Point Park University Friday Insider: 'Hodgepodge' target Madris defends team... McFarland dancing in backfield less... Reirden's impact on Penguins

The most viral soundbite from the Pirates’ season very well may not come from a player or coach, but from the color commentator from an opponent.

On Tuesday, NESN broadcaster Dennis Eckersley sounded off against the Pirates' roster in the first game of their series against the Red Sox. Among the minute-long dissection was the very blunt assessment that the team was a "hodgepodge of nothingness," noting that a rebuilding club, there weren't many top prospects what he called a "no-name lineup."

The comments got under some player's skin, including Bligh Madris, the man who was up to bat during Eckersley's comments.

“People can say what they want to say about us, but the guys here in this clubhouse are grateful for every opportunity we get to play on a big league field,” Madris told me. “No matter what they say about that, we’re still part of that top 1% because we made it to the big leagues. I get to say I’m a big-leaguer at the end of the day.”

“It’s not a ‘hodgepodge of nothingness,' " he followed up later. "There’s a lot of guys who worked hard to get here.”

Eckersley's shot was at the whole team, but for Madris, there is a personal angle since he was the one hitting. If not explicitly stated, the shot was almost certainly at least partially aimed at him.

Madris has never been regarded as a top 30 prospect in the Pirates' system, but his perseverance kept him in the system and earned the former Division II player a major-league call up this year at age 26. Derek Shelton referred to his promotion as an "organizational win," giving many young players in the system someone to look up to.

Madris' rookie season has been rough, seeing his average drop to .167 while trying to learn first base. On Thursday, he received extra one-on-one infield practice to try to continue his development there, and strong numbers with Class AAA Indianapolis does offer some hope that he can improve offensively in the majors.

Is he a top 100 prospect? No. That doesn't mean he's nothing.

“If he wanted to sit down and have a conversation with me, he would find out I know this game,” Madris said. “He doesn’t know my story... I’ve done what I’ve done. I deserve to be here.”

Eckersley, on the flip side, is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest relievers of all-time. Madris believes doesn't excuse him for saying something that discredits a group of young players having difficulty making the leap to the big leagues.

“Whether it’s a vet or a rookie, people go through things on this field and in this game. He should understand that.”

MORE PIRATES

2. Jason Delay has been a good surprise story this year, emerging as a respectable catcher at a time where the Pirates desperately needed some stability. His defense is his calling card, and a lot of focus has been on framing to his hand side. Jordan Comadena is one of the main people who is helping him, and the bullpen catcher already has had great success in this area after helping Jacob Stallings turn into a Gold Glove defender. -- Stumpf

3. Zach Thompson has been in a rut of late, allowing 26 earned runs over 24 1/3 innings since the All-Star break, leading to the Pirates looking at different ways to deploy him rather than just a starter. I got a report from a National League analyst this week that said his stuff has declined in quality as the season has progressed, namely the changeup and cutter. The latter is a go-to pitch and was his best offering coming into this season. Thompson is already at 95 innings pitched, the most he's thrown in a regular season since he was in Class A in 2016. To speculate, the larger workload might be taking its toll. -- Stumpf

4. Meanwhile, Tyler Beede is going to continue in the rotation, telling me he's on a starter's schedule. The Pirates are no longer listing him among their relievers either. This was his first year as a reliever, so he can still transition back to the rotation. It's still an interesting experiment for late in the season, as he had been one of the bullpen's more reliable arms. -- Stumpf

5. Colin Holderman, on the other hand, is staying in the bullpen and has pitched his way into a leverage role. A former minor-league starter, it was during the 2020 pandemic season that he figured out some lower half mechanics that finally helped put himself on a major-league trajectory. "I didn't drive down the mound," he told me. "I just went down the mound. During COVID, I went to the lab and tried to get better. There wasn't light at the end of the tunnel. I wasn't throwing very hard. My stuff was meh. I needed to make a statement." -- Stumpf

6. Derek Shelton got a visit from former Giants manager and future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy before last Saturday's game against the Giants. While never on a major-league staff together, Shelton was once Bochy's assistant on an All-Star team that traveled to Taiwan to build the game there. Bochy was in town because the Giants were honoring the 10 year anniversary of their 2012 World Series winning team. -- Stumpf

7. On the flip side, the Giants honoring that World Series team meant that bench coach Don Kelly had to relive losing the championship. He was a part of that Tigers team, and he joked that he was going to call off that day to avoid the festivities. (He didn't.) -- Stumpf

8. On the minor-league side, Class AA Altoona is finally getting healthy, seeing Nick Gonzales return this week and positive reports that Henry Davis and Matt Gorski will return before the season is through. There's temptation to play them the rest of the way to make up for lost time, but manager Kieran Mattison and his staff are going to remain mindful of workloads, even as the season enters its final stretch. "We as an organization really dive into how to be efficient with our time," Mattison told me. "...[We have] to get the feet back for those players because they're the ones playing. They're the ones feeling tired and knowing their bodies." -- Stumpf

STEELERS

9. Heading into his third season, Anthony McFarland was promised nothing in terms of making the Steelers' 53-man roster. But the former fourth-round draft pick had a strong training camp and posted 56 yards on seven carries in the team's preseason-opening win over the Seahawks, starting the game in place of injured Najee Harris and Benny Snell. Sure, it was the preseason, but considering the speedy McFarland has averaged 3.2 yards per carry on 36 rushing attempts in his first two seasons, it was a nice start. McFarland told me he's dancing in the backfield less now than he did earlier in his career. "I know that about myself from my first two years," McFarland said. "I was indecisive, always trying to make the big play, the home run. Now, it’s just understanding that you’ve got to get what you can get. Four yards is a good run. The more I understand that, the more I’m comfortable." -- Dale Lolley in Latrobe, Pa.

10. McFarland also seems to have a role on this team in the passing game. He's often been lined up in the slot with another back on the field, a matchup that typically gets him a linebacker one-on-one. McFarland has shown the ability to run receiver-like routes and catches the ball well. "That’s something I always did since I was in high school," McFarland said. "My coach always told me in high school to learn how to catch out of the backfield and be like an all-purpose back, especially when it comes to lining up and playing in space. Being able to play slot and running back, that just adds a different dimension. I’m still not there with it yet. I’m still trying to learn, but I know that’s something I can do to help." And when he sees a linebacker in coverage? "I almost feel like a one-on-one with a linebacker, I’m licking my chops," he told me. -- Lolley

11. In the offseason, Pro Football Focus charted Diontae Johnson as one of the top wide receivers in football at getting off press coverage since 2019. The only players ahead of him were Mike Evans, A.J. Brown and former teammate Antonio Brown. Johnson also excels in finding holes in zone coverage, as well. Johnson told me he saw the rankings against press coverage, but didn't think much of it. "I didn’t really think too much of it. It’s good to know that," Johnson told me. "That just shows that my work is showing and I’m going to continue to put it on display. It’s a big year for the whole team and for me personally. Obviously, I had some success last year. I want to build on that this year and keep stacking and get All-Pro eventually. Hopefully, make the top 100." -- Lolley

12. The top-100 list to which Johnson was referring was the one currently being released on NFL.com and the NFL Network. The top 50 players had been announced as of Thursday night and Johnson wasn't on it. But a repeat of his 2021 season could put him on there. "There are a lot of good players around the league," Johnson told me. "I can’t discredit those guys that got picked for the top 100. They didn’t get on there for no reason. They work hard. I’m going to continue to work hard so I can join that group, as well." Some players might have complained about that snub, especially considering some seemingly questionable picks (Cordarrelle Patterson is the 73rd best player in the league, really?). But Johnson showed some maturation there. Remember, last season, he was ticked off about his initial snub from the Pro Bowl team, though he was later named to the game as an alternate. -- Lolley

13. Steelers' long-snapper Christian Kuntz told me this week the team has several candidates to back him up this season, including one who might surprise fans. "There’s a couple guys, (John) LeGlue, Derrek Tuszka, I know (Derek Watt) does it. T.J. (Watt) showcased his stuff a little bit. There’s a couple of guys who could get in there and get the job done." As a Pittsburgh native, the Chartiers Valley High School graduate is old enough to remember James Harrison's failed attempt at snapping back in the 2008 season as an injury replacement for Greg Warren. "I remember," he told me. "It’s pretty position specific. It takes more time than people think to work the operation. It’s more than just snapping the ball back. That’s why you have to carry one." It's probably not a surprise T.J. Watt could do it, even if that would bring back memories of Harrison. After all, he seems to be able to do everything else on the football field. -- Lolley

14. Kuntz, a linebacker at Duquesne, was the Dukes' long-snapper for just one season. And he didn't think that would be his ticket to the NFL. But during a tryout with the Packers in 2018, Green Bay scout John Wojciechowski, who was a finalist for the Steelers' GM job earlier this year, asked Kuntz to give it a shot. Wojciechowski, like Kuntz, is a Duquesne graduate and had seen Kuntz snap there. "I really didn’t do it until I went to a workout in Green Bay and a scout up there, John Wojciechowski, he was from Duquesne and he said, ‘Didn’t you long snap for a year?’ I said ‘Yeah.’ He told me to get down and do it after my linebacker workout," Kuntz told me. "I did. That was in 2018. That’s when I really started." Wojciechowski told Kuntz if he worked at it, he could be an NFL long-snapper in three years. So, that's what Kuntz did. And he won the Steelers' job in 2021 after bouncing around the league for a few years. This year, the Steelers didn't even bring in any competition for him at training camp. "It’s crazy. It’s surreal," the Bridgeville, Pa., native said of playing for his hometown team. "I’m just trying to enjoy being out here every minute with these guys being up here at Saint Vincent. I can’t wait for the season." -- Lolley

15. Jaylen Warren has become a big story throughout training camp. And as camp wrapped with Thursday’s practice, Warren seemingly supplanted Benny Snell as the No. 2 running back, taking snaps immediately after Harris. What’s more, Warren got some work along with Snell as the personal protectors on punt coverage. Warren told me his mentality hasn’t changed since coming into camp, and that contributing to special teams increases his chances of making the team. “My hustle can contribute, and (the coaches) noticing that would be a huge thing for me.” -- Chris Halicke in Latrobe, Pa.

16. Gunner Olszewski came into camp as a return specialist, but he might be carving out a role in the offense. He’s clearly become a favorite among the quarterbacks, especially Kenny Pickett. Olszewski told me he thinks he’s had a good camp and earned a spot in this offense. “I think I’ve shown that I can get open and catch the ball. That’s the job of a wide receiver in the NFL, right?” -- Halicke

PENGUINS

17. Luke Devlin, a sixth-round pick of the Penguins in July’s draft, is set for his first season of junior hockey before he plays for Cornell during the 2023-24 season. He spent his senior year of high school playing for head coach David Manning at St. Andrews College, a prep team that has seen several alumni go on to make the NHL. I asked Manning what Devlin needs to do to continue finding success at the next level. "His biggest focus area for growth would be to round out or diversify his offensive game,” he said. "He started that process last season and that’s what I think this year of junior will give him as well. Luke is hungry to learn and grow as a player and has all the traits and intangibles necessary to make it a reality.” When I spoke with Devlin at development camp last month, he admitted that he has an uphill battle to achieve his dream, but is willing to do whatever it takes to get there. -- Danny Shirey at PPG Paints Arena

18. Manning specified that Devlin could see some major growth if he develops a more proficient catch and shoot technique, along with continuing to hone in his shooting mechanics in general. This caught me by surprise at first, as Devlin displayed a quick, hard shot that frequently found the back of the net during development camp, but many came off the rush in drills that didn’t always emulate a game-like scenario. Devlin dominated at the previous level and wasn’t a stranger to doing much of the legwork himself, so he’ll have to unlearn a few old habits to become a better off-puck player in an environment where he’s surrounded by better talent. In turn, that should help him find more opportunities to utilize his shot in-zone and off the rush. -- Shirey

19. It’s difficult to decipher the true impact of an assistant coach, but don’t make the mistake of believing Todd Reirden’s impact on the Penguins isn’t rather significant. Cody Ceci turned into a positively impactful defender playing for Reirden. Kris Letang is still chugging along as a No. 1 defender at the age of 35 playing for Reirden. Mike Matheson unleashed his offensive potential and is coming off the best season of his career playing under Reirden. Before he was traded to the Canadiens, Matheson said Reirden is the best coach he’s ever played for. As cliche as it might sound, all accounts paint Reirden as the ultimate player’s coach. It’s important for assistant/associate coaches to have different qualities than the head coach, and Reirden assumes that role extremely well. -- Shirey

20. Reirden, who manages the Penguins’ power-play units, took some flack last season due to the team finishing 19th in the NHL with a 20.2% success rate with the advantage. Perhaps that flack was a bit undeserved. Even though the Penguins scored just 7.3 goals per hour on the power play, they generated 8.7 expected goals per hour, which just so happened to be the highest rate they’ve generated chances in the stats era (since 2007-08). They also fired 104.9 shot attempts per hour, more than any season since 2013-14. The Penguins went from one of the best finishing teams in the league in 2020-21 to one of the worst in 2021-22. At least a bit of that can be chalked up to luck and, regardless, Reirden’s power-play scheme wasn’t limiting the Penguins from getting enough quality looks. -- Shirey

21. Still wondering why the Penguins haven’t found trade partners to take on any of Jason Zucker, Brian Dumoulin or Marcus Pettersson? Look no further than the Flames paying a first-round pick for the Canadiens to take on a single season of Sean Monahan at a $6.375 million cap hit. As I reported in last week’s Insider, asking prices are astronomical to take on relatively significant money, even if it’s just for a season. Ron Hextall has noted a desire to hang onto as many draft picks as possible in an attempt to somewhat replenish the Penguins’ system. He isn’t going to pay noteworthy draft capital to move a player who isn’t actively harming the team with their presence. For now, it seems far more likely the Penguins move on from one of their depth defenders on the fringe of the lineup for minimal salary cap relief. -- Shirey