Paul Zeise’s Q&A is up. Either I was channeling him during my exchange with the boys of BGS, or he channeled me. A lot of his answers seemed awfully familiar.
He also addresses Wannstedt’s inadvertent mentioning of a recruit by name in a press conference, Conredge Collins and freshmen contributors.
Q: What will help the Pitt defense more this season – the reshuffled DL and LB corps or the balanced offense?
ZEISE: Great question. I’d say the linebackers are going to be the key. The offense will help only if it is working the way it is supposed to. The defensive line is shuffled but I’m not sure it is better. In fact, I’ll have to be convinced that it is capable of being competitive before I can really pass judgment on it. But the linebacking corps is a huge factor now that all of the players are in the right place. Remember Lewis Moore? He was an excellent strongside linebacker and a very mediocre middle linebacker. I think the same can be said for Clint Session. I expect he and Derron Thomas will both have big years on the outside and H.B. Blades is a perfect fit for middle linebacker. He doesn’t miss tackles, doesn’t over run plays and he always gets to the right place. This will be a big factor against the run.
Need I bother to tell everyone to read it all?
Now, usually I don’t bother with the Penn State beat reporter Q&A, but this was just comical paranoia.
Q: Why does the Post-Gazette jump on every chance they get to put Joe Paterno and Penn State football down? When something wrong happens at Penn State it makes the front page of the sports in big bold print with a cynical headline, but when Pitt does something wrong like having a player (Tyler Palko) drop the F-bomb on national TV it’s like nothing happened. Yes, Penn State has had some recent off the field problems, but so have other colleges. It just seems when PSU has off the field problems the Post-Gazette really plays them up more so than if Pitt had these same problems. As much the Post-Gazette will try to degrade Penn State’s football tradition with biased writing, Penn State will clean up its act and return to national prominence. In conclusion, I just would like the P-G to remain more unbiased when covering Penn State football.
HARLAN: The Post-Gazette has no intention of denigrating Joe Paterno or his football program, and because I am the lone reporter here charged with covering ol’ Joe and his football team, perhaps I should add that I, too, never aim for biased coverage. We cover all football programs the same way: we write about both the good and bad. After that, it’s up to the football program to determine the balance of good and bad. But I think it does bear mentioning that Tyler Palko, the day he dropped his famous F-bomb, was actually just commenting on a Penn State headline in our paper that morning.
[Emphasis added.]
Right, because clearly shooting arrows through dorm room walls, assaults and fights are the equivalent of an F-bomb uttered right after an emotional victory. Have to love that PSU fans seem to have now resorted to the point of going, “well other schools are just as bad as us” defense. (Inner voice comment: Uh, considering Gill’s DUI and trying to cover it up, aren’t you throwing a stone from the glass home? — Shut up!)
Ivan Maisel has a piece on Coach Wannstedt coming home (Hat tip to Jamie). Not too long and pretty good. Something that may just sum things up nicely:
The result has been beyond a marketer’s most feverish hopes. Pittsburgh loves its favorite sons. Behind the size of a major-league city is a provincial town that dotes on homegrown coaches, such as the longtime coach of the Steelers.
“Pittsburgh is a different town,” junior linebacker H.B. Blades said. “When they get one of their former sons back, like Bill Cowher, it’s important to them.”
I have to admit, I totally underestimated the reaction of the people to Coach Wannstedt. Maybe it’s because I’m not native, but the way he embraced and been embraced back by the city and fans has been astounding.
