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March 31, 2014

Going Link Diving

Filed under: Football — Chas @ 7:44 am

A few short hitters for the day.

Who is responsible for this? Who? I’m prepared to accuse a Hoopie or Nitter of doing it as negative recruiting.

Has Pitt taken some grief for the non-spring game? A little.

Pitt is doing a small fan fest at the UPMC Sports Complex on April 13. No trying to sneak over to the Steelers part of the facility, people. I’m sure security will be tight at the border.

Included will be:

• A youth clinic for boys and girls (eighth grade and under) conducted by players and staff that will stress football fundamentals at seven positions

• Offensive and defensive strategy sessions led by coordinators Joe Rudolph and Matt House, including film breakdown

• A talk by recruiting coordinator Dann Kabala detailing processes involved in prospect evaluation and signing players to letters of intent

• A session led by strength and conditioning coach Ross Kolodziej on players’ year-round physical development

The film breakdown actually seems kind of interesting. It also seems like a heckler’s dream. If someone could ask Kolodziej what work he is doing towards any certification and education, I would appreciate it.

Maryland really is grasping at anything it can to avoid paying/force negotiations on the exit fee from the ACC. Subpeonas for everyone. And you get a subpeona. And you get a subpeona.

 





The fan fest is a good idea, but I would rather see the spring game continue.

Good question about the S&C coach. He has been mentioned in many post practice interviews. You would think a reporter would actually do a story or ask those very questions.

Comment by notrocketscience 03.31.14 @ 8:11 am

MD has big financial problems and does not want to pay. Going to B10 will get more money but as the great Beano would say, “The more money you get the more you spend.” H2P

Comment by Frank 03.31.14 @ 8:20 am

Maryland may have thought that their finances were their biggest problem. They should have considered their fans and alumni. The move to the Big Ten won’t net them nearly as much as they anticipated. The ACC will be paying its members more money in the coming years than they had in the past. Maryland will have pay the ACC exit fee or come to a settlement agreement with the ACC. The move to the Big Ten will cost them a lot of equity with their alumni and fans. Also I believe it will be devastating to their football program. They knew what the exit fee was when they accepted the Big Ten offer, so I have no sympathy with their current situation.

Comment by Justinian 03.31.14 @ 8:33 am

A few notes ..

– the Spring Game was never cancelled as it was never scheduled, and ahouldn’t have been reported as such. I’ve always felt the spring game,(a) with its modified rules, (b) QBs with red shirts, (c) coaches on the field behind the offense, (d) loads of substitutes and players switching sides, etc. was MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. More importantly, it gave little insight as to what was coming in the fall.

– apparently, the UnderArmour guy doesn’t support Maryland as Phil Knight supports Oregon or T Boone Pickens supports Ok St.

– I actually like the Paul Reiser Show (maybe because of Helen Hunt)

Comment by wbb 03.31.14 @ 8:49 am

I’d give em’ five bucks to get rid of their football uniforms.

Comment by Dan 03.31.14 @ 8:59 am

Nice write-up on the RBs:

link to espn.go.com

Comment by Pitt Dad 03.31.14 @ 9:54 am

I attended the Maryland-Pitt game in College Park this year. My buddy got us seats in the “High Rent” Terrapins section, exclusively Maryland season ticket holders section. These fans must drop some large change on the basketball program because the seats we sat in had the season ticket holder’s name scribed in a brass nameplate afixed to the chair, for crying out loud!

So I made a point of it to ask every Maryland fan that I talked to that evening their opinion on the move to the B1G Conference, NOT ONE fan thought it was a good idea or supported the administration for making that deal happen, NOT ONE! Quite a few were actually pretty pi$$ed off about it, in fact. So yeah, it’s going to hurt Maryland in their pocketbook by directly affecting Alumni contributions going forward.

As far as Pitt’s Spring game goes, no great loss, not many fans show up for the event in the first place and I’ve never been a big fan of playing with yourself anyhow.

Comment by Dr. Tom 03.31.14 @ 10:12 am

here is a story on who I believe, barring injury, will be Pitt’s most productive DL this year and after. He is the prototypical PC recruit in that he was not a blue chip, but a 3 star which the staff recognized after his junior year to have the potential of being a really good college player

link to pittsburgh.rivals.com

Comment by wbb 03.31.14 @ 10:18 am

Pitt Dad, I have the feeling that with all of the depth Pitt will have at RB, Conner will be seeing more PT at DE than expected

Comment by wbb 03.31.14 @ 10:27 am

Great Story on the Two Sides to JAMES CONNER (aka PANTHER BEAST MODE) in the Trib.

A Special Player and Person who is EXTREMELY MATURE for still being just 18 YEARS OLD!

Comment by PittofDreams 03.31.14 @ 10:56 am

Amd what about James Connor’s thoughts about this Fall and beyond?

(The NFL) is on my mind every day,” he (Connor) said. “Honestly, I’m a Pitt Panther right now and I want to get a 10-win season, and go to a great bowl game. Hopefully, we can do both.

I like the way this guy thinks.

Comment by PittofDreams 03.31.14 @ 10:58 am

Oops. ConnER not Connor. Slip of the keys… and the mind.

Comment by PittofDreams 03.31.14 @ 11:00 am

Dr. Tom, That’s why you have to make sure MAJOR decisions of a university includes input from the school’s alumni. The alumni are who the university goes to for money and they are the big supporters of the athletic programs. In Maryland’s case both the new university president and the athletic director came from Big Ten schools. The alumni have the responsibility to their university to let the administrators know where they stand, BEFORE such decisions are made. I don’t know a single Maryland fan who likes the move.

Comment by Justinian 03.31.14 @ 11:45 am

The good news is that the ACC traded MD for Lville. That is an upgrade in FB and BB. You improve your brand and you get paid $50M bucks to do so. Well done ACC!

Comment by HbgFrank 03.31.14 @ 11:53 am

Maybe Pitt can video the fanfest so that we can at least see some FB plays or something. I enjoyed watching the spring game last year.
Hope ACC working on ACC Channel so we can watch other sports like baseball. Also in future years put a little more pressure on ND in FB to join more.

Comment by Frank 03.31.14 @ 12:18 pm

wbb

Thanks for the link. Soto has a lot of upside. Looks like he can easily add more weight on his frame.

Comment by notrocketscience 03.31.14 @ 12:56 pm

NBC Sports is reporting that Orlando Antigua has accepted an offer to become HC at So Florida

Comment by wbb 03.31.14 @ 3:22 pm

“If someone could ask Kolodziej what work he is doing towards any certification and education, I would appreciate it.”

He probably just bought a bunch of Zumba DVD’s.

Comment by Jeff 03.31.14 @ 3:40 pm

Congrats to Orlando. Hope he succeeds with s. Fla.

Comment by longsufferingpittfan 03.31.14 @ 3:46 pm

Thanks for the reminder that Pitt had 2 of the worst QB’s in the history of Div. 1 football all in the last 8 years 🙁

I could have strangled Wanny for not letting Greg Cross come in and run the wildcat with LeSean & LaRod in that game. Instead he kept letting Stull throw deep….talk about a bad game day coach.

Comment by Jackagain 03.31.14 @ 3:53 pm

Here’s the story on Orlando:

link to espn.go.com

Comment by Jackagain 03.31.14 @ 3:55 pm

Thanks Pitt Dad and wbb for links.

Cautiously optimistic with the football program. I definitely like John Settle coaching RB’s instead of Joe Rudolph doubling as OC and RB coach.

Hat’s off to Neil Walker and the Bucco’s!

Hail to Pitt!!!!

Comment by Pap76 03.31.14 @ 5:46 pm

You can count on Pitt Football being IMPROVED… mainly due to the addition of a couple of coaches with solid playing and coaching backgrounds.

Like John Settle. But, primarily, I look for the biggest impact to come by way of Troy Douglas and the discipline he will undoubtedly bring to a Secondary desperately in need of it.

Comment by PittofDreams 03.31.14 @ 6:06 pm

I expect improvement simply because of running the same system for three years. I hope it spells a vast improvement on both sides of the ball.

Comment by Dr. Tom 04.01.14 @ 5:36 am

Actually on defense, I guess it’s just two years running the same defense, since Matt House change things up when he became defensive coordinator.

Comment by Dr. Tom 04.01.14 @ 5:39 am

As many of you know, the Pirates won 1-0 in 10 innings. Ron Cook’s article in the PG today is entitled ‘Credit the Pitchers for the Pirates Victory’ D’oh!!

How is this guy still working? I don’t get it, I just don’t freakin get it!

Comment by wbb 04.01.14 @ 6:16 am

A guy who works for the Steelers says they want out of the UPMC Complex,too small, and are looking for land along Mt. Nebo road.

Comment by alcofan 04.01.14 @ 6:42 am

I wonder what the occupancy is on the building on the other side of the practice fields … it is a very nice, modern building and there is some room around it.

Comment by wbb 04.01.14 @ 7:30 am

I had hoped that Antigua would stay an assistant coach for a few more years, then get a head coaching job at a small school, so that when JD retires Antigua would be ready to take over at Pitt.
All the best to Antigua.

Comment by Caw Miller 04.01.14 @ 10:29 am

Caw, still could happen. USF is a small school when in basketball terms (even though it is one of the largest in FL) .. just like ND is a big school in FB and Villanova is a large school in BB.

If Antigua has success at USF and determined to be a qualifed candidate, he may jump at the chance to come to the Northeast where he can recruit NYC.

My guess would be that if JD leaves in 5 or more years though, B Knight will be promoted if he is still here.

Marquette is reportedly hiring the Duke assistant whose name is harder to spell than his recent boss.

Comment by wbb 04.01.14 @ 2:33 pm

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