PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi discussed a number of topics as he joined the PM Team with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller on Monday. Among them, his thoughts on Ben Roethlisberger saying Pitt needs its own stadium. Also his thoughts on James Franklin and his freshman quarterback.
James Franklin fired at Penn State
“James Franklin is a great guy and that’s coming from Pat from Pittsburgh,” Narduzzi said on 93.7 The Fan.
Then is was the comment that has multiple meanings about their relationship & the failure for a renewal between Pitt and Penn State on a football field.
“I’ve got a great relationship with him,” Narduzzi told Fillipponi and Mueller. “When you talk in-state rivals, you are not an in-state rival if you don’t play each other. It’s really not a rivalry game anymore.”
Narduzzi said he’s been on Nike sponsored trips with he and his wife before. Overall, he just doesn’t like in-season firings.
“It’s not a good thing for college football,” Narduzzi said. “I think every year it becomes a bigger and bigger business. When you lose some of the good guys in the business, like that, it’s not good.”
“Coaches are tough enough to take it, what I worry about are the families. Not only the family of the head coach, but the rest of the people on that staff. That affects a lot of people, they are looking around the corner, on the phone at night wondering what their next move will be. It’s not good for the players there. It’s sad.”
“Once someone does it in the middle of the season, everybody else thinks it’s a good move. I think it’s really disrupting the families and the team.”
Freshman QB
The Panthers are 3-0 since he made the move to freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel. While there are some athletic qualities and aggressive decisions he loves, there is something else he has that few do.
“He can take criticism, which I think all great players can,” Narduzzi told The PM Team. “He’s one of those guys that when he’s told something isn’t good enough, he tries to fix it immediately. There is no fight. There’s no ‘well coach, this or that’. He’s really good with that.”
Narduzzi also doesn’t plan to reign him in. He sounded like he would accept certain mistakes rather than make him more conservative at times.
“Don’t mess him up,” Narduzzi said. “Don’t overcoach him. Playmakers make plays. He’s got a toughness and confidence to him.”
Acrisure Turf
After a lot of complaining about the field conditions at Acrisure Stadium, Steelers all-time leading passer Ben Roethlisberger blamed Pitt for playing there, even though the Panthers previous game was eight days prior.
“I know Ben pointed the finger at us,” Narduzzi told Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “I will have to give Ben a call, ‘Big Ben, if you are listening. I’m sure he’s listening to Poni and Chris, but if you are listening, come on man’.”
Narduzzi said he noticed the bad turf when they played Boston College, even though the weather conditions were perfect.
“After we played BC, I knew I should have called Coach Tomlin up and said you better change it,” Narduzzi said. “I felt guilty, so blame it on me. I texted him after the game and said he should have said something. I thought what was wrong with it. It wasn’t right, it seemed like it was dry.”
Narduzzi said they haven’t had a problem with the field in over a decade and was surprised it was bad because it’s still the first half of the season and there hasn’t been much action on it. He said they love playing on grass, NFL players love the grass and they want to keep playing on a natural surface.
“I think we won’t have a problem the rest of the year,” Narduzzi told the PM Team.
If they do and Roethlisberger (who Narduzzi coached for one season at Miami University) again thinks its Pitt’s fault.
“Give him my cell number, so he can call me first.”