Chad Ford at ESPN.com has his blog post on Taft’s workout (Insider subs.). Short version: no surprises. He’s still a top-10 pick on potential alone.

Taft began the season as a potential No. 1 pick in the draft. However, his stock has been sliding ever since thanks to a lackluster sophomore season at Pitt. While everyone loves Taft’s size (6-foot-10), his body and his athleticism, teams have really questioned his conditioning and his motor.

He worked out today in front of the Bobcats, Jazz and Sonics. Did he do anything to change their minds?

Not really.

But it wasn’t really Taft’s fault. It’s tough to judge a guy like Taft in a gym by himself shooting hook shots.

He showed off his athleticism and looked to be in decent shape. He showed off a nice 10-foot jumper that he consistently drained off the pick and pop.

As the workout went on, he started to tire and a lot of his post shots were coming up short. His energy level was OK, but you would have liked to see him rev the motor a bit more.

I don’t think he did much to hurt or help himself there. I still think he goes between 8 and 10 on draft night.

Sounds like Chris Taft. Still hard to believe he claims to model his game on Kevin Garnett.

The piece from Chuck Finder that pissed me off over the weekend, but maybe I need to reconsider. Well, probably not. His eagerness to have Pitt take a 2-1 deal ruins the whole thing. Add in the fact that it was just the topper of a week plus of stories calling for the resumption of the Pitt-Penn St. Game, and I had just about had it.

Then Bruce Feldman puts it on his blog on ESPN.com (Insider subscription). He cherry-picks just the part about how Gov. Rendell should get involved, so it is easier for him. Feldman, adds his own very salient point:

…I think one of the things that makes college football the best game going are the rivalries, and nothing is better than seeing them settled out on the field. Come on Penn State, step up to the plate.

And there it is. The one thing that keeps this issue alive. That keeps, even me, coming back to the damn thing.

Rivalries. Pitt, the fans and alum are lucky. We still have WVU to get revved to face and vice versa. During basketball season, we get fired up to play UConn and Syracuse. The games matter. We have certain games we circle and know that even if the season sucks — if we win those games, it isn’t all bad. Penn State may still be the primary to most of us, but we still have someone else to be a real rival game.

Who does Penn State have? Who in the Big 11 is their rival? Or should we just say is even a burgeoning rival? Or even out of the conference who do they play that matters? They have the jury-rigged Land Grant Trophy battle with Michigan State that no one buys into. They want to claim some sort of rivalry with Ohio State, but who are they kidding? No one from the other side really cares when there is that school to the North to obsess over the course of the season. Trust me, I live in Ohio, no one from TOSU is losing their mind over Penn State week. (I mean aside from some guy in Altoona.)

Without a real rivalry game in any team sport, the team lacks soul, drive and fire. For Penn St. fans it has become cold calculations of numbers and money. How many games can they win to get to a bowl? To get respect? Well, did the football team still pack ’em in? Sell merchandise? Or even more pathetic, to denigrate other rivalry games to cover the lack of their own.

According to this press release from the Pitt Athletic Department, Greg Lee is listed as a 2nd team All-American and #3 receiver in the country according to the forthcoming Sporting News College Football Preview.

Additionally, placekicker Josh Cummings and punter Adam Graessle were both ranked No. 3 nationally at their respective positions by TSN.

So there’s that.

Meanwhile at CollegeFootballNews.com, they look at the top QBs and the 2006 NFL Draft:

With another year fast approaching, the line forming behind USCÂ’s Matt Leinart is a long one with no clear-cut No. 2 quarterback. There are plenty of strong-armed kids with upsides, but nary a soul at this early stage is a lock to be plucked in the opening round. In four or five months, however, someone is sure to make that statement look silly; some opportunistic slinger always does. Ten up-and-coming seniors, in particular, are poised to carpe annum, or seize the year. Yes, juniors like Pittsburgh’s Tyler Palko and Arizona State’s Sam Keller are hot prospects, but this is mostly about the seniors. Mostly.
…
10 more that need to be watched for the 2006 Draft

1. Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh (Jr.) – In just one season as a starter, Palko established himself as one of college football’s rising stars under center. His makeup and work ethic just scream winning quarterback.

As much as we want to see an actual running game from Pitt, let’s not forget that the offense starts with Palko — and he has weapons in Lee, DelSardo, Gill, and Strong.