in Pitt Football 99 Words

2022 Commit

Pitt landed a verbal from Elijah Staham yesterday. He’s (gulp) unranked on Rivals.com and had only (sigh) two other offers (Akron and Cincy).

50% of POV fans will say “HEY PAT STOP SIGNING UNRANKED RECRUITS!”

But I will say that all D-line recruits get a pass from me, given that Pitt recently turned two, two-stars into consensus All-Americans and looks to be loaded with talent across all positions. Until that production drops off I don’t think anybody has any room to say anything.

Link to Rivals Profile

HUDL Video

http://www.hudl.com/v/2ErUgu

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo

277 thoughts on “2022 Commit”

  1. This could be part of a deal to get his brother. He is a D-tackle and a fullback with good bloodlines.
    Besides some of Narduzzi’s early signings get good enough to be poached later on.

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    1. Pitt already had his brother signed last year. And Pitt did offer Elijah when he was a freshman and he competed at a Pitt summer camp. It still begs the question of why only Cincy and Akron were his only offers after completing his Junior season.

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  3. he may be unranked now but soon will be a 2 or maybe even a 3 star. He is about the same height and weight as one A Donald, and if you look at his junior highlights, he kind of reminds me of him as he (seems to be very quick at the snap of the ball, and often over powers his blocker .

    And no I’m not saying he will be the next AD … I wouldn’t put that label on anyone. Just saying there are similarities. He also is not playing the best of competition I assume being from Delaware … but then again maybe we shouldn’t underestimate that state now should we? …. Can I say Quadree Henderson and Brian O’Neil?

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  5. Speaking of D linemen, I think we would all agree that those two teams playing last night have quality players at pretty much every position. But I see that Alabama was credited with one sack and Ohio State two. There were typically six or seven sacks per game combined throughout the Pitt schedule. Can we conclude that when a quality D line goes against a quality O line, it is advantage O line? Or is this a case where the sample size is too small to draw conclusions?

    And I know that sacks are only one measure of a D line’s performance but the potential for blowing up a possession makes it a big one.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Steelers D sacked baker four times last game of season. They literally didn’t touch him in the playoffs. Draw your own conclusions.

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        1. I previously posted how nice it was to see an article on T.J. Watt in the Wall Street Journal. This morning I opened the WSJ to find: “Mercy! Cleveland Browns, Playoff Bullies, Dunk the Steelers”. Yoi and double yoi.

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    2. Steelers got zero sacks in their last playoff game in 2018 in between a record NFL sack run. Instead of getting up for the playoffs they get down. Maybe they’re stoned….

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  7. My convoluted thinking was as attempt to consider the priority of recruiting D lineman versus O linemen. Thinking through this further, I guess sacks can come from blitzing Dbacks, which would be more attributable to defensive scheme. So sacks might not be a good measuring stick when comparing the two.

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    1. I think the O line is far more important than the D line and edge rushers

      Offense wins game. You don’t win without a line and a QB

      Pitt at least has Kenny coming back. He’s decent enough. Proven he’s a leader and can generate comeback victories. But the line is still inexperienced and average

      Steelers have an overpaid QB coming back with an overpaid and aging line that can’t run block or pass protect.

      Steelers are in far worse shape. They will win no more than 4 games next year unless the whole thing is burned down. There will be an implosion of epic proportions unless major changes are made.

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      1. I can’t believe I’m saying this 😉 but I agree with everything you said above, Tex. The one bit of color I’ll add is that Pitt’s OLine played much better when a few younger players got a chance at the tail end of last year, and now they add a nice O Lineman transfer from Maryland with experience, so I like Pitt’s odds of improving at this critical position considerably over the Steelers in the near term. Ironically, it was the Browns who rebuilt their team the right way buy putting together a strong OL, and adding a young QB with talent. I always cringe when poorly built teams with weak Olines draft a young QB and throw him to the wolves. If Mathis comes back fully healthy and we finally get lucky with a freshman RB, we could actually improve next year, but I also think its critical to identify and get live experience for Pickett’s replacement.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. did anyone happen to notice that except when OSU was caught guarding the Heisman Trophy winner with a LB, that Bama’s passing game was almost all horizontal and not vertical? They were throwing mostly bubble screens and to backs circling out of the backfield. Getting your playmakers in open spaces.

    Bama had a 42 yard TD pass. The other TD passes were … 5, 5, 26 and 5. And the 26 yd TD were to RB N Harris who caught the ball around the 15 yd line.

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    1. Because
      When you have superior athletes at every position the defense has to give up something. They played soft to limit big plays. Hence the sideline and short passes were open.

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      1. true … but Bama still had no trouble rolling up 52 points. And probably could have scored > 60 since Bama;s last score was with over 13 minutes left

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        1. Had no trouble rolling up 52 points….with the star Heisman winner WR not playing much or the whole 2nd half.

          They could have scored 70 or more ! Perhaps they pulled him off the field as to not embarrass a fellow
          football blue blood too much.

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  9. I think Charlie Partridge can recruit whoever he wants. He’s demonstrated his abilities.

    This is not the case with Borbeley. Or Salem. Its pretty clear.

    The game last night was a yawner. Great if one is a Bama fan. Frankly the CFPs this year stunk. Regular season much better. Its better when there is parity.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. No doubt offense wins. In Pitt’s big upset of Clemson. Clemson threw for over 500 yds.

    You must be able to score the ball.

    You only need your defense to be good enough to hold the opposition to one less point.

    Also, great offenses are not one dimensional you need to be able to pass and run. Especially in the red zone.

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    1. Not just the rules, the innovation. OC’s can now simulate via computers, how the defense will respond to certain plays, the Madden Football effect.

      Football defensive strategy is like information security. The defenders are always playing catch up to the hackers innovations. Defenses are in a never ending “chasing” mode. For me, one major slip up and i’m bacon.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Unless they want the scores to continue to escalate, like an old pinball machine did, when you hit the special thingie…..they’re going to have to limit offensive play calls from the bench during the play clock.

        Or greatly reduce the play clock, so that offensive coaches in the box don’t have 40 seconds to
        peruse the opponent defense and signal in & call/change plays several times at the line of scrimmage.

        Pitt is really behind in this. Like Lightyears behind. Our QB comes to the sideline to get 1 play.

        No wonder we have so an easily defended offense. Whipple’s gotta go.

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        1. Actually I’m not Arnold….I’m Hank Kimball. the County Agent.

          Arnold is shorter than me, and has less hair.

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  12. From my stye, this star rating system is going to be more of a crapshoot than ever due to the covid. You have to remember that stars are handed out to players that have been physically observed, tested and measured in sport camps. Short term, sport camps have gone away, so the services have to rely on game and practice video review. The problem with video review is that highlight films only show the highlights.

    Coaches are getting smarter and are asking recruits to send the entire game film for review. Yes, you might be able to show 6 pancake blocks against an opponent, but they will also see the 9 sacks and 14 non-difference plays as well. Different times so I am not as keen this coming year on stars. Offers are a good barometer, but as we know, an offer on Monday, may not be committable on Friday. All to say this is a crapshoot. I wouldn’t get too excited or too depressed until much later in the 22 recruit year.

    I swear, the Alabama Ocoordinator loves going up against you all. Alabama is all about the vertical passing game and uses the horizontal passing game to set up the vertical. Hence, the Najee Harris wheel route and several big plays where they faked a wr bubble screen and used the defense of that screen to exploit the seam. Robinson for Bama is a stud and has made Mr. Ed jealous at just a mention of the term.

    Bama qb threw on time for most of the night. He had patience in the pocket and took off a few times when things broke down. Our qb should be forced to watch the patience clinic that was displayed. Games are won in trenches. Bama and OSU prioritize the lines. Saw ex Pitt coach’s kid Paris Johnson (5star) play as a true freshman on the OSU OL as well as Thayer Mumford (3 star) who was once a lean to Pitt but has a cousin or brother currently at Pitt football. I like “big Mike” Statham on our OL. I like how both coaches use freshman if they give them the best chance to win, regardless of position.

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    1. Mike Statham is not going to play much at 370lbs. And if the brother hits those numbers he won’t be playing much either IMO.

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    2. I used to put together basketball tapes for helping my players get recruited. Ziff, you know of what you speak. Needless to say, only the highlights made the cut

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      1. When my kids were getting recruited for volleyball the company we used asked us to provide 30 good plays (with the top 10 marked as such), along with an entire game. They put together the video that prospective coaches saw, and the full game was included on the website also. No way to hide behind a few great plays against a crappy opponent. No one cared about high school matches- it was club tournaments against higher competition that mattered. Different sport, different evaluations.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. From Trib: Bates, who has been on coach Pat Narduzzi’s staff for three seasons, led a defense that was first in the nation in total sacks (46) and tackles for loss (school-record 111). Pitt also was third in rushing defense (93.5 yards per game), ninth in interceptions (14), 13th in turnovers (20) and 20th in total defense (339.5).

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Not a debbie downer alert, but a realistic viewpoint coming in 3, 2, 1……

        Without checking, my guess is that Pitt played more games than just about everyone in P5 and MAC and AAC, etc., so team stats for this year for me are tossed, except for W’s and L’s. Even those are difficult to compare/contrast. We should lead in sacks, tfl’s, interceptions, turnovers since we probably defended more than most. Just sayin.

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  14. I’m pretty sure Paris Johnson would have started most of the year at Pitt and about 120 other schools. I did see that natural freshman OT Branson Taylor did see some action for Pitt this year; he saw action in the last 3 games

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  15. BTW, I think last night’s game proved that college football is broken and will remain that way long past my demise.

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    1. All sports(at least the major ones) seem to be broken. Much like the society they mimic, or broken society mimics it.

      I heard in the latter days of the Roman Empire, the Gladiator games got bad as well. Go figure.

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  16. Pickett threw 12 TD passes and 6 Picks in 2018.

    He threw 13 TD passes and 9 Picks in 2019.

    He threw 13 TD passes and 9 Picks in 2020.

    QB rating in each of the years was about the same.

    I like the kid, who wouldn’t. but but but……….

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    1. Pickett clearly lacks tough with his passes. Can another year of tutelage change that scenario? I have my doubts but I’m hoping for the best.

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    3. I had a rifle scope that worked like KP… it would not “ hold zero”… that sight in point… cross- hairs always changing … not very accurate shot after shot…. I am tiring of watching down-loads of KPs 3 pt drop drills….

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  17. Maybe the not one, but two…..13 & 9’s…as in Pitt 13 WVcc 9 …is an omen of good things to come.

    Yea ikr…but with Pitt…you gotta look for anything under the stars, as in indicator things could could could
    change.

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  18. The defensive recruiting is pretty good but the offensive recruiting is sub par, you need to have an explosive offense with a defense that keeps you in the game.

    Pitt is sorely lacking on the offensive side of the ball.

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  19. I read a column in the Trib from a writer for the Tampa Bay Times. Pretty much sums up most of what sucks about college football today. Interesting read- particularly the stats about 4 and 5 stars. Of course, no mention of the Bag Men. Naturally, the article is slanted towards the Florida Universities- we all know how destitute they have been through the decades (sarcasm alert!)

    https://www.tampabay.com/sports/gators/2021/01/08/college-football-has-a-problem-blame-florida/

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  20. The vegas early odds are out for the national championship in 2021. Extrapolating the figures, Pitt will be ranked between 45-52 for the upcoming season.

    For the season just concluded, Pitt was not ranked and was outside the top 45 according to the coaches poll.

    Miami just received some great news on a WR transfer from Oklahoma. Unsure why the kid transferred because he had some really good games at OK and QB Rattler is back. Watch out for them next year. Must have thought he would catch more balls from a returning King. The portal adds interest to a rather news lacking off-season of football. When is the next football signing day and will Pitt land a surprise??? NC is getting some talk because of their qb.

    Not really sure why so many are saying college football is broken. I don’t think so. I just think that Pitt has failed to mature its Athletic Department. It’s not even about being dirty or having a dirty program, or selling your soul to the dark side. Pitt can win. Pitt chooses not to and the fanbase allows for excuses to cover up incompetence. Pitt should tarp the athletic department so noone can see what is underneath it.

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    1. It is broken and it has nothing to do with PItt or its ability to cmpete.

      Four out of seven (including the last three in a row) of the CFP championship games have been not worth the Monday night airtime. A two hour live airing of The Voice is more compelling.

      GIve me game like the Iron Bowl when AUburn ran a missed Bama FG back for a shocking win.
      Or Boise State running the Statue of Liberty to beat Oklahoma.
      Or Pitt knocking off the Hoopies
      Or (gag) the Nits taking down Jimmy Johnson and camoflaged U.

      Is Alabame impressinve to watch running its offense? Yes indeed. For certain. But that doesn’t make it a good football game. Their football program’s has a perpetual motion machine and most other programs are simply trying to make the flywheel complete a revolution.

      That said, if PItt ran a more successful program, fewer people (like myself) would bitch about the snoozefest the CFP has become. We are a “have not’ and the favorite sport of a have not is to bithch about the haves.

      My grnadfather used to say:

      I hate the guys
      Who criticize
      Or minimize
      The other guys
      Who by their enterprise
      Have come to rise
      Above the guys
      Who criticize.

      Liked by 5 people

      1. Exactly. The rivalry games were the best. I didn’t watch one playoff game. Boooooring.

        Make all programs report football budget the same and put a cap on spending.

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    2. Pitt is so far away from the Ohio State Alabama matrix of top five recruiting classes and coaching excellence it isn’t even funny. The rip on college football is it’s a monopoly. The same schools get the top recruits. The level of play exhibited by Alabama this year and LSU last year is quite astonishing. Pitt, Penn State, and Notre Dame won national championships in a different era. Now Southern bias rules the sport and the rich schools get richer. Did anyone really think Ohio State would be competitive against Alabama?

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  21. a true story ….

    In 2006, the hottest coaching prospect around was Rich Rodriquez at WVU. In fact, he received an attractive offer from Alabama but eventually turned it down because WVU boosters stepped up

    Don’t believe me? Read this ….. https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2007/12/a_look_at_rodriguezs_flirtatio.html

    Two things resulted from this …..

    1) RichRod abruptly left town for Michigan after 13-9 (he is now Assoc HC at ULM)

    2) Alabama hired Nick Saban

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    1. I clearly remember this. I told a buddy he should take the job because RichFraud would have access to talented 300-pound defensive linemen to run his 3-3-5 defense.

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    2. as a follow-up to my post above …. more food for thought

      Saban took over the Miami Dolphins after Wanny left in 2004. And he apparently wanted out and return to college coaching since he was in communication with Bama while still Miami HC.

      So, if RichRod, did accept the Bama job … would Saban had his agent contact WVU about the opening? Before you think this is far-fetched, you should note that Saban was born in Fairmont WV, about 20 minutes south of Morgantown

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  22. Rich Rod caught lightning in a bottle at WVU and he could never replicate it, nor has any wVU coach since him.
    Innovative offense at the time, perfect QB and skilled players. Same happened with Kelly at Oregon. Everyone runs a version of their offenses now…well, except Pitt, lol.

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  23. Nick Saban – Fairmont
    Rich Rodriguez – Fairmont area (coal toewn
    Jimbo Fisher – Clarksburg
    Doc Holliday – Hurricane
    Bill Stewart – Grafton

    A cradle of football coaches and pepperoni rolls.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. When we chew the cud on the farm, we often talk about our local heroes. The list provided by Joel is nice, but I will add my favorites. The best WV born coach not on the list was/is either Lou Holtz, Jimbo Fisher, John McKay (USC), JJim Grobe, or my favorite Fielding Yost. West Virginians make really good coaches because they are born recruiters (shoot the crap), work harder to get out of the state (driven), and can’t count past ten without an abacus.

      I once took up residence on a farm there and it was good. You get things by working harder than everyone else, being smarter than everyone else, and having a little luck.

      I expect Jimbo to be in the CFP next year because they have a real nice QB coming back and it will be his 4th year if I am correct, tex. The aggies committed to winning when they went after Fisher. He was close this year and i believe he has turned the corner. Still, the WV list is a real good one if you are honest.

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      1. Follansbee (Holtz) isn’t really down in the coalfields, which is what I was thinking vs all
        Of WV. It’s more of a mill town on the edge of Pgh.

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  24. RichRod much like Canada had the explosive players and knew how to use them.
    The difference was they were his recruits.

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  25. Never before have fewer football factories been able to recruit the vast majority of 5 star players.
    The article that Jamers39 posted pretty much lays it out. A good reason why an elite conference will not work.
    Not sure how it will ever be fixed.

    So if National Championships are only possible for a very short list what should Pitt set as it’s goal?

    Most here say 8 wins most of the time with 9 or 10 two or three times a decade. The easier way to do that is to soften the OOC, the harder way is to recruit better players, the hardest way is to find the “perfect coach”.

    But make no mistake, if we get there 9 or 10 wins won’t be enough and the bar will be raised again.

    Unfortunately because of the broken system even within the ACC and Clemson’s dominance, satisfaction is close to an unattainable goal.

    The deck may be shuffled in the Coastal, but a winning record in the Coastal is about all Pitt can hope for, so with two tough OOC and games with Clemson and or Notre Dame in some seasons makes 8 wins a challenge.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. As I said on here yesterday, college football is broken and can’t be fixed….ever. Add to the fact that kids can go to the college of their choice, which is fine BTW, the media ranks these same big name schools high every year before the season even starts. (TV teams)

      If you pre-season rank a team #3 and they go 2-1 they are still ranked. Take another team that’s just outside the Top 25 and they go 2-1 they stay outside the Top 25.

      Then add to that the truth that they make sure the best TV draw teams make it to the playoffs and you have a joke of a sport. The only good thing about college football is the entertainment factor of each individual game.

      Even the Heisman trophy for the best college player is a joke. It’s always for the best back and everyone knows it…..and that back better be going to a popular school. Archie Griffin won it twice and Dorsett was lucky to get it once.

      Liked by 2 people

  27. Pitts goal should be to win the Coastal.

    Compete in nice warm bowl games.

    Win more than 7 games per year.

    Have a better bowl record than 1-3. How does 3-1 sound.

    Get consistently ranked in the top 25.

    Have a run at 10-11 wins every four years and a potential at a top ten ranking.

    That shouldn’t be too hard in a bad division and bad football conference. 0-6 in bowl games with two of the best teams being blown out.

    Liked by 2 people

  28. As I stated before, the system is working. College football is very profitable. People are still watching in high numbers on tv. If viewership falls, they will just expand the playoff to 8 teams.

    Bama would not be the same without saban. He made the modern program.

    Pitt should strive for consistent top 25 rankings. To do that it needs a better coach, offensive focus, easier ooc, and more 4 stars.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It doesn’t need that much more money. It doesn’t need an OCS.

      But It does need a MPC for overall athletic fiscal health

      It does need a MPC unless it’s fine with playing in Cranberry in ten years.

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  29. There is nothing in that article which says football is broken. The main sentences are: “The blame doesn’t belong with the three teams in the playoff penthouse. It belongs with the other name-brand programs that aren’t at their level”.

    It is a choice. This is what I have said all along. Sometimes, it’s years of choices. You either choose to be great or choose to be mediocre. Pitt chooses mediocrity. I just don’t have to like it and that’s my choice. Others embrace mediocrity, make excuses for mediocrity and revel in it. Your choice.

    Prior to the establishment of the CFP, Florida was dominant under Urban and under Spurrier. The crux of the article blames the schools that not only fail to recruit their in-state kids better, but also, develop them. This is why the head coach matters. Clemson, OSU, Alabama, Georgia, all pay their staffs really well because they recruit AND develop talent. Heck, Saban hires fired head coaches and rehabs them as special assistants. He wants all the best knowledge under his umbrella and gets it. Many head coaches (ours) are too paranoid to use such a strategy for fear of losing their job to that person. That’s why you bring in Charmin.

    The big difference maker in florida recruiting is IMG. If one thing is broken, it is the IMG’s of the world, where the elite play football. Those elite players form friendships and convince others on their team to stay together at x school. This is taking high school and creating pure athletic intent, not academics. Still, if you try hard enough, you can still recruit better players.

    Funny, there was no mention of the occasional 2 star that helps a team to championships. There was plenty of mention of the 4 nd 5 star dudes.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. People who speak the truth may be labeled a traitor to the program around here. I say fans enable and are complicit in allowing mediocrity and I get invited to go jump into the Mon. I understand the difference between perspectives, opinions and facts. What Huff said is closer to the factual substance and truth than the many of the fake excuses I constantly hear from most Pitt fans. I never hear from the administration since heather hides in the basement.

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  30. Please we need heavy recruiting of transfers. This is the path taken by programs making rapid improvements. With the Steelers next door should be easy getting a bunch of older kids wanting to show what they got for the pros.
    For some reason we don’t seem to get this recruiting advantage.

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  31. Not too long ago Florida State ruled the ACC…and it seems like only yesterday they won the NC with Jameis Winston being the MVP.

    So things can and do change. At least in the ACC, PAC 12, where Oregon ruled for a long time, but not
    so much recently. And before them USC. And before them, Washington and before them USC again.

    Florida ruled the SEC when Spurrier was the coach. LSU just won the NC last year and has played in
    3 NC games in the last 13 years. Winning 2 of them.

    Saban and Alabama won’t last forever.

    What they could do, to get more excitement in now, is to go to 8 teams….where you have a much greater
    chance of a huge upset, like Boise over Okla. Cincy would have been in the 8 this year…so now you
    have the David vs Goliath matchup we all like to see.

    Go to 8 !

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Well I don’t know if I would like that. What makes the NCAA basketball tournament the big hit it is, a team can come out of nowhere and get to the Final 4.

        Like George Mason or more recently, Loyola of Chicago.

        8 Team NCAAF playoff will increase interest across the country. 16 teams would even be better !

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        1. 8 is doable and on the table. Why 8? It allows for the undefeated BYU’s of the eighties and Boise States and Cincinnati’s, that if they have a great year (win their league, go undefeated), have a chance. Once you are ranked 9 or wrse, you ust aren’t in the conversation.

          If you go to 16 teams and require a P5 Conference champion to be represented, you could have a national champion with a 7-7 final record. It would be like the Washington Redskins winning it this year after going 6-8. Games have to mean something. Top 8 using BCS formula seems best to me.

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    2. I agree to go to 8…with this set up (as conferences exist today.)

      The first 5 spots go to the power 5 teams who win their conference championship game- regardless of who it is and what their record is. Spot number 6 automatically goes to the highest ranked non-power 5 team which would have been Cincy this year. The remaining two spots go to at large teams from any conference- would have likely been Texas A&M and Notre Dame (because they lost the ACC championship game) this year. There will still be controversy as to who gets the at large bids, and some if the non-power 5 team is poor and barely ranked in the top 25. That is about as fair as I think it can be made. I still think you would see the same power 5 teams every year, and no doubt some SEC team with 3 or 4 losses will argue they should get in over a 2 or 3 loss non-power 5 team, but too bad.

      Liked by 2 people

  32. If it’s any consolation …. Pitt FB has chosen mediocrity far more than it hasn’t since the mid 60s. You may not agree with her actions but the current AD seems to have done more to upgrade the FB program than any AD since Steve P’s 1st stint back in the late 90s. And this seems to be the real issue.

    What has to be troublesome is for schools like Texas, FSU, Michigan, Nebraska (and a few more) which has never taken any steps to deemphasize their programs continue to falter. These programs check most or all of the boxes for being a top program. Pitt does not.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Without knowledge on the inside of any program, we can’t correctly guess as to whether there was a de-emphasis on sports or football. So much goes on behind the scenes. Administrations change. Board members change. And let me be clear, it is just not Board members, it is the influencers on the Board. Many that sit on the Board do it because they are friends with the Governors. They get appointed and sit. Very few actually influence. It is getting to the influencers.

      There are more power struggles behind the scenes than you can shake a stick at. If the head coach gets sideways with an influencer, disaster becomes imminent. At Texas and Michigan, you please the big boosters and you are covered. There is no way Harbaugh should have been extended, but he had big boosters and an AD that knows the game. At Pitt, there are no bigggg boosters, other than Ike.

      Bring in Tepper and watch decisions that have not be made in the past, get made. It’s all a game. Follow the money. Gallagher is playing it well and the AD plays it well by smiling and saying we are a place to come for championships in football. She lied and her bosses are okay with that because it gives everyone a happy feeling that Pitt is trying.

      Also, it only takes one really bad hire to lose a generation of fans. Unfortunately for Pitt, they have lost multiple generations because the Administration and AD got it wrong. Double unfortunately, we doubled down, similar to the Pirates. Fooling Pittsburgh for 40 years.

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      1. Pitt blew it….when at one time….Pitt football was King of Football in Pittsburgh.

        When college football, not the NFL ruled football.

        The first de-emphasis in 1939, killed Pitt football and destroyed much of the fan base.
        It was only briefly revived for 2 years under Johnny Mike.

        By the time they decided football mattered again, the Steelers had 3 Rivers built, had the
        Immaculate Reception and captured the majority of the City of Pittsburgh football fans.

        Pedo State had also come along and became a National Power, siphoning off more
        potential Pitt fans who grew up in Pittsburgh, but went to Creepy Valley, as they were going
        to Orange Bowls while Pitt was going 1 & 10 in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

        And then after Johnny Maj & Jackie rebuilt the whole thing, even won a NC…..they tore it down again.

        It’s a disgusting story, should be a horror movie…and it’s funny we even draw the numbers we do
        at Heinz.

        When Pitt itself doesn’t care…..why do we ???

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        1. You said it all. Pitt could have been one of the great programs of all time, but the school didn’t want it. Could have been really good for a long time under Sherrill, didn’t want it.

          The school wants your money, but could care less about giving the fans a good product.

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        2. To add to the PSUx story. I am 51. Born and raised in Westmoreland County and reside there currently. Many of my friends and their parents, as well as my parents and their friends are Nitter fans that root for Pitt to be good. How did they become Nitter fans? Consider my father. He was born in 1943. As such he likely developed his interest in sports around age 7…that would be 1950. If you look at 1950 thru 1959… The Pirates were bad for most of that decade. The Steelers were laughable. PSU was 62-28-4 with two AP top 20 finishes and a Liberty Bowl win in ’59 when they finished 9 and 2. Pitt? 46-49-3. They had 3 AP top 20 finishes and lost both the Sugar Bowl in ’55 and the Gator in ’56.

          1960 through 1969, when my dad would be finishing up high school and entering the work force, saw the Steelers still pathetic. The Pirates great in 1960, mostly average to decent the rest of those years. PSU…77-27-1…going 4-1-1 in Bowl games, 6 AP top 20 finishes, two undefeated seasons (’68 and ’69) when they should have been declared National Champs in at least one if not both those years. Pitt?…34-61-5…they only had 1 AP top 20 finish- the infamous 1963 9 and 1 team that got squeezed out of a bowl game. And something called the Pittsburgh Penguins came into existence with nothing memorable happening in the few years they played that decade outside of having a live penguin as a mascot.

          We know well the narrative of all the teams beginning in 1970. My point is that much of the PSUx fandom in western pa. was grown in those two decades when the Nitters were usually the only “local” team winning with enough regularity to get the fan base excited. So, most people developed an allegiance to them…unless you were catholic and had them second on your list behind the Domers.

          Liked by 3 people

    2. Steve P downgraded Pitt football with a move off campus. You didn’t need spice to see what would happen.

      Like

    1. Only us older guys, even have been to Pitt Stadium. Let’s see, last game was in 1999.
      So if a student was 20 then, he/she would be over 40.

      I was at the last game at Pitt Stadium, the win vs Notre Dame.

      Was at the last Pitt game at 3 Rivers the following year vs WVcc….another Pitt win !

      Hopefully there will be a last game at Heinz Pickle Jar and I will be there too !

      Pitt needs to build an OCS (MPS) on the Southside, preferably on the River, add a
      Lite Rail Transit to it from Oakland, since Southside has all the bars, restaurants (assuming
      at some point, the idiots let them reopen fully) & entertainment.

      Like

  34. In fact, what Pitt needs to do is make Southside part of Pitt’s campus. Since Oakland is nearly devoid of bars, restaurants and entertainment.

    Purchase some buildings over there and redo them or build new ones, whatever….put Pitt on them.
    And wallah….they are part of the campus.

    You have the Hofbrauhaus Beer Gardens over there on the waterfront, close to the Hot Metal bridge.
    The Southside works and Dan Marino field is right across the Hot Metal

    You could have a tremendous expanded campus and a much better experience for the avg Pitt student.

    Get to it Pitt !! chop chop

    Like

  35. The Heisman is an example of a truly meaningless award. With the disparity in team abilities across the country, who can tell who the best player is? I think this award is actually a pawn that could be given to any good player on any “competitive” team, and could be used to show that many P5 teams are good. This would offset the reality that only a few teams can win the NC.

    Like

    1. Right….well we’ve known that since Larry Fitzgerald got gypped out of his, by a guy who wasn’t even drafted by any NFL teams.

      And before that….Hugh Green.

      Liked by 1 person

  36. Until fans with money demand accountability, mediocrity will continue. That will be the culture. But many fans see nothing wrong in mediocrity. It comforts them. Numbs them. Many themselves are mediocre so they identify with it.

    Like

  37. Narduzzi hired a fired HC that he had to talk out of retirement and off an Arizona golf course as an OC. Todd Haley is coaching high school now, sign him up.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Fellas, I think Duzz, Heather and Gallagher are comfortable where the are and the product they have created…everybody is making money and has job security…”Keep the gates locked and Don’t rock the boat” seems to apply…CFB id “all nut$” anyway IMO…PITT is a lot like the PIRATES

      Liked by 1 person

      1. They have little incentive to strive for anything more than mediocre

        The vast majority of fans are fine with the state of the program

        Any 6 win team can make a bowl

        Boosters are virtually non existent and neutered

        Pitt keeps cashing that ACC welfare check

        That check along with only having 19 sports programs run on the cheap in aging or just acceptable facilities allows them to have a competitive football budget

        And the commonwealth doesn’t force them to repay back the monies taken from the general fund each year to balance the books.

        There is no inclination to become excellent.

        If Pitt was serious about football, they would be hiring million dollar coordinators. They would soften the ooc schedule and rent wins. They would commission a feasibility study for a MPC. They would hold Narduzzi accountable for his record. They would reinstate the Golden Panthers.

        Like

  38. I retract that PIRATE comparison,,,PITT works hard at being mediocre-PIRATES not so much….I am losing interest in Power 5 football….2nd year in a row not watching the CFB playoffs….don’t watch/listen ESPN or any program that has 2 or more sitting around BS’ing sports….I come to the POV for my daily BS!!!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I am exactly the same way. Any college football show only talks about the top 5 teams for 80% of the show.
      The Pirates are a joke of a franchise which is a shame with that venue. They actually get good attendance when the reach mediocrity.
      This year will be a covid year also. No way there is herd immunity by fall to permit full attendance. I laugh that I once thought it could have been contained at some point. Maybe the US can do what Israel is doing. You get a vaccine, you get a card to freely go about your business.

      Like

      1. Wife and I got 1st dose and get #2 in 2 weeks…I received the Pfizer and she got Moderna…”nothing to it” except waiting in line…1st come 1st serve in the adult population down here in the “Land of the Long-leaf Pine.

        Like

  43. Fran and Erie- you are MEN…Go Get’m…playing in the freezing, wet cold is healthy…I was told by a native New Zealander that they slept with their windows cracked open in the winter to let cold air in the house…less illness was the reasoning.

    Like

    1. Fran IS the Man! He has been lumberjackn’ all week. Chainsaws, log splitters and beer. What could possibly go wrong?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I heard there are pics on the internet of Fran flipping full size tractor tires in the back-yard after he pumps iron for an hour…. he spent too much time with George “ the Animal” in red 5A- hope that isn’t contagious….

        Shout out to…………….Ike!!!!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s part of the genius of Saban. He brings in successful head coaches, picks their brains, uses them to get better without fear they are going to take his job, and in return, he rehabs their careers. Risk/reward. Saban has been rewarded and risks very little in salary every year. Those coaches don’t even count against the 10 on staff as they are just paid consultants. However, recruits see this as a bonus. Not against the rules at all. Some would think he is taking advantage of the rules. I don’t. He is a master of the rules. Again, things Pitt should do, but won’t because the HC is paranoid and the AD has no…..

      With a good season, O’brien picks up another HC gig. You need to be self-confident bringing in the coaches he has over the years. That makes him great. That’s why Pitt is mediocre.

      I got sideways with Steve Peterson back when Wanny was roaming the sidelines and I told Peterson that he should hire ex-head coaches to sit in the boxes and have radio contact and equal authority with Wanny with respect to timeouts, penalty acceptance or declinations, etc. I was influenced in that thinking by Joe Torre having Don Zimmer sit there in the dugout and make recommendations to Torre, because torre and zimmer had probably seen just about everything in baseball, so it only made sense to leverage the experience. Peterson balked at my suggestion and that was my first sign that Peterson actually wanted Wanny to fail.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Steve smirked when I commented that playing at Heinz would not help with recruiting, would not be a better game day experience, would not help Pitt win any more games, would not be good for the pitt brand, and would sever the connection that fans have with campus.

        He saw Pitt as a basketball school. Yet football pays the bills.

        Like

        1. I guess so, since the schmuck spearheaded the drive to bulldoze our on Campus football stadium.
          SOMETHING NO OTHER UNIVERSITY HAS DONE. THEY ALL CHERISH THEIR OLD HISTORY RIDDEN STADIUMS, refurbish them, whatever.

          as far as I know….PITT IS THE ONLY P5 SCHOOL THAT TORE DOWN THEIR ON CAMPUS STADIUM.

          Many have spent Hundreds of Millions building them, like Baylor or want them, like Temple.

          So while the building that sits where Pitt Stadium bears a resemblance to his name, his real legacy is; the ONLY AD in P5 that tore down his On Campus Football stadium with no plans to replace it.

          Liked by 2 people

      2. I’m delighted that Saban never returned tot he Hoopies after a short tour of duty in the Frank Cignetti regime. Hard to imagine/stomach how awful it would be if Sban were to have had his success in Morgantown instead of Tuscaloosa.

        Like

      3. Steve Pederson couldn’t stand the fact that, although we bitched about Wanny’s coaching, we liked him personally, liked his recruiting, and liked that he was a Pitt guy. Pederson was just a turd. That’s all. Pederson could have helped Wanny like Huff says. But he lacked emotional intelligence and judgment.

        Like

  46. Speaking of Steelers football, it strikes me that Tomlin is a lot like Chuck Noll. While Tomlin inherited more talent than Noll, both coaches reached Superbowl levels, Noll more so than Tomlin. But in both cases, their methods and demeanor grew stale. Slowly they both slid back to mediocrity. The coaching message needs to be refreshed occasionally, and in the Pros where players stay for more years than college, they inevitably tune the HC out.

    Clearly, the repeated fade in the second half of the last few seasons reflects on Tomlin’s ability to motivate. The lack of 1st quarter scoring suggests that the Steelers are relying on past successes (tradition?) to win games in the second half; and there is no 1st quarter energy. It was telling that in the 3rd quarter of the Cleveland game the announcers said they had not mentioned Heyward, Watt or Tuitt’s names so far as making plays. Even the announcers were calling them out. And Watt was mostly positioned in pass coverage while they got no sacks? Heyward, in particular, was really dragging, probably tired from all the interviews he gives.

    Embarrassing themselves and the City on national TV is apparently not sufficient motivation as they keep cashing those big checks.

    Like

    1. Pitt has many of the same problems. Come out flat…..and against a good team, get trucked and the game is over, almost as soon as it’s begun.

      Another telling thing with Tomlin, is the team loses to some of the worst teams in the NFL, in that particular year. He can not motivate them, nor just get them to ‘take care of business’.

      Both Pitt and Stillers also have a habit of ‘playing down’ to the competition. Both lack the ‘killer instinct’ is that is also reflective of the HC.

      Like

  47. The Steelers over the past ten years are no different than the Steelers of the 80’s. Both only won three playoff games.

    Now the floor in the 80’s was lower. But playoff wins matter and how far you go

    So results are the same. Same ceilings.

    And the 80’s didn’t have a franchise QB and all this all pro talent.

    Tomlin needs to go

    Frankly without Ben, Tomlin would stink as a coach

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Agree…..don’t usually agree with Mark Madden. But he wrote a pretty truthful piece yesterday in The Trib.
      Pretty much echoed what you and me and several others have known about Tomlin and his shortcomings for a while.

      Rooney Rule is probably the other thing that’s keeping him around.

      Like

  48. I think they over rely on the so called player leadership in the locker room. Players’ coaches have a short shelf life. Coaches like Tomlin start out as tough, no nonsense guys who then morph into players’ coaches. Once they start making exceptions for players to miss practices, meetings, etc., then there is no turning back.

    Maybe Ben has been around for a while, but why should he call the plays? They feed his ego, and the whole team suffers. It doesn’t appear that Tomlin will ever hit the “standard” again. If this is a complete rebuild than another coach is needed to set the parameters again.

    Like

    1. Tomlin should retire when Ben does

      I hope ownership forces this to happen after next season since I see Ben coming back.

      Like

    1. Where the standard is mediocrity and underperforming instead of winning championships.

      I hate players coaches. Their teams never seem focused and prepared for the big games. Often sloppy play filled with dropped passes and penalties. And I often find these coaches to be gutless. They are risk adverse.

      The Rooney’s are no different than Pitts BoT.

      They like stability over change even if results disappoint. Fans will still show and buy those JuJu jerseys.

      Like

  50. Tomlin has never been a part of a rebuild of a NFL Team and has not shown he can rebuild a program. For that reason, he is part of the weakest link, good-bye.

    Similarly, Coaches like Obrien took over operations that needed rebuilt and he proved he could do that at State Penn and similarly with the Texans if my history is correct. Did he go next level, nope. Rehabbed and maxxed out production, yes. Two completely different scenarios.

    Tomlin walked into a great situation with a team having momentum and recent super bowl success and he ran with it. Didn’t get any better. O’brien started with a dumpster fire and improved both franchises, which was commendable, but he hit his ceiling.

    Narduzzi came into mediocrity and produced mediocrity. No momentum or dumpster fire. Nothin. Horsefeathers!

    Like

  51. Both Tomlin and Nardoozi are 2nd rate coaches. And therefore get 2nd rate results.

    I would have hired neither for any sales organizations that I recruited for.

    As neither are articulate, funny or anything. BORING yes.

    Like

  52. Hey, last year Tomlin was without Ben and was prominently mentioned as coach of the year.

    Ben and Pouncey directly attributed to 21 of the 28 points scored by the Browns in the First Quarter. These are two long time All-Pros who make more money than the HC. And Ben has been the Steeler QB longer than Tomlin has been the coach.

    Don’t you dare blame everything on the coach like you always do, Easy way out, right? Just blame it all on one guy

    Like

    1. It all starts with the man at the Top of the organization. That organization usually reflects that person.

      And you know that as well. But thanks for playing ‘Devil’s Advocate’.

      Both Tomlin and Nardoozi are dunderheads, steeped in coaching cliches and not much else.

      They both make the same mistakes, over and over, year after year. Watching these 2 teams is
      Wash, Rinse, Spin, Repeat…..over and over.

      Like

  53. BTW, a few Steeler coaches were axed today including DB Coach Tom Bradley. This will open the door for Teryl Austin

    Like

    2. Pitt should hire him as HC

      A program is an image of the HC. He or she sets the culture. Hires the staff. Installs discipline and accountability. Runs the practices. Develops the schemes. Recruits and develops players.

      A coach makes the program. Not the other way around.

      A coach should always be blamed. Seldom praised.

      Tomlin should have started mason and run Dobbs out of the wild cat. I would have let Canada be the OC.

      Not sure what could have been done with the D other than having an offense keep them off the field.

      Like

      1. That would be hiring another guy with no HC experience.

        Let him learn the trade on someone else’s dime. And if he shows promise, then consider him.

        Like we plucked John Maj from Iowa State. Seems to me that formula worked !

        Like

  54. One of the sad parts of the Stillers demise is the obvious decline of James Connor. He is
    one of the most highly motivated athletes that I have ever seen but his skills have been
    diminished by frequent injuries. The O line is clearly in need of a rebuild and Connnor
    does not have the extra quick step to reach the small gaps being provided. I am sure
    that he will either be released or relegated to a backup role.

    Like

    1. Lack of a running game is another commonality of the Stillers and Pitt.

      So let’s examine this facet of strangeness from the South Side UPMC complex of
      Mediocrity.

      Neither team has a QB that can consistently hit longer passes which expands the area
      the opposing defense has to defend vertically. Both teams tend to nickle & dime their
      way horizontally up the field. Both teams tend to ‘bog down’ in the Red Zone, and
      each have much difficulty rushing for TD’s inside the ultra Redzone…inside the 5 yard line.

      When you have to play horizontally, you have opposing Safety’s closer to the LOS.
      Limiting running room further. Neither team did much with TE’s(especially Pitt), who can work
      over the middle, to push the Safety’s back and also be of huge help in the Redzone.
      The Steelers did at least recognize the problem and brought in Ebron, who helped some.

      Also neither teams plays with a Fullback anymore…who in the near recent past were instrumental
      in both teams better Rushing days. Most used as a lead blocker for the I-Back/RB.

      So I don’t think it would matter much who was at RB, as we saw with different Stiller RB’s
      due to Connor’s injuries. Pitt also used several RB’s and except for the last game, the
      results were pretty much the same.

      So no fullback, no vertical passing game due to limited QB’s abilities and not much imagination
      from either OC….equals predictable offenses, that can move the ball between the 30’s, but
      that peter out in the Red Zone.

      My diagnosis: fire both HC’s and get some new QB’s and new blood !

      Like

    2. Connor actually had his 2nd best season as a Steeler. (in 4 season)

      He was 23rd in the NFL in Yard Rushing per game.
      He was 22nd in the NFL in Total Rushing Yards.

      And he only fumbled twice.

      Me thinks your reading to many articles from the likes of the PG pedo state friendly
      PItt hating staff

      Like

    1. Don’t fall into that Pittsburgh sportswriter thing of blaming everything on the Pitt guy.

      Connor is not the problem, he avg’d a respectable 4.3 yards per Attempt.

      Which was exactly what LeVeon Bell avg’d in his Steeler career. 4.3 ypa

      Like

  56. Connor isn’t the problem. He is a symptom of the problem. Rooney is terrified to fire a black coach who, like Narduzzi, has proved his incompetence over and over. Nice guy, his players love him!
    If I never hear that again, it’ll be too soon. Bienamy or Terryl Austin would make great choices. Then, no conflict. Canada is another choice but I’d rather him take the Pitt job after next seasons 4-7 result with Pitt leading the ACC in penalties and stupidity!

    On the good news side, I hear Champ is ready to play. Friend at PG, the source.

    Hey, at least we have the Penguins!….ugh.

    Like

  57. Conner is atrocious. You guys are crazy. If he is in the NFL next year I’d be surprised. Do you guys watch the same games? He had 1-2 good games all season and he is hurt every other game.

    Like

  58. We should have heard of any Pitt assistant coach changes at this point. Maybe not the new coaches, but getting rid of the dead wood now opens up opportunities for when other assistant coaches become available. It looks like Whipple will be back, maybe Pickett likes him.

    And wwb, when assessing the Steelers head coach it is fair to look at his performance over the past 3-4 years, and his record in the playoffs, which is what we fellow POVers were doing. This latest Cleveland debacle is just another symptom of a HC not having his team ready to play. No first quarter points for, what, 7 games? And the JuJu dancing thing should have been snuffed out immediately instead of letting it become a symbol of the Steelers’ breakdown in discipline.

    Like

  59. I have been blaming Ben’s poor playoff performance even more than Tomlin’s, but the two go hand in hand.

    Especially when compared to Brady and Belichek.

    But since the Steelers need to rebuild not reload this year it looks like it is time for both to find their “life’s work”

    Of course with the huge the money they made neither really needs to work again.

    Like

    1. Loved Conner as a Panther, a Man among boys, but only a little above average as a pro, not a feature back. He was a touchdown machine in college.

      Like

  61. Do you people actually read what you write? Are you telling me that veterans like Ben and Pouncey need Knute Rockne to be able to get up for a playoff game?

    Where are the team leaders? It certainly isn’t Ben … there is no mystery why he has never been voted team MVP by his teammates.

    You know who 3 of the team captains were this season? Ben, Pouncey and Heyward. That’s 2 guys who apologized to each other after the game, and a third guy who was an All-Pro DT this year but had ONE tackle playing against a first time starter.

    Gee, if only the coach would have given them a pep talk!

    Like

    1. The decline started with the defensive injuries to key players, then the injury to Ben.

      The playoff had very little to do with coaching. A bad snap then Ben’s awful lack of accuracy on easy throws, leading to turnovers. The the defenses total ineptness, big runs, wide open receivers.

      Cleveland obviously wanted the game more, maybe that is on coaching, but these guys are experienced pros.

      Tomlin’s awful playoff record goes hand in hand with Ben’s poor play, so I have no problem with him moving on at this point, because it is time for a rebuild. If he doesn’t want to retire there will be plenty of offers.

      Ben had as good an O-line and receivers in his career as anyone, his inability to perform in the playoffs is on him and no-one else.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. AB may have been a little nutty, but why leave a HOF QB, same with Bell, Blount and other wide receivers. It wasn’t all about money.

        Of course the media and fans blame them, but I don’t recall anyone wanting to get away from Brady.

        Like

      2. Steelers do need to rebuild but Tomlin isn’t the coach for that. Tomlin wasn’t that great at reloading to begin with. He is neither an architect or a marksman.

        You can see I dislike both football coaches in town. I’m not just vinegar on the Panthers.

        Like

    2. You see no issue with Tomlin? Teams playoff record. Team discipline. Team focus and preparedness.

      He’s not practicing the standard. Ben has saved his butt countless times. The Steelers can do better. Just like pitt.

      Like

        1. All 40 plus of the comeback wins in the 4th quarter over bens career

          Tomlin apologists are just like Narduzzi ones.

          Like

      2. Ben has saved his butt? Really.

        Ben could have / should have been released after his 2nd rape accusation. In the 2nd rape charge, a policeman lost his job for barricading friends of a drunken 19 year old who Ben took full advantage of.

        For years, every interview you heard from Ben …. it was all “I” or “me”

        He had a history of games where he just stunk it up, often against teams that were big underdogs

        He makes $32M, is 38 years old and has been a Steeler QB longer than Tomlin has been HC, and you’re blaming the coach for his QB once again stinking it up???

        Liked by 1 person

  64. Ben’s 34 TD’s and 28 INT’s has much more to do with the Steelers playoff record than Tomlin’s coaching.

    Turnovers are killers in the playoffs. Why we never beat the Patriots.

    Like

    1. If Ben retires, tomlins team won’t win more than 7 games next year. And with a newly drafted qb, there will be at least two more years of sun .500 with Tomlin as coach. So if you’re a Steelers fan are you prepared for this. Do you accept this. And then you’re back to the standard…late season collapse, missing playoffs, first round exits. New era of stable mediocrity.

      When the whole team performs poorly, that’s 100 percent on the coach. And the coach was again horrible at time management, situational awareness and lacked guts. Sounds familiar to pitt fans.

      I bet the vast majority of fans who rated Narduzzi a B are also rating Tomlin a B. The are peas in a pod to me.

      Like

    1. Not to mention Chad Voytik or Adam Berke. But seriously, I bet the Steelers can wrestle Ben DiNucci away from Dallas

      Like

  66. Freshman John Hugley is suspended indefinitely … will not play tomorrow. No further info given.

    See, these are the players that need to be shepherded , 18 – 21 year olds. Not professionals who have 10 or more years pro experience

    Like

    1. the amazing thing to me is that he must have been on campus just for a few weeks before he allegedly committed these crimes

      Like

        1. His big butt just took up space in the paint. He’s easily replaceable. One of pitt football obese o-linemen would make more than a suitable replacement.

          Like

      2. You the man for pulling this so fast.

        Bad mark on Capel. Whether he deserved it or not.

        The media will go bonkers over this

        Pitt needs to do some damage control fast.

        Like

  69. Hard to understand how a guy living in a bubble could go wrong. Innocent until proven guilty by the way.

    Like

  70. Tex, are the conversations you have with yourself on this blog all your personalities coming out, LOL. How many are there? 🙂

    Like

  71. Hughley was a highly rated recruit. Big loss for the future. Hope he gets his life straightened out and comes back.

    Like

  73. Different approach to “one and done”.

    Here’s hoping John turns things around and bounces back well from this mistake. This is more about life than basketball – hope our coaches see it that way as well.

    Like

    1. So you’re sayin I should check into western psych for an eval then? 🤠

      I used to tailgate across from them in the 90’s

      And I worked for them my senior year in college. I videotaped alcoholics and their family interactions as part of a federal research grant.

      Like

      1. Wrong diagnosis. Borderline personality disorder is manic-depressive. Schizo is Identity Dissociative Disorder.

        Like

  75. Haha…no real necessary buddy.
    I worked there for many years on the schizophrenia unit.
    Also tailgated across the street and in the garage next door.

    Like

    1. I’m relieved.

      Hope to see you again at one of your famous tailgates next fall

      I’ll bring the Texas bourbon and a bottle of vinegar for Ike.

      Like

  78. I’m with Tex on this score Hugley will be(and should be) gone from the Pitt campus in the not too distant future. No use prolonging the pain of yet another recruiting mistake.

    Like

  79. Tragic for the kid, hopefully this works out for him, since he is so so young. And this doesn’t ruin his life.

    One thing in the story troubled me. “The felony charges carry a potential total of 17 years in jail, along with fines. Hugley, 19, does not have a prior criminal arrest record in Pennsylvania.”

    Does this mean he has a criminal arrest record in Ohio ? And if so…why did Capel recruit him ?

    Like

    2. I don’t think it means that at all. I just think that it’s the maximum penalty whether it was a couple of laptops or a box of i-phones, or breaking in into an ATM or stolen goods worth > $100k.

      I do know that once Hugley became a main target back in 2018, I did a periodic search of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland.com and a few other Northern Oh sources to see how he was progressing, and never saw anything other than positive stuff …. on or off the court

      Like

  80. If you are dumb enough to steal a car from a chick you partied with you are not smart enough to go to college.
    He used it for weeks.
    It must be hard for cops to identify 6 foot 9 guys on video.

    Like

    1. He gives meatballs a run for his money

      One strike and you’re out at Pitt.

      Good luck at some division 3 school bud

      I mean how stupid is stupid

      And Capel knew since last July. Shame on you dookie.

      Bobby knight doesn’t approve.

      Like

      1. Surely Pitt coaches had to wonder where Hugley got a car all of a sudden. Hugley surely was driving
        some of the other players around as well. In a STOLEN Car.

        Granted the players seem to be calling the shots (like whether or not Pitt plays in a bowl game), no dress code, no hair code…no nothing.

        Equality for All !

        Like

  81. While watching a few Pitt basketball games previously this year, noticed Hugley didn’t really have much if any ‘hops’. His shot seemed pretty easy to block, even for shorter players.

    He must have been playing against a bunch of dwarfs in HS. Another highly rated dud for Pitt hoops.

    Like

  82. Not Capel’s fault if Hugley had no prior record. Maybe there is an innocent explanation for this incident. But if not, Pitt and Hugely both move on.

    On the Steelers front, overall team age and maturity are what is relevant. Given that they will have a very tight cap next year, they could keep Ben but have no money left to improve the team. So they make the playoffs, lose early, and then have an even older team in 2022 to upgrade. Keeping Ben for one last year really harms the next 3-5 year outlook for this team. Better to take a chance with Mason for a year, cut high priced over the hill players like Tuitt and Heyward, and sign FAs and draft picks to rebuild for a Superbowl run in 3-4 years.

    Like

    1. On the other hand, if he did have a prior arrest record….Capel can start packing. Maybe Heather too !

      Like

    2. but here’s the kicker. Just last year, Ben signed a two year extension worth $68M which included a $36M signing bonus. This year, Heyward signed an extension thru 2024 even though he will be in his mid 30s.

      Now both of these contracts are guaranteed ,,,, but nonetheless, the Steelers put their faith in them …. and for what? Not to be prepared for a playoff game?

      Like

    3. There is nothing innocent about what he did. Why he’s allowed to earn an education since July on the commonwealth dime is beyond me. Or on some endowments dime. His work release should be cleaning sewage drains in Cleveland. Seriously what kids do you know do this. This is on Capel. I’m positive that proper due diligence would have seen this. It was an immediate offense when immediately arriving on campus. Western psych not pleased.

      Like

  83. Anyone know if we’re actually playing basketball tomorrow? vs Cuse?

    I like Hugley a lot and think he has superstar potential. No one gets hired these days without an FBI background investigation, even at Pitt….screwer upper of all things! So Pitt knew as did Capel. The suspension is just window dressing.
    They must have thought it minor or wouldn’t have signed him. But then again, this is Pitt!

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  84. I dated several girls in college but I never stole their cars and drive around for two weeks until caught with changed out plates.

    You can’t tell me Capel didn’t know until now. I call bs on that. I’d fire Capel immediately for cause.

    But he came from a rough neighborhood. It was his friend that did it. The girlfriend said he could borrow it. Excuses galore.

    Capel just says I don’t recall. I take the 5th.

    Did heather walk up the basement stairs yet?

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  85. Omg….did he have….changed out Plates as well ? That’s the mark of someone with experience.

    Hopefully the changed out Plates….weren’t Pitt Vanity plates.

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  86. All you would-be executioners take a deep breath. I don’t know what kind of law Huff practices but I would welcome him weighing in here if he has relevant knowledge.

    I was the victim of an arson several years ago. Losses considerably more than the value of a car. The State Police identified the culprit from my security system the next day. They told me they knew who he was and where he lived. Months went by with no arrest. A full six months after the crime they finally arrested him. I have no idea why the system works like that. And unlike Joe Paterno, I doubt that the Pittsburgh Police notify Coach Capel prior to arresting a player. Way too many conclusions being jumped to here.

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    1. But Pitt does have a way to track any arrests. They aren’t you. They knew. And did nothing until it broke to people like you and me. These are some pretty serious charges. Not my first rodeo. I have some inside knowledge on how all this works. Believe you me, pitt knew. What they didn’t know until know is how the prosecutor would come down

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      1. From the court docket, it appears that Hugley may not have been arrested until yesterday, 1/14/21. But I’m sure you have better information than me, Tex. Let’s see it.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. And you don’t think the attorneys and cops in the office don’t talk?

          Legally pitt could not suspend him until today

          But Capel does not have to play him

          He rewarded a thug

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    2. Well Capel would have to be living at the Unabombers hideout in Montana to not know quite a bit about what was going on with Hugley. But what the heck he got to use him for a few games this season before the police moved in. Capel was just probably weighing the pros and cons of not acting any sooner in this case.

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      1. Explains why he didn’t play him more, only 15 minuted per game. Not as big of a loss only avg’g 5 ppg & 4 rpg. Than say if he was avg’g 14 ppg and 10 rpg.

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  88. So let me understand this felony. Hugley and bro have three women overnight at the dorms ( nothing wrong here right?) One of the women ( and what profession might these women have been?) says Hugely can borrow her car and tells him where it’s parked in Oakland. Hugley and or bro goes and moves the car (steals it), changes the plates ( what’s normal person carries a change of plates with current tags around with him). The woman ( after a very restful nights sleep??.)leave
    and find their car missing. They call Pittsburgh Police (I bet Hugley and bro thought they’d never report it) and low 6 months later, charges are filed.

    Yeah, I agree Small stuff ? Just a pledge prank on the girls!

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      1. Way to recruit high character kids Capel. I’m sure it is a misunderstanding right Coach? Isn’t there a political cause He can talk about to change the story?

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  89. The DT All-Pro Heyward bash was easy to figure out. Once Bud Dupree was injured, the opponent OL was able to focus more on Heyward. Dupree and Watt double team equals Heyward success. Remove a double team on Dupree, Heyward struggles, so I am not concerned about his game. Could the Steelers upgrade, sure.

    With respect to Hugley, the bigger issue was that there was a party they all attended, so maybe there isn’t this bubble land that folks think is going on. Giving kudos to Pitt for keeping this team in the bubble appears misplaced. Me, I slap a 5 game suspension on this kid and this is the final chance. No more. It is not the death penalty and noone was injured or put in harms way.

    Not surprising that our AD has no comment. Her next comment will be her first since way back in 2020 when she exclaimed there will be no football without all of our students in attendance. Some of my friends were spotted flying by a lot of nfl prognosticators windows who predicted that the Browns will only beat the steelers in the playoff, when…….

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    1. why make a statement when you aren’t forced to??

      Choose your favorite …
      A. “We do not condone this”
      B.. “We will continue to monitor the situation”
      C. “He is suspended until further notice”
      D. “We will let the legal process take its course and then make a decision”
      E. “It’s none of your freakin’ business”

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    3. Hugley,
      Stolen car – thrown out
      Stolen plate – no problemo
      Went to a party during covid? – 4 years in the slammer.

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  90. Hey name image and likeness takes care of all this since car dealerships will provide vehicles to players. Give them a Chevy and they go steal a Caddy.

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  91. WTF Hughley – you’ve got to be kidding me !!! – Stole some poor ladies car keys from her purse and took her car for a joy ride ?? – His career @ Pitt is over before it even began …Bobby Knight would have made a necklace out of his teeth !!!

    Liked by 1 person

  92. In PA (this is based on the internet) to be guilty of the felony of stealing a car (or conspiring to steal a car) you have to have the intent of permanently depriving the owner of the car. In other words, borrowing the car without the owner’s permission is not grand theft auto – it is a misdemeanor at least as I understand it from the internet. This is not to say that taking a car without the owner’s permission is not a bad act. If I took my dad’s Buick Electra out of the driveway without his permission when I was 16 that would be wrong but the gravamen of the transgression would be the insult to my family’s name and not society at large. The point is we do not know what happened. And not knowing what happened means we do not know how socially offensive was the conduct of Hugley even if he did what he is accused of whatever that might be. Please note: I am not soft on crime. Far from it. I just know that until one knows one should refrain from rendering opinions about what should happen to Hugley or what opprobrium should be cast towards Capel.

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    1. I agree … but the license plate change seems to be very discriminating And for all we know, he may have had nothing to do with that part of it, but he is charged.

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      1. I agree. The young woman partying .leaving her key fob out, another individual drove the car before Hugley. He did not have a record in Ohio. It’s unclear if he is the one who changed plate and replace dit with a stolen plate. And, yes, he is charged. We have no problem charging young black men for crimes.

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        1. The cops had no problem charging me with a crime when I was young. Duh…stupid stmt James.

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            1. It certainly looks like the police rushed to judgement in this case. After all the alleged crime only took place in July. There was no reason they shouldn’t have taken an additional 6 months before deciding if any charges were warranted.—-The Capel brothers should both help him pack his bags for his return trip to Ohio.

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    2. You taking your dad’s car is just slightly (mind you slightly) different than taking a complete stranger’s car.

      Wow, the length’s people will go to.

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      1. That was my point. Try to read more carefully before going to the trouble of hiding your identity with a just made up comment name. Sheesh! The reading comprehension of some people. And I assure you I am not soft on crime – it is the PA State Legislature who made taking a car without permission a misdemeanor unless the prosecutor can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the taker had the specific intent to permanently deprive the owner of the car.

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  93. According to PG Mike White, Eric Kasperovic interviewed for the LB position but apparently wasn’t hired

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  94. How the heck does Mike White get that information?
    Did Kasperowicz tell him?
    Who would do that?
    Plus, White’s a douche bag psuX fan.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. why does this rile you so much? Heck, how did the media get all of the facts about Hugley? Pitt is in a large media center where the colleges doesn’t control the media like State College, Columbus, OH, etc … places where the media depends on the colleges.

      Heck, even in the state capital of FL, Tallahassee ….Jameis Winston was able to lead the school to a national title and get a Heisman well before anyone knew he was accused of rape. And how the story was covered up by the local police.

      Do you think if a Sandusky incident happened at Pitt, nobody would have known about it for 13 years?

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      1. here’s a story for you …. back in 2010, WVU HC Bill Stewart was eventually being replaced by Dana Holgerson who was hired by AD Oliver Luck to be the OC for the upcoming season. (he had a long term deal which would make him much higher paid than Stewart).

        Stewart resented this and asked the local media to see if they could uncover any dirt on Holgerson. Colin Dunlop, the PG writer covering WVU at the time, caught wind of this and reported this in the PG …. and all hell broke loose, leading to Stewart’s early dismissal. Note that none of the WV papers (Morgantown, Fairmont or Charleston) dared to make this known because it knew it would cast a bad light on the college that was relished by its readers.

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  95. Was sitting at the bar tonight in a restaurant far far away from Pittsburgh. And of the 3 tv’s that had on, one was actually playing a Duquesne vs St. Bonny hoops game.

    So of course I had to educate the bar patrons and staff, of where Duquesne was, what their proximity to Pitt was(and CMU), what their historic context was in regards to Pittsburgh.

    And of course, how many GF’s I had that lived at Cricklewood. lol

    Liked by 2 people

  96. Disappointed PN is looking for a LB coach. Spend that money on the offensive side of the ball.

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    2. I guess I’m not understanding this ….. should Pitt not be looking for an LB coach . and hire another offensive coach instead?

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      1. My thought process revolves around budget constraints. Only so much money for a limited amount of coaches. I believe that to be the case with most college programs that are not elite.

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      2. Also, NCAA rules allow FBS teams a head coach, nine assistant coaches and four graduate assistants, all authorized for hands-on work with players.

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  97. Pitt needs to handle the Hughley issue like UNC, Kentucky, Duke, etc. would handle it. Find who owned the car and make sure they change their story to it being a misunderstanding. $$ talks.

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  98. for the overboard here(at least one), please remind me how this dude was handled after you compare the incidents

    https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2017/05/15/Alex-Bookser-arrested-DUI-Pitt-Panthers-offensive-line/stories/201705150138

    this site is being overrun with wacko or stupid hyperbole or agenda making it easy to avoid more and more

    let me guess, someone here played cops and robbers in their past therefore giving them the insight and experience to know everything about this Hugley situation

    Liked by 2 people

    1. when you think about what went down around here last July ….. Covid. protests and the usual city daily/nightly issues, I’m guessing that after the stolen car was discovered/recovered, this incident was put on the back burner. There were no murders, guns, assaults, threats, etc involved here and they knew that one of the principle perps would be easily tracked.

      Liked by 1 person

  99. PITT crimes I remember-my short list: Ironhead throwing the paperboy onto the hood of a car, Sheard throwing someone through a window on the south side, Bookser DUI/ hit’n run and Billy West, all Big Easy running back missing a Thursday practice to attend an electrical engineering needed for his degree…I think outta that group Billy was subject to the harshest punishment- lost his starting position

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I just did a Billy West search … and of all things, he was interviewed by a Wheeling WV paper after the death of Johnny Majors who recruited him to Pitt. He resides in Florida and is a regional manager for a Pittsburgh based company. So glad to know his BSEE apparently has paid off

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  100. Ever hear the story of Mark May, blind drunk running down the top of parked cars of Fifth Ave.? Had to do some damage. Never made the papers as far as I know. The things we did before cameras on phones.

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  101. Levance Fields had an incident involving a cop and suffered no consequences. Stuff happens with college kids. Hughley should be reinstated on Monday as this will be forgotten.

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  104. Only here and in our society in general is the person who committed the crime given excuses. Sad as an American.

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    1. well of course … he plays for the Good Guys. Now let a Dukie or an Eer get arrested for this, and we will expect the max 17 year sentence … with no parole

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  105. Look at the timeline, 6&34. This wasn’t an overnight “borrow” incident where miscommunication could have existed. The car was stolen on July 19th, and as not recovered until Aug 4th. That is over 2 weeks with the girl who’s dad owned it in serious distress over the loss and Hugely must have been aware. No one involved came forward with any info during this period, and the car was found with a stolen plate, an obvious attempt at avoiding someone spotting and identifying the car. It takes a certain amount of cruelty to put a friend through this.

    Maybe there is some missing explanation, but it is hard to come up with one. That Hugely has a clean record makes auto theft a significant jump up. Maybe he was lied to, in some manner, that he had her permission to borrow the car, but 2 weeks is a long time to be mislead. Video evidence is hard to dispute.

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  106. One last thought: They apparently used her keys to drive the car. Were they returned to her purse? If not, that would certainly point to the people at that party. If so, it was a well thought out plan to steal the car.

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  108. Dumb, but well thought out… However, there is no perfect crime, and they apparently didn’t think of the video cameras.

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    1. Master thieves have well thought-out plans. The majority of thieves aren’t Rhodes Scholar candidates

      Hey, the girl is passed out … she has a nice car outside …and her purse and keys are right here. Now what plan can we come up with where we are not the prime suspects?

      Good luck with that

      Liked by 1 person

  109. It’s the two week stint that gets me… Some drunk kid might “borrow” a car overnight, thinking they could dump it and she would get it back. But two weeks? And if the police didn’t find it, maybe much longer? We don’t know much about the other participants, but is it conceivable that Hugely was completely mislead by them? Was he suckered into paying them money for use of a stolen car that he didn’t know was stolen? He apparently didn’t know this girl well.

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  110. Take our daughter to her new apt on the Southside to get settled for the fall semester at Duquesne…. I noticed an old Beamer parked in front of the house…. car was there when I went back to get her for Thanksgiving, again at Christmas, spring-break…. on the we went up to pack her up for summer the Beamer was still in the same place… hadn’t moved all year. I reported the police and within an hour after my call the unkept dude in the presence of the police showed up to claim the vehicle… he said he got real drunk one night and thought someone stole his ride… drunk Bastad forgot where he parked it…

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Kind of reminds me of 2 years ago when HC Narduzzi handed the keys to the Pitt offense to OC Whipple.

      Narduzzi hasn’t seen the offense since.

      Liked by 1 person

  111. BigB, my son owns a house in the Southside, and sadly this isn’t an isolated incident.

    I weep for this generation.

    The facts on Hugely need to come out before anyone (i.e., AD, HC, etc.) say anything and anyone who knows anything about jurisprudence or frankly has common sense should know this. Knee jerk reactions are almost always the wrong path to take. There will be plenty of time to dole out appropriate punishment, once the facts are known.

    However, I agree right now it doesn’t look good.

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