[Editor Note: Here’s one of the posts I was trying to put out on Thursday before I left.]

I’ve been keeping a light eye on the Cavaliers, and I’m heistient to write much since I haven’t followed them that closely — it’s easy to miss key things. Still some things to pass on.

If you think Pitt has questions, how about WVU UVa? Their linebacker corp has been severely depleted and downgraded.

Rather than watching him on television, Sintim could have been playing next to Brooks this fall. But Brooks turned pro after he was dismissed from the team following his injury-riddled junior season. Had Brooks and Kai Parham, who also turned pro after his junior year, returned, the Cavaliers would have had perhaps the best inside linebacker duo in the nation. Instead, the Cavaliers’ inside spots, crucial to the team’s success with its 3-4 defensive formation, will be filled by a pair of sophomores who have combined for 37 career tackles.

With Sintim and junior Jermaine Dias on the outside, Antonio Appleby and Jon Copper likely will start in the middle, meaning two mostly unknown players will replace the team’s biggest names.

The O-line lost some depth when a player bitterly departed.

Junior offensive tackle Eddie Pinigis transferred to Liberty yesterday after deciding to leave the Virginia football program over the weekend. He entered the season first on the depth chart at right tackle, but redshirt freshman Will Barker recently overtook him.

“I feel like I’m a starter. I feel like I should be a starter up there,” said Pinigis, who started five games last season. “The other day they came out with the depth chart, and they had me on the second team. I feel like I didn’t do anything to lose my first-team spot. I played against some of the best defensive ends in the ACC. I felt like I proved myself with my game experience.”

The starter at QB will be a Senior.

Virginia is entering what in all likelihood is a rebuilding year with a mediocre senior (Christian Olsen) set to start at QB. Why wouldn’t Al Groh opt to take his lumps with freshman Jameel Sewell, a younger, athletic QB with more upside, to get him some experience?
— Lance T., Davie, Fla.

This is kind of similar to the Georgia question I answered last week. You and I may think the Wahoos are in for a rebuilding season (in fact, it could be really, really rough), but the coach isn’t going to concede that before the season even begins. What kind of message would that send to his team? He’s going to put the guy out there who he thinks gives him the best chance to win right from the get-go, and obviously a senior who’s been in the program for three years (after transferring from Notre Dame) and seen game action has a huge edge in that department over a redshirt freshman who’s never stepped on the field. Now, if things do indeed get off to a rough start and it becomes apparent the Cavs aren’t headed anywhere special with Olsen at the helm, then he might think about turning it over to the frosh and seeing what he can do. As of this writing, however, it wasn’t even certain that Sewell was going to beat out fourth-year junior Kevin McCabe for the No. 2 spot.

So it will be Olsen (who is actually a graduate student at this point), at least in the opener. It will be curious to see if Groh has him on a short leash. Actually, who knows. They still don’t know who the #2 QB is.

Sophomore Scott Deke is lagging behind redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell (Hermitage High) and junior Kevin McCabe, Al Groh said, in the competition to determine the Cavaliers’ No. 2 quarterback in the Sept. 2 opener at Pittsburgh.

Groh said yesterday that he wasn’t ready to choose between Sewell and McCabe, but he expected to be closer to a decision after last night’s scrimmage.

I wonder if Pitt or UVa fans will be the more unsure group about their own team.

The wireless connection in my house was getting a little wiggy the last few days. I just figured it had something to do with the wireless router or the DSL line itself. By late Thursday morning, I couldn’t get e-mail or access the web. I figured, I’d just deal with it on Friday or Saturday when I got back from Pittsburgh. No time on Thursday. Even saved a couple posts to put them out later.

Got to Pittsburgh a little later than I wanted — no Penn Pilsner for me — so went straight to Fan Fest. Afterwards, went to my friend Pat’s and we hit a few bars on the South Side.
This morning, after shaving the hair off of my tongue, I went down the street to Beehive to glom onto their free wireless and average coffee. To my frustration, I discovered the problem with the connection was with my computer. Spent an hour trying to figure out what was wrong with my wireless network adapter. Not very easy when you can’t actually get on the internet to try and find information or new drivers.

Finally gave up, and figured I’d look for info when I was home on the wired computer.

I was doing that, and turned on the laptop to make sure of the particular adapter I had to see what there was. Lo and behold, the damn thing is now working fine. This is actually worse to me because it means it could go on me without warning again. Intermittent problems are much more frustrating to me.

I’ll post about Fan Fest and some pictures later.

Wanamaker (I’m seeing it spelled with one and two “N’s”) is from Philly and is defined as a combo guard. He’s 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. Scout gives him three stars.

Here’s a highlight video I found of Wanamaker. It’s worth checking out. From what I can tell he is comfortable coming off the dribble and finishing close to the rim. He can certainly create his own shots. Unfortunately, I saw very few highlights of him shooting jumpers and only one was from beyond the 3-point line. Maybe it was just the editing.

Or maybe it wasn’t — here is a coach’s analysis of Wanamaker.

We asked Coach Grisham to described the star guard, “He is almost 6-foot-4 inches tall. He is definitely a No. 2 guard. He might remind you of Mitch Richmond in style. He is a big strong guard.”

Coach Grisham went on to say, “He is athletic enough to guard a point guard if he has two but is strong enough to guard a wing player. He is almost unstoppable going to the basket. He is very aggressive on defense. He still needs to work on him jump shot but he has good form so it will come.”

A lot of sites have him listed at 6-foot-4. This short note confirms his strong build:

Wanamaker is simply ripped. He has the shoulders and biceps of an NBA player, and he is really quick getting up and down the floor.

Wannamaker’s verbal may hurt Pitt’s chances of landing another guard they were targeting (this from and earlier report).

Wannamaker would fit the Panthers quota for guards in this class, but 6’1″ CHRIS WRIGHT of St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. is one of the top five point guards in the 2007 class and would be too hard to pass up. Wright, who knows new Pitt director of basketball operations David Cox very well, is a Georgetown lean at this time but is scheduled to visit Pitt on September 16th.

To Pitt’s credit, you can’t wait on a guy like Wright who is being recruited by all the big schools.

With Pitt’s depth at guard all this guard recruiting may sound crazy (it did to me), but remember that these guys would be joining Pitt when Ramon is a senior and Fields is a junior. Shucks, they grow up so fast!

According to the same PSR article, Pitt is targeting six centers. Unfortunately, the Panthers will already be a year removed from the Aaron Gray era (did you hear he’s going pro after this year?).

Before Wanamaker, Pitt had already received one verbal from 6-foot-7 swingman Darnell Dodson.

Can’t wait until basketball!

Since Chas is still in Pittsburgh — he was at yesterday’s Fan Fest — I am jumping back in the Pitt (Blather) for a bit.

Our fearless leader may be back to offer his hung-over analysis of the event by tonight or tomorrow morning.

Back in the day I attended Fan Fest three times. After the first, it wasn’t by choice. It’s a good event for kids but for alumni and students it’s rather anticlimactic; that is to say – boring. Perhaps Chas will have a different opinion for us – stay tuned.

There was one newsworthy piece of information that came out of Heinz Field yesterday.

Wannstedt said junior-college transfer Jeff Otah had won the starting left offensive tackle job and sophomore John Bachman would back up both tackles.

“He’s obviously got a ways to go,” Wannstedt said of the 6-foot-7, 340-pound Otah. “But he’s had a good camp, and he deserves it.”

I was surprised by how long the position battle lasted. I like the move to start Otah and it will be nice to have a veteran like Bachman backing him up.

In the same story was this note about the kicking game.

Pitt redshirt sophomore Conor Lee went 2 for 4, and freshman Dan Hutchins went 1 for 2 kicking field goals under the lights at FanFest on Thursday night at Heinz Field. Lee converted a 25- and 27-yarder, but he missed a 27-yarder and had a 37-yard attempt blocked by cornerback Darrelle Revis, which was returned for a touchdown by safety Sam Bryant. Hutchins missed a 32-yarder wide left, then made a 28-yarder.

“We’ve been somewhat inconsistent with both guys,” Coach Dave Wannstedt said. “They both can do it, and they both will do it. It was great to try to put them under a little pressure.”

Nebraska game anyone? Position battle aside, I think the kicking game is the most underrated question marks entering the season. Pitt felt its importance last season — it was really the only difference between winning and losing in more than one game — and that was with an experienced kicker.

Former Pitt lineman Penny Semaia gets a puff piece (yes, I know it’s Chas’ term) on his new job with the athletic department. I’m a big fan of the recent move to keep former players involved with the programs (a la Charles Small and Brandin Knight).