Here is a detailed and in-depth look at the Panther football program under Pat Narduzzi.  It was written yesterday by Bill Connelly of SB Nation  and is a wealth of historical and present (and future) info about where we have been and the direction he thinks we are going into the 2016 season.

Here is an opening salvo to get your attention:

As fans, we have plenty of funny tendencies. If you raise the stature of our program just enough to break our heart with high-stakes losses, we will resent you for it.

It’s funny (if you’re not a Pitt fan, at least) to look back to the end of the last decade.

Under Dave Wannstedt, Pitt pulled off one of its most significant upsets, in 2007 (taking down WVU in Morgantown to prevent the Mountaineers from advancing to the BCS title game), then went 9-4 and 10-3 over the next two seasons. The Panthers went 8-5 in 2010, giving them 27 wins over a three-year period for the first time since 1981-83.

And Wannstedt resigned under pressure, hated by a large portion of Pitt fans.

But I’ll disagree – unless he thinks I am the only Pitt fan whose opinion matters I don’t think Pitt fans hated Wannstedt at all.  It was more like they were so disappointed with all the crap that went on back in 2010 and his inability to outright win a BCS bowl bid in his six years as head coach that any sort of a change was a relief.

But let’s not put binders on as this writer has – there were a hell of a lot of Pitt fans that didn’t want to see DW go at all.

Aside from that this is a fantastic read.  It is a breath of fresh air to read someone state the true comparisons between Chryst’s time at Pitt and Pat Narduzzi’s first year.  We fans are infused with a lot of Narduzzi’s energy and exuberance so we look at last season with an overly positive view.

Of course a lot of things went well for us, as did in Chryst’s time also but the main difference is, of course that elusive eighth win that we had.

Early in Narduzzi’s first year, Pitt came back from a 10-point deficit to tie Iowa in Iowa City, only to lose via 57-yard field goal at the buzzer. It was a Pitt-style heartbreaker that suggested the Panthers’ demons were stronger than Narduzzi’s impeccable résumé.

But then a funny thing started happening. Pitt won at Virginia Tech by four, at Georgia Tech by three, and at Syracuse by three. After a momentary setback, they manhandled Duke and Louisville. They went 6-2 in ACC Coastal play, missing out on a division title only when a comeback attempt against UNC came up just short. And even in that game, there was promise and fortitude — Pitt trailed 23-6 in the third quarter before charging back.

The Panthers weren’t very good — their No. 40 S&P+ ranking was the average of Paul Chryst’s last two years (36th in 2013, 44th in 2014). But that almost made 2015’s 8-5 finish more encouraging. The Panthers were young but still showed an ability to come back against good teams and maneuver in close games. For Pitt, that was almost a more important hurdle than actually improving.

And I think that last bit is what has whet our appetites for the beginning of fall camp and subsequent games.  Even with the horrid dip in play over the last two games of 2015 we Pitt fans, with strength born from being tied to the whipping posts marking the trail of tears that is Pitt football history, can point to a tough schedule and see seven or eight wins.

Read the article and take your time doing it – it has a wealth of info that we’ll keep referring back to during the actual football days of the 2016 season.  here is their summary sidebar and I have to say it hits the mark:

5-year recruiting ranking: 37 (6 in ACC)

Biggest strength: Can you have too many running backs? Pitt might; the Panthers also have one of the ACC’s best offensive lines.

Biggest question mark: Can the passing game thrive without security blanket Tyler Boyd?

Biggest 2016 game: Penn State (Sept. 10), but the game at UNC (Sept. 24) could end up deciding the ACC Coastal.

Summary: Pitt didn’t improve a lot in Narduzzi’s first year, but the Panthers won close games, and they were young enough to generate serious optimism. Also: WELCOME BACK, JAMES CONNER. 🙂 🙂 🙂

I’ll add one of my own:

2nd Biggest question mark: How bad will it get if our starting QB goes down with injury?

Here are three pieces from ESPN’s Pitt’s Front Page.  First is this about Pitt’s new uniforms being the best in the ACC:

We’re traditionalists here, and few uniform changes got us more excited recently than Pittsburgh’s decision to revert to its signature script logo. The look harkens to the good ol’ days of Panther greats like Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino, and it has been well-received in virtually every corner so far. The logo was used from 1973-96, and the alternate versions now even feature a matted navy helmet. (For the record, Florida State’s old uniforms would’ve been our pick here, but the Seminoles changed jerseys in 2014.) — Matt Fortuna

Another one asks “Who will reach double-digit sacks in the ACC in 2016?”

Ejuan Price, Pitt — Price got a sixth season of eligibility, and that is great news for the Panthers given the way he flourished in Pat Narduzzi’s aggressive defensive scheme a year ago. Price finished third in the ACC with 11.5 sacks, and more of the same will be expected from the team’s veteran playmaker. Keep an eye on Matt Galambos too.

They can watch Galambos if they want – I’ll keep my eye on Mike Caprara who is smarter and quicker than out starting MLB.  Caprara, while playing on and off as a starter, had as many sacks as Galambos but actually more tackles for loss.

Here are the Top Six defensive players (by tackles made) for our 2015 squad:

ESPN’s latest piece with reference to Pitt is this one titled “ACC offensive lines will have plenty of experience in 2016” and lists the ACC teams with the most games played by the OL starters.

If returning experience is an indicator of future success, the ACC’s offensive lines should be strong in 2016.

Phil Steele posted his annual report on returning starts for offensive lines, and the ACC has plenty of experienced units by that metric.

From PhilSteele.com:

2. North Carolina, 131

12. Pitt, 99

Still, the returning experience is a good sign for teams like Wake, Miami and Virginia Tech — all of which dealt with problems up front a year ago. And given the already high number of top running backs returning for 2016, there’s a good chance all this offensive line experience will translate into some powerful ground attacks this season. (Pitt, for example, has two 1,000-yard rushers and the second-most experienced offensive line.) In fact, the top four teams in terms of offensive line experience in the ACC all return 1,000-yard rushers from last season.

Rival/Trib’s Chris Peak weighs in with another podcast.  This time, actually it was recorded on Monday, he talks about “QB recruiting, concerns about O-Line recruiting and Pitt QB commit Kenny Pickett’s head coach is a guest.“

Sticking with the Narduzzi/recruiting theme here let’s revist a video clip that I really enjoy.  It highlights the local “412 Crew” players we have on the roster:

Take a flight over the nicest place in which we’ll never see an on-campus stadium…