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Josh Conklin

cmr2133

Walk-on
Dec 12, 2010
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This defense is terrible and someone needs to be held responsible. Between Narduzzi and Conklin there is no reason they should be this bad. If they don't get any better then Conklin needs to go.

CR
 
Narduzzi needs to look at Conklin and especially Renaldo Hill. This can't continue.

The entire coaching staff has to look into the mirror and figure this out. They as a whole are the worst staff we have had at Pitt in a long time. Good coaching staffs make adjustments at halftime in anticipation of what the other staff is going to do. We have lost the second half in every game this year except Villanova. There are major problems with all three phases of this coaching staff. Narduzzi better figure it out soon.
 
This defense is terrible and someone needs to be held responsible. Between Narduzzi and Conklin there is no reason they should be this bad. If they don't get any better then Conklin needs to go.

CR
Not sure how many times it needs to be said before some of you understand: this is Narduzzi's D-he has his hands all over it. Don't blame Conklin.

Narduzzi's defense was stout at MSU. It's a sieve, at least against the pass, at Pitt. Why do you think that is? Do you think it's because Narduzzi forgot how to coach on the flight from Lansing to Pittsburgh, or could it maybe be due to the fact that we are playing a bunch of guys on D that would be depth chart players on most MAC teams-just as their offer sheets predicted?

And I'm not giving Duzzi a pass, he needs to adjust his scheme to hide some of the gaping weaknesses we have on D until we have adequate personnel. We are playing with low mid-major DBs and LBs. But that's not his style. He's stubborn.

Just remember this the next time the stupid "stars" debate heats up-for every Aaron Donald, there are 1000 Terrish Webbs. Webb, Maddox, Lewis, Mitchell, Briggs, Caprara, Galambos-these are borderline D1 players. We are bringing a knife to a gunfight rolling those guys out there every week.
 
Not sure how many times it needs to be said before some of you understand: this is Narduzzi's D-he has his hands all over it. Don't blame Conklin.

Narduzzi's defense was stout at MSU. It's a sieve, at least against the pass, at Pitt. Why do you think that is? Do you think it's because Narduzzi forgot how to coach on the flight from Lansing to Pittsburgh, or could it maybe be due to the fact that we are playing a bunch of guys on D that would be depth chart players on most MAC teams-just as their offer sheets predicted?

And I'm not giving Duzzi a pass, he needs to adjust his scheme to hide some of the gaping weaknesses we have on D until we have adequate personnel. We are playing with low mid-major DBs and LBs. But that's not his style. He's stubborn.

Just remember this the next time the stupid "stars" debate heats up-for every Aaron Donald, there are 1000 Terrish Webbs. Webb, Maddox, Lewis, Mitchell, Briggs, Caprara, Galambos-these are borderline D1 players. We are bringing a knife to a gunfight rolling those guys out there every week.
Perhaps dantonio is the brains after all?

Maybe?
 
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Perhaps dantonio is the brains after all?

Maybe?
Well he's certainly the guy who has built that program from the garbage heap to several 12 win seasons. He deserves all the credit, the head coach is what makes or beaks you. But Narsuzzi ran the defense exclusively, at Cinci and MSU. Dantonio didn't have any significant role in designing or running the D.
 
Nah, check out Sparty this year.
They won 13 games last year and made the playoff. Then they graduate the winningest QB in school history, most of their O line, and several of their best players.

And you're suggesting that this year is evidence that Narduzzi, and not Dantonio, was most responsible for their success over the years? I hope you're kidding.

Ever heard of a down year?
 
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The entire coaching staff has to look into the mirror and figure this out. They as a whole are the worst staff we have had at Pitt in a long time. Good coaching staffs make adjustments at halftime in anticipation of what the other staff is going to do. We have lost the second half in every game this year except Villanova. There are major problems with all three phases of this coaching staff. Narduzzi better figure it out soon.
While I agree that we have been horrible at in game adjustments, this staff does a great job preparing the team each week.
 
In response to souf saying dantonio may have been the brains of the bunch.
Right. So what do you believe MSU's 2 losses, one to Indiana, say about Dantonio? Are you suggesting that means he's not really a good coach? Or that Narduzzi actually deserves more of the credit for the MSU successes of the past 10 years, or that MSU has these two losses because Narduzzi isn't there anymore?
 
DANTONIO is allowed a down year after over achieving for many, one day wish we were in that position
 
Right. So what do you believe MSU's 2 losses, one to Indiana, say about Dantonio? Are you suggesting that means he's not really a good coach? Or that Narduzzi actually deserves more of the credit for the MSU successes of the past 10 years, or that MSU has these two losses because Narduzzi isn't there anymore?

All I'm saying is pump the brakes saying Mark dantonio was all the brains implying Narduzzi didn't do anything.

I'm a little disappointed with how things have went this season. It's pretty evident to me we lack high end talent, but I'm also disappointed with rigid Narduzzi has been. With personnel with not being flexible with the defensive scheme, the onside kick defense today? But we got let this play outX
 
This year is going to be rough on the defense. When Narduzzi had his best defenses, he had very good dbs. Outside of Whitehead, he doesn't have that. This is the grin-and-bear-it year( for the secondary).
Also this is still only year 2 of the Narduzzi regime. People need to relax with their axes.
 
I'm fine if Narduzzi wants to be stunborn and say this is my system and this is how we are going to run it....but do it with guys who are going to benefit from your stubborness next year. Jamming square pegs that are seniors into round holes doesn't help the present nor the future. If you're going to play good guys...bad players...Lewis, Webb, Mitchell, Maddox etc, have a system that covers up their weaknesses. If you're gonna try and dictate a system, play Coleman, Miller, Hamlin (when healthy), Garner, Campbell, Henderson, Jackson. Screw the redshirts, these guys have to be able to hold it down next year.

I'm ok with 6-6 or 5-7 if you show me talent that is building towards next year. Limping to 7-5 or 8-4 with scrubs doesn't show me much.
 
In my mind there is no question Conklin and Hill need to go. Now, that doesn't mean that Narduzzi's fingerprints aren't all over the defense - they are. But, in coaching the coordinators are often sacrificed. We aren't losing anything, Conklin sucks.
 
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All I'm saying is pump the brakes saying Mark dantonio was all the brains implying Narduzzi didn't do anything.

I'm a little disappointed with how things have went this season. It's pretty evident to me we lack high end talent, but I'm also disappointed with rigid Narduzzi has been. With personnel with not being flexible with the defensive scheme, the onside kick defense today? But we got let this play outX
The word "perhaps" and the question mark were used intentionally.

We do know Conklin isn't the brains at pitt
 
I'm fine if Narduzzi wants to be stunborn and say this is my system and this is how we are going to run it....but do it with guys who are going to benefit from your stubborness next year. Jamming square pegs that are seniors into round holes doesn't help the present nor the future. If you're going to play good guys...bad players...Lewis, Webb, Mitchell, Maddox etc, have a system that covers up their weaknesses. If you're gonna try and dictate a system, play Coleman, Miller, Hamlin (when healthy), Garner, Campbell, Henderson, Jackson. Screw the redshirts, these guys have to be able to hold it down next year.

I'm ok with 6-6 or 5-7 if you show me talent that is building towards next year. Limping to 7-5 or 8-4 with scrubs doesn't show me much.
I'm still not OK with 6-6 or 5-7, but at least this way there would be some benefit to the lumps. Right now we are in line to get nothing.
 
While I agree that we have been horrible at in game adjustments, this staff does a great job preparing the team each week.

I would argue that in game adjustments are as important or more important than the game plan because the in game adjustments are for what is happening real time and not a plan designed on tendencies which change, which require in game adjustments.
 
We hired a defensive coordinator from fiu.
And people think we are spending money on football more than in the past??

Silly

We are spending more money because salaries have risen exponentially due to the unbelievable TV money rolling in. So, we are paying more money for the same "level" of assistants under previous regimes.

It is like saying you value your kid's education more because you are spending more than you were 5 or 10 years ago. Well, you HAVE to because the cost has gone up.
 
Perhaps dantonio is the brains after all?

Maybe?
Or perhaps you are reaching again to fit data points to your vitriolic irrational hatred of the current staff..
The coach and staff you think is horrible actually won 8 games in his first year which is far more than any previous coach did at Pitt since Foge Fazio. Just curious, but what was the highest win total that Chryst ever had at Pitt?
I don't think the problem is that Coach Narduzzi's scheme is bad (MSU had one of the best defenses in college football during his tenure). I think the problem has for more to do with lack of talent, which unfortunately takes more than one recruiting season to overcome.
 
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Or perhaps you are reaching again to fit data points to your vitriolic irrational hatred of the current staff..
The coach and staff you think is horrible actually won 8 games in his first year which is far more than any previous coach did at Pitt since Foge Fazio. Just curious, but what was the highest win total that Chryst ever had at Pitt?
I don't think the problem is that Coach Narduzzi's scheme is bad (MSU had one of the best defenses in college football during his tenure). I think the problem has for more to do with lack of talent, which unfortunately takes more than one recruiting season to overcome.
I do think the primary problem is personnel related, what bothers me is that Doozi doesn't seem willing to try to tweak his philosophy even a little bit to try to help mask our major weaknesses. We are playing with either marginal D1 players or rookies at the following spots:
  • 3 of 4 DBs
  • all 3 LBs--despite how much flack our DBs take (justifiably), this may be our weakest position group. Not one of our starters have P5 size, speed or athleticism.
  • QB
  • 2 of 3 WR spots
As an overall team we lack size, speed and athleticism. We have it in spots but not nearly enough overall.
 
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Clearly, there COULD be some schematic changes that could help.

But this team on the defensive side of the ball is just not talented. With a few obvious exceptions, they're MAC-level talented.

It could get worse before it gets better to be honest. But it seems at times that people fail to look at 2010 on and realize what has happened and they fail to understand that while the offensive recruiting wasn't bad, what happened on the defensive side was just horrifying. I can't believe I'm typing it, but Lafayette Pitts it seems was a really big factor for this defense last year.
 
Clearly, there COULD be some schematic changes that could help.

But this team on the defensive side of the ball is just not talented. With a few obvious exceptions, they're MAC-level talented.

It could get worse before it gets better to be honest. But it seems at times that people fail to look at 2010 on and realize what has happened and they fail to understand that while the offensive recruiting wasn't bad, what happened on the defensive side was just horrifying. I can't believe I'm typing it, but Lafayette Pitts it seems was a really big factor for this defense last year.
I think a lot of the problem is the players who are playing awful won't be playing in the future anyway, so it isn't like it is baptism by fire that will pay off later.
 
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The entire coaching staff has to look into the mirror and figure this out. They as a whole are the worst staff we have had at Pitt in a long time. Good coaching staffs make adjustments at halftime in anticipation of what the other staff is going to do. We have lost the second half in every game this year except Villanova. There are major problems with all three phases of this coaching staff. Narduzzi better figure it out soon.
Marshall made halftime adjustments! I know this since I watched each painful minute of the second half until the Weah ( holly crap I have the ball) catch.

In my opinion the coaching situation hasn't improved since WannyBall. The same stuff ( no meaningful gameplan adjs) keeps happening where we seem to be outcoached in the 2nd half almost every game.

So with all this coaching ins an outs what did we actually gain??
I thought with the change to Narduzzi we'd see a quantum leap in gameday planning/ performance/ adjustments especially on D. I don't see any improvement!

Fyi don't say recruiting because Wanny recruited really good and put a lot of players in the NFL! He had other weaknesses but in the end had winning seasons!
 
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Or perhaps you are reaching again to fit data points to your vitriolic irrational hatred of the current staff..
The coach and staff you think is horrible actually won 8 games in his first year which is far more than any previous coach did at Pitt since Foge Fazio. Just curious, but what was the highest win total that Chryst ever had at Pitt?
I don't think the problem is that Coach Narduzzi's scheme is bad (MSU had one of the best defenses in college football during his tenure). I think the problem has for more to do with lack of talent, which unfortunately takes more than one recruiting season to overcome.
I have no hatred of this staff.
I do find it ironic you credit them for winning 8 games with more Chryst played but went to blame talent for shortcomings a year later .

Michigan state is still plenty good defensively without Narduzzi...hence , perhaps duzz wasn't the mastermind after all and dantonio deserved more credit .

If you deem that as hatred, so be it.
 
I have no hatred of this staff.
I do find it ironic you credit them for winning 8 games with more Chryst played but went to blame talent for shortcomings a year later .

Michigan state is still plenty good defensively without Narduzzi...hence , perhaps duzz wasn't the mastermind after all and dantonio deserved more credit .

If you deem that as hatred, so be it.
Duzz left his two longtime defensive assistants, Harlan Barnett and Mike Tressel, to replace him at MSU. Those two were with Dantonio and Duzzi their entire tenure at Cinci and MSU. Frankly I really hoped he would bring one of them with him to Pitt to run the D, but I think that would have created a rift with Dantonio.

Narduzzi was definitely the guy who designed, schemed, ran and called the the D at MSU. The MSU D actually hasn't been statistically as good since Duzzi left. FWIW now.

if you're asking whether Duzzi deserves as much or more credit as Dantonio for the MSU turnaround and success, the answer is absolutely not. Dooz was a big part of it, but it's all about the head coach at every program in college football. I know you don;t believe in such things, but Dantonio's top priority and biggest job was to completely change the culture of mediocrity and acceptance of losing at MSU.
 
Last year was a pleasant surprise. We have to remember that the only players that can be credited to Narduzzi are 2nd years players, most of them aren't ready yet. So we still have to be patient.
 
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Last year was a pleasant surprise. We have to remember that the only players that can be credited to Narduzzi are 2nd years players, most of them aren't ready yet. So we still have to be patient.

When Narduzzi was hired by Pitt, several Michigan State fans posted a warning that during his first two years we would experience poor defensive play by DB's until he got his own recruits onto the field. What we have seen in the last three games is very close to what they described having endured during his first two years at MSU.
 
Perhaps dantonio is the brains after all?

Maybe?


Maybe not dipstick!

Northwestern dropped 54 points on them yesterday! 54! From a team ranked in the 100's in total offense.

And I could go back to your "prove it" thread. But we are 5-2. Enjoy it you antagonistic jo. Go grab some mussels at park Bruge.
 
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