Login to view embedded media Not sure if they uploaded it early by accident but here it is

You want to afford a new stadium of own you MUST think OUTSIDE THE BOX. 365 days in one year , how many football games? On other days you must rent out to VARIOUS others. All summer long concerts. The eagles fleetwood mack and all else. Easter egg hunt for kids. Christmas SPECTACLE you have to pay to see. Rent out for flag football games on thanks giving. Friendly but not cheap. Science center and museum displays in the hallways and you CHARGE for tours. Do not care if you need to rent to air force to practice parachute lands. SO BE IT. You make the money and you pay for the building. Fitness boys and girls can pay to run up the steps. Better for legs and back then any gym as some might know from old days. What they do not understand is good business habits allow FUTURE earnings. You may not have the money now but you will if you have the plan and a good bank will see this and give you the loan. Gentlemen we are at a time when we need a new facility. If you know anything about valley geography you will know it is only a matter of time before the one downtown produces fissures that start to split. They do NOT happen one by one. A building in a poor location will be reduced to sand on the beach , not in my life time IF IT IS LUCKY. I would even charge to climb the walls outside the stadium. That is popular sport now a days and every dollar adds up. You play it exactly right and you will MAKE BIG MONEY off this and not pay even a cent. As a former man of business I know a thing about how it all works.

Delete

Getting a feel of fanbase sentiment…

Timely interview with Dan Fisher.....and it's a good one. He touches on nearly every aspect of the current team and his views on the Penn State game. What a time to be a Pitt fan....volleyball, men's and women's soccer, and a revitalized football program.....not to mention excitement on what men's basketball will add come November. The interview is a bit long....18 minutes....but it's worth your time to listen.

Login to view embedded media

fees directly go to player salaries. i thought pay for play wasn't a thing. oh well.

I couldn't stop scrolling Twitter and the Lair last night, as I'm sure was the case with most of you. Absolutely electric vibe for Pitt fans. That said, there were definitely way too many "Pay Eli, Eli going to SEC, A412 better not screw this up, Eli is going to look good in a Yankee Uniform (that one was funny), etc" reactions to his third 300 yard/3 TD game.

I GET it. Everyone who knows what it is like to be a ride-or-die Pitt fan understands where that is coming from. However, I think its really important to remember a few things:

1) From what I've been able to gather, Eli is far from an unpaid intern here. He left Alabama, where he was likely paid a very similar amount, to be a backup's backup that was pretty much being pushed to TE land. If it was all about money for Eli, I'm not sure how he justifies leaving Tuscaloosa to go a thousand miles from home to go battle for the job at a team coming off a 3-9 season.

2) Pitt Culture - Pitt will never ever be able to be the highest bidder in the room for someone the blue bloods want. Not news to anyone. However, the culture that Narduzzi has built (Duzz haters can kiss my ass) around toughness, fight, and we-not-me is something that, for many recruits/players, is invaluable. Imagine being a Pitt commit watching the last 2 games. Watching his post-game ESPN interview had me ready to run through the wall. You can tell this group is special to him already. Eli Holstein seems to be a tough mother****er that energizes off of everything that Narduzzi is. The Miamis, FSUs, and Oregons of the league will never fit that mold for players like Eli.

3) For what it is worth, I don't really think that Pitt has ever lost a transfer that was worth what they ended up getting. I could not be more elated that the hundreds of thousands saved from losing Hayes, SammyO, Jules, Kamara , etc are being given to the guys that played on the North Shore yesterday. Jordan Addison is probably the only one worth dying trying for and, from what I remember, we practically matched the offer/got very close to it in just 36 hours. Grandpa Cignetti is probably why that didn't mean much at that point. My point being, we've never had a QB like this to pay (Kenny was a 5-year loyalist so much different than this situation) and I expect, when the time comes, Eli will get what he needs to play his final college year next year (yes I am insinuating that he gets drafted after next year because I am so high on Pitt Kool-Aid).

4) Kade Bell is everything that Pitt has missed in evolving from being a starting point to being a destination. No, I am not crowning him King yet but it's trending towards that. Kade Bell's offense has benefitted everyone that is playing in it. Poppi Williams, a transfer from SDSU via Western Carolina and Pitt WR3, is looking like a stud. 5'8 Desmond Reid, who got shit on by half the PantherLair, is going league. Eli, QB3/4 at Alabama, will probably have Heisman Odds posted by FanDuel in a few weeks. Mumpfield and Kenny Johnson are on pace to 3x-4x their productivity from last year... my point being, players around the country are going to take notice of the career revivals that can happen under an OC like OCKB and his offense. Eli seems smart enough to know that changing absolutely anything at this rate would be a huge risk to his NFL future, even if it costs him some money in the short term.

He obviously has a long way to go but Lincoln Riley (scumbag), Kyle Shanahan, etc all started somewhere. Kade Bell could really be the reason that Pitt changes from just a player's starting point to a player's destination. Instead of harping on what could happen to Eli next year, it's time to let the winning do the work. Winning = better recruiting (hopefully we get some transfers for the trenches, geez), more NIL funding from whales, the number of guys thinking about leaving for any reason decreases, etc. This year could be the one that plants the seeds for a shift in success for the next 10 years.

HAILLLLLLLLL. Lastly, message me if you are going to the UNC game. I live down here and am going to have a ton of Pitt guys visiting for it. Everyone should make a point of trying to get to some away games this year!!!!!!!!!!

Damn, I still feel like I drank 50 Red Bulls during that Brawl! It feels great to get some revenge from last year and send them home miserable. After rewatching the game, here are some somewhat random observations and thoughts:

1. Gandy played a pretty darn good game. He was stride for stride with his opponent pretty much all game, tackled pretty well, and was on the wrong end of a missed offensive PI on WVU's last score.
2. The young linebackers are fast and aggressive, and the beautiful thing is that you can watch them and clearly tell that they are going to get better every game with reps.
3. Brewu and Jacoby had some rough reps. Now, I think both will only get better throughout the year; Brewu because is is so young and learning on the fly and Jacoby because he'll improve the healthier he gets.
4. I thought we were going to score and go up 24-14 into halftime, with us receiving the ball to start the second half. On our 3rd and 1 from midfield Reid ran a zig route or tab route (I'm not sure what people call it these days) which took him into the defender. No one was running with him if he sprints to the flat and we would have a sizeable gain. We all know what happened then on 4th down.
5. On the long WVU drive that went from the end of the 3rd and into the 4th, our defense did a good job of holding them to 3. It was like a 12+ play drive with a 4th down conversion, bad penalty, etc. and it would have been easy to give up 7 there.
6. On our next drive after that WVU field goal, I think the pass to Kenny Johnson on first down got the 1st but the refs marked it short. Then, on Reid's 2nd down run it looked like he clearly got the first but the refs marked him short again. We got blown up on 3rd down and had to quickly punt.
7. Special teams has been very up-and-down. I keep hoping that we can clean it up.
8. Speaking of special teams, does anyone know about punting? Junko does a very quick punt. In other words, he punts like he is backed up in his own endzone and the opponent is bringing the house. It's like one half step and then a blah punt with not very good hang time.
9. I'll take 3-0 any day, especially with one of those wins against WVU but we have a lot to clean up. It's the exciting and sobering part. Exciting because I think we can play much, much better. Sobering because we've looked rough at times against, IMO, 3 meh teams. That's why I hope we have a super crisp first half against YSU, work on what we need to, and then get a bunch of guys reps.
10. H2P!

I was thinking about stopping by the pat narduzzi show tonight before heading to the volleyball game. I want to enjoy the afterglow of that great victory Saturday just a little longer.

Does anyone know who the player guest is going to be tonight? I’m having trouble finding info.

I didn’t put an OT on the thread because I’m gonna give my opinion on the team coming to play Pitt Saturday.

First, how bout those Dukes!!! Possibly the best win in school history. Youngstown St had superior material. They weren’t ready to play. Got out coached ridiculously. I would compare the Duquesne win with the Youngstown St victory over Pitt in 2012. The material on one side of the ball was significantly better than the other side but the other side was more prepared and hungrier. As you may or may not know Mickey, my son, is the Defensive Coordinator for Duquesne. The game was 17-14 YSU at half. Duquesne was leading 28-17 with like 2:30 left in the game until they gave up the dreaded prevent TD with 10 seconds left. The adjustments Mick made was more Tampa 2 with press. Sound familiar!!! 5, 6 man rush at all times with one stunt after another lol. Sound familiar!!! It looked like Duzz was in the press box calling the game. Take away the gift 80 yards to end the game and the Defensive effort was a hair short of a miracle.

So now YSU goes to Pitt. They have a big OL that can lean on a DL a bit. The RBs didn’t appear to be explosive. The WRs are appropriate for that level but shouldn’t prove to be tough match ups. The QB is a bit of an issue. He’s a great athlete. On the smaller side but a heck of an athlete. He’ll run early and often. He’s eyes go down so if there’s pressure he’s outa there. He can deliver a ball but not a huge passing threat. I feel comfortable stating the YSU offense won’t earn more than 14-17 points. Now if Pitt hands them turnovers and good field position who knows. On defense Pitt should pop them for 35+. DL is nothing special. LBs are kinda that level appropriate. DBs are ok but not anything special. S Hall does start for them and did make some solid plays. I’d say I noticed 3-5 solid plays from him.

I don’t think I saw this posted anywhere but Patrick Jones is currently #2 in the NFL with 4 sacks!

Good for him

** I remember many days when I used to post on Saturday nights following Football games as a way to pull me out of my football induced malaise. But tonight I'm inspired by a glorious comeback at Acrisure over the Hated Hoopies!

** I'll leave all football commentary to the Pigskin gurus, other than my solid belief now that this fellow Eli is the real deal.

** Still, tonight I look forward two months into the future because of a nice conversation I had at halftime in the West Club.

** During the break, I took a few moments to speak to our hanging Hoops friends, Mr. Leggett and Mr. Diaz.

** I'll confess that I had to ask which twins I was speaking to, to which he replied it was G.

** Nonetheless, they appeared there as minor celebrities, taking photos with a nice handful of fans.

** In my conversation, I offered how much I appreciated them and their contributions, and both were gracious in their acceptance.

** I'll also confess that I said something along the lines of suggesting to both I was looking forward to a great season and contributions of newcomers like Mr. Delacic. Without hesitation, Ish replied back to me: "he's really good!"

** As a hoops fans of a self appointed highest magnitude, I'll also offer I'm one to avoid over-hype. I always like to try to be realistic.

** Nonetheless, let's just say I'm pretty hyped about our prospects for the coming year.

** In fact, I can even say it hasn't been since 2015-2016 that I've gone into a season with my expectation being that we will be in the NCAA tournament.

** But those are my expectations. I'm hyped for sure.

** I'll give three reasons for my hype. The first is Jaland Lowe.

** Beginning in Mid-January, more or less, Jaland was an all ACC guard.

** Sometimes it's wiser to not rely on players necessarily getting better year over year. In Jaland's case, I think it's better wisdom. He's a talent who now should be 100%.

** He wasn't for the first half of last year, but he still took that time to learn from Bub and especially Blake. I have little doubt Jaland will be among the League's best 15 players next year. Maybe 10. Maybe even 5.

** Reason #2 is the aforementioned Mr. Delacic. From everything we've been hearing from the players, not just Ish from my flash conversation this night, this guy is the real deal.

** It just makes sense to me that this guy is a player. At worst, to me he's a double digit scorer. At best ... well I'll leave that to hype.

** Reason #3 is culture. Perhaps I'm reading way to much from a chance Club section meeting, but to my eye, one could feel the connection today between G and Ish. I saw very much the same thing watching our guys cheer on the Zoo Crew this summer. This is a team who certainly believe in something greater than themselves as individuals.

** So count me as one who believes next year's hoop team is ready take steps beyond last year's hoop team, Maybe more than a few steps. Maybe even a whole Sweet 16 steps.

** And we already know our football team has taken steps. We've already matched last year's win total. And with a talent like Eli and a group that that believes in each other, it's likely we'll double that. Maybe triple even.

** But like I said, I'll leave that to the Football Gurus. For now, I'll stick to my hoops hype.

** And I'm pretty hyped.

Tennessee announced Tuesday that it is increasing football season ticket prices in 2025, including a 10 percent hike specifically billed as a “talent fee” to increase revenue available for the athletic department to distribute to players. I think it’s a very wise move by athletic director Danny White, not least because the Vols are 3-0 and ranked No. 6 in the AP poll after decimating their first three opponents by a combined score of 191-13.

So now we give and then get to pay higher prices as well…For it? Against it?

Personally I get it but I already give. Does it help or hurt?

Maybe this has been discussed and I just missed it, but how did a four-star playing for Alabama get to Pitt? I love that it happened, but attracting a player of this pedigree is most unusual for Pitt. Was there a third party (maybe a coach or someone else) who played a role here? I would appreciate any information or thoughts about this.

Watching him in the pocket, he seems to lock in on receivers. Maybe Bell's offense puts multiple reads in one area of the field, but he definitely seems to lock in.

Don't know if it is right to complain about the best qb after 3 games in his college career at Pitt but hope it don't come back to bite him in the ass as the season goes on.

Hope they're working with him on a look off then back to his primary read, or better scanning of the field.

H2P

This KDKA reporter interviews fans after the Brawl. I’m not sure he could pick a bigger goofball Pitt fan to interview. The one guy is gushing about how unbelievably awesome the game was as he leaves early and watches on a TV outside the stadium. Lol. 15 minutes earlier he walking out probably grumbling about SOP until he heard cheers and realized it wasn’t over. The same dope then mocks WVU fans being interviewed. If it’s one of you, I’m sorry, but it’s true.

Login to view embedded media

I think this weekly exercise is getting a little more interesting. Who are your top five Pitt players right now?

There are quite a few good candidates. Desmond Reid is still on the list for me, despite his "quiet" game with 76 yards and 2 touchdowns. Eli Holstein has a case to be made after what he's done the last two weeks. I also think Konata Mumpfield and Kenny Johnson are playing really well, too. And that's just on offense.

On defense, I think it's tough to keep Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles and Donovan McMillon out of the top five, and Brandon George seems to be having his best season yet. Plus, there's Ben Sauls, who has been perfect so far.

Some tough decisions to make, but let's see your top five.

I tried to search for the old threads but it wasn’t working. 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

I’m thinking of dropping Fios and going to YouTube TV. Are you able to watch the Pens? Didn’t see that as an add on channel.

Thanks

United Soccer Coaches Men's Top 25 (Sept 17):
1. Stanford
2. Pitt
3. Denver
4. Clemson
5. WVU
6. UNC

Top Drawer Soccer Men's Top 25 (Sept 16):
1. Denver
2. Stanford
3. Penn
4. WVU
5. Pitt
6. SMU
7. Clemson

Men's Soccer RPI
1. Pitt
2. Penn

Top Drawer Soccer Women's Top 26 (Sept 16):
1. Stanford
3. FSU
6. UNC
8. UVA
13. Pitt

Women's Soccer RPI:
1. Michigan St
2. FSU
4. UNC
7. Stanford
9. Pitt

Pitt ran 5 trick plays on Saturday. All 5 resulted in losses of yards.

The regular offense was working just fine for the whole first half - the only thing that was hurting us were the nonsensical trick plays that were drive killers and put us behind the chains.

Throw away those pages in the back of the playbook - you don't need them and the risk has been much higher than the reward.

You don't need trick plays when you're moving the ball with your regular scheme. Every time we had WVU on their heels, we bailed them out with one of these.

Put the flea-flickers away and save them for a day when your regular stuff isn't working and you need a spark.


ps. Kade Bell's scheme has been EXTRAORDINARY and exactly what we needed - brought into the 21st century of college football, finally, and hopefully burying "Wanny ball" concepts for the rest of time. He just needs to stick with what is working.

Looking for a pass for Gold 1A. Two of my great friends (also 2020 Alum) are getting married the night before at Heinz Chapel and are carrying the party into Gold 1A for the YSU game on Saturday morning. Have one pass, but they are looking for one more for a little more space. Please let me know if anyone is willing to sell theirs!

From USA Today:

"Entering the 2024 season, I had Pittsburgh’s Pat Narduzzi listed among the coaches on the hottest seats. While I don’t think Narduzzi has entirely escaped that situation with a 3-0 start, it’s hard not to be impressed with this two-week stretch for the Panthers.

Last week, they overcame a 27-6 second-half deficit to beat Cincinnati on the road — their largest comeback win since 1971. On Saturday, Pitt did it again, erasing a 10-point West Virginia lead in the Backyard Brawl with four minutes to play in a 38-34 win.

The offense has been the issue in the Steel City since Kenny Pickett matriculated to the NFL, but Pittsburgh may really have something in Alabama transfer quarterback Eli Holstein. He’s thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns with just two picks through three games, and he had 301 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday while leading a game-winning drive.

The Panthers have already matched last season’s win total with their unbeaten start, and looking at the remaining schedule, Clemson is the only game in which they are almost certain to be an underdog, and that contest is at home.

If the offense continues to play this well, especially late in games, this team could be a much bigger player in the ACC race than we thought going into the season."

I disagree that Narduzzi was on "the hottest seats". (Although with a new AD who knows, but there is a lot of money left on his contract.)

Great pic with the write up.