Pat Narduzzi has talked all week about this being the “dog days” of training camp, and usually he has spoken highly of how the players have responded to the grind of Week Three. But on Friday, his tone changed a bit, saying that Thursday was “an average day” and that the players need to push a little harder.
In my experience, just about every team hits that wall at some point. Maybe it only lasts a day or two, but every team hits the camp wall. The question is how long it lasts and how strongly they bounce back.
What’s more notable to me was another thing Narduzzi said when I asked if he had been surprised by any players who have stepped up to lead in those situations where the team needs a little more internal push.
“No. I think we’ve got decent leadership right now. I can’t say it’s great. We’ll find out. But nobody surprising.”
Decent leadership; not great. Those aren’t strong words - actually, they’re strong, but not necessarily encouraging.
I don’t think that those comments are necessarily meant to be a jab at the upperclassmen on this team; rather, I think they’re a reflection of the fact that this team doesn’t have many guys who have been in leadership roles before. That’s one of the fallouts from a year when you have as many seniors as Pitt had last year:
Most of the guys coming back the next season haven’t been in a position to lead, so they’re still finding their way.
Qadree Ollison Moss didn’t need to lead; James Conner was there. Saleem Brightwell didn’t need to lead; Matt Galambos was there. Keyshon Camp didn’t need to lead; Shakir Soto was there. Brian O’Neill didn’t need to lead; Adam Bisnowaty was there.
That doesn’t mean that Ollison and Brightwell and Camp and O’Neill can’t lead; rather, they haven’t needed to, so now they have to figure out how to.
So far, that doesn’t seem to have happened.
“I think I’ve said it before: it seems like more a collective feel,” O’Neill said Friday. “I think everybody’s taken a lot more accountability from top to bottom rather than just the top five or six guys. Not that we saw any of that last year, but there’s a more focused group effort from the younger guys and guys who have been here one or two or three years.”
That group effort is good, but somebody still needs to stand up and be the voice. O’Neill seems like a good candidate given his talent and experience, but it doesn’t seem like he has taken that mantle just yet.
So that’s one storyline in camp this year. It’s not one we’ll really be able to watch develop because so much of it happens behind closed doors. But it’s notable, nonetheless.
- One other thing that I’ve heard a few times from the coaches is the idea of teaching the schemes “conceptually.” Specifically, we’ve heard it from John Peterson and Kevin Sherman, two guys coaching positions where different spots have different roles and responsibilities. Both have cited conceptual teaching as a reason why the receivers are interchangeable and, as we’ve mentioned a few times, a lot of the offensive linemen are interchangeable.
These guys aren’t just learning one role, but they’re also not having too much thrown at them by being forced to learn multiple roles. Rather, they’re learning the whole offense - learning what the offense is trying to do in any given situation, which gives them a better understanding of not just their responsibilities but the responsibilities of everyone else at their position (and, to an extent, in the offense).
When Peterson and Sherman talked about learning “conceptually,” I took note of it but thought it was probably just some coincidence. But O’Neill had an interesting quote when I asked him about the uniqueness of having so many linemen who could play different spots.
“I think the fact that we’re able to move around a lot speaks a lot to Coach Watson and how he teaches us the offense as a whole. You don’t really just memorize your job; you kind of understand the big picture.”
And with that comment, the idea of teaching the offense conceptually went from appearing to be coincidental coach-speak to some more direct insight into what Shawn Watson has brought to Pitt.
Now, I’m sure Jim Chaney and Matt Canada and most coaches employ some form of that kind of conceptual teaching, but given how much of a refrain it has been, it seems to be something that Watson has stressed. We’ll see how it plays out and whether it has an effect on the results, but it’s an interesting narrative to be aware of.
- Speaking of all that versatility on the offensive line, Narduzzi had a funny response when asked how Brandon Hodges is doing at guard.
“Is he playing guard?” Narduzzi asked in return. “The last time I looked out there, he’s playing tackle.”
Narduzzi did later allow that Hodges is working at both guard and tackle.
- On the other side of the ball, I kept an eye on some defensive linemen Friday morning, and it’s definitely an impressive-looking group. Allen Edwards is the champion of the eyeball test: coming off the bus, he looks like a million bucks. It just remains to be seen how he does on Saturdays (and that one Thursday).
- Kam Carter gets mixed reviews - Narduzzi and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge said that sometimes he practices like a starter and sometimes he doesn’t - but he sure looks like he’s got the tools to be an impact player, and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t spend a lot of time on the field this season.
- Interestingly, Partridge said that, if the season started tomorrow, redshirt junior Shane Roy would be a starter at defensive tackle. We’ll see if that holds up 15 days from now.
- Partridge also said that freshman Jaylen Twyman has been impressing him with his maturity and could have a chance to see the field this year. Twyman definitely moves well and is one of those shorter defensive tackles who can use quickness and leverage to get into the backfield.
- Dewayne Hendrix did not practice Friday; Partridge said that he has been dealing off and on with an injury this camp.
- It looks like freshman Carson Van Lynn is practicing at defensive tackle. He needs to bulk up to play there, but he should have plenty of time to do that since he won’t be needed this season.
- That’s about it from what we saw Friday. We’ll have plenty of articles, photos, videos and more to get you through the weekend into Monday for the start of the final week of training camp.
In my experience, just about every team hits that wall at some point. Maybe it only lasts a day or two, but every team hits the camp wall. The question is how long it lasts and how strongly they bounce back.
What’s more notable to me was another thing Narduzzi said when I asked if he had been surprised by any players who have stepped up to lead in those situations where the team needs a little more internal push.
“No. I think we’ve got decent leadership right now. I can’t say it’s great. We’ll find out. But nobody surprising.”
Decent leadership; not great. Those aren’t strong words - actually, they’re strong, but not necessarily encouraging.
I don’t think that those comments are necessarily meant to be a jab at the upperclassmen on this team; rather, I think they’re a reflection of the fact that this team doesn’t have many guys who have been in leadership roles before. That’s one of the fallouts from a year when you have as many seniors as Pitt had last year:
Most of the guys coming back the next season haven’t been in a position to lead, so they’re still finding their way.
Qadree Ollison Moss didn’t need to lead; James Conner was there. Saleem Brightwell didn’t need to lead; Matt Galambos was there. Keyshon Camp didn’t need to lead; Shakir Soto was there. Brian O’Neill didn’t need to lead; Adam Bisnowaty was there.
That doesn’t mean that Ollison and Brightwell and Camp and O’Neill can’t lead; rather, they haven’t needed to, so now they have to figure out how to.
So far, that doesn’t seem to have happened.
“I think I’ve said it before: it seems like more a collective feel,” O’Neill said Friday. “I think everybody’s taken a lot more accountability from top to bottom rather than just the top five or six guys. Not that we saw any of that last year, but there’s a more focused group effort from the younger guys and guys who have been here one or two or three years.”
That group effort is good, but somebody still needs to stand up and be the voice. O’Neill seems like a good candidate given his talent and experience, but it doesn’t seem like he has taken that mantle just yet.
So that’s one storyline in camp this year. It’s not one we’ll really be able to watch develop because so much of it happens behind closed doors. But it’s notable, nonetheless.
- One other thing that I’ve heard a few times from the coaches is the idea of teaching the schemes “conceptually.” Specifically, we’ve heard it from John Peterson and Kevin Sherman, two guys coaching positions where different spots have different roles and responsibilities. Both have cited conceptual teaching as a reason why the receivers are interchangeable and, as we’ve mentioned a few times, a lot of the offensive linemen are interchangeable.
These guys aren’t just learning one role, but they’re also not having too much thrown at them by being forced to learn multiple roles. Rather, they’re learning the whole offense - learning what the offense is trying to do in any given situation, which gives them a better understanding of not just their responsibilities but the responsibilities of everyone else at their position (and, to an extent, in the offense).
When Peterson and Sherman talked about learning “conceptually,” I took note of it but thought it was probably just some coincidence. But O’Neill had an interesting quote when I asked him about the uniqueness of having so many linemen who could play different spots.
“I think the fact that we’re able to move around a lot speaks a lot to Coach Watson and how he teaches us the offense as a whole. You don’t really just memorize your job; you kind of understand the big picture.”
And with that comment, the idea of teaching the offense conceptually went from appearing to be coincidental coach-speak to some more direct insight into what Shawn Watson has brought to Pitt.
Now, I’m sure Jim Chaney and Matt Canada and most coaches employ some form of that kind of conceptual teaching, but given how much of a refrain it has been, it seems to be something that Watson has stressed. We’ll see how it plays out and whether it has an effect on the results, but it’s an interesting narrative to be aware of.
- Speaking of all that versatility on the offensive line, Narduzzi had a funny response when asked how Brandon Hodges is doing at guard.
“Is he playing guard?” Narduzzi asked in return. “The last time I looked out there, he’s playing tackle.”
Narduzzi did later allow that Hodges is working at both guard and tackle.
- On the other side of the ball, I kept an eye on some defensive linemen Friday morning, and it’s definitely an impressive-looking group. Allen Edwards is the champion of the eyeball test: coming off the bus, he looks like a million bucks. It just remains to be seen how he does on Saturdays (and that one Thursday).
- Kam Carter gets mixed reviews - Narduzzi and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge said that sometimes he practices like a starter and sometimes he doesn’t - but he sure looks like he’s got the tools to be an impact player, and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t spend a lot of time on the field this season.
- Interestingly, Partridge said that, if the season started tomorrow, redshirt junior Shane Roy would be a starter at defensive tackle. We’ll see if that holds up 15 days from now.
- Partridge also said that freshman Jaylen Twyman has been impressing him with his maturity and could have a chance to see the field this year. Twyman definitely moves well and is one of those shorter defensive tackles who can use quickness and leverage to get into the backfield.
- Dewayne Hendrix did not practice Friday; Partridge said that he has been dealing off and on with an injury this camp.
- It looks like freshman Carson Van Lynn is practicing at defensive tackle. He needs to bulk up to play there, but he should have plenty of time to do that since he won’t be needed this season.
- That’s about it from what we saw Friday. We’ll have plenty of articles, photos, videos and more to get you through the weekend into Monday for the start of the final week of training camp.
