Well, the big question is who’s #2? With Joe Flacco hiding somewhere in New Jersey, two freshmen Shane Murray and Bill Stull will battle to back-up Tyler Palko.
There will be extra precautions attempted to shield Palko during training camp.
Of course, the same policy was supposed to be in place during spring drills, too.
“One of the best qualities Tyler has is his competitiveness,” Wannstedt said. “Half the time in the spring when I was screaming at the defensive guys not to hit Tyler, he was the guy doing the hitting. That’s gonna happen when we start playing.
“For us to beat Notre Dame, he’s gonna have to make plays on his feet. But we can control that in training camp, and we will.”
The 2 freshmen have contrasting styles.
Stull, 6 feet 3, 200 pounds, is a pocket passer who thrives on accuracy and ability to make quick decisions. Last season, he set a WPIAL record by throwing for 3,310 yards and 40 touchdowns. He threw 15 interceptions.
Murray, 6-1, 185, and is more of a runner than a top-flight passer. Coaches love his toughness — they were contemplating moving him to safety — and he led the Vikings to a 29-2 record the past two seasons, including a 16-0 record and the WPIAL and PIAA Class AAAA titles last year.
“I think if you look at them both there is a lot to like about them,” Cavanaugh said. “Bill played in a much more pass-oriented offense and threw the ball more, whereas Shane likes to get outside the pocket and make things happen with his legs. The good thing is Tyler does a little of each, so both of the freshmen will be able to execute most of what we already have designed for Tyler.”
I have nightmarish visions of when Rod Rutherford was coming off the bench his first couple years. If he came in for a series or even a down, everyone and their dog knew he was going to end up running with the ball. Hopefully, Coach Cavanaugh will be a little more creative when using the two back-ups.
The loss of Flacco also ends any speculation that Shane Murray might get moved to defense and play some safety.
As long as they don’t try and move Darrell Strong back to QB, it should be okay. I don’t want to see Strong lose another year of development because the coaching staff couldn’t decide where he will best help the team. Last year they bounced him from QB to TE to WR and now back to TE. He’s too good an athlete to waste.
The concern for the #2 QB hasn’t really been an issue for the last few years and Smizik notes that Pitt has been very lucky over the years when the starter has gone down with injury. I don’t know why, but that hardly makes me feel better.
Final thing, to file under “be careful what you wish for.” Luke Getsy looks like he will start for the Akron Zips. His offensive line will return only one starter. Good luck with that.
