Revisionist History – POV Style – 2016

252 thoughts on “Revisionist History – POV Style – 2016”

1. just one comment. I think the 09 loss to NC State was a bad one. Yes Russell Wilson was a great playmaker (still is) but the Wolfpack finished 5-7 that year. And I will never forget the 4th and 16 when Wilson scrambled around Sheard and beat everyone to the sideline for a 17 yard gain.

   LikeLike

   1. wwb, do you mean the run by Wilson where there is at least 5 documented penalties against NCS during the play?

      LikeLike

   2. Like all the losses that season, you need a QB who can make big plays when it matters most and Bill wasn’t that kind of player. Solid QB, but Pitt goes undefeated that season if Wannstedt landed Thaddeus Lewis in 2006.

      Actually 2007-10 would have been rewritten, but you have to close at the most important position.

      LikeLiked by 1 person

   3. I’ll take it. That means bad loss every year.

      LikeLike

   4. I was at that game, sitting with the Pitt band in the corner. Wouldn’t call it a bad loss, but would call it frustrating. We had a lead and let Wilson come alive. After recovering a fumble at the Pack 8 yd line, we got zero yards on 4 plays – end of game. That was tough to watch.

      LikeLiked by 1 person

2. And if there are parallels to the great success of Jamie, the one part that significantly differs is in the OOC SOS.

   JD was criticized for the pre-season weak opponents but I was perfectly fine with it as it really is about finding the right combinations and creating momentum and confidence in basketball. Football is simply too brutal with injuries and attrition to take the risks as well as the fact that each loss has far more impact than in basketball.

   LikeLike

3. so 7 of the 24 recruits were rated 5.7 and above. Thats very close to the 2020 class.

   i see around 5 that have really made a difference and then a few others that contributed at times

   Pitt just needs to do better. either by getting more talent or by better better developing it.

   I just disagree that a 7-7 season was a darn good coaching performance by Narduzzi. He was 4-2 in a weak Coastal. The Miami game and bowl loss soured me.

   9-5 would have been damn good to me.

   LikeLiked by 2 people

4. Excellent write-up and analysis. Peak should be watching his back. 🙂

   LikeLike

   1. Haha there is no way I could overtake Chris Peak. I’d have no good ideas to copy

      LikeLike

5. TX, just to clairfy, you’re saying that if Nick Saben had the 65th ranked recruiting class, and played the same teams we did last year, with the same players, he would have had better results?

   I probably would agree with that if that’s what you’re saying. I just don’t think other than Dabo and Saben that there are a lot of coaches out there who would have done noticeably better with what our coach was working with.

   Now as to recruting, yes Narduzzi can better there.

   But as to the results with what he worked with against that schedule, I feel our coach did very well and not many other coaches would have had better results.

   LikeLiked by 1 person

   1. Most publications pegged Pitt at six wins in the regular season. Pitt exceeded those expectations by one game. I’d think at least half the P-5 coaches could have done that. And there might have been a handful that could have won ten games out of the 14.

      Did it ever dawn on narduzzi to have someone else step in and call plays or for him to at least discuss a change in tactics for the passing game?

      The bigger question is why was Pitt only picked to win six. Why did pitt finish poorly. Why does narduzzi recruit mediocre players and coaches.

      Enterering season 4 for a coach making top 40 pay, I sure did expect better than a 7 win season but I knew better.

      LikeLiked by 1 person

6. In football and basketball we don’t beat good opponents; plan and simple. PITT doesn’t recruit the best athletes. However many of the best athletes don’t belong in college as I knew college 50 years ago. Europeans don’t see or use, so called, higher education for the best athletes.

   I don’t mind being middle of the pact provided we are higher rated academically. Would like to see us excel in the so called non revenue sports where real college students do participate.

   LikeLike

7. Off the subject, but interesting. James Conner’s ability to fill in for Le’Veon Bell during Bell’s holdout shows up in the Wall Street Journal. The author of the article writes, “While Le’Veon Bell held out from the Steelers, James Conner took his job and played pretty much like Bell had.” Too bad the article didn’t mention Conner’s Pitt heritage. The day of the prima donna running back is over according to the article, “Declining Value of Running Backs.” Trust Conner will be very valuable to the Steelers this year, but doubt he will ever think of himself as a prima donna. – Hobie

   LikeLiked by 1 person

8. The Miami loss last year was very predictable. They had just gone thru 4 straight wins vs Coastal opponents and then accomplished their goal, winning the division. Then they had to play at the team whom they had just the year before spoiled their possible title run (remember Miami was 2nd ranked and undefeated) … not to mention that Miami had the 3rd ranked defense in the nation.

   The only loss that upset me of the final 3 was the bowl loss because it was winnable, They had outplayed Stanford for much of the game but the one thing they really had an issue with under Watson had resurfaced … they had to settle for FGs instead of TDs when they were inside the opponents’ 10 yard line.

   LikeLiked by 3 people

   1. I should have written … ‘one of the things they had an issue under Watson’

      LikeLike

9. Jimmy Morrissey being named to the watch list for the Remington award? In retrospect, Narduzzi was widely criticized for not recruiting the center position very well and for having a walk-on at the center spot. Gee, maybe just maybe, the guy knows what he’s doing? I know, there are many nominees and all, just saying.

   LikeLike

   1. Eh, I think he got lucky

      LikeLike

10. wwb- fan of Canada…. put Jasper Park in the Canadian Rockies on your agenda…. you can ride the Canadian RR through it or better yet to stay and explore… recommend staying at the Tekerra Lodge on the Athabaskan River… September is the best month…..

    LikeLiked by 2 people

    1. How did you get there? Fly? Drive?
       Doing Yellowstone and Tetons next 2 weeks…anyone with any special “don’t miss” recommendations? We want to do cliff diving in the Tetons for one thing. Kids all are/were summer divers. My 9 yo at the time – https://youtu.be/SkJNmxDySsk

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. West Yellowstone has bears and wolves in captivity. Cody Wyoming has a great cowboy museum. Snake river float trip thru the Teton np.

          LikeLiked by 1 person

       2. Tvax, a couple more as there are many. Rent a boat and go out on Yellowstone lake, rent kayaks and paddle on Jenny lake, the water is so clear you can see down 100 feet. If you trout fish, caught cutthroat on mosquito wet Flys at Buffalo ford downstream of fishing bridge. Caught big cuts one after another in a big hole with boulders at the inlet using a large mepps spinner, this was going into the Lamar valley just off the right side of the road. Didn’t see elk until I camped near the Madison river on the west side of the park. Dam wolves have them reduced 8n number and chased into the back country out of sight. Hope this gives u a few options.

          LikeLike

11. Ike, it’s hard to imagine that Narduzzi intended to sneak Morrissey onto the roster without using a scholarship in his belief that he would be a top ACC center. I think you have to file this under “got lucky”.

    LikeLike

12. Well, maybe you guys are right but I don’t think so. Here’s two reasons why.

    1.. Narduzzi would have been beat up for bringing in a no star lineman

    2.. Morrissey started day one after red-shirt year

    I give credit when I find it may be due..

    You guys can be skeptical but when does a walk-on red-shirt freshman starting ever happen?

    BTW, PITT’s offense fell apart when Jimmy got hurt last year. Narduzzi had to recognize that JM was PITT’s best option and he ran with it. To the tune of two one thousand yard rushers. Again, when does that ever happen?

    LikeLike

    1. How about George Aston?

       LikeLike

13. Well, maybe you guys are right but I don’t think so. Here’s two reasons why.

    1.. Narduzzi would have been beat up for bringing in a no star lineman

    Love this song

    2.. Morrissey started day one after red-shirt year

    I give credit when I find it may be due..

    You guys can be skeptical but when does a walk-on red-shirt freshman starting ever happen?

    BTW, PITT’s offense fell apart when Jimmy got hurt last year. Narduzzi had to recognize that JM was PITT’s best option and he ran with it. To the tune of two one thousand yard rushers. Again, when does that ever happen?

    Love this song so excuse me………. but even us losers get lucky sometimes.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

14. whether luck or design, Pitt has had a few productive walk-ons under Narduzzi …. Morrisey, Aston and Idowu. Jimmy Medure also cannot be overlooked and will likely see some PT this year as he has the past two years

    But here is the next walk-on to keep your eye on

    https://pittsburghpanthers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10182

    LikeLike

    1. this is an even better walk-on
       

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. I didnt realize she had a photoshopped head.
          Just got me to think. Pitt and CMU could team up and create some football cyborg. They both have outstanding AI and robotic departments
          I’m afraid that might be the only way to win 10 games
          maybe all Kenny needs is a robotic arm
          i wouldnt necessarily call that cheating

          LikeLiked by 1 person

15. OT Slow night so here are some words. Read and listen and if you would like to…………

    ”
    Million young poets
    Screamin’ out their words
    To a world full of people
    Just livin’ to be heard
    Future generations
    Ridin’ on the highways that we built
    I hope, that they have better understanding

    Check it out
    Goin’ to work on Monday
    Check it out
    Got yourself a family
    Check it out
    All utility bills have been paid
    You can’t tell your best buddy
    That you love him
    So check it out
    Where does our time go
    Check it out
    Got a brand new house in escrow
    Check it out
    Sleepin’ with your back
    To your loved one
    This is all, we have learned
    About happiness
    Check it out,
    Forgot to say hello to my neighbours
    Check it out
    Sometimes I question my own behavior
    Check it out
    Talkin’ about the girls, we’ve
    Seen on the sly
    Just to tell our souls
    We’re still the young lions
    So check it out
    Getting’ too drunk on Saturdays
    Check it out
    Playin’ football with the kids
    On Sundays
    Check it out
    Soaring with the eagles all week long
    And this is all, we have learned
    About living
    This is all, we have learned
    About living

    A million young poets
    Screamin’ out their words
    Maybe someday
    Those words will be heard
    By future generations
    Ridin’ on the highways that we built
    Maybe they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out
    Maybe they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out
    Maybe they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out
    Maybe they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out
    Hope they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out

    Million young poets
    Screamin’ out their words
    To a world full of people
    Just livin’ to be heard
    Future generations
    Ridin’ on the highways that we built
    I hope, that they have better understanding

    Check it out
    Goin’ to work on Monday
    Check it out
    Got yourself a family
    Check it out
    All utility bills have been paid
    You can’t tell your best buddy
    That you love him
    So check it out
    Where does our time go
    Check it out
    Got a brand new house in escrow
    Check it out
    Sleepin’ with your back
    To your loved one
    This is all, we have learned
    About happiness
    Check it out,
    Forgot to say hello to my neighbors
    Check it out
    Sometimes I question my own behavior
    Check it out
    Talkin’ about the girls, we’ve
    Seen on the sly
    Just to tell our souls
    We’re still the young lions
    So check it out
    Getting’ too drunk on Saturdays
    Check it out
    Playin’ football with the kids
    On Sundays
    Check it out
    Soaring with the eagles all week long
    And this is all, we have learned
    About living
    This is all, we have learned
    About living

    A million young poets
    Screamin’ out their words
    Maybe someday
    Those words will be heard
    By future generations
    Ridin’ on the highways that we built
    Maybe they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out
    Maybe they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out
    Maybe they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out
    Maybe they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out
    Hope they’ll have a better understanding
    Check it out

    LikeLike

16. Among 130 D-1 schools, 72% have head coaches that have been at the school for 5 years or less. 21% alone are first year coaches. So there is a ton of turnover. The average coaching tenure is around 4.6 years. So Pitt really isnt that much different from most schools.

    After this year, Narduzzi will be going into a bucket of coaches comprising 28% of the sample. Those who have coached 6-9 years. What does he have to do to stay in that bucket and/or graduate to the next level where only 12% of coaches reside.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. Really good stuff Tex. And you know the answer because you’ve said it so many times yourself. He needs to keep the program clean. He needs to average 7-8 wins. Ideally he overdelivers but you have to think that Pitt is smart enough to realize that it’s more expensive to run an 8 win coach off than it is to keep him

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. as long as Pitt gets to bowl games, attendance doesnt drop like a rock and Pitt runs a clean program and players get good GPA’s and graduate, I dont see Pitt getting rid of Narduzzi.

          Pitt has little appetite to do what it would take to reach consistent 10 win seasons. What it would take is more money, more revenues, lowering of standards (lower GPA’s), and an OCS.

          LikeLike

          1. I think 50% of your post is correct. I think they do want to get to 10 games. And they want to use the “Stanford” model. Quality kids. Strong culture. Work ethic. They are playing the long game. That means 10 games is probably the ceiling, but 7 games is probably the floor , except for the rare off-off year

             LikeLiked by 1 person

             1. then Heather needs to get Tennessee and Whisky off the schedule. Having those teams on the OOC is not the standard way. Thats one thing our AD still does not understand.

                LikeLike

    2. I’d say our turnover the past decade was rather noteworthy- moreso than most programs.

       LikeLike

17. 16% of coaches reside in the 6-9 year bucket
    12% in the 10 plus
    so 28% are above 5 years (the standard length of most contracts)
    meaning 72% of coaches get bought out before most programs achieve ‘stability’

    so he will be joining some select company by just reaching the 6 year mark
    most of those long tenured coaches seem to have their break-out year in years 4 thru 6
    and then they generally sustain that level with a few down years ever so often

    I really dont see this year as being the break-out year. I’m predicting 7 regular season wins.
    I do see next year as a possibility if Pitt has a QB otherwise its another 6-7 wins most likely (remember clemson and fsu become cross-overs)

    8/8/5/7/7/7 as annual wins would really be no better that Walts last years or Wanny’s and Pitt spent much much less to get those results.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. It was another age. Maybe I’ll do an article on coach salary inflation since 2000

       LikeLike

       1. Wanny coached for $1M
          He gave Pitt a big discount because he loved his school
          And then Pitt treated him like crap
          And we wonder why more famous Pitt players dont donate

          LikeLike

          1. Well if he could have kept Jabaal Sheard from throwing a guy through a plate glass window on the south side and a couple of players from living with a heroin dealer in Oakland he’d probably still be the coach

             LikeLike

             1. He didn’t throw the guy through the window, both men were engaged and the other guy happened to go through first. What was Sheard supposed to do, walk away when a guy was picking a fight with him?

                Sheard apologized twice in person to the store owner and the family paid for the door to be fixed. Sheard has been a model NFL player and citizen.

                LikeLike

                1. That is good context. Yes he could have walked away, but I know that can be a tough thing to do.

                   LikeLike

          2. Did you want me to find the news articles for old times sake? Sorry but that sh*t ain’t worth 10 wins

             LikeLike

             1. the Sheard thing was overblown and now he’s an outstanding NFL player and to the best of my knowledge has never been suspended or in trouble

                i know there was some player involved in drugs and another beat his girlfriend. but those were addressed and the players were kicked off the team. Far worse things happen at schools with more frequency and are often covered up in small towns.

                Wanny didnt run an out of control program filled with bad apples. He ran a typical program.

                He and Steve did not see eye to eye on the power structure. Wanny wanted more responsibilities and more control

                Steve used these incidents to cover his butt and the SI article was a hit piece

                Although I didnt like Wanny surrounded by some players at his last presser and then taking weeks to decide if he would coach the bowl.

                LikeLike

                1. The heroin thing was found out during the chryst era. It was the safety and I think at DT. The DT fled the house so he got to stay on the team. The safety who was a starter and good was kicked off the teamz. Wanny’s disciple was lax to say the least. It was alright under Jeff Long. It was not under Pederson. There is a lot of blame to go around here. Me personally, I know we aren’t going to win a national championship (sorry to any five star recruits who may be reading this)

                   Personally I’d rather win 8 with integrity than 10 with questionable behaviors. I respect your opinion to disagree, but you aren’t going to change my mind on this

                   LikeLike

                   1. Eric Williams was a linebacker and the other kid was a tight end from McKees Rocks.

                      Williams was a standout student and there was no drugs found in any of the three players’ system. The dismissal of the two players but Mosely staying was typical of the Chryst when it came to his coaching and discipline: perplexing.

                      LikeLike

                      1. That’s right, Eric Williams. I think maybe he was recruited as a safety. I was aware that neither of the Pitt players seemed to be using… but you want guys on the team that make better choices. You’d have to think they knew what their roommate was doing.

                         LikeLike

                2. Wannstedt had a ton of great kids. What else can you be when two idiots (Nordenberg and Smiley) give you three coaches in three years in your one and only college career and you stick by the university?

                   That SI article was absolute hogwash. That magazine was garbage then and is the same now.

                   LikeLike

                   1. so true

                      LikeLike

                   2. I am reminded of when SI called for the University of Miami to drop its FB program in the early 90s due to indiscretions … and Beano Cook said “Miami will drop its FB program when SI drops its swimsuit issue”

                      LikeLiked by 3 people

          3. Let’s also recall that Wanny was damaged goods when he took the job, having quit the Dolphins job.

             He didn’t exactly ride in on a stallion to save the program. It was rehab for him and thus the salary level.

             LikeLike

             1. True but he could have gotten much more. Theres no question about his love for Pitt.

                LikeLike

18. There will always be a few bad apples on any team. It doesn’t mean the coach can’t discipline. With Pitt, they want choir boys. That’s why I don’t donate to football. You need to take some risks.

    I’m not in favor of an out of control program that is blatantly cheating and ignoring academics.

    But I do favor a balance.

    And right now Pitt has gone over to the light side. Some dark side will do Pitt good.

    LikeLike

19. Like the Goose said, I came to Pitt to kill people.

    I don’t think Heather even knows who Goose is. That’s the problem.

    But these days Pitt football players are expected to get on honor roll, graduate, be in bed by ten, save kittens from trees and bring world peace.

    No

    I just want them to sack the quarterback and rip his head off. That’s how you earn your scholarship.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. I don’t think that’s true. You can kill ppl on the football field and be a gentleman in everyday life.

       Not to get crass… but In relationships always went for “a freak in the sheets and a lady on the street”

       We can have both

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. Well Mike, PITT got one with this Brandon George….. Read his story on PSN……. A freak on the field but a good kid off… You do the best you can when the whistle blows to start the game and then shake hands after the gun goes off. My kind of young man!

          LikeLike

          1. I was looking at his bio today. Has the the makings of a good one. Hope He lives up to the hype!

             LikeLike

20. Jabal Sheard threw a guy thru a plate glass door in the presence of 2 policemen, yet never spent a night in jail. Why? Was it because Pitt players always get breaks with the city just like most college towns? Yea, right!! He was guilty yet only paid a minimum fine and for damages. I’ll let you people decide why.

    There were a handful of other issues at that time with players who would be thrown off the team. And rightfully so. But Sheard’s character was never in question; in fact, he was voted team captain about a month after that incident. BTW, he is still in the NFL, has a SB ring, and signed a 3 year, $25.5M contract in 2017.

    His character then and now has never been in question. A handful of other Pitt players back in 2010 did have poor character, 2 of which had a history when they were recruited

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. Wanny recruited a few bad apples but overall he recruited football players and his players had good enough character. Probably no worse than the typical college student.

       It just appears to me that now Pitt is going very hard after leaders and players of character while the talent and football side is getting slighted. Its tough to find both in a player – character and talent…at high levels.

       To me there is just way to much emphasis on GPA’s and graduation rates. Most likely because its a distraction used so one doesnt focus on field results. (see Directors Cup)

       The main job of an AD is not achieving the highest GPA’s, graduation rates and most community service awards. Its winning on the field. College football is a big business these days. College players are in the entertainment business and rewarded with scholarships to participate.

       Pitt may not think athletics is dirty and competing against academics anymore but they still havent come around to the new sports/academics model. Its an entertainment model driven by the media and money. Therefore having an attractive and viewable product is paramount.

       The ACC network wasnt launched to showcase Pitt’s athletes receiving diplomas, building schools in Africa, saving the whales and becoming Rhodes scholars. Its for sports fans to watch games and for schools to generate more revenues. This other stuff is just filler.

       Showcasing Pitt’s inside linebacker is on track to graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering and a 3.8 GPA doesnt do anything for me. Seeing him make a tackle for loss on a fourth and one does.

       LikeLike

    2. Who were the two guys that had a history of poor character? One definitely wasn’t the linebacker Knox, who assaulted the female. Knox had a history of it in high school and his coach never relayed it the Pitt coaches, which is no surprise. Knox helped him win games and wanted the kid to have a scholarship.

       So he had a history of it but it was not known.

       LikeLike

    3. Why? Because it was self defense.

       What else is it when someone starts a fight with you? Should Sheard have laid down and let the dude kick him repeatedly?

       LikeLike

       1. Okay, now I have to go back and read the article. If the guy physically engaged Sheard first then yes I am 100% for self defense

          LikeLike

          1. The article and police report are entirely different. The article is typical Pittsburgh media trash always going to make it sound worse that what really happened. I’m friends with the then-video coordinator at Pitt during that time from our Youngstown and Ohio State days.

             He told me how it really went down and I never had a reason to doubt him.

             LikeLiked by 1 person

       2. the 2 guys were DC area kids, Knox and Peeler. Both didn’t last the year. The ironic thing is that Jeff Knox, who was a Pgh native but played at DeMatha, ended up at Cal of PA. He was briefly on the Buccaneers, Redskins and Titans roster and is currently with the Ottawa Redblacks.

          BTW, Knox’s issues were well known to Pitt when recruited

          LikeLike

          1. Knox’s high school coach kept the issues to himself. The Pitt coaches never had any idea about his past. Do you think the University would have let Knox into school if his past abuse on females were known?

             No way in He**

             Should the coaches had done a background check? I guess, but why would they if the coach hyped him up as a great kid? If there is proof of Knox transgressions in high school then I’ll admit that Wannstedt screwed up big there.

             Has Pitt recruited a kid from Knox’s high school since?

             LikeLike

       3. Well…whatever that guy did to start a fright with Sheard he must have really pissed him off:

          https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2010/07/20/Police-Pitt-s-Sheard-ignored-order-to-stop-fighting/stories/201007200160

          Character witness:
          https://archive.triblive.com/news/pitt-de-sheards-arrest-is-out-of-character/

          Also a good compendium of legal troubles under Wannstadt:

          https://www.foxnews.com/sports/defensive-back-kicked-off-pitt-team-is-accused-of-hitting-girlfriend-who-said-she-was-pregnant.amp

          LikeLike

          1. I didn’t take the time to read those articles again Mike but thanks. Anyways, I understand the cop went through the glass door along with Sheard and actually may have been the cause of it.

             LikeLike

    4. Well having made some mistakes myself at a young age I will give Sheard a pass. I agree there were a handful of other bad apples

       LikeLike

       1. There were three other kids who found trouble in 2010: Knox, a walk-on linemen, Coleman, and the running back who fumbled the kickoff versus Utah and did us a favor getting thrown off the team because he stunk. Any other player who found trouble we would have heard about it.

          I could never buy into the “Wannstedt had a lot of thugs on his team” narrative. As I wrote earlier, the number of kids who stuck by the University after what Nordberg did to them shows the character of kids Dave recruited.

          LikeLike

          1. Yea I don’t think he had a “lot of thugs” by certainly a higher percentage of lower-character players than Chryst or Pat. But to your point, Wannstadt won.

             I also would like to say publicly in case anyone from the Sheard family (or Jabaal himself) is reading that based on all I’ve read I do think he is a high character guy. He had one incident and was clearly incited by something that other guy said.

             LikeLike

             1. Sheard was coming to someone else’s aid who was being picked on.

                LikeLike

                1. Well now I really feel like a jerk. Although I don’t think that was public information

                   LikeLike

                   1. Lots of people think Sheard got off easy because he was a PITT player. But as the story went back in the days, all three went through that glass door.The off duty cop was as aggressive as anyone and JB was defending someone. ?? Anyone else remember the story, I could be wrong…..

                      LikeLike

       2. while with the Browns before going to the Patriots, Sheard was a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award which is awarded for public/community service, When I was working in the Cleveland area, there was a story about him, and several teammates, admin, Wanny, and media members described his character as exemplary

          LikeLiked by 1 person

          1. oh yea, then Browns assistant and former Pitt asst, Jeff Hafley also chimed in

             LikeLike

          2. Well noted and pls see my previous response to Nate

             LikeLike

             1. I see Sheard was also nominated by the Colts for Walter Payton MOY

                https://coltswire.usatoday.com/2018/12/06/indianapolis-colts-jabaal-sheard-walter-payton-man-of-the-year-award-nominee/

                I think the case has been made that even the most exemplary person can be provoked beyond reason

                LikeLike

             2. This isn’t the Cleveland article I referred to above but it serves its purpose

                https://www.ohio.com/article/20131212/NEWS/312129059

                LikeLike

21. Still say that if Wanny won the big Cinci game he would still be here. His coaching in that game soured a lot of people on him and gave SP the opportunity to can him when there was bad news. I also think the 13-9 game saved his job or he would have been canned earlier.

    In any case, after the disaster of Freddie Kruger and Fraud Graham, SP should have been fired, but it took Chryst to clean up the program and get rid of SP as he left the building, for that he is a Pitt hero in my book.

    I think Narduzzi has this year and next year to prove he has what it takes, if he doesn’t, any next coach must dictate that Whisky and Tennessee be removed from the schedule. Pitt needs to get off its high horse and play one competitive OOC game per year like everyone else and that includes ND or Clemson, no need to play another the years they are on the schedule. Syracuse is the best example, you can get to ten wins and the top twenty if you give the coach a fighting chance.

    I do like the fact that Narduzzi seems to have removed the off season controversy that seems to have plagued Pitt over the years. I hope that doesn’t jinx him.

    LikeLiked by 4 people

    1. I agree with most of this although I take no issue with at least one difficult OOC opponent. I really, it would be WVU or PSU but Wiscy OR Tenn is OK with me

       LikeLike

22. we played Iowa 4 times from 2008 thru 2015. Although they won 3 of them, their margin of victories were 3, 4 and 5. And I’m sure it didn’t help that Pitt had 4 different HCs while Iowa had just 1.

    LikeLike

23. one P-5 OOC is enough, a MAC, a AAC and a rent a win. Or even two rent a wins. Pitt has the money. Costs about $500k to $1M to pay for a win.

    Pitt needs to get Cincy, Temple, Maryland and Rutgers back on the schedule. And if we’re recruiting in Florida, add UCF and SFL to the regular rotation.

    But in years we play the Hoopies or Domers, no other P-5 teams.
    And in years when our crossover is Clemson or FSU

    Screw Whisky. Thats us doing the Godfather Barry a favor again. Screw Tennessee. Thats us doing Johnny a favor. Enough of this nonsense Heather. Learn how to schedule girl.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

24. I agree Tx, I really do but at the same time, PITT will kick their asses when the games come up. Meaning Tenn and Lumpy’s team. (Wisc)

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. Nothing against TN, but I want to crush them because they are SEC. Nothing against Potato Paulie, but I want to crush them because of Barry. Barry is still pissed he didnt get the Pitt job way back. Ad he’s got dirt on Pitt.

       LikeLike

       1. let’s see …. Paul Hackett vs Barry Alvrez

          LikeLike

          1. Pitt should have given the job to Barry.

             LikeLike

25. It’s always good to schedule Iowa so we can promise all the recruits we get from there, that they will have an opportunity to go back and play in front of friends and family. Same with Tennessee and Wisconsin. The AD needs to schedule according to the recruiting plan.

    If we are recruiting florida kids, schedule south florida, FAU and FIU, not UCF, Florida. When FSU is on the schedule, we need to sell that in recruiting to flurrrrida kids.

    Same with Georgia. We can schedule Georgia St., Ga Southern, Fort Valley and Morehouse. With one of those on the schedule, you should get a win and be able to say to a recruit that at a minimum, you will be able to play in front of friends and families once per year, depending on gtech schedule.

    In Ohio, I would do the same with Cincy and Akron. If cincy, that should be a game you should win 80% of the time.

    Personally if I were AD, i’d stay away from Dairy and WVU High.Win consistently for a decade and see how things go. Understand the sport and align the AD with the recruiting plan for the athlete students.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. WVU is close and will sell out. But I agree with pretty much everything else

       LikeLike

       1. I wouldn’t trade a loss for a sellout at this point. Maybe after a decade of improvement. I don’t think WV is going to get much better. They are in an awful conference and cant promise the kids parents will ever get to watch them play close to home, unless their home is in Pgh, VA or Ohio.

          Tex, i get your point with the domers, but we are only going to play them when the ACC requires them to do it. Right now, the ACC is still courting them to join. Who knows, with new tv money, right? What is viewership stats for ND games anymore? I make a point to not watch them, ever, while they are an independent.

          Pitt has such an advantage over wvu because we already will play at least one florida team and one georgia team per year. If we get that to 3 or 4 guarantee florida / georgia games per year that the families can see, well we might end up with a real pipeline that survives a loss of charlie partridge or any other coach leaving. I do wonder what the contingency plan is if Partridge gets another HC opportunity. I am sure we have folks thinking ahead…..well….help me here fellas!

          LikeLike

    2. Exactly, Huff. Exactly.

       LikeLike

26. We should always play rivals. Top three being Nitters, Hoopies and domers.

    Heather should have no say in scheduling. She has proven to be incompetent. 90% of Pitt commenters on blogs and forums know how to do it.

    The only reason Pitt is playing Tennessee and Wisconsin is so those schools can collect on favors. Pitt should not be afraid of finding a horses head in their bed.

    LikeLike

    1. Sure took Tenn a long time to call that one in. Whisky I agree

       LikeLike

    2. Tenn and Wisc – that’s nonsensical speculation. Pitt doesn’t owe – and certainly not Heather Lyke – either school or their ADs anyting. Nada.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. so its just a coincidence Pitt is playing those schools? Follow the $$$

          LikeLike

          1. No, not a coincidence. But quid pro quo is a real reach – at least form the standpoint that Pitt is paying back a favor. Now, if you want to argue that Pitt asked for these games then you may have a point. But not the other way around.

             LikeLike

27. Needs to happen while Johnny’s still kickin

    LikeLike

28. I think that after the WF game the Panthers had a letdown. The emotion of winning the Coastal, which was the team’s reachable goal, once captured left them unfocused, IMO. With Morrissey also getting hurt during that game resulting in shaking up the OL starters, spelled disaster.
    Good coaching gets the team back on the rails to win at least one of those last three games. In my book Narduzzi fumbled the ball at the end of the season.

    LikeLiked by 3 people

    1. We lost to Stanford because of Watson. My problem with that is that we had Watson because of Narduzzi. There’s a reason why we were a terrible 2nd half team last year. Opposing coaches could adjust to us and we couldn’t adjust to them.

       LikeLike

       1. We lost to Stanford despite them sitting 5-6 starters…..

          LikeLike

       2. Well we also had Watson because of Canada … does he have a job yet?

          LikeLike

29. One more thing about Watson. It wasn’t that he had a bad year. He just wasn’t up to the job. I just can’t wrap my head around how completely our passing offense gave up the middle of the field the whole year (except for those passes to Mathews against the Domers. And although I’m blaming Watson it boggles the mind that Narduzzi let him.

    LikeLiked by 2 people

    1. Bottom line is………….. Narduzzi told my dear Watson…. get lost pal…

       LikeLike

    2. Good point.

       LikeLike

30. Perhaps Watson had no bullets in the gun…and that’s the fault of the HC, the same fella who hired him.

    And why all the dredging?
    Jeff Knox. Jabaal. The receiver who collected DUI’s. The SI article.
    A few years before that, the Nits were featured on Outside the Lines…about the forty or more arrests in the program that only recruited ‘Students.’ One kid was even arrested for murder. And yet, do you think any Nits ever talk about that? And yes, I realize that extends to Jerry S and the enablers and clowns who defend him. 409 forever.

    The point is, Wanny was moving the program: recruiting, excitement, local interest, wins.
    And I cannot say that about HCPN.

    LikeLike

    1. things have changed drastically in 10 years.

       Fact: there is much data to support that there were many more local 3 and 4 stars 10 years ago compared to now

       Fact: the overall schedule is much harder now. Narduzzi has faced an average of 4.75 teams each season that finished n Top 20. In Wanny’s last season, he faced ZERO and in 09. he faced two and went 0-2

       LikeLiked by 2 people

       1. actually, it’s 4.8 under Narduzzi. 19 teams in 4 years

          LikeLike

       2. Wanny won on average 9 games over his last 3 years with a SOS of 34 (Saragin)
          Narduzzi has won on average 7 games over his last with with a SOS of 13

          To me its a push
          Wanny was fired for one bad 8 win season

          LikeLike

          1. +1 bad SI article.

             The X factor is that Wanny did it with his players. Took him three years to get to that level.

             Duzz came in and did it out of the gate with someone else’s players.

             Now the only question is are duzz’ players better than Chrysts? This year we find out

             LikeLiked by 1 person

31. I agree that the Watson hire was all on Narduzzi BUT! He also hired Chaney and Canada. Chaney was a bad marriage but went on to Georgia and take his offense to the NCAA playoffs and MC had ants and money thoughts in his pants. 2 for 3 will get a baseball player into the Hall of Fame. 3 for 4 beats Ted Williams record. We will see?????

    LikeLiked by 1 person

32. Watson making Pickett not take the run first option is like harvey haddox trying to get steve blass to throw strikes at the end of his career. They could be the best coaches in the world, but the player has to execute, that simple. Ike, you took it to baseball, so i gave you a baseball analogy.

    LikeLiked by 2 people

33. I know the article is titled revisionist history, once again opening the door, but I agree that no one relives the negative past as much as Pitt Fans. Successful programs and people look forward not backward. BB King said it best.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

34. The heatwave is over and back to rain, gotta love Pittsburgh weather. One of my favorites:

    LikeLiked by 1 person

35. Good tunes gc…thanks.
    I totally agree with gasman re the silence toward the Outside the Lines story by the Nitter faithful.
    While on vacation at OBX I had to see a sign every morning as I walked the dog …one of the homes in the Currituck Club community had a large “409 Forever” sign prominently displayed.
    I encouraged to dog to take a dump on the grass there every day…haha.

    LikeLiked by 2 people

    1. Assume you played the course? Last yr the bermuda was a bit burned up due to winter ice and temps. They were doing a lot of re-sodding – how did it look?

       LikeLike

    2. Good job Fran. they can take 409 and clean up that doggie do..

       https://www.formula409.com/

       LikeLiked by 2 people

36. While on our recent boating trip, we stopped in at a shop in Block Island, RI that was full of glass college emblem coasters. I asked the owner why don’t you have the Pitt here…man came in yesterday and bought all 25 of them (they were in script).

    LikeLiked by 5 people

37. I see where Pitt has re-upped with the Fan for their FB and BB game broadcasts. Plus there’s supposed to be some new “supplemental” Pitt programming.

    I don’t know what other options we may have had, but this is disappointing to me. With a few exceptions, the Fan talkers are not friendly to Pitt.

    I quit listening to Filiponi and Mueller a while ago. Filiponi is an Orange guy; Mueller is a Nit who says he’s a Pitt fan. Can’t take their juvenile banter and swipes at Pitt any longer. And can’t stand Cook because of his worship of “the great” Paterno…

    I’ve moved to NPR or the oldies…

    Was hoping we could do better for Pitt on the radio…

    Go Pitt.

    LikeLike

38. GC’s comment from yesterday – “Still say that if Wanny won the big Cinci game he would still be here. His coaching in that game soured a lot of people on him and gave SP the opportunity to can him when there was bad news. I also think the 13-9 game saved his job or he would have been canned earlier.

    In any case, after the disaster of Freddie Kruger and Fraud Graham, SP should have been fired, but it took Chryst to clean up the program and get rid of SP as he left the building, for that he is a Pitt hero in my book.”

    On your first point, you may be right. I think that game plus his gameday was at that point known to be subpar. The guy held onto a notion that defenses should win the game for you and I believe he didn’t have a feel for stepping on an opponents throat with a lead.

    There were a series of terribly disappointing games where the team should and could have won and didn’t. Some examples – A night game against Navy at Heinz where we get down to the 2 – a Conor Lee FG keeps it going, the Stache goes for it and loses on a Bostick pass play. A night game against UConn where the Huskies faced two 4th and 1s. Stache had us playing off the ball and Todman gets a first on both, the last of which sealed the game.

    I can tell you this, by the end f that game against Kelly and the Bearcats, they coudln’t rid of him quickly enough for me – Pitt man or not.

    On your second point, I couldn’t agree more.

    LikeLike

39. should read “gameday mgt” instead of simply gameday

    LikeLike

40. JoeL, I do agree with your point to a point. When Wanny was first hired he didn’t have the college head coaching experience although he was a former NFL head coach. He didn’t hire the best assistant coaches at first and his game-day coaching has always been in question. Other than Wanny’s grandiose personality does he remind you of any current PITT head football head coach? < See, I made that easy for you. 🙂

    Fast forward a few years and they both showed lots of improvement in my book. Maybe in different ways but they got the PITT team back on track. Wanny and Narduzzi are the kind of coaches you either like or not. I was a much bigger fan or DW but that was in a different day.

    LikeLike

    1. Wannstedt may have inherited the slowest college football team of all time in 2005. That hurt big that season. Greg Lee was the team’s best receiver and could outrun no one.

       LikeLike

    2. I guess my point was that win or lose the Cinn game, he was eventually going to get pushed out on his shortcomings in gameday mgt.

       The difference between then and today is that back then a number of folks – myself included – thought Pitt could swap out coaches and expect to build upon Walt Harris’ partial resurrection of the program. With the benefit of hindsight, I no longer believe that.Its much more complex than a head coaching hire.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

41. DW did a good job recruiting to a dying BE with a low budget for coaches and recruiting…One does have to wonder how DW would have done recruiting to the ACC with increased budgets for coaches and recruiting.

    LikeLike

    1. Exactly
       Conferences were being raided at that time
       Much uncertainty
       Pitt was still being very cheap on their football spend
       This impacted recruiting and staffing hires
       And the WPIAL during Wanny’s years was nothing like the 80’s and early 90’s
       But Wanny did play in a weaker conference and he was a poor game day coach

       LikeLike

       1. At least Wanny made sure there was always a kickoff returner back. Remember that goof-up by Narduzzi?

          LikeLike

          1. this is the article about the decline in wpial talent. It started during the last few seasons under Wanny and then accelerated under Chryst. I’m just surprised that Pitt doesnt recruit more from Ohio to make up for it.

             https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/high-school-football/2018/10/18/Western-Pennsylvania-WPIAL-high-school-football-talent-decline-recruiting/stories/201810170104

             LikeLike

             1. TX – it is a head-scratcher that we don’t do better in Ohio. But lately, seems like when we’ve gotten a highly regarded recruit out of there, they didn’t pan out.

                Examples are Hill with a medical issue, and Flowers and Reeves had more stars than talent/drive…

                We need to keep knockin’ on that door though…

                Go Pitt.

                LikeLike

                1. plenty of talent in OH, MD and NJ to help offset the WPIAL. All easy drives to Pittsburgh (highway and under 6 hours). Similar weather. And good fit culturally (Midwest/Northeast mash with a sprinkle of Appalachia)

                   LikeLike

42. JoeL, I played SeaScape with Big B and what was left of his buddy Whiskey from the night before.
    Our house was on hole 5 at the Currituck and it looked in really good shape.

    LikeLike

43. 🙂 Which one doesn’t belong in this group?
    Lastrow
    JoeL
    ike
    BigB

    sites.stenhouse.com/wodb/

    LikeLike

    1. Depends on the question. If its guys 60+…then I’m out!!!! (for six months)
       If its people holding a degree from Univ of Pittsburgh, then it might be me also.
       If its people who have never been to Cliff Claven’s house, it gets a bit tougher.
       If its people who knew how to drive a stick shift before their first ride up Bates Street, then that might be Bernie

       Help us out, Thomas

       OT – a member of my regular golf group was in Pgh for a meeting of brain doctors. Asked him where he stayed. He said, “By ‘The Corner’ across the street from where that fort used to be.” SMH

       LikeLike

       1. LOL Joe……. you got my brain teaser. ….. The answer as you probably suspected is me… I am no longer able to golf…..

          LikeLike

44. BTW JoeL, your comment gave me a nice belly laugh……..

    LikeLike

    1. We should laugh at least as much as we cry in this space.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

45. Pitt picked fourth
    http://theacc.com/news/2019/7/22/clemson-favored-to-continue-acc-football-championship-run.aspx

    LikeLike

    1. Meh, they can keep picking us to finish low. I’m happy with the Rodney Dangerfield role for this team.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

    2. We are rising up in the polls as we were picked 5th last year in the Coastal. How did that turn out?

       LikeLike

       1. 7-7 with a bowl loss and yet another year unranked

          LikeLike

          1. Thanks glass half empty guy… 🙂 🙂

             LikeLike

             1. Some might call it deadpan.

                LikeLiked by 1 person

46. FWIW ike, I am no longer able to golf either …. even though I have gone twice in the last 3 weeks

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. Well William, if you put it that way, I could never golf. 🙂

       LikeLike

47. Golf related…check out Conor Moore’s impersonations of pro golfers at the Open.
    I cant cut and paste from my phone…just Google him. The dude is really funny.

    LikeLike

48. https://www.golfchannel.com/…/2019-british-open-conor-moore-impressions-portrush

    LikeLike

49. I thought Wanny got booted solely (not a boot joke), becasue of a power struggle between he and pederson and pederson won. That’s when you know your board is in trouble. When an idiot like pederson convinces anyone, of anything, it is a problem. I still think he leaked the story to SI.

    LikeLiked by 2 people

    1. I won’t go as far as saying that Smug Steve leaked info to SI … I have no idea that he did. But the power struggle was very real and it began when after a successful 9-win 2009 season, the recruiting budget was cut. I’m not an insider but what I read and heard from a Pitt employee and also a member of the Pitt radio broadcast team, that there was a lot of behind the scenes bickering between the two. Pedersen knew that many of the boosters favored Wanny but he had Nordy in his pocket … apparently.

       In retrospect, Pitt broke no NCAA violations, Wanny was being paid relatively very little in salary, and the player issues were not persistent. And his players’ grad rates were outstanding. But what really galls me to this day is that Stevie made the same mistakes at Pitt that he did at Nebraska when he let go a successful coach.

       LikeLike

       1. Nordenberg’s legacy

          LikeLike

50. That 4 ranking clearly says that ACC teams believe Pitt is considered undeserving of last year’s Coastal title. The voters are saying it was a fluke. Talk about Pitt’s opponents showing no respect…

    LikeLike

    1. It has much to do IMO that VT, Miami and UVa all have a lot more returning starters … while Pitt’s two biggest producers (Ollison and Hall) both graduated

       LikeLike

    2. I think it’s also saying “the division was unusually weak last year, and that’s not going to happen again this season.” That’s the part I’m doubting. I don’t think Miami, Virginia and Va Tech are going to fix all their problems in one offseason. I think Pitt can compete with all three of them, provided the running game doesn’t lose too much from last year and they get some better QB play.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

51. It has everything to do with an ineffective returning QB and the loss of its two 1000 plus yard running backs.

    LikeLike

52. Not too mention a brandy new offensive line with only starter Morrison returning after injury.
    Plus the fact that no one has repeated as Coastal Champ.

    LikeLike

53. https://thespun.com/college-football/espn-easiest-schedule-virginia-tech

    This is how it is done. No one at VT or the media will care if they win 10+ games.

    LikeLike

    1. Old Dominion, Furman and Rhode Island all at home. Too bad for them they have to play ND

       LikeLike

       1. Damn if Pitt has this OOC last year we win at least 9 games.

          LikeLike

54. The problem with the tough OOC in addition to the losses is that they take a physical and emotional toll on a team. Sure that yo get injuries in any game but much more likely to get bumps and bruises that take a toll later in the year. Football is a game of attrition. Staying healthy makes a big difference in wins and losses, especially to key guys. Adding Tennessee and Whisky to WV not only makes it less likely to get 9 or 10 wins, it makes it more likely that you will be diminished for your in conference foes.While on the mental side, getting up for these “big” games makes it easier to come out flat for the games where you are favored. It is a lose lose scenario.

    VT has ND on their schedule so they are smart to schedule the likes of Furman and Rhode Island. These kind of games also serve the purpose to work the bugs out and get ready for the games that count. Since there is no pre-season in college ball you need the warm up games. It is unfortunate for Pitt that it’s new O-line and running backs have to start with VA. No chance to make early season adjustments before a game that counts.

    The 5000 extra tickets that Pitt will sell for these games every other year just isn’t worth the potential losses, wise up. A couple of 10 win seasons will sell more tickets in the long run as will making ACC games more important. These other “Big Games” are just a distraction. Getting to and winning better bowls should be the Goal. Early losses to other P-5 teams makes this less likely.

    LikeLiked by 2 people

55. Even Notre Dame is playing Bowling Green, New Mexico and Navy this year. They get it.

    LikeLike

    1. ND plays Navy, USC and Stanford every year. Before their ACC affiliation, they also played Mich, MSU and Purdue …. but dropped them immediately. The B10 wanted ND full-time (FB included) and ended up getting nothing.

       I doubt ND will accept full-time affiliation under the present set-up. Having its own network is a situation any school would take. But if that were to happen, the B10 would make so much sense geographically and financially. No doubt the B12 would go after ND big time also.

       Like it or not, the present set-up benefits both ND and the ACC, While ACC basketball can certainly stand on its own, it appears that the FB is currently Clemson and everyone else. Miami, VT and FSU have been major underachievers the past few years

       LikeLike

       1. I agree. ND adds much needed SOS to the ACC and also a nice TV audience boost. Try to force them in and you kill the goose that laid the golden egg, just like the b10 did

          LikeLike

       2. Unfortunately ND holds all the cards. They also help with the ACC with the Bowls which is really important since the ACC has the weakest bowl relationships. Will be interesting if push ever comes to shove will they pick the B1G or ACC. I agree with the geography and financial bits, but the ACC gives ND a better chance at a Championship at least in Football. Also a better fit size-wise plus they have an existing relationship, and more fun to travel south in the winter.

          LikeLike

56. No matter the OOC difficulty, isn’t it really about the finish of the season? The final 3 games were the defining period for how good the team was last year. Winning an extra game early on last year would not have changed or compensated for the collapse at the end of the season.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. Impossible to say, maybe they don’t run out of gas. But seriously, the only game they had any chance in was Stanford. They also would have had a better record and might have got a better bowl game.

       Also playing easier teams might have let the passing game develop a little more, for when it was really needed. Hard to learn anything when you are getting dominated.

       LikeLike

57. ^^ That’s right gc, If Miami would have played up to their potential all year and won the Coastal PITT would have not played Clemson and the extra loss that came with it. Then PITT should have beat Stanford in a game they dominated. Boom… there’s your 8-5 record

    LikeLiked by 1 person

58. Losing to the worst ACC team 2 years in a row and reminding you that the Heels only ACC wins were against our boys sez a heck of a lot to me…we have a long ways to go….championship caliber teams are supposed to kick the crap out of a bottom feeder on a consistent basis……we ain’t there guys…no yet and probably not this year….prove me wrong PITT/DUZZ…

    LikeLike

59. Yep B, the UNC and Stanford losses killed what could have been a very special season last year.

    LikeLike

60. The Athletic is featuring articles on the impact of CFB realignment. Some very interesting articles. Oh, but for the feelings of BC AD Gene DeFilippo, we might be reading a story like this about Pitt.

    https://theathletic.com/1090294/2019/07/23/uconn-huskies-football-conference-realignment-impact/

    LikeLike

61. OT: Tyler Boyd gets a 4 year $43 million contract extension with the Bengals. His original contract was a 4 year $4.2 million deal. He was scheduled to make $980,000 plus this season. Flash that number before some of our in house roster and potential recruits. I can see why Ffrench is excited to be playing WR with Whipple as opposed to Watson as OC.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. Hope he uses that to help out his hometown of Clairton.

       LikeLike

       1. JoeL, I know you no longer live up this way so to let you know. Tyler is very much active in his ole stomping grounds. I know he runs a football camp for the youth. He hasn’t forgotten where he comes from. This new contract? Not to shabby for a local player that wasn’t supposed to flourish in the NFL by some………….

          LikeLiked by 1 person

    2. Wow! Surprised T. Boyd got a deal that big, but happy for him. He gave Pitt fans a lot of great moments…

       Go Pitt.

       LikeLike

62. Gordon Conn, that VT schedule is not just bad, it’s an embarrassment to big time college football.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

63. Frank, that schedule will be long forgotten when or if they win 9 or 10 games this years. Just like Syracuse last year that people like use as an example of PITT’s record and failures. It’s all relative when it suits their arguments.

    LikeLike

64. Reporters covering the ACC picking Pitt to finish 4th in the Coastal seems a little low. But it is consistent with my early prediction of Pitt not repeating as Coastal Champ.

    Coastal will be much improved in terms of the overall qualify of Teams.

    Expect the Winner to actually give Clemson a Game.

    LikeLike

65. If readers of PSN are to be believed, that team might just be Miami.

    Can’t argue too much. Miami has been my pick to be the SURPRISE of the ACC… thanks in part to the Quarterback transfer from OSU.

    Seems I’m not alone.

    LikeLike

66. Excellent for Tyler…hope he has an outstanding year and becomes a household name…it’s just amazing how much AD shows his love for PITT…he’s the best marketer we have for the FB program and it doesn’t cost the university a penny….maybe Tyler follows suit……

    LikeLike

67. make your reservations now … Orlando, Dec 28. Sporting News predicts Pitt vs Ok State (w/o Mason Rudolph) in the Camping World Bowl

    LikeLike

68. It’s guys like AD, TB and Fitz that keep us rooting for the Panthers and hoping we can rise to the creme of the crop

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. and yet, for reasons still unknown to me, there was a small handful here that wished TB to fall flat on his face

       LikeLiked by 3 people

69. Just need more of them…beat Virginia…that’s where it all starts……must win game….

    LikeLiked by 1 person

70. Of course the entire $43 million for Tyler is not guaranteed, but I’m sure he got a nice signing bonus that probably exceeded his first $4.2 million contract.

    LikeLike

    1. Good point jrn. Tyler can buy his family lots of Cadillac Escalades now….. Another great example of staying home and it paying off.

       LikeLike

71. Well the 5* WR from Beaver County must be mighty happy for Tyler. I know I am.

    LikeLike

72. Ole watcha-ma-call-it…Robert Foster, I think…howz it working out for him?? Seriously, anybody know ?

    LikeLike

    1. Plays for Buffalo I believe. Still waiting on that big payday

       LikeLike

    2. Foster plays for Buffalo and got a 2 year contract paying just over $1 million. He’s not on welfare as of yet.

       LikeLike

73. I guess I get this way every year at this time, but I look at the Pitt roster and depth, and think that they could be much better than many outsiders think. I’m usually optimistic when camp starts, before the losses start coming and SOP sets in, but this year they have experience in the right places and new starters in some positions where talent can take over, such as Safety, RB and TE.

    It’s not so much that Pitt has top talent at many positions, but that experience and consistent coaching can get a team playing a little above their skill level. With everything that Pickett is doing to get ready for this season, I can’t help but think that he will be significantly better this year. I know that Tex and UPitt might not agree, but I’m going to agree with ike that things could be looking up for a good season.

    LikeLiked by 2 people

    1. Seven regular season wins
       Replacing an O line
       Losing two stud backs
       Kenny big question mark
       New linebackers
       New offense
       The early games will be rough given the inexperience and new system

       Vegas pegs Pitt around six
       Media pegs Pitt around fourth in Coastal

       I think that’s fair

       LikeLike

       1. Yeah Tx that’s fair but I have one problem with your comment. Hall a stud running back? He was bashed by almost everyone but a few of us….

          LikeLike

          1. I wasn’t the one that subtracted his long runs from his average. If we did that with Barry Sanders, he’d have a negative average.

             LikeLike

       2. If you’re saying that a fair over/under being 6 wins for the Panthers, then I have to ask you if you are a betting man, because at even odds, I’ll take as much of your cheddar that you’re willing to give, because I easily see seven wins in this regular season for Pitt.

          LikeLiked by 1 person

          1. I would take the over. Vegas has Pitt at 6 I believe or 6.5. They had Pitt at 5.5 last year. I see 7 wins. I doubt the line changes much. I would not be placing any bets on Pitt winning the Coastal however.

             LikeLike

    2. The interesting point in my opinion is this thing called experience. Experience can be good or bad. To me, last year’s experience was bad for our QB. He gained great experience dropping back and taking off for a run too many times, too quickly. This was not, or could not be corrected during the year. The question is whether he will resort to his old ways when he gets under center this year, or will he hang in the pocket and have patience to let plays develop.

       We will soon find out. With our OL prospects, I fear that we get more of what we got last year after a game or two of getting crunched consistently.

       LikeLike

       1. If the Pitt OL gets “crunched” consistently in the 1st two games vs UVA and Ohio (from the MAC), losing both games, I will personally walk into the AD office and hand over my season tickets the Heather Lyke and never attend a Pitt FB game again.

          There is no entertainment value in that for me to ever dip my toe in that polluted water again.

          I have to go / need to allow time to log in – SMH

          LikeLike

74. B, Foster plays for the Bills and ironically, he isn’t making as many dollar Bills as Tyler.

    Hey B, While I have you on the line, did you get the email?

    LikeLiked by 1 person

75. Yep…all set for the home opener…thanks…will stop by in a couple of weeks. Fran, Richman, MajorMajors and BigB are playing in a a charity golf tournament in Apollo at the Spring Church links… gonna be fun…

    LikeLiked by 1 person

76. NFL network reporting Tyler’s first year will pay him $11.3 million over 10 times what his original contract would pay him for the upcoming season.

    LikeLike

77. College Football News ran an interesting list of football attendance numbers (total attendance and percentage of capacity) organized by conference. There are some outliers, but attendance tracks pretty closely with historical performance (recent history) on a nationwide basis. The stats also suggest it will take a lot of work to get Pitt over the 50,000 range. Outside of consistent top 25 programs and the Midwestern flagship universities (and Texas schools), almost nobody is doing those numbers. That trend is unlikely to change as the alternatives to watching a game in-person become more plentiful and more appealing.

    https://collegefootballnews.com/2019/07/college-football-attendance-rankings-by-conference-2019-cfn-five-year-program-analysis?utm_source=smg&utm_medium=wasabi&utm_content=home-hero

    LikeLiked by 1 person

78. Pitt will always be around 40 to 45k. They need to stop selling the entire upper deck of the stadium. Idiotic. Sell the 45K closest to the field only.

    LikeLike

    1. A combined smaller on campus stadium tied in with CMU should be considered. The sellout big games with ND, PSU and WVU could always be moved to Heinz by Pitt. There’s got to be enough money around both Pitt and CMU to make it work.

       LikeLike

       1. if that stadium is multi purpose and can support a hockey rink…meaning it would have to be enclosed with a retractable roof.

          Pitt stands at 62% capacity. Only Kansas is worse among P-5 schools. Most P-5 schools are at 90% or more. Based on Pitt’s attendance, that puts the venue at 47k in seating.

          LikeLike

79. well, the MAC Conference media just picked Ohio to win the eastern division (Toledo the West), Ohio has 14 starters returning.

    LikeLike

    1. They are not going to be an easy out. We have the crappiest scheduling

       LikeLike

    2. Folks, if Pitt is “worried” about beating Ohio from the MAC, this is going to be a long and disappointing season for Panther fans.

       There are enough good players on this “team” (FB is not an individual sport) that if a few players step up and have a great season, the Coastal Division repeat is within reach.

       Pitt needs a few of the coaches to step up and be great as well.

       We won’t know a whole lot until that first Saturday night game vs UVA at Heinz Field under the lights on prime time TV.

       Call your cable provider, if you haven’t already.

       LikeLiked by 2 people

80. I like the combined stadium with CMU idea BUT……Is their D-3 stadium bursting at the seams? Are they unhappy with it? I haven’t heard this. If they need/want a larger stadium there may be some merit to the idea, probably within the context of a multipurpose stadium since a single purpose stadium big enough for Pitt would be way too big for CMU, much more-so than Heinz is for Pitt. Sounds like a pipe dream long term project at this point, but remember when Sophie Masloff was ridiculed for ridiculed for proposing a new ball park for the Pirates? How did that work out? H2P Soccer Gramps

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. Maybe Pitt could convince CMU to expand for more P6 seating and then have CMU tarp unused seats for their games. Everybody’s doing it!Oh, we’re not

       LikeLike

81. The Carrier Dome at Cuse seems to work fine for events.

    LikeLike

82. Boy I wish I had the energy to go back and cut and paste UPitt’s greatest hits on Tyler Boyd. Would be some funny reading. Congrats to Tyler. I think UPitt said he would be out of the NFL by now.

    LikeLiked by 2 people

    1. If you think these stats are worth 5M over 4 years let alone 40M then you should also work for the Bungels.

       https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/3045144/tyler-boyd

       If AJ wasn’t hurt last year he doesn’t have half the stats. Year 1 and Year 2 were bad as well.

       LikeLike

    2. I have some of Upitt’s most outlandished ones stored away in a “Quotes Notes” page from him. For some reason he loved throwing shade Tyler’s way. I’ll never understand that psychology. Unless a kid has committed a major felony or abandoned his team, etc., what’s the point?

       LikeLike

83. he didn’t do bad for a 6th rounder …. remember when someone wrote that?

    LikeLiked by 1 person

84. By the way, VA OOC is William & Mary, Old Dominion and Liberty, not much better than VA Tech. Pitt better wise up. These are the teams we compete against for bowl games and season end ratings and total wins all count the same.

    LikeLiked by 2 people

85. Syracuse plays Liberty, Maryland, Western Michigan and Holy Cross. Are you getting the picture?

    LikeLiked by 1 person

86. about Robert Foster …. considering he came back from a pretty serious injury, I think he did OK. I;m sure he second guessed himself many times but he is now doing very well for an undrafted FA

    LikeLike

87. wwb, RF was a better player to be an un-drafted free agent despite the injuries. I wish the young man well but he lost a lot of money to sit on the bench. Tyler showed the way for the local players, hope they are paying attention.

    LikeLike

    1. Foster can always sell his National Championship rings that he was awarded while riding the pine at Alabama to help pay the bills, if it comes to that at some point.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

88. I wonder if Jurkovec ever starts for ND. Could be another case where a local player thinks the grass is greener away from home.

    LikeLike

    1. Donovan Jeter DT Michigan and Lamont Wade S psuX both are JR’s and listed as back-ups for the 2019 season.

       Both were highly sought after by HCPN and both snubbed the Pitt Panthers lyke Robert Foster did. You can’t rewrite history, but there are numerous Pittsburgh players that get away – if you keep 75% home to play for the hometown team, then Pitt FB suddenly becomes great again. Speculation, yes, reality, we will never know.

       Can the FL 3 & 4 star players make Pitt great again – I’m willing to watch this season to see.

       Can the POV fix the log in issues? Not yet – hope to see some of you in September.

       H2P!

       LikeLiked by 1 person

89. Cant wait Rick!

    LikeLike

90. Robert Foster was about as talented as a High School Player can be. It was Foster, not Boyd… that Pitt REALLY wanted.

    You might remember that Foster burst onto the national scene during a game between Hopewell and Central Valley that was televised on ESPN.

    All the hype was focused on Rushel Shell. But it was Foster who stole the show.

    LikeLike

91. Then Foster shrugged off Pitt and chose Alabama.

    All well and good.

    The AMAZING thing is that he barely got on the field at Bama. This was partly due to Foster’s immaturity. It was also due to injuries.

    But mostly it was due to the other Receivers on the roster who apparently were as talented or even more so.

    Among those Receivers was Amari Cooper.

    LikeLike

92. Paris Ford was the last local blue chip that came here. Redshirted his first year and played very little last year, but is positioned (hopefully) to make an impact this year. Miles Sander sat behind probably the most talented RB in college his first 2 years, and then started 1 year and was drafted in the 2nd round (I think). Jurkovec, Jeter and Wade have hardly played.

    Either these local 4 stars don’t measure up with 3 / 4-stars from other areas, or like Foster, are lost in the numbers …. definitely, the rich get richer in CFB. Heck you and I can bring in top talent if we were recruiting for Bama or OSU. I’m sure Pitt recruiters have made the case of Boyd (same HS as Wade) and Whitehead (same HS as Foster). But apparently being coddled by everyone around since junior high makes them feel that they can just

    And don’t blame the recruiters …. we all should have learned something by now from our head BB coach, who just 2 short years ago was regarded as one the elite recruiters around

    LikeLike

    1. A Four Star at Alabama is not the same situation as a Four Star at a middle of the road Power 5 team like Pitt. I’ve always stated that an up & coming program that is rising out of mediocrity is an opportunity for immediate playing time for highly rated players that are mature enough, right off the bat, to be able to adapt to their new circumstances at college, integrate themselves into the system quickly & then compete for playing time immediately with those veterans holding down their starting spots.

       Meanwhile at the jugeraut elite programs, these same guys have to wait around for years to contribute.

       LikeLike

93. Tyler Boyd was the better all-around football player. He didn’t have the pure speed of Foster, but he has the ability to get open and make the circus catch. He was an amazing return guy for Pitt.
    Because Foster went to Alabama, we never got to see what skills he has and whether he can make the difficult catches on the sidelines or in a crowd.

    Without Tyler Boyd Pitt would have won even fewer games and would have been much more boring. Really glad to see him have the financial success, hope he uses it wisely.

    While I do agree that the Local guys have a better opportunity to be stars if they stay home, if they are really great they will succeed at the big schools, for every Foster, there is a Tyrelle Pryor, Lavar Arrington, Ty Law and many others.

    LikeLike

94. There are also examples of highly touted local players that did not achieve greatness at Pitt. Pitt needs to become worthy and competitive enough for these local players to want to stay at home. Even then, we will never get them all. But the future for Pitt is never going to be getting the majority of its roster from the WPIAL or even PA. That ship has sailed, just not enough good enough players these days. Narduzzi has to continue to get better at attracting players from the target rich environments. Everything needs to be focused on that.

    That is not to say that we should not go hard after the local guys, but the best thing Pitt can do is string some 10 win seasons together and get relevant again.

    LikeLike

95. I predict Jurcovik will be another edition of CC’s/ Vandergrift native JJ Constantino who thought he was good enough to play for Florida State…

    LikeLike

    1. Jurkovek was a much more highly regarded prospect than JJ. IMO JJ was just like Sterling Jenkins of Baldwin who a few years ago was a 4-star from Baldwin. Jenkins was a 6’7, 300 lb OL who wasn’t even selected to his HS all section team. JJ was 6’6 and had a strong arm. They were 4-stars based solely on potential, and not of accomplishment. Conversely, Jurkovec brought his high school to a state title and was all-state.

       BTW, Jurkovec saw action in 2 games ths is past year as a natural frosh. He was behind the nD starter Ian Book and Brandon Winbush, who was the ND starter back in 2017. We will see Winbush in about 2 months as he has transferred to UCF

       LikeLike

96. add to the list of lost in the shuffle: Tom Giotto Kiski Area QB to PSU…Morelli was a bust
    Need to focus on getting some OLinemen and we have lost a few good ones to the hated IRISH…last year at this time I was somewhat concerned about the OL but also came to a pre-season conclusion the KP would “light it up !!!” Shows you how much BigB knows about football…This year there is a huge question to hanging over both the OL and QB position..I repeat..a huge question-not a dark cloud.

    LikeLike

    1. you aren’t the only one who thought KP was going to have a good year. I too thought he was going to be a lot better. I realize that he only played a brief time in ’17 but it seemed that he had that little something extra that many Pitt QBs lacked.

       LikeLike

    2. If the o line is good , the qb will he good.

       Insiders say that Borbley says we’ll be fine.

       I think we are going to have our hands full in the VA game and it’s going to be a game-by-game project after that

       LikeLike

97. I agree with EE above.. If we are now worried and complaining about having to play a powerful Ohio team then PITT football should be abolished.

    LikeLike

98. Steelers report to Latrobe tomorrow and PITT I believe begins Aug 1st. Wow! Shouldn’t be too long before we get a predictions thread. That should be interesting and I hope Mike tags it so we can refer to it off and on throughout the upcoming season.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

99. the issue with the Ohio game is that it is sandwiched between the ACC opener and PSU. Regardless, Pitt should still win but anyone thinking a good MAC is a pushover in badly mistaken. Maybe for Bama or OSU ,,, good MAC teams beat mid level B10 teams every season

    LikeLike

    1. ;last year MAC runner-up Buffalo whooped Rutgers and Temple, both on their home field … but lost at Ohio 52-17. Ohio lost at Cincy last year by 4, Cincy had 11 wins and was ranked 24th in AP at the end

       LikeLike

       1. The only good thing about playing Ohio is that after 4 years of preparing for Georgia tech this staff knows how to prepare for the option. And the team also has experience against it.

          Elias Reynolds will have 16 tackles in that game

          LikeLike

    2. no-one is saying pushover – just win baby!

       LikeLiked by 1 person

100. I don’t disagree there wwb but here’s the thing. Many, including myself, keep saying PITT needs to lighten up their OOC schedule. Now there is a MAC team on the schedule so what do you do? Are they supposed to not designate a team and just announce they would like to play the worst team in the MAC?

     I will say this though. Ohio is a good team and it is a trap game, so if Narduzzi can lead PITT to a win regardless of the UVA game outcome it would be a great thing. If I were the coach, I sure would concentrate more on winning the Ohio game than the psu game for the obvious reason of it’s the next game. The other reason it’s the more winnable game between Ohio and psu.

     LikeLike

101. I like to schedule Mac teams in Ohio. But Ohio isn’t one of them. It’s solich. The same coach canned by cornhole so I know he’s real good.

     Schedule big bens alma mater instead. Miami of Ohio. We beat them easily and the nation sees Miami on the TV and can’t compregend the difference between the real Miami.

     LikeLiked by 1 person

     1. News Flash. They are the REAL Miami, of Ohio that is.

        LikeLike

102. Tx..love your strategy…confuse the dumb bastads……..

     LikeLiked by 1 person

103. I thought Tyler was a better player than Foster and it shows today.

     Kids decide to leave home for many reasons, for some it works, for others not. An analysis of this would be helpful.

     LikeLike

104. ^^ Frank, $$ ………………. pay me now or get paid much more later.. It’s a business decision. Apparently Tyler Boyd is a much better businessman. I also have a question, how can anyone poo poo Boyd making over 10 million dollars next year after signing a multi year 43 million dollar contract? Admit you were wrong and lets move on. It doesn’t matter how it happened. Hesus.

     LikeLike

105. You heard it here first, I’ll guarantee you that Pitt will not lose more than one game in August. H2P!

     LikeLiked by 1 person

106. For those that subscribe to pantherlair I’d suggest you read the post from Jim Hammett titled Coachspeak Bangally Kamara. I do believe Pitt may have found a diamond in the ruff with this 5.5 rivals Star Rating.

     LikeLike

     1. he was recruited by 26 teams including Michigan and Penn State
        so many schools found the diamond
        Pitt found a way to take it out of Akron

        LikeLike

107. So Tyler Boyd will make 11 mill next year, more than 95% of us will make in a lifetime, and UPitt doesn’t like his stats. Unbelievable. Show me the moneeeeey!

     LikeLiked by 1 person

     1. 76 catches last year for over 1,000 yards in 14 games with Andy Dalton and his lifetime QB rating of 88 throwing you the football is solid productivity any way you cut it.

        LikeLiked by 1 person

108. At least we are recognized at running back in ESPN survey.

     https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/27207990/position-u-which-schools-produce-most-talent-position#DL

     LikeLike

     1. ESPN is all about the upper 10%; they have lived by the 90/10 rule for decades … spend 90% of airtime on 10% of the participants

        LikeLiked by 1 person

109. I bet I have 2 tackles in the opener.
     Stopping fans from throwing Scooter over the railing…
     Just kidding buddy!

     LikeLiked by 2 people

     1. “Narduzzi! You stink!”

        Go Scooter!

        LikeLike

110. LOL, I’ll save you Scooter.

     Unfortunately I doubt I’ll see you guys this year. 😦

     LikeLike

111. Yipes…that’s not good.

     LikeLike

112. Boyd may have had the best hands I’ve ever seen. Fitz of course was great too.
     Never impressed with his speed or yac, but extremely happy he is cashing in now.

     Def getting excited for football more than ever, usually only cared about hoops, but with Capel hopefully continuing to steer what was a Barnes/Stallings torpedoed ship, it will be great to have the sports that matter be relevant again.

     H2P!!!

     Glad the Ghost is back posting here too.

     LikeLike

Comments are closed.