I somehow hope this isn't piling on, or it is isn't noise that just gets drowned out by other noise. There will be some specifics about the game itself, but moreso a program temperature, of where we are, where we can and likely will go.
* I get less and less upset every year over failed "opportunities" to advance this program. I have been fairly emotionally invested in this program from HS to now, which is a long time, save for a period in the 90's that coincided with rock bottom plus me moving away, so it was off of the radar for me. However, I no longer get overly upset or angry. I don't post during games anymore because that is just wasted time. I can put these games behind me fairly easily. And from a personal standpoint that is good, but if you are viewing me from a fan's perspective, that is not good.
* One. Two. Three. Four. Five. That was my count. The first five passes were catchable balls. Not extremely well thrown, but the receiver's had their hands on it, and came up with nothing. It was more on them than some steely spell put forth on them by the great and dear departing Bud Foster. Five. In a row. How does it happen? IMO, that sucked the life and the confidence from our offense from the get and it fueled VT's confidence and defense as it continually put us behind the sticks.
* Here we are folks, another year, another 4 losses at least. As is often mentioned, we haven't loss less than 3 games in a season since 1981. Think about this. Most people who were at Pitt in 1981 are grandparents now. But on top of this, we have had what, three season of 3 losses during that time? That means in 38 seasons, 35 of them have had 4 losses or better? We don't need Shruggs to pull out some mathematical table to indicate, it is what it is. We are the very definition of mediocrity. The very definition. We are a 7-6/8-5 program, That is our "X-Bar". Maybe we should realize this.
* Minnesota won 10 games for the second time since 2003. Before that, it was over 100 years ago. Minnesota and Pitt have alot more in common as a program than Penn State and Pitt.
* Kenny, Kenny, Kenny. I am not sure what we ultimately have. I suspect since the time #13 was behind Center, probably the #1 reason we have had mostly 7-6 type of seasons is we simply have lacked a difference maker at QB. We had some decent ones, but no truly transcendent talents at that position that could lift a 7-8 win team to 10-11 teams. And Kenny Pickett ain't one of these.
* It is criminal what we have or should I say don't have, at TE. And to think of guys like Nick Bowers, Charles Reeves, Chris Clark...someone....hell any of those guys would have been an upgrade.
* A great tweet I saw this weekend. "Pitt’s players embody Narduzzi’s attitude. Every time they have some success they lose focus and falter. We see it in game with the blown leads and game to game, yesterday being a prime example." Another great tweet: Our safeties continually lead with their heads. Our HC and OC continually fail to do so. I think these say alot and are true. As I texted to some buddies during the game, "maybe this is good, maybe this program needs its ass kicked". Because we seem to have gotten rather full of ourselves. The attention to detail is so lacking.
* In the past what, 3-4 games, we have seen pregame skirmishes. The fact that Pitt is the constant in those games, I am thinking more the blame lies with Pitt than the opponents. Again, more of this false swagger/arrogance.
* Targeting. I hate it. You hate it. Narduzzi hates it. Paris Ford definitely hates it. But dammit, it is a rule! Start coaching your players to wrap up and tackle and not lead with their head. To not launch themselves at the ball carrier/receiver. Yes I love Ford being a human missile, but I also love him being on the field, eligible to play. The coaches got to start enforcing and coaching against doing this.
* Our defense was valiant, and aside from that broken 75 yard TD pass (the first one of those in awhile) they were keeping us in the game again until the weight of the hopelessness of the offense finally collapsed on them.
* Another 2nd half, another scoreless, TDless second half. We have not outscored ANY team in the second half this year. Any team.
* FIRE NARDUZZI! For what? There have been so many posts over the past couple of days, for what? Remember that point a few takes back? 4 losses? 7-6/8-5? That's what we are. We don't need to hire another coach to step back to 5-7 only to get to 8-5 four seasons later. I am not the biggest Narduzzi fan, I think he has a ceiling about where we are now. I also think the floor is higher under him than others. If you would fire Narduzzi, who you getting to replace him?
* Remember Cincinnati. Though to the contrary. UC, a program we puff our chests out that both historically and currently we are superior, well they have hired and had to replace, Mark Dantonio, Brian Kelly, Butch Jones, Tommy Tuberville and Luke Fickell. They are 10-1 right now, this is their SEVENTH 10+ win season since 2006. SEVENTH! We can say their competition isn't that great, well the Big East when we left it was essentially what the AAC is now, and we managed to eek out one 10 win season. So.....we should not fear changing coaches, we should fear making bad hires.
* This season. We can still beat BC (we better) go to a bowl, win that and finish 9-4, which would be good, I'd call that a good season and one that hopefully catapults us next year into preseason rankings and a good finish to recruiting.
* Next year. What does it mean, where will we be?? I don't know. I am less confident than before for two main, okay, three reasons.
1) Offensive progression
2) Defensive player attrition as the NFL comes calling.
3) Pitt is Pitt
I just don't know where we improve on offense. Will Kenny get that much better? I trust that are sometimes gym teacher like mentality of coaches realize that WR's and RB's can come in and play, hell start as true Freshmen. It has been done successfully many times here at Pitt. The OLine is a concern. It has to get better and not one of you can even hope to suggest who are starting TE will be next year.
Defense, if Patrick Jones leaves, well as much as that sucks, you have Rashard Weaver back in the fold, and every one else at DE. Jaylen Twyman would be a big loss, but again we have Keyshawn Camp coming back. The wild card, the big loss would be Paris Ford. Another targeting suspension can't help. We know he ain't all that cool with school, but also he is a bit slight for the position and could use another year of calories and S&C. Ford comes back, he is 1st team AA. Of course this being Pitt, Ford leaves, Pinnock declares, Taysean Mack stupidly declares, hell the 3rd string equipment manager declares......
* Playmakers. We have an abundance of them on defense. An abundance. We hardly have any on offense. Where is Daniel Carter, this stud freshman that we heard so much about? WR? We got alot of talent coming in, some of those guys have to be able to impact. Same with RB. The guys we have at RB are not good enough.
* Return Game. A few years ago this used to be a big weapon for us. Now, it is back to Tim Stein faircatching punts. In a game where field position for us is important, we need better from the return game.
* Program. I would like to think that we are still on the upside, that 9-4 this year will be followed by 11 wins, but others in the Coastal are finally getting their crap together (we think) also. VT and UNC should be good, Miami is a mess but if they ever figure it out....look out. But also, I am growing more and more of the realization that what we see is what we get? Unless we hire a PJ Fleck or recruit a Lamar Jackson type.
* I get less and less upset every year over failed "opportunities" to advance this program. I have been fairly emotionally invested in this program from HS to now, which is a long time, save for a period in the 90's that coincided with rock bottom plus me moving away, so it was off of the radar for me. However, I no longer get overly upset or angry. I don't post during games anymore because that is just wasted time. I can put these games behind me fairly easily. And from a personal standpoint that is good, but if you are viewing me from a fan's perspective, that is not good.
* One. Two. Three. Four. Five. That was my count. The first five passes were catchable balls. Not extremely well thrown, but the receiver's had their hands on it, and came up with nothing. It was more on them than some steely spell put forth on them by the great and dear departing Bud Foster. Five. In a row. How does it happen? IMO, that sucked the life and the confidence from our offense from the get and it fueled VT's confidence and defense as it continually put us behind the sticks.
* Here we are folks, another year, another 4 losses at least. As is often mentioned, we haven't loss less than 3 games in a season since 1981. Think about this. Most people who were at Pitt in 1981 are grandparents now. But on top of this, we have had what, three season of 3 losses during that time? That means in 38 seasons, 35 of them have had 4 losses or better? We don't need Shruggs to pull out some mathematical table to indicate, it is what it is. We are the very definition of mediocrity. The very definition. We are a 7-6/8-5 program, That is our "X-Bar". Maybe we should realize this.
* Minnesota won 10 games for the second time since 2003. Before that, it was over 100 years ago. Minnesota and Pitt have alot more in common as a program than Penn State and Pitt.
* Kenny, Kenny, Kenny. I am not sure what we ultimately have. I suspect since the time #13 was behind Center, probably the #1 reason we have had mostly 7-6 type of seasons is we simply have lacked a difference maker at QB. We had some decent ones, but no truly transcendent talents at that position that could lift a 7-8 win team to 10-11 teams. And Kenny Pickett ain't one of these.
* It is criminal what we have or should I say don't have, at TE. And to think of guys like Nick Bowers, Charles Reeves, Chris Clark...someone....hell any of those guys would have been an upgrade.
* A great tweet I saw this weekend. "Pitt’s players embody Narduzzi’s attitude. Every time they have some success they lose focus and falter. We see it in game with the blown leads and game to game, yesterday being a prime example." Another great tweet: Our safeties continually lead with their heads. Our HC and OC continually fail to do so. I think these say alot and are true. As I texted to some buddies during the game, "maybe this is good, maybe this program needs its ass kicked". Because we seem to have gotten rather full of ourselves. The attention to detail is so lacking.
* In the past what, 3-4 games, we have seen pregame skirmishes. The fact that Pitt is the constant in those games, I am thinking more the blame lies with Pitt than the opponents. Again, more of this false swagger/arrogance.
* Targeting. I hate it. You hate it. Narduzzi hates it. Paris Ford definitely hates it. But dammit, it is a rule! Start coaching your players to wrap up and tackle and not lead with their head. To not launch themselves at the ball carrier/receiver. Yes I love Ford being a human missile, but I also love him being on the field, eligible to play. The coaches got to start enforcing and coaching against doing this.
* Our defense was valiant, and aside from that broken 75 yard TD pass (the first one of those in awhile) they were keeping us in the game again until the weight of the hopelessness of the offense finally collapsed on them.
* Another 2nd half, another scoreless, TDless second half. We have not outscored ANY team in the second half this year. Any team.
* FIRE NARDUZZI! For what? There have been so many posts over the past couple of days, for what? Remember that point a few takes back? 4 losses? 7-6/8-5? That's what we are. We don't need to hire another coach to step back to 5-7 only to get to 8-5 four seasons later. I am not the biggest Narduzzi fan, I think he has a ceiling about where we are now. I also think the floor is higher under him than others. If you would fire Narduzzi, who you getting to replace him?
* Remember Cincinnati. Though to the contrary. UC, a program we puff our chests out that both historically and currently we are superior, well they have hired and had to replace, Mark Dantonio, Brian Kelly, Butch Jones, Tommy Tuberville and Luke Fickell. They are 10-1 right now, this is their SEVENTH 10+ win season since 2006. SEVENTH! We can say their competition isn't that great, well the Big East when we left it was essentially what the AAC is now, and we managed to eek out one 10 win season. So.....we should not fear changing coaches, we should fear making bad hires.
* This season. We can still beat BC (we better) go to a bowl, win that and finish 9-4, which would be good, I'd call that a good season and one that hopefully catapults us next year into preseason rankings and a good finish to recruiting.
* Next year. What does it mean, where will we be?? I don't know. I am less confident than before for two main, okay, three reasons.
1) Offensive progression
2) Defensive player attrition as the NFL comes calling.
3) Pitt is Pitt
I just don't know where we improve on offense. Will Kenny get that much better? I trust that are sometimes gym teacher like mentality of coaches realize that WR's and RB's can come in and play, hell start as true Freshmen. It has been done successfully many times here at Pitt. The OLine is a concern. It has to get better and not one of you can even hope to suggest who are starting TE will be next year.
Defense, if Patrick Jones leaves, well as much as that sucks, you have Rashard Weaver back in the fold, and every one else at DE. Jaylen Twyman would be a big loss, but again we have Keyshawn Camp coming back. The wild card, the big loss would be Paris Ford. Another targeting suspension can't help. We know he ain't all that cool with school, but also he is a bit slight for the position and could use another year of calories and S&C. Ford comes back, he is 1st team AA. Of course this being Pitt, Ford leaves, Pinnock declares, Taysean Mack stupidly declares, hell the 3rd string equipment manager declares......
* Playmakers. We have an abundance of them on defense. An abundance. We hardly have any on offense. Where is Daniel Carter, this stud freshman that we heard so much about? WR? We got alot of talent coming in, some of those guys have to be able to impact. Same with RB. The guys we have at RB are not good enough.
* Return Game. A few years ago this used to be a big weapon for us. Now, it is back to Tim Stein faircatching punts. In a game where field position for us is important, we need better from the return game.
* Program. I would like to think that we are still on the upside, that 9-4 this year will be followed by 11 wins, but others in the Coastal are finally getting their crap together (we think) also. VT and UNC should be good, Miami is a mess but if they ever figure it out....look out. But also, I am growing more and more of the realization that what we see is what we get? Unless we hire a PJ Fleck or recruit a Lamar Jackson type.
