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John McGonigal's Pitt football chat: 10.14.20
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John McGonigal
2:00
All right folks, here we go with another weekly chat. Drop your questions and we’ll get after it.
Adam
2:02
What do you think the chances of Kenny Pickett being able to play this week are? If unable, do you know if Beville or Yellen have the edge as #2 QB?
John McGonigal
2:05
Pat Narduzzi said on Monday that it’ll be hard to keep Kenny Pickett from playing, and I tend to agree with him. He played through the pain at Boston College, and while part of that was probably adrenaline, I’m expecting Pickett to play this weekend, barring any setbacks in practice. 

If he can’t play, it’s a toss-up between Davis Beville and Joey Yellen. I asked Narduzzi if Yellen played over Beville last weekend because of a performance gap or just the desire to get both playing time. He said it was the former, based on practice reps. So based on recency bias alone, I’d lean Yellen. But everything could change in a week it seems.
Milo
2:07
There was an article I read where it broke down how the schemes used by Pitt defensively allowed BC to have a field day passing on us. Yet Narduzzi never wants to admit the schemes were wrong. How can things change when the guy is so stubborn?
John McGonigal
2:10
I noticed that, too. I do think Narduzzi, like most coaches, is stubborn. But I also think it’s unreasonable to change the defensive system in a week’s time. You might see tweaks to his press quarters, but this is the defense that got Narduzzi the job in the first place.
Matt from LA
2:11
Whipple must go! Ever since Canada's departure, the offense is truly offensive! It is disjointed, ineffective and uncreative! There is no excuse for their lack of execution, especially in the red zone or when they need critical yardage to move the sticks. Unfortunately, despite his toughness, Picket has been a disappointment as a four year quarterback in the second year with this pitiful offensive scheme under Whipple.  Thoughts?
John McGonigal
2:15
I think it’s a little misplaced to say Pickett is a four-year quarterback. He played a few games in ’17, and this is only his third season as a full-time starter. But you’re right. The offense has looked disjointed and largely ineffective. I do think Mark Whipple schemes the passing game well, mixing in motions and throwing eye candy out there for defenses to get thrown off by. You hear that whenever opposing coaches talk about him. But the product isn’t what it needs to be. Take out the Austin Peay game, and Pitt is averaging 25.8 points per game after averaging 21.2 last year. That’s not good enough.
Tony
2:16
Pitt plays Miami, ND, UNC, Clemson as well as FSU and GT. They could seriously lose every remaining game. Let's say though they finish 3-8 or 4-7 or 5-6? Shouldn't Narduzzi be on a super HOT seat in 2021? I know Heather loves him but he is not the answer here. Thoughts?
John McGonigal
2:19
It’s very possible now that Pitt finishes 5-6. I think Florida State and Georgia Tech are wins. But of course, I, just like everyone else, thought N.C. State was a win. If Pitt goes 3-8 or 4-7, it’s hard to sit here and say Narduzzi won’t be on the hot seat come 2021.
Pittzit
2:22
John this coaching staff is abysmal. Whipple stinks as the offensive coordinator, Bates has a defense that has severely underachieved and Narduzzi is all talk but no results. Be honest shouldn't they all be looking for new jobs after the season ends, especially if the team finishes with a losing record in year 6 of Pat Narduzzi?
John McGonigal
2:24
The coaching staff is not abysmal. Randy Bates is a good defensive coordinator. Bates entered the Boston College game without 5 of the 11 starters — Jaylen Twyman, Damarri Mathis, Keyshon Camp, Wendell Davis and (mostly) Cam Bright — he thought he’d have in July. That's hard to overcome. Charlie Partridge, meanwhile, is one of the best position coaches in the country. Now, in terms of Whipple … I hate when coaches fire coordinator after coordinator every other year. Logically, I think his fate will be determined how the rest of this year goes. If Pitt ends up averaging 22 points per game again, that’s tough. But if your Narduzzi, do you want a 5th OC in 7 years? Probably not.
Bruce
2:25
How could you predict Pitt to win by 11 points against BC last Saturday John? When was the last game they actually won by 10 points against a conference opponent? Narduzzi is a terrible coach and you covering the team should see that. I don't get you.
John McGonigal
2:25
Sorry Bruce. How could someone ever predict a game wrong? What a travesty. Also: Pitt won by 11 against an ACC team last month. Even if it was Syracuse.
Mike
2:29
We have never had a top 25 recruiting class under Narduzzi. Hard to be upper echelon when the majority(not all but a lot) of players we bring here choose us over MAC schools. Don't you agree Narduzzi has been a disappointment when it comes to recruiting? Mostly 3 star players isn't cutting it.
John McGonigal
2:32
I know the star system has its place in recruiting. But personally, I probably put less stock in 3-star vs. 4-star than the normal college football observer. What I’ve seen, though, is Pitt get into Florida with Charlie Partridge and start to make in-roads in Georgia and Virginia with Archie Collins and Chris Beatty, respectively. Plucking kids from those three states is important. But you’re not going to see Pitt finish top 20 nationally unless they start being more than an 8-5 team on the field. The two efforts work in concert with each other.
Carl
2:33
Has Pitt offered Darnell Dinkins’ son?   In a recent game I saw, he stood out.  Thanks John.
John McGonigal
2:36
Yes, Pitt has offered 2021 tight end Khalil Dinkins. I haven’t had the chance to see him play at North Allegheny, but judging by his offer sheet — Michigan, Penn State, Kentucky, Maryland, etc. — seems like he could be a good one. One of our high school football writers, Steve Rotstein, wrote a good piece on Dinkins. Worth a read: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/high-school-football/2020/07/29/pr...
lturk
2:37
Knowing Pitt, they will win a game they are supposed to lose.  Who's it going to be?  Miami, Notre Dame, Clemson?
John McGonigal
2:41
My gut tells me it’s going to be Notre Dame. I picked Miami to win this weekend, and Clemson won’t lose this season. But next weekend, I think Pitt can pull it off. And that’s more on Notre Dame, to be honest. I don’t think it’s a top-5 team, and while I really like their running back tandem of Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree, Ian Book is more of a game-manager in my eyes.
Mike
2:42
Wow John who cares if we get some players from those states if they are 3 star kids at best. You seem to be a Pitt apologist. Under 6 years of Pat Narduzzi the team has always lost a minimum of 5 games and played in garbage bowls. You seem to always try and pump up what Pitt is doing and justify it. Why can't you be more critical because after 6 seasons of the same ol' same ol'?
John McGonigal
2:46
When I got hired at the P-G I was called a James Franklin spy and now I’m being labeled a Pitt apologist. What a turn of events. 

But like I said, the recruiting success will come when Pitt wins more than 8 games in a season. You’re not going to have a boatload of 4-star or 5-star kids from outside Pittsburgh jumping to play for Pitt when it's a middle-of-the-road program, based on recent success. That’s on the coaches. My point about Florida, Virginia and Georgia is that the level of competition there is greater than Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and other states within Pitt’s recruiting base. So it's good to get prospects from those states. Any recruiting analyst will tell you the same.

Also, Patrick Jones II was a 2-star defensive end, and Jaylen Twyman and Rashad Weaver were 3-star prospects. Development over a four-year period is more important than a grade high school analysts give a 17-year-old. So let’s not forget that.
9X
2:47
Injury update(s)?
John McGonigal
2:49
Narduzzi keeps things close to his chest. But he did mention that Cam Bright should be “fully operational” this weekend after traveling to Boston College and barely playing. I’ll be asking him Thursday afternoon about the status of A.J. Davis and others.
James
2:51
John, what's going on with the running game? Is the offensive line tipping their hand when it's a running play or is the blocking that bad? BC routinely had one or two unblocked players in the backfield.
John McGonigal
2:55
Despite playing offensive guard on JV for a couple years in high school, I’m not an offensive line aficionado. So I’m not 100% sure if their tipping their hand by their stance or alignment. But I will say, there were times at BC and times against N.C. State where it was painfully obvious that Pitt was going to run the ball — whether that’s because a fullback came onto the field or they went with two tight ends or it just made *sense* with the game script. The running game is bad. Has been since the start of last season. And I don't see an obvious fix, other than to use it sparingly, pass it more and bank on defense's napping in tempo.
Donna
2:58
Hi John, is Comcast and the ACC Network anywhere close to reaching an agreement?  Thank you.
John McGonigal
2:59
This is from a story our Adam Bittner wrote last month on the ACC Network’s ongoing issues with Comcast: “Comcast’s distribution agreement with Disney, ESPN’s parent company, expires at the end of next year. That should give Disney leverage to have the ACC Network included in the next agreement.” So, going off that, if by close you mean sometime this season — or even next season — you should probably switch.
James
3:00
John, thanks for your answer and for your work on the Pitt beat. I agree about sticking with the passing game and sneaking in the run. Sorry that some Pitt fans on the chat are being so negative--they're just upset after losing two very winnable games before Pitt heads into the gauntlet.
John McGonigal
3:01
Thanks, James. And this team ought to be 4-1, probably even 5-0 at this point. So I totally understand the frustration.
Well, that's all the time we've got this week. As always, I appreciate all the questions. I'll be back next Wednesday to answer all of your post-Miami questions. Til then, take it easy.
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