in Pitt Football 2,422 Words

Descartes on Football (Fall Camp Preview 2021)

By Michaelangelo Monteleone

With a nod towards Pitt’s award-winning Philosophy department, I’ve come out of retirement for the day and put together a Fall Camp preview.  It’s loosely based on René Descartes famous (maybe?) elucidation of the interplay of hope and fear.  You’re welcome.  I think.

Michaelangelo

For those actually interested in the philosophy part of this, here is Descartes original hope/fear statement.  Lol the part about despair… 

When hope is so strong that it altogether drives out fear, its nature changes and it becomes complacency or confidence. And when we are certain that what we desire will come to pass, even though we go on wanting it to come to pass, we nonetheless cease to be agitated by the passion of desire which caused us to look forward to the outcome with anxiety.

Likewise, when fear is so extreme that it leaves no room at all for hope, it is transformed into despair; and this despair, representing the thing as impossible, extinguishes desire altogether, for desire bears only on possible things.

And now on to the article.

Well it’s that time of year again, and Pitt’s fall training camp starts on Friday.  A few practices without pads, then some in shoulder pads, then the real deal.  Of course nobody outside of the program actually gets to see the practices, and for a program shrouded in mystery the past few years’ results have been decidedly…three star, but at the same time, the hardcore fan can’t help but feel just the smallest shred of optimism. 

The carefully controlled media that’s dripped from camp will do nothing to dispel that.  This small shred of hope will undoubtedly build slowly over time, until the first game, when it’s either pumped up to unrealistic levels (Austin Peay last year) only to be brought crashing down to reality a few weeks later (NC State, Boston College last year), or completely destroyed out of the gate (Pitt’s loss to UVA in 2019, A seven point “victory” over Youngstown State 2018, And eight point “victory” over Youngstown State in 2015, and that ignominious loss to those same Youngstown State Penguins in 2012).

Nonetheless, it would be remiss of the POV to not indulge those who continue to cling to optimism in some kind of pre-camp hoopla.  And so, as a public service, I will take on the drudgery of that task.  Below is a position by position look at the team heading up into camp, with our best hopes highlighted, and our fears called out.   I’m sure Descartes would approve.

Quarterback

We all know the storyline.  Super Senior Kenny Pickett chose not to be drafted in the later rounds because he thought he was better than that.  Well maybe he is, but for a guy with a career 120 passer rating, he better have done a hell of a job in the offseason, and he better have done it better than he’s done it in the past.

The Hope:  Kenny’s pocket presence and touch passing improves in his fifth year, along with the weapons he has at his disposal.  Instead of leading the league in drops, Pitt finishes somewhere near the middle of the ACC and those extra dozen or so passes that Picket competes because his guys can catch lead to a half-dozen or so touchdowns. 

Also we’d hope Picket has put in some extra conditioning work this summer so that he’s not totally gassed by running to the sideline each and every play.  The windup is that instead of throwing for 13 TD’s and 9 INT’s, he throws for 31 and 6.  That would probably make him the second-best quarterback (maybe third) in the conference and put Pitt’s offense on the track to something close to 35-40 points per game.  Yep.  That’s the hope.

The Fear:  Nothing changes.  Pickett keeps throwing uncatchable fastballs on the short routes, and receivers keep dropping the middle to long range balls that are thrown right to them.  The tight end position continues to be a disaster and Whipple’s play calling is as erratic as ever, especially in the red zone. 

Kenny finishes his career as Pitt’s all-time passing yardage leader and somewhere way down the list on total TD’s.  After all that, he gets drafted in the sixth round by the Jaguars and becomes Trevor Lawrence’s career backup in Jacksonville.

Wide Receiver

Depth depth and more depth, that’s what everybody keeps talking about.  Well when your best guy was a skinny 170 lb freshman who averaged 10 yards per catch, and you only lost one WR to graduation you damn well better have more depth than last year. 

Yes, Pitt is all about development, and yes, most of the recognizable names are in year three of Whipple’s complex pro-style offense (which if you follow fantasy football in the NFL is key turning point for many pro wide receivers) but damn, do we really think Shockey Jacques-Louis or Jared Wayne is going to break out this year?  Or that transfer from Hawaii is going to make a difference?

The Hope:  Jordan Addison takes the next step to become Pitt’s first 1000 yard receiver in a long, long time (Last one was Tyler Boyd in 2014.)  Addison is going to have to work in his run after the catch skills in order to take that next step, and also work on beating double coverages since he’s now a known commodity in the ACC.   Taysir Mack comes back healthy and stays healthy.  Shockey Jacques is fully healthy and improves his route running ability (check out his high school film, it’s always been a weakness). 

Jaylen Barden and/or the New Hawaii Guy adds yet another step and takes the top of the defense, and a walk on (Keep an eye on Luke DelGaudio!) gets a chance to get on the field, where he turns into Pitt’s version of Jared Abbrederis.  New coach Brennon Marion plants JUGS machines in random places all over campus and hires interns to shoot balls at the entire WR room all day, every day.  Watchout! 

The Fear:  Defenses key on Addison and he posts another 60 catch, 600 yard season.  Nobody else steps up, and Pitt’s receiving corps again leads the nation in drops.  This would get Whipple fired by the way.  Which maybe is actually a hope of some of y’alls.

Tight End

I chuckle a bit when I see all the preseason hype that Lucas Krull is getting.  Here’s a guy that had three passes thrown his way in 2021 and two of them clanged off his hands.  Krull posted one catch for six yards before he got hurt.  Let’s put him on a watch list! 

The Hope:  Oh the hope.  The hope.  The hope.   The hope, my friends, is that Krull lives up to the ballyhoo.  That Danny Moraga learns how to block and develops a rapport with Pickett in the passing game.  That Somebody, Anybody, steps up and becomes a competent #3.  (Kyi Wright we are calling your name…)

The Fear:  Krull’s stone hands remain.  Moraga just doesn’t mesh with the team and his (lack of) run blocking continues to keep him off the field (author’s note the day after I wrote this Moraga entered the transfer portal).  We are stuck with (former) walk on fullback Jake Zilinskas as our best option.

Running Back

Soooo…did you want the 5’9” guy who weighs 170 lbs soaking wet, the super senior who has shown nothing in four years, or the new guy who can’t pass block?  Doesn’t really matter because Pitt’s going to have a 40/60 run/pass ratio anyway.  Cheers!

The Hope:  Pat Narduzzi locks Mark Whipple in a room, straps him to a chair, tapes his eyes open and forces him to watch game films of the 2018 offense on loop until Whipple breaks down into a blubbering mess.  Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

The Fear: 

Offensive Line 

Narduzzi was on record last week saying that “the offensive line will be better than we are getting credit for”.  My confidential sources coming out of the spring camp said the OL was shaky.  Neither of those opinions should be considered entirely credible.

The Hope:  Old Dave Borbley still has something left in the tank.  I mean, he transformed Carter Warren from a matador (steps aside and lets the bulls run by!) in 2019 into a serviceable ACC Left Tackle in 2020, and he did put two guys into the NFL…barely.  (Jimmy Morrissey, 7th round, Las Vegas Raiders, Bryce Hargrove UDFA, Atlanta Falcons).  Can he work a little more magic across the entire line? 

Tapping Matt redshirt Sophomore Matt Goncalves as the starting Left Tackle and flipping Warren to swing tackle or over to the other side might be a good start.  If you dig deep I think you’ll find the offense performed a tick better when Goncalves was on the field last year.  Regardless of who starts at Left Tackle, the hope is that Pitt’s line improves over last year, opens up some running lanes like it did late in 2020 (FSU, GT games come to mind) and keeps Kenny Pickett upright.

The Fear:  Borbs actually is washed up, the loss of Jimmy Morrissey as the glue that keept it all together is bigger than expected, and Pitt’s lack of recruiting on the OL comes back to bite them.  The entire unit regresses, run blocking sucks and Pickett spends the entire season running for his life. 

Defensive Line

If there is one unit where you can expect Pitt to deliver year in and year out, it’s the defensive line.  We hope.  When you lose two All-American Defensive Ends nothing is a given, and questions abound. Does pre-season All-American Kalijah Cancey deliver?  Does Deslin Alexandre step up now that he has the chance to be The Man?  Does Dayon Hays break through?  Does original paisano Habakkuk Baldonaldo turn into the Italian Stallion? 

The Hope:  All (or most) of those questions are answered with a resounding “yes”.  Narduzzi, in his own coy way, mentioned that “yea we’ll probably have to blitz more this year”, but you have to know he was blowing smoke.  Pitt’s D line accounted 26.5 sacks last year.  The hope is that they can do that again.

The Fear:  These guys read their own press clippings and coasted through summer workouts.  A hungry wolf runs wild, and if these guys aren’t hungry, the only wolves running wild will be the opposing teams’ tailbacks.

Linebacker

Pitt may be the only team in America where an all-conference linebacker is coming off the bench.  (Junior SirVocea Dennis is currently sitting behind one Senior -Cam Bright- and two Super Seniors -Chase Pine and Phil Campbell-).  That’s real.  The hope for this unit is also as real as any hope can be, and the downside fear is probably a pretty low probability (famous last words, right?). 

But if you look closely there are some holes.  All those tight ends down the seam last year?  They usually had a linebacker a step and a half behind them. 

The hope:  The D-line reloads so these guys can roam free and make things happen.  The top four LB’s accounted for 29 TFL last year and 15 sacks.  Do we dare hope they could hit 40 and 20? (and figure out how to cover the Tight End too)

The fear:  The injury bug bites hard and Pitt has to break in two new guys.  Strength into a weakness quicker than you can say “Penn State Sucks!”.  The D-line thing is a risk too.  If the D-line takes step back, the LB’s are going to be spending a lot more time getting off of blocks rather than making plays.  These super seniors better hope Charlie Partridge is on his game.

Defensive Back

I’m afraid.  I’m very afraid.  Pitt lost three starters ladies and gents, and those three accounted for 73% of the team’s Interceptions.  Yes Paris Ford’s early exit did allow Pitt the “luxury” of braking in Brandon Hill, so that will help.  And yes Pitt gets back former starter Damarri Mathis who sat out last year due to a freak off-the-field accident. 

And yes, Rashad Battle is a four star guy out of Georgia who is now a sophomore and *could* probably contribute.  And yes, Pitt landed talented local son MJ Devonshire out of the transfer portal.  But if the secondary was in good shape to begin with, would they have needed to go after Devonshire?  Inquiring minds want to know…

The Hope:  Battle is the real deal and turns into a lanky, lean lockdown corner.  Mathis comes back at full strength and pushes the diminutive Marquis Williams back to slot corner which is probably a better fit for him overall. (I need to point out that Mathis is only listed as 2” taller at 5’11”, but I’ve never been a fan of 5’9” corners, no matter how high they can jump). 

Brandon Hill develops a bit and makes us forget all about that Ford guy, and Devonshire picks up the defense quickly and provides a talent upgrade over the steady-if-unspectacular Eric Hallett (who in fairness did notch 20 solo tackles, 1 INT and 4 passes defended in limited action last season). 

The Fear:  Battle proves to be too green to make an impact, Mathis falls off his bike crossing Forbes Avenue, Williams has to go up against 6’5” receivers all season, Hill goes into a sophomore slump and Devonshire shows us why he never really saw the field and Kentucky.   Lord help us if that all comes true.

Special Teams

Heeeyyyy!  Pitt gets to break in a new kicker!!!  Wooooooo!!!!!

The Hope:  Pitt’s new kicker (whomever it may be), proves to be a lot more accurate then Mr. Kessman was inside of 40 yards.   Our Aussie friend and Ray Guy Watch List nominee Kirk Christodoulou lays off the Fosters on Friday nights and continues to regularly drop bombs inside our opponents’ 20. 

Kick coverage is sound.  The punt returner (whoever that may be) doesn’t muff any of them.  And Pitt finds a suitable replacement for DJ Turner’s kick return magic.

The Fear:  Andre Powell spends so much time teaching Izzy Abanikanda to block that the wheels come off of the special teams.  Yoy!

187 thoughts on “Descartes on Football (Fall Camp Preview 2021)”

  2. Michael, I believe it’s time for you to quit your job, join the Philosophy Dept. at Pitt and write many more articles for the POV. Fun to read and a great assessment of the reality of Pitt’s FB team. Thanks Rene! (Hope all is well with the family.)

    Liked by 4 people

  3. Welcome back, MM! Great article! I missed your write ups and your writing style. A very entertaining read. Hope springs eternal.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Very good take on things and love the way you wove in philosophy. I personally like Dickens and that famous line of his.

    I’m afraid that this season will be the best and worst of times. This season will have both hope and despair. This season will again unfortunately disappoint.

    You can hope all day long that Pitt will have an offense but that would make us fools.

    Pitts coaching provides the despair and dread. The Coaching should scare you.

    But despite my bourbon and vinegar ways, I do like what Pandora gave us. I’m fond of this movie line – “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” ― Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Regarding the sense of secrecy from Coach Narduzzi and the perceived lack of in-depth player/team/camp info coming from the Athletic Administration: I don’t believe that those who post and read the POV are average fans. I have friends who have also had Pitt football season tickets for decades and most are not yearning for more details out of Pitt fall camp. They have never viewed a Hudl tape and never will. Their first awareness of a Pitt recruit will be when the PA Announcer says their name after they made a play.

    If there are 35,000 Pitt season ticket holders (made up number), I bet that less than 1000 are into the details that those of us on here are. If the administration wants to increase season ticket sales to 45,000, they are not going to be looking for 10K of us. They are not out there.

    So while I understand the angst of folks here wanting more info and interviews, I have a hard time seeing it as a major failure of the admin or a major factor in holding back attendance, as some seem to imply.

    On the practice secrecy, I recall the 2016 season. Seems like we offered a vanilla offense to Villanova in the first game. Then sprung the Matt Canada shifting, faking, shoveling offense on Penn State in the second. We were up 28-7 before they knew what hit them. Maybe we will do the same with UMass, then roll out the Marion Go-Go on Tennessee. There’s that hope to which Michaelangelo referred.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. POV-erts are most definitely not average. Average would make us all mediocre like Pitt. We are all very passionate and knowledgeable. Many of us could probably run a far better athletic administration and could probably outcoach Pitts staff of stiffs.

      We are very small in numbers however. We are not typical Pitt fans. And that’s the problem. Pitt doesn’t have enough of US.

      I’m sure the big boosters know when camp begins and are provided access inside those locked gates. Their money matters that’s why.

      But with a program like Pitt that has a tough time selling itself, promotion is a good thing. Connecting and engaging with fans is a good thing. Those yellow seats aren’t going to fill themselves.

      Pitt can sell us some hope. But silence leads to despair. Pitt never read Descartes.

      Like

      1. I would like this comment if I knew more about what you mean by ‘touched’ 🤠

        Not in a Penn State way I assume.

        Touched if by grace, connected by a bond of brotherhood. Hard core and hard butt Pitt fans. I’m on board if you mean it that way.

        Like

  7. A most excellent article, Michaelangelo!
    You hit quite a few nails right on the head. Couple thoughts:

    -The KP saga is frustrating. We need way more TDs. He should be positioned to deliver with all the playing time he’s had. But will he finally put it all together…

    -My “hope” is that we see the Lucas Krull from the spring game. On one play he had to go to the ground to make a nice catch of a low pass; on anther he got behind the defense for a long TD. Give me a 6’6” and 260# TE who can run (and who’s hoping to get drafted and make millions) any season…

    -Can’t believe Mack is still here at WR. He has the skills to have a big season.

    -On defense, our biggest problem has been covering guys coming out of the backfield. We’ve given up TDs galore on those plays. Should be a point of emphasis in camp. (And why don’t we use those wheel routes ourselves more??)

    -Please try SirVocea at middle linebacker!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Standing O and I am weeping. Bravo, bravo, Maestro! Tutto bene!

    Personally, glad to see you back if onbly for a visit and hope all in your personal and professional life is going well. See you in Durham again?

    Descartes?… heck I only remembered his rule of signs from Algebra (or was that Calculus?)

    Another philosopher….Andy Dufresne:

    “Remember Re(e)d, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Forgot to mention – loved the graphic! Didn’t realize Rene was a Pitt fan…

    Maybe Rene will stop by Fran and Wolfe’s tailgate one day…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. OT – just saw in The Athletic that the Mich St. AD position is now open. Noted 5 possible replacements for the outgoing AD. That list includes Heather Lyke. Excerpts from that piece:

    …She, like others on this list, is part of the Gene Smith AD tree, which means she should be in the mix whenever Smith retires at Ohio State — and, really, any Big Ten job that opens. Lyke obviously has ties to the state and region and is an excellent fundraiser….

    …Lyke is highly regarded in the industry and serves in prominent leadership positions on a variety of boards and committees, including the Division I Council. The Sports Business Journal named her one of the five finalists for its 2021 Division I Athletic Director of the Year award.

    Feels like Im throwing chum into the sea, but what the heck.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. This is the position I said she is building her resume for. She actually is a good candidate given her compliance background, not for fundraising. I think she has the inside shot. She was busy those last 15 months in hiding working on her resume and preparing for the interview.

      The silence was for a reason. I thought she was just scared. She deserves more credit.

      Like

    2. At the risk of ridicule … or worse, being drawn and quartered in keeping with our 17th century theme, I will go on record as hoping that Pitt offers Heather a salary increase and manages to keep her. I really think she is well respected, outside a few here, and would be sorely missed if we were to lose her. I hope the Chancellor feels the same.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. The worst thing the board can do is extend her.

        Remember she’s only raised $9 million on a $250 million dollar project

        Athletics is still heavily subsidized. One of the highest in all P5

        Pitts donation rate is on par with Wake at the bottom of the ACC

        Heinz isn’t sold out and empty yellow seats often outnumber fans in the stands

        Pitt only beat out BC by one point to not place in the ACC basement in the recent directors cup. Previous non covid year Pitt was dead last in P5.

        She hired Capel who helped continue the worst five year stretch of basketball since ‘64-‘69

        She extended Narduzzi who is 1-13 against P5 schools above .500 since his extension.

        She had two head coaches cheat under her watch with both programs now on probation

        She’s in charge of the buzz and excitement around Pitt football. Wait, there is none.

        Yes, let’s go ahead and give her a raise because we think we’re going to lose a very mediocre AD to Sparty.

        I do hope she leaves. We’d be in a state of perpetual despair if she stayed.

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    3. highly regarded fundraiser, of for Pete’s sake how uninformed is the bloke who screwed up this article.

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      1. That line made me vomit.

        Pitt is still dead last in donations

        Only raised 4 percent of the cost for victory Heights. Scared Gallagher so much he said it could be a mortgage on Pitts future.

        But I pray to god that Sparty doesn’t Reed this blog. I highly recommend hearther.

        Like

    1. CoachDan72. you obviously did not take “philosophical logic”-“if P the Q.”

      Great article MM! The woe and angst of being a PITT fan along with the eternal promise of a new day all rolled into one with that article, The hope that something has changed at the top and in the coaching aspect to get us to the next level was the missing piece…I hope the Duzz spent a couple of weeks wintering with Sabin and Urban learning how to be a HC and he dazzles us with new-found coaching abilities…worst case, he loses 2 of the first 4 games then struggles to win in ACC play. He allows a coaching conflict to develop between Whip’s and Marion which undermines the whole team.

      Like

          1. I never coached teams that required more than two assistants. Often I coached alone. But in football you most definitely need to be able to manage a huge staff. The snooze isn’t a very good manager and he’s fearful of the attention his assistants might get. He’s the alpha dog and doesn’t like to share the bowl. I really despise that man.

            Like

      2. My philosophical logic was working between classes to have a few bucks and finding any woman to be kind to me in a physical manner!

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  12. Welcome back, Marion will have a key part in play calling this year so maybe just maybe the Whipple effect is minimized.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Excellent work Maestro!
    Love your style…
    Major, I think Descartes attended a tailgate a few years ago.
    Remember the homeless dude I thought stole Reeds bottle of Patron?
    I think that was him…

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Funny. Rene probably stopped by to exchange deep philosophical thoughts with Scooter…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  16. Stated differently, Reed is to POV, as Descartes is to Pitt athletics. For it is Descartes that scribed, or uttered: “Illusory joy is often worth more than genuine sorrow”. Pitt BoT, Pitt Chancellor, Pitt AD, Pitt Administration, Pitt Koolaiders. The realist group truly has genuine sorrow and it angers me and many others that the illusion of Pitt is celebrated falsely, when the reality is that it is mediocre.

    Illusory joy brings with it, unearned extensions, exorbitant salaries bestowed on the undeserving, while others must wait

    Great idea to bring up a great philosopher, and mention Jacque Louis, another frenchman (not), in the same article.

    It is only prudent never to place complete confidence in that by which we have even once been deceived.

    Descartes and Pitt Athletics…..peas and carrots!

    Unfortunately, I can’t comment on our AD. I can say however that MSU is a good fit for the image they are trying to repair given their scandal. She checks multiple boxes, so good for her.

    Like

  17. Nice article MM. “Hope and fear are inseparable.” “There is fear in every hope and hope in every fear.” I found these sayings in A New Dictionary of Quotations. Seems to apply to your article to and my expectations for the upcoming season.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Maybe heather gets the Sparty gig and steals king Pat away from us to become the new Sparty head coach. That would rid Pitt of two meddlesome priests.

    Tex – big fan of Henry II

    Liked by 1 person

  20. The biggest improvement I would like to see from Kate is his timing to hit windows. If you look at the 360 tape of his games, you will see that he is hesitant to throw the ball in windows and as a result, misses the play and begins to run/scramble. He is late on timing.This is also why he performs well at throwing into garbage cans and throwing drills. He needs to stop thinking. When you think, you delay that brief instant which had an open receiver and then looks like a covered receiver. If you study the film on Kate, you can’t miss it.

    Candidly, I think he is so afraid of making mistakes…that he makes mistakes.

    Huff – big fan of Henry the Aaron that is not the II. He will always be number 1.

    Like

  21. All this philosophy stuff is for Dan, who took the “B” for signing up whilst at Pitt. This article and comments are the make-up portion of your class. Enjoy!!!

    Like

  22. Heather Salary 805k

    Bill Beekman (outgoing MSU AD) 725k

    MSU set to post a -$30M deficit this year.

    Any former economics majors want to the math on this?

    Like

    1. Me. Me.

      It’s a higher profile job for heather. She can definitely make her compliance mark there. And she’s closer to family.

      Like

    2. Sometimes its not about numbers but about fit. I actually do think she would be perfect for that job. Sparty is a cesspool.

      Like

  23. Good stuff Michaelangelo! THanks for posting this, and for the many thought proving POV comments. I find James from Florida’s post intriguing; maye Coach Marion will really get to play a signficant part in the play calling? In fact, if he passes mustard, he could be a plan B for the OC position this year, and Narduzzi could can Whipple mid or early season if things aren’t flourishing? I’d do it before the weekend is out, but what do I know…

    Liked by 2 people

  24. Maestro, love the article and glad to know you haven’t forgotten about us. Hope to see you at a tailgate this year.
    I too hope for an undefeated Pitt season, but let’s not put Descartes before the horse…..(l’ll show myself out)

    Liked by 9 people

  25. I’m debating inside my head as to whether I should attend the Tennessee game. I wanted to see pitt baseball play there and was prepared to go but those plans fell through due to some terrible coaching and cold bats.

    So who from here is going and where are you staying?

    Like

  26. There will be a large POV contigent going to Tennessee Tex. Unfortunately I can’t as I am heading to Vegas the next day, if my dad is stable.

    Like

    1. Ok. But I’ll see you at clemson. So we’re good. Hope you dad is good. Don’t have him watch any games this year for his health. I’m advising my dad to do the same.

      But I need to ask for Zack right?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Clemson game in October is when I’m coming in to see a pitt loss of epic proportions. But at least I get to see old college friends, the POVerts and my parents and sis and bro

        Like

        1. I know who you are. You’re one of the poverts. You were with Fran at the Domer game right. And of course you helped me edit the opus piece on the MPC.

          I’ve never met the two you mentioned

          The Zach guy is some volunteer that hooked up big B. I’m driving to Tennessee for that game.

          Unlike heather, I can quickly analyze and make a decision.

          Liked by 1 person

            1. No worries. Blame big b. I told my ex college roomy to give Zach a call. I bet they’ll be more pitt fans at this game than recent bowl games. I’m expecting 10,459 in the blue and gold.

              Like

  27. OT, OT

    I believe some POV folks have dropped cable and have signed up for HULU as a replacement.

    We’re on the verge of doing so, but to just want to check, is there any downside to doing so?? I see lots of pluses, and can’t so far see any negatives.

    Thanks in advance for any comments.

    Like

    1. No negatives I’ve encountered. The beauty for me is after the college hoops season is over there is a feature where you can pause your subscription. I find that so convenient. I plan on pausing it the first week of January 2022 as Pitt hoops won’t be winning again this season come ACC time.

      You can pause up to 12 weeks.

      Like

      1. Pitt football has been on …..pause…. for almost 40 years. Pre-VCR & Pre-Compact Disc days.

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        1. But football is so much better than basketball. To be fair, Pitt hoops was so much fun to watch until the administration felt dirty heading to the BE Finals every March so it cut Dixon’s budget.

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      2. Thanks, Nate, didn’t know this. That’ll save a few nickels as we are France for a month or more every year.

        Like

    2. I switched to HULU but there were very few Pitt games of any sport to watch. The cost is much less though than regular cable.

      Like

    3. I dropped cable and went with FUBO. Saved money, tons of sports.
      AT&T sports net
      ACC
      ESPNs
      FS1
      NBCSN
      Golf
      Motortrend
      NFL
      Etc.
      Do your homework comparing channels you like. Some charge extra to get some sports channels.
      Love fubo.

      Like

      1. NRS – a question about FUBO.

        1) Does the AT&T SportsNet package allow you to subscribe to the Pgh market even if you live elsewhere?

        Like

    4. Buy a good roku. One for each tv. Way cheaper in the long run and easier than all those cable boxes and chords. The beauty of it, you can take it anywhere if traveling, as long as TV has an hdmi port. Also, you can watch streaming services on an ipad, laptop, etc.

      Like

    5. I went with YouTubeTV in January. Saved $$4 and no regrets. ACC Network is a part of the package
      Started by taking advantage of the free month and ran in parallel with cable. Never turned the cable on again. Turned in all my boxes a couple weeks later.

      The onscreen channel guide doesn’t let one look out beyond 24 hrs, but you can make up for that by using the search feature.

      I customized the channel guid to push all of the content the is of little to no interest to the bottom. You can also hide them.

      Easy to add pacakages for sports and movies as well.

      It is a bit weird in that there aren’t channel numbers to “dial to” or punch in, but you get used to it.

      Like

      1. Should also note that when you set it up, it asks for your ZIP and will provide local channels to your package automatically. Im told that if you live outside og the Pgh market but want all Pgh sports, you need to provide a Pgh ZIP. But that means you won’t get your home market stations if that is important.

        Like

  29. MM, you hit a ball out of the park again. Reed has done his usual outstanding job keeping the POV alive, however from a slightly different POV.

    I’m like everyone else on the POV, I’ll believe it when I see it regarding TEs and OL. We’ve seen how good the DL and LBs can be so there is more hope than despair in these ranks.

    As for the DBs, I really thought that Paris was playing for an NFL job and not for the team last year, and was regularly caught out of position, so I don’t think that Hill, Hallet, or Battle will be a big drop-off except for the sure tackling ability of Hamlin.

    As for the WRs, hard to recall any WR that is more inconsistent than Mack (great clutch catch followed by a dropped easy pass), but I do think that Wayne can be a good short threat and can only hope that Barden does what the Frenchman has shown he can’t. Addison would be better in the slot, which will take catches away from Wayne who only fits this position.

    We already know what we have at QB, and IMO it’s hopeless to think he will drastically improve on the most important thing a QB has to do . . . . . get Pitt into the endzone.

    Lastly, if Izzy isn’t a breakout player this year, we end up with a very pedestrian (pun intended) run game.

    Like

  30. Ill pick up some road kill along the way to Knoxville. Deer preferably but coon will do. Anyone from real Appalachia will appreciate it.

    Like

    2. They lost some spare cb due to acl. Pitts is a decent special teams player. A smurf covering receivers though.

      Like

  32. FYI POVers. I’m starting to maneuver behind the scenes to take Heather’s place should she go to MSU. Maybe when she finds out my hat’s in the ring, that will give her a little push from panic. I’m not interested in the MSU position, just letting you know.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Beekman went into that job with ZERO AD experience and was only to serve while they navigated thru the Nasser debacle and other player misconduct issues. He is stepping aside and will take an Administrative position at 350k. They will look to heavy compliance due to the reputational hit that they have taken. The search isn’t about who is best as an AD. It is about who is best at the right time for the institution. One of the reasons she was not a good fit at Pitt.

    Pitt didn’t need a compliance person. They needed someone with deep connections to pull out great coaches and sell them on a dream. She failed (not her fault). She doesn’t have the guts to even play in the big space because she doesn’t have Gene Smith plan to follow. Now, Gene Smith built a smaller sports complex which is fantastic.

    She followed the footprint, going small to follow him, but what she failed to do was understand he could play in the small sports because his big sports pay the bills. No Plan because she did not have the capacity to execute a big plan. Same with MSU. She will have a smaller capacity because the university borrowed extensively to settle litigation. They will continue to re-prioritize and she would fit in perfectly there. She wasn’t a fit here. I hope she accepts.

    Liked by 2 people

  36. Optimism is fine. Reality is in past performance.

    Every year we read on here that Pitt is going to win 9, 10 or 11 games. Every year we look back and see that Narduzzi has coached Pitt to between 5 and 8 wins.

    Who is kidding who here?

    I have never written that Pitt would be below .500 at the end of a season. But, again, we look back and see that not only does he have .500 seasons he has had the least number of wins by a Pitt coach in the last 10 years.

    I just think it is telling that once (almost every) inherited players on the roster were gone he’s gone 26/24 for a .520 win percentage.

    But wait! This is the year we break the 9 win ceiling. Really – not even kidding – it is for sure going to happen!!

    Even though we have less talent on what was a truly porous OL last season who blocked in front of pretty bad RBs. Last year we averaged 3.5 YPC; the year before 3.4. The college standard is 5.0 yards at the least. Anything less than that and you are truly are poor at it. I don’t see that getting any better. Maybe if we had any RBs that have already done well like Hall and Ollison did prior to the 2018 season.

    Ollison had two 1,000+ and 11 TD seasons with a 5.7 career carry average. Hall was more n the background but in 2017 he had a decent season also.

    What do we have coming back this year? Vincent is average at best…after him not very exciting.

    Now – Kenny Pickett our QB. Well, how does he stack up against the previous QBs that we felt suck and who Pitt fans almost burned at the stake? Poorly.

    Let’s look at yards per attempt (YPA); yards per completion (YPC) and TDs per attempts (TD/Att). We’ll go best to worse with Pickett, Sunseri, Voytik and Stull… starting with what I think is most important yards per completion.

    Stull – 12.6 YPC; 7.5 YPA; 1 in 21 TD/Att and 1 in 13 TD/Comp
    Voytik -12.4 YPC; 7.6 YPA; 1 in 19 TD/Att and 1 in 11 TD/Comp
    Sunseri 11.7 YPC, 7.5 YPA; 1 in 28 TD/Att and 1 in 15 TD/Comp
    Pickett – 11.2 YPC, 6.8 YPA; 1 in 30 TD/Att and 1 in 18 TD/Comp

    …and what do all those numbers mean? They are the key ingredients into what is the best judge of a QB in college ball – Passing Efficiency. So let’s look at the four kids with that – best to worse:

    Sunseri – 137.9
    Voytik – 137.7
    Stull – 136.4 and comin’ around the clubhouse turn!…
    Pickett – 124.1

    A difference of 12.3 points in passing efficiency is huge – especially for a QB who throws the ball so many times a game. Folks, 124.1 is horrid and last season he was 67th out of 108 QB rated.

    KP fares pretty poorly when stacked up against those guys as far as measurable QB play goes – tons of yardage but no real results with those gaudy yardage numbers. Notice I said measurable. But to me, I don’t put much stock in Pickett being the singular player to lead us to victory.

    Mike is correct about the DBs above – they sucked as a unit last season – 85th in passing yards at 245 per game… and why does that matter? Because we gave up 12 yards per completion and 23 TDs.

    Also, am I the only person who is sick of Narduzzi dragging out the old excuse of losing close games – like that only happens at Pitt? Every year at this time before camp we here that same refrain. But does he talk about our close wins? No, even though we’ve had at least four that I can remember over the previous two season – with a 17-14 win over Delaware Blue Hens.

    As always some on here will cry “STATS LIE!!” but that a load of crap. Those are facts – now if Pickett’s immeasurable play dragged our Panthers to great many victories that would be different but he doesn’t. He’s an average at best QB in college with mediocre play.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I like Kenny the kid, not Kenny the QB. Wasn’t his only other large (? ) program offer….that juggernaut of North Philly……the Temple Owls.

      Like

    2. For some perspective on the passing efficiency numbers, here are some values from last season:

      Jones/Bama/ 203
      Howell/UNC/179
      Fields/ OS/175
      Lawrence//Clem/169
      King/Miami/152
      Book/ND/144
      Jurkovec/BC/138
      Clifford/PSU/ 137

      It comes down to us needing KP to throw way more TD passes…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. See Miami losses, psuX loss at slappy valley, BC losses and NC State.

        I’m sure there are more, but I just named six shoulda won games if more TD’s were thrown.

        Remember, we won’t know what we got until the Tennessee game. Travel well my friends.

        Liked by 4 people

        1. How about Stanford in 2018?

          Virginia and VTech in 2019

          My “like” button does not work

          Like

    3. Agree with your realistic stat driven pessimism, lol. Whipple’s history offers no hope for a run game. The dink and dunk offense lowers ypc.

      He was a bad hire.

      Liked by 1 person

  37. Why does anyone pay attention to these “watch lists”. They put half the kids in the country on them so the schools can put out some PR.

    Liked by 4 people

  38. I’m not on the Krull bandwagon. Pitt finally has a good FR TE and they have a great under utilize athlete in Kyi Wright. Give that kid a shot.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree Wright is a fine athlete, but I remember a couple of dropped passes when he got a chance last year. He should get ample opportunity this year.

      Like

  40. Please watch the Narduzzi interview on Pitt Live Wire youtube channel. Tell me doesn’t drop a bombshell near the end when talking about Pitt player stipend/cost of attendance they give the players.
    He first says Pitt’s is competitive, but then says they could have doubled it but didn’t and he wasn’t sure why. Something like that.
    Cost of attendance payout to players is a huge recruiting tool. It is money outside tuition, meals, books, etc. Money rarely spoken about.
    Of course no reporter asked a follow up. Did Lyke shut him down to increase it? The administration? Recruiting success is directly related to football budget. Why wouldn’t Pitt increase it if they could to give them an advantage?

    Like

    1. I’m pretty sure that Elon will now be winning recruiting battles for two stars with Pitt. 🤠

      Like

      1. If Pitt football is so wonderfully funded then why aren’t they doing what the head coach wants? You think Franklin gets told no on spending?

        This is why Pitt will never be one of the big boys.

        Like

        1. Totally agree. But that mindset will change once AD of the Year Heather accepts the Sparty job and my man Lou to Rescue…well, comes to the Rescue.

          Like

        2. Pitt has the money for head coach. They have the money for recruiting. They have the money for top coordinators but Narduzzi doesn’t want competition. I think they didn’t want to increase the allowance because of the optics. The eggheads would storm Gallagher’s office. They would say ‘why don’t we just put these kids on payroll?’ And they’d be right.

          Like

  41. I hope MSU takes Heather Lyke. She’s been an absolute zero at Pitt. She extended a very mediocre football coach who posted a losing record the season she extended him. She’s allowed the basketball program to stay mired in losing by sticking with Capel and his brand of nepotism with his brothers, cousins coaching while the team loses. Her fund-raising is non-existent – the author of this piece did not do his research – and most fans are sick of her doing-nothing attitude. For 15 months she stayed away from fans and the press. The guilt Michigan State is feeling may goad them into an affirmative-action hire. Please, take, her, Sparty. You deserve her.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sparty is a good fit for her. She checks many boxes. She will get an interview. If hired, she might actually excel there given their needs are different than Pitts.

      But I’m not confident who Pitt would hire to replace her.

      There is only one person on my list and I’d make him an offer he couldn’t refuse. I’d start by doubling the AD salary.

      Like

  42. Any objective person knows that Pitt needs its offense to become a scoring machine for Pitt to be more than just mediocre.

    What did that great defense get Pitt last year?

    I just don’t see the offense as capable of outscoring many teams on Pitts schedule. Lack of elite talent. Poor scheme or system. Archaic playbook.

    Expect to be disappointed this season. I’ll temper my expectations at Tennessee.

    Like

  45. This video took some major editing. What you didn’t see are the dropped passes, high throws by Kenny and a running back who tripped over his shoe laces.

    Like

  47. Entering year 4 as a starting QB, I still don’t know if Pickett can throw the long ball. I mean from both the arm strength and accuracy perspective. I think maybe he has the arm, but I just don’t see the completion of many deep passes with the WR separating from the DB, or the accurate placement of back shoulder side line passes so that only the receiver can catch it.

    Also, as I have mentioned before, he can’t seem to connect on the end zone corner fade routes that are so necessary when attacking from the red zone. Maybe Pitt’s WRs are over rated and can’t make these catches, but there is more than just the underneath crossing patterns that seem to make up most of Pitt’s passing game.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. On the deep balls, it seems to me that Kenny usually doesn’t put enough air under them. They should be coming down more steeply to the WR versus the line drives which can be more easily defended.

      The USF lefty QB throws a nice high deep ball, with good success. KP should study his tape…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  48. If Tex would proclaim that Heather hasn’t been seen nor heard from in months (boy that sounds stupid just writing it) because she’s been stuck in an elevator for 6 months. Some of you would believe him, Then we read how terrible she is and Michigan State has her on the top of their AD list?

    The loathing has affected some of your common sense.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ike, I’m the most honest arrow you’ll find in Texas. And I know that offends those from up north in Indian territory. But you need to free your mind, open your eyes and ears.

      Heather is a candidate because she comes from a certain Ohio state tree. Because she has ties to Michigan. And because of her compliance background. And because of her gender.

      I’m just a mere humble messenger in stating those truths that are so self evident.

      I just hope the search committee doesn’t read the POV.

      I highly recommend her. That should make you happy. 🤠

      Like

  49. BTW Thanks Mike and nice to see you’re still part of this PITT circus when you can make it.

    Richard, it’s been a while since I thanked you for a job well done. Thank You…… and Reed also. Thanks Reed.

    Owe some calls out there, sorry I haven’t been around much for I to have been stuck in that elevator.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Worst thing pitt can do is fold. She’s bluffing. Call her bluff. Do NOT raise her salary or extend her. She just got a raise And extension a year ago. Let her walk. And tell her don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

      Like

  51. I didn’t use Nate Peterman because he blows the other QBs out of the water. As written above Peterman’s 163.4 makes Pickett look even worse. NP’s Pitt QB eff. rating is 151.1 with 47 TDs to 15 INTs.

    But I thought it would be interesting to see KP in comparison to the QBs everyone loves to hate.

    If PN doesn’t get a QB2 ready in fall camp the season could be a disaster because Yellen played a good bit and had an eff. rating of 84.7

    Like

    1. Wow Reed. I misread your statement above and thought John was going to have to flag you for saying that Yellin had an effing rating of 84.7😎

      Like

  52. I like Kenny but at this point sackseri is a better quarterback. Kenny is being beat out by a natural born strong safety.

    Whipple is no quarterback whisperer.

    Like

    1. Nick Patti was a higher rated HS QB on Rivals than K8. He is tough and can win with a good OL.

      Beville and Yellen are 4 star Rivals rated and can succeed with a good OL too.

      The key for all QB’s is a good OL. Borbs needs to have the cattle ready to go.

      I’m ready for some FB. But first we have the Frankcan Cup Golf Outing.

      Let the entertainment begin…

      Liked by 3 people

  54. Major, back to those deep balls for a moment. Is Puckett’s throwing style due to lack of arm strength or is he not capable of getting the necessary altitude? It seems to me that a half decent QB coach could fix the throwing style.

    Like

    1. It is one thing to throw in practice knowing you won’t be hit vs throwing in a game setting where your opponent wants to take your head off.

      K8 has always been a good practice QB. That satisfies the Duzz. Just like Q. Ollison was not a good practice player. Q had a very good season the year Conner went down with his knee injury – that alone deserved numerous opportunities – Duzz put him in his dog house until Q was a senior and we saw another 1,000 yard season.

      Practice seems more important to Duzz than game film.

      I could be wrong, but that is my perspective looking from outside the Locked Gates of Pitt FB.

      Liked by 2 people

  55. Pulled this from The Pitt News:

    …there is a sense of urgency.

    “We got to win, you know?” redshirt junior linebacker Wendell Davis said. “It’s great to be the No. 1 defense, lead the nation in sacks, this and that but if we’re not winning consistently, what is it really for? Not trying to discredit what we did, but we need to win.”

    Amen brother. Wendell Davis gets it. Just win baby!

    Also mentioned in the article is that King Pat has already crowned Nick Patti as the back-up QB after one day of Fall camp.

    I’m just reporting what was reported.

    Liked by 1 person

  56. Pickett is the least of Pitt’s problem. Plenty teams have offensive success with the same caliber of players Pitt has on the roster. Whipple was given a third year after two years with zero success. He would have been gone after one year at a program with a big budget.
    Pitt hasn’t had a good OC since Canada and they couldn’t keep him because they don’t play with the big boys when it comes to money. Until Pitt breaks open the piggy bank get used to crappy OCs. They lucked out with The Bates hire. I’m starting to think PN hires older Coordinators that want one final gig. The won’t jump for bigger money because their next step is retirement.

    Like

    1. Eleven straight years of 5 or more losses for Pitt FB.

      Many of you on both sides of the Kool-aid aisle have said (in similar words) that the Pitt administration is fine with 5 or more losses.

      Pitt fans should NOT be fine with 5 + losses per season. Cincinnati and Temple are building better programs with lesser than P5 resources.

      Tennessee and penn state released updated 2-deep listings as their camps started. Pitt’s latest 2-deep is dated June 5, 2021.

      Whose promoting Pitt FB?

      Like

        1. I would agree. But I have a feeling two of those losses will be to Western Michigan and Syracuse.

          Like

    2. Remember since his extension, the $5 million dollar man is 1-13 against P5 schools with a winning record.

      Maybe for another $1 million, Heather can give Frauduzzi a bionic brain.

      Like

  60. With that regular season record, unfortunately I would expect a bowl loss to cap the season, but let’s get through the regular season first.

    Like

  61. Erie, I for one have said that I believe Pitt is fine with a middle of the road football program. They don’t like the bad publicity from the huge beat downs, but staying in the middle of the pack is fine, and does not invite additional scrutiny. In some ways they may dread the constant comparisons with the Majors and Sherrill eras, because they know old timers like us still remember what the program is capable of.

    Looking at similar situations around the country 20 years ago, no one involved with Pitt football could have actually believed Pitt could achieve new heights by playing off campus in an NFL stadium. In some ways, I actually sympathize with Narduzzi in that he has to try to overcome the institutional mediocrity and may deal with internal barriers we are unaware of. I think he sort of leaked it a bit this week when he implied Pitt is not spending all it could be spending on football, and he also slipped in mentioning Panther Hollow as a possible location for an on campus stadium.

    If Heather leaves Pitt, it could be because she is tired of fighting the internal battles to become good when the academic elites at Pitt don’t want it to happen. There are many ways for them to stop any forward momentum that she and Narduzzi could produce, and when does this internal struggle become too much?

    Like

    1. I wonder. She certainly has assumed the attitude Pitt athletics is less than equal to the influence of professors who shouldn’t be given a say. Her boss Gallagher is a complete waste. If you want to defend him, I’m all ears.

      Maybe Heather knows compliance which now has become a skill set much less relevant with the NCAA imploding and the SEC taking charge.

      Her great ideas? Embarrassing Pitt by begging Penn State to extend a series previous AD Barnes had given up on because Penn State has no use for a mediocre football school in a conference making $20 million a year less than the Big Ten?

      Not signing WVU up to a long term deal?

      The infamous Grape Fanta PR disaster?

      I understand the area of Morgantown referred to as Hoopieville has been torn down and replaced by student housing. You know the area? Couch burning central.

      She has hired some minor sport coaches but that’s of far, secondary importance. Her football program is floating on driftwood and Capel can’t find anything to float on.

      Is she stays nothing changes.

      Right now the big bully of college football is posing, oiling up for domination.

      Does she have a clue about the radical changes coming? Does Gallagher? Do the egg heads running the show?

      Like

  62. Well, any school that aspires to have a good football program should be beating P5 schools with over .500…not just making excuses for the losses.

    I swear, Narduzzi should teach an ‘Excuses Made 101’ class for Pitt. I’ve never seen any Pitt coach make as many excuses to deflect blame from himself.

    Pitt fans like to point to the Youngstown State loss in Chryst’s first game at Pitt. But no one talks about the guts he had to suspend some pretty decent starters and other players just two hours before the game – and the effect that would have on the rest of the team.

    I was at a tailgate when that news broke and I turned to the guy next to me and said “Well, we are going to lose this game.” He thought I was insane but I pointed out with a new HC all the players are wondering what he’ll be like and that upset the apple cart – further conversations with players on that team told me that that suspension sent shock waves through the pre-game locker room…

    “Six Pitt players, including starting defensive tackle Tyrone Ezell and freshman running back Rushel Shell, were suspended by coach Paul Chryst for undisclosed disciplinary reasons prior to the season-opening game Saturday against Youngstown State at Heinz Field.

    Senior defensive end Shayne Hale, sophomore receiver Ronald Jones, sophomore safety Anthony Gonzalez and freshman receiver Chris Davis also were suspended. Chryst suspended offensive tackle Juantez Hollins for the season last month for violation of team policy.

    Chryst declined to elaborate on the suspensions after the team’s 31-17 loss to Youngstown State on Saturday night. “I don’t plan on talking anymore about it,” he said.”

    “I don’t plan on talking about it any more’ is the exact answer. The current HC would be pointing directly to it as a reason for the loss – and blaming the kids themselves.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Chryst was .500 overall at Pitt, under .500 in conference. He stunk. He left his players under worse circumstances than Fraud Graham. He is a great OC, I have no respect for the man as a head coach. He inherited the Wisconsin machine. A program with lots of money and an AD running the show. He would fail at any school with Pitt’s budget.

      Like

    2. The current coach beat YSU twice and Akron, both of whom Chryst couldn’t beat.

      Plus, Chryst lost to Akron in year three. That same year the worst Homecoming loss ever in the GTech debacle, both offensively and defensively it was disgraceful. Throw in a sure win versus Duke only for Pauline to psyche his own kicker and his graceful special teams coach in the Houston bowl game had me saying good riddance.

      I’ve rehashed this enough. Chryst was a poor fit under the Pitt administration. He was not good enough to overcome the obstacles the BoT sets forth at Pitt.

      Chryst had no culture brewing at Pitt. He couldn’t recruit defense to save his life. His d-line coach, Ian Breckford, offered I think 1,002 JuCo defensive linemen and nabbed exactly zero of them. The linebackers were slower than some D-3 units.

      Pitt will have a real coach when the school starts paying $6 million a year for one.

      Like

    3. Still should have beaten YSU in a close game. Really, when you look at who was suspended, how much could the talent have dropped off to the next man up?

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  63. That was wrong on Chryst to suspend those players like that. Should have done it at the beginning of the practice week. Now If some news about them broke Friday or Saturday, I personally would have them run all week at next practice and then suspend them for the next game regardless of opponent.

    Speaking of the $5 million dollar man, would the creators of the bionic man be happy if steve Austin had only a .553 winning percentage against the bad guys?

    Liked by 1 person

  65. Potato Paulie saved Pitt administrators the embarrassment of another blunder hire.

    Since Alvarez pretty much did the hiring. And they pretty much did nothing.

    So in that regard, Paulie was worth every Potato !

    Like

    1. $4.8 and change

      What Pitt grudgingly discloses only

      Doesn’t include his monies for being spokesman for the Lawrenceville Gate and Lock Company.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. He should do a commercial for Tambellini’s Restaurant……. if that’s still around.

        Like

  67. Pitt didn’t want to pay Dixon…..but they’re paying last place Felton even more $$$$.

    Another waste of money…Capel family is being set up for life by Pitt suckers.

    Like

  69. Narduzzi will be at Pitt even longer with another extension, he will probably help hire the next AD. He maybe the next AD. Hail to Pitt!

    Liked by 1 person

  71. OK, be honest. Starting today, who would you rather have as HC for the next 3 years…Narduzzi or Chryst?

    Like

    2. Paulie. He knows how to coach now. The first time around it was on-the-job training.

      Like

  72. From the Covert HOF speech last night:

    Jimbo Covert: “I always say my favorite weekend is when Penn State, Notre Dame, and Green Bay all lose in the same weekend.”

    H2P!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Too bad Pitt couldn’t beat ND and PSU in 1982.

      Too bad despite Foge the offensive line, led my Joe Moore, simply did not mash people on route to another 11-1 record at worst.

      Like

  73. Of those six players suspended by Chryst, none of them ever amounted to much. Shayne Hale had shown much promise, but ended up a major disappointment. The timing of the suspensions must have been based on circumstances of the infractions, so it is hard to question Chryst on the decision or timing. Maybe the AD forced the timing issue.

    Reed, Pitt did what it could do when Narduzzi was hired, and probably fulfilled all promises made. The ACC has given them sufficient money to place Pitt in the upper half of the conference expenditures, and Narduzzi’s contract extension has taken away the argument that Pitt won’t pay a head coach or keep him around for long enough to produce results. As a result, Narduzzi must come up with other excuses for his record and for Pitt’s mediocrity.

    Like

  74. RIP Bobbi Bowden

    Was the CFB HC with the most wins ever until the NCAA folded and removed the well deserved penalty on penn state of forfeited games due to Paterno enabling a predatory pedophile to roam the showers of creepy valley.

    Pop Warner is in 3rd and Bear Bryant 4th.

    Like

  75. Supporters of Joe Paterno, right, question the evidence used to conclude he ignored or covered up the assaults committed by Jerry Sandusky, left. (1999 photo by Paul Vathis/Associated Press)

    Like

    1. The one on the right is burning in Hell. The one on the left will soon be. Both are despicable human beings.

      Like

  76. In recruiting news: LB Travious Lathan from Miami, FL (a Rivals 3 star rated at 5.7) chose wvcc over Pitt last night.

    Ugh!

    The hoopies are ranked 18th now with 17 recruits; Pitt is ranked 44th with 13 recruits.

    According to Chris Peak, Lathan and Fearbry were the two remaining players the coaches wanted in this small class for 2022.

    Like

    1. Pitt has yet to get a commitment from a LB, TE or QB. I know the transfer portal can cover these holes at some point, but worth noting.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Pitt has an excess of players at LB and TE.

        QB is an issue but this school has never been a destination for the most important position. Blame can be pointed in so many different directions for that.

        Like

    2. He would have been a very good get. Now Narduzzi can’t even convince a defensive player to pick the city over banjos, moonshine and toothless women. But there is one thing that is enjoyable without teeth. You can go paint that dirty picture in your mind.

      Like

  77. Bobby Bowden, likable coach, great game day coach (except at Pitt 70)
    awesome recruiter, well liked by press for open practices and availability …. complete and total opposite of Nardoozy!

    Liked by 1 person

  78. I see where WR Mack had both hernia and ankle surgery in 2020. We need him healthy for a bunch of big plays this season.

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  79. Question……does Florida State become the juggernaut they were……without Bowden going there ?

    They never finished a season ranked in the Top 20 until Bowden’s 2nd year of 1977.

    In the 3 seasons pre-Bowden…..they were 4 wins and 29 losses.

    Now they were good under Jimbo, post Bowden….but the groundwork had already been laid.
    They’ve stunk post Jimbo.

    Like

    1. Money problems right now with those past buyouts. I want to say not nearly the funds to spend like Clemson, Bama and Ohio State, plus others. My guess is FSU has more money than Miami. It would be nice to see the Noles struggle for a while as it did from 2001 until Jimbo landed Jameis the dirtbag.

      It was great pounding FSU last season.

      Like

      1. Even with all that Florida talent, you need good coaching. Not great, just good. Pitt needs great. Narduzzi is very mediocre.

        Like

      1. No, but former Pitt OL Jim Sweeney should be next in line when Borbs gets pushed out with Whip at season’s end.

        Wishful thinking…

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Mark stepnoski and Tom rickets were my day. Then shortly Rueben brown who I think has a decent shot at the Hall.

          Like

          1. Stepnoski is from Erie and I’d like to have Mark join us at a future Frankcan Cup outing.

            Sweeney is the OL coach at Albany.

            Like

            1. The Albany HC is Greg Gattuso, born in Pittsburgh (yeah !), played at PSU (boooo !,), asst. coach at Pitt, former HC at Duquesne.

              That’s the Albany Great Danes, one of the great names in college sports.

              Like

              1. But they have a short life span.

                Hence Albany has a nice 6 year run and then they’re dead.

                Like

  81. I enjoy this positive uplifting site. Yeah right. The hate for Narduzzi and Capel is over the top. I only look at this site occasionally anymore. Completely turned off.

    Liked by 5 people

      1. If you want positive news, follow the penn state boards. I hear the Nitters landed another five star. Pitt just lost a high three to the Hoopies.

        But we could all be high fiving in three weeks when heather leaves for Sparty.

        Narduzzi and Capel will both be fired by the new AD.

        Like

      1. JP, that was so well thought out I almost couldn’t reply. Thanks for contributing.

        Then it hit me like a stick in the mud….

        The Pitt QB’s average something like 5.8 yards per attempt, I think JP got something like “three likes per attempt”. There has to be some correlation between JP and the Pitt QB’s. Both underperformed in my estimation but there could be something we just aren’t seeing.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Hard to see threw all the “slop”. We need to clean this place up.

          How about we start with the Pitt front porch?

          Like

    3. I will most definitely find you at a Fran tailgate and share a Texas bourbon with you. I also hawk vinegar.

      Like

  82. The Pitt O-line commit, Nonar, from Florida just received an offer from the Gators. If he visits then he’ll be a goner. Still will need to give the staff credit for finding the kid before a big boy came a calling.

    I hope the staff circles back to Jackson Brown.

    Like

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