What a week.  What a week for Pitt football.  Dare I say that there is some optimism creeping into our normally curmudgeonly fan base?

It helps when you’ve got nationally respected CFB analysts saying things like this:

and this…

and this…

Now I don’t know what kind of kool-aid EJ Borghetti slipped Rich Cirminiello (maybe it’s just an Italian goombah thing?) but Pitt hasn’t gotten this kind of national attention since the Wannstedt days.  Heck I’m wondering if they even got this kind of attention in the Wannstedt day?  Say what you want about Pat Narduzzi (goombah…), but he’s delivered on his promise of building a defense. 

Not to be outdone by the national media, much-loved local writer Jerry DiPaola (goombah!) jumped on the bandwagon.  When’s the last time you saw any sensible sportswriter (which Jerry most definitely is) alluded to a Pitt ten win season?  2009?

Meanwhile, The Sporting News has named two Pitt players preseason All-Americans.  The usual suspects of course:

In other news, ACC Commissioner John Swofford is stepping down at the end of the season.  Pat Narduzzi put out a very complimentary statement.

The ‘Duzz also continues to recruit quality individuals.

Heather was interviewed on Packer and Durham.

In case you forgot…

Pitt also landed a recruit.  Derrveron Maxwell-Black.  A linebacker.  Barely a three-star.  P5 Offers from Syracuse and Illinois, so you guys aren’t going to be excited.  We all know that Pitt is recruiting to develop, so don’t act surprised.  Anyway, congratulations to Derrveron and welcome to the best school in Pennsylvania.  Lets hope you prove the critics wrong.

Derrvon

In other recruiting news, Pitt is officially grasping at straws to recruit a Tight End.  When you are extending offers to guys in Louisiana and Utah things are bad.

Last recruiting bit…The NCAA extended the recruiting dead period.  Is this good or bad for Pitt?  I’m not sure.

And to wrap it all up, Phil Fulmer, who has been much maligned on this blog, posted what is probably the most relevant college football tweet of the year.  Chas’ comment says it all.  While Pitt has a bit more of a fractious fan base, imagine the influence that head coaches of the more …ahem… cultlike programs could wield.  Especially in the south where cases are rising exponentially.  The college football season is now in the hands of the people.  Lets see if that’s enough motivation for them to do the right thing.

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

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

175 thoughts on “The Week in Review: 6/26/2020”

  1. It only took him 5 years Haha…. The problem is if are going to be so good this year that means next year we win 6 games maybe. Especially since some of you guys say 7 players are getting drafted.

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    1. Yeah it did Mark, thanks to Lumpy. Yet still, the accolades are strange considering how he’s always being beat up for his recruiting.

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  2. If Pitt can’t win ten this year with a senior QB and all that talent on D, Pitt never will.

    I’d take the over of 6.5 wins. I see a 8 win season with a bowl win to make 9.

    This all assumes the season starts and is played to completion.

    I still want to know what Pitt plans to do with all those empty yellow seats in a stadium without fans.

    Tex who will send Heather my likeness for my cardboard seat cutout. I’ll be the sleeping fan.

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      1. I love those guys…. keeps it spicy…

        .good to see ohhowihateohiostate dropping by the blog this week- hope all is well with you and your sweet wife “fistbump!”

        Liked by 1 person

    2. So you’re a secret admirer of Upitt and Tex? 🙂 I like them too.

      ike who likes others opinions and debates and guard statues.

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        1. The bar for erecting statues has been raised a bit these last few months. If that happened, it would have ot be for something like DIrector’s Cups and an OCS. We might have to get a fire hose out to get you off it, especially if it shows her in a yellow blouse.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. It would take the entire national guard from the commonwealth of PA to prevent me from taking down that yellow dress statue. And I still wouldn’t bet against me.

            Liked by 1 person

            2. Soooo…what if she got an Multifunction Arena bought, paid for and built in Oakland? Just a hypothetical …

              Liked by 2 people

          2. You beat me to it JoeL. If anyone suggests a statue of Heather then she did something dam good. I’ll stand guard over that statue as well if that ever happened. At the same time I may need help as I am in a dilemma here. I can’t be at the airport guarding Arnie’s statue and downtown with Fred at the same time. I’m only one man on an island here… 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

          3. Now wait a minute…she gets you your OCS and DIrectors Cups and you still want to tear the statue down. Did she take your tricycle from you when you were a little kid or something?

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  6. My rose colored, kool aid speckled glasses tell me that it is possible the backups to those 7 potential draftees might just be pretty good but can’t beat out senior NFL-type starters……..I don’t think any of us really know. My preference seems to always be “glass half full” because I feel better when I’m happy. Better for my outlook on everything.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I totally get that. I personally feel better when I find solutions to problems. But the key is first admitting the problem. Problem is that Narduzzi isn’t a great coach and he’s just average in recruiting and development. A solution is to find his replacement. My list of 5 candidates is available for a Bolton like advance.

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      1. You’re spinning your wheels Tex….. face it, you have no control over solutions, you just like complaining which is fine by me. Keep on keeping on as you’re much entitled to your opinions. I try and to only worry about what I can control, which it turns out in life, is not very much these days. Me? I kick back and let the chips fall where they may. Haven’t been to a doctor in two years or longer and that is directly against doctors orders. I’m a non-compliant patient and that’s the way it will stay, so I say……….. Go PITT!

        Liked by 1 person

        1. The control I have is by not buying tickets. It’s by voicing my opinion on well seen Pitt blogs. It’s by writing our so called leaders. It’s by donating to Coach Jay and not Coach Pat. I understand that money talks. I can only hope boosters share my thoughts on turdball one, two and three. Aka – atom counter, Miss compliance, and meatballs for brains.

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          1. Well the data you are going to see on Sunday from our survey indicates that that about 2/3 of POV readers approve of narduzzi. If he wins ten this year that goes up. If he wins 7 it most certainly goes down. 8-9 probably stays flat, IMO

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            1. I’m not surprised. But you and I both know that opinions are weighted by money. If Mark Cuban stepped in and said he’d stroke a $100 million dollar check, he could basically ask for anything. The common fans opinion doesn’t matter unless it’s unionized.

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          2. Yes Tex you can control that but it ain’t doing a hill of beans of good or creating changes and yes I know Texans don’t like beans in their chilli. One thing though. I don’t think I’m a kool-aid drinker, I am the real realist.

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            1. Think of it this way. Pitt has 600k fans per nate silvers analysis from 538. If only ten percent of fans are the silent minority of piss and vinegar, that’s 6000 fans. Those 6000 won’t attend games and won’t donate to football. Based on some rough math, that’s a loss in revenues between $1 and $3 million. That’s the difference in having a gymnastics program or not.

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  7. Heather had no chance before we ever came into the picture. That is what you get when you hire PC Compliance.

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  8. PitDad – That is wishful thinking considering they are all 3 stars. More 3 stars fail than overachieve.

    Nothing wrong with wishful thinking.

    So if no season these guys never play and go pro in 2021 and back to 6-6 or 7-5. Lovely.

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  11. Derrveron Maxwell-Black. That is one cool name. Interesting that Pitt offered in January and was his first big-school offer. The coaches must have had strong conviction about him.

    I always wonder how, of all the 6- foot, 200-ish pound HS linebackers, you whittle down the list to, I don’t know, maybe 20 to get involved with.

    What I like is that they look for speed – that quick twitch stuff that sometimes does stick-out on videos…

    Still think the majority of these players are pretty interchangeable…

    Still think there won’t be a season…☹️
    Go Pitt.

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    1. Agree, I think there is a lot of speed in this recruiting class. The kid is a really good tackler.

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        1. I liked Barna-Connie!

          Six-foot as a HS Junior seems like decent enough size to me. But Tex says he’s slow, so he might as well be short too…

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          1. A loooong time ago I played ball with a short dude that was decent but? He once said to me, “I may not be big but I’m slow”. Profound stuff right there.

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        2. Or HB Blades or Clint Session?

          Imagine this…. Maybe the recruiting staff notice his parents were really good athletes that are really big people and matured a little later in life? Whole lots of factors go into recruiting for a team like PITT. They don’t get many slap you over the head type recruits. They have to dig and dive a little deeper.

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        3. Ray Lewis, Mills, Singletary, Urlacher, Zach Thomas, James Harrison and I’m sure many more great NFL LBs in the 6.0 – 6.1 range.

          Liked by 1 person

        4. Singletary, Mills, Lewis, Thomas, Urlacher, Harrison, and I am sure many more great NFL LBs in the 6.0 to 6.1 or less range.

          Liked by 1 person

  12. A Multifunction Arena could never live up to the specs of Tex………… Rhyme intended. I understand his own father asked.. how do you put up with that guy? LOL! It’s not easy but as understanding second father of Tex I’m obligated.

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    1. If she built one like Stade Pierre Mauroy financed with little debt, I’d provide her with a lifetime wardrobe of yellow dresses.

      Tex who knows a New York seamstress.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. both Texas and FL have shut down their bars. UPitt may need to travel to Estonia for a drink. At least he’s not likely to find too many Narduzzi fans there

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I betcha that beautiful Estonian wife can make her hubby “ homemade vodka” much like Annie’s hubby keeping her in homemade brews!!!

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      1. Bernie, the freezer chest we use to lager the beer broke, and we cannot even find a replacement in stock anywhere! I guess people panicked and bought them up so they could hoard their meat in response to the fear the meat supplies were affected by Covid. There is NO BEER HERE! We have to buy it like everyone else. Oh, the suffering we must go through…. Please Covid- go away!! And if anyone can find a 7 cu ft chest freezer in stock- let me know!! Most say they will be out of stock until the end of August.

        Liked by 2 people

  14. Almost every college team that loses a lot of seniors drops a lot the next year. That is the beauty of college ball.

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  15. It’s impossible to believe with Pitt only recruiting 2 and 3 stars on their DL. Something must not be right here if being #1 ends up being the case.

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    1. He might still invest in the O though. But Cuban is more a fake Pittsburgher than me.

      Tex who is a Texan from DFW

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      1. For those counting on Cuban you are like those who adored Andy Warhola in spite of the fact he hated Pittsburgh. (He dropped the “a” to be less ethnic. Cuban will never come to the rescue for the same reason, hope you Sean Miller groupies have finally given up.
        Obviously Tex bathtub gin is very strong and he is hitting it like him on a Heather party doll, I have made moonshine but never bathtub gin,. Send a bottle to your blog dad, it’s cold out on the monuments watch.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Maestro – one of the more interesting weeks in a while. Thanks!

    After reading Fulmer’s post today, my nephew (the Vol) sai, “I’d wear a full hazmat suuit if it meant there would be football in the fall.” “Indeed”, said his uncle.

    Regarding Swofford….objectively speaking, I’m not sure he did a great job in recent years for the ACC. Reasons:

    1) Although the move to get Miami and VT in was proactive, he was a bit slow on the later moves. His hand was forced on VA Tech by Virginia’s governor who insisted that UVA vote down expansion unless VT was part of it. So, he really doesn’t get credit for the Hokies.

    2) Didn’t have a plan to lock-up the Northeast and allowed Jim Delany to grab Rutgers. No response reaction to losing Maryland (Navy should have gotten a long look). No plan to get ND to increase

    3) ACC Network was way too slow to develop and its not rolling out the same way the other ones have. Believe a lot of that has to do with point 2) above.

    4) Greensboro. Crappy place for a basketball tournament unless one lives on Tobacco Road and thinks Biscuitville and Bojangles are haute cuisine.

    Would love to see them move their HQ to a media center. Put it in Philly next to Comcast or Manhattan. This is where the work of a conference should be conducted. The next choiice for commissioner will tell us a lot.

    Liked by 4 people

    2. Interesting take Joe. I’m not sure I have an opinion at this point but your comments are a good set of referees for sure. Now you and I know that the power brokers will never let the ACC hq go north of NC. But moving the tourney to Charlotte instead of Greensboro might be a step in the right direction.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Hopefully, they will select someone who is not tied to the old guard ACC teams. Many teams fall outside Tobacco Road and there could be some disgruntlement among Northern and Southern schools if the wrong person is selected. I hear that Heather is on the short list 🙂 !

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    2. VoR, do mean the short list of people not being considered???

      Tex would have an Amarillo meltdown if Heather became commissioner or even if her name popped up under consideration. They would erect a statue of Heather on the PITT campus. Yeah stirring the pot a little. Heather, give Tex his tricycle back.

      Liked by 2 people

  19. JoeL – on you question about 4 stars. Using Rivals data,from 2013 – 2020, the average # of signed 4-stars was 347/year. This was only for the 65 P5 teams. High of 383 signed in 2018 & low of 319 in 2013.

    n 2020,the Rivals top 25 teams signed 272 of 343 (79.3%). In 2019, the Rivals top 25 signed 283 of 373 (75.95%) 20 teams who were in the top 25 in 2019 where also in the top 25 teams in 2020.

    I don’t keep track of the G5 teams but IMO don’t think in total they sign more then 20/year. SMU has the only commitment for 2021.

    Anything else?

    Liked by 3 people

  21. Although dear old Pittsburgh has been naturally practicing social distancing at home football games for as long as I can remember, I am not feeling good about the possibility of games being played with fans in attendance this season.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Given Pitt’s luck and current the current hype about the team, I am fairly confident there will be no college football played this fall. Another, more cruel, scenario I could foresee is that there is a season. Pitt wins the Coastal and the ACC. The BCS playoff would then be cancelled for sure!
      signed,
      Optimistic in South Carolina

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  22. Tex — I understand that your list of coaches to replace Coach Duzz is top-secret. But I’m curious — when Pitt was searching for a basketball coach, who was on your BB Coach list before they signed Coach Capel??

    Go Pitt.

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    1. I liked the buffalo Coach Oats. But I had inside info.

      He’s bamas coach now

      I also liked mussleman but knew he’d never come

      I have said that the Toledo coach is on my list of 5. He’s number 3. But the other four will cost heather for disclosure.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. I’m sure that the PITT ticket office could tally up the ages of PITT season ticket holders and not counting students… 75% would be in the high risk category. PITT fans are a dying breed to be sure and hopefully don’t become totally non-existent before too long. We Panther fans are a rare breed.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Pitt has failed in creating new supporters. Pitt really needs to study how the premier league does it. Pitt represents the City and a region. Much like the England soccer clubs. These clubs have no problems nurturing existing fans and growing new ones. Pitt is just ignorant.

    Tex using his diploma to wipe his arse.

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    1. You see how handy and versatile that PITT diploma is. It also helped you get your job. It has many uses…. all positive.

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  25. Tex, after starting 9-4 and 11-3 in his first two years at Toledo, Jason Candle has gone 7-6 and 6-6 the past two years. The Rockets were pre-season MAC favorites last year but finished 3-5, ending the season with a 49-7 loss to CMU.

    I often have said that Pitt may certainly be able to get a better coach than what they have …. but for the umpteenth time, but the one lesson that Pitts fan should have learned by now IS BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU WISH FOR

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Sometimes you need to take calculated risks. After five seasons, my belief is that narduzzis ceiling is nine wins. He’s an above average gamecday coach. Below average recruiter. And just average at assembling and managing a staff.

      Every coach on my list has achieved at least ten wins once in their tenure. Everyone has head coach experience. Everyone has an offensive background. Everyone is from a good coaching tree. Everyone is young…no Pappys.

      Everyone can win ten games in their first 4 years at Pitt.

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    3. There are 120 FBS teams. We finish right around 40th each year. That’s top 33%. If you’ve taken basic college statistics … the bell crime peaks between the 75% and 25%. We are on the front end of that peak right now and knocking on the door of getting into the top quartile. Now maybe we’ve peaked ourselves but given the fact that we are just now getting the kind of defense we’ve been expecting and the offense hasn’t had more than one year of continuity … excepting SHAWN WATSON of all ppl… feels like there should be some upside.

      Whether or not that materializes is TBD…

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  27. the Trib are counting down from 99 to pick the best Pgh athlete to wear the jersey number. It has been dominated by Steelers with a few Penguins, but Pitt has been represented …. Green 99, Donald 97, Fralic 79, May 73 … to name a few

    They are down to No. 65 where Joe Schmidt beat out Alan Faneca. Here is the story and note how bad Pitt was during Schmidt’s time
    https://triblive.com/sports/burghs-best-to-wear-it-no-65-pitts-joe-schmidt-grew-tough-playing-sandlot-football-vs-convicts/

    like it or not, in the 2nd half of the 20th century …. the Pitt team of the mid 70s thru mid 80s were the exception, not the rule

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  29. So we were recently talking about the “63 Pitt team that didn’t get a bowl bid after the Kennedy assassination.
    Unfortunately it is looking more and more like the 2020 Pitt team will be known as the best Pitt team that never played.

    Please tell me how there will be college football this year. It was looking better for a while but now cases have spiked dramatically in the South and Southwest. Hospitals are getting overwhelmed in Texas and Arizona. Bars are being shutdown and Governors are begging people to wear masks. The NorthEast is just starting to open and there are already upticks in cases. Teams are reporting cases and some are shutting down informal practices. The curve is no longer flattened.

    Wednesday is July 1st. Two months till the season is to be opened. The NFL cancelled the HOF game till next year. Even golf is having cases and they can easily distance from each other.

    Pitt is contracting with hotels to spread out student housing, but there are still elevators in most buildings although I think a lot more stairs will be used. How do you keep kids from partying?

    There are many obstacles that we haven’t thought of yet. I just don’t see how football happens, or almost any sports for that matter. New York, Connecticut and New Jersey are going to fine people for entering their states. The EU is banning Americans. Unless there is a dramatic change with a vaccine or treatment, basketball is certainly in jeopardy as well.

    I certainly hope I am wrong. Please tell me how, without using magical thinking.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. It’s not SOP gc, it’s SOP LUCK or lack of it. A promising season will be snatched from the jaws of promise and victory. I guess Heather somehow screwed this up to. << Not sure if I said that right. SOI. (same old iek).

    The good news is that PITT is looking at it’s first undefeated season since 1976.

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  31. BTW, I did see Cuban on a national sports show telling Pat McAfee he was negotiating to buy the O but they were playing hardball with him. Is he trying to buy the whole building because the O’s owner rented that space. Hell, he can fiddle with the name and beside, I like a good Cuban sandwich. Just change the name and call it The Cuban Sandwich and Dogs and sell the same dogs as the O did. The nickname will be The “C”.

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    1. Cuban is a fake pittsburgher. I’m more a Yinzer than that tool.

      His last name is even fake.

      Tex whose family kept their last name and didn’t let some bozo change it at Ellis island.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. From the article: “Currently, it’s estimated as few as 5% and as many as 80% of Covid-19-positive patients are asymptomatic or have mild cases of the illness”

        Well that range frankly is practically MEANINGLESS.

        Not really much value in the entire article GC and I mean no disrespect to you for posting it.

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        1. Non taken, I guess the point is that there will be long term consequences for some people but the data is anecdotal. The question is risk. Who wants to have diminished lungs, heart or neurological issues, even though we can’t specify the risk yet. It is like the disclaimers on the drug ads, the ones I like are “may cause death”

          Liked by 1 person

          1. The good news about all the young people getting the disease is that there will be more plasma available for those that need it.

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        2. Liked by 1 person

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    2. We’ll see how long the immunity lasts. And there could be unknown side affects impacting future health. They are a good test case.

      But I wonder how many people they infected before quarantine. And they were probably engaging in risky behaviors to catch the covid. So much for being responsible young adults. Gotta have our beer and chase girls I guess.

      And they have access to tests and probably the best medical doctors. I still can’t get tested. And I want the antigen test. Seriously how does one get tested unless you’re sick as a dog or are already admitted.

      Bars are closed. Restaurants are at 50 percent capacity. Still to high in my opinion. Governor is putting mask wearing at the local level regarding mandating. Houston hospitals are close to running out of beds and emergency responders.

      And it’s no longer driven by nursing homes and prisons. It’s young people drinking and partying. And I can’t help think it was also graduation back in early June. And maybe these protests.

      This Fall is shaping up to look real bad. Second wave during flu season. Still need rough 60 percent of the population to get covid for herd immunity. Assuming there is some form of immunity and the virus hasn’t mutated.

      Again, with our luck, the Russians will find the cure and the Chinese will manufacture the vaccine. America will be last in line for any shipments.

      Tex whose shot won’t come until 2022. Just leave the needle on my gravesite.

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  33. there is a PG article today entitled “Cash, Grit and Hollywood: Former Pitt players’ untold stories from the recruiting trail”

    I am unable to read it but would appreciate that someone can provide the overall gist of what it contains

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  36. Tex, you may be right that Narduzzi’s ceiling is 9 wins. But being that Pitt has surpassed this number only once since 1982, 9 wins should be considered darn good. And especially when the 2009 team had a record had an 0-2 record against ranked teams (look at the bottom of the attached)

    http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/team/545/index.html

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    1. If he can consistently win nine and run a clean program and get the occasional big win, he’s fine in my book. But he hasn’t won nine yet. And most big time coaches win ten in their first five years.

      And I agree, heather is responsible for the ooc and that’s an extra 0.5 to one full loss each year regarding over/under.

      Narduzzis biggest flaws are in hiring his staff. Right now he has a stable one with some good recruiters finally. He really needs to find playmakers on offense and do a far better job with the O line.

      This is the year Narduzzi has to break through. Top 20 final ranking or bust.

      Liked by 1 person

  37. While we are recalling happier Pitt memories, I have a question? During my Pitt college years the QB I remember most is John Congemi, who I recall as a pretty darn good QB. I wasn’t as big a fan back then as I am now, though. So my question for the group is, off the top of your heads, what QB from the Walt Harris era to the present, would be closest to Congemi in style of play and/or level of success? The two names that come to my mind in terms of comparable success are Pete Gonzales or Tom Savage, but I have no idea if that is accurate or not. Thoughts?

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    1. If Congemi was good he would have won more games to extend Foge’s tenure and Pitt would have transitioned to Major Harris. But John was way below mediocre and the annals show it.

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  41. Not to bring bad news but 37 Clemson players have the virus. And we have not even talked about BB.

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  42. I can hear Bob Prince now and what he would said about this coming PITT football season.. any guesses on what I’m thinking?

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          1. How dare you Mark. LOL 🙂 I guess I’m going have to start dyeing my hair coal black like it use to be? Hey little brother, keep an eye on my son who lives right down the street from you. Hope to see you very soon and take great care my friend.

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  43. I listened last night that guillain barre is popping up in some patients from covid 19. Had a friend who came down with it. Lou Gehrig disease with the possibility of recovering but not guaranteed Terrible stuff.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Not Lou Gehrig’s irk…. imlammation of peripheral nerves can vary in intensity… most make good- excellent recovery but some are left with residual neurological deficits….

      One thing I have noticed around these parts- most restaurants are trying to move back towards normal.. the exception is the Chinese restaurants- they have plexiglassed doors and windows with a basket where the food , money and credit cards are passed through- no human entering the facility… guess they are more experienced with this $%it….

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I understand Biggie although my dear friend came down with it caused by some crazy diet he was using. He couldn’t move anything on his body but his eyes for a month. It was awful and scary as hell. All he could do was blink to communicate. Annie knows this person very well.

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        1. Sometimes it can affect the eyelids… I’ve had a couple of patients Many years ago – we had to tape their eyelids down so their eyes would not dry out…

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          1. ^ Bernie, when I went to visit my friend there were flash cards to communicate with him. He would blink once or twice and so on to show on which card what he wanted to say. Then blink which letter he wanted to reflect. It took a good half an hour to express his thoughts. By the time he was finished we were both in tears and he only said he was glad to see me. I ain’t going there.

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              1. Yes years ago. Full recovery but scared us all at the time. He lost around 40 lbs and shuffled for a while until he got his gait back. It made my hair stand up on the back of my neck. Scary stuff. Take care Annie and say hello to Kurt.

                Liked by 1 person

                1. Good news for the Fran tailgater folks- today Kurt lucked out in scoring a chest freezer at Lowes! He happened to ask one of the workers if they would be getting them in and the guy told him there were 4 coming in on Friday. So we will get our new baby on Friday. Too bad it’s looking like we won’t have a tailgate to go to until maybe 2021…

                  Liked by 1 person

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  44. Alright, I’m in a bit of a salty mood tonight so I thought I would vent just a bit but before I do, I want to say, by in no means am I trying to silence my good friends and their thoughts. I actually welcome them all…..

    Here we go, if I felt so strongly and it upsets me much so towards a particular hobby that I have and it stirs up such vitriol in me like it does a few posters, I would simply change hobbies. Boom…. those are my sage words for this Saturday evening. Hopefully with a cancelled season the absence of a PITT football season will help make all our hearts grow fonder for our beloved PITT! You live you learn…. It’s not worth it folks, believe me.

    Liked by 2 people

  45. Formerlywbb, that article on the pg talks about a few former Pitt players who had a recruiting story to share.

    Things like other coaches calling, or visits to other schools.

    Liked by 1 person

  46. It’s very disturbing what’s going on with the virus. We all hoped we were turning the corner on it, but many young people are just not responsible and don’t care that they can pass it on to older people. Can’t take much more lack of sports to watch, and a cancelled Pitt FB season would be a disaster.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Liked by 1 person

  48. 5* linebacker Derrick Davis from Gateway, although he speaks highly of PITT, looks like he wants to go to a perennial powerhouse school. LSU and Georgia want him really bad. PITT was never in the picture and DD is being very respectful but it never was in the cards. What are you going to do Benny? There is nothing you can do.

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    1. also Terry Smith’s stepson, forgot his name. Don’t believe PSU recruited him … this was back circa 07 when Smith was still Gateway HC

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      1. Oh yeah I remember, what was his name? Anyone, I think he ended up leaving PITT. Was it Aaron or Anthony something?

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  50. Two patient quotes yesterday:

    “If a fart can get through my pants, the virus can get through a mask.”
    And,
    “Masks make infections worse because the virus gets in and then can’t find its way out.”

    It is that abject stupidity that helps propagate this disease.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Many Americans failed science classes in school and are just plain ignorant. We are stupid Americans for a reason.

      Again I’m free to not wear a mask but when not wearing one can help spread a deadly disease to others, I no longer have that freedom.

      It’s now a scientific fact that wearing a mask will help contain the virus. But unfortunately it’s become a political thing.

      Tex who wears an ugly blue mask and can’t breathe in it but does it anyway.

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    2. ….the Gasman lives!!! Great to here from you… starting to wonder if you caught the bug from intubation ventilator patients

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  51. My wife and I have spent a long weekend at Jekyll Island, GA- 37th anniversary- and we see more masks here than at home. But still not enough. Met a young couple from Mass yesterday, and they both had masks on. When we told them where we were from, they remarked that initially, they didn’t think we were from either GA or FL, because we were wearing masks. They felt that masks were the reason why the NE has bounced back (comparatively) better!

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    1. And I would agree BL. Wearing a mask and socially distancing is a small task to ask.I take it one step further. I stay at home and break the not stock up rule. Bought a shot gun as it looks like the USA is heading towards the Roman empire historical finish. “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone out to get me.” 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  52. Following up on my earlier comments regarding Swofford’s retirement and how the ACC might evolve… from this morning’s Richmond Times-Dispatch on that subject:

    “Earlier this month the ACC approved bylaws changes that designate its presidents as the conference’s board of directors, a group that Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud will chair…”

    Oh my, Tobacco Road ceding some control to a damn Yankee… mercy sakes and bless their hearts.

    Liked by 2 people

  53. Well he’s a lawyer with degrees from Georgetown and Michigan. Clerked under Sandra Day. Been chancellor since 2013.

    The contracts for P-5 conferences begin to expire in 2024. This will force a new round of realignment. And contraction…not expansion.

    Tex

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  55. OT, Burgh born Brendon Todd leading into the final round of the Travelers golf tournament.

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  56. Scooter the Gator!! There is a ring to that. Makes sense. I elevate Scooter to my all-time favorite Gator as well!

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  57. That article in the PG about Pitt recruiting stories had a couple of nuggets in it. Examples:

    Henry Hynoski — looking for toughness (if not smarts) committed after Wanny came to his house while sick and then threw-up in Henry’s front yard.

    Pat Bostick — was down to Pitt and Louisville and received a thick report from Bobby Petrino detailing the non-stellar stats of every QB who had played for Wanny and Cavanaugh. Pat referred to it as a “hate book.”

    Mark May — though living near Syracuse never visited there because an Orange assistant coach told Mark he was “too fat and too slow” to play for the Syracuse. Mark said he waved across the field to that coach each game as Pitt beat the Orange all four of his years.

    Mark May — how on a visit to SMU he found an envelope on his bed. Marked “Expenses,” it contained 500 bucks…

    Go Pitt.

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      1. A&M was worse. But they had the politicians and insiders.

        If there was any school that should have gotten the death penalty, it was Penn State. Those showers should be demolished and a monument about child safety erected in its place.

        What SMU did pales in comparison.

        Tex hoping that joePa is enjoying the heatwave in Hell. And hoping that Sandusky joins him soon. Shower buddies forever.

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      1. And girls Ike. Don’t forget the girls. In my day, colleges would assign you escorts. And they were in every sense of the word.

        Tex

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  58. ike, I loved the Roman Empire analogy! Things sure look that way right now. If we don’t get some sports (golf and auto racing are not sports) to distract us there is going to be a revolution!

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    1. Reminds me of how back in that day Tex was beating the drum for Emperor Vespasian to construct a multi-purpose stadium. The Roman Colosseum was constructed shortly thereafter…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. I want a stadium built to sacrifice Nitters to the Panthers. But I’m afraid the Pedo Nation is too chicken crap to ever play Pitt again.

        Tex with a 👎

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  59. I’m also mad as h#ll at these 20 somethings that think they can live forever and nothing will hurt them. As I swing by the bars to get the nightly 6 pack, it is easy to see how they cram in and hang all over each other, belching in the others’ face, without regard for granny back home. Makes me sick. The bar owners should be responsible for throwing out these mush brains if they don’t follow the rules…

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    1. I see guys close to other guys. I wasn’t rubbing up against guys in my day. How the world has changed.

      Tex who slow danced women in my whippersnapper days

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      1. We practiced social distancing in the 90’s because it was a manly thing to do. Unless there was an attractive girl in the bar. 🤠

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  60. May I suggest Ed that you have a few cases delivered to your house. Beer is considered an essential. This is where we are in our society. Please believe me, I’m not knocking it either.

    iek stuck in his house having beer delivered. You’ve heard of food banks, I’m the beer bank around my neighborhood.

    Liked by 1 person

  62. LOL Barney…… actually I do buy some beer at Rosa’s from time time to time but we have a long time family friend that’s on the outskirts of town who deliver. They have help out our family and daughter in times of need.

    Bernie, I know you dictate most of the time so I forgive all “msisspells” an “grammer” and expect everyone to excuse me as well. Yes I did that on purpose. This time……….. iek 🙂

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    1. Well I did misspell ike and that’s how this all started. Trust me it wasn’t on purpose. ADD isn’t my friend. I could have a post it note om my desktop reminding me to spell check and I would forget to read it.

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  64. Well alcohol sales are now prohibited in bars and restaurants in Allegheny County after a recent spike in Corona cases. Wonder what may have happened in the last couple of weeks to cause that to happen???

    Herd immunity is coming.

    Oh well, maybe we can look forward to college baseball or softball in the spring…

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    1. You should repost this on the new article. Should start some good discussion

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