So as I was cranking out a backlog of paperwork yesterday I decided to put on a playlist of every interview from camp released so far (Pgh Sports Now has videos with a ton of players and coaches, in addition to the Panther-Lair channel and Pitt Live Wire) and the overwhelming vibe was that each positional group has the most "depth" they've had in the players' or coaches' time with Pitt.
In particular, Borbs and Harley mentioned that they had multiple guys to choose from that were ready to go, and that wasn't the case in the past. One thing that stuck with me is that Borbs said more than once he wasn't comfortable in any game last year playing anyone but the starting 5. That's very distressing, yet, we won the coastal. These year, he has a wealth of young guys who weren't ready last year that are ready to compete now.
Harley's comments echo a similar sentiment in that he thinks he has 6-8 guys who can compete. The pessimist in me wants to think that both groups may have so much competition because the top guys aren't very good, and thus the lower guys are closer to competing. From their comments, that doesn't sound to be the case. The time these positional coaches have spent with their units, the development of the "blue collar" Narduzzi mentality, and (as mentioned multiple times) the work of Coach Andrews in the weight room, seem to have all paid dividends. We may actually have a developed team, and it's not isolated to that one or two positional groups.
Every single one (save maybe QB and ST) of our positional groups has multiple guys that work their tails off to compete. Look at Twyman. Listen to what Charlie Partridge says about the D-Line. I think we have both Narduzzi and Aaron Donald to thank for this (probably Dave Anderson, too). These guys want, no, NEED to work hard to succeed. They NEED to be the best they can be.
Obviously (as Partridge says in his interview) we'll have to see if this keeps up through Day 5, Day 15 of camp, and some that are more passionate than others may emerge as breakouts or push people around the depth chart. Overall, things seem to be buzzing in the UPMC Rooney complex. These kids are here to win by being the best versions of themselves.
I'm more hyped than ever after hearing what they all said. Let's get it this year. H2P.
In particular, Borbs and Harley mentioned that they had multiple guys to choose from that were ready to go, and that wasn't the case in the past. One thing that stuck with me is that Borbs said more than once he wasn't comfortable in any game last year playing anyone but the starting 5. That's very distressing, yet, we won the coastal. These year, he has a wealth of young guys who weren't ready last year that are ready to compete now.
Harley's comments echo a similar sentiment in that he thinks he has 6-8 guys who can compete. The pessimist in me wants to think that both groups may have so much competition because the top guys aren't very good, and thus the lower guys are closer to competing. From their comments, that doesn't sound to be the case. The time these positional coaches have spent with their units, the development of the "blue collar" Narduzzi mentality, and (as mentioned multiple times) the work of Coach Andrews in the weight room, seem to have all paid dividends. We may actually have a developed team, and it's not isolated to that one or two positional groups.
Every single one (save maybe QB and ST) of our positional groups has multiple guys that work their tails off to compete. Look at Twyman. Listen to what Charlie Partridge says about the D-Line. I think we have both Narduzzi and Aaron Donald to thank for this (probably Dave Anderson, too). These guys want, no, NEED to work hard to succeed. They NEED to be the best they can be.
Obviously (as Partridge says in his interview) we'll have to see if this keeps up through Day 5, Day 15 of camp, and some that are more passionate than others may emerge as breakouts or push people around the depth chart. Overall, things seem to be buzzing in the UPMC Rooney complex. These kids are here to win by being the best versions of themselves.
I'm more hyped than ever after hearing what they all said. Let's get it this year. H2P.
