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John McGonigal's Pitt football chat: 04.28.21
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John McGonigal
2:00
Good afternoon, everyone. Pitt wrapped its spring camp on Saturday, and now we’ll get to see where several former Panthers will continue their careers with this the NFL draft this weekend. Interesting stuff. Let’s get to some questions.
Marky
2:01
Last year Nick Patti was successfully used in some goal-line situations to protect Kenny.  Do you foresee more of those types of plays this year?  Also, would Craig Meyer be better at running those plays than Nick Patti?
John McGonigal
2:05
Patti did score a couple touchdowns at Florida State doing that. But the counterargument — and the one I’d make — is by bringing in Patti you’re telegraphing a run. And if you’re throwing with Patti, wouldn’t you rather throw with Pickett? He’s going to take his lumps escaping the pocket in the middle of the field anyway. That’s the way he plays. So unless he’s playing injured, taking him out voluntarily in a goal-to-go situation seems ill-advised.
DonJuan
2:05
Can you extrapolate how much better the offensive line will be this year?  The line seems like its primed to take a major step forward and combined with Izzy's development...it could be a smoke show.  What are your thoughts?
John McGonigal
2:09
Smoke show might be a bit strong, but I think it will be better. Carter Warren and Gabe Houy should be better at tackle with Matt Goncalves pushing them. Jake Kradel is solid. Marcus Minor could be legit. And everyone thinks highly of Owen Drexel. While the running game has been bad, the line’s number one job should still be to keep Pickett upright. If you had to choose one or the other, Pickett is your ticket to a productive season. But Izzy Abanikanda has a lot of promise. I’m not saying they’ll be even top 50 rushing attack in college football. But they’ll be noticeably better than 118th and 111th in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Howie Roseman
2:10
If you were a bookmaker, what would you make Pitt's win total this year? I'd make it 7.5 which factoring in bias probably means it'll be 7
John McGonigal
2:15
Oh Howie, you better not screw up this weekend. But I know you will. Anyway, I think 7.5 is a fair number. Pitt has 7 or 8 wins in four of Narduzzi’s six seasons, and if Pitt played 13 games instead of 11 last year, I think they get to 7 or 8. Also, I’ve mentioned a bunch this offseason, but the early run in for Pitt this fall — vs. UMass, at Tennessee, vs. New Hampshire, vs. Western Michigan, at Georgia Tech — is pretty easy.
Guest
2:16
What are best-case and worst-case scenarios for Pitt in terms of wins and losses?
John McGonigal
2:21
If we’re going with best and worst, we’re talking extremes here. So by no means am I saying either of things are going to happen. But …

The best-case scenario is probably 10-3 after a 5-0 start to the season. I still think North Carolina will be good enough to win the Coastal, but nine wins in the regular season plus a bowl win somewhere in Florida (selfishly, I’d love to be in Florida in December). 

And the worst-case scenario is Kenny Pickett picks up another injury and the Panthers go 6-7 with losses to Tennessee, either Syracuse or Duke — an ultimate “how in the hell did you lose that” — and a Group of Five team in a subpar bowl game. If Pitt lost every game in 2021, that would at least provide clarity in what you have with Pat Narduzzi. But 6-7 would be bleh enough to blur the lines and satisfy no one.
Gary Rossini
2:21
Hey John, been a while. Hope ur well. Random q. If you could take a golf outing with any three college football coaches (current or former), who and why. Thx, be well
John McGonigal
2:27
Thanks, Gary. You too. That’s an interesting question. I’ll keep it to current coaches, and the first one off the top of my head would be Nick Saban, primarily because he could get us into Augusta. Then I’ll go with Mack Brown. Seems like a fun dude who could tell a story. And then give me Lane Kiffin. The Kiffin-Saban dynamic would be great, and I’m sure Kiffin would be down to have a transfusion or two.
FoolBack
2:27
I saw for the Blue / Gray game that you made mention of Jake Zilinskas at fullback.  Did they use him at all on offense in the game, and will he see a little playing time from scrimmage this season?
John McGonigal
2:30
Yeah, Pitt’s roster lists Jake Zilinskas as a tight end. But in reality, he was utilized as a fullback last year in running and passing sets. He didn’t log a carry or a catch in the spring game and had only one catch last season. But at the very least as a blocker, he’s a useful guy to have on the roster.
A
2:33
Pitt has not played Duquesne since the1930s.  What’s up with that?
John McGonigal
2:38
Honestly, that’s not something I’ve looked into. So this is just speculation. But my *guess* would be that playing Duquesne doesn’t benefit Pitt. Lose and it’s a local embarrassment. Win and you’re supposed to. Hosting teams like New Hampshire, Albany, Villanova and Delaware will give you a similar test without the possibility for being the butt of jokes locally.
H2P man
2:38
Any promised new commitment to running the ball by Coach Whip? Look at where his running attacks have ranked throughout his career.
John McGonigal
2:41
Unfortunately, Mark Whipple was not made available to the media this spring. At this point, it looks like we’ll have to wait until August training camp to ask him. But Narduzzi said a few times this spring that he feels the ground game as a whole has improved. And it’ll have to.
John Walker
2:42
Am I a hero or a villain?!?!
John McGonigal
2:47
Remember what Tom Holland’s Spider-Man said to Captain America in Civil War? What Tony Stark told him to say? "You're wrong. You think you're right. And that makes you dangerous.” That’s John Walker. Villain.
Bnix
2:47
Do you think Pitt is a top team in the coastal division?
John McGonigal
2:50
I guess it depends on what you consider to be “top.” In 2021, North Carolina and Miami (as long as D’Eriq King is healthy) will be the top 2 teams in the division. And then I think Pitt will be at least the third-best team in the division. I don’t see it with Virginia Tech or Virginia. Georgia Tech will probably be bad again even if Jahmyr Gibbs pops off. And Duke will be awful.
Duzz on BRCC
2:52
Jon, if you were going to draft an offensive line of beers, what would they be? Beers that aren't afraid to get in the trenches like our panthers
John McGonigal
2:54
Among domestic light beers, Bud Light is my go-to. It’s dependable. You know what you’re getting. It’s my center on the line. Give me Yuengling at both guard spots. I’ll take Founders All Day IPA at right tackle. And at left tackle you need something special, something different. I’ll keep it local with Hitchhiker Bane of Existence IPA.
Guest
2:54
What grade do you give Pat Narduzzi after 6 years?
John McGonigal
2:57
I think a C+ is fair. He runs a clean program. They’ve been fine in recruiting and develop guys. He’s got a good coaching staff right now. They send a fair amount of guys to the NFL. They won a Coastal title and upset Clemson. And most importantly, he provided stability where there wasn’t any. At the same time, you could make the argument that winning 8, 8, 5, 7, 8 and 6 times in six seasons isn’t taking full advantage of the talent you had. Win 9 games this year and I’d bump it up to a B.
Guest
2:58
Please tell me the exact round and pick that Patrick Jones will be drafted thank you
John McGonigal
2:58
Round three, pick No. 92 overall to the Green Bay Packers. Got a feeling.
3:00
Okiedoke folks that’s all the time we have today. Thanks for joining, and enjoy the draft.
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