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It's time to play Yarnell

That’s the game that is played everywhere and we’re in no position to be different. But Lyke should have tried to be more involved and insistent that a truly dynamic OC hire was tied to it. Leaving him to own devices with that hire has proved to be disaster. He made one great hire, a couple average ones (Whip was rescued by the Covid year), and two absolutely terrible ones.

Seriously, the extension is one thing, all schools need to do that with a coach for the recruiting, etc, But external engagement by the AD for the OC hire is where the program DOES have to be different; if Duz balked at that (and he likely would have at first) we indeed should have done exactly what you said, and let him stay on the previous deal.

Because it has been right there on paper and the TV screen for these last 9 years: with a good to superlative offense, the team has excellent success with Duz; without that, we are mediocre or worse. HE doesn’t seem to care, but LYKE needs to care. The glaring acres of yellow seats the rest of the way are why she has to care. The cratering of donations and ticket sales (a big price discount is going to be unavoidable) is why she needs to care. Especially with another terrible basketball season nearly inevitable now.

Dammit this is a billion dollar business Pitt is in, and they have to manage it professionally. This is not some club beer league softball team.
I just don’t think it had to be done because everyone else does it. He was under contract until 2024, it’s not like he was entering a lame duck season. No need to worry about recruiting because Pitt doesn’t recruit any studs. They’re getting 2-3 star guys and maybe one or two 4 star players at best. If a deal needed to be done, tack on two years so he had five years total. Now they have this deal through 2030 and after his best season, Narduzzi may be on track for his worst season.
 
Non-revenue sport hero. Judge her by what matters:

-Capel
- Dooz extension and raise

Sometimes you need a Barry Alvarez around to make sure things get done right with the only two sports that really matter from a perception and budget standpoint. Do you think Narduzzi would have been allowed to have had 5 OCs in 7 years if BA was his boss?
Hear hear. See my post above. Left to his own devices his OC hires have largely been bad to terrible.
 
I just don’t think it had to be done because everyone else does it. He was under contract until 2024, it’s not like he was entering a lame duck season. No need to worry about recruiting because Pitt doesn’t recruit any studs. They’re getting 2-3 star guys and maybe one or two 4 star players at best. If a deal needed to be done, tack on two years so he had five years total. Now they have this deal through 2030 and after his best season, Narduzzi may be on track for his worst season.
That should have been the deal. No involvement in OC, then no extension. We have seen your history there and it’s bad. We’ll take the chance.
 
Yeah your right , who’d ever think that a pair of 6th round draft choices would become the greatest Qb in the history of the NFL or the best WR in the league . Or how about the coaching geniuses at UNC that keep Willie Parker on the bench . While Palko was a good qb at Pitt was he really better than Flacco ?

What you played like in high school should totally dictate the rest of your career in college .

If Slovis is the answer at Qb then they need to fire the OC because the way he plays he’s not the answer . ( Nor is scheme the HC insists on playing on D . )

If the coaching staff sticks with Slovis I’d expect anyone currently on the team at qb to leave

This is a good post. Sometimes you just can't predict how guys will perform when the lights are shining bright. I have no doubt that Slovis looks the best when they're all wearing red jerseys. He has a nice arm. The problem is that things get insane the moment adversity hits and he starts getting knocked around a bit.

Now, to his credit, he did hang in the pocket long enough to make some of the deeper throws yesterday. But I'm starting to get the sense that those are the only throws he's really interested in making. As soon as UNC started putting their safeties back and taking those deep posts away, he just didn't know what to do with himself.

He doesn't strike me as the gritty leader who a team can rally around as he marches downfield as toughs out the drives. He's either hitting on the long bombs or he goes into complete frantic mode.
 
This is a good post. Sometimes you just can't predict how guys will perform when the lights are shining bright. I have no doubt that Slovis looks the best when they're all wearing red jerseys. He has a nice arm. The problem is that things get insane the moment adversity hits and he starts getting knocked around a bit.

Now, to his credit, he did hang in the pocket long enough to make some of the deeper throws yesterday. But I'm starting to get the sense that those are the only throws he's really interested in making. As soon as UNC started putting their safeties back and taking those deep posts away, he just didn't know what to do with himself.

He doesn't strike me as the gritty leader who a team can rally around as he marches downfield as toughs out the drives. He's either hitting on the long bombs or he goes into complete frantic mode.
Also he has the mobility of a turtle and has no pocket presence whatsoever just look at maye and what Pickett brought to the table with there legs
 
Also he has the mobility of a turtle and has no pocket presence whatsoever just look at maye and what Pickett brought to the table with there legs

Right. Like can you imagine him scrambling for tough yards when things aren't there? Or evading pressure in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield and then firing a strike into a tight window?

He plays like a male model who doesn't want to take a hit and compromise his Abercrombie and Fitch career. No grit whatsoever. I remember a little pony scamper he made against WVU before running out of bounds, but that was about it in terms of plays that stand out with him doing something with his legs. He only seems interested in making the "cool" video game-esque throw now. Anything else is beneath him.

And then as soon as we get down, he just starts panicking and throwing into double coverage late in the game. It's like the same formula every week.
 
Yes. 1% of the time. The other 99% of the time, 3 star QBs whose offers were from Missouri St, UAB, Tulsa, Nevada, Texas St, and Utah might actually suck. I watched Yarnell play. He did not look like an FBS QB. He looked like any random FCS level dude who we have seen in Spring Games over the year.

What are you taking about?

 
So many fans were in favor of giving Narduzzi the contract extension after last season. He still had plenty of time on the contract and they easily could’ve waited to show last season wasn’t a fluke.
The fans aren't getting paid $800K/year to make a decision. Lyke is and she screwed the pooch.
 
I've had SMF on ignore for quite some time . It's amazing to me how many of you actually respond to his comments ...
 
Yarnell STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!

He will NEVER be a full time starter at Pitt. Please stop. Slovis is by far our best QB.
If that’s the case and there is no new and improved QB replacing him next year - heaven help us all.

It’s going to be more of the same.
 
I mean you see this even on pro teams look up what’s happening on the other side of the facility where Mike Tomlin will not start Jalen Warren even though he is better than the first round pick Najee Harris. This happens a lot. That happens in high school a lot too. And it happens even more in college
 
If that’s the case and there is no new and improved QB replacing him next year - heaven help us all.

It’s going to be more of the same.
Slovis is going to transfer down and we'll get a G5 transfer, who probably will not be any better. Maybe someone similar to like Hunter Wells from Marshall/VT. There is a 0% chance Yarnell will be the starter next year.
 
Not trying something different when the results of doing the same thing is guaranteed is the definition of insanity.

The season Is shot. It’s time to empty the bench.
I'm fine with your conclusion. Get some new guys some reps. I just think Yarnell was fighting for the third string job because that's who he is, at least for now. I remember our fans being convinced Bostick or Kevan Smith or whoever was going to be the next coming.
 
I'm fine with your conclusion. Get some new guys some reps. I just think Yarnell was fighting for the third string job because that's who he is, at least for now. I remember our fans being convinced Bostick or Kevan Smith or whoever was going to be the next coming.
And Pat Hoderny, Mark Myers, Trey Anderson, etc. 99 times out of 100, the coaches are playing the best QB
 
And Pat Hoderny, Mark Myers, Trey Anderson, etc. 99 times out of 100, the coaches are playing the best QB
You forgot Kenny Pickett. Don't really know until they get some playing time. Took KP years to get to the point where he could deliver last season.
 
I will give you that but Kenny was a true freshman. Yarnell is in his 2nd season.
He was hurt his HS senior season and was hurt at Pitt last year. I'm pretty confident that they don't exactly know what they have in Yarnell yet, and won't know until he gets more play.
 
He was hurt his HS senior season and was hurt at Pitt last year. I'm pretty confident that they don't exactly know what they have in Yarnell yet, and won't know until he gets more play.

I know. He is better than Solvis, at least in this type of offense.
 
One of the biggest problems this year is throwing the deep ball. All I know is Yarnell threw a couple of nice deep balls to Wayne in the WMU game. I haven’t seen any since…
 
Seriously, Slovis is not the answer. Get Yarnell the experience before next season. When you throw a 3 yard pass to a covered WR on 4th and 6, you don't deserve to start. Almost as bad as the Florida QB throwing it out of bounds on 4th down today.

Like I said over a year ago, they should have made him the starter last season. Then we would have won more games and not have had to deal with the grown ass man.
 
I mean you see this even on pro teams look up what’s happening on the other side of the facility where Mike Tomlin will not start Jalen Warren even though he is better than the first round pick Najee Harris. This happens a lot. That happens in high school a lot too. And it happens even more in college
Yes, I posted this last year an……. it’s true it’s true.
 
Like I said over a year ago, they should have made him the starter last season. Then we would have won more games and not have had to deal with the grown ass man.
When you watch that kid throw the ball and his size and athleticism, it makes me furious that this Malpractice of a OC didn’t see the potential to develop this kid
 
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I always like to defer to coaches who see these guys everyday in practice , what does this say about their ability to judge talent ?

For whatever it means I liked Yarnell from what I saw last yr in his limited PT .

When you’ve got a lot invested in a player that obviously gives him an edge , but should never be the deciding factor on who plays . Mike Tomlin says it right , he’s judged by wins , you play the guys who give you the best chance to win period .

The HC deferring to the OC on who plays is BS , you’re the boss and been around football all your life . Not knowing when to assert your authority is a very bad trait for a HC .
 
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I always like to defer to coaches who see these guys everyday in practice , what does this say about their ability to judge talent ?

For whatever it means I liked Yarnell from what I saw last yr in his limited PT .

When you’ve got a lot invested in a player that obviously gives him an edge , but should never be the deciding factor on who plays . Mike Tomlin says it right , he’s judged by wins , you play the guys who give you the best chance to win period .

The HC deferring to the OC on who plays is BS , you’re the boss and been around football all your life . Not knowing when to assert your authority is a very bad trait for a HC .
My main issue with the “ coaches see these guys everyday in practice “ mindset is that you gotta also know COACHES CONTROL WHO GETS REPS AND WHO PLAYS AGAINST THE 1ST TEAM AND 2ND TEAM AND WITH SCOUT TEAM. So if they have it made up in their mind that they want to see Joe Smoe over Dan Blow, Dan Blow never gets the reps needed to show he can execute better. It is why coaches who foster REAL competition end up with a better overall team and finding diamonds in the rough ( Pete Carroll, Bill Cowher, Dick Vermeil, Marty Schottenheimer, Jimmy Johnson ) were MASTERS AT IT. when you play everybody in practice and give them reps you get to see what their strengths are and you get to see what they need to work on and would you as a coaching staff need to get them to spend extra time in. But unfortunately, most coaches today are just worried about installing offenses and defenses weekly so they never put their young guys in a position to battle and grow in practice and those teams miss out and become stagnant ( see the Pittsburgh Steelers ). Coaches at smaller schools have to be that way because they have to get lucky and find lottery tickets ( see Khalil Mack, JJ Watt, Ben Rothelisberger, ). Coaches who are great LOVE being proven wrong.
 
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