The Blue Ribbon Yearbook Analysis of Pitt is at ESPN.com (Insider subs). As usual, it’s one of the best and most comprehensive you can read. I’ll skip down to the conclusion.
Grading the Panthers Unit Grade Offense C+ Special teams B- Defense B- Intangibles A- Wannstedt and his staff learned some realities of making the transition back to the college world in ’05 the hard way. They found that talent wins, no matter how good the system is. That means this year’s Panthers will be using schemes that fit their abilities. That’s a good thing, to a point.
Pitt lacks team speed and outstanding athletic ability. That shows up in the ground attack, where a shaky line and unproven stable of backs means the Panthers must be content with a station-to-station run game. There won’t be too many breakaways, and yards will come slowly. But there must be a commitment, or Palko won’t be able to break in the crop of young receivers. Pitt will score more points this year, but it could take a while for it to happen.
The defensive side is in better shape, provided the line comes along. McKillop and Sallet are strong on the outside, but the young tackles could get manhandled, at least at first. The back seven is strong, and if there is a push up front, the linebackers and defensive backs could be dominant at times.
They essentially see 7 wins as well within reasonable expectations. Talking about Coach Wannstedt, they see his need to get speed.
That’s why Wannstedt was in full assistant coach mode throughout May, crisscrossing Pennsylvania, Florida and points in between in search of recruits. The Panthers’ 2006 class received fairly high marks, especially for its pro-active nature; Pitt did grab a lot of commitments early. But it wasn’t enough. At least it wasn’t enough for Wannstedt. He needs to get more speed, the better to play the kind of attacking defense he prefers and the better to assemble special teams capable of making big plays.
“We’ve got to get more talent,” he said. “When I was here, we had a first-round draft choice every year. We’ve got to get back to that.” So, Wannstedt rolls on, trying to convince high school standouts that Pittsburgh will be as great to them as it has been for him. He’ll talk about the school’s rich history and potential for a great future. He’ll pitch the city itself. He may even break out a few pictures of an old Panther. The good news is that he’s selling himself and his town, and there’s no better product to sell than that.
“Recruiting is just selling, and if you’re selling something you believe in, it’s easy,” Wannstedt said.
Once you close the deals, all you have to do is win. That, as Wannstedt found out last season, is the hard part.
As you can expect, the lines are still the big question marks.
If you want to look at the one big reason for any offensive ineffectiveness the Panthers had last year or could suffer through in 2006, look no further than this unit, which lacks standout performers and depth. Four starters return, and that’s good news, although none of them distinguished himself all that much in ’05. And as for the backup situation, well, don’t ask.
“We don’t have enough depth on the line,” Wannstedt said. “It’s shocking that we were as thin as we were there.”
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This isn’t exactly a strong point, either. Both tackles are gone from a unit that allowed 185.2 yards on the ground per game, an average of 4.3 yards per rush and 14 touchdowns. Pittsburgh managed just 22 sacks all year and lacked any of the dominance Wannstedt wants from his front four.
“We’ve got to find ways for the defensive line to make more plays,” Wannstedt said. “It all starts up front. It’s not a matter of how many tackles the middle linebacker makes. You’ve got to have your down guys make plays.”
The offense may still struggle to start the season with new receivers and a mostly new backfield. We will know quickly, however, if there is a reason for optimism for the year based on what the lines show.
