Excerpts:
Pat Narduzzi is pumped about the start of spring drills for his Pitt football team, calling it a “fresh start” and “open season.”...........“Everything's an emphasis. Scoring points is an emphasis. Keeping people off the scoreboard is an emphasis,” Narduzzi said. “As a defensive guy, I'd say there's a little bit more emphasis there. I want our players to play at a high level. Anytime there's one side of the ball the head coach is from that side, you look at that and want to get it fixed.”.......Narduzzi knows a dominant defense isn't built overnight. He tells me to go back and check on Michigan State's defensive rankings from 2007-09, his first three seasons as defensive coordinator under Mark Dantonio. The Spartans slipped from 37th in '07 to 59th in '08 to 87th in '09, when they allowed 354 yards and 22.3 points a game. “They probably wanted to fire me back then, like, ‘Get this guy out of here,' ” Narduzzi said. “It takes time to develop. You can't make a good cake from scratch on your first try. It takes time for guys to figure it out. It's not easy. It's reactive football on defense, and you better be good at reacting. ...“There's knowledge, athletic ability and fit out there. When I watch a lot of plays, we were in position to make plays — and you've got to make them.”..................“I like our secondary,” Narduzzi said. “I like Avonte Maddox. I like Phillipie Motley. I like Jordan Whitehead — our three returning guys — and I like Dane Jackson. I'm excited about those guys.........Pitt needs more than just luck. It needs to improve its pass rush, to prevent quarterbacks from standing in the pocket and picking the Panthers apart. Pitt needs to improve its coverage, and young corners like Therran Coleman, Damar Hamlin and Henry Miller and safeties Bricen Garner and Jay Stocker will get opportunities this spring........He doesn't have All-Americans Darqueze Dennard or Kurtis Drummond like he did at Michigan State. Narduzzi even joked on signing day that he wished Pitt had won the recruiting battle for WPIAL defensive backs Demetrious Cox and Montae Nicholson, who Narduzzi landed for the Spartans.“You can't push an easy-fix button,” Narduzzi said.................
LINK:
http://triblive.com/sports/kevingorman/12075015-74/gorman-pitt-puts-priority-on-fixing-pass-defense
Pat Narduzzi is pumped about the start of spring drills for his Pitt football team, calling it a “fresh start” and “open season.”...........“Everything's an emphasis. Scoring points is an emphasis. Keeping people off the scoreboard is an emphasis,” Narduzzi said. “As a defensive guy, I'd say there's a little bit more emphasis there. I want our players to play at a high level. Anytime there's one side of the ball the head coach is from that side, you look at that and want to get it fixed.”.......Narduzzi knows a dominant defense isn't built overnight. He tells me to go back and check on Michigan State's defensive rankings from 2007-09, his first three seasons as defensive coordinator under Mark Dantonio. The Spartans slipped from 37th in '07 to 59th in '08 to 87th in '09, when they allowed 354 yards and 22.3 points a game. “They probably wanted to fire me back then, like, ‘Get this guy out of here,' ” Narduzzi said. “It takes time to develop. You can't make a good cake from scratch on your first try. It takes time for guys to figure it out. It's not easy. It's reactive football on defense, and you better be good at reacting. ...“There's knowledge, athletic ability and fit out there. When I watch a lot of plays, we were in position to make plays — and you've got to make them.”..................“I like our secondary,” Narduzzi said. “I like Avonte Maddox. I like Phillipie Motley. I like Jordan Whitehead — our three returning guys — and I like Dane Jackson. I'm excited about those guys.........Pitt needs more than just luck. It needs to improve its pass rush, to prevent quarterbacks from standing in the pocket and picking the Panthers apart. Pitt needs to improve its coverage, and young corners like Therran Coleman, Damar Hamlin and Henry Miller and safeties Bricen Garner and Jay Stocker will get opportunities this spring........He doesn't have All-Americans Darqueze Dennard or Kurtis Drummond like he did at Michigan State. Narduzzi even joked on signing day that he wished Pitt had won the recruiting battle for WPIAL defensive backs Demetrious Cox and Montae Nicholson, who Narduzzi landed for the Spartans.“You can't push an easy-fix button,” Narduzzi said.................
LINK:
http://triblive.com/sports/kevingorman/12075015-74/gorman-pitt-puts-priority-on-fixing-pass-defense
