Just to let everyone know, I’m alive.

I’m at my brother-in-law’s house. We’re now in Eaton, OH a nothing little place near the Indiana border.

The wi-fi connection for the whole resort/hotel went kablooey Wednsday afternoon — I was lucky to get the posts out that morning. No one could get connected — and it was still down when we left this afternoon. Considering the place was in the middle of no where, there was no other place offering wi-fi connections.

Thanks to Keith for letting everyone know I was unable to post. Keith will be posting when he can this fall as well. It’s good to have him helping out this season.

For those who saw their comments delayed, sorry. The comment spam blockers are still learning and since I couldn’t get on the site to let them through.

…and it’s a good one – a puff piece on a lineman.

Pitt players heard about the massive junior-college transfer, but most had never laid eyes on Jeff Otah in person before he arrived on campus this summer.

Seeing was believing.

“He’s 6-(foot)-7, 340,” center Joe Villani said, “but proportional.”

Otah is easily the most imposing player at Pitt’s training camp and has drawn body-type comparisons to the player he’s trying to replace at left tackle: Charles Spencer, a third-round draft choice of the Houston Texans.

“He’s like an upperclassmen physically,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said of Otah.

Sounds like a Ruben Brown type physique.

In basketball, which Otah also played at Valley Forge Military Academy, I am not a fan of JuCo transfers. However, this could work out well in football. He is already battling for a starting spot with John Bachman who probably won’t block Otah for long.

Otah and Palko may become best friends.

Speaking of Palko:

Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko did an excellent job of managing the offense in practice Tuesday. He was patient, made good decisions and didn’t try to do more than he’s capable of doing.

Those are things the coaching staff has worked with him on in the offseason.

Yesterday was a much different story.

Palko, reverting to problems he had last season, tried too often to force the issue, and his frustration with the younger players began to boil over.

Mistakes are expected in only the third day of camp so this doesn’t come off as being much of a concern.

There’s one positive note for the future in Kevin Gorman’s notebook. Gorman, by the way, is one of the best reporters in Pittsburgh – but I’m bias.

• PORTER, HOUSE: Sophomore quarterback Bill Stull connected with freshman receiver T.J. Porter on several nice passes — the best being a 40-yard touchdown on a timing pattern in the right corner of the end zone.

Getting Stull into games this season should be a huge priority for the coaching staff. Winning comes first but preparing for the future is important as well. Once a game is in hand – hopefully in Pitt’s favor – Stull should be getting some snaps.

One final note:

Panther Club members will get first crack at single-game tickets beginning with online sales at 8 a.m. Saturday. The ticket office will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day. They will be sold to season-ticket holders starting Wednesday and to the general public beginning Aug. 19.

I’m planning on making the trek down from Maine for Pitt-WVU. If anyone would like to join, let me know.

Note: If you have yet to hear, I am Keith and am filling in for Chas today. He’ll be back tomorrow.

My memories of former Pitt running back Curtis Martin began before I knew I’d be attending Pitt. Being from Maine I cheered for the Patriots – who drafted Martin in the third round and stupidly let him walk after three years – growing up.

I would suggest passing on Martin — the NFL’s No. 4 career rusher — in your upcoming fantasy draft (along with every other Jets player). If Martin’s career isn’t over, by all accounts it’s pretty close.

Two sources close to Curtis Martin told the New York Daily News that the running back talked about retirement before deciding to give it a go for another season, and one of the sources told the newspaper “I’d be really shocked if he came back.”

Those in Jets camp know little of Martin’s status.

“Curtis? I haven’t really talked to him,” said fellow running back Derrick Blaylock. “I really don’t know how he’s feeling right now.”

Curious, considering coach Eric Mangini said that Martin has attended all position and team meetings.

Then there is Chad Pennington, who said, “I haven’t seen Curtis that much. I’ve been going from meetings to eating back to meetings to rehab. My schedule’s been so full, I haven’t gotten a chance to sit down and talk to him.”

While his teammates know little, the media caught up with Martin recently.

“I’m working out as hard as I can,” said Martin, resolute as always. “I’m here every single day and probably up here longer than most of the other players because I’m doing extra work. … I don’t know how long it will take me. All I can do is keep working the way I’m doing.”

Martin comes off as being a class act. He’s one spot ahead of Jerome Betttis on the career rushing list, and until recently had as many Super Bowl rings as The Bus. However, his superstar status has never reached Jerome-like proportions. He plays for a big-market team, but he’s just not a media mooch charismatic guy like Bettis.

I find it interesting that Pitt/Pittsburgh doesn’t have much of an attachment to Martin. He went to Allderdice High School and didn’t seem to burn any bridges at Pitt, yet you never hear too much about him. I can’t even find his Pitt stats anywhere (can anyone help me with this?)

Here’s my dilemma: Who does/should get in the Hall of Fame? Martin? Bettis? Both?

Also, share some Martin-Pitt memories if you have them.

Pitt’s secondary is expected to be a strength, but other than Darrelle Revis the starting spots are still up for grabs.

Pitt has one starting cornerback job that needs to be filled. Both safety spots are up for grabs, too, at least in the mind of defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads,

That means three of the four starting spots in Pitt’s secondary will be won in the next three weeks of training camp on the South Side.

Ordinarily, such uncertainty in one unit would be cause for great concern.

When it comes to the secondary, though, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, by the time the season starts and the depth chart is settled, the secondary more than likely will be one of the team’s strengths.

…

For now, the starters are Darrelle Revis and Reggie Carter at cornerback, Sam Bryant at strong safety and Mike Phillips at free safety. They have a combined 93 games and 44 starts. Revis is entering his third year as a starter, Carter and Bryant are fifth-year seniors, and Phillips is a redshirt junior, so experience and maturity are strengths.

It will be interesting to see where Elijah Fields fits into the mix.

Pitt’s secondary will get a boost of sorts in the opener against Virginia. Its top WR is out indefinitely.

Phillips is coming back from the gruesome injury he suffered in the equally gruesome loss at Nebraska.

By all accounts he has been performing well.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was impressed with Phillips’ play Wednesday morning, when he caused two fumbles and recovered one of them. He popped the ball out of the hands of tailback Brandon Mason on one play, then stripped Derek Kinder on a sideline pass and scooped it up.

If you’re a glass-half-empty sort like myself, you’d be more concerned that Pitt fumbled twice than impressed that Phillips forced two of them. Hold onto the ball!

I am a big fan of Pitt’s secondary. That being said, we all know the key for Pitt’s defense is stopping the run, where hopefully the secondary won’t need to play a big role.

Alright boys and girls, Chas has sent an SOS. All I know is he is somewhere in a ditch the Ohio wilderness without internet. Let’s hope Maurice Claret hasn’t gotten him.

I’m Keith and I’ll be your substitute blogger today and tomorrow. I am a recent Pitt graduate now living in Maine, writing sports for a few local newspapers.

Unfortunately, I was only planning on piloting this ship tomorrow, so I am a little behind today. I’ll have a media wrap posted soon.

Any tips, updates or complaints, feel free to comment or shoot an e-mail to keith.wehmeyer@gmail.com.

I know everyone loves to take advantage of substitutes, but behave because Chas will be back and ready to lay down the law on Saturday.

As the NCAA continues its crackdown on the vital issues, it does so in its usual coherent, logical and reasonable manner. Especially if you aren’t a D-1 BCS school.

The NCAA has denied William & Mary’s appeal of a ruling that prohibits it from using its logo showing two Indian feathers at NCAA championship events or from hosting NCAA Tournament games where the logo would be displayed.

The news came Thursday in a letter from the NCAA Executive Committee, affirming a May decision that the green and gold logo is hostile or offensive to American Indians.

In that same ruling, the NCAA said William & Mary’s nickname, the Tribe, was not necessarily abusive, hostile or offensive, and therefore still could be used.

Oooo-kaaayyyy. This is the offending logo (at least most of it).

Yeah, that’s one to piss off people.

The receivers will get a lot of attention in training camp. Between highly touted recruits like Dorin Dickerson, to Derek Kinder trying to step up to be the go-to guy, to Joe DelSardo earning more playing time (not to mention being used correctly as the possession, sure-handed receiver over the middle that he is), to the redshirt freshmen and true freshmen trying to get playing time on the depth chart.

“Right now, there is Derek Kinder and a lot of uncertainty,” wide receivers coach Aubrey Hill said.

“Derek and Joe DelSardo have some playing experience, but it really is wide open. Obviously, Derek is the player who has been solid throughout the whole time from last year until the spring and into the summer. But everyone else, who knows? I mean we will treat Joe DelSardo like the veteran, and he’s made some plays for us, so we will find a role for him. But, after that, it will come down to what guys make plays and good decisions.

“We have talent, I think a lot of guys with talent, just no experience and so we have a long way to go. One thing we didn’t have last year we have now with all these young guys is competition. Competition, competition, competition. So now everybody is practicing hard every day because every job is open”

…

Kinder said the key for the receivers is to focus each day and improve so that they are ready to help the team early. He said the receivers have talked about not letting the team down and believes the unit is more athletic and talented than it has been the past few years despite its inexperience.

“There is no doubt these younger guys have a lot of talent, and they are all going to push each other,” Kinder said.

“We have an opportunity to become a strength, but it will take a lot of hard work. We all have to stay motivated. For me, you know, Greg [Lee] left some big shoes to fill, so that’s what pushes me, I’d like to do my best to try and make you forget about him if I can.”

Not dropping as many passes will do it for most.

I think that Dickerson will be lining up all over the place. In the backfield, as a receiver. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lining up like a tight end at times. Hopefully Coach Wannstedt and OC Cavanaugh will get, dare I say, imaginative in utilizing him. Honestly, I have no idea right now about the rest of the receivers at the moment.

Another part of the offense that has plenty of question — tailback. LaRod Stephens-Howling isn’t going to give up being the penciled in starter without a fight. He gets some love from his hometown paper. Howling added 20 pounds to his frame so that he is now a 5′ 7″, 175 pound back.

“I feel a lot better about my weight now, and I’m able to run with it,” Stephens-Howling said. “So, I’m a lot better now, and I’m more prepared for this season. I’m ready to go.”

While Stephens-Howling had no problems fitting into his new team last season, he’ll have a former teammate on the squad this year in offensive lineman Scott Corson.

“Scott is here with me this year, and he’s a great guy,” Stephens-Howling said. “Being a Johnstown Trojan before this, I’m so proud to have a former teammate with me. And he has somebody who has been here a year, so he could come to me and ask me for help.”

…

“It’s never been a problem for me to run inside, between the tackles, either,” Stephens-Howling said. “That’s what I did in high school. So, I know I can do it. Don’t forget, speed kills, and I’m ready to kill them out there.”

The advantage Howling has at the moment over the freshmen — beyond simply having a year of playing time under his belt — is being able to catch the ball out of the backfield.

On freshman running back Kevin Collier:

Kevin was okay. It’s tough as a running back when you don’t have pads on. This is a big thing with running backs coming out of a running offense. Kevin Collier last year, Conredge Collins, a lot of these guys have not had a lot of passes thrown to them. In high school, and in programs they’ve come from, they’ve had their success running the ball. Probably the biggest thing right now for Kevin won’t be his football and his run skills. It’s going to be catching the ball which is probably where we’ll need to spend a lot of time.

I think most fans have Collier already starting, but I like Howling and think he will end up at least splitting the carries this season.

With Maurice Clarett, many ask how a kid with such potential to earn a fortune in football could piss it all away. I’m now wondering how he managed to hold it together as long as he did.

Maurice Clarett was arrested early Wednesday after a highway chase that ended with police using Mace on the former Ohio State running back and finding four loaded guns in his sport utility vehicle, a police spokesman said.

Officers used Mace to subdue Clarett after a stun gun was ineffective because the former Fiesta Bowl star was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, Sgt. Michael Woods said.

“It took several officers to get him handcuffed,” Woods said. “Even after he was placed in the paddy wagon, he was still kicking at the doors and being a problem for the officers.”

Safe to say that the entire Buckeye Nation is just hoping he goes to jail very soon and for a long time. Just so they don’t have to take more crap for having to acknowledge he was ever a part of their team. Right Lee?

The general consensus on the first day of split practices was that it was a success.

“Eventually, we will have to get these young [guys] together with the older guys so they understand the intensity with which we play.”

Several newcomers were bumped up to practice with the more experienced morning group. Junior-college transfer Jeff Otah, who is expected to win the starting left tackle job, practiced with the first team.

Two other freshmen, offensive lineman Joe Thomas and quarterback Kevan Smith, practiced in the morning. Smith will alternate morning workouts with freshman Dexter Davidson, and backup quarterback Bill Stull will work primarily with the afternoon group so there is a veteran quarterback to run the offense and mentor the younger players.

It really doesn’t mean anything on the first day, but Davidson showed what would appear to be some nerves in the first day.

Freshman quarterback Dexter Davidson struggled in the second practice, fumbling the first two snaps from freshman center Scott Corson and later an exchange with freshman tailback Kevin Collier, who showed nice quickness in his cuts in traffic.

At the very least, Coach Wannstedt felt it was a success.

Wannstedt was especially pleased with the morning session, as fifth-year seniors like quarterback Tyler Palko and tight end Steve Buches provided strong leadership to the offensive group.

“The older guys came out here and went to work like it was all business,” Wannstedt said. “And that was good. It’ll be good for a couple days, but we’re going to need to get these young bucks with the older guys so they understand the intensity level. But, for right now, the teaching part of it is the way to go.”

Some younger players like freshmen Dorin Dickerson from West Allegheny High School and T.J. Porter from Pahokee, Fla., will alternate working with the veterans in the morning. And Jeff Otah, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound transfer from Valley Forge Military Academy, will attempt to win the left tackle job.

Freshman quarterback Kevan Smith from Seneca Valley and offensive lineman Joe Thomas from Cleveland also worked out with the veterans.

“I’ve been working with the first-team guys for a while now, so I was kind of used to it,” Porter said. “But it was a little overwhelming, at first, since today was when it really counted. But I got the jitterbugs out and feel like I fit in a little better after a while.”

Wannstedt also was impressed with young linemen like freshmen McKenzie Mathews from Syracuse, N.Y., John Malecki from Franklin Regional and Jared Martin from Davie, Fla., and second-year players Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas. Each has a chance to contribute this season.

Other things:

On the injury front, Freshman Dan Loheyde twisted his left knee in a special team’s drill. That’s it for the first day.

Jason Pinkston and Aaron Smith are still waiting for academic clearance from the NCAA, but there doesn’t appear to be major concern.

Freshman DE Justin Hargrove will not enroll at Pitt until January. This was previously noted last month. It is due to a severe head injury suffered last season.

The raw feed is always the best place to start so here’s the transcript from Coach Wannstedt’s post-practices press conference.

On the opening day of practice:

Splitting the team up like this and having almost two [practices], it’s almost like an NFL practice from the standpoint that we’ve got about 50 guys in the morning and 50 in the afternoon. It did accomplish what we had hoped from the standpoint that every kid out here got a lot of work. No one’s going back to their dorm room tonight and making the case of “Boy I wish I would have had more of an opportunity.”

I liked what we did today. We mixed the ball around good. We’ve got a better feel for what we can do running-wise. We have to run the football. There’s a lot of different ways to do it. We’re looking at some options there as we go through camp.

The usual Coach Wannstedt positive view. He’s already in mid-season form, I’m happy to report on his cliches.

On the athleticism and speed of Pitt’s young defensive linemen:

We’re a little bit faster than we were. McKenzie Mathews and those guys all can run. We’ve got some athletes over there. It’s just a shame we’re pressuring them so much as freshmen, but it is what it is. We are what we are.

On the difference in the players’ acclimation to the system this year as opposed to 2005:

Last year was last year. Let’s just focus in on today and moving forward. The guys came out here today and worked. It was the first day. Obviously there were too many balls on the ground. As we got tired this morning with a few of the older guys, a couple of guys jumped offside and some of those sloppy things that as we get more conditioned, as we get a little more tougher mentally, we’ll eliminate those things.

[Emphasis added.]

Coach Wannstedt’s first action in training camp was to switch positions for a couple players. Freshman Elijah Fields moved from WR to S (widely expected) and JUCO Lowell Robinson moved from S to WR. The Fields move was expected the Robinson move seemed more about the numbers.

“I looked at Elijah and said, ‘Is it tomorrow; is it next year?'” Wannstedt said. “He’s going to be a great player for us. Where can we put Elijah where we feel he’s going to be a two-, three-, who knows, four-year starter for us? I think at safety there’s a greater opportunity for him.”

…

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Fields, however, was just as tenacious on defense. He had 11 interceptions as a senior, and Wannstedt has been enamored with the idea of Fields at safety since the Big 33 Football Classic in June.

“Elijah is going to be a heck of a player,” Wannstedt said of Fields, who was named the Associated Press Class A Player of the Year, as well as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Male Athlete of the Year. “It’s just going to be a matter of getting him some work.”

To compensate for Fields’ move, the Panthers also switched junior-college transfer Lowell Robinson from safety to receiver.

Robinson was an All-American last season at Erie (N.Y.) Community College, where he had seven interceptions and returned three for touchdowns. The 6-foot, 195-pounder also averaged 19.9 yards on punt returns, and Wannstedt hopes the 21-year-old Robinson will add maturity to a young receiving corps looking for playmakers.

“He has a great chance to be a punt and kickoff return guy,” Wannstedt said. “The more times he handles the football in practice, it will give him more confidence in that respect.”

I assume that means he will be back there to return punts with Darrelle Revis. Revis is considered to be the best punt returners in the Big East. It was thought that Revis might also be returning kick-offs, but maybe Robinson might do that.

Coach Wannstedt and the other coaches must really be enamored with Fields at Strong Safety. It was believed that Robinson would immediately challenge there. Especially as a JUCO, but both players apparently looked good in no-pads practice.

I guess it’s a good sign of some early intensity from some of the upperclassmen.

he first camp scuffle was between center Joe Villani and defensive tackle Vernon Botts during one-on-one drills in the morning session. They exchanged words and clung to each other’s jerseys, but it wasn’t broken up until Botts slapped Villani upside the helmet.

Presumably with an open hand.

I’m looking forward to Fan Fest, but I am envisioning a logistic nightmare.

The University of Pittsburgh will usher in its 2006 football season with the annual Pitt Football FanFest presented by the Central Blood Bank on Thursday, Aug. 24, at Heinz Field.

This year’s FanFest will run from 6 to 8:30 p.m., and admission is free. The entire team will be available for photo and autograph opportunities during the first hour of the event. Beginning at 7:15 p.m., fans will get a sneak peak of the 2006 Panthers as the team will hold a 90-minute open workout.

So, starting at 6pm — while rush hour is happening. Oh, and don’t forget the Pirates play Houston that night. With any luck, Roger Clemens will pitch for the Astros and people will actually show up.

There’s also a joke in there somewhere about the fan kick-off event being sponsored by a blood bank. Speaking of blood drives…

Panther merchandise will be on sale as will food and refreshments. Additionally, Pitt football season tickets will be available for purchase.

Not to mention paying for parking. But there’s an upside.

This year’s FanFest with feature a Central Blood Bank Drive. People who donate blood between 2 and 8 p.m., can receive a private tour of the Pitt Locker room and get their photo taken with the 1976 national championship trophy. Blood donors will receive two tickets to the Sept. 30 Pitt-Toledo game and be entered into a drawing to win four club season tickets. To schedule a blood donation appointment, call (412) 209-7076.

Okay, that’s decent. If I hadn’t already given blood this past week I’d be willing. Granted I gave blood in Ohio, and Pennsylvania may not have to know but it’s probably not a good idea to be two pints low.

I guess with the blood drive starting at 2 pm, you could get there early. Wonder how early they’d allow some tailgating.

Seems there will be several live radio broadcasting and a telecast with Stan Savran. Here’s a list of some of the activities along with the actual practice on the field.

Those were the themes from yesterday’s Pitt media day, at least in the storylines written.

First the attitude stuff.

After a season that started with high expectations and ended in a 5-6 disappointment, the Panthers set out to change the negative attitude that permeated the program. They did so at the behest of quarterback Tyler Palko, tight end Steve Buches, linebacker H.B. Blades and cornerback Darrelle Revis.

“Last year, there was a lot of friction between guys,” Revis said. “There was an offense versus defense thing last year. Us leaders got together and talked to these guys and said, ‘We’ve got to be a team.’

Why? One side couldn’t run, the other couldn’t stop the run. There was so much in common.

“The unity this year is much better.”

The usual air of optimism surrounded Pitt’s annual media Monday at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on the South Side, and the start of practice today. The difference with the Panthers is their newfound attitude, one with which the veterans have become outspoken leaders who are buying into Dave Wannstedt’s program instead of questioning it.

…

“It’s important to start fast and strong,” Buches said. “Camp, I believe, will tell us a lot about what we’ll be doing. Camp will answer a lot of questions.”

There are plenty of questions to address: Is the offensive line improved? Can the Panthers establish a running game? Can they stop the run? Can they win on the road?

The next 18 days of practice will help determine the answers for a team trying to erase memories of last season.

“We don’t need to panic because we went 5-6,” Palko said. “If the panic button is going to be pressed, it’s because we embarrassed ourselves last year. We have a new season, new things to look forward to this year.”

Questions for the coaches come later.

The attitude theme continues in this short AP story.

“The attitude changed and we started to develop a team chemistry,” Palko said. “We even had a little swagger about us and none of those things were a part of our team last season. That’s what was missing.

“But you can’t compare the spring and offseason workouts to regular-season ones,” he said. “So, those things will have to carry over into the regular season for us to have a good year, but I think we’ll be able to do it.”

I’m as excited as anyone about practices finally starting and the season now only a few weeks off, but media days with the standards storylines and such bring (further to the fore) my cynical side. It’s not like there’s a lot to say or write really, it’s as much a meet and greet for the players and press as anything else. Try to set some relationships and figure out who will talk and trust and such.

As for the offense, the theme of course with Coach Wannstedt is running the ball. TO make it more palatable and sell it to the local media he made the easy comparison.

“We’re not going to deviate from our philosophy,” Wannstedt said. “It’s as clear as day. West Virginia wins our conference last year, and they were the best at running the ball, and they were the best at stopping the run. … And then, the Steelers win the Super Bowl under that philosophy.

“If nothing else, that reaffirmed, in my mind, what I said last January. Now, we did not get it done, but we’re going to get it done. And we’re going to make strides, and that’s how we’re going to build this football team.

“That’s the type of people that we’re going to have be a part of it from an ability standpoint and a philosophy standpoint, and that’s not going to change,” Wannstedt said.

I can’t believe he won’t give the run and gun another chance.

Of course, to run the ball, there needs to be an offensive line you know, to open those things called holes.

But an increase in physical conditioning is only one reason the line, the subject of much criticism in recent years, may have gone from the team’s biggest question mark to perhaps its greatest strength.

That’s because the line is more established, more experienced and far more consistent heading into training camp.

“Last year, the losing record, that was on the O-line. We’ll take responsibility for it,” said Simonitis, who enters his fourth year as a starter. “But this is a different group. That’s the commitment we made to each other and to this team. We have all worked our [tails] off to get to a point where we can compete. Not just in the weight room, in the film room. We will be one of the team’s strengths. We want to lead the charge.”

I like what they are saying, but I’m not going to believe until I see it. Until I see Stephens, Collier, Collins, Mason or Brooks take the ball and run between a couple O-linemen who have sealed off their blocks and opened a hole for a nice 5-7 yard gain. And I’m not talking against The Citadel or Cinci.

Still, most feel that the lack of depth will be the biggest issue. To help with that and get him on the field, redshirt freshmen DT Chris Bokor is moving to  Guard.

Obviously the most recent Pitt commit, Jordan Gibbs is expected to be a sleeper-type. Most likely the TE-OL will be heading to the Offensive Line next fall.

“I told my parents I wanted to stay in state,” Gibbs said. “I just really liked the coaching staff [at Pitt] and coach [Dave] Wannstedt. He’s a really good guy. Plus, I liked where the school was located.”

Gibbs caught 20 passes as a junior. Although he was recruited as a tight end, he acknowledged it’s very possible he could be an offensive tackle at Pitt. He runs the 40-yard dash in 5.3 seconds.

There’s apparently a lot to work with in terms of conditioning and training.

“Like Andrew Devlin, he’s a basketball player,” Scout.com recruiting analyst Bob Lichtenfels said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of disparity between the two. Andrew’s more polished, but if you get (Gibbs) in the weight room, he can be a monster.”

Gibbs had 20 receptions for 450 yards and five touchdowns as a junior, when he was named an all-state honorable mention by the Pennsylvania Football News.

“He’s a raw kid,” Lichtenfels said. “I think he’s more of a tackle. His coach said he’s up close to 300 (pounds) right now without a solid weight-training program. He has the frame to be 6-7, 320 — with feet.”

He plays Center on the Penn Manor B-ball team (Lancaster-Lebanon). Paul Dunn was the primary recruiter of Gibbs.

Wannstedt took another step in that direction Monday when Jordan Gibbs, Penn Manor’s 6-foot-7, 290-pound tight end and two-time Lancaster-Lebanon League All-Star, verbally committed to Pittsburgh.

…

Gibbs was named Second Team tight end on the L-L’s All-Section One team and an honorable mention choice on the All-Pennsylvania Football News All-State squad. He was an L-L Section One honorable mention selection at tight end in 2004 and received the Comets’ Gatorade Rookie of the Year award.

Not sure where the paper got this photo, but between the pure graininess and such, it looks like you can add another 3 inches to his height with the hair.

The local punditry weighs in with gut feeling expectations for what Pitt’s record should be this year. It’s couched in the usual stuff about how it is really about seeing progress and making strides for the long term. No, let’s keep it simple. It’s about the Wins and Losses. That’s how they and everyone else measures things.

It’s nice to say things like how what you really want is to see the growth of the team. Improvement as the season goes on. Talk about the long term plan and vision by the coach for the team. It comes back to winning more games than last year. Meeting or exceeding the expectations — whether inflated or not.

Joe Starkey puts the wins and losses a bit higher than the reasonable mark of 7-5 (which seems to be the expected record for Pitt if they have an average season).

All those question marks up front. Precious little depth. Too much youth. I could see 6-6.

Palko-Revis-Blades. Highly favorable schedule. Gifted freshman class. I could see 10-2.

So, let’s split the difference and say Pitt will go 8-4 in coach Dave Wannstedt’s second season. That sounds about right. It would mark a significant upgrade on last year’s 5-6 fiasco and point Wannstedt’s semi-rebuilding job in the right direction.

Anything worse than 6-6, and you’ll have every right to seriously question Wannstedt, who addressed reporters on the South Side Monday on the eve of Pitt training camp.

I guess the bright side to severe underachieving last year is that it shouldn’t be as hard to go up. The big issue for the season as far as the column is concerned, the lines.

Does anyone disagree with that conventional wisdom any more? Everyone with even a passing interest in Pitt knows it will be all about the lines.

Ron Cook says something with which I agree. The opening game against Virginia is absolutely crucial for Coach Wannstedt and Pitt.

Sept. 2 wouldn’t be too soon to start.

The opener against Virginia at Heinz Field.

Pitt badly needs to win it.

Wannstedt needs it.

It’s almost unreal how the perception of Wannstedt and the Pitt program has changed so drastically in a year. Last August, people around here were fired up about Pitt football. Wannstedt was seen as the right guy at the right time, the perfect coach to pick Pitt up and carry it to greater heights after Walt Harris had taken it as far as he could. Wannstedt had come in eight months earlier and done everything right. He was a Pittsburgh guy — a Pitt man, to be more specific — and came with a long NFL resume. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious. He mended fences with the local coaches and recruits. He reached out to alumni and fans. He recruited aggressively. And — get this — he talked openly about competing for a national championship.

How sweet that sounded.

Now I don’t buy a lot of the sky is falling, people are turning on Wannstedt stuff locally. Yeah, there was a fair amount of that nationally, but that was just reinforcing past perceptions from the NFL head coaching stuff. Wash out of the NFL and don’t come in like Charlie Weiss in his first year, and that perception will be presumed until proven otherwise. Pete Carroll changed it after an unimpressive first year. So did Al Groh, though, he is regressed back in perception. Chan Gailey and Rich Brooks haven’t changed the perception of inconsistent and overmatched.

The Cook article is great for lowering expectations with some ridiculous predictions for the season and continuing the theme that people have turned on Wannstedt.

Now the man isn’t seen as a savior by nearly so many. If you had a dime for each time someone said, “They should have never let Harris go,” you’d be a wealthy person.

There also are minimal expectations for the Pitt team this season. There isn’t nearly the same anticipation for the Virginia game that there was for Notre Dame. Some have predicted 3-9 or 4-8 for the Panthers.

Shame on ’em.

Shame on those who have given up on Wannstedt after just one season, disappointing and embarrassing as it was.

Shame on those who have lowered the bar so drastically for this Pitt team.

It’s a strawman argument. Now, admittedly I don’t catch Pittsburgh sports radio, so in between the Steelers, Pitt basketball, complaints about the Pirates and Penguins performance and such, I don’t know how the team is being treated for what 5 minutes a week? I have noted the P-G chats and most other media. It doesn’t seem particularly harsh and neither do the fans. I definitely haven’t seen anyone predicting only 3 or 4 wins for the team.
That said, he is absolutely right about Pitt needing the Virginia game. It’s the season and home opener. A definitely beatable opponent. The team can’t come out flat. It doesn’t have to be a blowout, but Pitt, Coach Wannstedt and all the coaches have to look like they know what they are doing. Have a recognizable and working gameplan. And yes, win.

Finally, a column about the “wall” around Western PA that Coach Wannstedt is trying to build.

With photos to be taken of all the players individually, with their position mates and with their high school alumni, someone needs to be in charge. But, predictably, a mild form of chaos can ensue as players file to and from the photo area.

Yet, five letters managed to bring Media Day to a halt when Borghetti bellowed, “WPIAL” at the top of his lungs.

A drove of young men filtered from all sections of the practice field on Pittsburgh’s South Side to near the 50-yard line. Thirty-eight in all found their way to the lineup, and two (media darlings Darrelle Revis and Tyler Palko) didn’t hear the command and had to be dragged away from pressing interviews.

And that mass didn’t include a pair of City League alumni and two players from nearby Johnstown.

Dave Wannstedt’s wall around western Pennsylvania? It was formed by the 60 or so remaining players who watched photos being snapped.

Pitt’s second-year coach and Baldwin native made the wall a platform for his coaching campaign, even after a 5-6 record last year. He said he’d do whatever necessary to keep western Pennsylvania’s best prospects in western Pennsylvania.

Hoopie fans and Penn St. fans point to any WPa kid that doesn’t go to Pitt as proof that either the “wall” Wannstedt wants has already failed or that it galvanized their coaches to recruit and work harder in WPa. Of course, the idea was to build a wall, not claim it was just going to be formed the minute Coach Wannstedt and the coaches started recruiting. But whatever sets their mind at ease that trying to get prospects from Western Pennsylvania away from Pitt is not harder and more challenging than before.

E-mailed story from Pittsburgh Sports Report.

The University of Pittsburgh had hoped to receive a commitment from Mount Lebanon tight end ANDREW DEVLIN, but the local product opted for the University of Virginia over the weekend.

The Panthers wasted no time finding a replacement, however, adding JORDAN GIBBS out of Penn Manor High School in Millersville, PA. The 6’7” 280 pound Gibbs is being recruited as an offensive tackle, but is athletic enough to be a blocking tight end, which is presumably where he’ll start out with the Panthers.

Gibbs is not rated by Rivals.com and has 1-star from Scout.com. It’s worth noting, though, that he had offers or interest from UVa, Illinois, BC, Md and PSU.

Also, Chris Dokish has some observations on media day courtesy of his editorTony DeFazio.