Here are a couple of podcasts to listen to while working. First is Jerry DiPaola being interviewed by WTAE’s Junker and the other Guy about the Spring Game… and talks about the closed practices. He makes a good point (again!) about being able to watch only the calisthenics, then the kicker and the punter punting. He hates it, every media person hates it, I hate it and some at Pitt even dislike it.
DiPaola’s Guy and Junker Interview 4/11/16
He also talks about how the offense looks unbalanced at this point because of the dearth of receivers with any game experience at all. Challingsworth and Ford are the only two WRs on the roster who caught passes last season. He quotes Nate Peterman as saying “Wait and see which WRs we can count on.”
DiPaola reiterates that Stocker is slowly cementing the QB2 position. Stocker is a big QB and is also a good runner – DiPaola mentions “Wildcat” a few times. The subject of bringing in a FBS transfer QB in (Schneider) and how that signals that the staff isn’t happy with our current #3 and #4 QBs.
What is shaping up is a competition for the 2017 starting job between Schneider and MacVitte.
Our backfield is crowded also and so far both SO Hall and true FR Chawntez Moss are coming off the bench before Ollison. We’ll see about that. I wrote on here two years ago that Darrin Hall did really well in the last Chryst fall camp and that the staff had a tough choice to make between him and James and James won the match.
We saw what Ollison did last year with 1000+ yards and winning the ACC rookie of the year… so I think we’re seeing the red cape of Hall and Moss being waved in front of Ollison to get him charging forward.
Then we have a good give and take about AD Scott Barnes’ use of that search firm. Interesting to listen to but I have to agree with one point – if Brandon Knight wasn’t ever going to get a HC job at Pitt then why 1) interview him and then 2) speak publicly about it.
Secondly and a more detailed podcast is Chris Peak’s Monday morning edition when he has a 15 minute interview with DC Josh Conklin.
Peak’s Podcast for Monday 4/11/16
Peak’s guest for a solid 15 minute interview is Josh Conklin, our Defensive Coordinator. He has some interesting things to talk about and he goes in-depth in some issues. One is the middle of the defensive line – something that doesn’t surprise any fans that even remotely follow Pitt football.
Peak delves into the actual production of the three players, now gone, who rotated into the DT position last season – K.K. Mosley-Smith, Darryl Render and Mark Scarpinato… who totaled only 4 tackles for loss last season.Given that Narduzzi and Conklin were touting a defense built on QB pressure from the “4” in the “4-3” defense, that production fell a mile short of the mark.
That’s about it for this morning – no other news stories out there.
OK – let’s start planning the meet & greet for the Blatherite Uprising & Happy Hour on Saturday. The game starts at 1:00 pm and will probably last about 90 minutes. Narduzzi says it will be played in a ‘full game format’ but I very much doubt they will play four 15 minute quarters. In the past the staffs have shortened the game format down to 7-8 minute quarters with a small halftime break.
As I wrote yesterday, with the personnel-draft they are doing prior to the game we aren’t going to see the true #1 Defense playing against the true #1 Offense because the starters on those units will be scattered between both the Blue and the Gold teams. That is something to remember when we start talking about what transpired with the player’s efforts after the scrimmage.
I’ll be attending the media event for the “Spring Game Team Draft” at 10:15 at the Southside facility then drive over to Heinz afterward. If anyone is having a tailgate or wishes to meet up prior to the game then please suggest something in the comments here – time is moving fast toward Saturday.
Don’t think so?
Just listen sometime to the questions he asks during post practice or post game interviews.
Or you might want to check out his past predictions of Games or projections of various Players.
NOT being critical of his primary job of reporting. His efforts there day in and day out are truly appreciated.
But that is where it begins and ends.
“I wrote on here two years ago that Darrin Hall did really well in the last Chryst fall camp and that the staff had a tough choice to make between him and Ollison”
Hall was a true freshman last year and couldn’t have been in the Chryst camp, unless I’m mistaken, which is often true.
Fire Barnes Now!
“you couldn’t even give the kid a friggin’ interview” “after all he’s done for Pitt, you just kick him to the curb?”
Not to mention the racial angle that would have certainly come in if they didn’t interview him.
Hell, that angle did come in by some for not naming him the head coach, even with the interview.
They had to interview him at least.
Plus, many of the top schools keep there practices closed – the fans don’t care because they love the record at the end, but the media wants to see it all from the beginning. Just the way it is as we are transitioning into a better program. H2P
That seems crazy that Pitt is rated higher than those 2 teams. I agree we won’t win more games, though. I just listened to the first podcast above and they talked about a serious possibility that we could come in under .500 this year.
9-3
Losses coming at the hands of UNC, OSU, Clemson. If we lose to PSU, we will start the year 1-3 and panther fans will be pissing and moaning.
HTP
Fire Herman!
Wow, not that I would hire Stallings or Pastner, but I would surely take Stallings over Pastner. Pastner assumed a team that had been in the finals and sweet sixteen the previous two years (coached by Calipari) and then never again placed beyond the round of 32. Last two years no tourney at all. Stallings tried to beat that low but did make the play-in round this year. Plus Pastner presumably had fewer academic challenges to contend with at Memphis than Stallings had at Vandy.
Hey, it actually could be worse!
A national columnist and non-JD fan, Pat Forde, wrote that column two weeks after the hire. The failure still resonates….
I won’t say something stupid like I’d trade a Pitt win against PSU even if it meant we lose the other 11 games.
But, I’ll tell ya, in my situation, with a sister and brother n law who are PSU’ers, all three of their adult children PSU grads, an Uncle and several cousins…………..
I want this game as bad as I’ve wanted one since I was a kid in high school when I lived and died with Pitt.
We are a close family, I say this only, to make the point, that we celebrate holidays together, text each other, go on vacations together.
I think that sets the picture.
Most will be there, at our tailgate. I believe the number will be around 13 PSU 5 PITT people at the tailgate.
All in good fun, but I really don’t want to hear the noise from all sides for a whole year.
Much prefer PSU football
WVU hoops.
have their non conference schedules filled up after 2019 when the series ends. They have a game or two scheduled, but not filled.
I think this is a little different than the one time shot back in 2000.
You’re gonna have the momentum of 4 games in a row. If the games are huge, it’s gonna be hard not to continue the series.
As a kid I was allowed one time to make the attempt. I was “coached up” by all of my older cousins and uncles/aunts. Then was given the ever encouraging “don’t miss!”. I lunged at the TV and successfully got the shot off. What a feeling that was – I thought I was a big man!
That’s why I can’t wait for September.
HTP
1618 – Shoot me the message. Mehalovich@hotmail.com
Tex – Yuengling or IC Light. Haha.
This week?
Dont forget the ‘O’ fries
Tex – I saw the homes were literally destroyed by that hail.
On another note: at W.Va. – Led by a strong outing from junior pitcher Sam Mersing, the #35 Pittsburgh Panthers (15-13, 6-8 ACC) baseball team defeated wvcc on Tuesday, 4-1 in the latest rendition of the Backyard Brawl.
HTP!
