Sorry. Just as I got back into the swing of things, the offline world intruded. Lots of work related crap took away most of my time. And then getting the kids ready and back to school finished the rest. Oh, and a cat adopted us. All very chaotic.

Needless to say, training camp is done. It’s a few days away from the season opener. Related note: hooray for a 3;30 start time!

So, what is there to say about training camp?

No one really got hurt.

Biggest, clearest and best takeaway.

Camps are almost entirely closed off to the media. That means we are dependent on what Pitt and Head Coach Pat Narduzzi tells us happened in the practices. I’ll skip (or at least keep it brief) my annual complaints about closed practices and that coach paranoia that is now completely commonplace. It’s spitting into the wind at this point.

That said, Narduzzi, the other coaches and the players all seem to be exuding a certain confidence and excitement about the team.

But the Pitt football coach raised eyebrows when he told Panthers fans at a kickoff luncheon Friday at Heinz Field, “Next time we’ll see you (will be) in Charlotte for the ACC championship game because we’re going.”

…

“I think it helps you. When you’ve got the ability to win a big game, you’ve got the ability to win every game, period,” Narduzzi said. “If you can beat a Miami and you can beat a Clemson, why shouldn’t you win an ACC championship? That’s pretty simple. I think our kids understand that, and that probably plays a part of why they talk like they do. ”

No problem with the confidence and stating the goal out loud. Here’s the thing about even last year’s frustrating season. Except for the Georgia Tech game, Pitt was close in every ACC match-up (NC State was close for about 3 quarters before Pitt faded out in the 4th). Two losses came down to literally less then 3 yards.

Pitt should be better this year. At QB. The entire defense. Probably the WR spot. Yes, the non-con is a beast. So what? Other then the UCF game, how do we — as Pitt fans — not want to see the Panthers playing games against PSU and ND?

Kind of jumping all over the place with a jumble of thoughts. Sorry for the incoherence.

Taysir Mack got immediate eligibility somehow, which means the WR corps improved and there is a ridiculous depth. Tons of questions still about the WRs. Mainly on if they have much of a ceiling. Nice players, potential. But we’ve yet to see a breakout.

Pitt loves well-traveled QBs on the roster. Now it’s Jeff George, Jr. (another kid that reminds me that I’m old). Graduated from Illinois in 2 years and transferred to Michigan this past spring. BUT, left during training camp and just joined Pitt. Trying not to make jokes about his father and teams, because I’m trying not to go with the “sins of the father” thing. It’s low hanging fruit, though.