Not a lot to talk about today or this evening.
An article talking about Pitt’s secondary. No surprise that the corners are talking positively about playing tighter coverage in 2005.
Cornerbacks Josh Lay and Darrelle Revis couldn’t be happier about that. The former Aliquippa High School teammates should excel in that in-your-face style, and they believe Pitt’s defense will be better this season.
“I like that much better,” Revis said. “We’re not going to let anybody punch us in the mouth anymore. We’re trying to take the first punch when we come out there and let people know that we’re going to be aggressive.
“We’re going to be way more aggressive and physical, up in your face, that style of defense. We got a couple tapes from the Miami Dolphins, and we’ve studied tapes like that with them up in your grill.”
Revis was a fuzzy-faced freshman last fall, but he quickly blossomed into a clutch performer and earned freshman All-America honors. Lay, going in his third season as a starter, is the senior leader of an experienced secondary. He also supports the new defensive style.
“They put us on the line to help redirect the receivers,” Lay said. “And, once people put their hands on receivers and mess up their timing and their routes, it’ll be a great advantage for us. That’s my style.
“If I can put my hands on you, it’ll be better off for me instead of being 9 yards off and letting them come to you before making the break.”
The test, of course, will be to see the corners stay with their guy and not pick up penalties.
Another article discusses the transition for Coach Wannstedt and other pro-to-college coaches with the limits on practice times while recruiting 365 days a year. Seems Coach Wannstedt is also letting the players grow facial hair and wear jewelry.
Final item, really isn’t about Pitt, but the column was too stupid to let pass. Smizik has a piece decrying the “unfair advantage” of private high schools and being able to recruit kids from outside limited geographic areas for sports. Wow. Startling stuff. Didn’t see anything like that, say, 10 years ago when Hoop Dreams was released.
Maybe I’m just cynical about this sort of thing since I’ve seen it anywhere I’ve lived — Chicago, Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh — not exactly a quiet secret.
Of course, nothing like that happens in public schools. Why parents wouldn’t “move” into an apartment in another school district so their kid could be “living” within a different area. I mean, gosh, I didn’t see that happen at Lebanon High School (my high school), where the father of some hot young QB named Kerry Collins, was pissed at the way his son was being used in his freshman year. He suddenly found an apartment to live in the Wilson High School district, and it just so happened that his son transferred there despite living most of the time at his mom’s house in Lebanon.
