First Call: Bruce Arians denies Tom Brady made Antonio Brown decision; Larry Fitzgerald makes history
Some interesting details about Antonio Brown’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bruce Arians has some questionable quotes about how that signing went down. Plus, an eye-popping stat about Le’Veon Bell in his first game with the Kansas City Chiefs. Larry Fitzgerald makes some history. And Tyler Glasnow’s late postseason...
Madden Monday: Why this Steelers offense may be better than Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell editions
The Steelers are 6-0 after a 27-24 win Sunday in Tennessee. And they got there in familiar fashion. Playing one great half and one crummy half. I’m not stunned that was enough to beat the likes of Denver, Houston and the New York Giants earlier in the season. But enough...
John Steigerwald: Pitt should be longing for Dave Wannstedt
Dave Wannstedt should still be coaching at Pitt. Pat Narduzzi is the third coach to take a crack at it since Wannstedt was fired at the end of the 2010 season, and after Narduzzi’s fourth loss in a row Saturday to Notre Dame, he is 3-4 this season and 39-33...
AP Top 25: Penn State drops to No. 18 after loss to Indiana
Indiana jumped into The Associated Press college football poll Sunday after pulling off the weekend’s most dramatic upset, and Ohio State moved up to No. 3 following a dominant season debut. Clemson remained a rock-solid No. 1 and Alabama was No. 2. The Tigers received 52 first-place votes and the...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi takes no risks, pays the price
Pat Narduzzi thought the second quarter was too early to take risks, but if he knew then what long-suffering Pitt fans and a national television audience now know as fact, he might have been more inclined to gamble. He didn’t know he had nothing to lose. He didn’t know Notre...
Tim Benz: We’ve seen ‘typical Pitt’ losses in 2020. Will we see a ‘typical Pitt’ win?
We throw around the phrase “typical Pitt loss” all the time when discussing the football team. Except there are many different iterations of a “typical Pitt loss.” • There is the mind-boggling, creative way of blowing a game late. Like when kicker Alex Kessman bombed a field goal from the...
While juggling backup quarterbacks, Pitt drops the ball against Notre Dame defense
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi knew the Panthers would have trouble running the ball against Notre Dame’s stacked defensive front. What he hoped is they would pass it better against the nation’s No. 3 team. With starting quarterback Kenny Pickett sidelined for a second consecutive game, that proved to be a...
Notre Dame crushes Pitt, hands Panthers 4th straight loss
Already hanging onto a tattered thread of respectability before the game, Pitt unraveled completely Saturday at Heinz Field in a 45-3 loss to No. 3 Notre Dame. How do you explain the second-worst loss in Pat Narduzzi’s six seasons as Pitt’s coach? How much time do you have? It starts...
Sean McDonough on Pitt-Notre Dame, ‘When Sid Slid,’ Mike Emrick’s retirement
In advance of the Pitt-Notre Dame game at Heinz Field on Saturday, ABC broadcaster Sean McDonough has just one request of viewers in Pittsburgh. “Don’t kill the messenger.” Over the last 35 years, McDonough has proven to be one of the most talented and versatile play-by-play announcers in the business....
Pitt quarterback question looms again, but Pat Narduzzi guards the secret
Pat Narduzzi said he wanted to watch more video before coming to a conclusion, but he knew. Of course, he did. Two days (probably longer) before Pitt was set to meet Notre Dame at Heinz Field on Saturday, he knew the identity of his starting quarterback. He even said, “I...
Dropped passes have become an issue during Pitt’s losing streak
Chris Beatty caught passes at a record-setting pace at East Tennessee State and, later, in the CFL. He has coached young people on that particular skill going back into the previous century, so he believes he knows a dropped pass when he sees one. But as Pitt’s second-year wide receivers...
Pitt hopes Jordan Addison’s first impression is a lasting one
No one outside his family knows Jordan Addison better than Chris Beatty, his position coach at Pitt. So when Beatty compares Addison to a former Heisman hopeful and a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft, it sounds like in-the-vicinity bias, but it might have stronger roots than that. “He’s been...
Daughter of former Pitt linebacker Scott McKillop gets ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ appearance
It took her dad Scott McKillop 20-plus years to get into the national spotlight as Pitt’s leading tackler on one of the team’s best defenses in recent memory, but Harper McKillop’s wit got her 15 seconds of fame. Twenty-four, to be exact, on Sunday’s episode of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”...
Pitt soccer coach Jay Vidovich shrugs his shoulders at No. 1 ranking, goes back to work
Jay Vidovich said he doesn’t know how his Pitt soccer players reacted when word reached campus that the team is ranked No. 1 for the first time in the United Soccer Coaches poll. “I haven’t really brought it up to them at all,” he said. So, although Pitt men’s soccer...
Robert Hainsey among 5 Notre Dame players with Pittsburgh ties set to return home
Robert Hainsey tells his story with pride, all about a 16-year-old embarking on a new adventure, more than 1,000 miles from home. Yet, he says, “It wasn’t that hard.” Hainsey was captain of the Gateway football team as a sophomore in 2016, and, remarkably, the Gators’ best player, according to...
Pitt defense still learning to overcome obstacles
Back in July, when Pitt was undefeated and temperatures and expectations were rising, Randy Bates could not have predicted what would happen to his defense over the season’s first six games. Four starters, including a preseason All-American defensive tackle, the senior who lines up next him, a valued cornerback and...
Pitt men’s soccer rises to No. 1 in nation for 1st time in program history
The undefeated Pitt men’s soccer team ascended to No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches poll Tuesday, reaching the milestone for the first time in program history. YOU KIDDIN ME LETS GOOOOOO Julie Jurich (@juliejurich) October 20, 2020 The Panthers (4-0, 3-0 ACC) were No. 2 nationally for three...
Pitt notebook: If Kenny Pickett can’t go, Joey Yellen may get call again
Before embarking on three days of practice, Pat Narduzzi said Monday that Joey Yellen may be the choice for Pitt’s starting quarterback Saturday against No. 3 Notre Dame. If Kenny Pickett (ankle) can’t play, of course. Asked if he enters this week knowing Yellen will start, he said, “Right now,...
Are Pat Narduzzi’s options limited in quest to end Pitt’s losing streak?
Sometimes, a coach just has nowhere to turn. Pat Narduzzi hasn’t reached that point, even though Pitt will take a three-game losing streak into Heinz Field on Saturday to play undefeated and No. 3 Notre Dame (4-0, 3-0 ACC). But injuries and not enough depth (a recruiting issue) have created...
Defense, running game keep Pitt out of ACC spotlight
A long, long time ago — or so it seems — an undefeated and nationally ranked Pitt team grabbed a 7-0 lead against N.C. State on the second snap of the game. The N.C. State secondary fell asleep, and Kenny Pickett found Jordan Addison for a 75-yard touchdown pass. That...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi keeps his QB secret, but it doesn’t help
Pat Narduzzi did his best to hide the truth from Miami coach Manny Diaz, and he succeeded. Not that it mattered. Narduzzi said he knew early in the week quarterback Kenny Pickett would be unable to play Saturday on his injured left ankle. But he kept talking about Pickett’s toughness...
Without QB Kenny Pickett, Pitt falls to No. 13 Miami
Nobody questions Kenny Pickett’s value to Pitt’s hopes of escaping the mediocrity — or something worse — that surrounds this season. He is the team’s leader, emotionally and tangibly, and Pitt is a lesser group without him. It showed Saturday in a 31-19 loss to No. 13 Miami at Hard...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett doesn’t travel to Miami; Joey Yellen will start
Pat Narduzzi kept the secret all week, and it was finally revealed Saturday morning — Kenny Pickett won’t play Saturday at Miami. Pickett, who injured his left ankle last week in the second half of the Boston College game, did not make the trip to Miami with his teammates. Joey...
5 things to watch: Can good work week lead Pitt to victory?
Every week, with most of the game preparation behind him, Pat Narduzzi gets on his Thursday Zoom conference call and either assures reporters “the hay’s in the barn” or “we’ve had a good week of practice.” Sometimes, he mentions both things. This week, with Pitt (3-2, 2-2 ACC) preparing for...
First Call: Ex-Steeler wanted Le’Veon Bell back in Pittsburgh. Ravens mad at Bengals. Aaron Donald’s surprising revelation.
Friday’s “First Call” gives us an ex-Steeler who wishes Le’Veon Bell would’ve come back to Pittsburgh instead of going to Kansas City. Another AFC coach admits his team wanted Bell. Aaron Donald’s surprising quote about his huge game last week. And the Ravens are mad at the Bengals. Better luck...
