Well, no. Not really. Mostly just some minor tweaks to the depth chart. Let’s face it, there isn’t that kind of depth for major shake-ups. As I noted yesterday morning, Derek Kinder was moved ahead of Joe DelSardo at flanker on the depth chart with the hoped for plan of stretching the field more and taking some pressure off of Greg Lee. That appears to be exactly the idea.
“Joe’s a good player for us, and Joe will continue to be a good player for us, but we need to threaten people,” Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt said Monday. “We need to have speed on the field. That wasn’t happening.”
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By making the switch to Kinder, Wannstedt hopes to stretch the field more often.“Joe is going to be a major part of the game plan,” Wannstedt said. “But we need to juggle some things around and see if the younger guys will develop and help us.”
In DelSardo’s defense he was not being used well — screens and short routes along the sidelines.Tthe kind of patterns they were having him run did not play to his strengths — running a clean route and sure hands — and exposed his weaknesses — lack of speed and size. When he is used on routes that bring him across or over the middle plays to running a good route and allows DelSardo to keep his body between the defender and the ball.
Pitt wants to throw the ball a little more downfield and this will help.
“We need to be more of a threat with speed on the field,” Wannstedt said of the change. “Kinder and Marcel Pestano will get a chance to see if they can help push the ball down the field. Teams are going to roll coverage to Greg Lee on every play and we need other guys to step up.”
This also means Greg Lee has to get aggressive.
Lee, who was the only receiver to catch a pass Friday, is supposed to be the Panthers’ big-play receiver but he has yet to make his presence felt. Through two games, he has eight catches for 107 yards (13.4 yards per catch, 53.5 per game) and one touchdown.
Last year Lee averaged 19.1 yards per catch and 108 yards per game. But he has been the victim of his own success as defenses have double-teamed him or used safeties to help defend him, limiting his effectiveness.
Some of this is on Lee. He has to fight through some of the coverage and fight for the ball. Much like the beginning of last year, he has been slow to do that.
Coach Wannstedt also wants to get bigger bursts from the running backs.
So far the only running back who has made a couple of big runs is Kirkley, but starter Rashad Jennings has been slowed by a nagging knee injury and sophomore Brandon Mason has yet to carry the ball.
The need for speed likely means that Mason will get some more action this week and Wannstedt said freshman LaRod Stephens-Howling, who had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown Friday and is one of the fastest players on the team, will get some more action as well.
“When I first saw Kirkley in the spring I wasn’t sure,” Wannstedt said, “You’d watch him and say, ‘those 10-yard runs, boy you’d like them to be 30-yard runs.’ But I think we have to continue to play him and we have to find a way to get LaRod Stephens the ball because he is a guy who has a chance to make a 40-yard run.”
While Coach Wannstedt is likely to give Stephens-Howling more touches, I think that Mason getting the ball might be a little wishful thinking/subtle hinting from Paul Zeise. In the transcript of Wannstedt’s press conference, Mason isn’t mentioned.
The number of penalties, especially in the Ohio game is a concern.
H.B. Blades should be fine for the game despite a sore groin.
