We’ll work our way into the meat for this one then fade back.
With a puff piece that borders on an unhealthy man-crush, Ron Cook plants a juicy one on Tyler Palko. As happens with revisionism, all credit for his development and emergence last year stays with Palko.
He made himself a great quarterback after picking himself up out of that Nebraska mess and playing the kind of fabulous football that had longtime Pitt people mentioning his name in the same sentence with Dan Marino’s. The proof is that he somehow found a way to get an otherwise ordinary, three-loss Pitt team to the Fiesta Bowl. It’s also that he’s on the fringe of the early Heisman Trophy talk, a tremendous achievement for a player on a team that finished last season No. 25 in The Associated Press poll and starts this season No. 23.
“It’s nice, but it’s not like I wake up in the morning trying to win the Heisman,” Palko said. “I wake up thinking about getting to practice and trying to get better and trying to help this team get better.”
This week, Palko will wake up thinking about beating Notre Dame, Pitt’s opponent Saturday night in the nationally televised and much anticipated season opener at Heinz Field.
He is Pitt’s best chance.
It doesn’t matter that Harris and his pass-happy offense are gone, replaced by a more balanced offense under new coach Dave Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh.
The only references to former Coach Walt Harris, who Palko has credited and was not happy to see leave, is how Palko saved him from immediate firing by winning against Temple at the end and in passing above.
I don’t mind puff pieces, but revisionist history pisses me off. Elevating Palko (or Wannstedt) does not mean you need to tear down or ignore Harris. Other wise it is worth a look.
Darrelle Revis gets the game-type puff piece. It talks a lot about his development from basically playing on pure athleticism to understanding the game and the position.
“Last year, I played off of raw talent,” Revis said. “This year, I’m learning more about offenses and what they want to accomplish in certain situations.
“The game really has slowed down for me. If you relax and take your time, the game will come to you. Last year, it was crazy. My head was everywhere. Now, I’m comfortable.”
Revis reached his comfort zone with the help of some excellent teachers. Rhoads is a rising star in the collegiate coaching ranks. Wannstedt was the guru who, as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 1992, molded the NFL’s youngest defense into the league’s most dominant unit.
And, every week during the season, Revis has a skull session with his uncle, Sean Gilbert — who had a standout career as a defensive tackle at Pitt and in the pros.
“After every game, we talk about a lot of things — what I did wrong, what I did good, what I can do better,” Revis said. “I’m thankful for having an uncle who cares about me and supports me in that way. It’s a family thing.”
The secondary should be so much better this year (Pitt was 100th against the pass, how much worse could it get?) with Lay and Revis playing much tighter and aggressive coverage. Plus, with Morris and Phillips at the safeties big things have to be expected.
The other reason why the secondary needs to be good is the fact that the defensive line is one of Pitt’s question marks for the season.
The defensive line is inexperienced, though. Thomas Smith is the only starter with extensive playing time, but he is learning a new position and has been hurt for most of camp.
The defensive line has plenty of speed, though, and that alone is an upgrade from a year ago.
“Our defensive line isn’t big, but they get to the ball quick, a lot quicker than in the past,” Blades said. “You can tell because it seems like our D-line is making a lot of plays and that’s really what is the most important — just make plays. That goes for all the rest of us as well.”
The running game and offensive line are expected to be improved (Again, they really only had one direction they could go.).
The only other big question regards the Wide Receivers. After Greg Lee and Joe DelSardo, Derek Kinder has been the most consistent receiver to claim the 3rd spot. Then it is more of an ongoing audition with Marcel Pestano presently leading.
The kickers and punters have been getting extra practice at Heinz Field rather than at the practice facilities to refresh their recollection regarding the winds.
The kickers and punters practiced twice last week at Heinz Field while the rest of the squad worked out at the South Side facility.
Because of swirling winds, kickers have a notoriously difficult time kicking toward the open end of Heinz Field. Those conditions affected the outcome of at least one game last season, when Furman’s Scott Becker missed a 37-yard field goal attempt in overtime.
“Right before he went out to kick it, I said, ‘He’s going to miss wide right,’ ” Pitt kicker Josh Cummings said. “And, yes, he did.”
Before every game, the Panthers kick toward the open end of the stadium, so they have an extra chance to gauge the wind. Opponents kick toward the enclosed end of the field.
“There’s definitely a big difference,” Cummings said. “For the most part, I’m not sure if (other teams) are aware of it when they come in here. Maybe if they were, they might think about it more — which could be bad for them. So I don’t know if ignorance is bliss or if it’s better to know what you’re getting into.”
Finally, a little on Pitt’s latest verbal:
Aaron Smith got a big cheer from the crowd last night during pregame warmups.
Smith, a senior at Gateway, announced on the public address system that he had made a verbal commitment to the University of Pittsburgh. The announcement came on the field before Gateway’s season opener against Cleveland Benedictine. Smith’s news also was carried live by FSN Pittsburgh.
Smith (6 feet, 180 pounds) plays quarterback and defensive back for Gateway, but he was recruited by Pitt to play receiver. Smith had more than a dozen scholarship offers from Division I colleges, but had narrowed his list to Pitt and Maryland.
“Pitt’s close to home and they wanted me to play receiver,” he said. “Maryland wanted me to play defensive back. Receiver is where I feel more comfortable.”
It’s going to be a long week of anticipation.
