Media blackout week for Pitt-Penn St. No assistants talking. No players. No meaningless window before the real practicing starts. Yay, stupid side-issue.

Head Coach Pat Narduzzi did it last year for this game. I thought it was pointless and silly last year as well.

Fans overall don’t care. There’s enough hate for PSU to carry through the week.

In fact, fans get pissed at the media talking about it. That they should just do their job and write/talk/video about all the other aspects of the game. Like they really need some quotes from players or coaches for that. That it is all just whining.

Some fans view it as a chance to “punish” the local media because they don’t provide enough coverage of Pitt for the other 51 weeks of the year. Oh, now you want to pay attention.

For other fans, it is that any criticism of Narduzzi or the policy is seen as a criticism of Pitt; and that cannot be permitted. That Narduzzi is really doing this for the players. To take the pressure off of them. Let them focus on the game. Not be distracted. Putting it all on himself to protect everyone else. Yada-yada-yada.

And of course, there is the general disdain for the media and a chance to bash.

It’s not that the local media makes it easy. Especially the radio-oriented, hot-take, JV-Bayless-wannabees. They bait the fans with useless threats of tit-for-tat. Or pointing out how eager Pitt is for coverage any other time. Anything to provoke a reaction. Boy, do they get it and love it.

Then there is the fact that the one thing everybody loves to do is talk about themselves or their jobs, and Narduzzi went and handed the people who make a living talking and writing a chance to do so. It’s really all I see people talking about for this game.

As Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News (and a Pittsburgh native) put it:

“Pitt is a great university with a fine athletic department. But fights for attention in a pro city and anything that runs counter is mistake.”

Instead, all of that attention is on Narduzzi and cutting off the media. Not the game. Not Pitt. Not the players.

Here’s one additional part of why I don’t like the blackout. It isn’t just the local media kept out. It means all the media. One of the non-conference games that was circled nationally. A chance for more coverage. Maybe a little more attention on pre-season All-American Quadree Henderson. Heck, even a little puff-piece on the latest upgrades to the facilities. Another opportunity for the football program to get positive attention outside of Pittsburgh.

Nope. Wasting time on a self-created side-issue.