University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt Football Spring Drills: Day 5 Recap
3/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi
On today's practice:
"One-third done with spring ball, can you imagine that? Five days in, 10 to go. We've got a scrimmage Saturday. We had a few live periods today, I think two up on the goal line. It was pretty heated today. Guys were getting after it. I love the way they're competing. They go back and forth and we had a nice little fight today that we had to control and run gassers. It looked like a brawl out there and sometimes that happens, but I loved the attitude of the team and they're working hard."
On comparing this spring to previous seasons:
"I can't say it is any better. It's just really good. It's been consistent. It's not like there has been a high day and a low day; they just keep coming out. It's hard to gauge what it was a year ago or two years ago, but as a coach all you want is the energy to be high and you can see them competing and guys are moving around. It's a fast practice."
On what he is looking forward to most during Saturday's scrimmage:
"We have a lot of young football guys out there. Max Browne hasn't been to the stadium, MacVittie and DiNucci, some of the young quarterbacks going into Heinz Field and playing there in a different atmosphere. I think that's the big thing I'm looking for, just to see how guys make plays on gameday. [In practice], we have live periods, we have some thud periods, we have what we call whiz periods, where you just let the tailback run and the receiver catch it. [Saturday], it's all live. It's real. You are going to move up and down the depth chart based on what you do [Saturday]. So that's what I'm looking forward to, guys making plays at Heinz Field. You can make them at the indoor and it doesn't really matter; you've got to make them at Heinz Field."
On wide receiver Quadree Henderson:
"I don't know if he could be a bigger weapon for us, period. As a receiver, we have just got to get him the ball. If he catches a five-yarder, it could turn into a 50-yarder. Get him the ball in short areas and let the guy go. It's a punt return or a kickoff return every time he touches the ball. He's dangerous. We just have to find more ways to get it in his hands."
On defensive end Kaezon Pugh:
"He's taking to it slowly. It's not easy. It's a brawl when you are [close to the defender] as opposed to running from five yards away and making contact. It's like being in a wrestling match up close. You have to use your hands well, and he's still got some learning. It's going to be until fall camp until he is there. Athletically, he has everything you need him to have at that position, but now we have to get him there fundamentally. It's a lot different position than playing linebacker or tailback, which is what he has played in the past. He's got to get his hands right. The great thing is that he has a great attitude and you watch him run to the ball, he runs to the ball as good as anybody."
On tight end Chris Clark:
"Coach [Tim] Salem always talks about how strong his hands are. He's become a good blocker. We haven't seen it for a while, but he's a good blocker and a great receiver. He caught a touchdown pass today in the red zone. He's a good blocker. He can block."
On the cornerbacks:
"I've been impressed with our corner play so far. We are playing against Jester Weah and Tre Tipton and good receivers. I can't sit there and say, `Man, we are playing against average receivers, I don't know what's going to happen on gameday.' Our corners are playing better right now. We are doing a better job at coaching them and they are doing a better job making plays. I don't see many deep balls being thrown or caught. The ones that we are dropping we have to catch, but we are at least getting pass breakups right now."
On linebacker Saleem Brightwell:
"I haven't seen him on the outside since last fall. I liked it when he played the outside and got that interception against Clemson. I liked that. I haven't seen that yet. The great thing is that he is learning both and I don't think there is anything better for a linebacker than to say, `Hey I can play anywhere coach, where do you want me to go?' I like him at both spots. I like him as a linebacker, and he has been good so far. He'll learn a brand new position and you can't get better than that."
Linebackers Coach Rob Harley
On his linebacker corps:
"There is obviously a standard set, and how lucky are we to have that standard that those old guys set the last two years in [Matt] Galambos and [Bam] Bradley and [Nicholas] Grigsby and [Mike] Caprara. Those guys set a heck of a standard to live up to, so we are lucky to have that standard and we have to live up to it. These guys were here with those guys and they understand what those guys set and where they've left it. I think they have to understand what the standard is but also play their game and be who they are. We are more athletic, and that isn't a cut or dig to those other guys. I think we are more athletic as a group and we have to play to our strengths. There is a lot to replace, as there always will be with the older guys, but we also still have a lot on the shelf."
On having versatile players at linebacker:
"I think what we are doing right now is cross training a lot of these guys because they are so athletic that they can play multiple positions. That is critical is that in this day and age, especially in the ACC when it is like hockey. It's like a line change. You have guys coming so fast, offenses coming so fast we have to have guys that can play multiple positions and be cross-trained. You have to think about your opponent, the game is on the edge. Teams are throwing the ball 55-60 times on us, and we've got to be able to stop the run and make some plays. As a whole group, these guys give us a lot."
On linebacker Saleem Brightwell:
"I'm happy to have him specifically and have him learn all three positions so we can put him where he is most deadly and makes the most plays. I couldn't be more happy to have him. You think of a middle linebacker, you think of a guy being able to run sideline to sideline out of the middle of the field, and he gives you that. You go back and think about the Clemson pick and none of us knew he was that fast, I don't think. He just got caught by the tip of a finger. He just gives you a lot of range in there. Right now, he is getting the nuts and bolts of how to run a defense. He's active and he's emotional. What more do you want out of a middle linebacker than an emotional, intense guy? That's what he brings. He's learning right now, which is awesome. He's going to be a heck of a player for us."
On linebacker Chase Pine:
"You talk about athleticism, the guy is almost 250 lbs. He can run. He's a big, big athlete that can move and you think about trying to pick him up in the blitz game and pick him up when he's taking a gap. Trying to block him is a bear. Right now, he is just a young player, so you are getting a lot athleticism and a lot of size and you are getting some youthful mistakes. He's running around and chasing the wrong thing and if we can get him locked in and zeroed in, they're going to have their hands full trying to block a 248-pound athlete. He's in the middle right now, but last fall camp he was on the edge. I like being able to cross-train guys. They are locked into what they are doing but they are always in the same room, so everybody is listening to every coaching point for every position."
Defensive Lineman Kaezon Pugh
On the biggest challenge adapting to a new position:
"The details. Moving from position to position, you have to start from day one. You are used to playing your old position, so you just have to get used to the other position and get into the routine. I'm a team player and I pretty much just want to get on the field. I love winning games; even [in high school], that's all I wanted to do was win games. It would feel good to be a champion. I'll play any type of position. Any position coach puts me at, I'm going to dominate it."
On what he learned from former Pitt defensive end Ejuan Price:
"When I came in, I was told I would have a chance to play defensive end. Every day I would talk to Ejuan and he would tell me about how to get off the line and things like that. He taught me a lot, so I did know a lot when I came in and was pretty much aware of everything. Ejuan called me his little brother, so I pretty much said I would be like him, but I don't mind it because he was a great player and one of the best defensive ends that was in college football with his technique, speed and strength. That's the guy I was looking up to playing defensive end."
On defensive line coach Charlie Partridge:
"I can say that he is a great coach. He wants everything done right and fast. His learning process is that you have to learn quickly and it helps out really well."
Tight End Chris Clark
On if he enjoyed his first year at Pitt despite not playing:
"Ever since I got here last January, it's been an unbelievable experience. The guys on the team have grown to be real close friends of mine. I've felt really comfortable. Obviously, I had a past with Coach Narduzzi throughout high school when he recruited me at Michigan State. I felt really comfortable with him coming here. With the knee injury I had last year, missing all the practice time stunk, but I was able to lift a lot and get a lot stronger."
On his blocking technique:
"It's getting better. Coach Narduzzi says that's a big thing. I can run and catch, but my blocking needs to improve. Every day I'm doing the things that I learn with Coach Salem. I'm definitely seeing improvement. I've got strong hands and good feet; it's all about knowing the assignment and little details."
On playing in pads again after his injury:
"It's been really good. I haven't played football like this since my first game at UCLA, which was two years ago. Obviously, I've been a little bit rusty coming back into it."
On the play of the quarterback group:
"All of the quarterbacks are doing really well--Max [Browne], Ben [DiNucci], Kenny [Pickett], and Thomas [MacVittie]. Kenny for a mid-year [enrollee], coming in and being really young, is doing a good job learning the offense. Max and Ben are great players, so it's going to be an unbelievable battle and we will see how it ends up."
On what he brings to the offense:
"I feel like I can do a little bit of everything. I can catch the ball. I'm going to get better at blocking. I feel like I can be a complete tight end and help in the run and pass game like Scott [Orndoff] did last year. Obviously Scott was an unbelievable player. I just hope to be someone like him. I definitely think that I can contribute a lot."
On preparing for his return:
"I'm just so anxious to be able to play college football. It's been so long since I have actually competed in a meaningful game. I'm just super anxious to start playing. It stinks just sitting on the sideline."
Quarterback Thomas MacVittie
On his redshirt year:
"It was awesome. I really learned a lot. I'm very happy that I got to do it. Nate [Peterman] was the starter last year and I was really excited to learn under him and under [Matt] Canada."
On what he wants to show the coaches this spring:
"My leadership and energy is probably the main thing, as well as knowing everything."
On a quarterback competition:
"You need it. You need it at college. They brought in Max [Browne] and you need four or five on a college team. It's awesome. It makes the team a lot better."
On what he has been learning from Max Browne:
"I just watch what he does. The things that he does that I don't do, I try to take from him. The same goes with Ben [DiNucci], Kenny [Pickett], and Jake [Zilinskas]. I see what they do great and try to do the same thing."
On offensive coordinator Shawn Watson:
"He's awesome. He recruited me as a freshman so we had a relationship, but I'm very excited for him. He recruited me while he was at Louisville. I didn't talk to him too much at Indiana, but I'm happy he came back around."
On what separates MacVittie from other quarterbacks:
"I've always said my mobility and running are what separates me, as well as my leadership and energy."
On Pitt's corps of wide receivers:
"Between J-Weah [Jester Weah] and Aaron [Matthews], we're going to have a lot of opportunities. They're big and they can get open. They're very fast and very quick."
