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Fall Camp 2019 – Media Day Interviews pt2 – The Defensive Line

Lets start this one off with “The Godfather”, Charlie Partridge himself.  Kiss the ring beat writers.

Really interesting stuff here about who he leans on.   The fact that Twyman was elected as a leader on the DL speaks volumes.  The detail that Charlie gives us about Twyman’s offseason / off the field regimen speaks volumes as well.  He’s my #1 choice for breakout this season.  Also some interesting stuff about Devin Danielson and technique.  He’ll be on the field this year.  At D End I think Partridge is less confident about depth at end.  He stops short of saying John Morgan could be a #4, but he does say he’s “got D1 talent”.  Lets hope he’s put in the work.

Speaking of Jaylen Twyman.  If Partridge if the Godfather, Twyman is Marlon Brando himself.  Just listen to that dude’s voice.  He’s an old soul, and that maturity is going to serve Pitt’s defense well.

Patrick Jones didn’t have much to say, but with his 6’5″ frame and those dreads, I’m just going to go ahead and nickhame him “The Predator” right now.  I get the vibe that dude just wants to hit somebody.

Finally, we’ve got the “old man” of the group, Rashad Weaver

He’s gunning for 16 sacks.  If he can pull that off, I think this defense is going to be pretty damn good.

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

77 thoughts on “Fall Camp 2019 – Media Day Interviews pt2 – The Defensive Line”

  1. We stayed in Lincoln, NE last night on our way back to Denver. Grabbed a beer and some food on the NU campus and I caught up on the POV. No Stevie P Cornhole sightings… The Pitt campus and Oakland is far better than the NU campus and Lincoln. The only exception is the NU sports complex – NU’s is exceptional.

    I’m excited to see Pitt’s defense in action. I’ve said in the recent past that the D will be solid but unspectacular. I think the D-line and the DBs have depth, experience and solid personnel. The LBs lost a ton of experience with three starters graduating, yet the talent level might be slightly higher this season. The loss of LB experience will show in the first four games, IMO.

    Last year’s D did the job for the most part, except against opponents with superior talent. Miami, UCF and PSU exerted their will against our D last season. Looking forward to seeing if we can improve against those three teams…

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I think we will be singing the praises of our bookend starters on both defensive ends by the conclusion of the season.
    Patrick Jones II & Rashad Weaver will have good to excellent seasons this year.

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  4. Rocky, like your post and agree…may I add- the offense did zilch to help the defense in the last 3 games…oops… forgot Clemson’s starting the game with a simple off-tackle running play…OUCH!!!

    1great week-end in Apollo coming up-playing golf with POV tailgate friends in a memorial scholarship funraiser ,,,that’s right a FUNraiser…..

    Liked by 3 people

  5. Looking forward to the Apollo event.

    After watching some more interviews , really feel good about the receivers, Mack, Mathews, Ffrench, Tipton, all with lots of experience and talent and some really good guys pushing for time Dontavius, Shocky, V’Lique Michael.

    If the line gives KP time with Whipple drawing up the plays it could be explosive.

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    1. —Agree GC, but that’s a big “if” on the offensive line…

      —The defensive line may be the best overall Dline we’ve seen since AD manned the line all by himself…😊

      Go Pitt.

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    1. I agree, Frankmd. This is what gives me hope against UVA, UCF and OH in the early part of the season. PSU will be too athletic for us, plus they have a solid D that will likely smother our new O.

      I just hope that our LBs are solid. I think that they will be.

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  9. 9 wins plus a bowl win, repeat as coastal champs.I think it’s been 10 years since Pitt had a 10 win season, overdue.

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    1. I think it’s vey possible that Pitt can be a better FB team this year but not win the Coastal. If they win 9 games, they will have done pretty well IMO.

      Liked by 2 people

  10. Winning the Coastal division and 7 games last year with that difficult OOC schedule and some still complaining is unacceptable to me and please don’t call me satisfied because I’m not, I’m just thinking it wasn’t that bad of a job by Narduzzi. The bowl loss to Stanford was unacceptable, I still don’t how that happened?

    Liked by 1 person

  11. With four new starters on the OL, a new offensive scheme/coordinator, talented but inexperienced RBs, a big unknown at TE, and two ranked non-con opponents (PSU and UCF) I can’t come up with 9 or 10 wins on our schedule. Maybe 8 if things go really well. Seven is a real possibility.

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  12. BTW, just called Comcast again and requested the ACCN channel, she put me on hold and then came back and told me that she was told that Comcast would be adding the network. FWIW.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I think Armstrong Cable may be a lost cause – hope I’m wrong. Armstrong does not go into Allegheny County, and covers parts of PA, NY, OH, KY & MD … not exactly prime ACC territory. It doesn’t offer BTN either. I think the only hope is that if it is in the both the Syracuse and Louisville areas.

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          1. I’m thinking Hulu myself. I’ll give Comcast to the 24th and then I’m moving on. Might lose channels but save a ton of money. Do I sound like a Geico commercial?

            Liked by 1 person

      2. I have Armstrong Cable and live in Allegheny Co. I did request they add the ACC channel. At the time they said they had not made their decision. Will have to call again, I guess.

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      1. Not to sound racist but this woman didn’t sound like she was a local that’s for sure. Plus and I should have added she told me she was being told that Comcast would be bringing the channel back. I tried to tell her it’s never been on before. So I really don’t know if something was lost in translation or not.

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  14. Pitt is definitely in the 8-10 wins are mandatory every year phase of Duzz’s tenure. No real excuses with 5 years and a team of his own players entrenched in his culture. In reality, probably should be more like 9-11 wins at this point.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. TT – I never understand this thinking. So every school that has a coach for 5 years should win 8-10 or 9-11 games every year? The amount of time the coach has been around is the key to the whole thing?

      Easy-peasy! 🎅

      What happens if all the Teams have 5-year coaches? Then everybody wins 8-11 games?

      As Coach Chryst would say: “Neat!”

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. if you look at the most successful coaches in P-5, they have achieved their break-out season within the first 5 years. Break-out meaning at least 10 wins.

        Those that havent gotten to this level rarely coach past 5-6 years. Narduzzi then would be an exception.

        Maybe at a school like Wake or Kansas, it doesnt matter because they spend so little on football. But with Pitt spending the 4th highest in the ACC, I would think Pitt needs to hold Narduzzi to this general standard.

        But at Pitt, they do value other things which are just as important as wins. So at Pitt, Narduzzi will most likely be under little pressure to hit 10 wins or reach a consistent level of 9-11 wins.

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        1. okie State and Wash St are similar programs to Pitt
          Gundy got 11 wins by year 6; he inherited a stable program
          Leach got 11 by year 7; he inherited a dumpster fire

          so I would think Narduzzi has until next year to reach 10
          otherwise, he’s probably overpaid for on the field performance (but Pitt likes to look at the bigger picture)

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      2. MajorMajors – I think 5 years is enough to prove yourself. I’ve said all along that Pitt is a 10 year project. Pitt is about where I expected. It was going to take about 5 years to turn a corner but in order to really drive attendance, Pitt needs another 5 years of sustained success. Sustained success means Coastal Championships and winning close to 10 games (or, hopefully, more).

        That is how Pitt will be able to gain momentum in fund raising to consistently upgrade facilities and convince boosters into giving larger and larger donations to help with coaches salaries and recruiting budgets, etc … Plus, winning draws recruits.

        My statement wasn’t meant as a line in the sand for Duzz. He’s safe. But if Pitt really wants to compete with the top 15 programs in the country, sustained and consistent success will be required. I don’t want flash in the pan seasons. That’s why I’ve always like Duzz’s messaging that he’s building a program not a team. Teams burn out. Programs have staying power.

        Not winning would be a momentum crusher to a program with a coach in year 5 … Especially, at a P5 school … especially at Pitt … a team that has lost 3 or more games for 35+ years straight.

        Liked by 2 people

    2. based on my eyeball test of a random sample of coaches, those that can hit at least 10 wins in their first 5 years, have a very high probability of coaching another 5 years at the school

      those that dont hit that level arent usually around for another 5 years with a few exceptions (see Walt)

      But even Wanny was able to do it and the man couldnt coach a damn. And then Pitt fires him a year later.

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        1. It wasn’t as easy as you think. Schiano and kelly are better coaches. But some losses to Mac teams and UConn were just bad. Wanny still got ten. But I’d take wanny as a recruiter and narduzzi as a coach any day. Problem is Pitt never had both at the same time since Jackie.

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  15. I finally was able to watch Marduzzi’s presser from a few days ago. He’s becoming a better speaker. Whether it’s through repetition or coaching, who knows. Looks like he and Jerry are getting along just fine – better than his first year.

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Admittedly 10 wins is optomistic but the defense.will be improved. Expect the d to win a few games and 1 or 2 shut outs. The passing game has no where to go but up. Losing 4 oline does not mean it will be worse, expect a more balanced offensive attack.
    The coastal has several new coaches and new qbs. CF and Psux both have new qbs and Pitt plays them early in the year. Which three teams are certain losses besides Clemson? Hoping for the best. HTP.

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  17. Way to be positive Grizzly. I get it, if PITT loses to Clemson means they won the Coastal again. I’ll take the opportunity to play the big boys again. PITT is 1-1 their last two meetings.

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  18. Looks like Dish is a lost cause too…maybe I need to switch to Direct TV.
    Ike, I had the same issue with language speaking with a rep.

    Watching last years Pitt UVA game on tape…getting fired up. Haha.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. The Pitt defensive line can dominate many a Coastal team if they stay healthy. Weaver and Jones can be dynamic at the DE positions. And if we get any decent pressure from the inside 3 named by Partridge we may all end of thinking we are looking at one of those Michigan State defenses that Narduzzi had prior to coming to Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. FWIW Dept. I have Roku with Playstation Vue. They will have the ACCN this month..in reading on-line about Vue, they said the ACCN will broadcast 40 ACC games. I have to wonder how many of those 40 games will be Pitt. We aren’t exactly Tobacco Road, you know. I hope we can catch the non-ACCN Pitt games on ESPN.

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  21. Pitt is athletically on par (or close) with all of the Coastal teams except Miami. In 2018 Miami rushed for 293 yards against us in a lopsided loss to end the regular season. Miami was a one dimensional team all season (and against Pitt) yet they manhandled Pitt’s DL. Others have pointed out that Miami was a “let down” game, given that we had already won the coastal. They may be right, though I’d point out that the Miami kids had little to play for and probably knew that they would be getting a new coach… And, Miami didn’t even attempt to throw the ball (they had 52 yards in the air on few attempts).

    So, while I’m optimistic about our DL, that end of the year performance against Miami puts me in the ‘wait and see’ category as to whether or not we can be dominant.

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    1. Rocky, in Pitt’s defense defense (you like that), the defense didn’t exactly get much help from the offense in either the Miami or Clemson game. In fact against Miami, the Pitt defense didn’t give up a TD until there was 2:49 left in the 3rd quarter. (it was 10-3 at halftime with Miami scoring the only 1st half TD on a punt return)

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I agree with you WWB.

        Miami’s/Clemson’s Ds were talented and did shut us down. In the case of Miami, they had success in the run game and were able to grind it out with the run. N Kosi Perry was not a particularly good passing QB, so had we been able to shut down the run, they would have been forced to throw the ball. Our DL and LB could not shut down the run. The DL was blown off the ball in several instances. And, we knew they were going to run. Giving up 300 yards on the ground is a lot against a one dimensional team like Miami.

        Clemson did what Clemson does. That game doesn’t bother me in the least. Clemson was more talented, more experienced and better coached.

        Again, I hope that our D is ‘dominant’, I just don’t see that we have quite that level of talent or experience. So, I use the word ‘solid’. I’d like and expect our D to be ranked in the top 50, but don’t see it being anywhere close to a top 20 ‘dominant’ D. Just my opinion though.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. even the bowl game was on the offense. Stanford’s 14 points was half of its scoring average (28,5). If this year’s team gets any production from its LBs, t can be a pretty decent D …. not dominant but pretty solid (just as you put it).

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    2. Miami had revenge to play for. Our offense (sans Jimmy) didn’t do a dam thing to help that d line. If I recall it was pretty close until the second half. Then Miami wore us down and blew it open

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  22. Savannah, here is the FB schedule from the Pitt web site. Note that just the first 2 games are set on ACCN, but there are 7 TBA … so no doubt some of those will be depending on whether ESPN wans them or not

    https://pittsburghpanthers.com/schedule.aspx?path=football

    The problem is that except for 4 or 5 FB games and maybe 7 or 8 MBB games, there isn’t anything else I probably want to watch on ACCN. The real good ACC games in both sports will be available on network TV, Forking out $44 mo for Hulu seems like a pretty big fee especially since now I am pretty happy with my present set-up.

    I guess I’ll have to call Armstrong again since I didn’t exactly ‘demand’ that ACCN be picked up as Heather had advised

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    1. In addition to games, I believe each school is required to provide programming. Guessing the coaches will have theirs own shows and perhaps there will be profiles on athletes.

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  24. Attention POV golfers…We are trying to get tee times (thank you Gordon Conn) for Totteridge Golf Course the day before the opener with UVA.
    I had interest before from JoeL, Eric / MissingWlat, BigB, and Jay91.
    Let me know if you are interested. If we cant get Totteridge we’ll try other courses.
    I’m hoping for 2-4 groups.
    Respond to me at lokarfr@gmail.com

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    1. You guys are amazing! Totterridge is close by, small chance but I may show up to say hello, hug you all and then heckle for awhile.

      You guys would also like Glengary linx.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. That’s near Crabtree, isn’t it?
      I once knew a gal from Crabtree; her name was Bambi.
      And we will leave it at that.

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      1. Totteridge and Bambi are near Crabtree. Glengary is out past the Latrobe airport. A BTW, Crabtree has a most excellent smokehouse and butcher meat house called Bardine’s. Trust me on this one.

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  25. Here’s the thing, I don’t think the ACCN will allow ESPN3 to stream ACC games this year if they are not under contract with Comcast (ESPN and Comcast have a contract together) or the provider in your area. It’s a waiting game and I agree with JoeL that it is inevitable that an agreement will be reached last minute. Not sure I trust my Latino scoop. So I ain’t taking no chances to put it into pure Pittsburghese. Hulu is month to month. You can start it and stop it and then start it as many times as you would like. I feel like John F Kennedy. I’ll push the button Comcast and cut the dam cord!!

    I admit, I’m so doggone lazy and cable makes it so easy, I just would rather keep it status quo. I think we will be ok……… I think..

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  26. Every year our defense is supposed to better and every year spread offenses take us apart. I hope we’re better, I want our D to at least give give our O a chance to win.

    But I am prepared for UVA to go right down the field and score 1st drive.

    Show me Coach Partridge!!

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    1. Last year, UVa scored a total of 13 points vs Pitt. But who knows, they may take Pitt apart this year

      Also last year, UCF was #5 in total offense and their lowest output was 32 points vs Auburn with UCF playing without its star QB. The year before, OK State led the nation in passing offense. But in both games against those two, as well as the 2nd half of PSU and Clemson games last year, the Pitt offense completely disappeared. (3 and out) Against modern productive offenses, it is a must for the offense to do its part.

      Liked by 3 people

  27. Wwb – I was at the UCF game last year with the good Doctor. Their fans were horrid. In the 2nd half, we kept having players go down with cramps (dehydration related, I’m sure. 95+ degrees in the stands). Their fans kept booing us, as we were hindering their hurry-up offense – up by 3-4 TDs at the time.

    I truly hope we can return the favor – in spades – this year! (I wish the game was going to be played in a November sleet storm!)

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    1. I don’t believe those cramps were truly dehydration related. Look at the video and you will see Pitt players getting the signal from the sideline to lay down. They were fake cramps.

      And if any were real, who is that on? Coaches. Those boys needed to hydrate for three prior days. Your pee needs to be clear. I know since I live in hotter temps and have played intramural as an old fart.

      What narduzzi had his players do was cheat. That’s my opinion.

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    2. Savannah reserved me telling the rest of the story. It was so hot on the sunny side of that steel bleacher filled frying pan that I lasted until halftime before I succumbed to heat exhaustion & tanked into the 1st aid station to wait behind a line of other fans with the same issues.
      It was frickin HOT!

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      1. But you’re no athlete are u?

        A hydrated athlete doesn’t cramp

        I’ve played outside in 100 degree heat and never cramped or suffered heat stroke because I knew how to hydrate. Not saying I like playing in those conditions but my regimen never placed me in danger

        Pitt has professional trainers. No excuse.

        And if you have ever experienced cramping, once you get them it’s game over. Every pitt player went back next down.

        If you’re going to cheat, don’t make it so obvious.

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        1. LOL Tx. Hydrated athletes don’t cramp, man you are approaching a different atmosphere with me. Keep turning over every stone, you are losing credibility with more posters than just myself.

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          1. Hydrated athletes do not cramp Ike. You can’t tell me that Pitt didn’t fake those cramps. 95 percent of the nation saw with their own eyes and don’t drink the Koolaid. And if the players did suffer legit cramps, it’s because they didn’t have enough liquid in their bodies. That’s science. So either way narduzzi looks bad. If you cheat like Pitt did, don’t make it so obvious on national tv that you become a joke. I lost respect for Pitt that day. Name me one pitt coach that cheated so visibly for the nation to see. You can’t.

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      2. My hydration drink was always water with fresh squeezed lemons. Found it better than Gatorade. Every time I hydrated with beer I cramped or nearly died.

        Seriously, dehydration can decrease performance by twenty percent. Studies prove it out. Always trust the pee test.

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  29. On the cramping stuff, I liked how they said “look at the defensive players looking to the sideline!” Like defensive players never look to the sideline…

    Go Pitt.

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  30. I cheat in sports. If you’re not cheating you’re not trying. But this was so blatantly obvious. So stupid. The Patrick jones video is very incriminating. Bad look for Pitt. I hope heather chewed narduzzis arse off. Stupid visible cheating shouldn’t be tolerated. Pee clear and you won’t cramp. Isnt jones from a southern state to begin with.

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  34. Just listened to some of the player interviews. Always impressed with how these guys handle these.

    Patti sounded mature. Said he’s put on 20 good pounds and got faster.

    I like Jeff George Jr. Would like to see him get some snaps and do well.

    Both Patti and George, though competing for the same thing, showed respect and good attitudes…(at least on camera!).

    Ulizio sounded pleased with how things have gone – coming into a new place. Sounded like Houy may be working next to him at guard???

    The TE Griffin-Stewart impressed me – maybe I’m too easily impressed… I like that he is rooming with KP during camp. Very mature and focused. NGS could be a big piece for this offense – at least a giant step up from what we’ve seen at TE under Watson…

    I know it’s just camp-talk, but I’m a bit encouraged by what I’m hearing.

    PS: I also listened to Coach Duzz’s latest interview. Not one snarky answer from him. What the hell is going on?? 🤔

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  35. Griffin-Stewart will be the starting TE from the get go and will only be replaced if Whipple goes with the Smurfs(Carter inserted instead) lineup.

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