#ben and walt are going to Bond and there's nothing they can do about it

[fist-of-vengeance]

so anyways I'm working on a new fic

rewatching the new man in charge and im obsessed with the little moment where walt hesitates to step outside the institution and ben tells him it's okay. sobbing over how gentle it is, how walt hasn't had anyone care about him since he lost his dad, how at his core, ben is still a father

[lightaroundthecorner]

TROS - What did I even watch? Or how I lived to see the day Disney murdered a prince, left Cinderella alone in the desert, and hoped for the world to rejoice because it was “fun”?

Dear friends, I’ve been here for the spoilers and I’ve even talked with some of you. I went to watch the movie today, with 0 hope of anything except of seeing my baby Ben Solo and Adam’s fenomenal acting (and listening to some good John Williams). 

I knew it would be horrible, but as @nevernerdenoughblog said seeing it makes it even more. Like @clairen45 it felt so wrong. Should I rejoice with a Reylo kiss that Rey gave but seconds later didn’t even cry over Ben’s dead body? I refuse to acknowledge this characterization of Rey. She was the only one that ever believed in Ben Solo, she shipped herself to make him know he was loved and wanted and to help him. Where was this Rey in this movie?

I am sorry guys (especially for the tagging) but I need to write this out or it will eat me and you guys are the few ones that relate to my pain. You know what really hurt me the most in all this? Toxic masculinity disguised as feminism.

1) FAREWELL HEROINE’S JOURNEY

They trashed the Heroine’s Journey. They murdered it and spit in its face. JJ Abrams simply decided that the Heroine’s Journey (done in act 1/ep. VII and act 2/ep. VIII) was not cutting anymore and decided to send Rey on a Hero’s Journey (ep. IX only, new 1st, 2nd and 3rd act altogether), where she has become this almost toxic masculine fighter under Leia’s training  — Badass girl? Yes. Full of anger? Yes. Logical? Yes. Connected to anything? No, not even herself, she kept on the run, afraid. In search of the Jedi detachment? Yes. —, only to send her happilly off to a desert planet in the end of her journey and finishing with her alone talking with an old lady.

Which remind us of the start of TFA, meaning she has comeback to what? Luke didn’t even comeback to that “home” in Tatooine the end of his Hero’s Journey? So she went to a place of death to what? This is a slap on the face of the Heroine’s Journey. This is how toxic masculinity corrupts and interrupts the most uncomfortable (to psychologically unhealthy bystanders) and fundamental (to the woman herself) phase of Heroine’s Journey: You want love, family, a partnership, connection, nurturing or progeny? That is weak, it is foolish. You need to fight, to conquer, to take, take and take. Otherwise you won’t be strong or independent.

REALLY???????????

I AM CRYING! WHY? WHY? WHY? Daisy, are you really seriously satisfied with this ending? Because REY DESERVED BETTER. 

BTW, BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! The true feminist of this story DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! ADAM DRIVER DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! He always respect the director’s view, does his best to accomplish it and brings his best acting to the table. The only saving grace in the whole movie to me was Ben’s arc because 1) Adam was doing it and 2) He honored his character. Man he deserved so much better!!!!!

I’m not even going to repeat what everyone already said about where is George Lucas’ Fairytale Story, because you guys said it all. But I have a beef with Disney executive decisions:

2) WALT DISNEY - HOW I WISH WALT WAS ALIVE

Walt Disney. Much have been criticized concerning his choices to make HEA in fairytales. But what now? We find balance by wanting our children to grow up to be cynic and seeing the feminine as weak? Unhelpful? Bad? 

“Yo independent women! You need no prince even if you have one. He can compassionately and selfelessly die to save you because he loves you and you can go off, happily, to celebrate with your friends! You don’t mourn his body, oh no. You don’t tell him you love him. You forget him. You go be that cool lonely warrior.”

Excuse me but I can kick ass and have the romantic love life and children I want! I can have both! Because I am a human being and I deserve it. This is not a matter of being a men or women. This is a matter of balancing the feminine and masculine within.

But that is not just it. BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! WALT WOULD NEVER, EVER LET A CHARACTER THAT WENT THROUGH ABUSE AND SO MUCH PAIN DIE THE WAY BEN SOLO DID! Is that a Disney movie??????? I mean, what did I just watch????

Walt Disney, the man who promised P.L. Travers, upon knowing who Mr. Banks was to her (her deceased alcoholic father) and what Mary Poppins, her work, meant to her, said:

“George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination. Because that is what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”

THAT IS WHAT STORYTELLERS DO! Like so many fanfic writers in this fandom @nite0wl29, @stargazer1116, @intp-slytherin97, @eleanor-writes-stuff, @postedbygaslight, @raven-maiden, and so many others!! Btw, thank you all!! My vacation starts tomorrow and I’m going to read again all your amazing fics to regain exactly that: HOPE!

What was TROS? Leia and Luke believing in the good in Rey? The whole Jedi Order believing in her? I have nothing against that but why didn’t they believe or help Ben too? Ben didn’t receive any of that love, WHY? What was wrong with him? What did he do?! He was the most selfless of souls, just like his Father and Grandmother. Is this vicntim blaming??? WHY DISNEY, LUCAS FILM and JJ ABRAMS, WHY?!

I used to think people were wrong when they said Disney was only doing SW for money. Because Walt Disney also said and lived by this rule:

“The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together — and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families — that is what we hope to do.”

SW is about family and I refuse to accept ep. IX as SW. It has all the make up of SW, but it lacks the heart and very essence of it.

As dear @eleanor-writes-stuff said, so much for criticizing Rian Johnson, only to consagrate his work. That man honored the storytelling art and I’ll be forever grateful to him for his touch in SW and for how his writing touched and changed my life. And I know Waltz would have approved too because he also said:

“I prefer to entertain people in the hope that they learn, rather than teach people in the hope they are entertained.”

3) PLOT? WHAT PLOT?

Leia’s feelings for Ben have remained ambiguous, you can both read her as someone who wants her baby boy dead (because her death allows Rey to stab Ben to death if she wants to, when Ben was never going to harm Rey) or not. Actions speak louder than words, and this was the movie when Leia would have the chance to assume the responsability for her mistakes and take action, instead of only claiming she believed her son was alive.

If she clearly wanted to reach Ben, was Maz’s words needed? No, they weren’t. It was exactly because Maz needed to voice it that proved Leia’s actions could be read as ambiguous. Again, actions speak louder than words. Her body only disappeared after Ben’s did too because what? She was expecting him to die so she could collect his soul?

I dearly love Leia’s character but LEIA DESERVED BETTER! CARRIE DESERVED BETTER! In the end I’m not sure what to make of the ST Leia. She could have helped Ben but clearly sent him away to Luke because? What?

Ben Solo get his redemption from his own 2 hands + his father’s memory (not force ghost) + Rey’s confession. In the end he becomes the bride of the monster, only to die right after, in a what? Plot twist?

Finn, who? That was so messed up! Rose? Poor Rose!!! Hux? Oh Hux deserved better too. I was glad to see that Poe matured though and grew in his arc.

I’m also mad and confused about other plot points:

Ben throws his bleeded kyber krystal away because of his father. Okay. Why did no one help him when he cried on the Force to crack his kyber and soul, but Luke Force Ghost appears to catch Rey throwing a lightsaber in an on fire tie fighter?

Rey would turn to the Dark side if she killed Palpatine, right? 5 minutes later she won’t turn to the Dark Side anymore even if she still kills him in anger? Just because the self righteous jedi chose to let Ben get thrown down the abysm by himself but Rey was the Chosen One?

Still on this topic, so she choses to give up her soul so Palpatine uses her body as the vessel of his soul and the legion of siths, in order to save her friends, but she won’t take Ben Solo’s hand, even if she claims she wants to + retaining her body, to do the same?

I think force bonds don’t make much of a difference anymore when one of the parts dies. Ben can die and Rey seems pretty okay?

INTERESTING FACT: Beside me there was a father with his 6 or 7 year old son. The child kept asking what was going on everytime the movie introduced any plot twists or too much information too quickly. When the Reylo kiss came on screen, you know what the kid said? “I told ya!” I wanted to cry when seconds later the boy was claiming now was Rey’s turn to bring Ben back. Children understand the Heroine’s Journey and it doesn’t scare them. It is beautiful like that. The father then had to try and explain to the boy that other things were going on and that no, “that guy was gone”. What have you done people?

4) EPISODE X

I must have a clown face. They lied to us about this movie being “The Rise of Skywalker”. Maybe they lied to us about this being the end of the saga? Considering JJ claims this is fun, happy and hopeful, yeah, I doubt they are making an episode X or ressurecting Ben Solo after throwing in the garbage the Heroine’s Journey. I vaguely remember Adam also said he wasn’t going to appear in another SW.

IF they do announce an ep. X, I’m not watching it unless Ryan or someone like him directs the movie.

I loved to see Han Solo’s memory helping his son. That man trully loved him and it is tragic that he screwed up as a father only because he thought he wasn’t enough to be a good one and that Leia and Luke would know better.

I also loved to see Ben Solo as his father son and grandchild to his grandmother and great grandmother. He was beautiful and I love him and he’ll be forever with me.

I liked the Reylo kiss... but Rey’s actions in this movie have affected me so that it doesn’t feel like they scrapped the surface of making justice to this that could have been the happiest and most balanced of all SW couples.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN EPIC. IT COULD HAVE BEEN GRAND. But it wasn’t.

I’ll forget TROS. YBTOTT is now canon to me, because it is a perfect 3rd act in this trilogy, and @postedbygaslight honors the Heroine’s Journey like few writers have the gut and courage to do. Thank you so much Wayne!

And if anyone had the patience to read this to the end, thank you. I feel it too guys, this was awful and horrible.

[rosesastrology]

Pluto

Pluto:

- Rebirth

- Transformation and evolving

- Sex, death, and other hard to grasp topics.

Pluto in the signs

Aries:

• You want to get what you desire and will go to great lengths to achieve your goal.

• Optimism brings you power and insight to make new beginnings.

• You are quick to change your life and yourself, you want to keep your inner child and have a tendency to be impulsive.

• You have a tendency to be impatient

• You go about obscure situations in an energetic and explosive manner, whether those are emotions or words.

• Celebs with this position: Jules Vern, Thomas Edision, Alexander Graham Bell, Jessie James, John D. Rockefeller, Helena Blavatsky, Alexander the Great, Friederich Wilhelm Nietzsche, René Descartes, Leo Tolstoy, Elizabeth of Bavaria, Mark Twain

Taurus:

• You are attached to your personal values like boundaries and emotional bonds

• You are very persistent about things you desire and won’t let others persuade you into thinking differently

• In contrast you have a difficulty with letting go of the past

• You have a knack for networking and spotting opportunities

• You make slow but steady progress in your life

• Celebs with this placement: Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, Julius Caesar, Oscar Wilde, Franklin D. Roosevelt

Gemini: • You interact well with others on an intellectual level

• You jump on new ideas and use your knowledge to your advantage later on when it’s needed

• You’re very curious

• You like to solve complex issues with simple solutions

• You are interested in the secrets of life and death and other hidden things.

• You may have influence with film, telepathy and other forms of communication.

• Celebs with this position: Ernest Hemingway, Cary Grant, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joan of Arc, Bob Hope, Adolf Hitler, Mère Teresa, Charlie Chaplin, Isaac Newton, Salvador Dali, Coco Chanel, Walt Disney, Katharine Hepburn, Anaïs Nin

Cancer:

• You find your power through emotional intensity and deep relationships • You’re very protective towards people you love • You have an ability to be manipulative towards people’s emotions • You feel everything very intensely and have difficulty with letting go • You feel a deep need to have your own home • You may develop compulsive emotions due to not having met your needs during childhood • Celebs with this position: Sylvia Brown, Martin Luther King, Neil Armstrong, Shirley Temple, John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, 14th Dalai Lama, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, Nelson Mandela, Charles Manson

Leo:

• You grow by taking positive actions • You have a tendency to take the lead and help other • You want to be appreciated for your efforts and you want to be remembered • However, you often miss the bigger picture because you’re obsessed with expressing yourself • You may come across as egoistic • You may enjoy gambling, romance, entertainment and other forms of pleasure • You may reach the midst of self discovery during a creative process • Celebs with this position: Bill Gates, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Bill Clinton, Elton John, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Alan Rickman, John Lennon, Vladimir Putin, David Bowie, Leonardo da Vinci, Prince, Freddie Mercury, Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Morrison, Bruce Lee, Robin Williams, Paul McCartney

Virgo:

• You find it difficult to leave things alone if you think you can improve on it

• You’re very inventive and often find your own way to communicate

• You’re good at organizing but may become obsessed with it

• You may be interested in health and work

• You are content with knowing you did your best, however you secretly want to help a lot of people and believe you can make a difference in the world.

• You rather stay in the background than in the spotlight

• You’re willing to sacrifice your own desires to serve or please the community

• Celebs with this position: Princess Diana, Julia Roberts, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama, Jesus Christ, Michelle Obama, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Madonna, George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Keanu Reeves, Kurt Cobain, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Uma Thurman, Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey

Libra:

• You are a bit compulsive and quick to act • You want to appear as if you have it all together and under control • You may have a passion for art • You think that equality, patience, and justice are of great importance. • You don’t like conflict • You are good at compromising, when it is a strict A or B question you may become immobilized and do/say nothing. • Celebs with this position: Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Monica Lewinsky, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyoncé Knowles, Shakira, Christina Aguilera, Cameron Diaz, Kim Kardashian, Heath Ledger, Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West

Scorpio:

• You’re very good at sensing the emotions in room • You’re very in touch with your feelings and can predict other people’s feelings as well • You have a deep interest in the hidden, mystery, secrets, and the unknown. You like to unravel these so-called puzzles • You may be interested in the occult, sex, the mind, death, mental health, genetic engineering and cloning • Your subconscious is generally more pessimistic and you may come across as secretive, in contrast you may become overly positive in order to compensate these feelings

• You’re very helpful and have a weak spot for the underdog • You have a high possibility of becoming famous at and with your passion (this position is quite common with people who are involved in the music industry and youtubers) • Celebs with this position: All members of EXO except D.O, all members of 5 Seconds Of Summer, Daniel Howell, Jackscepticeye, Crankthatfrank (Frank Gioia), Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Scarlet Johansson, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Megan Fox, Emma Watson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ariana Grande, etc. (like I said there are a lot of stars with his position) Sagittarius:

• You have a need for exploration • You value your freedom and are friendly as long as this is not hampered • You are enthusiastic about reaching your goals in life • You may have difficulty with people who have different beliefs than your own • Eduction, experiences, and learning are very important to you • You’re freethinking and cannot handle boredom, you have a knack for philosophy • You come across as positive • You tend to act foolishly at times and later be embarrassed about it, which can be your downfall • Celebs with this position: Mozart, Kylie Jenner, Nostradamus, Marie Antoinette, Lorde, Chloë Moretz, Zendaya, Jaden Smith, Paris Jackson, Shawn Mendes, Bella Thorne, Maximilien Robespierre, Willow Smith, Austin Mahone, Camila Cabello, Bella Hadid, Sophia Turner, Alexander Hamilton, Lauren Jauregui, Brooklyn Beckham, Zara Larsson, fun fact: The 9/11 attacks also had Sagittarius in Pluto

Capricorn:

• You are ambitious yet patient • You like discipline • You are a born organizer and are great at creating structure, even in a chaotic situation • You like practicality and are very down-to-earth • You always reach your goals through slow but gradual significant changes • You may have a strong heart for politics and justice • Celebs who had this position: D.O from EXO, Napoleon, Beethoven, Prince George of Cambridge, Jane Austen, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, and a lot of cities, earthquakes, tsunamis, and provinces like: Nepal, Amsterdam, San Francisco, 2016 Central Italy earthquake, 2011 eruption in Grimsvötn, etc

Aquarius:

• You have original ideas and may be erratic • You are usually nonconformist, so some people may perceive you as strange or compulsive • However, you know what you are doing and why • You feel as if your own beliefs and ideas overpower others • You are fascinated by the idea of equality and liberty • Celebs with this position: Queen Elizabeth the first, Lord Byron, Arthur Schopenhauer, Frank Schubert, Gioacchino Rossini, Davy Crockett, Jane Grey, Thomas Moore

Pisces:

• You spend a lot of time thinking about how your actions will affect others • You attempt to understand every human emotion in order to predict how people will feel when you say certain things • However you become manipulative and secretive when you take this too far • You may live too much in a fantasy world and get out of touch with reality

• You are impressionable and can be inspiring as well • You can easily feel alienated • You can be empathic and may have psychic abilities • Celebs with this position: Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare, Frédérick Chopin, Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Darwin, Queen Victoria, Galileo Galilei, Richard Wagner, Charles Dickens, Louis Vuitton, the United Kingdom

[morganbelarus]

5 family films to watch this fall

Image: Walt Disney Animation / Mashable

Welcome to our 2018 fall movie preview. We'll be coming at you all week with the movies you need to know over the next few months. We've already covered what to watch if you want something emotional or offbeat. Today, the films to see with your family. 

The fall season can involve an awful lot of family time, what with all those holiday trips and parties. So what do you do when you've got a living room full of people related to you, by blood or by choice, and nothing to do? 

SEE ALSO: Fall movie preview: What to watch if you want to feel some feels

You can probably guess where we're going with this: We're going to suggest you round them up and drive them to the movies. Here's what you want to see if you're with the family...

... and you're all grownups: The Land of Steady Habits (September 14)

Directed by Nicole Holofcener, The Land of Steady Habits stars Ben Mendelsohn as a man in the throes of a midlife crisis. He quits his job and divorces his wife, only to find himself alone and adrift. Not exactly the stuff of cuddly family drama, we know – but let this be an opportunity to think about what you and yours mean to each other, and the complicated bonds that still hold you together.

... and you find Channing Tatum's voice soothing: Smallfoot (September 28)

So you need something gentle enough for the little ones, but clever enough for the not-so-little ones. Smallfoot is a thoroughly silly monster myth in reverse: It turns out bigfoots are real, and they're as scared and skeptical of us as we are of them. It also turns out they sound like Channing Tatum and Zendaya and Gina Rodriguez, which should be a plus for people old enough to know who those are.

... and you're a hardcore Disney nerd: Ralph Breaks the Internet (November 21)

Ralph Breaks the Internet is about many things, including video games, internet memes, and friendship. But its most buzzed-about scene is a love letter to all things Disney – especially the princesses, who not only get to join forces for the first time on the big screen, but who also get to update their images for 2018. And if they convince you to shell out for some Disney-branded loungewear in the process? Well, the Mouse House isn't complaining.

... and you're the nostalgic type: Mary Poppins Returns (December 19)

Remember the magic of being a kid? Remember how you oohed and ahhed over the movies, giving yourself over completely to the fantasy? Well, just in case you don't, Mary Poppins Returns is here to remind you. Emily Blunt plays the practically perfect nanny, who reunites with the now-grown Banks children in a time of crisis. 

... and you guys are pet people: Bumblebee (December 21)

In the grand tradition of movies like Pete's Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Iron Giant, the Transformers spinoff Bumblebee turns out to be about an enormous alien robot who's really just a big old softie. If you and your kin can barely get through an ASPCA ad without bursting into tears, we're guessing Bumblebee and his puppy-dog eyes are going to totally do you in.

Each day this week, we'll roll out another bunch of picks for our fall movie preview. Come back to find out what to watch if ...

Monday: ... you want to feel some feels Tuesday: ... you've got a taste for the offbeat Wednesday: ... you're with the family Thursday: ... you're ready for awards season Friday: ... you just want to see the best of the best

WATCH: Celebrities you never knew were roommates

Original Article : HERE ; This post was curated & posted using : RealSpecific

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5 family films to watch this fall was originally posted by 16 MP Just news

[junker-town]

How will 2017 Pitt football follow up on beating Penn State and Clemson?

The Panthers are progressing nicely, but this season is probably a bump in the road.

In my North Carolina preview, I mentioned how Larry Fedora had the unstable program achieving at a strangely normal rate. The Tar Heels are now recruiting and playing at a top-30 level. They cannot be called underachievers.

Narduzzi has pulled off a similar feat.

It felt like I was bringing it up in the Pitt preview every year just to twist the knife: the Panthers had, over the course of two decades, experienced brutal close-game luck.

Since Johnny Majors retired and Walt Harris took over, Pitt has had a winning record in one-possession games just five times and has been at least two games under .500 in such games nine times. In this nearly two-decade sample, the Panthers are 35-53 in these contests, a 0.397 win percentage.

The Panthers have managed to attend 13 bowls and share two conference titles in these 18 years. If these demons that have taken over Heinz Field ever relinquish their powers, Pitt could easily become an annual ACC Coastal contender.

I wrote in 2015 that bringing in a guy who helped kill the “Sparty, No!” meme was a deft one.

Baggage: shed. Sort of. Narduzzi is still struggling to get his classes balanced and takes on a massive rebuild of the two-deep, but not only have his Panthers reminded everyone of the program’s upside, they’ve finally won their share of close games.

Pitt is 7-7 in one-possession finishes over the last two years. For this program, that feels like 14-0. Last year they beat two Power 5 champions — Penn State early and national champ Clemson in November — by a combined four points. They were two of the most exciting, symbolic Pitt wins of the last decade. They survived shootouts with Georgia Tech (37-34) and Syracuse (76-61) and finished 20th in S&P+, their best finish in seven years. They fielded maybe their best offense since Dan Marino was quarterback. They took on a brutal schedule, one featuring six S&P+ top-25 teams, and landed punches.

There were still regrets, though.

There was the 45-38 loss to Oklahoma State, which could have been a win with one fewer deep-ball breakdown.

There was the 37-36 loss at UNC, in which the Tar Heels scored the winning touchdown with two seconds left.

There was the 39-36 loss to Virginia Tech, which could have flipped if the Panthers had managed a minus-2 turnover margin instead of minus-3.

There was the 31-24 bowl loss to Northwestern, which could have flipped had the Panthers held NU’s Justin Jackson to 150 rushing yards or so instead of 224.

2016 was huge. But the Panthers still left wins on the board, and despite the top-20 S&P+ finish, they ended 8-5. The demons aren’t vanquished just yet, and last year’s pangs might feel a little stronger as Narduzzi attempts a third-year rebuild.

Pitt has to replace star running back James Conner, quarterback Nathan Peterman, tight end Scott Orndoff, All-American guard Dorian Johnson, all-conference tackle Adam Bisnowaty, four of five defensive linemen (including Ejuan Price and Shakir Soto), three of four linebackers, and three of five defensive backs. Plus, Canada leaves Watson with nearly impossible expectations.

The Panthers are not without star power; dynamic rusher/receiver Henderson is back, as are leading receiver Jester Weah, cornerback Avonte Maddox, and, of course, 2016 Piesman Trophy winner Brian O’Neill. And if some high-profile transfers find niches, Pitt will have more than enough talent to challenge good teams.

Still, it’s going to be nearly impossible to match last year’s upside, and Pitt’s success might end up defining how we look back at 2016. Was it the year a corner was turned, or was it a year of dramatic upside and too many missed opportunities?

From a symbolism standpoint, you could do worse than this:

Narduzzi is 16-10 after two years, ranked 20th in S&P+ in his second year. He faces a third-year setback.

Mentor Mark Dantonio at Michigan State: 16-10 in his first two years, 23rd in S&P+ in year two, and 6-7 in year three.

Beginning in year four, Dantonio went 65-16 over his next six seasons.

So there’s that.

2016 in review

2016 Pitt statistical profile.

The offense was not only good; it got better against better teams. Unfortunately, the defense was demonstrably worse.

Pitt vs. S&P+ top 50 (3-5): Avg. percentile performance: 68% (80% offense, 36% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.6, Pitt 6.5 | Avg. score: Opp 40, Pitt 36

Pitt vs. everyone else (5-0): Avg. percentile performance: 78% (60% offense, 54% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Pitt 7.0, Opp 4.9 | Avg. score: Pitt 50, Opp 28

Against top-50 competition, the offense averaged just 0.4 yards per play fewer than it did against lesser squads, but the defense allowed 1.7 yards per play more. As a result, Pitt games were virtually guaranteed shootouts; only the first and last games of the season finished with fewer than 70 combined points. Not what one would expect from either Pitt or a Narduzzi team.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

The most encouraging thing I can say about Watson is that Canada hadn’t proved himself before coming to town either. In nine seasons as a coordinator, Canada had never fielded an Off. S&P+ top 20 offense, and his average finish was 51.9. His first Pitt offense was 46th before his second surged to fourth.

Watson’s track record hasn’t been sterling either. Including his time at Texas — even though he was technically QBs coach and associate head coach, he was at worst a co-coordinator in Charlie Strong’s strange arrangement — he has spent 15 years as an OC with an average Off. S&P+ ranking of 45.7. Since ranking in the top 10 in 2007-08 at Nebraska, that average has ballooned to 64.9. At Louisville, with Teddy Bridgewater at QB, he peaked at 47th in 2013.

Narduzzi and Watson worked together at Miami (Ohio) 25 years ago, and apparently the bond was a good one.

For his struggles as an OC, Watson is still regarded as a good quarterbacks coach. In Peterman’s absence, the Panthers turn to either USC grad transfer Max Browne or sophomore Ben DiNucci. Whereas Peterman averaged 15.4 yards per completion in last year’s explosive offense, Browne and DiNucci combined to average just 8.6. And creating explosiveness will be a key now that Conner, a wonderful grinder in the backfield, is gone.

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Quadree Henderson

Then again, you don’t have to throw deep to Henderson for him to end up going deep. The 5’8 junior was one of the most thrilling players in the country, gaining 631 rushing yards in just 60 carries. One in five carries went for at least 20 yards, and while he lined up all over the field (he was also targeted with 42 passes), it appears he will begin as Pitt’s No. 1 receiver.

That leaves relative unknowns at running back, but there’s size and upside. Sophomore Chawntez Moss (5’11, 210) and juniors Darrin Hall (5’11, 220) and Qadree Ollison (6’2, 230) combined for 111 carries and 514 yards in 2016. That’s an average of just 4.6 yards per carry, 0.5 below Conner’s pace, but while Conner was far more explosive, this trio was actually more efficient. Plus, two incoming freshmen — Todd Sibley Jr. (5’9, 215) and A.J. Davis (6’0, 205) — are four-star prospects per the 247Sports Composite.

There’s quite a bit of potential in the backfield, and there’s even more up front. Losing Johnson and Bisnowaty hurts, but Piesman-winner O’Neill was a third-team all-conference selection, guards Alex Officer and Alex Bookser have combined for 51 career starts, and size won’t be a problem: the 10 players on the OL two-deep average 6’5, 319. Combined with the bigger backs, that’s quite a bit of meat.

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Brian O'Neill

The receiving corps could be a thrill as long as Weah and Henderson don’t get hurt.

Weah’s return gives the Panthers one sure big-play threat. He was one of the nation’s most underrated receivers, combining a 24.2 yards-per-catch average with a 51 percent success rate. He caught fewer than three passes per game but still nearly finished with 900 receiving yards. Henderson was a nice possession option near the line of scrimmage. The tight end position, meanwhile, has quite a bit of potential as well between four-star sophomore Chris Clark, senior Devon Edwards, Rutgers transfer Matt Flanagan, and incoming four-star Charles Reeves Jr.

Size isn’t an issue here either. Weah is 6’3, backup sophomore Aaron Mathews 6’4, and Reeves is listed at a whopping 6’5, 280.

A single injury could be devastating, though. After Weah and Henderson, Mathews, sophomore Maurice Ffrench, and junior Rafael Araujo-Lopes combined for just nine catches last year.

Defense

The offense has potential, but there’s almost nowhere to go but down. That means the defense will have to pick up the slack. Easier said than done.

A Narduzzi defense is nothing if not aggressive. He is willing to give up big plays in the name of making some. He wants to force college players to make plays college players typically can’t, and that’s great as long as he has the personnel. But his first two Pitt defenses ranked just 50th and 62nd in Def. S&P+. Last year’s Panthers made plays up front but gave up too many big plays; meanwhile, the pass defense was strangely conservative (and still gave up too many big plays).

Pitt allowed 213 gains of 10-plus yards (120th in FBS) and 24 of 40-plus (121st). And that was with Price and Soto up front. That duo combined for 33 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks, and of the nine players to record at least 4.5 TFLs last season, six are gone.

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Rori Blair

The end position still has plenty of potential. Rori Blair and Allen Edwards combined for seven TFLs as complementary pieces, and four-star Tennessee transfer Dewayne Hendrix had a good enough spring to be listed as a starter. But there’s a massive void at DT, where the three leading tacklers are gone.

Shane Roy and Amir Watts combined for 6 tackles, and that’s the extent of your experience in the middle. Big things are expected of four-star redshirt freshman Keyshon Camp, but he’s still a redshirt freshman. There’s still plenty of size here, thanks to players like junior Mike Herndon (6’4, 315) and incoming freshman Jalen Twyman (6’2, 315), but there are no proven pieces.

There aren’t many at linebacker either; junior Oluwaseun Idowu is the only of last year’s top four tacklers to return, though senior Quintin Wirginis and sophomore Saleem Brightwell showed some potential in backup roles.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Avonte Maddox

Last year, opponents had to be wary of the run defense and took to the air. They ran just 49 percent of the time on standard downs (123rd in FBS) and 24 percent on passing downs (126th), a sign that there wasn’t much fear of the secondary. Maddox took advantage of the extra attention, combining for 8.5 TFLs and 11 passes defensed, but opponents still completed 64 percent of their passes with a 143.6 passer rating. Pitt basically turned every quarterback into Washington State’s Luke Falk (145.6).

Opposite Maddox will be some combination of sophomores Dane Jackson, Damar Hamllin, and Malik Henderson, junior Phillipie Motley, and redshirt freshman Therran Coleman. Blue-chip freshman Paris Ford could help, but he needs to secure his eligibility first.

Safety was less of an issue last year, but it remains unsure. Free safety Jordan Whitehead returns, and junior Dennis Briggs had 2.5 TFLs and a breakup and might be a play-maker. But once again, if someone gets hurt, there’s almost nothing proven after them.

Special Teams

Chris Blewitt made the biggest field goal of his life against Clemson but still left something to be desired from a consistency standpoint. Pitt ranked just 85th in field goal efficiency, and while punter Ryan Winslow’s leg was strong (42.6 average), the Panthers ranked just 103rd in punt efficiency because of an eight-yard return average.

When you grade poorly in those, you’re going to grade poorly in Special Teams S&P+. Pitt ranked 81st, losing about 0.4 points per game, despite Henderson’s superhuman averages (30.5 yards per kick return, 15.8 yards per punt return, four combined touchdowns). Winslow is back, but Blewitt is replaceable, and Pitt isn’t likely to fall further here.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Youngstown State NR 25.0 93% 9-Sep at Penn State 8 -16.0 18% 16-Sep Oklahoma State 22 -2.4 44% 23-Sep at Georgia Tech 31 -3.3 42% 30-Sep Rice 120 24.6 92% 7-Oct at Syracuse 60 2.3 55% 14-Oct N.C. State 27 0.9 52% 21-Oct at Duke 65 2.9 57% 28-Oct Virginia 70 10.7 73% 9-Nov North Carolina 38 3.8 59% 18-Nov at Virginia Tech 25 -5.7 37% 24-Nov Miami 18 -3.2 43%

Projected S&P+ Rk 33 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 13 / 78 Projected wins 6.7 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 7.8 (35) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 33 / 41 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 1 / -0.4 2016 TO Luck/Game +0.5 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 44% (44%, 44%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 8.2 (-0.2)

Ten years ago, Pitt pulled one of its biggest upsets ever, when a team that had lost seven of its last nine games went to Morgantown and took down No. 2 West Virginia, 13-9.

It was the biggest possible rivalry move — we can’t make anything of our season, but we’re going to destroy yours — and it was a springboard. Pitt went 19-7 over the next two seasons, their best two-year win total since 1981-82.

It’s hard to imagine that happening again following last year’s PSU and Clemson wins. The Panthers just have too much to replace. And that’s fine — sometimes it takes a while to get your classes balanced, and Narduzzi’s mentor experienced a third-year blip before he got rolling at Michigan State.

But as with UNC, newfound normalcy will be tested by a 2017 blip. If Pitt manages a top-40 performance and wins seven or eight games, that could set up a nice run in 2018 and beyond. This team doesn’t have many seniors, after all.

In the increasingly talented ACC, a top-40 performance could take on a lot of looks in the win column. S&P+ projects Pitt 33rd, which means three likely wins (Youngstown State, Rice, Virginia), one likely loss (at Penn State), and a whopping eight relative tossups with win probability between 37 and 59 percent. Pitt has played 14 one-possession games in two years; unless the Panthers fall further than expected, that average probably won’t go down.

That means 4-8 and 10-2 are technically on the table, depending on the bounces that eluded the Panthers for so many years.

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