CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When covering events like the ACC Kickoff media days, there are two distinct types of interviews.
One is the big-production, somewhat-scripted press conference, which comes complete with a moderator, pre-interview hype video and a typed transcript available afterward — basically a sterile setting.
But most of the best material comes from the 45-minute breakout sessions, when coaches and players are available to speak sitting right across the table from small groups of reporters. That was the case with Pat Narduzzi, who, in addition to answering the requisite questions on Kenny Pickett, his defense and the rest of the ACC, offered some in-depth and thoughtful answers on larger college football issues.
Narduzzi certainly isn’t the type to go full Larry Fedora — and the Pitt administration surely is grateful for that — but he did express many candid thoughts on how the new redshirt rule could affect coaching and recruiting and how he views the influence gambling has on college sports.
The new redshirt rule, which allows players to appear in up to four games without losing a season of eligibility, is something Narduzzi has been vocally in favor of since before the change was approved.
“I’ve been around players that, when they think they’re a scout field player, they shut it down and you get nothing out of them the rest of the year. This gives our kids the opportunity to know that, 'If I keep getting better, maybe the last four games coach will put me in,' ” Narduzzi said. “In the past, after three weeks on the scout field, (players) have kind of got it figured out. 'The writing is on the wall, and it looks like I ain’t playing this year.' ”
Narduzzi said Pickett could have been that type of player and gone through the motions with the scout team, but the then-freshman continued to work hard, which had him ready to step in after the injury to Max Browne forced the Panthers to put Pickett into action as the team’s No. 2 and eventual starting quarterback.
Of course, every program will have the benefit of the rule change, so Narduzzi doesn’t think it impacts competitive balance or the way coaches will recruit kids. It certainly won’t affect the way he does business.
“Anybody can play early, but you can’t play 12 games, so (recruiting) is still, ‘Who’s going to be that guy who can come in and play 12?’” Narduzzi said. “We don’t use that, ‘Hey, you can come in and play early.’ That’s probably one of the worst recruiting lines, ever.
“I always say, if a coach is going to tell you you’re going to come in and start and play a lot next year, if he’s telling you that, what’s he telling you about the rest of the players on his football team? That ain’t very good. And next year, am I going to tell (another recruit) that you’re going to play over him? I’m not ever going to use that line, because that’s just telling you what you want to hear. … I think that’s a bad line.
“(Former Florida and Illinois coach) Ron Zook got beat up because he used to tell everybody they’re going to come in and play. Ron Zook, we know, great football coach, and did he recruit some good talent at Florida when he was there? Yeah. Urban Meyer won a championship with his guys. … But the knock was, he recruited everybody saying they were going to play. Well, they all got there, and they’re like, 'I ain’t playing.' … I love Ron Zook, he’s a Miami (Ohio) guy, but I don’t want to (recruit like) that. It’s hard. You’re living a lie.”
Given Narduzzi’s distaste for talking about injuries, the assumption was he would be happy about the announcement Wednesday by ACC commissioner John Swofford that the league was doing away with its injury report. But when asked about it, Narduzzi shared his thoughts on the legalization of sports betting that prompted the injury report decision.
“Yeah, I don’t like talking about injuries, but I really don’t care what they do. We’ve been doing (an injury report) for three years, and you become a creature of habit,” Narduzzi told me.
“With all the gambling stuff that’s been talked about — and I don’t know where we are in the state of Pa., I don’t make those decisions, either — to me, I always felt like giving those injury reports out was like saying it’s OK to gamble. It’s almost like we were encouraging gambling. It’s kind of like, why are we doing this? What is this report for? We say who’s playing and who’s not, so they can say here’s the line.”
Narduzzi went on to say he’s not taking a complete anti-gambling stance, but his primary concern as a coach is for his players and who was trying to access or possibly influence them.
“I don’t want our players thinking about the line or anything else like that. That’s a scary thing when you think about college sports, and it’s another thing that we, as coaches, have to worry about. Who are you talking to? Who’s talking about injuries? I don’t want our kids talking about injuries, because there’s people out there trying to find out who’s hurt so they can put more money on the game,” Narduzzi said.
“How do we protect our kids from having people come up to them saying, ‘Hey, I’ll give you this if you do this?’ We’ve got enough of that stuff going on, and then there’s more people gambling. Where is it going to end? It’s not good for college sports.”
MORE PITT
• Narduzzi was willing to talk about almost anything at ACC Kickoff, but he did stick to the standard script when asked about last week’s dismissal of redshirt freshman tight end Charles Reeves Jr. for a disciplinary matter. “Nothing’s unexpected, and there’s always going to be change,” Narduzzi said. “He’s a great kid, and, you know, sometimes you’ve just got to make decisions. He’s not a bad kid.” — Grubba
• Pitt’s players were something of a hit in interviews and on radio row. During Wednesday’s media dinner, the drive-time hosts for the Charlotte-area Carolina Sports Network told me Alex Bookser was perhaps their best player interview on a long first day. Seun Idowu, the former walk-on, also enjoyed the spotlight, at one point mugging for the cameras and humorously posing before his individual interviews. “This is one thing I didn’t think I’d be at. I didn’t know much about it, and even before coming, I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen.’ But I’m going to come through, have fun with it … I’m excited that I got picked for this. It’s a great blessing in life, and I’m really happy that I got this opportunity. It says a lot about how things are going as far as the goals I’m reaching.” — Grubba
STEELERS
• With the Le'Veon Bell situation now behind them, look for the Steelers to focus on getting an extension completed for placekicker Chris Boswell. Boswell signed his one-year restricted free agent deal for $2.914 million this season, which is a big raise from the $615,000 he made last season. It's also twice as much money as he's made in his previous four NFL seasons. To this point, Boswell has earned $1.48 million. Even at $2.914 million, Boswell's salary ranks just 15th in the NFL among placekickers. Three kickers, Mason Crosby, Justin Tucker and Stephen Gostkowski, are costing their teams $5 million or more this season. In terms of base salary, Boswell's deal is the fifth-biggest payout this season, with Dallas' Dan Bailey topping the list at $3.4 million. -- Dale Lolley
• People can say what they want about the total package of the Bell deal. And $70 million is a lot of money. But it's highly unlikely Bell would ever have seen all of that. The offer was essentially a three-year, $45 million deal that would have taken him to age 29 with the possibility of being released. That's still very good money, to be sure, but Bell is guaranteed $14.5 million this season. So what he really did was walk away from $500,000 for the opportunity to hit the free agent market next year. -- Lolley
• If there is a player who is Madden Curse-proof, it's Antonio Brown. Even though he's now 30, there's no signs Brown is anywhere close to slowing down. But we also might have seen his best season in 2015, when he recorded 136 catches for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns in one of the best years for a receiver in NFL history. Then again, with the way Brown pushes himself to new levels, there is nothing that should surprise anyone when it comes to his on-field performances. Last year at training camp, several players and coaches noted to me how Brown looked faster than he had in previous seasons. Two years ago, he worked on his overall strength. It will be interesting to see what it is he focused on during this offseason. -- Lolley
PIRATES
• The Reds, led by interim manager Jim Riggleman, won 21 of their final 31 games in the first half and even had three players selected to the All-Star Game, including former Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett. Their young pitching is beginning to flourish. The bullpen has been better. They seemed to be a real threat to surpass the Pirates for fourth place. Well, Joey Votto still isn't thrilled with their play. "It's only been a few good weeks," Votto told me at Nationals Park before the All-Star Game. "I was really down on the team earlier in the season, so I'm not going to get too excited right now." -- Lance Lysowski in Washington
• Speaking of Votto, I asked him to reflect on the state of the Central Division, particularly how the Reds' rivalry with the Pirates has changed since 2013. After all, both teams traded away so many talented players since the Wild Card game at PNC Park. Naturally, Votto's response was about spending. "Definitely different personnel. Different faces. I was so used to seeing Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole. It is a different team, but the Pirates have a way of making sure they're always staying relevant. We have a very similar situation in Cincinnati, where we can't go out and snag players in the free agent market any time we want. We have to be smart with our trades and signings. It's a bit of a challenge, but they seem to be able to navigate those challenges." -- Lysowski
• McCutchen batted .261 with a .764 OPS, nine home runs and 40 RBIs in the first half, while producing one win above replacement. Meanwhile, the Giants are in fourth place in the National League West at 50-48 — four games back of the Dodgers. Their struggles haven't been because of their right fielder, though. "Great teammate, first of all," Brandon Crawford told me of McCutchen. "We're lucky to have him. The guy can still do so much. I'm still excited that we went out and traded for him." -- Lysowski
PENGUINS
• Whether the GM has been Ray Shero or Jim Rutherford, the Penguins have been a team that's been willing to spend up to the cap under the ownership of Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux. Next season, though, they could be right up against it with little wiggle room. After signing free agent center Derek Grant to a one-year, $650,000 contract on Thursday, the Penguins have just under $700,000 available against the NHL cap of $79.5 million. That is the least amount of cap space among the NHL's 31 teams. The L.A. Kings are next and they still have $2.15 million available. -- Chris Bradford
• Next on Rutherford's to-do list is re-signing Tristan Jarry. The 23-year-old goaltender is the club's last remaining restricted free agent of note after Teddy Blueger was re-signed earlier this week. Expect a deal for Jarry to get done in short order. -- Bradford
• Jake Guentzel and Blueger, two players with Minnesota roots, are playing in Da Beauty League, a 4-on-4 summer league for pro and college players. The league is long on skill and showmanship and less on defense and compete level. The games, which are held in Edina, Minn., consist of two, 23-minute periods. The league's champion is awarded the John Scott Cup, named in honor of the former NHL enforcer. Picking up where he left off this spring, Guentzel has four goals and two assists in two games. -- Bradford
HOUNDS
• Midfielder Ben Zemanski, who has not played since being forced to exit in the first half of the 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls II on June 16 with an undisclosed lower-body injury, was back in training with the team Monday. His designation on the injury report for Saturday's match against the Charleston Battery will be determined after the team goes through its final training session of the week Friday morning. — Grubba