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John McGonigal's Pitt football chat: 04.07.21
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John McGonigal
2:00
Good afternoon, folks. Welcome to this week’s live chat. We’ve got an hour to get through your questions, so fire away.
Gordon “too much” Jones
2:01
What do you think is the best case scenario for Pitt next year in terms of wins?
John McGonigal
2:05
If we’re talking *best-case scenario*, it’s getting 10. Kenny Pickett stays healthy. Jordan Addison picks up where he left off. The offensive line comes together. The defense, led by the linebackers, still puts up sacks. Start the season off 5-0 with wins at Tennessee and Georgia Tech. Take 3 of 5 from Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Miami. And don’t slip up against Syracuse or Duke. Do I think that will happen? Probably not. But it’s April. So who knows?
Retire21
2:07
Looks like aa double whammy on the Pitt opt outs this year. Pitt missed them and their draft prospects, particularly Paris Ford, have tanked. A lesson?
John McGonigal
2:12
Pitt definitely missed both Jaylen Twyman and Paris Ford. As for their draft stock, both would have benefited from coming back / staying with Pitt in 2020, especially Twyman. If he plays between Patrick Jones *and* Rashad Weaver, he’s putting up 10-12 sacks. But I don't think Twyman's stock has tanked. And to say there’s a lesson to be learned seems like a stretch. Both players did what they thought was best for them at the time, and I can’t blame them for that. In Twyman’s case, we know he wanted to secure himself and his family financially. So it’s tough for me to sit here and critique that decision.
Ventolicious
2:14
What incoming freshman can make an immediate impact/contributions to the team in 2021?
John McGonigal
2:19
The early enrollee that’s come up the most this spring has been tight end Gavin Bartholomew. He’s garnered praise from Pat Narduzzi, Kenny Pickett and Lucas Krull. And last year, Pitt’s tight end position produced 10 catches for 100 yards. Pretty bad. Assuming Krull stays healthy and starts, the No. 2 job behind him should be considered wide open. Daniel Moraga, Kyi Wright and Jake Zilinskas will compete for time. But Bartholomew has upside. Another early enrollee to watch? Safety P.J. O’Brien. At the very least, a special teams contributor in 2021. And in terms of summer enrollees, I’m looking forward to seeing what Naquan Brown, Khalil Anderson and Elliot Donald can bring to the defense.
SDWC
2:20
Do you expect V. Davis to again be the feature back?  Nothing against him but I'd rather see somebody bigger who can help close out a game when Pitt is ahead.
John McGonigal
2:25
All indications point to Vincent Davis being the lead back yet again. Israel Abanikanda has progressed in pass protection, so maybe he can get on the field a bit more. He’s more of that big bodied back you’re referring to, and he’s shown flashes. But the staff trusts Davis. And for what Pitt needs in the running game — a guy who can hit holes quickly on shotgun zone handoffs — he fits the mold. I’m really intrigued, though, how Brennan Marion’s “GoGo,” two-back concepts might be implemented. Maybe that spices up an otherwise stagnant running game and gets more than just Davis involved.
Duzz Cruise
2:26
Do you think Penn State pays alumnae to scout the football team's practices and infiltrate the campus to find out information on the team and players? I bet they do for recruits and have alumnae influence players into going to Crappy Valley.
John McGonigal
2:27
To quote Lucille Bluth, “I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it.”
Doug
2:27
If Pitt would have been passed over for the ACC, do you think they would have been more like Cincy playing at a high level in the American, and possibly playing in a new years six game or more like UConn who fell off the map completely.
John McGonigal
2:32
I lean Cincy. Even without the Power Five label to fall back on, you’d think talent would still come to Pittsburgh. Now, does Pat Narduzzi leave Michigan State for Pitt if it’s not in the ACC? If he doesn’t, does Pitt hire someone better or worse? That would have been the key. Because minus Tommy Tubberville, look at Cincy’s most recent coaches: Mark Dantonio, Brian Kelly, Butch Jones, Luke Fickell. The person running the program matters quite a bit. Good question.
Guest
2:34
How much of an impact will fans being back have for this team?
John McGonigal
2:38
I think it matters for every college athlete, regardless of what sport or what venue you play at. I’m sure it was nice for those guys to have family at some games. But I think back to last week, Jordan Addison talking about how he can’t wait to play in front of a loud crowd. Those freshmen didn’t  get to experience college football at its best last year. So hopefully we can see this pandemic out and fans are allowed back at stadiums in large numbers, both at Heinz Field and throughout the ACC and college football.
Side note: I’m really looking forward to covering Pitt’s game at Tennessee, and it would be a shame if Neyland Stadium isn’t at least close to full for the Johnny Majors Bowl.
BigHalalGuy
2:38
Thoughts on Pitt's plan to mandate all players move to a Halal only diet?
John McGonigal
2:39
That is not the plan to my knowledge. But halal is wildly addicting, so I wouldn't blame them.
Mondo
2:39
Who has the ability to make or break the season this year?
John McGonigal
2:42
Is it a cop-out to say Kenny Pickett? It feels like cop-out, but I’m going to take it anyway. If he stays healthy and has the season he hopes to have, Pitt’s in a good spot. If he doesn’t, things could take a serious downturn. Not to be overly dramatic, but it's all on Pickett’s shoulders this season, and he knows it.
SDWC
2:44
Now that Pickett is in his 5th season, do you still expect him to be forced to run to the sidelines between plays?  I can't express how idiotic this seems.
John McGonigal
2:46
Mark Whipple hasn’t been available to the media yet this spring. When he is, I’ll ask him. But Whipple and Pickett have a good relationship, and if Pickett doesn’t like it, you’d think he’d say something by now. It’s definitely weird, I’ll give you that.
Boche Balls
2:46
Who wins more games this year ? Pitt Football or the Pirates ?
John McGonigal
2:47
Pirates ... but if it was still a 60-game season, it would be a discussion.
Guest
2:48
John is Pitt requiring the players to tweet nice things to each other after every spring practice
John McGonigal
2:49
I’ve noticed that, too. I don’t know if it’s Pitt requiring them to do it. Maybe the senior leaders on the team have pushed it? I’m not sure honestly. We’re scheduled to get a couple players over Zoom tomorrow, so I’ll see what I can find out.
MondoHankHill
2:49
What do you think about the potential for a King of the Hill reboot?
John McGonigal
2:51
I’ll tell you what, I’ve never seen more than a few episodes of King of the Hill. I’m more interested in an Entourage reboot.
SDWC
2:51
Which (if any) of the backup QBs do you expect to enter the transfer portal? Or will it depend on who gets the nod next season?
John McGonigal
2:52
It’s too early to say at this point. Maybe Pitt has a clear-cut No. 2 after spring camp. But I doubt it. Think at this point it'd be more likely that something happens this time next year.
Guest
2:54
If you had 200 schmeckles to place on someone to win the masters, who would it be?
John McGonigal
2:56
I’m pretty sure schmeckles is a Rick & Morty reference? I’ve only seen a handful of episodes, but it’s on the growing list of shows I need to watch. Anyway, there are a few guys I really like this week. If we're straying from the DJ/Bryson/JT/Spieth group, Rory is a favorite of mine, and you could do worse than +1900 odds. Collin Morikawa at +2900, Paul Casey at +3500, Matthew Fitzpatrick at +3900 and Corey Conners at +9500 are decent shouts, too.
Guy
2:56
Would you rather play a bad round of golf at Augusta or a great round of golf at St Andrews?
John McGonigal
2:59
At first, I thought this question was difficult. But it’s really not. Playing Augusta is a story you’ll have the rest of your life. And unless you’re actually a good golfer — I am not — you’re expected to play poorly there. So that wouldn’t even matter to me. As long as I had one shot or one putt I could look back on, it’d be well worth it.
3:01
Okiedoke folks, that’s all the time we’ve got for today. I’ll be back next week, though. If you have any questions between now and then, hit me up on Twitter @jmcgonigal9. Also don’t forget to listen to the North Shore Drive podcast for all your Pitt, Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and high school sports talk: https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/the-north-shore-drive-sports-...
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