Pitt fans were blue after their football team absorbed a 37-15 beatdown Saturday at the hands of Notre Dame, but presumably Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi was happy.
Recall, it was Narduzzi who peed on the parade in advance of the matchup of ranked opponents, a game which brought the ESPN traveling pregame circus to Pittsburgh, by noting the game was virtually meaningless to Pitt.
Narduzzi went so far as to say he wouldn’t mind losing by 100, as long as Pitt would win its remaining ACC games.
We haven’t heard such tone-deaf commentary since Cackling Kamala told her sycophants on The View – two times – that she could not think of a single thing she’d do differently than Clueless Joe Biden.
The Kamala comparison is fitting. Neither she, nor Narduzzi, has a clue.
When your team is ranked 22nd nationally, as Narduzzi’s Pitt team was ahead of this game, and the opposition is No. 9, as Notre Dame was, you embrace the opportunity to make a statement.
Cackling Kamala had a chance to indicate she was up to the top job. Narduzzi had a chance to indicate his team had higher aspirations.
Both were found wanting.
When you aim low, you hit low.
Pitt was hoping somehow to compete for an ACC title. That ship almost assuredly has sailed, leaving the bitter taste of a one-sided loss to Notre Dame left on the dock.
It is fitting that even as Pitt was being humbled by Notre Dame, word was circulating that fired Penn State coach “Big Game” James Franklin, he of the $50-million-ish buyout, was being considered to take over Virginia Tech and lose big games there.
Franklin and Narduzzi are peas in an unfortunate pod, able to win games only when the bright lights of national attention are not shining upon them. Under such glare, both come up short consistently.
Penn State’s administration tired of the Franklin act and showed him the door during the season, albeit with a monstrous golden parachute.
Pitt, which long ago ceded any hopes of being a factor on the national scene, likely will continue to be content with Narduzzi and his goal of losing by less than 100 points to quality non-conference opposition.
Ironically, the Steelers seem to have settled into such acceptance of modest coaching success with Mike Tomlin. He won a Super Bowl and never has suffered a losing season as Steelers head coach, his boosters crow.
Tomlin also has a losing record in the playoffs and hasn’t won a playoff game since Rin Tin Tin was a pup.
For those who say the Steelers can’t fire Tomlin because of past success, here’s some historical perspective. Chuck Noll won FOUR SUPER BOWLS as head coach and it can be argued Bill Cowher won another with a Noll-built team.
Technically the Steelers didn’t fire Noll, but they did maneuver him into retiring. After the 1988 season, team owner Dan Rooney forced Noll to fire assistant coaches as penance for the losing record.
Noll bristled, but remained. A bitter cherry on top was having Tom Donahoe installed with the power, among other things, to help Noll hire future assistants.
The Steelers made the playoffs in 1989 and — take note Tomlin — even won a playoff game. But there were no playoff appearances in 1990 or 1991.
Rumors were flying that Rooney again was going to force Noll to change his staff and this time, Noll said I’m outta here.
How ironic it is that Franklin, Narduzzi and Tomlin all have been bitten by the same mediocrity bug. Yet, two of the three remain on the job.
Sam Ross Jr's site 