Steelers camp started, so Pirates season is over. Or at least we wish…

The Pirates’ Sept. 8 home game against the Chicago Cubs is being listed as a 3:55 p.m. nationally televised game for Fox on that network’s Web site.

Officially, though, the first pitch remains set for 7:05 p.m., as no one has informed the Pirates of a switch.

Although Fox has the right to shift a limited number of games for its national broadcasts, the Pirates can be expected to resist this one because the University of Pittsburgh has a noon football game against Grambling at noon that day at Heinz Field. That could wreak havoc not only with traffic but also with staffing, as the two North Shore stadiums employ many of the same service workers.

The first time I read that (from the P-G, by the way) I couldn’t get past the sentence, “a noon football game against Grambling at noon.” Once I made it through that though, I realized that if the Pirates are unable to get the time changed back to 7:05 then the entire date of the Pitt game could be in trouble.

I’m not certain how the decision works as to whether it will be kept at the time Fox wants or moved to a night game. Looking at the potential amount of room the Pirates have to make a case with, things don’t look too good: One of the worst records in the league (Cubs are fighting for the NL Central lead) and a TV market that is much smaller in comparison to Chicago.

You might remember that the start time of the Michigan State game last year had to be moved to noon because the Pirates have the parking lot priorities and lots need to be emptied 1.5 hours before the first pitch. With a 3:55 first pitch, lots need to be empty at 2:30, so we’d be looking at a 10:30 kickoff…or another Thursday night game.

To go along with the famous Grambling band coming to Pittsburgh, there is going to be a “Battle of the Marching Bands” at the Pete with high school bands from around the area. It is going to be held on September 7 — a Friday. As the message boarder says:

First of all, there aren’t going to be any decent high school marching bands at the event because THEY WILL ALL BE PERFORMING AT THEIR RESPECTIVE SCHOOLS’ FOOTBALL GAMES!!!!!!!!!

Perfect planning, as always.

Treading very lightly, now. No one seems to be sure of anything regarding Pat Bostick.

“He’s a talented guy and very smart, so he must be going through something very serious,” [LeSean] McCoy said. “I’m here to support him, just like his other teammates, (in) whatever he’s going through. … I don’t know what it is. Whatever it is, I just support him.”

There’s no timeframe for his return. Some reports are that he might be returning next week (unfortunately nothing on the WGAL website at this time). Paul Zeise in his Q&A today suggests darkly that it might be quite a while.

A big news day, but probably not a good news day, for Pitt as Pat Bostick, the heralded quarterback recruit from Manheim Township, has left camp for personal reasons and is not likely to return in the near future.

…

I can’t tell you whether he’ll be back or not — though I think it was made pretty clear to me that coaches aren’t anticipating him getting back any time soon — but to me that is not relevant right now. Regardless of what happens, I just hope he is OK and I’d say that’s what everyone should want for him as well.

Coach Wannstedt really didn’t have anything to add to in his remarks this afternoon (no surprise), except that the team still supports Bostick. Speculation will, unfortunately, continue.

LaRod Stephens-Howling has a goal this fall. Something Pitt hasn’t had in several years.

Still, that elusive 1,000-yard barrier looms for Stephens-Howling

“That is definitely a goal. That’s what Coach Wannstedt told me I should get it and I told him I am ready for it and pushing for it,’’ he said. “I hope our linemen are pushing for it as well as the rest of the team. Hopefully, we can do it as a group effort.’’

No one was been unable to unseat Stephens-Howling last year, except for injuries. There’s a lot of potential talent at the position, and apparently Shariff Harris looked good with the second group, no contact or pads and just helmets today.

Although McCoy was the most heralded running back recruit, and performed as such, Harris showed surprising burst all day and might have been the most impressive offensive player. He broke through the line of scrimmage, running with power and slapping away arm tackles.

Think Harris might be trying to let the coaching staff he doesn’t want to be moved to linebacker?

Dorin Dickerson does not sound like a player torn about being moved from offensive weapon to linebacker.

“I’m very comfortable with where I am at as a linebacker and I’m really happy with this move,” Dickerson said. “I think it is best for me and for the team. Defense is far more free, you just go out and play and don’t worry so much about much of anything else.

“Coming out of high school, I didn’t even like playing defense, but I’ll be honest — I love defense now. I love it so much it is ridiculous. I wouldn’t even want to go back and play offense now because I have a different mind-set and a more hard-nosed mentality. I used to look forward to running or catching the ball. Now I just can’t wait to put the pads on and hit somebody.”

Now, if he can just avoid injury.

I don’t have an excuse. Posting, even in speculation, about why Pat Bostick went home was just wrong, regardless of my intent.

Of course, that isn’t really good enough. I owe an explanation of how I got to that point.

When I saw the articles and the statement from Coach Wannstedt about Pat Bostick leaving for a while, I focused on the last sentence:

“No timetable has been set for his return. we are leaving that judgment to Pat and intend to do everything we can to be supportive of him and his family.”

I took that to mean it was a legitimate family/personal issue.

I was also curious as to what it was. I went to the Lancaster newspaper to see if there was anything happening and saw the article. Being from the Lebanon area (about 15 miles away), I know Lititz does not have a particularly large population and a simple white pages search yielded a single “Bostick.” The two things mean nothing. It did make me wonder and worry some more.

Worry enough, that I went to the message boards to see if there was anything else out there. I started reading the worry and speculation that Bostick was leaving the program for whatever reason. Oh, woe unto Pitt. Why do these things keep happening to “us?” And I got pissed.

Pissed that other Pitt fans were flying off the handle and apparently ready to turn on the kid without another thought. Pissed at an overreaction. Pissed because I thought I knew better.

The smart thing would have been to just walk away from the keyboard for a while. Cool down. Do something else.

Instead I stupidly added my own speculation. I did it because in that space of time, I presumed myself to be some sort of superior fan. I made one of the biggest mistake a fan can do — see himself as some sort of representative of the team and/or “true fans.” Some sort of protector of the interests of the team and players. That’s when fans do the stupid crap that gives fandom a bad name. It’s not being biased that gets fans in trouble. It’s when the fans think they are part of the team or representing them directly.

I knew shortly after I posted it, that I shouldn’t have. I knew better, and I still screwed up. Regardless of my intent, I was wrong. I’m not going to delete or edit out what I wrote. Scrubbing a post doesn’t change it, and I have to own my mistake. All I’m going to do is add a link to this post.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry to Pat Bostick and Bostick family for publishing my own speculation about what is a private and personal issue. I’m sorry to Pitt and Pitt Athletic Department for pretending to be some sort of rep. And I’m sorry to everyone who reads this for crossing the line.

Both papers are reporting that Pat Bostick has left Pitt for a while to return home for undisclosed personal reasons.

“With our full support and understanding, Pat Bostick left campus last night and returned home to Lancaster to deal with a personal issue,” Wannstedt said in a statement. “Everyone connected with our program has the highest regard for Pat, not only as a talented football player but also as a fine young man. No timetable has been set for his return. we are leaving that judgment to Pat and intend to do everything we can to be supportive of him and his family.”

While there’s the cynical and selfish part that quietly notes that this will put him further behind Bill Stull and Kevan Smith in the QB battle, the real hope is that whatever it is that got him back on the PA Turnpike to Exit 266 is nothing too serious.

UPDATE: I’m hoping it is nothing too serious, but I’m really afraid that this might have something to do with it.

A 77-year-old motorist died Monday morning when his pickup truck collided with an oncoming vehicle and struck a utility pole in Clay Township, investigators said.

The Lititz man, whose name wasn’t released, was driving a Ford Ranger in the 2000 block of Route 322 about 9:50 a.m. when it collided with an Oldsmobile driven by 56-year-old Margaret Eckles, police said.

The impact forced the Ranger off the roadway and into a utility pole, according to investigators.

The man was extricated from his vehicle and flown to Reading Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Clay Township police said they didn’t released the victim’s name Monday because his family hadn’t been notified.

I’m really hoping to be wrong.

ADDENDUM: An apology and explanation about this post.

These are the articles that don’t focus on a particular player, coach, position battle. Just the broad overview articles that bounce from one area, side of the ball and theme quickly trying to weave it all into one cohesive story. Of course the focus will still be on what Coach Wannstedt said, like this from the AP.

But as his players posed for pictures on the day before the start of fall camp, Wannstedt didn’t offer excuses for the failed finish of last year or the perception that Pitt is falling further and further behind the Big East’s best teams.

Rather, he suggested a turnaround is near, now that the majority of starters — at least 14 — are his own recruits and not those of predecessor Walt Harris. Wannstedt also likes the competitiveness at many positions, such as on the defensive line. There, he said, the backups are nearly equal to the starters for the first time since he took over.

Then there’s the picking up of one theme from the day and using that as the story arc throughout.

“Finish,” Wannstedt said Monday morning at Pitt’s Media Day, “is going to be a big word you’re going to hear me talk about.”

After going 6-6 last season – Pitt was picked to place sixth in the Big East in a media preseason poll – the Panthers have been hearing the word so much that it has become a prevalent theme.

“Whether it’s talking about finishing every single rep in the weight room or on the field, every single run or time spent watching film,” junior quarterback Bill Stull said, “the word finish has been embedded in our mind.”

Some, though, haven’t forgotten a huge Dave Wannstedt theme and maybe asks one of the best questions in a stock “5 keys/questions” overview.

5. Will this team be faster?

When Pitt plays Big East Conference heavyweights West Virginia and Louisville, the Panthers’ lack of speed is apparent. Wannstedt continues to recruit faster athletes than previous head coach Walt Harris did. Judging from what the rest of the Big East Conference thinks – Pitt was picked to finish sixth out of eight teams – Wannstedt needs a few more recruiting classes like the one he secured for this year to catch up.

You know, Hoopie fans and others point derisively to Coach Wannstedt’s comments at the halftime of the 2005 Backyard Brawl when Pitt was getting beaten badly about what the team needs to do. “Get faster,” was the comment and that was a long-term thing. The team is supposed to and better be faster this season.

Despite Coach Wannstedt’s efforts to minimize the QB battle versus all of the other position competitions and his back-and-forth attempts to declare the position wide-open, the lead story in multiple papers/media outlets is about who will be the quarterback. Specifically, it will be Bill Stull as the presumed starter. It just seems that there is a countdown until the questions really start coming on who will be the starter.

Some liken this to the most undecided Pitt has been at QB since 1999.

From Pete Gonzalez to Rod Rutherford to Tyler Palko, Pitt has produced a string of successful, efficient quarterbacks over the past decade. Even Matt Lytle, a starter in 1996 and 1998, enjoyed a brief stint in the NFL as a backup with the Carolina Panthers.

Each time a quarterback left, another proved ready to emerge. For instance, when Rutherford left as Pitt’s fourth all-time leading passer, Palko stepped in and put up bigger numbers. The last time uncertainty at quarterback arose, David Priestley and John Turman went back-and-forth as starters. That was during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Of course, that’s a bit of revisionism — or simply forgetting something. Palko didn’t just step in after Rutherford graduated. He spent the entire training camp in a virtual dead heat with Luke Getsy before getting the nod and Getsy transferred. That actually seems like a closer comparison at this point.

Of course, Stull being the early leader to start means he also faced the most attention in the  media day with the players. He apparently handled it well (…Stull really handled all the media scrutiny very well and he showed he is mature enough to handle the rigors of being in the spotlight), and leads to his first puff piece.

Judging by the way he led his team through spring drills and a tortuous offseason conditioning program – not to mention the way he handled yesterday’s media crush like a 10-year pro — that might not be a bad thing.

None of the off-field stuff equates to playing in a game, of course, but it’s the only criterion upon which to judge Stull thus far.

Point being, he has carried himself like a bona fide leader in his quest to replace his roommate from last season, Tyler Palko.

There’s also a quote from Offensive Coordinator Matt Cavanaugh saying he believes that starting job is Stull’s to lose.

And back with the highlights of the Q&A. Or at least what I felt mattered.

On the subject of QBs, Coach Wannstedt zigged and zagged a bit on the matter. He declared that Bill Stull was the starter if they had to decide coming out of spring practice. Then backtracked to say that all 3 QBs would have the opportunity and play with the first team in training camp. Then came back to say that Stull was still the leader. Honestly, watching the way he delivered the answer made it seem a lot less clear than the press conference transcript.

Is it fair to characterize the quarterback competition as wide open or is Bill Stull the leader?I think that you come out of spring practice (with) Bill being the starter but these next four days will be great for that because Pat Bostick will get an equal amount of reps as will Kevan Smith too. It is open right now but Billy is the guy that they’re trying to unseat.

What do you like about Bill Stull and what are his strengths?

He’s a gamer. The players believe in him. There’s no question about that. He knows our offense. You could go out right now and Billy will run the offense. I think he’s one of those guys who seems to perform better when the lights come on as compared to just in practice. If you go out and just watch Billy in practice, he may not be the most impressive guy but he’s kind of a gamer. He’s thrown a lot of touchdowns in his career. He’s also had a very good off-season and he’s not taking anything for granted. He wants to win the starting job.

Trust me, Coach Wannstedt was not nearly that clear in the press conference. I think it is Stull’s job to lose, and Wannstedt is not ready to make that formal a statement.

Coach Wannstedt ended up going off an interesting tangent when asked about the fact that this team is now mostly his recruits.

…You go into the homes of these kids and talk with their parents and tell them that we’re going to do everything we can to get your son a degree and everything we can to take his football skills to the next level and we’re going to do everything we can to make him a better person four years from now then he is today. You want those things to happen and every situation is not going to work out that way but it’s my responsibility and our responsibility because these are our kids. We’re going to have some kids get off on the wrong path but we’re going to do everything we can to help these kids and try and fulfill that commitment we made to them.

As for what one of the emphasis the coaches say they will be putting on the team: Finishing.

You know, `finish’ is going to be a big word that you’re going to hear me talk about a lot because even in those situations, the players came out of the gate ready to go. I mean the West Virginia game at halftime. The Louisville game at halftime, they’re all winnable games at that point and then we have to find a way to make plays and we have to find a way to finish those games. Even the Rutgers game, it was there to be had. We had to make a play. They made a play and we didn’t. This year, that’s going to be a real focus for our football team.

“Finish” sounds like a fine thing. As in, “finish the tackle,” “finish the block,” “finish the play.”

When asked about the biggest “hurdles” the team has to overcome, he started with the cliche for about half-a-second then got to reality.

I just think a consistency thing. If you want to get right to the point we have to run the ball and stop the run. That’s the two biggest hurdles we have really.

And that of course, brings it back to the lines, depth and players.

Jovani Chappel, we’ve been grooming him to possibly move to safety. He’s a good tackler, one of our better tacklers on the defense, smart kid. He’s kind of our nickel-dime back. So he’ll start working some at safety. Jemeel Brady will be at linebacker. Lowell Robinson will be at corner. We have a couple of these young running backs who I’m not sure are going to stay at running back. We may move them to linebacker or safety. Greg Williams, we’re going to see him carry the ball. Shariff Harris, we’re going to see him run the ball. We know McCoy will be a back, we know Hynoski will be a back but there could be a few more changes. Right now we have 16 defensive linemen on scholarship so there will be a few of those defensive linemen that probably move over to offense.

…

When McGlynn comes back, we’re going play the best five guys and from that standpoint, every guy needs to know that they need to go out and prove themselves. By not zeroing in at one position with McGlynn…hey, if Vangas is doing a great job or Bachman comes on and he’s our center, we’ll move McGlynn to left tackle. I like that mentality and not locking guys in, particularly when they have a lot to improve. I’m really excited about Jeff Otah.

I realize I don’t see them practice, so I don’t know for sure. I’m just a little confused about Lowell Robinson playing corner, when the need is at safety and Robinson was a standout safety in Junior College, they bounced about in a couple positions last year. I’ll defer to the coaches on this, but I don’t even pretend to understand. When you bring in a JUCO player, it just seems that their time is too short to fool around with their position this much.

I had it planned. I would tune in to the live stream of the Wannstedt opening press conference this morning. (Yes, I broke down at the end of spring practice and paid for the discounted All-Access, but I could rationalize it as a business related expense I can deduct from my taxes when I eventually use something from the All-Access in FanHouse.) Naturally, my kids had other ideas about me being able to listen and take notes. Missed huge gaps, and by the time I had finished listening to the archived version, the transcript was available.

Still, the transcripts aren’t perfect reproductions and I did get to hear the tone of some of the answers to try and divine some of the deeper meanings and how emphatic or not Coach Wannstedt felt in his response.

In the opening remarks from Associate AD E.J. Borghetti it was noted that after the press conference and Q&A it was across the street to the complex to do interviews with the full coaching staff, AD Jeff Long and all the players — except for the 2007 recruiting class as NCAA rules don’t allow them to do interviews until after their first practice which is tomorrow. So, the articles in the coming days will be reflecting that additional interviewing resource for the media.

The personal amusement highlight to watching the video was the scene of Wannstedt taking the podium and saying he was ready to start. Then it was a swarm of media masses rushing the podium to place their digital recorders on the podium.

Some of the things I thought were worth highlighting from Coach Wannstedt’s opening statement about the team and program:

We want to graduate as many players as we can from Pitt and we want to get as many players from our football team into the National Football League. That’s a great reflection on our University. We have 11 seniors going into this year and eight of the 11 seniors will have their degree before we complete the football season.

On a related note, how many noted seeing Rob Pettiti playing for the Saints last night? Hope he sticks. Never quite figured out why the Cowboys cut him last season when he started for them as a rookie the year before.

We came out of spring feeling really satisfied. We felt like we made strides in the areas we need to make strides. Did we solidify a lot of positions? No, but that’s what training camp is all about.

…

With that being said, we do have spots that will have good competition in training camp and that’s exciting. If we didn’t have players that could play and were capable of stepping up, then I think that is when you stand here as a head coach and you feel concerned. I’m not concerned about that because we have players ready to step up.

Whoever our three starting linebackers are, I promise you this, our number four, five and six guys are going to be very close to those starters and that’s encouraging. That’s encouraging from a standpoint of talent and from a standpoint of depth.

Umm, or terrifying.

…but I do know that we’ve had a great off-season. Our kids have done a great job. Some guys have gotten bigger and the guys that needed to get smaller did just that. I do believe that our football team is in great shape. We’re ready to go physically and because of some of the training techniques and some of the things that we demanded from our players through our off-season program, I believe that our football team is mentally tougher.

Hands in the air if you thought a football coach would declare that his team has gotten mentally soft before the first training camp practice. Not to mention declaring that the offseason conditioning was a complete bust. I’m not saying that Wannstedt isn’t correct or that it isn’t true, it’s just, what do you expect a coach to say about those things?

The first week of practice will be the same procedure as last year. Dividing the kids into two groups to practice. The older, more veteran and starting players in the morning will be on these squads and the younger or deeper down the full depth chart players will be in the afternoons. The coaches pull double duty, but all the kids get more opportunity and chances when the first week only allows 1 practice per day.

Coach Wannstedt ended his opening remarks with this:

With that said, this is where we’re at — everybody is here, everybody is accountable and we’re looking forward to getting started.

I think this is where I’m supposed to make a snide comment about DC Paul Rhoads and accountability.

Back later with some of what I thought was interesting from the Q&A.

Chas mentioned that Pitt released the 2007 football media guide for download — so I read it from electronic cover-to-cover. Things that I liked/caught my eye/were interesting/etc…

Page 6, “This Is Panther Football” —

Dave Wannstedt and Stillers’ coach Mike Tomlin posed for a picture together. There was talk that Wanny only took the Pitt job as a way to eventually get the Steelers job. Oh, the irony.

Page 6, “This Is Panther Football” —

We were in a staff meeting and I’m sitting at the far end of the table — it was the ’76 year, the year we (Pitt) won the National Championship — and I think my job that day was to make the coffee. I’m looking at Coach (John) Majors and said to myself, “Someday, I will be the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh.” -Dave Wannstedt

Page 7, “This Is Panther Football” —

I believe I can make a difference on the football field, but just as important, I believe I can make a difference at the university and in the community. I think all those things are vital and all those things are very important.

I hardly believe any college football player would say this without having it written down for him.

Page 8, “This Is Panthers Football” —

With 49 consensus All-Americans, Pitt is 7th among Division 1-A programs. And Penn State fans tell us we have no history.

Page 9, “This Is Panthers Football” —

The outfit Tony Dorsett wore to accept his Heisman Trophy was spectacular. Must have been a ’70’s thing, I guess?

Page 10, “This Is Panthers Football” —

On a page subtitled “Championship Caliber Staff” lies a picture of Paul Rhoads.

Page 13, “This Is Panthers Football” —

A collage of Pitt players in the NFL including Kevan Barlow in his Steelers practice uni. There’s some doubt as to whether he’ll even make the team.

Page 15, “This Is Panthers Football” —

Tyler Palko makes two appearances on the “Pitt Is So Great Because We’re Community Minded” page. Seriously though, Palko is known to be a great guy and his love and care for a friend with Down Syndrome are well documented.

Page 17, “This Is Panthers Football” —

The point in having a page about the Petersen Events Center is what…? I don’t seem to be able to recall the last time I saw a Pitt football game played at the Pete.

Page 20, “This Is Panthers Football” —

The player’s lounge in the Pitt locker room at the UPMC Center looks like a pretty nice place, yeah?

Page 22, “This Is Panthers Football” —

The U of Pitt was founded in a log cabin back in 1787. Our school was founded in a log cabin and I’m damn proud of it.

Page 23, “This Is Panthers Football” —

While Pittsburgh used to be called Steel Town, they need to call it Knowledge Town. -President Bush

That President of ours, always good for some comedic relief.

Page 26, “This Is Panthers Football” —

On a personal note, I almost got my own picture in the media guide (sort of). At College Basketball Gameday back in January I was in the front row, dead center…but in the picture they used, a giant flag is being waved and blocking me from view. Grrr…

Page 41, “2007 Preview” —

The title page of the section about the upcoming season features the picture above. Offensive lineman Jeff Otah blocking…his own teammate?

Page 42, “2007 Preview” —

The QB section notes that Tyler Palko took all of the meaningful snaps of the past three years and I become more and more unsure about the 2007 season.

Page 46, “Preseason Depth Chart” —

The preseason depth chart they have does not include the incoming recruiting class so it’s not really what we’re looking for.

Page 48, “Preseason Honors” —

I never knew that there were s many preseason awards and lists out there. It seems like every player on the Pitt roster is listed with some sort of award they could receive.

Page 64, “Coach Profiles” —

Fact you didn’t know: Chris LaSala, assistant AD and director of football operations, is a graduate of West Virginia.

Page 69, “Coaching Staff” —

Yet another fact you didn’t know: There is such an award called the “Big East Video Coordinator of the Year.” Our video guy, Chad Bogard, is a two time recipient of the award.

Page 73, “Player Profiles: Chris Bova” —

While scanning the profiles I came across the word matriculating. If you know what that means without looking it up then I’m impressed.

Page 92, “Player Profiles: Austin Ransom” —

I think Austin Ransom wins the award for the best hair on the team.

Looks like a certain Simpson’s character.

Page 99, “Player Profiles: Oderick Turner” —

In high school, Turner was the NJ state high jump champion. Jumping over a height of 6-4, he can clear me by 2 inches.

Page 107, “2007 Rosters” —

The pronunciation guide clears up a debate I had with someone last year about how to say Jovani Chappel’s last name. For the record, it’s “sha-PELL”.

Page 113-130, “2006 Season in Review” —

This whole section is just stats from a disappointing year and is pretty dull in general.

Page 134, “Team Records” —

All kinds of fun info in this section and especially on this page.

Longest play from scrimmage in team history: 91 yards (George McLaren in 1917 and Alex Van Pelt in 1992)

In 1914 we beat Dickinson by a score of 96-0. More recently, we pounded Rutgers 76-0, back in 1977. On the other hand, the biggest margin of defeat came in a 72-0 loss to Ohio State back in 1996.

Page 135, “The Last Time…” —

The last time we had a punt return for a TD is Revis’ against WVU. I don’t think we’ll be forgetting that one anytime soon.

Page 131-164, “Team Record Book” —

The above two items were just a small sample from what I think is the best section of the guide. If you’re going to read one section, this is the one.

Page 166, “Pro Football” —

The guide lists 23 Panthers on NFL teams, however it was done before Curtis Martin retired so the actual number is 22. The most former Panthers on one team is three: Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Lee, and Gerald Hayes of the Arizona Cardinals. The Jets (Darrelle Revis, Hank Poteat) and the Saints (Tyler Palko, Rob Petitti) are the only other teams with more than one former Pitt player.

Page 183, “Postseason Games” —

They have picture of Palko from last year’s Senior Bowl…but not one of the ones with him in a script Pitt helmet.

Inside back cover —

Forget the words, I just really like the actual photo they used.

So there it is, (most) of the good stuff to see in this year’s football media guide. The season is just around the corner.

On the front page of PittsburghPanthers.com is a link to the 2007 Football Commercial and in it we see what look like the jerseys we’ll be wearing this year. The following are screen shots from that commercial.

A view of the front with the block PITT letters bigger than I ever would have imagined, which I sort of like.

A view of the jersey front from farther back.

Helmets look to be the same as last year. The TV numbers are moved from the top of the shoulder to the side.

Numbers also look like the same as last year. Interesting to note that there are no names on the back. I’m pretty sure we’ll see them there by September 1, though. There was never any talk of names being removed and it’s possible that there simply wasn’t enough time to put names on between getting the jerseys and shooting the commercial.

Again, I’ve been told they would be officially unveiled on August 9th.

It’s almost upon us. The opening press conference will be streamed on Pitt’s site for those with All-Access, starting around 9:15-ish.

The players really want to get back to a bowl game. At this point for them, any bowl game would do.

“It’s a big chip on our shoulder. When I came here, Pitt was on the rise. We pretty much figured every year we were going to go to a bowl game,” said fifth-year senior safety Mike Phillips, noting that Pitt played in six bowl games between 1997 and 2004. “For us to not even go to a bowl game is pretty ridiculous.”

The Panthers are coming off a season in which they became bowl-eligible after a 6-1 start but lost their final five games and didn’t receive a postseason invitation. Pitt hasn’t gone three years without a bowl since the mid-1990s, when a seven-year drought ended with a Liberty Bowl berth in ’97.

Does that make this a bowl-or-bust season?

“I think so,” senior receiver Derek Kinder said. “I think we have so much potential. We’ve been working so hard. We’ve got to get to a bowl game and get this program where it should be.”

And there are so many questions about this team. Just Five Questions going into camp hardly seems enough.

3) Who will snap the ball?

Coaches were uneasy with the way the centers struggled in the spring but believe if this position is shored up the offensive line could be a team strength. The emergence of sophomore Jason Pinkston at right tackle means coaches have the luxury of moving fifth-year senior and three-year starter Mike McGlynn to center or to right guard if junior C.J. Davis proves to be the best option at center. Fifth-year senior Chris Vangas and redshirt sophomore John Bachman will also battle for the center spot and both are capable of playing other positions if necessary.

The whole O-line just scares me as it seems so thin. The idea of McGlynn having to play Center is not something I like to consider.

The sense, even down in Louisiana, seems to be that Tyler Palko will have to really be terrible not to at least stay with the team this year. Coach Sean Payton personally contacted Palko about signing with the Saints if he wasn’t drafted, and Palko has been the first to arrive, last to leave player.

Yeah, you’ve heard it a million times, one of the oldest clichés: He’s the first guy on the practice field every morning, and the last one to leave every night.

But in the case of Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Palko, it’s true. He is the one guy who has been making the coaching assistants put in the most overtime throughout the first week of training camp.

…

“I’ve got a lot of work to do, so I’m just trying to get my extra work in. And when I get a chance to play in the preseason, hopefully the work will pay off,” said Palko, who shrugged off the notion that he’s trying to impress the coaches and evaluators with his regiment. “I don’t really believe in that. When you’re at this level, that stuff really doesn’t matter. If you’re good enough to play, you’ll be good enough to play.

“I just like to get out and get some extra work in, and I hate sitting around the locker room. So I guess that’s why I’m out there a little early.”

Still, the exhibition season will be big for the 3d stringer.

“Those live snaps you get at quarterback over the period of four or five games are very important,” Payton said. “I think for both of them, the preseason games will be important to evaluate that position.”

I can’t believe I’ll actually be watching the 3d quarter of an exhibition.

So, the P-G is changing the online Q&A format to try and get more daily eyeballs to their site. Pitt football beat writer Paul Zeise will have smaller, daily weekday Q&As rather than once a week Q&As along with a weekly chat. Considering that the Trib has their Pitt football beat writer doing a blog, they needed to do something in response. Zeise’s Q&A have been one of his stronger features

[Brief tangent — Really, blogging isn’t necessarily for everyone — especially reporters. The Trib’s Kevin Gorman gets it, as a beat writer. He doesn’t need to do linking and posts, per say. He can just use it as carryover of more information from stories published and emptying out his notebook of things that don’t make it into the regular article. It’s extra information fans want and he isn’t really doing that much extra work — aside from just putting it in the computer.]

Back to the Q&A, his first was this past Friday.

Q: Do you think there will be any freshman starters for this upcoming football season and if so, who?

Zeise: Dave Wannstedt has begun to build enough depth in the program that relying on freshman to start is likely going to be a thing of the past. Pat Bostick could win the starting quarterback job and LeSean McCoy could emerge as the starter at tailback but they have a lot of work to do in a short period of time and I just don’t see it happening. I could see a situation where both are starters by midseason, but I’d be surprised if either is the starter on opening day. Tommie Duhart isn’t a freshman but he is a newcomer (JC transfer) and he should win a starting job at either defensive end or tackle. The other newcomer I expect to make an impact – at least as a returner – is Aundre Wright, who is said to be the team’s fastest player, while Dom DeCicco will likely have a chance at some early playing time at safety as well. The Panthers are also thin at linebacker so one or two of the freshman linebackers will likely be forced into action.

Essentially he’s projecting 3-5 players from the 2007 recruiting class (not necessarily freshmen) to make the early impact.

Actually I have to disagree with his opening assumption. That there is enough depth that freshmen starting won’t be a common occurrence. First, I thought part of Coach Wannstedt’s pitch was that the best player will start. Next, there is only solid depth at just a few positions — WR, RB and CB. And at RB, everyone expects McCoy to at least jump to the number 2 back.
Both lines may be mostly set as far as who the starters are, but there is little depth after that. Injuries have to be expected, and that will be when the freshmen will really be needed. Even with two recruiting classes, I don’t really feel great about the lines. The drop-off seems steep, and I’m not sold on how good the starting units are.
The linebacking corp is a complete toss-up. I have no idea what the actual depth chart will look like. I am sure, though, that it won’t be very different by week 7. (Tommie Campbell, by the way, appears to be transferring to Edinboro.)
Safety, Elijah Fields out for the season really hurts. Mike Phillips, who could have lost the starting job to Fields, even knows that.

“We need every guy we’ve got. When you lose anyone, it’s a big blow,” said Phillips, a fifth-year senior who started five games last season. “He can really do some things. Just his athleticism and speed, he can really have advantages over other players that we can use. It’s going to be a big loss.”

Phillips is going to be needed to be as healthy and mentally ready as he says he is. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lowell Robinson get another shot at playing time at Safety.

If you care, the ESPN/USA Today Coaches preseason poll is out. Nothing that really stuns me. What I wanted to see was the coaches voting breakdown.

The Big East has 4 coaches in the voting pool of 60.

• Randy Edsall, UConn
• Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville
• Rich Rodriguez, WVU
• Greg Schiano, Rutgers

Here’s how the rest of the number of voting coaches looks by conference:

• ACC — 6
• Big 11 — 7
• Big 12 — 6
• Pac-10 — 5
• SEC — 7
• Notre Dame — 1

—————–

• MAC — 6
• C-USA — 6
• MWC — 4
• WAC — 4
• Sun Belt — 4