Practice: Pat Narduzzi Making Depth Chart Changes, LINK!

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

A Website Called Cardiac Hill:
Article & Link:

Practice: Pat Narduzzi Making Depth Chart Changes,
t's only spring ball and while somewhat exciting to get some football news, I still have a difficult time processing just how important this is. After all, the full team isn't even together as the freshman won't be coming until later in the year.

Don't tell that to new coach Pat Narduzzi, though. Narduzzi isn't only paying close attention to what's going on, but says depth chart changes are coming based on what's happened.

"We're starting to get to the point where coaching should take place and there should be improvement, and there's improvement in some areas and there's no improvement in other areas. The first few days were calm but now there has to be some pressure on the kids to make improvements. That's what we're going to see. There's going to be some changes in the depth chart here and there. I would imagine after the scrimmage on Saturday, you had a chance to learn it and do what we needed to do. So we're at that point now and it's getting serious."

That all makes sense from a coaching standpoint. He's got a very limited window with these guys and in trying to install a whole new system, he just doesn't have a ton of time.Overall, Narduzzi just seems like he's not all that satisfied with how things are shaping up so far. He had more to say in addition to that quote above.

There's been a lot of improvement and there's some areas that are staying the same, but nothing has gotten worse but it's supposed to get better. You have to get better every day."

Before there's too much speculation on the depth chart stuff, just realize that even if changes are made now, there's still plenty of time for things to change. Kids have to get through the summer without getting into trouble (not always a given) then there's training camp in the fall. In other words, no matter what kind of news comes out in terms of a depth chart after this weekend's scrimmage, nothing is really set in stone at this point. And, heck, forget a depth chart at the end of camp. Narduzzi says things are constantly changing. I mean, constantly. When asked about the depth chart changes, he added:

"It's probably taken some guys by surprise already. There's already been movement that maybe you guys don't see. We'll move it every day. We don't just move it during scrimmages. It gets moved daily to shake things up. It's been good for some guys."

We're a long way from things being settled and it'd be interesting to know what changes could be out there. But outside of some of the upperclassmen and the stars like Tyler Boyd, James Conner, and to a lesser degree, Chad Voytik, those guys aren't going anywhere, obviously. Plus, remember with the depth chart, we're not just talking starters here - we're talking who climbs their way onto a spot on the two deep.

Like I said, we've got a long way to go.

Be sure to @AnsonWhaley.

 

[deepelemblues]

well we already knew the roster wasn't talented enough to meet the standards that narduzzi coached by at MSU. not surprised some of them aren't improving, they aren't going to to the degree the staff wants. some really good talents on the roster, a bunch of okay ones, a bunch of mediocre ones. you can only 'coach up' mediocre talents so far. pitt is still very much rebuilding...

This post was edited on 3/30 1:07 PM by deepelemblues

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Pitt News, Interview With Coach Pat, LINK!

A unique way to read the Article as Excerpts Posted Below with Highlights & (MY COMMENTS) & Link:

http://pittnewsprofiles.com/silhouettes/pat-narduzzi-silhouette-2/

Excerpts:



TPN: You have your master's degree from Miami University (Ohio). What is that degree in?


PN: It's in sports studies. So you can ask, "what's sports studies?" It was really more of sports psychology. It was a great major. Robin Vealey was a teacher I had for a lot of classes, but it was really psychology of sport, although it's not that degree in?


PN: It's in sports studies. So you can ask, "what's sports studies?" It was really more of sports psychology. It was a great major. Robin Vealey was a teacher I had for a lot of classes, but it was really psychology of sport, although it's not titled that. I probably enjoyed my two years there more than my four years of undergrad. It was just interesting, and it was a field of study that I was getting really into, as far as my career, so it was great.

.......We need to put the University of Pittsburgh out there. People need to know how well we're doing. Like last night, tweeting at the ACC All-Academic basketball players we got, those three guys. And it was nice to get a message back from those guys saying "Thanks, Coach," even though I'm not their coach. But, to me, those are important things, and we need to recognize those, just like birthdays.....At Michigan State, for years, I tried to get us to tweet them out. Coach [Dantonio] always had this thing where we could recommend things, and I always said they don't want to get birthday cards on our Michigan State stationary. But kids like [social media]. To me, if we can get it out there and kids are looking at it, then they're finding out about University of Pittsburgh football.

......


TPN: What's the story behind the "Pitt Is It" tweets that the Pitt fanbase enjoyed so much?


PN: We haven't had one for a while. We need to get another one of those. Basically if you got a coach or a player to commit, we can't go out and publicize it. So it was a way to get out there and say, "Hey, Pitt's having a good day today," and that something happened. It's something I've seen done in the past at other schools, and I said when I become a head coach, I want to let people know that something's happening, and they can try to find out what it is. PITT IS IT! #H2P

.........TPN: Obviously one of the goals of this staff is to turn Pitt into the premiere football school in the state of Pennsylvania. You guys are going to be restarting the rivalry with Penn State in 2016. How excited are you to kick off the rivalry again?
PN: No more excited than I am to open up on Sept. 5 against Youngstown State. It's just another game. I think the fans would like to make more of it. I think maybe the media has made more of it than it really is. I think, initially, when Coach [John] Peterson tweeted out something like that [regarding Pitt being the state's premiere football school], I'll give you the inside scoop: It was really his 16-year-old son who tweeted that out for him, but I don't think his 16-year-old son meant for it to be that. I think his son's enthusiastic that his dad got a new job and is excited about the University of Pittsburgh and said that it was the premiere school in the state without really thinking about it. But we've got a great university. We're really tough about our place. I think it was just saying how great we think this place is. But the game is just another game. We'll deal with that the week of the game, but we've got a long time 'til that.

(COACH PAT AND SOMETHING RECRUITS SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN CONSIDERING PITT & PITT POSTERS COMING TO UNDERSTAND HOW COACH PAT RECRUITS AND COACHES))
TPN: In your 25-plus years of coaching, which players stick out as some of the best players you've ever coached?
PN: There are different types of players. At every school, you have a favorite that makes you go, "Wow, that guy was amazing." The guy who had the best motor I ever coached, that made me go, "Wow, if I had 11 guys like that … " was [defensive end] Trent Cole, who I coached at Cincinnati. He was one of those guys, when you talk about playing like you practice, that guy, the way he practiced was the way he played. I'd be able to compare him to other guys that didn't practice well, and they think they're going to be gamers, but they play the same way they practice. So he had one of the best motors I've ever coached. Looking at other great players, Jerel Worthy, who got drafted by the Green Bay Packers, and Darqueze Dennard, who was just a true football player who was drafted as a corner with the Bengals. Also [current NFL draft prospect] Trae Waynes was probably one of the smoothest, fastest corners, probably faster than Darqueze but not as great a blitzer, but just a phenomenal football player, and will probably be a first rounder. You can go on and on and on. There are special guys every coach has. There was a guy at Rhode Island, Frank Ferrara, who played five years in the league. We got him from Milford Academy, and when we got him - he'd be embarrassed if he read this - he couldn't do a jumping jack. But we took this guy from way downphenomenal football player, and will probably be a first rounder. You can go on and on and on. There are special guys every coach has. There was a guy at Rhode Island, Frank Ferrara, who played five years in the league. We got him from Milford Academy, and when we got him - he'd be embarrassed if he read this - he couldn't do a jumping jack. But we took this guy from way down there and got him all the way there [to the NFL] and he spent five years with the New York Giants. People said there was no way, but he did it, and he was another one of those motor guys who you could never tell him no. So there were great ones everywhere you've coached, so I can't wait to find out who the next one is here.

......TPN: Speaking of former players, you've been on the college coaching staffs for two big names in this town, Ben Roethlisberger at Miami (Ohio) and Le'Veon Bell at Michigan State. What were they like in college, and what's it been like to watch them develop into what they've become for the Steelers?
PN: Ben, back in 2003, I spent a season with him - just a super person. There are things you remember about Ben. No. 1 is that I learned a lot about football from Ben. You know, coaches learn from players just as much as players learn from coaches, it's not just a one-way street. We're always learning from players, but I learned a lot from Ben in terms of what he does and how he does it, which can help us out on defense. But he was just a super kid, one that you could talk to all the time. Before every game, Ben used to run around the field and throw balls into trash cans 50 to 60 yards downfield and put them right into the trash cans. That was like his pre-game routine, before everyone else came out, just in his pants and a T-shirt. Also, he actually babysat the kids that lived across the street from us. He was just a super person. And Le'Veon is the same way. We recruited him, saw him go all the way through his junior year, carrying the ball 300 times. He was just a war daddy - you talk about a beast carrying the rock, and leaping over people. Just a fun guy to coach. Both of them, never a problem. It's great to see that you can be good people and also be great players, too.




TPN: You've coached mostly from the press box recently at Michigan State. How excited are you to return to the sidelines, and what kind of energy can fans expect out of you on Saturdays?


PN: My wife says I better calm down as a head coach. I've actually done both. I'd usually spend three quarters in the press box and would usually be able to get downstairs. Now, in the head coach's role, it's a little bit different. There will definitely be emotion on the sidelines. I probably won't be able to control myself, but I hope the cameras aren't on me when I can't. So I probably have to learn to control it a little bit, but I'm an emotional guy.

This post was edited on 3/30 1:13 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Deepelemblues Quite Agree!

Originally posted by deepelemblues:
well we already knew the roster wasn't talented enough to meet the standards that narduzzi coached by at MSU. not surprised some of them aren't improving, they aren't going to to the degree the staff wants. some really good talents on the roster, a bunch of okay ones, a bunch of mediocre ones. you can only 'coach up' mediocre talents so far. pitt is still very much rebuilding...



This post was edited on 3/30 1:07 PM by deepelemblues




Most Posters know that Graham and Chryst were putting the best talent Pitt had on Offense. Clemmings, Conners, and Zeise all could play Defense. I would have played Shell on Defense just like Penn State moved Poluszny to Linebacker even when he play both at Hopewell. Of course Shell was a malcontent and may still be at least on Offense and as WVU Holgorsen is finding out.

No question, you and other Posters are correct about turning the talent left on Pitt and coming in from recruits.

I am a tad worried about making changes on Pitt Offense. By the end of last year the Pitt Offense was just fine. Now Conners will be catching passes and that puts him in "Harms Way" far more.

Conners could get a tough unprotected hit that way instead of bullying his own way and running over and around the other guys trying to stop him? I would be worried about how long and far Conners can run towards the end of the season if playing Third Downs, and is already a target like we saw Miami Players going for his Knees last year? If Conners goes out due to injury the Offense loses one of the three pillars that makes the Offense goes!

I would consider Jordan Whitehead being used in the slot for when a Passing Down is needed. Whitehead is badly needed on Defense but many Aliquippa coaches and Central Valley Coaches have said, Whitehead should be used on Offense at times as well. JUST MY OWN OPINION AND HAVE NO PROBLEM IF OTHER POSTERS DISAGREE OR WEIGH IN WITH THEIR OPINION)?

I also, would like to see Voytik run the Option, Bootlegs, and Sweeps that keeps the Defense guessing and having to deal with Conners, Boyd, and Holtz as well. Once Coach Chryst figure that out last year the Pitt Offense really took off. why it took Chryst lost games to Akron and Virginia to figure it out is still a mystery to me.

But the Coaches know the Players and Team far better than myself, so no choice but to leave that up to Chaney, and he did say Conners can be a great Blocker and that is something Conners needs to do in the NFL when he plays on Sunday. I see Conners being another Levon Bell in the NFL!

I think the best reading between the lines in both Articles Above is that Narduzzi stated he will be looking at the Recruits coming in and that is a sign some are going to play right away, in my opinion. This means making mistakes and using a body not condition and big enough as they adapt to the faster speeds they have to learn going from High School to college?

To sum up, looks like Narduzzi is going to do for the Pitt Defense as Chryst did for the Pitt Offense and that took three years to develop, recruit, and change players from other positions.

I made previous analysis mistakes in overestimating the impact Wannstedt, Graham, and Chryst would make on the Offense and each lost 2 to 3 games they could have won learning what Players to select and use on Offense and what System?

I expect the same problems on Defense under Coach Conklin and to accept reality that Pitt will need much more time to develop and recruit the talent even if there is a change in Attitude. All New Systems need time to learn and execute and there is nothing that can replace the experience of not making mistakes.

Coach Pat reminds me of Coach Chuck Noll that Andy Russell once told me about him first encounters ..."He said, Chuck came in and told me he did not think he was that good and will have to make changes if he expected to make the Team, then one day in practice, Noll came over to Andy and showed him if he would line up and put his back foot sideways he could cover the run and pass at the same time," and that one change improved his game 100% and he not only made the Team but Started. He said, Chuck Noll taught those "Little Things" that made all players better!

If Coach Pat & Staff can do that in one year, great, but like you said, "we already knew the roster wasn't talented enough to meet the standards that narduzzi coached by at MSU"!

This post was edited on 3/30 1:55 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly