I'm sure this was a one-off by Narduzzi last night

[SVPanther]

But his over the top sideline conduct was noticed nationally. No repeats, coach.
http://www.todaysu.com/acc/pittsbur...-narduzzi-defines-pitt-loss-to-virginia-tech/

 

[PittMan 72]

But his over the top sideline over the top conduct was noticed nationally. No repeats, coach.
http://www.todaysu.com/acc/pittsbur...-narduzzi-defines-pitt-loss-to-virginia-tech/

It depends. If a coach thinks his team is being cheated, what exactly is he supposed to do? Bend over and say: "May I have another, sir"?

If the conduct was directed at his own players or coaches (as we have seen from other head coaches at other schools), I would agree with you. But no coach is obligated to take a screwing. Nor should they take it lying down.

 

[Pitt-Chains]

It depends. If a coach thinks his team is being cheated, what exactly is he supposed to do? Bend over and say: "May I have another, sir"?

If the conduct was directed at his own players or coaches (as we have seen from other head coaches at other schools), I would agree with you. But no coach is obligated to take a screwing. Nor should they take it lying down.

PITT was cheated, the ref's were horrible..

 

[TD_istheman]

Refs were bad both ways , he acted like a fool, and it's ok to be honest as a Pitt fan

 

[htp]

PITT was cheated, the ref's were horrible..

why doe we find acceptable conduct from our coaches that if exhibited by our children would be disciplined
I like the intensity but by definition a professional maintains his poise when all about him are losing theirs

 

[ChazzMo]

I have no problem whatsoever with Narduzzi's comportment during the game.

I'd much rather have a guy who is prepared to show how much he cares, or how much the ref got it wrong, or isn't afraid to be emotional, than I would a cold fish like Wlat or Chryst. Give me Narduzzi or a Wannstadt ANY time.

A team adopts the personality of its coach to a large degree. Under Narduzzi, we may lose a game because we don't have the players, or we make errors, or the other team has a better plan and execution, but we're NOT going to lose because we lack emotion and we lack fire.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Refs were bad both ways , he acted like a fool, and it's ok to be honest as a Pitt fan

A few bad calls that extended their stopped drives could have very well cost us the game. There really isnt any doubt about that. And as far as our dbs being physical, they pushed off on nearly every catch. It's not whining if it's true.

I'm not blaming the loss of the refs....we missed many opportunities and probably deserved the loss the way we started the game. But Vtech definitely benefited from a few major bad calls.

 

[QuitCallingMeWanny]

During the Chryst era people bitched about "showing no emotion on the sidelines n'at" calling him "sleepy" and whatever clever in your own mind buzzwords you wanted to use, now we have a guy that wants to be here and is intense and is fighting to bring this program back and now it isn't good......

Pitt fans are b!tches...seriously....The most mentally soft group of people I have ever come in contact with....

 

[gtbb3115]

PN is a good coach. Pitt seems well prepared and they play hard for him. Pitt fans are gonna take the side of the coach. I get it. To the outsiders who are not Pitt fans, he came across as whinny, every time they had the camera on him he was barking at the ref's. Just coach your team and make adjustments based on how the game is being officiated. I didnt like his post game comments either. You can tell it was about the ref's and not about his players and coaching points. His calling out the VTech WR's for pushing off was uncalled for. Those VT WR's were just better than his freshman CB's. They made the plays.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

I like a coach who stands up for his team and up to the officials when he feels cheated. He had every right to feel cheated.

 

[McCool]

He wanted this game very badly. He has an admirable impatience to get to the top. he has his team fighting right along side of him. that first quarter had to drive him crazy. He will better regulate his impatience with head coaching maturity, and when he gets his team to the top. i'm with the duzz, hail to Pitt.

 

[cashbin99]

I think everyone is missing the bigger picture here. I think that PN knows exactly what he is doing regarding the refs. I believe whether it is football or basketball there is clearly a subtle bias among the ACC refs to favor the schools from the legacy states ( NC, Virginia, and SC). During close games or critical calls this bias can be a factor. I don't think it is a conspiracy among the refs but just a natural human reaction to favor someone that your know better. PN understands this and only creates this over the top reaction during ACC games for the most part. He is drawing attention to the refs to prevent this behavior from continuing in the future. I am sure that a lot of people will take the position that the reaction from PN will only make the refs want to get back at PN and Pitt. I actually think you will get the opposite result. The refs will be more sensitive to any close calls involving Pitt because it will reinforce and validate PN's position regarding the refs. I listen to the FAN yesterday and Starkey made this his primary talking point and obviously took the position that PN was too over the top with his sideline antics. It is amazing how much time he devotes to negative topics regarding Pitt. He and his partner hardly spend any time talking about the positives after a Pitt win. I guess you would expect this from two grown adults that behave and sound like two teenage boys on the air.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I think everyone is missing the bigger picture here. I think that PN knows exactly what he is doing regarding the refs.

I agree. He knows his corners can't cover to save their lives and he knows that his corners commit pass interference on a regular basis and he knows that his best chance to win is if he can get the refs to ignore as many of the penalties that his corners commit as possible. There's really not much more to it than that.

I mean good god, he called out the refs for the "supposed offsides" call on a play when the Pitt DB was a full yard offsides. It was so blatantly obvious that even before the ball was snapped I said "that guy covering the slot receiver is way offsides". It was literally the easiest call of the night, indeed the easiest penalty call you will see all weekend long, and yet we still bitched about it as if it was some incorrect or even possibly controversial decision.

 

[Jpripper88]

A few bad calls that extended their stopped drives could have very well cost us the game. There really isnt any doubt about that. And as far as our dbs being physical, they pushed off on nearly every catch. It's not whining if it's true.

I'm not blaming the loss of the refs....we missed many opportunities and probably deserved the loss the way we started the game. But Vtech definitely benefited from a few major bad calls.

It isn't true. We held their WRs (and do so every game) every play. Our coach refuses to adapt the scheme or properly coach. It is on him and yes he looked like a fool on Thursday. He looked like Brian Kelly. It was embarrassing, but I'll take that if he is making adjustments and winning games with his coaching. He isn't. He has thrown away 3 wins and the chance to get to the ACC championship because of his stubbornness and refusal to adjust. That is far more embarrassing and worrisome.

 

[Jpripper88]

I agree. He knows his corners can't cover to save their lives and he knows that his corners commit pass interference on a regular basis and he knows that his best chance to win is if he can get the refs to ignore as many of the penalties that his corners commit as possible. There's really not much more to it than that.

I mean good god, he called out the refs for the "supposed offsides" call on a play when the Pitt DB was a full yard offsides. It was so blatantly obvious that even before the ball was snapped I said "that guy covering the slot receiver is way offsides". It was literally the easiest call of the night, indeed the easiest penalty call you will see all weekend long, and yet we still bitched about it as if it was some incorrect or even possibly controversial decision.

Why doesn't he just adjust his scheme? That is what a good coach does. He refuses. It will probably be his downfall.

 

[FireballZ]

I agree. He knows his corners can't cover to save their lives and he knows that his corners commit pass interference on a regular basis and he knows that his best chance to win is if he can get the refs to ignore as many of the penalties that his corners commit as possible. There's really not much more to it than that.

I mean good god, he called out the refs for the "supposed offsides" call on a play when the Pitt DB was a full yard offsides. It was so blatantly obvious that even before the ball was snapped I said "that guy covering the slot receiver is way offsides". It was literally the easiest call of the night, indeed the easiest penalty call you will see all weekend long, and yet we still bitched about it as if it was some incorrect or even possibly controversial decision.

Shouldn't you have admiration for someone that bitches all of the time? You and Narduzzi could be "twins" in that regard. And I'll bet that you've been mistaken for Danny DeVito on more than one occasion throughout your many years....

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Why doesn't he just adjust his scheme? That is what a good coach does. He refuses. It will probably be his downfall.

I don't know. The notion that he seems to have that there is just one way for us to play and that he can't really do anything else is completely bizarre. The mark of a good coach is that they adjust their game plans to suit the talent they have available. The fact that Narduzzi absolutely refuses to do anything other than "what he does" is not a good mark on his proverbial coaching ledger.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Shouldn't you have admiration for someone that bitches all of the time? You and Narduzzi could be "twins" in that regard. And I'll bet that you've been mistaken for Danny DeVito on more than one occasion throughout your many years....

What a randomly bizarre, utterly moronic comment.

 

[DruidTM]

why doe we find acceptable conduct from our coaches that if exhibited by our children would be disciplined
I like the intensity but by definition a professional maintains his poise when all about him are losing theirs

Because Pat Narduzzi isn't my kid .....simple right?

 

[counselor10]

I think this article was spot on. I love Narduzzi, however he went overboard with his antics on the sidelines. There is no question he is a fiery guy but he did look silly especially as the game went on.

I don't agree you have to act like a crazy coach on the sidelines to work the officials. Lots of coaches have different persona's on the sideline and doing what he did certainly didn't help the cause.

The bigger problem/concern I have is he is NOT making adjustments and playing to the strength of the talent he currently is working with.

Good and great coaches play with the talent they have and set schemes accordingly. Why he refuses....maybe he has a plan and we have to trust it.

As a Pitt fan it is a little concerning and as I have said in other threads we are a few years away.

 

[H2P-2007]

It's that the refs didn't let it go both ways that was the infuriating thing. WRs could hand-jockey and push off but the refs would then call PI on the CBs for doing the same thing.

 

[Jpripper88]

I think this article was spot on. I love Narduzzi, however he went overboard with his antics on the sidelines. There is no question he is a fiery guy but he did look silly especially as the game went on.

I don't agree you have to act like a crazy coach on the sidelines to work the officials. Lots of coaches have different persona's on the sideline and doing what he did certainly didn't help the cause.

The bigger problem/concern I have is he is NOT making adjustments and playing to the strength of the talent he currently is working with.

Good and great coaches play with the talent they have and set schemes accordingly. Why he refuses....maybe he has a plan and we have to trust it.

As a Pitt fan it is a little concerning and as I have said in other threads we are a few years away.

Spot on.

 

[cashbin99]

I think this article was spot on. I love Narduzzi, however he went overboard with his antics on the sidelines. There is no question he is a fiery guy but he did look silly especially as the game went on.

I don't agree you have to act like a crazy coach on the sidelines to work the officials. Lots of coaches have different persona's on the sideline and doing what he did certainly didn't help the cause.

The bigger problem/concern I have is he is NOT making adjustments and playing to the strength of the talent he currently is working with.

Good and great coaches play with the talent they have and set schemes accordingly. Why he refuses....maybe he has a plan and we have to trust it.

As a Pitt fan it is a little concerning and as I have said in other threads we are a few years away.

I am not talking just about the interference calls. I agree that PN needs to make adjustments to help his corners. I think that his defense works with the right talent but he doesn't have the personnel. However, there are more than just interference calls that impact a game. I think PN is looking at the overall quality of the refs calls.

 

[counselor10]

I am not talking just about the interference calls. I agree that PN needs to make adjustments to help his corners. I think that his defense works with the right talent but he doesn't have the personnel. However, there are more than just interference calls that impact a game. I think PN is looking at the overall quality of the refs calls.

No question, however we all know that the referees are bad across the board and we all have to expect getting a few calls and being on the wrong side of some of these calls. Calling them out is not going to help. Call the ACC and complain...still not sure it's going to have any affect.

 

[counselor10]

It isn't true. We held their WRs (and do so every game) every play. Our coach refuses to adapt the scheme or properly coach. It is on him and yes he looked like a fool on Thursday. He looked like Brian Kelly. It was embarrassing, but I'll take that if he is making adjustments and winning games with his coaching. He isn't. He has thrown away 3 wins and the chance to get to the ACC championship because of his stubbornness and refusal to adjust. That is far more embarrassing and worrisome.

Totally agree. I was at the UNC game and the timeouts wasted and poor play calling late in the game. Not to mention the horrendous play of our secondary.
How many people on this board ripped Kelly? The only difference is Narduzzi isn't embarrassing his assistant coaches on the sideline. Focus your energy on what you CAN CONTROL...

 

[TD_istheman]

It isn't true. We held their WRs (and do so every game) every play. Our coach refuses to adapt the scheme or properly coach. It is on him and yes he looked like a fool on Thursday. He looked like Brian Kelly. It was embarrassing, but I'll take that if he is making adjustments and winning games with his coaching. He isn't. He has thrown away 3 wins and the chance to get to the ACC championship because of his stubbornness and refusal to adjust. That is far more embarrassing and worrisome.

This is the honest truth

 

[pbrad]

It isn't true. We held their WRs (and do so every game) every play. Our coach refuses to adapt the scheme or properly coach. It is on him and yes he looked like a fool on Thursday. He looked like Brian Kelly. It was embarrassing, but I'll take that if he is making adjustments and winning games with his coaching. He isn't. He has thrown away 3 wins and the chance to get to the ACC championship because of his stubbornness and refusal to adjust. That is far more embarrassing and worrisome.

Brian Kelly yells at his own players, Duzz was yelling at the refs. Big difference, but I do agree he has to adjust to his players strengths and put them in better positions to make plays.

 

[pbrad]

This is the honest truth

I don't believe this is the total truth, but I understand you don't like the Duzz so I expect you to only see PITT's mistakes. Thank goodness Canada has an offense clicking that keeps us in every game.

 

[PITTDC]

So what do you guys have to say about Fisher's laments during and after their game with Clemson? He's a pretty well established coach and he wasn't too kind to the officials during and after the game. Poor officiating is poor officiating and deserves calling out. Especially at this level when something is on the line.

 

[GT74]

I don't understand some of you posters. Last year, PN was lauded for his halftime adjustments and ability to win close games. See 4 straight close wins early, and some 2nd half comebacks later. Now, he doesn't know how to adjust because he has lost some close games. I am not a football coach, and not observant enough to scrutinize his strategy within games, but I watched the VT game over again and saw DBs right there in coverage. They lost jump balls and at times don't turn their heads resulting in PI penalties. But, it seems to be a matter of technique in finishing and the fact they are so much shorter in height. Also, a former HS coach told me (I have asked some of the same questions as on here), that there are subtle adjustments being made by the staff, but the players aren't always good enough to consistently make them work. So take this post for what it is worth, but this 'not making adjustments, and changing scheme' references are overexaggerated IMO.

 

[macdad25]

The Psu win over Osu clearly has ramped up the pressure he must feel regarding recruiting.

 

[TD_istheman]

I don't understand some of you posters. Last year, PN was lauded for his halftime adjustments and ability to win close games. See 4 straight close wins early, and some 2nd half comebacks later. Now, he doesn't know how to adjust because he has lost some close games. I am not a football coach, and not observant enough to scrutinize his strategy within games, but I watched the VT game over again and saw DBs right there in coverage. They lost jump balls and at times don't turn their heads resulting in PI penalties. But, it seems to be a matter of technique in finishing and the fact they are so much shorter in height. Also, a former HS coach told me (I have asked some of the same questions as on here), that there are subtle adjustments being made by the staff, but the players aren't always good enough to consistently make them work. So take this post for what it is worth, but this 'not making adjustments, and changing scheme' references are overexaggerated IMO.

He knows, but in his own words, he won't. Big difference

 

[PantherO]

I was at the game, so while I could see Coach yell, not sure how bad it was. My biggest problems with the refs was the apparent inconsistencies. No one is perfect, but at least try to be consistent.

 

[CorsosRevenge]

This past weekend we saw:

Narduzzi lose his mind over the officiating at Thursday's Pitt-VT game.
Jimbo lose his mind in the same fashion at the FSU-Clemson game.
And also, Bobby Petrino bitched about the refs during his halftime interview of the Louisville-Virginia game.

You can discuss the method all you want, but when three coaches publicly complain about the same exact thing you have a problem.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

I was at the game and wasn't paying too much attention to the sideline antics so I'll have to take everyone's word for it.

However, there were some bizarre calls in that game and they mostly did seem to go against Pitt. There was one call on the sideline right in front of us where the receiver for Virginia Tech literally climbed on top of Dane Jackson and the Pitt corner was inexplicably called for defensive pass interference.

That was an indefensibly poor call by the official. It was also a third-down play that extended their drive that did lead to a touchdown. Those turned out to be huge points.

Pitt played so poorly all night long that I cannot blame the loss on the officials. We earned that loss. However, that does not mean that the officials had a good night either because they very clearly did not.

As for sideline antics, there absolutely is a line where it gets over the top. As I said earlier, I did not see those antics so I can't comment on them. However, I would hope that someone in the ACC is evaluating these officials and letting them know that they had a tough game. I did not look at it like they were crooked, just incompetent.

 

[Jpripper88]

I was at the game and wasn't paying too much attention to the sideline antics so I'll have to take everyone's word for it.

However, there were some bizarre calls in that game and they mostly did seem to go against Pitt. There was one call on the sideline right in front of us where the receiver for Virginia Tech literally climbed on top of Dane Jackson and the Pitt corner was inexplicably called for defensive pass interference.

That was an indefensibly poor call by the official. It was also a third-down play that extended their drive that did lead to a touchdown. Those turned out to be huge points.

Pitt played so poorly all night long that I cannot blame the loss on the officials. We earned that loss. However, that does not mean that the officials had a good night either because they very clearly did not.

As for sideline antics, there absolutely is a line where it gets over the top. As I said earlier, I did not see those antics so I can't comment on them. However, I would hope that someone in the ACC is evaluating these officials and letting them know that they had a tough game. I did not look at it like they were crooked, just incompetent.

What you couldn't see was that Jackson had a handful of his jersey the entire time, which was why he was flagged. The WR couldn't get to the ball any other way. That was a clear penalty on Pitt.

 

[thebadby2]

I was at the game and wasn't paying too much attention to the sideline antics so I'll have to take everyone's word for it.

However, there were some bizarre calls in that game and they mostly did seem to go against Pitt. There was one call on the sideline right in front of us where the receiver for Virginia Tech literally climbed on top of Dane Jackson and the Pitt corner was inexplicably called for defensive pass interference.

That was an indefensibly poor call by the official. It was also a third-down play that extended their drive that did lead to a touchdown. Those turned out to be huge points.

Pitt played so poorly all night long that I cannot blame the loss on the officials. We earned that loss. However, that does not mean that the officials had a good night either because they very clearly did not.

As for sideline antics, there absolutely is a line where it gets over the top. As I said earlier, I did not see those antics so I can't comment on them. However, I would hope that someone in the ACC is evaluating these officials and letting them know that they had a tough game. I did not look at it like they were crooked, just incompetent.

You were at the game and you can't see this stuff from the stands, so this is not directed at you, but I find it interesting that in discussing the officiating nobody on this board is talking about the way our corners played the VT receivers all night. We grabbed them, held them, pulled on them and physically molested them on every single pass play, yet we were only called for PI a couple of times. On the play you're talking about, before the ball arrived Jackson had both hands on the receiver's chest grabbing the jersey trying to hold him down, and the guy simply used Jackson;s helmet to disengage and go over top of him. Was it offensive PI? Yes. Was it defensive PI first? No question.

I thought Narduzzi was way out of line with his sideline nonsense when his own corners were interfering on every play, and I believe they were playing that way intentionally by Doozi's own instruction. Many coaches, and specifically Doozi at MSU, will tell their players to play as physical as they can get away with. If the refs don't call it, keep doing it.

I hate to think of what that game would have looked like if our corners were just trying to straight up cover those outside WRs. We probably would have given up 600 passing yards.