No. Timan Fertita money, a university president who goes to the media and social media to show support for her athletic programs (unlike Gallagher) and an AD who works quietly behind the scenes and is highly effective on a budget not even close to Pitt’s.
This is the most sloppy offense I’ve seen from Pitt so far. No one can shoot except Hugely and maybe Burton. Femi seems to be regressing. They continue to run the shot clock down and turn it over.
Very sad to watch. I could write 40 paragraphs on Pitt’s sins tonight but that’s what happens when you’re out matched in talent. Cannot even imagine what Duke will do to Pitt !
Teams with talent play better as the season goes on. Teams lacking talent become the victims of these teams, and usually regress as the season plays put. Pitt has been exposed as a team with a couple of pieces but lacking in overall talent over the entire roster.
Packer’s AJ Dillon (BC) is a beast…. would like to one like him in Mustard and Blue…
just try’n to get you minds off BB…
Took my family to MONSTER Truck jam today, mainly, because my 2 year-old grandson loves monster trucks… 1st time for both of us- ….lots of big time action, NOISE, big hits,sparks fly and no damn TV or replay time-outs…. Everybody goes goes home and happyhappyhappy!!! Might want to try it out if it comes your way. BTW a lady, Brianna Mahon beat all the boys drivers.
Pitt’s leadership for most of its existence has been a joke due to decisions being made by some pretty idiotic people in suits.
Special thanks again to Sonny Vaccaro for delivering Howland because there was no way Steve Pederson was making a splash hire. I had 10 wonderful years. I savor it. I really do.
Capel should be fired. How hard is it to find shooters? He has zero after four years.
Oh, no recruits for next season. Baffling.
Cut the cord, Heather. Grovel to donors for the $16mm to end your mistake. Not that I have faith you’re hire will be a good one.
Last place fish in ACC is on its way. Very sad because this nonsense could have been prevented.
Pitt football on the up escalator // Pitt basketball on the coal slide to the basement.
I wonder how much we would have to pay Maryland to take Capel off our hands. The Maryland alumni would crucify their AD if he ever hired Capel as their next BB coach.
I believe last night’s blow-out loss will turn the MD AD’s head and they will never look back.
Capel’s only option to remain a HC is to turn this Pitt program around or take a non-P6 job.
Last night looked like a team that had no plan coming in on how to attack the Clemson men’s basketball team from an offensive and defensive standpoint.
Isn’t it ironic! Just over a decade ago, Pitt was invited to the ACC due to the basketball program (two #1 seeds in the previous 3 years). Remember, UConn was the ACC’s first choice
Now, football and a bunch of other sports are flourishing while basketball is approaching mid 90s Pitt football futility.
The good news is that basketball should be easier to rebuild, especially with the transfer portal. The bad news is that the portal can be and has been very unkind to Pitt in the past few years.
So while Duzz now needs to nudge a few non productive players towards the portal, Capel is on blended knees begging for players to stay and even more to come.
Somehow Capel received a vote of confidence with a contract extension a few years back – remember this is year 4 we are in and all 4 have been bad.
Capel has a massive buyout from the little bit that we think we know (I’m being careful) and therefore appears to be safe for at least one more bad year.
Can Pitt fans and students support one more year of this?
Face it this basketball season is and always has been a write off from the time Champ went pro and the rest of the team went portal. When you add to that Sibande and Horton not being available, John Wooden couldn’t do any better than Capel.
I can see beating up Capel for not having enough ACC capable players in his fourth season, but beating on him for this team not being competitive is ludicrous. In fact I say that he has done a pretty good job with what he has.
Unfortunately the only hope I see for a better team is him holding on to his better players and bringing in two more capable players. This won’t be easy and probably won’t happen.
A great deal of this falls on Capel, but much has been baked into the cake because of the Portal.
One has to wonder how much confidence Heather has in Capel’s ability to turn things around and if he is still the right man for the job.
ACC basketball is having it’s worst year in recent memory. Duke ranked 6 is the only team in the top twenty five. Pitt is near the bottom of the ACC. It is all about talent which has abandoned the ACC and hasn’t been at Pitt since Jamie left.
Sadly, Pitt is not taking advantage of the weak ACC. They were able to take advantage of a weak Coastal in FB to move up and now should be able to recruit better and compete for future ACC championships. Capel is missing out on a great opportunity to improve the BB program and compete with the so called Bluebloods in the future.
Also, I completely agree with GC that Bobby Knight or Coach K couldn’t win with this roster. The shooting is terrible and even non-existent, and 20 turnovers at this stage of the season is ridiculous. The question for Capel is can he still recruit, and can he rebuild this roster over the next 2-3 years?
Seems to me the biggest problem is how poorly we shoot the ball. Would be somewhat better with Horton and Sibande, but still not good enough.
Clemson shot 22 for 46 overall (we were 16 for 48) and they were 12 for 25 from three (we were 7 for 23). I doubt we go 12 for 25 In warmups. And several of Clemson’s threes were from several feet behind the three-point line – who defends threes out there…
What bothers me is that Pitt plays teams I’ve never heard of for their so called rent-a-wins and even those teams always seem to have a dead-eye three-point shooter. Yet we don’t…
It’s not just the 4th year under Capel. It’s been since Howland up til today! With the exception of Ronald Ramon, Pitt hasn’t had a single outside shooter that would start for any ACC Team! This is the ACC where shooting skilled folks abound.
It’s Been the single worst problem for Pitt BBall for 20 years. It’s the reason Capel’s teams bleed the clock on offense and try to shorten the game.
I saw where Clemson’s starters made 11 of 15 three-pointers. Meantime we have guys who our opponents don’t even have to guard…
And it seems like all our poor play over the last several years has given other teams great confidence against us. So they come out shooting with confidence because they are playing Pitt….
C’mon VoR, that’s being a SOP fan. You assume the football ACC was weak just because PITT won it. Pickett being a Heisman finalist and Addison winning the Biletnikoff with lots of achievements by the team in a conference with really good QB’s and other great players. There could come a day when or if PITT has a bad year…. people say, the ACC must have been weak that year?
A 10 handicap guy will rarely if ever beat a 2 handicap guy no matter how good his coach is.
We can blame Capel for not landing enough 2 handicap guys and that is what he was hired to do.
But to blame him for not making winners out of the 10 handicap guys is just silly.
The 10 handicap guys are who Capel recruited and added to this team. His team is not even mediocre. Us yinzers should not stand for such a poor performance from a highly paid individual who was hired to make the program better.
Besides Champ who developed into an NBA player, which is what the best guys do for most every team, Capel’s other best guys left for other P6 teams and are having decent seasons.
I’ve heard numerous excuses for Capel and I don’t see any of them as legit. He’s got no recruits for next season, one from last season and one for 2023.
The portal has not been kind to Capel and yet some of you think that is where he will find his winning combination.
I can’t change opinions and that is ok (and puzzling at the same time), but I can express my thoughts – last night was boarder line embarrassing.
The boarder line is when you define who is watching and in the case of Pitt men’s BB, almost nobody.
Last night seemed like the team gave up or they were confused by the game plan. Either points to bad coaching in my book.
But is he losing to teams that use 10 handicaps as well? The record says maybe probably. That’s the difference, I think. I expect him to lose to Duke and NC because they use 2 handicaps. I always try apples to apples first. So the question is whether we are losing to similarly situated 10 handicappers. I’ll stick with yes, probably. At least it seems that way. I didn’t do an analysis.
That is a good question and certainly debatable. Theoretically if you are beating half those you are equal with talent wise you are doing OK. I haven’t done the statistics either, but my eyeball tells me he has done pretty well with what he has. It also has to do with matchups, home field etc.
Clemson was 2-5 but they hit 11-15 from the 3 point line, Something Pitt hasn’t done in recent memory if ever.
Two years ago I went to some length to point out in clear terms how Capel’s history at Oklahoma was not what many were being DUPED into believing it was.
Pulled this from Wikipedia – remember, Capel was an assistant at Duke for 8 straight years prior to being hired as HC at Pitt –
2009–10
Entering his fourth year, in the Big 12, Capel had yet to win a Conference Tournament Title or Regular Season Title. Capel was averaging 21 wins per season (21–12) and 8 conference wins per season (8–8), almost on track with his predecessors Tubbs & Sampson.
With the return of McDonald’s All-American and projected NBA Lottery Pick Willie Warren, and the addition of two more McDonald’s All-American recruits in Tommie Mason-Griffin & Tiny Gallon, the Sooners were ranked #13 in the pre-season AP Poll and picked to finish 3rd in the Big 12 Conference. Unfortunately, injuries and off-court issues plagued the Sooners and the team failed to live up to expectations. Capel led Oklahoma to a 13–18 record in the 2009–10 season (all 13 wins were later vacated due to use of an ineligible player), the first losing season at Oklahoma since 1981. The Sooners ended the season with nine straight losses, the longest losing streak at Oklahoma in 41 years.
2010–11
In April 2010, Oklahoma announced the resignation of Capel’s assistant Oronde Taliaferro without specifying the reason. There was speculation that it might be related to media reports that Tiny Gallon had received an impermissible extra benefit from Merrill Lynch employee and this was confirmed when subsequently released phone records tied him and Taliaferro and the NCAA confirmed it was investigating.
Five underclassmen left the program in the offseason and Capel was forced to play mostly unheralded leftovers and newcomers. Oklahoma went 14–18, attendance dropped significantly, and Capel was fired in March 2011 after two of the worst back-to-back losing seasons in Oklahoma basketball history. While enjoying a 30-win season and an Elite 8 appearance, Capel’s tenure at Oklahoma is generally regarded by Sooner fans as a disappointment. In August 2011, Oklahoma admitted that Taliaferro had committed 2 NCAA violations in the Gallon case; Capel was not implicated in the violations.
Pitt women basketballers give #19 ND a good game but lose by 14. Game was tied at the half and Pitt was down by 3 mid-4th quarter. But Pitt went cold and didn’t score in the final 3 minutes.
Jayla Everett taking a huge number of shots but still trying to get out of a scoring slump. She scored 15 but took twenty-three shots to do it.
Last couple games they have cut way down on the turnovers. Oh, and ND was 19 for 20 from the free-throw line while Pitt was 4 for 9 (and the game was at the Pete)…
I get the frustration, I own two worthless season tickets, and would not be disappointed if Capel is let go after the season. I just don’t agree with complaining after every loss when it is obvious little can be done with the players on hand.
I also think that Capel will be here next year so I hope he does hold on to the better players and finds a couple more.
I am certainly not going to root against the guy and the kids that did come to Pitt.
I have stated that I give Capel a 10% chance of turning this thing around, I am not sure who is making excuses for him, but I know some guys that like to beat dead horses.
I have never beat a dead horse. I have kicked a live one to get it going however! Maybe the head coach needs to kick some players tails to get them to wake up.
ike, come on… Be realistic. Who thought UNC and Clemson would under perform like they did? And many of the so called franchise QBs had down years or were injured. Pitt had a roster filled with super seniors and Pickett returned. How many think Pitt would have won the ACC if Pickett hadn’t returned? I’m just being realistic here, and maybe some luck was involved, but Pitt is hopefully taking advantage to recruit better and turn the program around with sustained good performance. Next year will determine if SOP is dead and buried..
No no no Ed, I am being reasonable enough. You know Clemson may have won the ACC title if PITT hadn’t beat them. That’s straight up dissing PITT right there. As far as UNC goes, PITT beat them as well. Why would you pick UNC and Clemson to make your point?
Love ya, man! Because they were ranked pre-season and had the “players” to do it! Both had 5 star QBs, I believe, and we all know Clemson was stacked with 4 stars. And Pitt beat UNC and Clemson with Pickett under center, which was my point.
1) yes, Clemson underperformed this year. But there were still 12 other teams aside from Pitt in the ACC that could have stepped up
2) if you think Pitt was the only ACC team with super seniors, then, quite frankly, you were not playing attention. There were a few other teams with more starters returning
And one more thing … Clemson still had a great defense, but Pitt scored 27 on them. The national champs scored just 10 against Clemson, with the the TD on a pick 6
I get it, wwb, but Pitt had the super seniors and also a QB that started 40 games. This was the winning combination. That is why I think next year will tell the story. If Pitt goes 7-5 or 8-4 next year, will POVers think Pitt has turned the corner? I am predicting a 9-3 season and probably another bowl loss, which would be a fine year . Then it takes another solid recruiting class to keep it going..
Most media will be focused on whether it was only because of Pickett last season that Pitt succeeded to the level they did. That’s probably not too far from being right. So this year almost the entire focus will be whether Slovis and or Patti can play at a level close to what Pickett did this past season. Pitt has the a fair amount of talent retuning BUT with ineffective QB it won’t mean much.—-For my part I’m fairly upbeat on Pitt’s chances. But then I’ve been known to drink a fair amount of Kool-Aid when it comes to Pitt FB.
Clearly, where the media focuses is now subject to skepticism. Unless its so blaring obvious like the Clemson teams with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. But there is a lot of provincial, naval-gazing going on where they spray the red clay backroads with oil.
While there is little doubt that Pickett was the team’s MVP, note that league championship game was won by the defense. Going into the game, Wake had just as good, if not better, offensive stats than Pitt …. Yet the Deacs didn’t smell the end zone the last 3 quarters.
Yes, for Pitt to have another really good season, the QB will have to step up. But once again, he will have a good lot of WRs to throw to, some good RBs to hand the ball to, and an experienced OL to protect him And if they get decent OLB play, the defense should be even better
Agree wwb…a great game and the absence of reviews played a part in my enjoyment..TV time-outs and reviews have really taken the “flow” out of football games. NFL needs to look at their overtime rule at least for the play-offs. Wish the Bills would have had an opportunity.
I was rooting for Buffalo too, but Mahomes is unreal and with a strong running back, they will be hard to beat.
Agreed that reviews are a painful process, but pretty important to get things right.
So TJ Watt may get defensive player of the year, but Aaron Donald was a man on fire yesterday. I have never seen Brady under so much pressure which definitely changed the course of the game.
Did you see the graphic which showed that AD’s 7 all star starts is only matched by two other guys from long ago. True greatness.
If I’m not mistaken, during the broadcast Cris Collinsworth said that Aaron Donald was the best player in football. Not pass rusher. Not defensive player. Best player.
I agree a good video on Cignetti. I like the fact that he talks about what he sees up in the box on how the opposition is reacting on many plays. I’m all for it and I think Pitt their multitude of offensive options will be better severed with our OC in the box.—-On the other hand Cignetti was so upbeat at the BC media day prior to last season and the end results for the year was dismal. That just goes to show you how important the loss of just one player their QB entered into how poorly the year ended for BC.
notrocket— thanks for posting that Coach Cignetti video. Why is it that the coordinators at Pitt are generally congenial and well-spoken while the head coaches can be tough to watch or listen to??
You know, you know, you know…. No doubt about it…
I agree that the OC should be in the booth. And some screen passes to Izzy and Bartholomew would be sweet…
Coach said – “The defense determines where the ball goes.” We all know that’s how it’s supposed to work, but nice to hear it put so succinctly…
Both Izzy and Bartholomew were underutilized on the screen pass last season IMO. Ask yourself how many times Bartholomew caught a pass last year for negative yardage? Then ask yourself how many yards did he get after the catch? He was certainly not easy to get on the ground but it looked like Whipple never did appreciate his ability last year.
I’ll bet a good deal of dissension had a lot to do with the lack of playing time. We had a good number of LB’s with experience on the roster last season and I’m sure that both Davis and Bright figured they should be on the field more than they were.
Bills mistake was kicking it thru the end zone and not letting 5-6 seconds run off the clock during the return. Yes, you risk a big return, but with yards comes time off clock. A lot of questionable calls by coaches yesterday. Steelers are in trouble trying to get better than Buffalo, Cincy, KC, and others.
Is Washington program considered a lateral move? I would say so. I wish him well. He’s a football player. The portal pottie is what it is. The more that aren’t happy and go, good for Pitt. You want people here, who want to be here more than any other place. It may not even be about winning! It’s probably more about playing time if you think you have a chance at the next level and just aren’t seeing the field for whatever reason. With the flea so tight with the coaches, I probably would have had a conversation if I was Hammond or Izzy. The good news for those two is that everyone can see they are more skilled, but if they keep their respective noses clean, their bodies won’t be as beat up as say a featured back at many other places.
I think from his position down on the field, Whipple felt like he could call the play and rely on superior execution against the competition. Running the play in didn’t provide time for a defensive alignment check. Pickett must have been pretty free to change the call at the line of scrimmage. Cignetti seems like an OC who scans the entire field from the box and makes the call based on the scheme and positioning of the defense. Whipple’s method might work with a seasoned QB, but it took 3-4 years for Pickett to develop to the point where it was successful.
BMT (before my time) BigB although I do remember some names from that game. Kwalik and Reed and a few more names.
Too much fuss over where the coaches sit or stand during a football game. I think they know which is the best place for themselves to be. Pretty sure these asst coaches have done all the angles and have their own personal preference.
Speaking of that subject, has anyone mentioned that the PITT QB’s still ran to the sidelines for the play-call?
You know that the reason for Kenny Pickett’s poor play – and the reason he didn’t win the Heisman -was that he was exhausted by the second half of games…
It’s more about the Jimmy’s and Joe’s rather than the X’s and O’s and Cignetti will have more Jimmy’s and Joe’s at Pitt than he had at BC. And Cignetti did say its all about getting the ball into the playmakers hands as much as possible. So it shouldn’t be about instituting “my system” but more about “adjusting my system” to get the ball into the playmakers hands often.
Exactly, no one was enamored with Whipple’s offense prior to this year. In fact he was the whipping boy for many POVers. Canada hasn’t had a year like he had at Pitt either. It is the talent that makes the coach.
Slovis may not match KP’s numbers but he did throw 30 TD’s in his freshman year in the PAC10. He throws a really nice deep ball. Addison and Barden should be pleased. Just need to sign that one more tight end.
I think the plan, Dan, is to hit about 8 3s, to get 20 pts in the paint, score 15 points in transition and hit 80% from the line. Does Pitt need to play this game or just post the L and move on?
with the lowering (or elimination) of academic standards and the NIL (NFL is successfully transforming college ball closer to a professional game) and administrators appearing to be buying into this scene-it’s time to get the best player by/buy whatever means….great games every Saturday…full stadiums…screaming fans……could it get any better….
The transformation of the game in itself is an excellent topic for a discussion ( I will always be old school but that train left the station long ago)…they say before our time when college ball was king Yale and Fordham would regularly put 50K butts in seats and the boys on the field would become leaders of our society- all playing for the love of the game or a scholarship to cover expenses….(just a couple of thoughts as my mind raced back in time looking at this game I love……)
Tried to book rooms for the WVU and Tennessee games but was told “No can do…call back after the schedule comes out.” I replied, ” why is the #! FB team in town being treated 2nd fiddle to that Steeler team?”
To continue on Cignetti it is nice to see that he wants to recruit. The films showing Poole (The highlights obviously don’t show the errors) focus on his speed, ability to avoid being tackled, and his good pair of receiving hands. He has offers from UVA, BC, Duke, K State, LSU, and Wake.
Wow, the Pete is dead…nobody here.
Oh wait, it’s an away game…
Nrvermind.
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We look like the Lakers
Hope Shaq doesn’t foul out
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Rough start
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Houston men’s BB ranked 10th and FB ranked top 25.
Big oil money?
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No. Timan Fertita money, a university president who goes to the media and social media to show support for her athletic programs (unlike Gallagher) and an AD who works quietly behind the scenes and is highly effective on a budget not even close to Pitt’s.
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That was a stolen three
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Capel had 4 time outs and he let this game get away.
I’m sorry – I can’t watch this anymore.
It appears no other Pitt fans are either…
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I’m watching. Too disgusted to comment.
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Took Cinncy tonight. My sleeper for Super Bowl
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Pitt down 11 at half. Clemson simply a more talented team at every position! Game over
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Yawn. Waiting to see what the final record is and whether Heather has been doing her job by working on his buyout this year.
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Only 2 points from the bench. Back to zCincy Titans game.
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This is the most sloppy offense I’ve seen from Pitt so far. No one can shoot except Hugely and maybe Burton. Femi seems to be regressing. They continue to run the shot clock down and turn it over.
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Very sad to watch. I could write 40 paragraphs on Pitt’s sins tonight but that’s what happens when you’re out matched in talent. Cannot even imagine what Duke will do to Pitt !
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Clemson was 2-5 in the ACC.
Pitt was 2-5 in the ACC.
The Panthers were embarrassed.
Heather should fire Felton Jeffrey Capel tonight…
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Good win by the bungels.
Capel’s season ending slide started one week earlier this year. Sign that the end is near.
🤞🏼
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Teams with talent play better as the season goes on. Teams lacking talent become the victims of these teams, and usually regress as the season plays put. Pitt has been exposed as a team with a couple of pieces but lacking in overall talent over the entire roster.
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Jeffress makes his most heads up, confident dribble drive to a pull-up jumper I’ve seen all year
while Pitt is down about 25 with about 30 seconds left in the game
OMG
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My wife: “Doesn’t Pitt play basketball? You never watch them anymore.”
What is left to say?
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I don’t know what that was but it wasn’t basketball.
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Packer’s AJ Dillon (BC) is a beast…. would like to one like him in Mustard and Blue…
just try’n to get you minds off BB…
Took my family to MONSTER Truck jam today, mainly, because my 2 year-old grandson loves monster trucks… 1st time for both of us- ….lots of big time action, NOISE, big hits,sparks fly and no damn TV or replay time-outs…. Everybody goes goes home and happyhappyhappy!!! Might want to try it out if it comes your way. BTW a lady, Brianna Mahon beat all the boys drivers.
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I remember Pitt really struggling to tackle Dillon at Heinz in a BC win. I think Dillon ran for over 150 yards.
Go Pitt.
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Pitt hoops is a joke.
Pitt’s basketball history is pretty much a joke.
Pitt’s leadership for most of its existence has been a joke due to decisions being made by some pretty idiotic people in suits.
Special thanks again to Sonny Vaccaro for delivering Howland because there was no way Steve Pederson was making a splash hire. I had 10 wonderful years. I savor it. I really do.
Capel should be fired. How hard is it to find shooters? He has zero after four years.
Oh, no recruits for next season. Baffling.
Cut the cord, Heather. Grovel to donors for the $16mm to end your mistake. Not that I have faith you’re hire will be a good one.
Heather, keep Narduzzi happy. Pretty please.
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Last place fish in ACC is on its way. Very sad because this nonsense could have been prevented.
Pitt football on the up escalator // Pitt basketball on the coal slide to the basement.
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Finish not fish
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Last place fish is a good metaphor…
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Fish works as well, given the smell…
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LOL
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I wonder how much we would have to pay Maryland to take Capel off our hands. The Maryland alumni would crucify their AD if he ever hired Capel as their next BB coach.
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I believe last night’s blow-out loss will turn the MD AD’s head and they will never look back.
Capel’s only option to remain a HC is to turn this Pitt program around or take a non-P6 job.
Last night looked like a team that had no plan coming in on how to attack the Clemson men’s basketball team from an offensive and defensive standpoint.
They all looked lost.
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Isn’t it ironic! Just over a decade ago, Pitt was invited to the ACC due to the basketball program (two #1 seeds in the previous 3 years). Remember, UConn was the ACC’s first choice
Now, football and a bunch of other sports are flourishing while basketball is approaching mid 90s Pitt football futility.
The good news is that basketball should be easier to rebuild, especially with the transfer portal. The bad news is that the portal can be and has been very unkind to Pitt in the past few years.
So while Duzz now needs to nudge a few non productive players towards the portal, Capel is on blended knees begging for players to stay and even more to come.
Sent from my iPhone
>
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Tongue-in-cheek,
Should they demolish the Pete and build a on campus football stadium on that site?
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Somehow Capel received a vote of confidence with a contract extension a few years back – remember this is year 4 we are in and all 4 have been bad.
Capel has a massive buyout from the little bit that we think we know (I’m being careful) and therefore appears to be safe for at least one more bad year.
Can Pitt fans and students support one more year of this?
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Its not being supported now…
The last home game crowd was comical.
Sad.
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https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2022/01/22/track-star-speed-2022-pitt-signee-che-nwabuko-is-all-in-on-pitt/e he has good hands
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2022/01/22/track-star-speed-2022-pitt-signee-che-nwabuko-is-all-in-on-pitt/
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I typed “I hope he has good hand”
Click on the second entry
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When this guy is healthy he can play with anybody.
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2022/01/23/pitts-taysir-mack-officially-added-to-collegiate-bowl-roster/
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I’d rather beat them in football anyway…
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2022/01/23/five-takeaways-from-pitts-loss-at-clemson/
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Face it this basketball season is and always has been a write off from the time Champ went pro and the rest of the team went portal. When you add to that Sibande and Horton not being available, John Wooden couldn’t do any better than Capel.
I can see beating up Capel for not having enough ACC capable players in his fourth season, but beating on him for this team not being competitive is ludicrous. In fact I say that he has done a pretty good job with what he has.
Unfortunately the only hope I see for a better team is him holding on to his better players and bringing in two more capable players. This won’t be easy and probably won’t happen.
A great deal of this falls on Capel, but much has been baked into the cake because of the Portal.
One has to wonder how much confidence Heather has in Capel’s ability to turn things around and if he is still the right man for the job.
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ACC basketball is having it’s worst year in recent memory. Duke ranked 6 is the only team in the top twenty five. Pitt is near the bottom of the ACC. It is all about talent which has abandoned the ACC and hasn’t been at Pitt since Jamie left.
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Can a FB stadium be designed to be built over top of the Pete?
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Sadly, Pitt is not taking advantage of the weak ACC. They were able to take advantage of a weak Coastal in FB to move up and now should be able to recruit better and compete for future ACC championships. Capel is missing out on a great opportunity to improve the BB program and compete with the so called Bluebloods in the future.
Also, I completely agree with GC that Bobby Knight or Coach K couldn’t win with this roster. The shooting is terrible and even non-existent, and 20 turnovers at this stage of the season is ridiculous. The question for Capel is can he still recruit, and can he rebuild this roster over the next 2-3 years?
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I think we are seeing what Capel can do. Yinz are making excuses to pay a guy $3+ million a year for bad results.
Think about that…
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Seems to me the biggest problem is how poorly we shoot the ball. Would be somewhat better with Horton and Sibande, but still not good enough.
Clemson shot 22 for 46 overall (we were 16 for 48) and they were 12 for 25 from three (we were 7 for 23). I doubt we go 12 for 25 In warmups. And several of Clemson’s threes were from several feet behind the three-point line – who defends threes out there…
What bothers me is that Pitt plays teams I’ve never heard of for their so called rent-a-wins and even those teams always seem to have a dead-eye three-point shooter. Yet we don’t…
Go Pitt.
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It’s not just the 4th year under Capel. It’s been since Howland up til today! With the exception of Ronald Ramon, Pitt hasn’t had a single outside shooter that would start for any ACC Team! This is the ACC where shooting skilled folks abound.
It’s Been the single worst problem for Pitt BBall for 20 years. It’s the reason Capel’s teams bleed the clock on offense and try to shorten the game.
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Don’t forget about Cam, Dan72.
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I saw where Clemson’s starters made 11 of 15 three-pointers. Meantime we have guys who our opponents don’t even have to guard…
And it seems like all our poor play over the last several years has given other teams great confidence against us. So they come out shooting with confidence because they are playing Pitt….
It’s a sad state of affairs…
Go Pitt.
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C’mon VoR, that’s being a SOP fan. You assume the football ACC was weak just because PITT won it. Pickett being a Heisman finalist and Addison winning the Biletnikoff with lots of achievements by the team in a conference with really good QB’s and other great players. There could come a day when or if PITT has a bad year…. people say, the ACC must have been weak that year?
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A 10 handicap guy will rarely if ever beat a 2 handicap guy no matter how good his coach is.
We can blame Capel for not landing enough 2 handicap guys and that is what he was hired to do.
But to blame him for not making winners out of the 10 handicap guys is just silly.
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The 10 handicap guys are who Capel recruited and added to this team. His team is not even mediocre. Us yinzers should not stand for such a poor performance from a highly paid individual who was hired to make the program better.
Besides Champ who developed into an NBA player, which is what the best guys do for most every team, Capel’s other best guys left for other P6 teams and are having decent seasons.
I’ve heard numerous excuses for Capel and I don’t see any of them as legit. He’s got no recruits for next season, one from last season and one for 2023.
The portal has not been kind to Capel and yet some of you think that is where he will find his winning combination.
I can’t change opinions and that is ok (and puzzling at the same time), but I can express my thoughts – last night was boarder line embarrassing.
The boarder line is when you define who is watching and in the case of Pitt men’s BB, almost nobody.
Last night seemed like the team gave up or they were confused by the game plan. Either points to bad coaching in my book.
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Border line????
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But is he losing to teams that use 10 handicaps as well? The record says maybe probably. That’s the difference, I think. I expect him to lose to Duke and NC because they use 2 handicaps. I always try apples to apples first. So the question is whether we are losing to similarly situated 10 handicappers. I’ll stick with yes, probably. At least it seems that way. I didn’t do an analysis.
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That is a good question and certainly debatable. Theoretically if you are beating half those you are equal with talent wise you are doing OK. I haven’t done the statistics either, but my eyeball tells me he has done pretty well with what he has. It also has to do with matchups, home field etc.
Clemson was 2-5 but they hit 11-15 from the 3 point line, Something Pitt hasn’t done in recent memory if ever.
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Also foul trouble hurts Pitt more since they have ZERO bench strength.
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Two years ago I went to some length to point out in clear terms how Capel’s history at Oklahoma was not what many were being DUPED into believing it was.
The wrath of the POV was quick to shower down.
And yet here we are.
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Pulled this from Wikipedia – remember, Capel was an assistant at Duke for 8 straight years prior to being hired as HC at Pitt –
2009–10
Entering his fourth year, in the Big 12, Capel had yet to win a Conference Tournament Title or Regular Season Title. Capel was averaging 21 wins per season (21–12) and 8 conference wins per season (8–8), almost on track with his predecessors Tubbs & Sampson.
With the return of McDonald’s All-American and projected NBA Lottery Pick Willie Warren, and the addition of two more McDonald’s All-American recruits in Tommie Mason-Griffin & Tiny Gallon, the Sooners were ranked #13 in the pre-season AP Poll and picked to finish 3rd in the Big 12 Conference. Unfortunately, injuries and off-court issues plagued the Sooners and the team failed to live up to expectations. Capel led Oklahoma to a 13–18 record in the 2009–10 season (all 13 wins were later vacated due to use of an ineligible player), the first losing season at Oklahoma since 1981. The Sooners ended the season with nine straight losses, the longest losing streak at Oklahoma in 41 years.
2010–11
In April 2010, Oklahoma announced the resignation of Capel’s assistant Oronde Taliaferro without specifying the reason. There was speculation that it might be related to media reports that Tiny Gallon had received an impermissible extra benefit from Merrill Lynch employee and this was confirmed when subsequently released phone records tied him and Taliaferro and the NCAA confirmed it was investigating.
Five underclassmen left the program in the offseason and Capel was forced to play mostly unheralded leftovers and newcomers. Oklahoma went 14–18, attendance dropped significantly, and Capel was fired in March 2011 after two of the worst back-to-back losing seasons in Oklahoma basketball history. While enjoying a 30-win season and an Elite 8 appearance, Capel’s tenure at Oklahoma is generally regarded by Sooner fans as a disappointment. In August 2011, Oklahoma admitted that Taliaferro had committed 2 NCAA violations in the Gallon case; Capel was not implicated in the violations.
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PITT needs a point guard, Burton looks good but Odokale can’t cut it. He has to be the worst free throw shooting point guard in PITT history.
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super bowl
Last year it was in Tampa. They won it.
This year it is in LA. Will Rams win it?
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Pitt women basketballers give #19 ND a good game but lose by 14. Game was tied at the half and Pitt was down by 3 mid-4th quarter. But Pitt went cold and didn’t score in the final 3 minutes.
Jayla Everett taking a huge number of shots but still trying to get out of a scoring slump. She scored 15 but took twenty-three shots to do it.
Last couple games they have cut way down on the turnovers. Oh, and ND was 19 for 20 from the free-throw line while Pitt was 4 for 9 (and the game was at the Pete)…
Pitt now 10 and 9.
Go Pitt.
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I get the frustration, I own two worthless season tickets, and would not be disappointed if Capel is let go after the season. I just don’t agree with complaining after every loss when it is obvious little can be done with the players on hand.
I also think that Capel will be here next year so I hope he does hold on to the better players and finds a couple more.
I am certainly not going to root against the guy and the kids that did come to Pitt.
I have stated that I give Capel a 10% chance of turning this thing around, I am not sure who is making excuses for him, but I know some guys that like to beat dead horses.
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I have never beat a dead horse. I have kicked a live one to get it going however! Maybe the head coach needs to kick some players tails to get them to wake up.
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Aaron Donald Yeah!
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ike, come on… Be realistic. Who thought UNC and Clemson would under perform like they did? And many of the so called franchise QBs had down years or were injured. Pitt had a roster filled with super seniors and Pickett returned. How many think Pitt would have won the ACC if Pickett hadn’t returned? I’m just being realistic here, and maybe some luck was involved, but Pitt is hopefully taking advantage to recruit better and turn the program around with sustained good performance. Next year will determine if SOP is dead and buried..
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No no no Ed, I am being reasonable enough. You know Clemson may have won the ACC title if PITT hadn’t beat them. That’s straight up dissing PITT right there. As far as UNC goes, PITT beat them as well. Why would you pick UNC and Clemson to make your point?
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Love ya, man! Because they were ranked pre-season and had the “players” to do it! Both had 5 star QBs, I believe, and we all know Clemson was stacked with 4 stars. And Pitt beat UNC and Clemson with Pickett under center, which was my point.
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What a football game, LA imploding
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What a finish!
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Gordon, I agree with your last 4 posts…😎
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VoR, A couple of points
1) yes, Clemson underperformed this year. But there were still 12 other teams aside from Pitt in the ACC that could have stepped up
2) if you think Pitt was the only ACC team with super seniors, then, quite frankly, you were not playing attention. There were a few other teams with more starters returning
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And one more thing … Clemson still had a great defense, but Pitt scored 27 on them. The national champs scored just 10 against Clemson, with the the TD on a pick 6
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I get it, wwb, but Pitt had the super seniors and also a QB that started 40 games. This was the winning combination. That is why I think next year will tell the story. If Pitt goes 7-5 or 8-4 next year, will POVers think Pitt has turned the corner? I am predicting a 9-3 season and probably another bowl loss, which would be a fine year . Then it takes another solid recruiting class to keep it going..
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Another amazing football game
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Obama Academy beat Carrick 74-9, must be some really poor coaching.
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Two amazing NFL playoff games today.
Some awesome QB play by Mahomes and Allen…. Buffalo fans have to be hurting at such a tough loss…
Happy to see Brady bounced…
Go Pitt.
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Why do things look up for Pitt winning the coastal next year? FOUR new head coaches out of 6 in the Coastal.
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Most media will be focused on whether it was only because of Pickett last season that Pitt succeeded to the level they did. That’s probably not too far from being right. So this year almost the entire focus will be whether Slovis and or Patti can play at a level close to what Pickett did this past season. Pitt has the a fair amount of talent retuning BUT with ineffective QB it won’t mean much.—-For my part I’m fairly upbeat on Pitt’s chances. But then I’ve been known to drink a fair amount of Kool-Aid when it comes to Pitt FB.
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Clearly, where the media focuses is now subject to skepticism. Unless its so blaring obvious like the Clemson teams with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. But there is a lot of provincial, naval-gazing going on where they spray the red clay backroads with oil.
Where’s Emel when you need him?!
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While there is little doubt that Pickett was the team’s MVP, note that league championship game was won by the defense. Going into the game, Wake had just as good, if not better, offensive stats than Pitt …. Yet the Deacs didn’t smell the end zone the last 3 quarters.
Yes, for Pitt to have another really good season, the QB will have to step up. But once again, he will have a good lot of WRs to throw to, some good RBs to hand the ball to, and an experienced OL to protect him And if they get decent OLB play, the defense should be even better
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Good point on Packer Durham. Yesterday’s Chiefs Bills game lasted only 3 hrs 6 min even with OT. The main reason —- lack of reviews
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Agree wwb…a great game and the absence of reviews played a part in my enjoyment..TV time-outs and reviews have really taken the “flow” out of football games. NFL needs to look at their overtime rule at least for the play-offs. Wish the Bills would have had an opportunity.
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more banner ads acorss the bottom and fewer TV timeouts.
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I was rooting for Buffalo too, but Mahomes is unreal and with a strong running back, they will be hard to beat.
Agreed that reviews are a painful process, but pretty important to get things right.
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So TJ Watt may get defensive player of the year, but Aaron Donald was a man on fire yesterday. I have never seen Brady under so much pressure which definitely changed the course of the game.
Did you see the graphic which showed that AD’s 7 all star starts is only matched by two other guys from long ago. True greatness.
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If I’m not mistaken, during the broadcast Cris Collinsworth said that Aaron Donald was the best player in football. Not pass rusher. Not defensive player. Best player.
H2P!!!
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Collingsworth is still “Satan”!
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NFL games show how speed kills and nobody defends TEs over the middle.
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A good description of what ailed the Steelers defense this season…
Go Pitt.
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This is insightful into the FC offense. He talks about screen plays, passing offense, QB experience, etc. From preseason last year at BC.
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I agree a good video on Cignetti. I like the fact that he talks about what he sees up in the box on how the opposition is reacting on many plays. I’m all for it and I think Pitt their multitude of offensive options will be better severed with our OC in the box.—-On the other hand Cignetti was so upbeat at the BC media day prior to last season and the end results for the year was dismal. That just goes to show you how important the loss of just one player their QB entered into how poorly the year ended for BC.
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Yep. Losing your starter is really hard to overcome, especially when the back up has no experience. The offense basically loses a year of development.
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notrocket— thanks for posting that Coach Cignetti video. Why is it that the coordinators at Pitt are generally congenial and well-spoken while the head coaches can be tough to watch or listen to??
You know, you know, you know…. No doubt about it…
I agree that the OC should be in the booth. And some screen passes to Izzy and Bartholomew would be sweet…
Coach said – “The defense determines where the ball goes.” We all know that’s how it’s supposed to work, but nice to hear it put so succinctly…
Go Pitt.
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Both Izzy and Bartholomew were underutilized on the screen pass last season IMO. Ask yourself how many times Bartholomew caught a pass last year for negative yardage? Then ask yourself how many yards did he get after the catch? He was certainly not easy to get on the ground but it looked like Whipple never did appreciate his ability last year.
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What really impresses me about Bartholomew is his speed. Been a long while since we’ve had a TE who can run like him.
Which really makes his low recruiting profile puzzling…
Go Pitt.
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Looks like Cam Bright wants to get as far from Pitt as possible. He will be a Washington Husky in the PAC12…
Go Pitt.
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I hope Cam does well for himself. I really liked what he did for the D while on the field. There’s a story behind his departure.
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I would really like to know the inside baseball on Cam Bright and Wendell Davis, very out of the norm for the Narduzzi culture.
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And both were LBs. Go figure..
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Coach Manalac ????
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I’ll bet a good deal of dissension had a lot to do with the lack of playing time. We had a good number of LB’s with experience on the roster last season and I’m sure that both Davis and Bright figured they should be on the field more than they were.
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Agree, Dennis isn’t moving from MLB and they made a shift to a hybrid safety/LB with Petrishen.
It’s like a 4–2.5-4.5 defense, lol.
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Bills mistake was kicking it thru the end zone and not letting 5-6 seconds run off the clock during the return. Yes, you risk a big return, but with yards comes time off clock. A lot of questionable calls by coaches yesterday. Steelers are in trouble trying to get better than Buffalo, Cincy, KC, and others.
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The Steelers are destined to soon be calling the AFC North basement “home.”
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Bills also had their two safeties back near the 20 yard line when they let KC get into field goal range.
It was like 11 playing against 9. Like they thought KC would go deep on them. Puzzling.
Buffalo fans can’t be happy with their defensive coaches…
Go Pitt.
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Without question if you’re Buffalo you kick the SQUIB kick. Four seconds later and Mahomes is left with only a Hail Mary.
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BTW… Dane Jackson IN the game. Damar Hamlin OUT and cheering from the bench.
NFL = Not for Long.
Seems I read that about Hamlin somewhere before.
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Is Washington program considered a lateral move? I would say so. I wish him well. He’s a football player. The portal pottie is what it is. The more that aren’t happy and go, good for Pitt. You want people here, who want to be here more than any other place. It may not even be about winning! It’s probably more about playing time if you think you have a chance at the next level and just aren’t seeing the field for whatever reason. With the flea so tight with the coaches, I probably would have had a conversation if I was Hammond or Izzy. The good news for those two is that everyone can see they are more skilled, but if they keep their respective noses clean, their bodies won’t be as beat up as say a featured back at many other places.
NFL doesn’t miss talent too often.
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Kenny Pickett got engaged over the weekend. His fiance is a soccer player at Princeton. Good gene pool move- smart and athletic!
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….but can she cook ???!!!
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But Kenny didn’t transfer to Princeton?
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The last Heisman winner at Princeton was the legendary Dick Kazmaier >>> a great qb in the early 50″s.
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As long as KP waits to get married until after he signs that rookie contract 😆
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I think from his position down on the field, Whipple felt like he could call the play and rely on superior execution against the competition. Running the play in didn’t provide time for a defensive alignment check. Pickett must have been pretty free to change the call at the line of scrimmage. Cignetti seems like an OC who scans the entire field from the box and makes the call based on the scheme and positioning of the defense. Whipple’s method might work with a seasoned QB, but it took 3-4 years for Pickett to develop to the point where it was successful.
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Top Shooter in HS Brice Lindsey, Pitt recruit to commit Friday. H2P
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OT… remember any of these guys?
https://big33.org/the-game/history/pennsylvania/1965-roster/
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Sure do.
I remember Harry “Skip” Orszulak taking a slant pass about 60 yards to the house against WVU…
Go Pitt.
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My dad played with Sebastianelli though my dad was a little older.
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BMT (before my time) BigB although I do remember some names from that game. Kwalik and Reed and a few more names.
Too much fuss over where the coaches sit or stand during a football game. I think they know which is the best place for themselves to be. Pretty sure these asst coaches have done all the angles and have their own personal preference.
Speaking of that subject, has anyone mentioned that the PITT QB’s still ran to the sidelines for the play-call?
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You’re treading on thin ice, ike! 😊
You know that the reason for Kenny Pickett’s poor play – and the reason he didn’t win the Heisman -was that he was exhausted by the second half of games…
Go Pitt.
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Not quite as often though
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A little realism for the POV. Cignetti’s Offense will seem downright ANEMIC compared to the “Meet me at the Sideline” Offense orchestrated by Whipple.
Personally, love the fact that Cignett seems more about convention; Fullbacks, Tight Ends etc.
But if memory serves me right, the Cignetti version of convention has been pretty BRUTAL to watch.
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It’s more about the Jimmy’s and Joe’s rather than the X’s and O’s and Cignetti will have more Jimmy’s and Joe’s at Pitt than he had at BC. And Cignetti did say its all about getting the ball into the playmakers hands as much as possible. So it shouldn’t be about instituting “my system” but more about “adjusting my system” to get the ball into the playmakers hands often.
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Exactly, no one was enamored with Whipple’s offense prior to this year. In fact he was the whipping boy for many POVers. Canada hasn’t had a year like he had at Pitt either. It is the talent that makes the coach.
Slovis may not match KP’s numbers but he did throw 30 TD’s in his freshman year in the PAC10. He throws a really nice deep ball. Addison and Barden should be pleased. Just need to sign that one more tight end.
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https://triblive.com/sports/pitt-looks-for-cracks-in-syracuse-coach-jim-boeheims-zone-defense/
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Jamie Dixon knew that Syracuse zone better than Boeheim did.
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Better look for cracks in their 3 point shooting too!
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Better smoke crack if you plan on attending this game…
Oh yeah, I’ll be there. 😇
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That Cuse Zone will take away Hugley and Gueye. Better have a plan B ready to go.
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I think the plan, Dan, is to hit about 8 3s, to get 20 pts in the paint, score 15 points in transition and hit 80% from the line. Does Pitt need to play this game or just post the L and move on?
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That’s a great plan!
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Unfortunately”Hope” is not a strategy!
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Does the first paragraph re: PITT game, get under your skin
https://www.smokingmusket.com/2021/12/2/22814193/west-virginia-mountaineers-wvu-football-predicting-2022-season
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Huh? A “non-hostile” environment?
pmdH2P
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I think I like our chances against the Eers, Bernie.
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me too… no matter who is behind center !
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I hate them…
I’ll leave it at that.
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need the eer’s and Bearcats in the ACC….dial up the intensity in Heinz…
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with the lowering (or elimination) of academic standards and the NIL (NFL is successfully transforming college ball closer to a professional game) and administrators appearing to be buying into this scene-it’s time to get the best player by/buy whatever means….great games every Saturday…full stadiums…screaming fans……could it get any better….
The transformation of the game in itself is an excellent topic for a discussion ( I will always be old school but that train left the station long ago)…they say before our time when college ball was king Yale and Fordham would regularly put 50K butts in seats and the boys on the field would become leaders of our society- all playing for the love of the game or a scholarship to cover expenses….(just a couple of thoughts as my mind raced back in time looking at this game I love……)
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“Steve Sarkisian is founding out quickly ….” Yep, that’s a hoopie trying to put words together. Got to feel sorry for the little guy.
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ACC football schedule comes out Monday Jan 31 7pm on an ACC Network broadcast…
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Tried to book rooms for the WVU and Tennessee games but was told “No can do…call back after the schedule comes out.” I replied, ” why is the #! FB team in town being treated 2nd fiddle to that Steeler team?”
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above:Steeler schedule comes out
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Cignetti makes first offer as a Pitt coach to Nakai Poole a 6’3″ 205 lb WR from Georgia. This is coming from the Lair.
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Rivals shows that Poole was offered by Boston College. Cignetti obviously likes this WR and is going to try to get him.
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To continue on Cignetti it is nice to see that he wants to recruit. The films showing Poole (The highlights obviously don’t show the errors) focus on his speed, ability to avoid being tackled, and his good pair of receiving hands. He has offers from UVA, BC, Duke, K State, LSU, and Wake.
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Doing my normal search around college football. Discovered a 4.th recruiting service “On3”.
https://www.on3.com/
Joins Rivals, 24/7, & ESPN. Supposedly, the owners had a hand in starting both 24/7 & Rivals. Does anyone know anything about “On3”?
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