Tommie Campbell gets the puff piece treatment appears to be the guy the beat writers got to talk to after practice. A full story on his transition from Safety to Weakside Linebacker. All parties seem to think it’s going well.
“He made more plays in one week at linebacker than he made the entire season at safety last year,” coach Dave Wannstedt said. “I just think he’s comfortable there. He doesn’t have to think as much, and he can get to the football.”
Some of his teammates say Campbell is the fastest player on the team, although that title will be decided only when he and roommate LaRod Stephens-Howling finally have their much-anticipated foot race.
Yet, there is no denying Campbell could be among the speediest linebackers in the Big East this fall. Defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes is eager to get Campbell on the field.
“There’s not one thing you can coach about speed, other than get it in the right place and headed in the right direction,” Rhoads said.
Wannstedt said Campbell “hasn’t put on the weight that we’d like. But with his speed and quickness, he can make some things happen on the perimeter.”
Campbell has a wiry frame, and played at 185 pounds last season. This spring, he’s bulked up to about 202.
“Of course, I’m going to try to put on some more weight,” Campbell said. “But I can handle the physical aspect of it. I’m fast enough to cover receivers, and I’m strong enough to blitz.”
Still, Campbell is a lightweight compared to the team’s other linebackers. Middle linebacker H.B. Blades checks in at 6-feet, 240 pounds. Strongside linebacker Clint Session is 6-1, 235. Backup Adam Gunn was the smallest of the bunch last year at 6-1, 215.
“If you’re explosive, giving up 20 pounds doesn’t necessarily mean that much — and Tommie’s that explosive,” Rhoads said. “Sometimes, he’s now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t, where he … just goes around a block. (He) maybe sometimes makes the wrong choice, but he still gets there because he’s so fast.
“Tommie’s not scared of contact. He’s not afraid to put his face in there. He’s a much more productive player near the football than away from it.”
So, Campbell is undersized compared to the rest of the linebackers. And the rest of the Pitt linebackers are considered to be undersized compared to the average. Anyone else seeing some red flags?
I like the stressing of speed, but I’m starting to really have questions as to whether the players will be able to take the full season and stay healthy. It’s not like there is a lot of depth. That is something speed can’t make up.
Coach Wannstedt also praised Doug Fulmer in his transition from linebacker to defensive end.
Joe DelSardo seems to be holding down the #2 WR spot from the kids at this point.
Another starting position up for grabs on offense is the spot alongside last year’s leading wideout Derek Kinder. Wannstedt believed that Joe DelSardo, who Kinder replaced as a starter last season, had an inside track. Redshirt sophomore Marcel Pestano and redshirt freshman Oderick Turner and Cedric McGee also are vying for playing time at receiver.
“There’s ways that we can use Joe to help us win games every week,” Wannstedt said. “Joe’s going to be an integral part of it. Kinder has been steady, but we’re still looking for that one guy to step up and take it to the next level. We’ve experimented around with pretty much everybody that we have, but we’ve still got work to do there.”
Rough interpretation: DelSardo has been more consistent and reliable than the others. It’s his job until Dorin Dickerson sets foot on the practice field in August. Not to mention Elijah Fields.
Speaking of them, they were part of a contingent that observed practice.
A large group of Pitt’s incoming freshmen attended practice as well, including practice regulars Elijah Fields, Dorin Dickerson, Tamarcus Porter (from Pahokee, Fla.), Jason Pinkston and Justin Hargrove. This has been a trend this spring — incoming players attending and observing practice — which Wannstedt believes is a good thing.
The practice also marked the return of Safety Mike Phillips to full-contact drills. He wasn’t supposed to be doing that until training camp.
And if you’ve been concerned about team leadership — an ongoing “theme” of the spring drills — I know you will be surprised to read that Pitt has it.
As spring drills near an end, he believes he has found plenty of players willing to lead.
“I really like the way our veteran guys like [Clint] Session, [John] Simonitis, [Tyler] Palko, Sam Bryant — some of those veterans we know we have to count on have stepped up, and that’s been very, very pleasing,” Wannstedt said.
“To see those guys come out and work and work and make the progress that they’ve made, it is exciting. We’ve had a lot of positives.”
It took spring drills to figure out that the seniors would be the leaders?
Other notes:
Steelers assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm spoke to the Panthers before yesterday’s workout at the South Side facility.
A couple dozen recruits are expected to attend the Blue-Gold Game. “It will be the ‘Who’s Who’ of Western Pennsylvania recruiting. That’s all I can say,” Wannstedt said, mindful of NCAA regulations about naming recruits.
Also speaking to the team was Al Romano, an All-American nose guard on the Panthers’ 1976 national championship team.
