantly improve the track team’s performance and recruiting. I’m not sure if new facilities will really substantially help volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics. Two of the three at least are performing well despite playing in a dump.

    Again the quickest way for a turnaround is through coaching and players. Its just a shame that so many programs at Pitt are in such deep holes and have been neglected and mismanaged throughout the years.

    I’m sure the ACC brass isnt pleased with these results. Pitt has been at the bottom or near the bottom since ACC entry.

    Like

  124. an article
    https://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt-acc-2018-19-year-in-review-0630-story.html

    this was actually Pitt’s worst overall placing since this Cup began back in 1993. 94-95 was Pitt’s best year when they ranked #48 but this was Pitt going against smaller Big East schools. Historically, Pitt has placed around #95.

    The bottom ACC teams are generally BC and Ga Tech…those closest to Pitt.

    It just goes to show that the ACC is a very competitive conference and Pitt just doesnt have what it takes right now to compete except in 3 sports out of 19.

    Since ACC entry Pitt has placed 137/111/92/110/96/85

    Pitt’s budget is competitive and its facilities are adequate. However, It will take a cultural change for Pitt to significantly advance in placement.

    Like

  125. Rather shocking that Pitt ranked so low in the Director’s Cup. Pitt really had to work at it to come in at #137. I suspect that even when basketball was doing well the DC rankings were not so good. How did Stevie last so long with such a pathetic overall record?

    Like

  126. Did I read correctly that the Director’s Cup includes “Beach Volleyball?”

    Seriously?

    Go Pitt.

    Like

    1. Is Frisbee Football on the list? Probably not, as Pitt is very good and nationally rank almost every year.

      Why does Pitt not have an NCAA competing hockey team instead of only a club hockey team. Is it the nitters on the BoT that are blocking this obvious no-brainer?

      Like

  127. I see where a good shooting guard (Horton), who is transferring from Delaware, is visiting Pitt tomorrow.

    Could this be the player-to-be-named-later in the Joe Flacco deal?? 😊

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  128. Pitt – “lowest Directors’ Cup finish ever by an ACC school and lowest this year among the 65 Power Five programs”. So for the positivists, we finished in the top 75 of the non P5 schools, awesome!

    Over 2 1/4 years into the new administration. It will be impossible to be worse, right? We have no choice but to improve. Kind of like investing someone’s money after 40 years of losses. At some point, you have to hit paydirt. Just can’t be any worse, but i digress.Some people might argue that Pitt would still be an embarrassment at 65, me included. We should be top40 every year, like casey casum.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Once we get the Beach Volleyball team cranked up, no tellin’ how high we might go…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  129. But Heather smiles and changes uniform colors to take your mind off her coaches horrendous performance and begs you to call AT&T and Verizon Fios. Everyday she is employed shows you where the adminstration’s heart is concerning athletics. She wouldn’t last a year at a real program that values winning and a standard.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You and Inknow that it takes more than a strong AD to change the culture to care about winning athletics at a school.

      The BoT’s, Chancellor, administration, faculty and alumni must WANT winning programs. Which one of the above could anyone name as WANTING a culture with a strong emphasis on winning athletics?

      The balance can be struck with academics and athletics with the right leadership.

      Liked by 3 people

  130. the 3 lowest ACC schools (Pitt, BC and GT) are urban. There is no civic pride here and especially when sports other than football and basketball is being played. Do you think the citizens or Oakland and the Hill ever know or care when a baseball game or track meet is being held … or anywhere else in Pittsburgh?

    In every other ACC setting, the college is the focus of the surrounding community. Heck, I’m not even sure when you ask a Pittsburgher about Oakland, his/her initial response is … “yea, that’s where Presby and Magee are”

    Like

    1. they are urban, small and private
      if you want civic pride and a community involvement, build a MPC
      open it to the community on certain days, rent it out to high schools and other colleges
      build it in Oakland

      Like

  131. BTW, yesterday’s Yankees – BoSox game in London took 4 hours and 42 minutes. I’m sure England can’t wait to begin a baseball league.

    That’s even longer than a B12 football game!

    Like

  132. Is there any evidence that the director cup standings matter with ACC brass? I could really care less about them.

    Like

    1. it matters with the brass because its part of the brand. And having a school like Pitt that stinks across most sports sullies that brand. Every AD has incentives in their contracts based on these standings.

      It just goes to show that Pitt cannot compete against schools that actually care about sports. I do think that Pitt is beginning to care but I dont think it is doing enough and any progress will take time given the new coaching changes and obstacles in the way of a cultural transformation.

      Pitt has an above average spend on athletics relative to its ACC peers and it only has 18 programs. To have results like this is embarrassing. So Pitt spends $90 million to finish as the worst P-5 school by far and they still lose $10 million to do it.

      Pitt has accepted losing for far too long. Theres economics to justify why everyone needs to start caring.

      Like

  133. Now this is REALLY Real!

    ACC Schools in Final 2018-19 Directors’ Cup Standings

    Florida State 1046.25
    Virginia 1037.50
    Duke 1001.00
    N. Carolina 987.00
    Notre Dame 885.00
    NC State 794.00
    Louisville 648.50
    Wake Forest 648.25
    Virginia Tech 511.83
    Syracuse 463.50
    Miami 420.83
    Georgia Tech 358.00
    Clemson 305.00
    Boston Coll. 216.00
    Pittsburgh 114.50

    Like

    1. 9 ACC schools finished in the top 50
      Clemson typically places much higher…it was their worst showing ever despite 100 points for a NC
      Many of these schools have comparable facilities and the same level of spend as Pitt
      Its a cultural thing

      Like

  136. This is very sad and will take a long time and effort to change. Unfortunately I don’t see much will to change it. Pitt has never cared about competing in sports other than football and basketball, and most times little about them.

    Like

    1. its Pitt’s worst placement since they began the Cup back in 1993.
      its going to be tough for Pitt to compete across most sports

      ACC Football is a competitive conference but nothing like the SEC thank goodness
      ACC Basketball is arguably the toughest and best conference
      Baseball is also strong in the ACC given all the southern schools
      Volleyball is actually weak and thats one of the reasons why Pitt dominates
      The premier league for soccer and lacrosse is the ACC
      Track isnt as good as it should be. Heck Pitt’s mens team placed 4th in the ACC
      Swimming is far more competitive in the ACC relative to the Big East
      Wrestling is a sport that few ACC teams play

      The ACC knew all this. Pitt had a tough time competing against smaller Big East schools with half the budgets. Pitt was chosen for its TV market. But Pitt will need to raise their game.

      Could Pitt be kicked out of the ACC? Anything is possible but its doubtful. Few if any available schools have the TV market size and alumni base. Maybe Cincy and UCF come the closest.

      Like

  139. Hey, someone’s got to finish last,,,,or 137th

    If we become #1 in everything other than hoops and football, who cares

    That said, we are in the ACC, have more revenues, let’s spend and compete

    Pitt doesn’t suck

    Like

    1. But Pitt does suck in every sport but three

      And Pitt spends at the top end of the ACC based on average dollars per program ($5M per program)
      Pitt only has 18 programs which is less than most ACC schools
      So Pitt has more money from the ACC just like every other ACC school but its money produces #137
      Pitt is spending but still cant compete

      Now some of this is due to coaching changes so maybe Pitt has hit rock bottom

      These standings may not be important to fans but they are to AD’s and to the ACC brass
      AD’s compensation is tied to these results and the brass cares about their conference brand and perception

      Unfortunately, the ACC network will expose Pitt as a fraud for the entire region to see
      You’ll definitely have discussions on ACC blogs as to why Pitt is a member and what schools could replace them (see Cincy and UCF)

      So Pitt does need to do something about this. Its really up to the coaches to start winning.

      Like

  140. If it’s not football or men’s basketball I don’t really care. Everything else is like a tree falling in forest to me …

    I think this is why you’ve seen such a focus from Heather on these sports and their coaches. There is probably conference pressure on Pitt that we are not privy to.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. The only thing that matters to me is football and men’s basketball. That’s it. That’s the list.

      Like

  141. I could not care less about this cup stuff but I do have a question. It regards how points are accumulated. I’m the formula is included in one or more of the links provided, thanks Tx and others, but on the surface, it seems like it’s a winner takes all mentality? So being competitive means nothing?? Again, I really don’t care but it’s a serious question so I can have a better understanding….. thanks. .. .. ike

    Like

    1. you get points for winning your conference, going to the playoffs, getting ranked

      Football left points on the table because they didnt win their bowl and become ranked…about 20 points

      Most fans dont know about these rankings and could care less but AD’s and the conference leaders care very much

      The implications for Heather are less comp, more pressure to win, ACC scrutiny
      The implications to the conference are brand and perception
      The implications to students are Pitt spends a ton of money on sports to finish dead last and still lose $10M each year. Student’s tuition shouldnt be supporting results like this.

      Like

  142. The results are really bad, again. Name me one CEO or Board that spends $100M per year in an area that has failed miserably for 35 years. That is a terrible legacy to leave behind. Tex is absolutely correct about the brand. Today’s students and alumni want to be associated with winners during their time at an institution and when they leave. When associated with a winner, they are tied into the university and give back to the school with fundraising.

    As an AD, the main job is to procure funding through a bunch of glad handing and have your sports competitive. I almost put in here that it is also the ability to hire the right coaches for its revenue generating sports, but ours outsources that most important function. An AD worth their salt would never accept any excuses handed down to them by a Coach, Board or Chancellor. The athletic department needs to be in sync with the university across the enterprise to be successful.

    Sports matter. The brand matters. A good CEO understands the interplay, manipulates the BoT, surrounds themselves with great people, creates an atmosphere of a destination job for its employees, and flourishes. An average CEO tries to surround themselves with good people and hopes. The latter is not a strategy.

    I golfed with a former AD last week who believes that Pitt could have it all, except it gets in its own way with its athletic leadership and academic leadership. One of the comments was “keep firing coaches and eventually, a replacement or two will hit a home run”. I think it was geared toward softball or baseball, but no elaboration.

    I do worry that Tex may be falling into the trap of “giving the new coaches time to execute their plan”. I wrote on here when we started firing coaches that it was a ploy to have leadership say it will take time to execute. This is a common strategy to get more years on your contract without having to perform. Excuses, all excuses. What we all should demand from the AD is this: you have hired coach x. Coach x has given you a plan to be ranked in the top 25 in recruiting and final ranking after the season, right? What does coach x need to get there? Did you give coach x what they need to get there? Can coach x get there more quickly with additional resources? If so, what are those resources? Did you go to bat to get those resources for the coach? Transparency leads to Accountability.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. new coaches do buy Heather some time. How much? Maybe 2-3 years. So the new coaches need to begin showing results this coming year and make improvements each year in terms of wins and recruiting rankings. But if those results dont materialize, will Heather be held accountable? Maybe with far fewer Nitters on the BOT and Pitt spending money it doesnt have.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. New coaches can take up to 4 years to institute culture, weed out old players, and getting momentum to get better recruits. 2-3 years is too short a leash.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I agree. I just think the pressure is on to do it in a quicker timeframe. I think if progress can be made each year, that should suffice until the breakout year. See mens soccer for example.

          Like

        2. So TT, how long does it take an Athletic Director to change and elevate an entire sports department?

          Like

          1. ike – I’d agree MM’s perspective, but I think you can recognize a good job much sooner … I think Pitt is trending the right direction, primarily thanks to Heather. Most of the issues I read about in this forum are that it’s not going fast enough. I’m not an instant gratification type of person nor do I have expectations that you can fix complicated messes overnight. To do it the right way, it should be methodical.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. and I would agree with you TT…. If you know me from the internet and the POV. You know I understand the dynamics and time it takes to fix decades of failures. I’m satisfied yet not over overjoyed with everything PITT but encouraged.

              Mike, I live in Pennsyltucky. I have a real live cousin Eddie living down the block from me, motor home and all. Plus, he don’t speak no good English. 🙂 << Look who’s talking? ike

              Like

        3. If you are truly committed to building o agree. 4 – 5 years is really what you need.

          Liked by 1 person

  143. TX… regarding your post above. One of the main arguments made in moving to the ACC was the impact it would have on ALL sports.

    Laughable that anyone would write this off as unimportant.

    Like

    1. The impact on Pitt athletics was more revenue from the conference TV contracts. Going from $5M in the Big East to $25M in the ACC. This allowed Pitt to spend more money on coaching salaries, recruiting budgets and facilities. Which Pitt has done. But the results dont show it.

      The ACC is a far more competitive conference than the Big East. Pitt was ill prepared for the move. They might have done well enough in football, volleyball and wrestling, but every other program has really struggled.

      Th ACC gives Pitt a high profile in the college sports world. Unfortunately, this higher profile exposes Pitt and the ACC network will further showcase a school that excels at losing.

      Pitt just seems to be a misfit in this conference

      Like

    1. the focal point shifted to the Pete and it was by deliberate design
      Pitt became a basketball school

      Like

  147. Some A-hole comments by our Nitter friends on the BWI board regarding the Cup:

    Please list your favorite school that Pitt is behind in the standings.
    Mine? Lipscomb, which I’m 95% sure is a made up name and not a real college

    I’d like to point out that this rating is entirely the result of Pitt’s grueling OOC football schedule.

    They got 0 points for the spring… Would they even be the best program in the PSAC?

    Too many lights!

    Wonder how big of a keychain they hand out for that

    I passed a Panturd fan in Giant Eagle last night who had a “Hail to Pitt” tee shirt on and I asked him if there was a typo as it should say “ Fail to Pitt”.

    Embarrassing! AD is probably looking for another job with Uber…. how do you even try to explain how inept the department is. And they give scholarships for that?

    I’ll forgive Narduzzi and never trash him again if Pitt can beat those Pedos in Creepy Valley this year

    Like

    2. Locker room pin up material.

      Lace up the cleats, strap on the helmet, tape your knuckles and knock the nits flat on their backsides, ala Bill Fralic.

      Every Pitt player should get an extra dose of adrenaline just for #79. In fact, right now if I was Duzz I would dedicate this game to the late, great Fralic and have his number on the new Panther logo.

      Punch the pedo enablers square in the mouth.

      Whistle while they work a W out of Creepy Valley.

      H2P!

      Liked by 1 person

    3. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of the Director’s Cup. Truthfully, next to nobody cares about any of those D1 sports anyway. By the way, how’s Penn St’s basketball program turned out for them? Yes, they were better than us during the 2 year STallings era, good job on that.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Fans may not care but the conference brass does and so do every AD. If you take pride in Pitt sports, its a good barometer on where a school stands. Pitt’s pretty bad across the vast majority of sports. If Pitt was a business, it would be shut down by now. So from a branding and economics standpoint, Pitt has to do better. ACC membership is a privilege.

        Like

  149. Atta boy Fran, I’m right behind you. You all know how quiet and reserved I am?

    Tx, PITT beats the pedo’s to end it! Let them live with that for eternity. I don’t want to see their pathetic asses at Heinz Field ever again.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. agreed
      Pitt has no business playing a school fully aware of child rape in the showers and did nothing about it besides orchestrating a cover-up

      I’d rather play the Hoppies every year anyway.

      Liked by 2 people

  150. The only way a school builds their Olympic sports is to invest in the athletic sport that help support the plan financially. Football and maybe basketball, HELLO. The more money PITT spends on making their college football team better the bigger the return. Kind of like the millions spent on the ACC network. Of course all schools did that so PITT will fall even further back. College football is an investment BOT, get with the program PITT! …..

    Liked by 1 person

  151. Throwing this out there to stir some things up………….. Who wouldn’t love to hear a podcast from Reed or Michaelangelo?

    Like

    1. Reed keeps telling me to do one. Hard to find the time. Hoping to be able to carve some out closer to the season

      Like

        2. Great idea JoeL. I will say Chris yammers or hem haws around at times. Not nearly as good as Reed was at a podcast. His latest podcast with Phil Steele was really good.

          Like

          1. Lol…I like Chris’ work a lot but it does take him a while to get to the point from time to time. He does have great guests. I always tune in when he does an interview

            Like

            1. Thought his chats with Zeise and Kenny’s QB trainer were very good. Phil Steele? Good, I have something to listen while walking the dog tonight.

              Like

  153. How did Pitt do in the Director’s Cup in 1976? Or those years we went 33-3.

    I can’t seem to remember any Director’s Cup rankings back then…☹️

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  154. Given the Directors Cup results, it’s easy to see why Narduzzi got the contract extension. There is much to do with every other sport at Pitt to get to respectability. Kind of makes me wonder why they are adding lacrosse when most of the current sports suck.

    Like

    1. They need to move hockey from a club sport to a NCAA sport – it’s Pittsburgh for goodness sake…

      Like

  155. KP is hanging with the Mannings and hopefully learning a few things from Archie, Peyton and Eli.

    I see KP developing into a stronger leader, better decision maker and more of a risk taker this season under Pappy Whip. The QB competition will be more intense than last season and I’m hopeful Duzz turns the O completely over to Pappy or the Pitt fan base won’t be happy.

    I believe the D will put the O in better position to score this season and Pappy Whip will make the necessary changes if his starters are not executing his plan to score and score often.

    HC Duzz needs to wear heavy boots this season and step on the throats of his opponents.

    Special note to Duzz if you are reading this – step with authority and don’t take it off in Creepy Valley – we all want to see Franky’s news conference with the boot marks plain to see.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Well said EE, we’ve all been waiting for Pitt football to dominate a game for a very long time.

      HTP

      Like

  156. VoR, my guess for adding women’s lacrosse was to make up for the loss of women’s tennis for Title IX reasons. Just a guess

    Like

  157. Thoughts on a couple Director Cup sports:

    Baseball – I wouldn’t expect Pitt to ever gain Director’s Cup points in baseball. Baseball is a warm weather game — the best talent tends to stay in the south or move to the south… While I don’t think there’s anything the Pitt AD can do about that, I think she made a sensible move with the new coach.

    Pitchers are the key in baseball, like the QB is the key in football. The new coach’s strength and rep is with pitching. I think enough hitters can be found, but convincing top pitchers to play at Pitt is challenging, to say the least.

    Women’s BB — Another case where I think the AD made a good choice with the new coach. And then Coach White seemed to hit a home run by hiring former head coach Mitchell as his assistant. She had a lot of success as head coach at Minnesota (I think it was).

    In his first chance to affect the roster for the upcoming season, Coach White has brought in 7 new players – 5 frosh and 2 transfers. Three of them are post players. Despite her impressive resume, Suzie M. just could not recruit post players. It will take time, but this team will definitely improve because of the coaching change.

    Beach Volleyball — Yes, beach volleyball is a Director’s Cup sport. Could we make a beach on the Cathedral Lawn?

    (Personally, I think these Director Cup organization people are pretty full of themselves. Seems to me they create this organization and award (and collect a lot of “dues”) so that college athletic directors and administrators can promote (and network) with college athletic directors and administrators…)

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Don’t tell Michigan that baseball is a warm weather sport.

      They lost in the college World Series in the championship to Vanderbilt.

      Like

      1. Well maybe they’d have won if they could have practiced outside before June…

        Like

    2. Love the tear down and rebuild in women’s bb. You have to think that it will start paying off in about three years

      Liked by 1 person

  158. Your last paragraph there John hits the nail on the head. That said women’s beach volleyball is definitely on my viewing schedule with the new ACC network.

    Liked by 1 person

  160. I think if Pickett struggles early or an injury occurs early it will be Jeff George jr coming in as relief. However imo, if Pickett plays well enough but PITT still struggles midway through the season with a below 500 record. We could see a younger QB see some playing time. Considering the 4 game leeway know a days I would be surprised if we don’t see a little of Beville this year. It’s free live game action practice.

    Playing George jr during a losing season does nothing for PITT. A senior, who BTW is not on scholarship, should only play if Pickett fails early and the season is still in doubt.

    Liked by 1 person

  162. Hey Mike, we need an article asking what everyone is doing for the fourth. You know, keeping it family. I have a couple pyro maniacs for neighbors. Now that fireworks are legal in PA, the night has been popping with boom booms.

    Like

    1. Well you know what they say about Pennsylvania. It’s Philly at one end. Pittsburgh at the other and Alabama in between…

      Liked by 1 person

    2. An actual football article coming if I can find the time …

      Like

  163. In case there is any doubt that were in the middle of the summer drought, we have a mini-discussion on the Director’s Cup… As noted above, I’d never heard of it, and the sports apparently included in it would explain why. Ah… but in about 10 weeks, things will start to percolate again. Or for many of us, thanks to Coach Capel, we will have some summer action in Italy! H2P.

    Like

  164. Just win 10 football games and get back to winning 20-25 BB games and talk of the Directors Cup will be history…I never heard either of it til I came on the POV…..tried to send a pic from Nikolas Ognenovic on his twitter page just to show you what a TE looks like and how Nick is growing,,,he was one kid I really hoped Duzz could land…plays for Kaintuck….couldn’t get the pic to transfer.

    Liked by 1 person

  167. Ike, I was about to write something deep and insightful, and then you posted that beach volleyball video—. Now I’m drawing a blank! 😊 BTW, wwb I’m all for lacrosse, but I’m concerned that it will end up as just another bottom dweller in the Pitt athletics portfolio

    Like

    1. Womens lacrosse will struggle. The ACC is the premier conference for lacrosse. 4 ACC teams placed in the top 10. It will just be another Pitt program that accumulates zero points in the Directors Cup and cost the school millions to support. But they needed a sport to replace tennis. Pitt does have a decent opportunity to be good given few schools play the sport and its popular in the NE and SE. They’ll probably play on the soccer field.

      Like

        1. here’s an excerpt from Cardiac Hill article announcing that women’s tennis was being dropped

          If you take a long at the team’s record since joining the ACC, this move is not surprising. Out of 70 conference games, Pitt only won a single conference game and it was during the 2015-2016 season. 1-69 is a pretty shocking record, and I’m not surprised Pitt decided to pull the plug.

          Obviously, this has to be awful for the staff and players of the team. Despite the record, I’m sure they spent thousands of hours training and practicing. To be a D1 athlete for any sport, even on a bad team, takes a tremendous amount of time and effort.
          There are currently 7 athletes on the team with four being seniors. Pitt will honor the scholarships of the three remaining women as long as they maintain academic eligibility with the NCAA. If they want to transfer, Pitt will help them in that record. The team didn’t have any incoming recruits, so that will be the end of the team.

          Like

      2. Men’s Ice Hockey would have been better but because of Title 9 (I believe) it had to be women’s sport…

        Like

        1. yep. lacrosse is not a sport where Pitt will be able to become quickly successful. They may not win an ACC game for a year or two.
          But long term, its a good fit for Pitt. Hockey however is a better fit – both men and women

          Like

        2. Remember the NHL commissioned a feasibility study for hockey at Pitt. I’m pretty sure they found the market exists. Demand is there. Recruits are there. It now comes down to money. Its just not a priority for Pitt which is a shame. Now is the time to get in.

          Like

        3. Title 9 yes. Unless Tepper or Cuban makes a gift, I dont see Pitt supporting more than 19 programs.

          Like

  168. Erie Express — Hats off to Michigan for what they did in baseball. But out of curiosity I checked and here are the teams who made the finals besides Michigan:
    -Texas Tech
    -Arkansas
    -Florida State
    -Vandy
    -Louisville
    -Mississippi St.
    -Auburn

    Also, I see where two of Pitt’s pitchers, both juniors, were drafted and signed with MLB teams. I know every college team has to content with losing their good players in the draft, but Pitt baseball, probably more than most, needs guys to stay and develop…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

Comments are closed.