We all know the standard talk of how early in training camp the defense is ahead of the offense. I know, it’s conventional wisdom and should be expected. I just wish the O-line wasn’t being so completely worked over the way Gorman reports it.

The defense dominated the line of scrimmage, completely blowing up some plays to the point that they stopped before they began. That was frustrating for the offense, especially quarterback Bill Stull, who was consistently under pressure.

LeSean McCoy didn’t fare much better. He was hit in the backfield several times, once by Tommie Duhart (who beat Chris Jacobson) and another time by Mick Williams when left guard C.J. Davis pulled right and forced left tackle Jordan Gibbs to pick his poison in blocking both Williams and end Greg Romeus.

New Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett was heard from today. He likes the split practice system for getting the new players reps. Bennett also outlined the issues he’s looking to resolve in training camp for a season with big goals.

Who are the third and fourth cornerbacks?

With Irv Brown back, who will be the fourth safety behind Eric Thatcher, Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields?

Who are the backup strong-side linebackers? (Greg Williams, Brandon Lindsey and Joe Trebitz are playing there).

Developing a backup at middle linebacker, possibly Max Gruder.

With Doug Fulmer out indefinitely, getting Ty Tkach or Tony Tucker ready to play at defensive end.

Where to play Myles Caragein: end or tackle?

Although most of those issues don’t involve the starting lineup, Bennett stressed the importance of having prepared backups.

“When you win championships, you’re going to have some people go down and miss games,” Bennett said. “You’ve got to have quality depth. That’s what we’re trying to get.”

Aaron Smith seems to be taking advantage of his chance to show his ability at WR with T.J. Porter out with turf toe.

Nice honor for Nate Byham to even be named to the Mackey watchlist for best Tight End in the country. Hate to say it, but he has little chance of being even a finalist this season. I think he simply won’t see the ball enough. Between the receivers, running game and that Dorin DIckerson and John Pelusi will also see time at the spot his opportunities will not be in the volume that Kris Wilson had 5 years ago.

That brings things to this piece on Dorin Dickerson.

“This,” Dickerson said, “is the most comfortable I’ve ever been here.”

The move started when he told coach Dave Wannstedt before spring practices that he’d feel more comfortable playing offense. Pitt was missing injured tight ends Nate Byham and John Pelusi, so Wannstedt made the offer.

Dickerson agreed.

He excelled during spring practices and was an offensive star during the spring game, catching three passes for 35 yards. Now he’s starting to feel like a tight end, even though his No. 2 jersey gives him away.

“Everything is working out as well as it can right now,” Dickerson said. “Me and Coach Wannstedt are both happy with the decision. Hopefully good things will happen this year.”

Byham and Pelusi have both returned but Dickerson has established himself as a serious player at the position. How much he’ll play isn’t known. Dickerson still runs like a receiver, making him the fastest at his new position.

“There should be an excellent battle for playing time,” Wannstedt said. “I expect him to have an excellent year. He has enough talent to be a difference maker.”

Not that a TE shouldn’t see lots of work in a West Coast style, especially with Cavanaugh. You have to imagine that Pitt will use 2 TEs at time with Byham and Dickerson really able to do something to defenses.

I did like this piece on Pat Bostick.

Bostick still declines to talk about the “personal issue” that prompted him to drive back to Lancaster, accompanied by a member of Pitt football’s support staff. But he said that “it might have been the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“It’s completely changed who I am,” he said. “It made me take a step back and realize how good I have it, and get the help I needed to get and do what I had to do.”

Bostick said the transition to major college and the pressure of battling for the starting job — combined with everything else — were overwhelming.

“It was more than I expected,” he said. “Looking back, I would have changed how I handled it. I know it’s something people talk about, but, at the time, it’s what I did and I’m better for it today. I’m a better man today.”

…

Bostick’s entire outlook has changed since last year, when he was a frazzled, homesick teenager, to become the team’s most experienced quarterback.

“You can tell he’s a different personality than last year,” All-American linebacker Scott McKillop said. “He’s way more open and friendly. He’s talking to everybody and not keeping to himself.”

I kind of wish that he would disclose exactly what happened to stop speculation, but it is his business and choice. Obviously he has dealt with whatever it was and has a better handle on everything.

Finally, there is a transfer practicing with the team to get ready for next year. Josh Novotny transferred from Navy to Pitt when he realized that his choices of majors at Annapolis were more limited.

But Novotny’s career interests had the 6-3, 275-pound guard looking to transfer.

“I came to Pitt because they had what I was looking for,” Novotny said. “I wouldn’t change anything I did. I wouldn’t redo a thing.”

Even if it means Novotny, a health and physical activity major, can’t play a down for Pitt this fall and loses a year of athletic eligibility in the process.

Novotny, who turns 24 the day before Pitt’s Nov. 8 home game against Louisville, arrived at Pitt in January and, because of NCAA guidelines, must complete two consecutive semesters before becoming eligible.

Novotny actually participated in the spring game. Any offensive lineman who started for Navy sounds like a good pick-up for Pitt.

Other than there’s plenty of people aware of Pitt’s potential.

While Pitt may not have made it into the preseason Coaches’ or AP Writers Polls, the Panthers did make it into a couple other preseason lists.

Sports Illustrated put Pitt at #19 in their preseason rankings.

Overachievement is a relatively new concept for these Panthers. Indeed, before Pitt stunned No. 2 West Virginia 13-9 in Morgantown last December, thus keeping its bitter rival from playing for the national championship, coach Dave Wannstedt’s record in two-plus seasons at his alma mater stood at 15-19. But so impressive was the defense in the Backyard Brawl — the unit held West Virginia’s high-powered attack to 183 yards and nine first downs — that few in the Steel City cared that the Panthers couldn’t avoid a third straight nonwinning season.

Now optimism is running high because seven starters are back from that aggressive defense, including senior middle linebacker Scott McKillop, an overachiever of the highest order. After two seasons of special teams duty, the 6′ 2″, 240-pound McKillop got his shot in 2007 and led the nation in tackles (12.6 per game) en route to All-America honors. McKillop relies on an encyclopedic command of Pitt’s defensive scheme and a knack for finding the ball.

Only WVU (#14) from the Big East is included in the SI top-20.

ESPN.com has its preseason power rankings and puts Pitt at #24.

Dave Wannstedt looks like he finally has a team which can compete for the Big East title. With home games vs. Rutgers, Louisville and WVU, we agree.

WVU comes in at #8 and USF #18.

The one big problem with the partial transcripts from Coach Dave Wannstedt’s post-practice press conferences is that the context is not really there. We get the base topic, but not how the actual question was phrased and any follow-ups and how serious to take each response in comparison. The risk is in reading too much into it. Especially from one practice to another. We tend to key in on the parts that we want.

For example, I am scared to death regarding Center. Robb Houser has already nailed down the starting spot as a JUCO transfer. The issue becomes, who is second on the depth chart? The Media Guide lists redshirt sophomores Alex Karabin and Jared Martin. Redshirt freshman Wayne Jones — who dropped from 340 to 315 under Buddy Morris’ program — was moved to center from right guard. So this is what I took great interest in reading.

We moved Wayne Jones to center. We have not put the ball on the ground with these young guys.

A couple little sentences. Of course it doesn’t tell me who else is taking snaps, and while the issue of fumbling snaps is important considering what a debacle it was last training camp with John Bachman trying the center position and Pitt looking for someone, anyone to challenge Chris Vangas became something of a joke, it’s still one part.

That’s where it becomes very important to have the reports and blog posts from the beat reporters. Kevin Gorman helps on this one.

“I don’t know how many guys he’s blocked or how many assignments he’s executed correctly but we have not put the ball on the ground with those young guys,” Wannstedt said. “A year ago at this time, I think we were averaging like four fumbles on the ground a day because of young kids and inexperience. That has not happened, and that has been very encouraging.”

As usual, my obsession with what is happening with the offensive line has me keying on those stories first.

The starting line in camp is redshirt freshman Jordan Gibbs at left tackle, senior C.J. Davis at left guard, junior Robb Houser at center, junior John Malecki at right guard and junior Joe Thomas at right tackle.

Redshirt sophomore Jason Pinkston, who might be the most physically gifted lineman on the team, likely will work his way into the lineup at one of the tackle spots. But he is coming off an injury and isn’t in top shape yet.

Pinkston has worked some with the first-team offense in the early part of camp, but Wise said yesterday that if the Panthers were playing a game this weekend the starting tackles would be Thomas and Gibbs.

“It is still Joe because Jason missed the entire spring, and so we have to be intelligent and say it is Joe, and Jordan Gibbs had every snap in the spring,” Wise said. “Now it us up to Jason to have a good preseason, and we need to figure out is he a left or a right tackle. But it is on Jason, he needs to [say] ‘I’m healthy, I’m committed.’ There is no doubt about Jason’s ability, it’s does he want to be great now.”

Beyond the starters and Pinkston, there are some interesting developments for backup spots.

Redshirt freshman guard Chris Jacobson, who was one of the top linemen in the country as a senior in high school, and heralded freshman Lucas Nix are pushing their way up the depth chart at guard, even though senior Dom Williams has been a starter at times in his career. Also, Wayne Jones and Jared Martin are battling for the backup center spot in a competition that likely will go the distance.

While Nix came in as a tackle, he’s playing at guard because that’s where Pitt’s depth is less, according to the story. It also fits with Coach Wannstedt’s philosophy that offensive linemen should be able to play multiple positions on the line to give Pitt the best talent and flexibility on the depth chart.

Of course the first couple days of practice have been with a helmet and t-shirt. So, judging much on the lines beyond technique and footwork is somewhat dubious.

After two days of practicing in helmets only, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is looking forward to seeing his players don shoulder pads for the first time in today’s two sessions. Wannstedt said the Panthers can accomplish just about everything but tackling. “Now, the run game becomes real,” Wannstedt said. “Out here, we’re saying, ‘Don’t hit anybody. Don’t hurt anyone.’ We go full-speed now, with pads on. We’ll be able to truly start separating. I don’t think a whole lot will change with the receivers and defensive backs, but it will change drastically with the linemen.”

Back to Gorman’s blog post — and I write from the assumption that all of you go and read the each one in full since there is just too much on too many areas to do it justice; really it’s just chock full o’ nuggets and observations from the practice — was his ending note.

Just an observation after years of covering both Pitt practices and college football recruiting: The Panthers are so deep and strong at almost every position that even talented walk-ons like Cafaro and defensive lineman Chas Alexcih – who might have had a legitimate shot at playing time in past years – are going to have a hard time seeing the field other than special-teams situations.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that players who were highly recruited but didn’t play as true freshman for one reason or another are buried on the depth chart. If nose tackle Craig Bokor had been academically eligible out of Hopewell, he might have a chance to be a three-year starter (like Duncan) but instead is battling for third-string reps. A head injury forced Baldwin’s Justin Hargrove to take a greyshirt, and he’s now behind Romeus, Sheard and Tony Tucker at defensive end.

That should send a message to the starters that no job is safe.

Obviously that is just exciting to read about actually having more depth and talent than ever. Contrawise, it also suggests that there may be some transfers coming out of that same issue. Maybe not until after the season, but there are some players that will likely be frustrated by this.

Heck, I never even got to the early practice report, blog post from Gorman.

Have we mentioned how good Mick Williams looks?The words Tony Wise used to describe the Pitt defensive tackle on one play in Wednesday’s morning practice were within PG-13 ratings but still not fit for print. Williams literally manhandled one side of the offensive line during a team drill — and this was during the non-contact portion of camp.

He so thoroughly dominated the session that Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt rewarded Williams with a ride off the outdoor practice fields in his golf cart, dropping him off at the door.

Other things of note, Aaron Smith looked very good it seems at WR for T.J. Porter. Smith is another player that seems crunched by position changes and the numbers. He tends to be forgotten, but he might get to use this window.

Kevin Harper has a very strong leg, but his accuracy is an issue. Which isn’t very surprising.

Hmm.

The Pitt Athletic Department did full denial of any GT-Pitt pairing being anywhere near happening.

I asked Steve Pederson — who in turn asked Chris LaSala — and both laughed as they said they have never spoken with Georgia Tech.

Steve Pederson then sent a text to one of the assistant basketball coaches to find out if maybe it was a deal to play in basketball – the response “no, though we did talk to them about playing a single neutral site game …”

In other words, this Pitt-Georgia Tech stuff is another example of how someone thought they heard something, put it on the Internet and it became the gospel …

Well, while this probably popped up on message boards as well, I did post about it.

The podcast with GT AD Dan Radakovich went up on Wednesday, but does not mention anything about future scheduling. It seems that the interview continued after a break, but the podcast did not. That doesn’t prove anything. So at the moment, there is apparently nothing contradictory in any available media to contradict the denial.

So, that’s where any GT game stands. Not happening.