Barnes coming clean
- Thread starter TIGER-PAUL
- Start date
To me it means there was a toxic culture that had people at odds with each other rather than working with each other for the betterment of the athletic department.
Yeah not being there hard to tell. I'm kinda surprised he said that TBH.
I thought it was a very reasonable interview. As far as revealing much, Barnes played it like the professional that he is: he said just enough to hint at what he found when he arrived at Pitt.
Reading between the lines, one can tell that he was disappointed at the lack of responsiveness to the product that Pitt football was putting on the field. Maybe not necessarily in wins per se, but in the fact that the Pitt football season was as exciting as anything that we've seen at Pitt in a long time, yet the fans did not respond accordingly.
Reading between the lines, one can tell that he was disappointed at the lack of responsiveness to the product that Pitt football was putting on the field. Maybe not necessarily in wins per se, but in the fact that the Pitt football season was as exciting as anything that we've seen at Pitt in a long time, yet the fans did not respond accordingly.
I'm not. He's been very honest with the media and hasn't held back his opinion on things/people. Stallings appears to be from the same mold. I gotta say, i like it and i'll miss it.
Yeah you're right but I'm not sure we get that quote if he's not out the door. It's easier, obviously, to throw people in a department under the bus when you don't have to deal with them anymore.
A parting shot, so to speak.
Well, he called a lot of the loud mouths who cried about the stallings hire "noise", so I don't think he completely holds back. I agree though that he probably doesn't give us the nugget about the folks in the athletic department unless he was leaving or if he would have replaced them all.
Totally unremarkable AD, if not worse. The whole "My agent is your agent" (Stallings) smelled from the get go.
So he convenes a committee to improve Pitt's "Game Day Experience." Whatever became of that? Zero.
This "Internal/External" AD reorg was a solution in search of a problem.
In short, Gallagher's worst hire of any department.
So he convenes a committee to improve Pitt's "Game Day Experience." Whatever became of that? Zero.
This "Internal/External" AD reorg was a solution in search of a problem.
In short, Gallagher's worst hire of any department.
FWIW, not everyone in the athletic department remained there after Barnes was hired. I'm not gonna say that Barnes was the reason for their departure (since everyone has their reasons for changing jobs), but there were some new faces who replaced old faces.
As far as grading Barnes, I'd give him an "I", for Incomplete. I don't think that he was here long enough to have an impact one way or another - his basketball hire notwithstanding.
He did some good things, but some of the things that we wished that he would've done would have required him to have the ability to walk on water, too.....
As far as grading Barnes, I'd give him an "I", for Incomplete. I don't think that he was here long enough to have an impact one way or another - his basketball hire notwithstanding.
He did some good things, but some of the things that we wished that he would've done would have required him to have the ability to walk on water, too.....
-The biggest takeaway from that entire article is that Barnes offered Matt Canada $1 million to remain at Pitt which is now in black and white writing for the public, which would have put him as the 3rd highest paid oc in the entire country and proves Pitt would not go cheap for an OC. Now the question becomes, which OC do we steal from another school.
I think he said some stuff that has definite truths and shows how difficult of a gig this is. I think also this job is big because of the jaundiced fan base who as alot of us have depicted, Charlie Brown to Lucy pulling the football out every time there appears to be momentum or excitement. Once or twice, that is easily overcome. 10 times, not so much. Also, the same thing with the local media who has that same cautious and cynical view.
That is why I think this is a great opportunity to bring in an AD who gets all of this. I am not sure Barnes did.
That is why I think this is a great opportunity to bring in an AD who gets all of this. I am not sure Barnes did.
FWIW, not everyone in the athletic department remained there after Barnes was hired. I'm not gonna say that Barnes was the reason for their departure (since everyone has their reasons for changing jobs), but there were some new faces who replaced old faces.
As far as grading Barnes, I'd give him an "I", for Incomplete. I don't think that he was here long enough to have an impact one way or another - his basketball hire notwithstanding.
He did some good things, but some of the things that we wished that he would've done would have required him to have the ability to walk on water, too.....
At least he didn't fire every body before Christmas.....
what is going to frustrate us is that we know we could pay 1m but since we lost that option, we will now go cheap. Kind of like a pirate / nutting move when they offer 9 million for a FA pitcher knowing full well other team is gonna offer 14m. Then they say, "well at least we offered" to not come off as cheap.. Call me a cynic but I see that here in this.. Maybe not as deliberate as a nutting move but i'll bet my right arm we aren't paying 1m for our next OC, nor anything close. I'll be shocked if we pay 1/2 that..
It doesn't really prove that. What it proves is that Pitt is willing to pay well for whomever they feel will be successful here. That doesn't necessarily mean that we won't go cheap. It just means that Narduzzi should be able to go after who he thinks best fits our program.
After reading that there should be some people on here that should feel like ass holes.
I'm happy that is is leaving, wish he would leave immediately. He wants to assist the new search....please! Get him the hell out of there. When I hear Barnes and search firm, we should run the other way.
On the other hand, Gallagher does need more help at/near the top. I doubt it's standard procedure for a p5 school to pull a pharmacy guy out of retirement and make him the point man on a AD search.
On the other hand, Gallagher does need more help at/near the top. I doubt it's standard procedure for a p5 school to pull a pharmacy guy out of retirement and make him the point man on a AD search.
True. But you gotta admit that the "pharmacy guy" verbalized a lot more enthusiasm for Pitt athletics than we heard emanating from the Cathedral of Learning in a loooong time.
Could not agree more with this. We need to build some athletic infrastructure and if EJ is not the man to have in the wings then we need to hire a competent Ass AD who can/is being groomed. The ACC $$$ is allowing us to build this so let's seize the opportunity and actually do it.
IMHO
IMHO
I have a hard time understanding anyone who cannot empathize with Barnes' situation. I'm not a big fan (primarily due to basketball and that I found him to be a bit arrogant and cold when meeting him in person), but his short tenure has laid some groundwork for future improvements. I like the fan committee idea and hope that it yields some fruit (haven't seen anything yet, but am optimistic). I like the fund raising projects. I love the script (but wish they'd use retro a little more). Thought the whole Military Bowl experience was tremendous. Loved that we played in the Pinstripe instead of Sun - because based on what I saw, we don't travel any worse than most other teams for bowls, but the perception is out there that we don't. The Military and Pinstripe Bowl turnout can really help flip that perception. The bottom line is that with the exception of our mens basketball team, we are stronger today than when he arrived.
Unfortunately, I tend to agree with what you wrote. It is easy to offer big money knowing that it will not be accepted.
the pharmacy guy did a great job bringing in Duzz. this is not rocket science. BTW I am EJ all the way.
First I agree the new OC isn't likely to make 1 million and I don't think they are necessarily going to even look at guys that would need that kind of money to make a move. BUT I would be stunned if the new OC isn't in the 600 to 700k range. REally I don't care as long as they get a proven OC(even from a lower level)
yep, I agree with this.. the question is do you sacrifice experience for a younger guy who you will be more confident will stick around for a few years at pitt and grow into the position or do you continue to find the guy who can run the offense from day 1, full well knowing it will most likely be a one and done, almost like a 1 year contractor moreso than a long term coach?
We'd all love that guy who can run the show, who has experience and will stick around for 4 years but in today's game, that is just not gonna happen.. Best case, you want the OC to give you two good years, any more is gravy.
If the best guy for the job is currently making 250K somewhere and we offer 500K, I don't consider it cheap. There is no need to pay the next OC anywhere close to a million unless we are either hiring a successful OC from another successful P5 school or looking for someone currently coaching in the NFL.
I'm not sure he would even be interested but I wonder if they give a call to Luke Getsy. Yes he is young and doesn't have much OC experience but he is getting huge praise from coaches and players alike for what he has done for the Packers' receiving corp this year. Apparently he is very innovative and an extremely prepared individual. He'll probably be an OC somewhere in the next 2-3 years but may prefer to stick with the pros since he is having success there. Make Salem the AHC and co-OC with Getsy.
I don't think there is any guarantee that age is a determining factor for position longevity.
Just hire the BEST guy now. Worry about the future later.
Doesn't get any more clear than this.....
"On the matter of Heinz Field attendance, Barnes admitted to being “puzzled” by the crowds of fewer than 40,000 after Pitt's upset of Clemson, considering the record sale of season tickets."
Puzzled= "why the lameness , sameness Yinzer tudes......?????
"On the matter of Heinz Field attendance, Barnes admitted to being “puzzled” by the crowds of fewer than 40,000 after Pitt's upset of Clemson, considering the record sale of season tickets."
Puzzled= "why the lameness , sameness Yinzer tudes......?????
I think outsiders look at PITT attendance as some sort of enigma wrapped in a mystery.
It's really kinda simple. A relatively small fractured fan base.
PITT just ain't like the majority of its peers in this world. Leadership should understand and embrace that reality.
if he was puzzled, he didn't do his homework on his new employer
Allow me to remove the cloud of mystery:
Yinzers are championship-spoiled and the university ridiculously does not have a legitimate media/PR/journalism department to influence outside opinion of the school and athletics program (specifically the opinion of the local media who've trashed the university to the public for the better part of 100 years).
The next AD at Pitt is going to have a very big job on his hands .... so many things to work on and improve ..... but two of the many items for improvement are 1) To heal/unite the fractured fan base and expand the fan base, and 2) Increase fund raising significantly ..... both very difficult problems at Pitt ......
Expanding the fan base is hard in a pro sports town especially when the pro teams are successful ..... there are only so many dollars available for sports entertainment ...... I think it will require sustained success on the playing field by Pitt over time and it will require getting alumni on board, especially younger alumni...... it will take time.
Even with the increased ACC money our athletic funds are pale in comparison to most other P5 programs ..... the next AD should have proven experience and good results in fund raising because this has been a big problem at Pitt which no AD has been able to fix...... maybe it isn't totally fixable but we should be able to significantly improve it.
The next AD is really going to have to earn his money ...... it is an important hire and we need to get the best candidate if we want to move the athletic program forward..... Barnes leaving gives us an opportunity to hit a home run ...... good luck to the search committee and the Chancellor in their hire.
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That's not it....
Pitt fans show for PSU... ND... WVU...& Ive been to enough HF games to know it's not some 50-50% attendance.... are there casual fans yes... it's not so much small as it is uncommitted.... what in the hell are these people waiting for? Both the Duke and Cuse games were entertaining as hell ... this after Clemson... there is no guarantee ever you will win ALL home games and Pitt lost only to VT? So what's the excuse? ....and it's an excuse... the people who show for big games aren't showing up later... this is not how teams across the country with 8-4 records fans act....
You don't fix decades of attendance issues in one year. How could anyone with some common sense not realize as much? I have often said it will take decades to fix, and probably can't be fixed playing in the Steelers stadium. We need continued support from the admin for many years, combined with a right sized on campus stadium. Many are still in the denial stage, and thats OK but in 15 years we are going to having the exact same discussion.
To avoid criticism from Pitt fans, the next AD should be childless, have a mother in her 50s and be from Monroeville. It would also help if he had 10,000 relatives in the area willing to attend games.
Solution to the "puzzle":
Loss to Oklahoma State
Loss to North Carolina
Loss to Miami
Loss to Virginia Tech
Yeah - the Clemson win was awesome but the "excitement" for the season was gone before we ever got to Death Valley. By the time we had four in the "L" column (three of them being in conference) we were out of contention.
I been saying this for years , and I'm sure he was hitting walls on anything he tried to do !
