I try not to panic when I read things like this.
Wannstedt predicts that senior quarterback Tyler Palko will have a big season for the Panthers.
“We need him to move the chains,” Wannstedt said. “That’s what we need from him — just manage the game and let the other guys around him make plays. He will do that. He has prepared himself for this season and worked as hard as any quarterback I’ve been around. I wouldn’t want anyone else leading our team this year.”
Maybe, I hope, it’s just a matter of semantics. Perhaps what he really means is Palko shouldn’t feel or try to do everything. That he needs to let the team help and make plays.
It’s just I read something like “just manage the game and let the other guys around him make plays,” and I think about Coach Wannstedt and OC Cavanaugh’s history with QBs and what they want from them in the offense. Well, it takes a concerted effort not to start rolling around on the floor in a fetal position.
On the positive side, the same article mentioned that the academic performance of the team has been excellent.
The planned first week of camp for Pitt, with the freshmen and redshirt freshmen getting separate practice sessions to allow for more repititions and evaluation of the players, gets positive reviews from the players.
“Looking at it now, that’s probably the best thing to do for everybody to get a chance to show what they can do,” redshirt freshman receiver Oderick Turner said. “Everybody is going to be fighting to get on the field. We’re all trying to get the same two spots.”
By the second week of training camp, when the “orientation” period ends, Wannstedt wants to have an idea for a depth chart.
“I think it’s a smart decision,” junior cornerback Darrelle Revis said. “We’ve got a lot of freshmen who were highly recruited out of high school. They’ll get the opportunity to learn the offense or defense and be ready to play. We can see their talent and potential, and they’re trying to get them on the field. It’s going to be real intense. This is going to be the toughest camp we’ve had. It’s going to be a challenge.”
This is the sort of thing that will likely be copied by a lot of schools by next year. Especially if Pitt has a good season.
It’s the first indication that almost every job is up for grabs, as the Panthers will spend extra time evaluating a highly touted recruiting class with at least six incoming players expected to make an immediate impact.
“Honestly, looking back, I probably should have done it last year,” said Wannstedt, who led Pitt to a 5-6 record in his first season. “Everybody looks at this as it just benefits the freshmen, but really it’s not like that.”
The premise, Wannstedt says, is to take the emotion out of decisions and develop a depth chart based on production. Each player gets five practices. Veterans will be given a chance to solidify starting spots. Newcomers will be given more repetitions and time to digest the playbook.
Wannstedt warned that the groupings will be fluid, with players potentially moving between the squads on a daily basis.
This is only for five days so a player would have to absolutely blow or blow up to move up or down in that limited time.
Finally a bit from AD Jeff Long about the status of the Big East conference. Talking about Bowls.
“We are excited about all of our bowl partners and really we are already starting to look ahead to the next round of bowl contracts to see who might be interested in the Big East,” Long said. “The Toronto Bowl is really important because we as a conference are trying to brand ourselves in Canada and I know for Pitt, we have a lot of licensed products in Canada and this will only reinforce our brand as a football program.
“But I think one of the main reasons we’ve had some changes in our bowl lineup is that we felt like we had to play some BCS conferences more than just the ACC for a lot of reasons. As we go along we’d like to get more bowl games against the Big 12, the SEC and the Big Ten because those are the games that are the most attractive and they are all a part of our strategy as we go forward.”
A nice subtle shot at the ACC as well. Love it.
And then there are some new restrictions that go into effect conference-wide.
The conference also made another change when it passed a rule barring its members from accepting non-qualifying freshmen athletes, a move that was met by some resistance but has been applauded by the majority of its members.
Pitt had a policy against accepting such freshmen. Long said the rule evens the playing field in recruiting.
Only 2 schools voted against it. One was WVU — shocking, I know — and it was likely USF or possibly Louisville who also opposed.
