Sports Illustrated has Pitt tabbed as #21. The Pitt Athletic Department press release on this. The SI College Football Preview issue comes out this week. In their Pitt scouting report, the focus is on H.B. Blades. It’s mostly about his trash-talking.

“Against Boston College last year I was in their players’ ears the whole time,” he says. “They got so mad, they went to the refs.”

Heh.

The #21 ranking is actually where Pitt is averaging out in pre-season pubs.

Transcript of Coach Wannstedt’s press conference from this morning. Looks like Freshman DB Bryan Williams is already having academic issues so he won’t be in camp at this point, and the way it was phrased, I’m not sure if he will at all this year. LB Mick Williams apparently is getting close to being eligible from the NCAA Clearinghouse. Back-up QB Joe Flacco didn’t show up to camp.

There’s lots that I want to excerpt, so I’ll only do a small bit and expect everyone will want to read it all anyways.

You moved H.B. Blades to the middle during spring. What did you think about that and is he staying?

I would expect H.B. to stay there. You know, he’s one of those guys I believe lost almost 10 pounds. He’s definitely one of our most experienced players. He’s definitely one of our more instinctive players at that middle linebacker position. And with our scheme it is imperative that that guy is a quarterback of the defense. That player has to be a player who has a real good understanding of what we’re trying to do. And with trying to learn a lot of new things, we thought H.B. could be a better player for us there. That’s the whole purpose of moving everyone around. All we’re trying to do is to generate as much speed as we possibly can on defense. We’ll see. We’ve got some great battles going on. There’s not one of our front seven who are lining up in the same position they lined up in last year. Everybody’s new. We’ve got some great competition. Clint Session is not going to sit on the bench for anybody. I mean he’s in there competing. The defensive line, I really don’t know. I don’t know how good individually these players can be yet at this point. Each guy has a lot of room to grow. We’re putting guys in spots to create as much competition as possible. And that’s what training camp’s about. Everybody’s got to show up. Everyone’s got something to prove. When you line up in training camp, you’re either trying to make the team, become a starter or make it into the rotation. That’s the attitude you have to set. There’s no ‘gimmes.’ There’s no comfort zone. Everyone’s got to come in here and start over again and prove ourselves. On offense we’re kind of facing the same thing on the offensive line. We have possibly a new center, for sure Dom Williams will be at guard. We’ll move Charles Spencer out to tackle. So we’re juggling things around there too. We’ll try to put the players in a position which gives us the best chance to win and put them in a position to give them the best chance at success. One or two of these young receivers has to step up.

[Emphasis added.]

Plenty more including dealing with the numbers at running back, protecting Palko and the team and individuals dealing with the hype.

From the Pittsburgh Sports Report Keystone Recruiting Reports, e-mailed today. Something regarding Nate Byham:

“I told you awhile back that Pitt was No. 1,” says Byham, “and they are still my favorite. In fact, I am going there (today) to talk to the Chancellor and the academic advisors, and everything.”

Does this mean that a commitment could come today?

“No, I won’t be committing (now),” says Byham. “The coaches just asked me to come in to do those things.”

After the Panthers, Byham considers Iowa, West Virginia, Southern Cal and Miami next in line. He has already visited West Virginia and Iowa and for the time being is planning visits to Miami and Southern Cal.

“I owe it to them, I feel,” says Byham.

While Byham may be Pitt’s to lose, any visit to powerhouse programs USC and Miami could certainly change his mind.

Not to mention, why would anyone turn down trips to LA and Miami? Pitt could end up with the deepest TE corp in the country if Byham commits.

There’s even a little something to further tantalize and give hope regarding top CB recruit Darrin Walls from his father.

“I would like for him to stay here and go to Pittsburgh,” the elder Walls said, “but it’s his decision and as long as he gets out of college with a degree we will be very happy.”

When asked about the rumors that his son may commit early, which could cost Pitt the local star, the Walls Sr. said, “He won’t commit soon. He will wait for awhile yet and maybe a big season by Pitt will make him choose to stay home.”

Drool. Drool. At the same time, who knows? If I had listened to my parents I would have ended up doing time at Penn State.

Working backwards, the beautiful first.

Since the early days of this blog, we have advocated for at least one game a year in the old colors, unis and script Pitt. Well, they finally are doing it (hat tip to Rex).

Throwback Day
Everything old is new again. The Pitt football team will don the uniforms of the 1970s/early ’80s as part of Panther “Throwback Day” at Heinz Field. The stadium will be filled with the retro musical sounds of that time period. Fans are encouraged to make their own nostalgic fashion statements at the game.

They shrewdly scheduled it for the Youngstown State game on September 24. It means I can bust out my Billy West jersey for that game.

You had to figure a day like this was coming once they switched uniform suppliers from Nike to Adidas. Adidas has had good success selling the throwback hats, shirts and sweatshirts.

Now the bad.

River City Rivalry
Pitt and Cincinnati meet for the first time since 1981 and will battle for the “River City Rivalry” trophy. The Bearcats, who won last year’s Fort Worth Bowl, enter their first season as members of the Big East Conference.

This is not the Big 11 where they need to create a trophy for every conference game. This is up there with the “Land Grant Trophy” in terms of dumb, jury-rigged “rivalry” awards. Pitt has played Cinci a grand total of 4 times, going 4-0 and outscoring them 132-21. Enough said.

On to the good, the 1955 Sugar Bowl team will be honored that game and Bobby Grier will be there. Also lots of past greats will get honored:

Sept. 3, Notre Dame Dan Marino and Pro Football Hall of Famers Tribute

The University of Pittsburgh will honor legendary quarterback Dan Marino for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a special halftime salute. In addition to Marino, Pitt will also pay homage to its other Pro Football Hall of Famers — Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka and Joe Schmidt. Each of these celebrated Panthers will be on hand to see Pitt take on the Irish.
…
Oct. 22, Syracuse (Homecoming) Mark May Tribute

Pitt will honor newly elected College Football Hall of Fame member Mark May as part of its Homecoming festivities. Before he became one of college football’s top broadcast voices with ESPN, May won the 1980 Outland Trophy at Pitt and was a member of the Washington Redskins’ famed “Hogs” offensive line during their run to three Super Bowls.

25-Year Anniversary of Pitt’s 1980 Team

Pitt will also honor Mark May’s 1980 team, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in college football history. The 11-1 Panthers were judged the 12th best team of all time by The Sporting News and featured such greats as Dan Marino, Hugh Green, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson and Randy McMillan.

I have to admit I’ve been a little worried about Marino and Wannstedt’s issues back in Miami and of course the Shula-Johnson stuff. Glad it doesn’t seem to be affecting Marino’s relationship with Pitt.

Final thing, press release with info on this year’s Fan Fest. Heinz Field on Thursday, August 25 from 6 – 9 pm. This includes a 90 minute open workout by the players. Only issue is that the Pirates will be playing that night as well.

Yes, time for another look at a preseason publication.

Today, it is The Gold Sheet 2005 College & Pro Football Annual.

Now, as I’ve said before, I don’t gamble. Mainly due to a lack of disposable income (the idea of explaining to the wife what happened to our daughter’s college savings is not a pleasant concept). Otherwise, I find it a happy little diversion, and I like to watch the lines. Additionally, if there is one thing to understand about book-making is that they are usually the most reliable source for expectations and match-ups.

If you like to lay some action, then this is probably the best pre-season publication to get. Their Web site is also a great data mine of past performance with point spreads of each team going back to 1993.

The Annual goes back to the past 4 years on each team for point spread and over-under.

In their rankings, they put Pitt at #24 (pg. 4), noting that the Wannstedt hire is Pitt’s hope that he is the next Pete Carroll.

For the Big East (pg. 92), Pitt is second behind Louisville (of course). The mild surprise is picking Rutgers to finish 3rd ahead of WVU.

Their comments about Pitt and Wannstedt are mostly positive. They like what he wants to do with the offense and defense. They do, however, question the offensive line. Not on the issue of depth (which should be a concern) but the players themselves. Their point is that they were recruited much more for pass protection schemes, not power run blockers.

From a gambling perspective, the bookmakers had to be sad to see Coach Harris leave. From 2001 to 2004, Pitt had a 24-24 Point Spread Record. That made Pitt something of a gambler’s nightmare, but the middle kept getting cuts. The over-under wasn’t as perfect, Pitt was 20-26.

The dearth of stories as Pitt training camp is about to start is surprising.

Coach Dave Wannstedt will be holding a press conference at 9:15 am. It will kick-off Pitt’s Media Day. You can listen to it live, but it will cost you. The Yahoo! Sports thing is still in effect. Costs you $4.95/month or around $30 for the full year. Added annoyance is that they want you to use Microsoft Internet Explorer rather than Firefox or Mozilla. Still can’t bring myself to do it.

In the mean time there are lists and rankings to distract.

Rivals.com has a list of top QBs who they believe will have big seasons.

6. Tyler Palko (Pittsburgh)

Two games into last season, nobody would have thought Palko’s name would have landed anywhere near this list. But the fiery signal caller who grew up just outside Pittsburgh survived a shaky start to lead the Panthers to six wins in their last seven regular-season games — a stretch that landed them in the Fiesta Bowl.

The 6-2, 220-pound junior looked like one of the nation’s top players during that stretch, and while he must adjust to a new coach and new offensive coordinator who are committed to running the ball more this fall, another strong season is likely. Both of the Panthers’ top receivers return, including the dynamic Greg Lee, who averaged 108 receiving yards per game.

2004 stats: 3,067 passing yards (56% completion percentage), 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions.

Then CollegeFootballNews.com has plenty of lists. Top Offense, Defense and the sub-units. Here’s where Pitt ranked in each place

Defense — 30
Defensive Line — 43
Linebackers — 19
Secondary — 32

Special Teams — 43

Offense — 16
Quarterbacks — 13
Running Backs — 41
Wide Receivers — 6
Offensive Line — 48

This is what they said about the WRs.

The only question is how fast the depth can be counted on. Greg Lee and Joe DelSardo form an outstanding 1-2 punch with Lee set to be one of the favorites for the Biletnikoff Award. DelSardo is one of college football’s most reliable possession receivers. The backups have talent, but they need grooming with Derek Kinder, Marcel Pestano, and Allen Richardson good enough to eventually become factors. Tight end is a major strength with 270-pound Erik Gill and Steve Buches two of the best in the Big East. More help is on the way with former quarterback Darrell Strong adding even more athleticism and skill.

For whatever it’s worth, at least one of CFN’s writers really likes the situation at Pitt. In the question of “The three biggest surprises will be … ?” Richard Cirminiello says

1. Dave Wannstedt lays the groundwork for Pitt’s return to glory. In a post-season dominated by high-profile hirings, Pitt’s might wind up being the shrewdest of all. And the signs will be evident as early as this fall. Wannstedt is a perfect fit at his alma mater, and he won’t wait long to win big games or land even bigger recruits. He’s a native son, who brings star power and a palpable buzz to a program that’s done well recently, but has never approached the heights of the 1970s and early 1980s. Wannstedt is about to build a bridge to the days of Tony Dorsett and Hugh Green by creating a recruiting fortress around Western Pennsylvania and by leveraging his teaching skills, which may have been somewhat lost on NFL players. Pitt won’t keep Louisville from winning the Big East in 2005, but they’ll win nine games and lay the groundwork to becoming the league heavyweight that the Big East so desperately needs.

He also picks BC to win the ACC Atlantic and Purdue to win the Big 11. Still, I’ll take the optimism — even if I don’t believe the other two.