in Pitt Football 51 Words

Player Interviews

First, the latest Pitt Player Interviews from the last couple of days.

Wendell Davis & Bryce Hargrove
Jason Pinnock and DJ Turner

Also in fairness to Annie, she asked for a picture of a beefcake.

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

119 thoughts on “Player Interviews”

  1. I’m really excited to watch Wendell Davis at the Mike. He’s going to be the anchor of the LB corps for the next 3 years. I think we’ve got a really good player there. Tony Siragusa…..how could you not love the Goose’s swagger.

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  4. I was dating a girl residing in Holland Hall. One of her girlfriends was dating Stepnoski. I don’t remember who was moving out of their off campus apartment, but i got recruited to help. Apparently Stepnoski got some teammates to help- for when i showed up, there wasn’t much left to do. However, the first thing I saw upon arriving was seeing Siragusa bear-hugging a refrigerator out the door to someone’s truck (think it was Stepnoski’s truck.) Those guys were a hilarious bunch of dudes! I don’t think I was ever around them where I wasn’t in pain from laughing. Man, good times! That picture brought back a flood of memories!

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  6. OT: Looks like Mack posted an Instagram photo yesterday indicating he was 3 weeks out of surgery and working out at the time. Sure explains two things, the OR assigned to he and Wayne on the first team and the Pitt signing of Turner via the transfer portal. Don’t think we will be seeing much of Mack over the next couple of weeks of play.

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  7. Uh-oh!

    Finding a running game is may be an even bigger “need” on offense now with Mack out recovering from surgery behind the locked gates of Oakland. Who steps up to replace the production lost by Maurice Ffrench, who set a school record with receptions last year and now Mack? Will the offensive line perform adequately by showing some measure of improvement?

    I’m sure glad we play Austin Peay and not cuse in our first COVID-19 game. Just too many question marks on offense – hoping some of the answers are positive.

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  8. If the accolades on Addison are correct and Krull actually gives Pitt that TE it’s been lacking for the last many years then replacing Mack and Ffrench should not be a problem. Also if the OL can just give Pickett just an additional 1/2 to 1 second extra in the pocket a lot of good things can result from the passing game.—-I wouldn’t be counting too much on Pitt’s run game at this point. Hope I’m wrong on that score.

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  9. Unfortunately, I don”t think Pitt answers any questions as to what type of team we have this week. If they look great, we were a 28 point favorite. If they look bad, we were a 28 point favorite.

    Hopefully no injuries and getting a bunch of players some quality playing time. Pitt will be 1-0 by Saturday evening.

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  10. I hope they use this game to work on the running game but I doubt they will, just not in Whipple’s DNA.

    Not worried about the receivers. Shocky, Wayne, Tipton, Addison and Krull should be plenty to do the job, plus the running backs. What I want to see is a four yard push off the line so the RB’s can pick up third downs.

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  11. @jrnpitt – if we can’t establish a really good ground game against Peay, then I’d say it’s going to be a long season . Knowing PN’s penchant for not showing much in OOC games, I’d expect Saturday to feature the Run, with just enough passing to get some game film to evaluate/critique.

    ‘Course, I’ve never been an OC, so what do I know??

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Pitt needs to score and score often early so as to better utilize some of their back ups. I’m all for attempting to use the running game in that regard but I just can get over the futile effort they had last season in trying to do so. None of our current roster of backs excites me but I’m prepared to be proved wrong.

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  12. Annie – that’s enough beefcake to last a lifetime! Do you have a wall big enough for that poster??

    Mike – you are so Mickey Mouse! I’m just glad Upitt doesn’t have your sense of humor – bet, FIU can’t compete with THAT!

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  13. Couple things:

    Looks like rain will hold off for Saturdays game, who knew Fran was a weather prognosticator?

    Big Ben said that Matt Canada’s offense will be very visible this year for the Steelers.

    Again, got to love Pinnocks interview. He will play Sundays.

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  15. Truthfully, it’s rather irritating that the Mack situation comes out now, with Mack spilling the beans instead of the staff or athletic administration issuing a statement. I wonder what other secrets are out there that we don’t know about. It appears that Narduzzi now uses the OR method to hide injuries. And it is hard to see how RB by committee is a good thing, more likely no one has stepped up to seize the starting job. We still don’t know the details of the Mathis injury situation, what happened, when it actually occurred, etc.

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    1. Narduzzi is paranoid. This secrecy thing and lack of transparency is something he and his boss practice. It’s a bad practice for building trust.

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  16. He wants the opposition to prepare for any and all of his players. Do you any other coaches follow the same gameplan when it comes to disclosing all of their teams injuries? You guys seem to think Narduzzi is in a category by himself on this subject matter.

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    1. This is not the first instance and yes it’s bad practice this deception.

      You really think pitt gains more by being this secretive and paranoid.

      This non disclosure of injuries is overblown when it comes down to tipping off your opponent. You really think this impacts an opponents game plan?

      The only player where it might work is the QB. But to Reeds point, what about fans.

      You need to build trust with your base. You just can’t trust this coach. He’s the same guy that locked the gates and was secretive about his cheating until he got caught. And now football is on probation.

      It’s a culture thing at Pitt since his boss is the same way. They tell you what they want you to hear and believe. Good luck getting fans to donate to that kind of leadership.

      Fans can continue being fooled and being used as a tool for this man. I call it as I see it

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  17. I can put up with Narduzzi’s rough and sometimes arrogant nature, his weird mannerisms, and even his attitude toward the press, but his condescension towards Pitt alums, fans and the public is too much (Reed’s case is a good example). I doubt that any of Pitt’s opponents is quaking in their shoes worrying if Mack or any other player will suit up on a Saturday. I’m surprised he didn’t try to hide Twyman’s departure. I have to admit I’m a bit ticked off by this Mack thing…

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  18. and if he were forthcoming with information, he’s be criticized for being stupid and giving away information that will cost him in games

    pretty sure with some HCPN does one thing, the opposite is what you’d say is best and that’s your proof of his stupidity

    tiring and old,,,but of course you all know better so carry on carrying on

    Liked by 5 people

      1. well, MANY here know you are wrong

        you’re welcome

        Tvax1 who attends games and contributes and importantly knows the fact that opinions aren’t

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  19. I’ve been a general supporter of Narduzzi on this site. I was the one who said he should get 10 years to show what he can do. But this is different.. I look at Capel and see an honest man who is also in a competitive business, and who loves the fans. He deals with player losses and injuries the right way, by going out and recruiting more good players. The contrast couldn’t be more glaring. Narduzzi has more yellow seats to fill. Is dissing the fans and public the right way to do it?

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  20. Has ANYONE seen any statements of remorse by Narsuzzi that Pitt students and fans won’t be able to attend the games? Has he come up with even one thing to try to make the students feel a part of the experience in this difficult year? How about a virtual pep rally? If so, I haven’t seen it.

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    1. Duzz did said he was glad there was not the traditional Thursday night bonfire last night.

      Referencing COVID-19 related issues, I would imagine.

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  22. HIPAA does not come into play here or the NFL would have had many issues with their Thursday release of injuries. And no, the vegas line doesnt trump HIPAA.

    Pitt released the news of x athletes who were not cleared to be on the roster medically or the recruits that failed to pass certain physical tests. Very easy disclosure. Mack is out, lower body.

    Agree with above. No team will game plan for Mack or any Pitt offensive player at this point in the season. They will gameplan for the offense by stacking the box, stopping the run on their way to the qb, applying pressure and making Pickett beat them with quick thinking. Uggggh! Seems like I have typed stack the box for the last 10 years.

    Want to confuse your next opponent while beating your current opponent…open up the game! That is why Canada was so successful. Being unpredictable is awesome!! 4th and 1 from the 1 is also now predictable, unfortunately.

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    1. it comes into play in that HIPAA is both an excuse AND applicable with injuries or other medical info disclosed if not communicated properly

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  23. I disagree on Pens – Guentzel and many others were disclosed. Serious injuries definitely disclosed. Healthy scratches, identified too.

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  24. Crap! Fans are a fickle lot. Win, and they will come (and donate). Win, and fans’ eval of HCPN will change dramatically – with the few obvious exceptions.

    I like the fact that he holds ’em close to the vest. I can wait till the end of the hand to see his cards. I’d like to know, but I don’t need to know right now! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  25. HIPPA doesn’t come into play when a player signs a release, which should happen when he accepts a scholarship. The college would control all announcements related to injury or illness, and this is perfectly legal. And college is not the same as the pros with regard to announcing injuries. The NFL strictly controls the release of this information, and the NHL is getting away with making general statements such as upper or lower body injury. MLB gives significant details of player injuries.

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    3. If you read the Act, pitt football is not a covered entity nor is any other sport team. UPMC is, if they are the one treating the injured person, so they can’t disclose. In fact, it is typical for athlete students to seek treatment under different names in order to protect them even more. But Nard isn’t. That is why the nfl and other coaches disclose the basics, not the details.

      I’ll take this directly from your link so there are no questions.

      “Who is Covered by the Privacy Rule

      The Privacy Rule, as well as all the Administrative Simplification rules, apply to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and to any health care provider who transmits health information in electronic form in connection with transactions for which the Secretary of HHS has adopted standards under HIPAA (the “covered entities”). For help in determining whether you are covered, use CMS’s decision tool”.

      Narduzzi and Pitt football aren’t in this group. Come on now, hipaa makes for great arguments because people interpret it and hide behind it all the time. I work with attorneys who are alleged hipaa experts and use hipaa as an excuse out of the gate just to shut people up and stop people from asking for details. It usually works. Details, exceptions and even more facts determine how information is protected or not.

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  28. Ike, not announcing injuries is the same secretive concept as closing practices and locking the gates. It is a mindset that will hurt a program in the long run. I actually agree with Tex on this.

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    1. Heather gives license to it and nurtures it. Capel is his own man and does the right thing. Narduzzi hides behind heathers yellow cover. The two men are night and day. Guess who I give my money to.

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  29. You guys baffle me, this is not a Narduzzi rule, its practiced all over the country in all kind of sports and please don’t tell me about hockey, they are the worst.

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    1. But Narduzzi embraces it and goes overboard.

      Ike – his disdain for fans and undeserved arrogance is appalling. He’s a 7 win coach with no top 25 finishes.

      Let’s ask heather why boosters haven’t stepped up during the reign of King Pat. Let’s ask Heather why yellow seats outnumber season ticket holders.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re entitled to your opinion but I don’t agree that PN has a disdain for PITT fans and he’s won 8 games out of 5 seasons. I don’t know where you get a 7 win coach?

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      2. If she asked and she probable did the answer would be steve pederson. He set the football program decades and decades. Ask Nebraska what they think of their native son, he’s banned from there for eternity.

        I’m very happy with what PITT has done and handled all this crap put on everyone from the virus. Question, has PITT abolished any Olympic sports yet? NOPE!

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        1. You don’t have to when you steal from the general fund

          Other schools don’t do these shenanigans. They just eliminate programs and move on

          Tell me Ike, is it ethical to take money from academics to subsidize money losing programs and never pay back this theft?

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  31. As a head coach I’m not obligated to disclose anything that I don’t have just to please the fan base. I’m trying to win games not lay all my cards on the table before the game even starts. Again do you really think all our opponents head coachs bare the truth on all of their injuries prior to their games against Pitt? tvax1 is absolutely right, whatever Narduzzi says of does is never right by many of you. I did say many not all by the way.

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    1. Reminds me too much of politicians. Just spout off the top of your head anything you feel like and never-mind fact checking. The real truth is, for some, no matter who the AD or Head coach is at PITT, they would be stiffs in their eyes if they weren’t someone the complainant wasn’t pushing and hoping for. And they call themselves realists?

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    2. His obligation to win games have given us fans mediocrity

      His arrogance and secrecy has led to some peed off boosters, low levels of fan engagement and plenty of empty yellow seats.

      He thinks he’s smarter than he actually is

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  32. A lot of people aren’t as smart as they think they are. Me? No I don’t think I’m that smart, what’s hilarious is that according to some he’s making close to 4 million dollars a year. Oh what a dumbass. Now who isn’t as smart as they think they are?

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      1. Well certainly not the ones in prison, Tex, please remember, I’ve been around the block more than a time or three. To your point though, there is a difference between smart and street smart. I’ve been waiting for almost 2 weeks for my background check to be approved for a handgun and my hopes are not that high at this point. One thing I’m sure of is that I’ve never made $4,000,000 a year

        Doesn’t mean Narduzzi didn’t win 8 games.

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  33. A big part of his job is to build fan interest. I assume he is supposed to help raise money.

    He does nothing to bring in fans or to make the team visible around Pittsburgh let alone nationally.

    He should be doing anything to get people to notice his team. Hiding and going 500 does not do it.

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    1. Nonsense, ask any businessman if he lets his competition know his companies weak points before he bids agaist them on a contract. If I lost one game by giving out too much information that would be one game too many and grounds for my firing period.

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      1. You are giving Pitts players too much credit. Nobody on this team makes an opponent scheme and game plan for them. Nobody.

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      2. Ask any mediocre manager that is barely fulfilling one third of his job description why he keeps doing the wrong thing.

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      1. I gotcha Reed, that’s my point. The AD staff is trying and working hard to raise money. You can only lead me to a PITT game but you may or may not be able to make me donate. Got a request in the mail today from Gallagher (form letter) asking me if I would like to donate again to the Chancellor Circle. Asked me if I would like to donate a philanthropic amount of $ again. Speaking of Hell Reed, I don’t ever remember donating to that circle before. Lowest amount starts at $1,000. My wife would crap a brick if I ever did that, then smack me over the head with it. I also have Leon beating me up for money. I’m done with that crowd.

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  35. Of I read it right, Pitt is setting up an in-house network to watch the Pitt games. On our web site with Pitt announcers. No need for ACCN.

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    1. Is that the “Hail from Home Live” which Reed links to below in the thread? If its what I think it is, that will be like The Fan’s coverage of the Spring game, which is horrible.

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  36. This has to be the craziest argument I’ve witnessed on the POV. What do you think the percentage of fans is who actually look at a 2-deep roster? My guess: well under 1%. If we have 35,000 season ticket holders, less than 350 digest a 2-deep roster. Hardly going to impact donations.

    And Coach Capel is just like every other coach in this regard. It was not unusual to see the team come out for warmups at the Pete before a game and fans start asking where is so-and-so? Five minutes into the game, Twitter would come up with an injury or illness.

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    1. Big boosters it does impact. The guys who donate hundreds of thousands. That’s the audience he pees off. And he pees off the educated alumnus like me. Capel gets my money instead.

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  37. I tried to cost & paste a link – nothing. Tried to copy & past as text – nothing. WP hates me.

    David Teel, at that time with the Daily Press (Now with Richmond Times) , wrote an article on 8/28/2018 discussing the end of the 2010 – 2017 ACC’s – 2 day prior to “conference” games injury report. A coaches vote ended the practice.

    Clemson’s Swinney was the only coach continuing that practice. This year he will end the 2 day prior report. Because of Covid, he will now only do the game day report (that all ACC schools release) that will not list type of injury/illness only that they are “unavailable”. That was in the Raleigh Observer.

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  38. — Dorien Ford (5.7) to announce on Tuesday. Rivals and 247 have him as going to Pitt. If so, he will join 3 local 4-star DLs.

    — Univ of Pgh now ranked in Top 20 of public schools per US News & World Report rankings of best colleges (tied at 18th, previously 26th …. Go Heather!)

    — Pitt also one of 3 institutions given OK to proceed with Covid 19 vaccine analysis (breaking news on KDKA – more details to come)

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      1. absolutely, since she is currently the fall girl for everything wrong with Pitt athletics even if she inherited it, I’m giving her her due

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  39. Tex we can give her credit for donating to the COVID 19 Vaccination Team along with a host of other employees from the athletic department and facility members they should all be thanked for going all out to defeat this scourge . Sometimes you give credit to the folks who deserve it.

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  40. I am a Pitt guy first, and am concerned with the cleanness of the football program and the graduation rate as it affects the Pitt brand, so the recent NCAA violations were quite disturbing to me, especially since they were so avoidable. But this is what happens when you hide behind closed doors so the fans and public can’t see. Kicking Reed out of practice was a total disgrace.

    Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I still think the football and basketball teams exist for the students and alums to rally around their university and to promote the Pitt brand. I have lived with many Narduzzi shortcomings without calling for his ouster, (the Pedo game 4th and 1 was especially hard to stomach) but will never tolerate or condone his attitude towards the students and fans.

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    2. Pitt has no brand.

      Those violations were beyond laughable. Fined 0.5 percent of its bowl earnings? I’ll laugh at that one though.

      Didn’t those violations enable the Stallings termination to be fired for cause and owe him less?

      Didn’t a Stallings assistant have a sick daughter who was getting care from UPMC and the insurance was eliminated upon the staff’s firing? Pretty disgusting if Pitt stopped giving that girl treatment. Maybe more embarrassing than the professor poisoning his wife.

      Why no one on here was ashamed of that but take everything out on a football coach is beyond me.

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  42. Back to FB – this morning on XM 84 College Sports Radio I heard two different ACC reports – one with Danny Kanel and Greg McElroy and the other was Childers & Neuheisel.

    Neither time slot of sports jockeys mentioned Pitt at all in their conversations about ACC upper tier teams for 2020. Clemson, ND, Louisville, Miami, UNC and VTech were all discussed and groveled over.

    Heather – if you are following the POV with Richman at your side, please make sure to pin this in the locker room for the Pitt FB team to see and add to their shoulder chip.

    Here’s to positioning Daniel Carter (offense) and Wendell Davis (defense) to knock the Peay out of Austin on Saturday.

    H2P!

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  43. Tex. Goodness gracious! I’ve got to believe there is medication for whatever it is that has overcome you. I think/believe that Pitt has a strategy to be a Wisconsin type program. It is a long term strategy which disappoints those seeking immediate gratification me thinks. I believe Pitt is making progress to get to the next level. Got alotta good players with brains to boot. So Narduzzi makes $4 million, good for him. A P5 coach has mucho responsibility, lots of moving parts. Take the pill man. AFH from Houston.

    Liked by 4 people

      1. Why are the fans entitled to an 11-win season? It takes more than paying a coach $4 million to get there and this university wants to look clean above all else. It has been since Walt that the players are this disciplined off the field and in the classroom.

        Harris was screwed over when looking at it in the big picture but was replaced by a guy equal or better if just looking at the team from a physical standpoint.

        Some Pitt fans and their boner for putting pressure on the coach and demanding wins I’ll never understand. Hire Urban Meyer and meet his (and his wife’s) litany of demands and then I’ll expect 11 wins.

        Liked by 2 people

  44. Tomorrow on AT&T Sportsnet. 3 pm Pitt FB Press Conference / 3:30 Pitt Beyond the Script / 4 pm Pat Narduzzi radio show

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  45. Wait a minute… Narduzzi never singled me out and asked me to leave any practices I attended. Nor any press conferences. Not once. Picked me to ask questions, etc.

    E J went out of his way to ensure I got all the access I possibly could including about 30 minutes into a closed practice because my drive from MD was so long I couldn’t easily get up to the Southside to see the open ones.

    So someone should explain what exactly “EJ overstepped on that one” means.

    My two best interactions with Narduzzi were when he pointed to me and said “Oh, there is the spy.” from the podium at an alumni fundraiser meet & greet in DC. I said “Then what exactly are you hiding?” and everyone laughed…don’t think he liked it that much. The other story can wait.

    He always had someone following me around though sometimes even when I went out of the practice field to smoke. Don’t let anyone tell you the staff doesn’t read the blogs – they sure do.

    Re: Secretive stuff…

    The HC needs to do a he’ll of a lot more than just win games. He is the biggest athletic fundraiser Pitt has. Good ones get donors to give big $$ even when he football team is average. They do that by generating interest in the team and program.

    I’d be interested to see how that fares under PN as opposed to DW. I’ll bet DW was more effective because he loved Pitt and Pitt football and wanted to share it with others…open practices (way open) and more friendly with the media.

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  50. Reed — You may scoff at this, but I have thought that the POV slogan of “We’re Keeping Our Eyes on Pitt Football” may have raised a flag, or at least an eyebrow, to someone so protective and paranoid about his team and his job as Pat Narduzzi. And that’s a shame, because the POV is comprised of die-hard Pitt fans. And you, as the POV Commander, are a staunch supporter of Pitt.

    (Or maybe Duzz is intimidated by tall people… 😊)

    Just my 2 cents…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  52. Reed, Narduzzi wasn’t happy with your presence after all the other reporters were asked to leave. I know first hand from YOU!

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      1. I know Reed, never said he did. I danced around that. imo it’s no big deal. Narduzzi doesn’t have a very good personality and I know that. His sense of humor is warped at times and he is a dictator as well.

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  53. Tonight Miami is getting beat by UAB. It’s on ACCN and of course no one is watching. What a cancer ACCN has become.

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  54. I tried to finish the injury/hipaa misconception issue above but wanted to let you all know that I pulled a couple of injury reports out of about 40 on the list published today. OMG call the HIPAA police. Guys, reporting injuries by sport coaches and teams or leagues isnt a hipaa violation, move on.

    Injury report updates

    D'Andre Swift is dealing with a hip injury and was limited at practice. Prior to this, we had only known Swift was dealing with a "leg" injury, so this is a bit more detail. We'll see if he gets up to full speed by Friday, but you probably want to use more trustworthy options until Swift proves he has locked up a significant role. 
David Montgomery (groin) was limited at practice. This is a good sign, though obviously no guarantee he will play Week 1. That would be on the short end of the 2-4 week timetable Montgomery was given, so we'd like to see him get a full practice in before you plan on relying on him. 
Kenyan Drake (foot) was not on the practice report Wednesday. He told us he'd be "fine" back when we learned he was in a walking boot in camp, and he is. He's ready to roll for Week 1 and he should be in your lineup.

    UAB still winning Dan? I am sitting out NFL with my kids. Actually enjoyed the tour de france and watching golf over the weekend!

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    1. move on Huff, it is used as an excuse for the minimal communication

      for some reason you seem to think you are correcting someone but the guys aren’t confused

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  57. I was a little confused (not hard these days) over that article on Hail From Home Live. Is Pitt planning to broadcast the ACC games over the internet?

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    2. It will probably be more like those secondary channels that Espn uses as alternatives for the college championship game with discussion of the action but not live game footage.

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  58. I am watching the Miami game. Why is the ACCN a cancer?

    I am also going to watch it in bed in a few minutes.

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  59. Dan, sorry but I agree with Richard here. You should watch throwing the C word around. People have a choice if they want the ACCN channel, cancer, not so much. Take it from me, I’ll take the ACCN any day of the week. Cancer, I wish I could make a call and cancel it.

    Liked by 1 person

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