Opening kickoff is just over 2 weeks away. That first game is looming in everyone’s mind.
On the anticipation surrounding the Notre Dame season opener:
It’s tough not to talk about it because it’s right there and at the same time we sure as heck don’t want to sit around and be focused at this point of the season just on one game. It’s an 11-game season and we’re not getting ready just for Notre Dame. We’re getting ready to have a successful season. All the things that we’re doing right now on offense, defense and special teams aren’t necessarily what we’re going to be doing against Notre Dame in a game-day situation. But we might be doing them the next week against Ohio University or we could be doing them in the last game of the season against West Virginia. It’s a balancing act and we’ve always played good everywhere I’ve been in the openers and early games for the most part. I’m very confident in the schedule that we’ll have with our players and coaches from the standpoint of how much work we’ll need to get ready for this opener. When do you pull back on the running? When do you pull back on the hitting? There’s all these things that lead up to that first game. I know what I want to do there and we’ve got it laid out pretty good. We’ll stay with that plan.
This press conference transcript is required full reading. He returns some of the love that his former players on the Dolphins have given him (Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor in subscription only Q&As with the Sun Sentinel). Bill Stull looks to be the back-up (no surprise). While Coach Wannstedt says it will be running back by committee, the way he said it suggested that Jennings and Murphy will be given the first cracks at siezing the full control. He talked briefly about the other receivers — Marcel Pestano and Derek Kinder got some praise.
Final excerpt:
On enjoying coaching college football:
Yeah, I like coaching. I am still working through the time management part of it where it’s not all football like it is in the NFL. Where everyday you’re still having recruits visit practice and talking about class schedules and so forth. It’s energizing to me and now that we’re back to football, this is what it’s all about. Everybody overrates this stuff…pros…college. Football is football. You’re blocking and tackling. It’s (the transition) overrated. We went from the Miami Hurricanes to the Dallas Cowboys and everybody says, “Oh those college coaches,” and four years later we win a Super Bowl. If you have a good group of players who are willing to work and want to get better, that’s what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter what level it’s on.
15+ days.
Also discussed was the situation of player injuries and health. This AP story helps to summarize.
A fifth-year senior, [Thomas] Smith was hobbled by a twisted knee and will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday to mend the damage. Smith will miss the remaining training camp practices at the UPMC Sports Complex, and his status for the opener with Notre Dame is up in the air.
But first-year Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said the goal is to get Smith healthy by that game.
“The thoughts from the doctors right now are that he will be back,” Wannstedt said. “Everybody thought that because of the type of cleanup that they’re going to do in there that it was an attainable goal.”
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Notes: Also on the injury front, wideout Greg Lee (right shoulder) has continued to improve. He has missed eight days now, but wore a helmet for the first time Thursday and worked in all the drills except those with contact. … Outside linebacker Brian Bennett (left knee) missed Wednesday night’s workout and Thursday’s, but his injury isn’t believed to be serious. … Pitt’s second intrasquad scrimmage is Friday afternoon.
