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August 13, 2007

Wide Receiver Wondering

Filed under: Football,Injury,Players — Chas @ 10:00 am

As expected, the majority of the stories concerned the receivers and who will step in for Derek Kinder.

Kinder’s absence intensified the competition for the starting receiver spots. There are seven candidates, all underclassmen: redshirt juniors Marcel Pestano and Austin Ransom, redshirt sophomores Cedric McGee and Oderick Turner, true sophomore T.J. Porter and true freshmen Maurice Williams and Aundre Wright.

“Most of those guys were jockeying for his spot,” Hill said. “Everyone wants to be the No. 1 guy.”

Every receiver also is capable of playing both receiver positions, which gives the Panthers a chance to look at different combinations during training camp.

The 6-foot-3 Turner, who led the Panthers with eight touchdown receptions last season, is the biggest target and a frontrunner at split end. McGee, the strongest and best blocker, was Kinder’s backup at flanker and has worked with the first team. Pestano is regarded as the smoothest and best route-runner of the group. Porter is the most explosive and maybe the best in the open field.

While explosive and playmaking ability is big for a WR, when the offense is a Wannstedt-Cavanaugh production you know they will be looking first for consistency.

“It is obviously a setback for us,” receivers coach Aubrey Hill said. “Now we need to regroup as receivers. We need to find the guys who are going to do things consistently right, which is what Derek did every day. But, knowing this group, they will respond and they’ve responded already.”

Bill Stull — who I think it is safe to say is the starting QB this season barring injury or a total meltdown — won’t be able to lean on Kinder in the huddle. Kinder was one of the team leaders and that puts more pressure on Stull. That’s a lot. There will be Mike McGlynn and Darrell Strong, but after that there won’t be any other seniors on the offense.
Ron Cook writes how this could be a good thing for Pitt in the long term. Well, at least for 2008.

Wannstedt has been pointing to ’08 all along. He won’t say that publicly even now that he has lost Kinder for this season. The last thing he’s going to do is feel sorry for himself and write off ’07. That wouldn’t be fair to his other players, who are working hard at training camp and are naive enough to think that, even without Kinder, they can win all seven home games or maybe six and somehow steal a win on the road to finish 7-5 and sneak into some second-rate bowl.

But that doesn’t change the fact Wannstedt long has targeted ’08 as Pitt’s breakthrough season. Almost all of the players will be his recruits, more than a handful, such as Bostick, highly regarded. Many will be experienced in Wannstedt’s system. He’ll lose some key people after this season, among them offensive linemen Jeff Otah and Mike McGlynn, defensive end Joe Clermond, cornerback Kennard Cox and safety Mike Phillips. But those losses should hardly be devastating.

I am already sick of hearing about 2008. I realize that with the road games this season, the schedule isn’t set up for big success. Then you can add in a home slate that does it’s damnedest to keep enthusiasm curbed for this year.

Everyone officially associated with Pitt football is quietly whispering that come 2008, big things will happen. It assumes too much. It assumes that everyone will develop. It assumes the lines will finally be better. It assumes no key injuries. It assumes everything. It also assumes this season will suck.





“It assumes everything. It also assumes this season will suck.”

At this point thats a safe assumption. I just dont see where we got any better from last year. we lost key players and hope to replace them with inexperienced players – hoping they step up? Its discouraging that we cant even snap the ball right. I predict a long painful season, but I hope I am wrong.

Comment by Rex 08.13.07 @ 11:34 am

don’t worry all, shady will take us to the promised land…

Comment by sid 08.13.07 @ 11:42 am

Well at this point in camp it doesn’t matter who the starting receivers are because we can’t even hand the ball to the quarterback without fumbling. I don’t expect a 10 win season but I expect proper execution of one of the simplest procedures in football…the snap. That’s the issue right now, not who will take over for Kinder because that will work itself out. I have faith this will be corrected but let’s make sure this is rectified soon.

Comment by Panthoor 08.13.07 @ 1:39 pm

I hate when people lower the expectation. This is not chicken little nad the sky is not falling. This is going to be a nice year for Pitt. We should start off 2-0 before heading into MSU. MSU is a very winnable game. Remember last year we were a finger tip away from blowing that game open (Palko missed Kinder in the endzone when we up big in the first quarter)and the rest was history.

This year we are ready. After MSU, win or lose, we will be atleast 4-1 or 5-0 going into UVA, another winnable game. So, best case scenario we could be 6 or 7 and o are with 2 losses.

This is going to be the year that sets pitt up for the future. Watch and cheer loudly.

Hail to Pitt

Comment by cdmoore25 08.13.07 @ 2:28 pm

cd, are you counting UConn, Cinci and Navy as automatic wins??? we lost to Conn last year, Cinci is a team thats been getting better and made a bowl game last year – unlike us. And Navy will certaily be no pushover. And the MSU game was never really close, as soon as they started running – the game was over.

quite honestly I only see the first two games of the year as “automatic” wins, everything else is up in the air.

Comment by Rex 08.13.07 @ 2:44 pm

Once they settle on who will be the the first 2 centers, they will do better. We need to see things as they are. It is the first week of contact drills, and you really cannot say how it will turn out.

Personally I will give them the benefit of the doubt because it is up to the new players to do it. The coaches can coach them, they have to execute on the field. If the lines play better than last year 7-5 is a distinct possibility, but it is way too early to say one way or the other.

Comment by Kenny 08.13.07 @ 2:57 pm

Whatever CD is smoking…I want some…quick…
NO WAY – Pitt wins at MSU…Appreciate CD’s enthusiasm (haven’t heard much lately)Pitt was never on the verge of blowing the game open with MSU because they could not stop the run, pass, QB roll out or any receiver. MSU stopped themselves in the first half.
MSU did whatever they wanted and this year they have a coach who can win.

Keep in mind that very good Jrs and Sr.s will always beat very good Frosh and Sophs…(pitt)

Still have a major problem with DW’s organizational (no more than 2 actual centers reporting to camp?) talents and Paul Rhoades D.

I live in Balt now and am scared to death of Navy.
While they lost 18 starters, they have a wealth of very quick and savy players who never quit.
I think it is the pivotal game of 07 for Pitt, on national TV, short week to prepare for quite a different Offense, and DW’s usual lack of adjustments on D….he will just run the same vanilla D. No doubt Navy will put up 28pts easily.

Hope I can eat all of the above words and that Shady carries us…

Comment by Dan 72 08.13.07 @ 3:26 pm

We can have a good season, cdmoore25….But the person behind the center has to have the ball before we can move forward. No Snap = No positive yards, the center can’t just say fuck it and not share the ball. Once we fix this issue(let’s hope like today), I have a good feeling about our offense, specially at RB and TE. If we dust off the crap soon then I can see us starting off 7-0. The Louisville game is winnable and so is the Rutgers game. Cincinnati is physical, USF is faster than us as of last season and Navy can run the ball very well. Don’t pencil in wins just yet for these dates.

We have the hiccups right now, that’s all, but you can’t play with distractions. I’m going to take baby steps this season and I will try not to get angry(that sounds like a lie). I’m more excited than concerned and that’s because I’m trying to be naive. I figure if the OL can block and the RB’s can run better this season then Stull or whomever wins the QB battle won’t have to throw as much.

If we run well then all we need are reliable receivers. Kinder will be missed but two words form in my mind…Oderick Turner. He had more TD’s than Kinder did last year. Kinder can go look good on the sidelines for a season and come back next season and win us a BE Championship…heck maybe a Biletnikoff.(2008 talk :(, can’t help it)

I’m going to wait until this week is over to officially start migraine season. When the depth chart starts to take shape then I can go talk to myself in the bathroom like every August and September. The things that come out of my mouth when I speak Pittsburgh Sports!

Comment by Panthoor 08.13.07 @ 3:38 pm

Let’s not put up 6 or 7 wins before the first kickoff. Pitt can do okay this year. We have some talent on offense. If the offensive line and quarterback are simply okay we should put up some points. Defense is the big question mark. If we don’t get blown off the ball every game, then I think the additional speed at linebacker will be a big factor. I really like Blades, but he was not a burner like the guys we have now (Dickerson especially). Hopefully the safeties will not completely suck ass like last year. The Eric Thatcher injury was the turning point last year. After he went down the defense imploded. Hopefully he can regain some of his 2006 form. I’ll never forget that hit he put on the tight end at Cinci. He just destroyed him. It was awesome.

Comment by Omar 08.13.07 @ 4:16 pm

Take a look at the hit:

link to youtube.com

Comment by Omar 08.13.07 @ 4:20 pm

One thing that stands out for me was the MSU game last year. I remember sitting there in awe of how much bigger their lines were than ours – it was almost cartoonishly amusing. That is where Pitt is lacking – size and strength on the lines. Those guys just did whatever they pleased and that was the ballgame.

Comment by Rex 08.13.07 @ 4:21 pm

all of this talk is depressing….here, something to cheer us all up:

link to youtube.com

Comment by Rex 08.13.07 @ 4:35 pm

To All… Pitt was up 10- zip in the first quarter and had possession inside the 50. Palko threw a deep pass that missed kinder in the endzone by inches. If we pull down that pass and score MSU does what people in poker do when their hand sucks….FOLD. That is their history. There are three plays that sum up the season. The one aforementioned, Ray Rice’s long run and the two point conversion against UCONN.

This year will be a BILLION times better. Lets look at the schedule.

We agree that the first two games are wins (2-0)

MSU? we can win but we can definetley lose (2-1)
UCONN at home. WIN (3-1)
UVA better chance to win than lose. Downfall game is on the road. I will be there (4-1)
Navy- even though they are better Pitt will win (5-1)
Cincy- will win and they did improve but wont matter on the road (6-1), (7-0), (5-2) or (4-3)
Ville- We will play better Lost
Cuse- Win
Rutgers- Toss up
USF- WIN..florida boys dont like cold weather
WVU- loss

From the schedule I am beleive (7-5), (8-4) or (6-6) or (9-3)

We are a better team all around. Wanny knows this is a special year.

Get excited and get behind this team.

Comment by cdmoore25 08.13.07 @ 5:36 pm

We’re due to beat WVU. That’s all I have to say about it.

Comment by ChrisA 08.13.07 @ 6:50 pm

How will we escape a dreadfall loss (Ohio in ’05’ Connecticut in ’06, undisciplined play (South Florida in ’06)and uninspired coaching (11 losses -take your pick). I think we should kep Wannedstat as head recruiter and find a real game-day coach.

Comment by Tonyin Houston 08.13.07 @ 11:08 pm

I think our defense should start practicing now for WVU’s spread offense. I don’t think 5 days inbetween 2 games is enough time to prepare for it.

If we win that game, no matter what happens in every other game this year, I will be happy. I just don’t think we’ll be winning 46-45 in that game – so we better keep their points down.

Comment by Stuart 08.14.07 @ 10:48 am

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