Part 1 which includes the explanation and Part 2.

Pat: Moving to the Pitt o-line, how has Spencer handled the move from guard to the all-important left tackle?

Chas: Seamlessly it would appear. Haven’t heard a word of struggle. Actually, it’s been disturbingly quiet about the entire O-line.

Pat: Do you have a new O-line coach or is he a holdover?

Chas: New. Paul Dunn, Pitt alum and formerly at Kentucky and K-State for the O-line. On offense, they are all new coaches, defense remained completely intact.

Jay: That’s pretty interesting. Wanny kept everyone on defense? Were Pitt fans happy with the Pitt defense last year?

Chas: Yep, even the DC who was shudder up for the top job. No. No, we were not. The defense was a sore subject. I don’t speak for all, but I’m not that high on Paul Rhoads the DC.

Jay: I read where Wannstedt won’t be making the defensive calls. I was surprised.

Chas: I’m not sure I completely buy it.

Jay: Although there’s no doubt the defense will be “his”, so to speak.

Chas: Yes, the defense will be more aggressive and tighter.

Jay: We’ll keep an eye on him this Saturday. If Wanny’s making too many hand gestures to the defensive huddle, we’ll know something’ sup. Charlie, on the other hand, has stated unequivocally that he’ll be calling the offense for the Irish. From the sideline.

Chas: The thing — and consider this free advice from someone who watched another offensive genius do that for 7 years. There have to be strong voices willing to question and call him out on some things. Calling from the sideline is not that big a deal, at least to me. And it better not, because for the first game or two at least that will be where Cavanaugh is.

Jay: That’s an excellent point, and not one I’ve seen discussed among Irish fans enough.In New England, there was always the veto of Belichick as the final word. Weis has mentioned picking vocal guys who will disagree with him, though. His staff has some ex-head coaches. On paper, anyway, it looks like Charlie’s not afraid of strong opinions. We’ll see what happens when the chips are down.

Chas: On offense?

Jay: Peter Vaas is the QB coach and will probably be Charlie’s eyes in the booth.

Pat: Vaas, was a head coach in college and in NFL Europe.

Jay: He’s been a head coach most of his career

Chas: I know Minter on D, who is the best assistant hire?

Pat: He was also QB coach and RB coach at ND under Holtz in 91, 92

Jay: The best assistant hire let’s hope is Minter! But realistically, probably Lewis DB coach from the Dolphins

Pat: Bill Lewis is the best hire. ND’s pass defense has been rather awful, especially after Coach Walters left for the Philly Eagles in 2002.

Jay: Right, and after Duff and Walton graduated. Lewis brings an added angle to the game Saturday, as I’m sure you’re aware.

Pat: Lewis spent 8 years with the Dolphins and Weis has commented numerous times that the Dolphins are the one team who’s secondary gave him troubles, so he tried to hire the guy who was partly responsible for that. Also, Lewis will be a valuable insight to Wannstedt’s coaching for the Pitt game.

Jay: One thing to note about the defense this year is a hybrid position that Minter’s installed, the Apache backer (as he calls it). Sort of an extra DB on the field, but bigger. Our Apache right now is Maurice Crum.

Chas: Yeah, read about his success and his father’s affection for Wanny.

Jay: The thinking is to have a guy fast enough to cover, but big enough to stop the run. If you’re wondering what the Apache is all about, well, We’re all waiting to see what this looks like on the field, too. BGS actually did a breakdown of it a few months ago.

Chas: Minter’s big on speed for the defense then?

Pat: very much so

Jay: Yep. Big on speed.

Pat: Speed, blitzing, and trying to confuse and rattle the other QB. The hope, at least for Irish fans, is that our defense won’t be as reactive as it was last year.

Chas: Sounds familiar.

Jay: However, it’s not like Minter had too many choices in who would play D this year. We’re pretty thin, and pretty green.

Pat: We will force things more this year. It will probably result in giving up a few big plays, especially early in the season, but overall should generate better results.

Chas: I take it Hoyte is expected to be the disrupter.

Jay: Yeah. Big run-stopper in the middle, but not so good in coverage.

Chas: Is he going to freelance much? Is he going to want to go forward whenever possible

Pat: Hoyte will be everywhere. He’s similar to Blades in that I expect to find him wherever the ball is.

Chas: Nose for the ball and that kind of cliche?

Jay: Yeah. Loves to hit. Linebacker captain, too.

Pat: He’s built like a middle linebacker, but does a good job rushing the QB off the edge. He’s also the only returning starter at linebacker.

Chas: Special teams — what happens if Fitzpatrick has a leg cramp? I don’t recall the last time I saw a PK, P and KO be the same guy.

Jay: We’re screwed.

Pat: We throw deep on 4th down … playstation style. Seriously though, Geoff Price has a booming leg, but has never been consistent.

Jay: Price is a natural punter

Pat: 50 yard bomb followed by 2 shanks. Walk-on Carl Goia is the #2 kicker. Personally, I hope Price develops some consistency so Fitzpatrick can focus on FG and kickoffs, but I’m not sure that will happen.

Jay: Yeah. Fitz is a better PK than punter.

Chas: Groza watch?

Pat: Yeah.

Chas: I know both teams are talking about improving/emphasizing special teams. How are they doing?

Pat: The big thing that Weis is doing is dedicating entire practices to it.

Jay: Well, they are emphasizing it, not just lip service.

Pat: In the spring he invited the media to watch an entire practice in the stadium, and it was all special teams. He had another all-special teams practice in the fall.

Jay: Brian Polian (youngest guy on staff, son of Bill Polian, ST coach) has said this is the most he’s practiced ST anywhere. Charlie just yesterday (I think) said something about changes from last year, and told the press, if you’re looking for immediate improvement from last year, look at ST. We’ll all be watching, too.

Pat: Weis got his start as as special teams guy, and like Belichick, considers it an equal 1/3 part of the game. It’s a big deal to him.

Chas: More gospel from the Church of Beamer.

Jay: Beamer, definitely.

Pat: Yup, Weis even mentioned Beamer by name, which made ND fans happy.

Jay: Couple of times. What’s the word on Pitt ST?

Chas: We’ve got the best 1-2 PK and P combo in the Big East in Cummings and Graessle. The special teams are definitely emphasized more, and with more speed. Watch for freshman LaRod Stephens on kickoff returns. Lots more speed.

Jay: LaRod Stephens (filing that name away). Great name, btw. He’s going on the all-ND-opponent names team.

Pat: Factoid..Graessle was high school teammates with Brady Quinn I believe, and starting FS Chinedum Nduwke.

Chas: Way too many connections between these two teams.

Pat: Well, the both draw from similar areas of the country.

———————————– END PART 3

If there’s one thing that starts making me nervous, it’s when the punditry is almost overwhelmingly picking Pitt in what is essentially a toss-up of a game.

USA Today:

Dave Wannstedt and Charlie Weis know each other well from their meetings in the AFC East over recent years. Weis is off to a fast start in recruiting and generating fresh enthusiasm around the program. Opponents better get the Irish early before the team gets comfortable with his schemes. Pittsburgh 24, Notre Dame 20.

Louisville Courier-Journal:

Pittsburgh 31, Notre Dame 28: Expect a million sideline shots of Charlie Weis and Dave Wannstedt in this intriguing primetime showdown. Keep your eyes trained instead on Pitt’s duo of Tyler Palko and Greg Lee, who’ll be too much for Irish.

Dallas Morning News:

Notre Dame (+3) at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Saturday: Longtime pro fixtures Charlie Weis (Notre Dame) and Dave Wannstedt (Pittsburgh) make their college head coaching debuts. Weis has received more attention; Wannstedt has more talent on hand. Pittsburgh beat Notre Dame, 41-38, last season behind Tyler Palko’s five touchdown passes. Palko returns, as does his favorite target, Greg Lee. Notre Dame has a solid quarterback in Brady Quinn but needs more consistency from a running game led by sophomore Darius Walker. Pick: Pittsburgh 31, Notre Dame 17

College Football News.com:

Conclusion — Put Justin Tuck on the edge for the Irish, and I’d have a hard time thinking that the Pitt defensive line could keep him off of Palko throughout the game. But, with Tuck having left the South Bend campus early, the Irish defensive line has little game experience, although it might be the most talented group of DL they’ve seen in a while. Regardless, playing at home in Wannstedt’s return, with Palko leading the way, the Panthers will be a bit too much for the Irish to withstand Saturday night. Pitt – 24 vs. Notre Dame – 20.

At least the NY Post feels differently:

Notre Dame (+3) over PITTSBURGH: Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt returns home to guide the Panthers’ fortunes but finds himself leading off against the guy who offensively coordinated the New England Patriots to consecutive Lombardi trophies.

Charlie Weis is light years ahead of Ty Willingham as an offensive mind, and expect a much more sprightly attack from the Irish than you’ve come to expect. Oh, Pitt will score; Tyler Palko tossed 5 TD passes against ND last year (first time anybody did that!), but expect Dame to keep pace — and more! Weis has Michigan on deck; don’t look for the Irish to open 0-2. Our Lady (+3) reigns, for one unit.

Craig James at ESPN, though favors Pitt.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (Saturday, ABC, 8 p.m. ET): I could go off on matchups of this and that, but for me, I can’t wait to see how different these two teams look. Charlie Weis for ND and Dave Wannstedt for Pitt again will square off like they did in the NFL. I think Wannstedt has the edge at QB with Tyler Palko. I like Palko a lot — matter of fact, the two of us shot the breeze at a dinner this summer at the former home of President Eisenhower in posh Newport, R.I. Runnin’ with the big dogs that night. Back on track, how long will it take Weis to get QB Brady Quinn to master his offense? I expect to see progress, but it might not be consistent enough. Especially since the Irish defense is not up to the challenge of the ND schedule.
Pick: Patriots, err, I mean Pitt. This is on Saturday, not Sunday.

Yeep.

So does ESPN.com’s CFB game picker, Rich Podolsky:

Pittsburgh -3 over Notre Dame: There’ll be no looking ahead of this one for Pitt. What a way to open your season, with the Irish coming to town with a brand new coach to christen. For that matter, the Panthers have a new coach of their own, Dave Wannstedt, a defensive specialist, who can give the Panthers help where they badly need it. The offense, thank you, is doing just fine. Tyler Palko is back at QB and might be the best pure passer in the country. The ground game is also bound to improve with the addition of potential star RB Rashad Jennings.

Charlie Weis may wish he’s back with the Patriots after looking at the first five games this year. After Pitt, the Irish are at Michigan, host Michigan State, and at Washington, where Tyrone Willingham will be waiting. That is followed up by a home game against the nation’s best team, USC. Unfortunately, Weis has his hands full, talent-wise. The defense again will be dreadful and the offense needs a shot of imagination, which Weis is sure to add.

The pick: Pitt. The Panthers won a 41-38 shootout in South Bend last year. Expect another track meet this time. In the battle of the ex-NFL coaches, superior talent and home field win out.

I guess, what bothers me, is that most of the people picking are expecting offensive fireworks again, and I have some doubts about that.

Additions: Stewart Mandel at SI.com also picks Pitt.

And Matt Hayes at the Sporting News.

Pitt 31, Notre Dame 30. In three years, this will be a BCS game; now, QB Tyler Palko will engineer another late victory against a weak Irish secondary.

Additions II: John Walters at SI.com picks the games for the weekend.

Wake up the echoes? After an 11-13 record the past two seasons, it’s more like “Power up the defibrillator!” in South Bend. The last time Charlie Weis stood on a Pittsburgh sideline, the Pats beat the Steelers in the AFC title game. This time the opposition has the better QB in Tyler Palko. “Paddles! Clear!”

Pittsburgh 38, Notre Dame 35

Lots of chats the last few days.

I’ll start with the increasingly befuddled, but still beloved, Keith Jackson.

You’ll also go east for the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh game Saturday. What gives?

I’m looking forward to going off to Pittsburgh. I know that violates my rules to go east of the Big Mountains, particularly on Labor Day weekend, when it’s so hot. But I’m going to go anyway. Because I think Notre Dame-Pitt offers one of the running stories that is evolving in college football: the men who are coming back from professional football to coach. I think that tells us two different things. One is that the coaches are looking for a little different lifestyle. And two, the colleges are paying a heck of a lot more money than they used to.

Well, Jackson would appear to be lucking out with the whether — clear and mild.

Bruce Feldman has been a big Pitt/Wannstedt proponent.

Matt (Orlando): Whats your prediction for pitt? Will Palko and Lee be all american’s?

Bruce Feldman: 9-2..they aren;t as explosive as louisvile but I think they’re a legit top 20 program and wannstedt will bring them back into the top 10 very soon. Great hire.

He even picks Pitt by 2 scores.

mark (tennessee): pitt or nd, your thoughts and why?

Bruce: Pitt by 10 or so. I think Palko has a big day. I’ll be curious to see how much better the Panther ground game is with Wannstedt in charge. This is a very rough starting sked for ND. I like their offense, but am very skeptical of their D.

Kirk Herbstreit won’t pick until Saturday.

James (Greensboro, NC): I know you are saving your pick for Saturday, but with Notre Dame and Pitt both with new coaches this year, what type of game are you expecting to see?

Kirk Herbstreit: You must be a seasoned veteran realizing we wait until Saturday to make the pick! I expect a battle between two talented QBs. By the end of the year, both Quinn and Palko will prove to be two of the better drop back QBs in the country. I think ND’s offense is going to be better than anticipated. A big reason is the play of Quinn who will be a first round draft choice. It may come down to which defense can contain the other teams QB.

Under 36 hours until we start to find out.

Part 1 and the explanation can be found here.

Chas: How about your guys [at WR]? You have two 6’5″ guys but both have been inconsistent.

Jay: Four guys to keep an eye out for on our end. Stovall has all the tools – 6’5, big, strong, fast. The big complaint was that he has played, on occasion, smaller than he is.

Pat: One of the tall guys, Samaradzija, has actually been fairly consistent and improved throughout 2004. He had the most number of receptions in the Insight.com bowl.

Chas: Yet, he’s behind Stovall as the 3rd WR?

Pat: Stovall has all of the physical tools in the world. He just has been, as you said, inconsistent. Samardzija is a year younger, and really seems like he might take a big leap this season in terms of production. He has excellent hands and runs good routes, which is the quickest way for a WR to get on Weis’ good side.

Chas: How are they at blocking downfield?

Pat: Both are obviously big guys. Practice reports mentioned downfield blocking as a drill stressed during fall camp. Stovall has always been pretty good at it. Samardizjia isn’t quite as strong, since he is also a pitcher on the baseball team, which limits his ability to bulk up.

Chas: McKnight? Is he mainly a posession guy? Over the middle?

Pat: McKnight is probably the best at downfield blocking on the team now. He’s not a possession guy, not a deep threat, more of a jack of all trades type. He can take a 10 yard pass 65 yards through traffic like he did against BYU last season or he can be the guy on the receiving end of a Brady Quinn bomb, although he wasn’t used in that regard much last season.

Jay: Who’s #2 WR after Lee?

Chas: That would be flanker Joe DelSardo — pure possession WR. 5′ 7″ great hands, willing to go over the middle, not speedy, but smart and precise route runner. Despite Wanny loving speed and size none of the bigger kids could beat his consistency or hands.

Pat: Lee and DelSardo were two names you always heard. It seems that the real fall camp battle was over the #3 spot. Did anyone step up and really grab the job? Was it who you expected?

Chas: The guy everyone thought might even beat DelSardo was Terrell Allen. He came in with Lee and was actually more highly recruited. As a freshman (‘03) he provided late season spark in the return game. He got a season ending injury in ’04 spring drills and was easily injured again in fall practices. Very frustrating for all that he can’t stay healthy. It was a free-for-all with no one getting too consistent until the end. Derek Kinder is the #3 WR. He caught one pass last year as a freshment — a 3 yd TD against ND

Jay: I remember that play. Sadly. All right, all of this is just dancing around the big question on offense. Quinn vs Palko.

Chas: In a way, this will take us to coaching. Everyone expects Quinn to take this magical leap.

Jay: That’s a good way of putting it. Like Charlie’s got a magic wand.

Chas: I know he has the talent and the arm and such, but has he had the time?

Jay: Well, he has been playing for a long time now.

Chas: Tom Brady had a year to learn and watch while Bledsoe had the s–t pounded out of him.

Jay: Remember he started as a freshman. He’s on pace to break ND’s yardage records.

Chas: I remember him handing off to J.Jones the entire game in 03. I know that’s unfair, though, he was forced into action that season.

Jay: Heh. The one good game plan from Ty. Stick with what works.

Pat: It seems to me that most of the things that will help Brady have a great 2005 are the details that never seemed to be stressed under the previous coaches.

For example, his short passes always seemed to come out at a million miles an hour, if Weis can get him to dial down on those, that will help a lot in terms of his completion percentage

Chas: I think he’s very level headed and has the brain matter for it, but it still takes time with a system. Especially a system that relies heavily on trying to confuse the other side.

Jay: Weis has talked about BQ reading progressions better. Some of his first comments when joining the team were, “Brady’s got a lot of work to do.” So the curve wasn’t just about learning a system, it was also correcting bad habits and instilling new ones.

Pat: there are plenty of practice photos of Weis just watching Brady’s footwork.

Chas: I’m just saying, at least the first couple of games he could easily struggle. Palko looked horrible his first couple of games, but by the time you saw him, well…

Jay: He definitely could.

Chas: That’s why I think ND will be running — a lot. It’s a strength and it is much safer.

Jay: In a best case scenario — and I mean BEST case — Brady is Carson Palmer all over again. i.e., all-world talent gets stunted, noted QB guru takes over and he wins the Heisman. We can all dream.

Chas: Realistically?

Jay: Realistically, I’m pulling the Heisman out of my ass. But I think there’s an analog to Palmer’s situation with Weis in the Norm Chow role. Yoda, etc.

Pat: I agree Chas. We will run a lot. Because of Pitt’s d-line size, because it’s a good way to take a hostile crowd on our the game, and because I’m sure Weis would like to save something for Michigan’s secondary, which I don’t think is as good as Pitt’s.

Jay: It can only help Brady (crowd out of the game). But you’re right, it takes time, and this is game #1, so I’m not expecting to see Joe Montana incarnate out there all of a sudden. So, to Palko

Chas: Yes…

Jay: He’s taken a lot of flak recently among Irish fans and not just for the F-bomb.

While it’s true he went pass-crazy on us last year (400+ yards, 5 Tds), I think he’s being lightly regarded. Some comments have been made about padding stats against crummy teams.

Personally, my only frame of reference is the Pitt game last year, and he looked damn good. So a lot of this might be rationalization on the part of Irish fans.

Chas: Okay, so they want to find ways to bring him down perception-wise. I get it.

Jay: Right. Minimize him. What’s your take on Palko? Good as advertised? Worse? Better?

Chas: Good as advertised. His father is one of the top high school coaches from Western PA. Not just strong and athletic, but he has the head for it. Last year, he started very poorly — the Walt Harris offense was very complicated and no matter how much you practice until you play it for a bit, you will struggle.

Jay: I agree. He and Brady are the same year, but Palko looks so much more advanced.

Pat: Do you think Wannstedt and Cavanaugh will let him scramble as much as he did under Harris — at least it seemed he was always scrambling. That was one of his best weapons. I remember that really helped against BC last year.

Chas: Given the O-line last year, he had no choice.

Pat: So it was more survival than his personal preference?

Chas: Well, a little of both, he did his reads when he had time but he wouldn’t waste inordinate amounts of time if they weren’t there. At times he was prone to just taking off if he didn’t see something right away. He has said that he likes to smack helmets. ND recruited him to be a safety.

Jay: Nice.

Pat: I was thinking, assuming that our linebackers will have their hands full with the Pitt TE’s, a few QB draws and scrambles might be pretty effective if our D-line can’t keep him contained.

Chas: Well, to some degree it will depend on how the O-line for Pitt handles things. Another great unknown.

…

Be prepared.

The city’s two largest parking operators say their lots and garages will remain open this weekend even if there is a strike by the union representing hundreds of attendants.

Alco Parking Corp., the city’s largest private parking operator, and the city’s Parking Authority plan to staff their facilities with administrators and managers and possibly temporary workers should members of Teamsters Local 926 walk off the job.

“I can’t emphasize this enough — no matter what happens, we will continue to operate. No facilities will be shut down,” Alco Parking Corp. President Merrill Stabile said.

Union members overwhelmingly authorized a strike almost two weeks ago in a dispute over wages, health benefits and work rule changes, and could walk out at any time.

There has been much speculation that a strike could happen tomorrow with a Pirates game scheduled for early afternoon and a sell-out crowd expected at Heinz Field for the Pitt-Notre Dame football game in the evening.

Marc Dreves, union business representative, said he could not confirm or deny that a strike would take place tomorrow, but added that no progress had been made in reaching agreements.

“At this point, it doesn’t look very hopeful,” he said.

A walkout would involve many of the garages Downtown, the lots between the stadiums on the North Shore, and parking at Pittsburgh International Airport.

This means major potential headaches in the lots. Cars trying to sneak into lots, long lines to get in with fumbling replacements, general mayhem.

The Trib. columnists have mostly ignored Pitt to focus completely on the Steelers, with occasional bitching about the Pirates. Joe Starkey mails one in with a quick snippet piece about the Big East. Predicts Pitt will go 8-3; Louisville runs the table; Rutgers with a winning record; and WVU tanks this year.

Another piece just goes 5-up and 5-down as to Pitt getting a bowl bid. Odd thing.

This piece discusses whether Pitt will be an offensive juggernaut in the Big East this year.

“There’s enough weapons there,” offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh said.

Enough to score at a dizzying pace? Enough to have something special this season? Enough to repeat as conference champs and go back to a BCS bowl?

Cavanaugh paused.

“It’s too early to answer that,” he said, finally.

“I’m not saying we don’t have it. I’m saying there are still some young guys that have to develop to fulfill some of those expectations. They’ve got a long way to go. They’re working real hard at it.”

Tyler Palko gets a puff piece focusing on his drive and focus on football.

“I pride myself on being someone who’s going to do whatever it takes to win,” Palko said. “I don’t want people to look at it like, ‘Oh, Tyler is here ’till all hours of the night.’ No. I’m here because I have a responsibility to this football team to get my job done. If that means staying here all night, well, then, I’m not getting any sleep.

“That’s what I owe to my team. I do push people. I do look at it like a job. I do enjoy that stuff. Because that’s what I need to do.”

Meanwhile Matt Cavanaugh has been watching tons of game film to suss out the ND Defense.

That is not a misprint, in order to prepare for Notre Dame, Cavanaugh spent countless hours watching film of South Carolina.

He also watched tape of the Miami Dolphins’ and New England Patriots’ defense from the past two years, some of the Cincinnati Bearcats’ defense from 2003 and, once he finally got around to it, Notre Dame’s defense from last season.

That was necessary because the coaching staff at Notre Dame, like Pitt, is in its first year with the Irish, so there is a lot of mystery involved in preparing a game plan.

Cavanaugh said the first move in preparing to face a new coaching staff is to take a look at who the key members of that staff are. Then, he pieces together what defenses they have run in the past. After that, he takes his best guess of what those defensive ideas might look like once they are combined.
…
“Now, if they do some things that are drastically different than what we’ve prepared for, we will have to adjust on the fly.

“The good thing is they are going through the same thing, so I think adjustments will be crucial throughout the game.”

Looks like ESPN2’s “Cold Pizza” will be broadcasting live from Heinz Field this morning.

Someone should have pounded that lesson into TE Eric Gill, and apparently his father, at some point.

Erik Gill, the Belle Vernon Area product who starts at tight end for Pitt, has been charged with drunken driving in the wake of a traffic accident that took place about six weeks ago in Fayette County.

There was no indication what impact, if any, the incident will have on his status for the Panthers’ opening game Saturday against Notre Dame at Heinz Field.

E.J. Borghetti, an associate athletic director who handles sports media relations at Pitt, said Thursday he had not been informed about the arrest.

Gill, 23, of Kelly Avenue, Belle Vernon, is charged with driving under the influence, recklessly endangering another person and driving a vehicle at an unsafe speed. The accident occurred July 24 on Fayette Avenue in Washington Township.

Gill’s father, Thomas Gill, who is an assistant football coach at Frazier High School, was charged with two counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution in connection with the accident, police said.

Over 5 weeks ago. Before training camp. Something, where if there was to be any disciplining it could have been handled right away.

Now, it’s a distraction and issue just before the one of the biggest season openers for Pitt in the last 20-some years.

Now what do you do if you are Coach Wannstedt? Do you bench him? How do you handle this?

It isn’t just the DUI — allegedly. It’s that he (and his father) tried to hide it. Irresponsible and foolish.

Oh, and just before this broke, Pitt named their team captains for the game. Anyone want to hazard a guess on who one of them is?

Thursday, coach Dave Wannstedt chose four captains — tight end Erik Gill , running back Tim Murphy , linebacker H.B. Blades and cornerback Josh Lay — for the Notre Dame game. “I could’ve named several others who were deserving,” Wannstedt said. The coach will name captains on a weekly basis until midseason, when the players will elect permanent captains.

And on a night when there will be a veritable “who’s who” of Pitt greats in attendance.

Pitt will honor its 21 first-round NFL draft picks by designating them as honorary captains and introducing them on the field before the game. Tony Dorsett , Dan Marino , Mike Ditka , Bill Fralic , Bill Maas , Jimbo Covert , Chris Doleman , Sean Gilbert and Randy Holloway are expected to attend. “That’s what makes Pitt a special place in my mind, the tradition,” Wannstedt said. “Those names, that’s what the tradition’s all about.”

The ABC sideline crew is going to be busy with interviews that night.

On Thursday, September 1 for a way too long a chunk of the morning I IM’d with 2 members of Blue Gray Sky regarding the ND-Pitt game. That’s right they needed to go to double coverage to discuss the game.

As you can imagine, it became a beast of a discussion. Here Part 1 of the mostly raw text discussion. There was some minor editing and condensing, but this is about as raw (and as long) as it gets. I’ll be posting the rest throughout the day.

A couple important links to reference — the box scores from the games in 2003 and 2004 (Not to mention my recaps of 2003 and 2004).

Jay: Good morning

Chas: Hello again. Is Pat on yet?

Yahoo! Messenger: Pat has joined the conference.

Jay: There he is. Okay, hopefully this won’t be tooo long. First off, just a general question to you Chas

Chas: Fire away

Jay: Are the Pitt fans as excited for this game as ND fans are? We haven’t seen this level of anticipation for a season opener in a long, long time.

Chas: This game has been on everyone’s mind for weeks. The excitement is palpable.

Jay: It’s crazy on this end. A LOT of people are roadtripping to the game. I think the Irish contingent there is going to be pretty big.

Chas: Never a shock.

Jay: onto to the game. I have a question about Jennings, but if you want to ask anything go right ahead.

Chas: Let’s start with Rashad Jennings who was supposed to be part of the class of 2004 but had to do a year of prep school for academics. Pitt got him over Virginia Tech.

Jay: why is he starting if he’s only a freshman? Is he simply better than everyone else? Maybe that’s an obvious question, but maybe it goes to depth at RB? Are there any upperclassmen who got passed over? Any guys you feel should have gotten a shot over Jennings?

Chas: He fits the mold of the style of running back Wanny and Cavanaugh like. Big strong, in between the tackles, etc. RB depth was a question last year. Tim Murphy, the starting fullback spent time at tailback, and is one of my favorites. He does, however, have issues with staying healthy. Having both in the backfield actually gives Pitt some options and chances to confuse.

Pat: One reason that many freshman running backs don’t see the field is due to poor pass blocking. Have there been mention of Rasard’s ability as it relates to that particular skill?

Chas: I’ve heard nothing about his blocking skills one way or another. He’s older than the typical freshman and has the added feature of having NFL bloodlines — both his brothers were minor players.

Jay: Does Jennings remind you of any other backs, college, NFL or otherwise?

Chas: I think Jennings will eventually see the bulk of the work if he performs as expected. In the first game or two, though, unless he busts it huge, expect to see him get half with Brandon Mason and Murphy getting the rest.

Jay: that’s an interesting point — and not reported. ND fans seem to think that Jennings will be the feature back, i.e., 30+ carries in this game.

Chas: No, in fact an article in the P-G today quotes Cavanaugh about the RBs

Now, about Darius Walker… Saw first hand last year how good he could be, and not to drag up a painful issue, [but] if not for giving Grant half the carries on Senior day last year, I thought he was going to break J.Jones’ record for a single game against Pitt.

Jay: Good point. He should have. One of the prime pieces of ammunition in the firing of Tyrone Willingham — at least from a fans’ standpoint — was how he handled the running backs last year. It was clear very early on that Darius Walker was head and shoulders above Grant. Yet, as the season went on, Grant & Walker continued to split carries.

Chas: Are there any backs behind Walker? Both teams seem to have the talent, but depth would be the biggest concern at so many of the skill positions.

Jay: Sometimes painfully so. Yep. One guy to keep an eye on for Pitt fans is #16, Rashon Powers-Neal. He was a FB last year, and played the typical WCO fullback – blocked, rarely carried, caught a couple of passes. This year he got a lot of reps at tailback alongside Walker. He’s sort of switched positions under Weis, but he’s a lot bigger than Darius. He might get some carries or operate out of a 2-back set, split backfield and such.

Chas: A lot like Pitt with Murphy, then as a guy who can do it at tailback? Reads very familiar.

Jay: It’s one of the most interesting things we’re looking forward to. To see how RPN is used. He’s got good hands. After Walker & RPN it drops off to some heralded, but unproven guys. Travis Thomas fumbled a lot last year and was benched, but seems to be out of the doghouse and Weis has said he’s impressed. After that the only other guy to keep an eye on is a freshman, Asaph Schwapp, built like a bowling ball. FB. He made the 2-deep which is impressive.

Chas: How deep — barring injury — do you really think ND’ll go on the depth chart?

Jay: At RB, we’re fairly deep.

Pat: I’d expect 4-5 guys to carry the ball at least once

Jay: In fact, I’d say RB & WR are probably the deepest spots on the team. And TE.

Chas: How do you not make sure Walker sees the bulk of the carries?

Jay: Good question.

Pat: Not really, as some might only get a carry or two.

Jay: We Shall See.

Chas: Well, TE we both are stacked there and have Mackey watch list candidates.

Jay: Is the TE a weapon in the Wanny attack? Should we be looking for a play-action pass to the TE on the goal line?

Chas: Well, it sure as hell was with Cavanaugh in Baltimore.

Jay: Heap, yeah. Run down your TE depth chart real quick if you could.

Chas: Gill, Buches, Strong and Pelusi. Gill, well, you guys saw him rumble last year…

Jay: Painful memories

Pat: Both Gill and Buches scored against the Irish last year. I’m sure they are on the mind of ND coaches.

Chas: Buches is a solid blocker and decent hands. Not very fast though.

Pat: Strong is a converted WR correct? Do you expect him to be involved in the passing game?

Chas: Strong is the best athlete and with great speed. His issue, and he’s even admitted it, is blocking. Vital for a TE, but he is the most intriguing of the bunch.

Pat: So when he gets in the game, the chances of a pass are pretty high?

Jay: Heh.

Chas: Yeah, he’s a guy that would be expected to catch the ball either over the middle or on a screen. Strong came here over Auburn because he was promised a shot at QB — quickly realizing that the Harris offense was too much.

Jay: Quarterback — really! Wow.

Chas: Kind of a mobile Byron Leftwich type. He dropped his weight and is now around 240, he’s 6’5″.

Pat: So do you expect him to play often or is he a solid 3rd on the depth chart?

Chas: I do not know right now. I think he will get in there but I am not sure.

Jay: Yet, obviously, the strength of the receiving corps for pitt is not the TE. Let’s talk Greg Lee.

Chas: Lee is going to be facing double coverage (at least).

Jay: Is he good enough to beat it? He might be, against our green secondary. Just looking at his stats. 5th in the country last year in receiving. Pretty amazing

Chas: The way he improved from the start of last year to the end of the season was astounding. Not only did he start to use that talent, but he got a mean, tough streak going. Fighting for the ball and at times ripping it from a defender. I expect Lee to face a lot of bumping off the line, but he is good enough to beat it.

Pat: How is his shoulder? He did miss a fair amount of practice this fall.

Chas: The shoulder — again an article today — is apparently fine. Last fall he missed some camp time with a leg injury. He, like so many WRs, seemed willing to nurse the injury to take some extra time.

Jay: Let’s hope Minter has a plan. Any chance that the injury report is a little gamesmanship, or do you think he’s truly 100%?

Chas: Yeah, I think he’s fine. He participated in the final scrimmage without issue.

Jay: Gotcha.

Okay, this could be slightly annoying or highly endearing. I haven’t made up my mind, yet.

The University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with the Gateway Clipper Fleet. For over forty years, the Gateway Clipper Fleet has been America’s largest and most successful inland riverboat company and now the Panthers are proud to join the entire Gateway Clipper Fleet as it continues to navigate Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers; the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio.

On Saturday, September 3, when Head Coach Dave Wannstedt and the Pitt Football Team begin the 2005 campaign, the familiar and friendly sound of the riverboat horns, will now become the “Official Riverboat Roar” of the Panthers. On Pitt Football Game-days in Pittsburgh the Riverboat Roar will sound 30-minutes prior to kickoff at Heinz Field celebrating the start of Pre-game and will sound each time the Panthers score this season!

It’s definitely gimmicky.

ESPN2’s “Cold Pizza” will be doing something at Pitt or Heinz Field tomorrow. The article says that the ND-Pitt game will be on ESPN at 8, but that is wrong, since it the coverage map for ABC still shows the game (PDF). Another error, they’ll have to correct — getting a little sloppy, Trib.

Rashad Jennings gets a nice piece about winning the starting tailback job. The piece notes what I have thought, that physically Jennings is exactly the type of running back that Coaches Wannstedt and Cavanaugh like. Murphy has a similar look, but has proven a bit more susceptible to injuries.

Still Coach Cavanaugh is promising to mix the backs up a bit more.

Although Jennings is listed as the starter and likely will get the bulk of the carries, Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh said a number of backs will get an opportunity to run the football.

That includes Murphy, who will start at fullback but also will see some time at tailback, and Mason who had a strong finish to camp.

“We’re going with the guy that is hot,” Cavanaugh said. “We have a real good feel for a couple of them. Rashad had a real good spring and summer.

“Murph has to get some carries, and Brandon has shown he can make people miss with the ball in his hands, so [running backs] coach [David] Walker and I will talk with coach Wannstedt and lay out a plan that we think will carry us through against Notre Dame.”

One player who was thought to be in the rotation because of his camp play was freshman LaRod Stephens. He is only 5-7, 160 but is fast and has the ability to make big plays.

Cavanaugh, though, said Stephens, who will return kicks, is not likely to play a big role in the running game, if any, because coaches do not want to give him too much to learn too soon.

Getting everyone enough touches will be tricky, but I still think Stephens will get a few carries just because of the speed and change of pace he can provide.

Greg Lee says his shoulder is fine and he is ready to go.

“I’m feeling very confident,” he said. “Since I’ve been back, I’ve been getting so many reps that I’ve been dog-tired during practice. I’ve gotten more than enough reps and more than enough of what I’ve needed to get my timing and reaction time with the quarterback.”
…
Wannstedt has talked to the big-play Lee about what to expect from opposing teams this year in the wake of his breakout season last year, when he had 68 receptions, including 10 for touchdowns, and averaged 19.1 yards per catch.

“He’s going to be challenged,” the Wannstedt said. “I know what coverages they’re going to run and I know how they’re going to try to defend him. We’ve talked about it and Greg knows that he’s going to be challenged more than he was last year.”

He’s going to see a lot of double coverage on Saturday night.

Notre Dame agreed to use the Big East instant replay for the game.

Potentially worrisome, though it could just be a smokescreen. Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoads sounds like he is still planning to be soft in the defensive schemes.

The secondary’s ability to lock down receivers and defend against the pass should allow the Panthers’ front seven to be more aggressive.

Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said the secondary allows the Panthers to mix things up more up front, but that doesn’t mean they can take unnecessary chances with blitzes in the opener Saturday against Notre Dame.

“We will play more of a mix of pressure as well as zone defense,” Rhoads said.

“The kids we have back there might give us a chance to pressure a little bit more and not just sit in a game plan that might be 90 percent zone or something like that. But they have to be playing well for us to do that. If they are a step slow or they aren’t playing well, we won’t be able to pressure more.

“Josh and Darrelle have had excellent camps, and I look forward to seeing them go out and play.”

Nooooooo!!!!!!! At the very least, one of the safeties has to play up a little more to help on the run. There needs to at least be attempts at disruption and getting pressure on the QB. It reads to me like Rhoads is still afraid to do give up the big play — more willing to give up chunks on frustrating drives.

As can be expected, more long stories puffing profiling Coach Dave Wannstedt. I’m sure there are a few doing the same for ND’s head guy, but I haven’t looked.

Another AP piece getting national run.

Dave Wannstedt realized he was back in college when saw this notation on his weekly calendar: bonfire for Notre Dame game, Thursday night.

“Bonfire!” Wannstedt said, laughing out loud. “I haven’t been to a bonfire in 35 years.”

Pitt’s new coach also didn’t have homecoming games, alumni fund-raisers or cranky parents on his agenda while coaching the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. But if a 53-year-old man who thought he had stepped away from coaching for good when he left the Dolphins in November feels out of place back on a college campus, he’s not showing it.

He sprinted out of the locker room on the first day of summer camp, almost running over a couple of players while doing so. He has looked energized, enthused and on top of everything while juggling recruiting duties and nonstop media interviews during two-a-day practices.

During a news conference this week, he boomed, “It’s here! Game week!” with the enthusiasm of a high school coach revved up for his first game.

Yes, another piece about him coming home, firing up the Pitt faithful. I hate to seem blase about it, but it is just more variation of the same theme. Hell, the writer, Alan Robinson, has already done a few of these including one last week.

Coach Wannstedt also gets a puffer from his other local paper, or as the article puts it to give it the local feel — “Part-time Naples resident…” It too goes with what has become the stock opening in writing a Wannstedt goes back to Pittsburgh story — working in the steel mills. This is a highly sentimental piece.

Over his heart, the raised gold block letters “PITT” on his dark navy blue polo spell out Wannstedt’s passion.

“This is Pittsburgh,” says a proud Wannstedt as he takes a deep breath as if to soak in the blue-collar aroma.

And Wannstedt is Pittsburgh through and through. He’s a Primanti Brother sandwich. He doesn’t come with fries and coleslaw on him. But like the stacked meat delight, Wannstedt is part of Pittsburgh tradition.

Not for reading by anyone with diabetes. The sweetness of it could spike your blood sugar something fierce.