Over the weekend was the big feature on defensive coordinator Phil Bennett. Not about his defensive philosophies or the standard fare of players talking about new attitude and how much they like playing for the guy. This was the personal side with how he lost his 1st wife to being struck by lightening and the importance of work (coaching) and family kept him going.

In a rare move of actual promotions, Pitt actually sent out an e-mail yesterday promoting the story. Even more, they had links to a video of DC Bennett talking about getting the defense ready. If they actually embraced the last couple years of internet video, they’d have links to allow the embedding rather than having to launch it separately. That’s more on the CSTV system that operates the Pitt website and this stuff, though. They are still using Windows Media Player.

There’s also a video montage of the practice from Saturday. Not much to really take from it other than seeing Jonathan Baldwin make a spectacular one-handed leaping grab. He’s wearing #82, but trust me, there is no confusing his presence.

Another weekend feature was on the drudgery of players going through training camp.

It’s one that is based on precision, as every minute is accounted for during camp from the time the players awake by 6 a.m. until their 10:30 p.m. curfew. Sleep becomes a precious commodity, and the sound of the whistle an annoying way to wake up.

“I set my alarm clock one minute before and one minute after they blow the whistle,” said senior left guard C.J. Davis, in his fourth training camp. “I hate the whistle. Sometimes, it’s hard because you get out of practice and feel like you just laid down and then you hear that whistle at the crack of dawn.

“The days are long, but the nights go fast. It always feels like we don’t get enough rest. Our strength coaches say that too much of anything is not good for you, so I’ll have to take their word for it.”

…

Before they know it, they will put in a 15-hour day at Duratz Athletic Building filled with meetings, practice and more meetings.

I’m assuming there’s food.

Just a couple stories to pass along.

Todd Thomas out of Beaver Falls has Pitt at the top of his list.

Thomas, the all-state senior from Beaver Falls, is considering scholarship offers from a roster of schools that includes, tentatively in the top five slots, Pitt, Penn State, Boston College, Michigan and Ohio State.

“Pitt’s been coming on strong lately. I’d say Pitt’s at the top of the list right now.”

Ohio State, with a roster than includes Rory Nicol of Beaver and Evan Blankenship of Center, was a late entry into the competition, but the Buckeyes have his attention. If he chooses Ohio State, he could be collecting passes from friend and rival Terrelle Pryor.

Thomas — listed at 6-foot-4, 199 pounds — is being pursued by most schools, including the top five on his list, as a wide receiver. While his ability to sprint through pass routes has made him one of Pennsylvania’s most attractive recruits, he feels no need to sprint to a decision.

“I know some players have made their decision and got it out of the way, but I’m not in a hurry,” he said. “I’ll know when the time is right.”

Thomas is considered a 4-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Bob Lichtenfels/PantherDigest/Scout.com puts him as the commonwealth’s 10th best recruit. Rivals.com has him #6 preseason in Pennsylvania while PantherLair (still Rivals.com) says #7 (and it looks like he will make their national top-250 list.

Another WR, coming in anywhere from #8 to #16 has chosen to leave Pennsylvania.

Parkland senior wideout Jaleel Clark accomplished his top goal when he verbally committed to the University of Missouri on Sunday night.

Now that Clark, The Morning Call’s 2007 player of the year, has relieved the pressure of having to choose a school, he can tackle the rest of his goals.

Grumbling, semi-unserious snark. Mutter about his grades and consider character assassination.

”I want to go out there and have a great season like I did last year,” he said. ”I just need to get my grades up and do pretty good in the classroom. That’s one of my main goals, to do well in the classroom and get it out of the way.”

Can’t really be too bothered or worried. Especially when he’s heading to the Big 12, where there will be little haunting for him getting away.

You have to wonder how much the news of Doug Fulmer’s latest season ending injury helped dampen the players enthusiasm for a scrimmage. The takes from the reporters and coaches was that it was an average performance at best.

General scrimmage impressions:

“It was solid work. I thought there were enough game-changing plays on both sides of the ball. I was hoping for a little bit more. From the veteran standpoint, we decided to hold LaRod Stephens-Howling and Bill Stull. They both could have gone. If we would have played a game today, they both would have played. We limited LeSean McCoy. He had 11 carries, averaged six yards a carry. I was very pleased with him, except his one turnover. I’d like to say it was an outstanding day of football, but we turned the ball over. He ran good, he made guys miss. Chris Burns looked good, the returners looked good, and all the running backs. Jonathan Baldwin made three great plays. He made two by the sideline. Unfortunately, both of them were out of bounds. It’s pretty evident that we need to find a way to get him ready to go. He has a chance to help us. Andrew Taglianetti keeps showing up from a defensive standpoint. We’re going to start working him on special teams. He can really help us in that area. Overall, solid scrimmage. We didn’t get anyone really hurt today, but we have a lot of work to do.”

Coach Wannstedt kept using the word solid, which might also be interpreted as “uneventful.” There were some issues with the Center exchange, that seems to be attributed to Robb Houser getting a little too hyped.

“It’s unfortunate,” Wannstedt said. “We’ve had no problems the whole training camp. In fact, I commented that this has been the least quarterback-center exchange problems we’ve had since I’ve been here. We haven’t had them. That kind of took the wind out of everybody’s sails, including me.”

The good news is that snapping hadn’t been an issue with Houser, who looks to have a good grip on the starting job. He hasn’t spent much time snapping to Bostick, who filled in for Bill Stull with the first-team offense. And after the early jitters, Houser didn’t have any more problems.

…

Wannstedt wasn’t satisfied with the first scrimmage in general.

“I thought that, overall, it was OK,” he said. “It was solid work. I didn’t think that there were enough big plays, enough game-changing plays on both sides of the ball. I was hoping for a little bit more. …

“We have a lot of work to do. Thank God we don’t play this week.”

Frankly after the first scrimmage and only a week of practice I’d be more nervous if the coaches declared the team ready.

It also had an effect with Bill Stull sitting out the scrimmage to let the sore ribs heal a bit more.

And sprains, and twists and now tears.

Pitt redshirt junior defensive end Doug Fulmer is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

It is another in a run of tough breaks for Fulmer, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL in his right knee and missed the final eight games of the 2006 season with a broken left ankle.

Fulmer had barely seen any action for most of training camp as the coaches were being cautions with getting him out in drills. He almost immediately gets hurt again.

“He has a tear in a ligament in his other knee – the good knee – and he will have surgery,” Wannstedt said. “It’s just a matter of when. They’re working out the details of all that. It’s just so unfortunate because the guy just hasn’t had a chance the last couple years because of the variety of all the injuries that he’s had. The plan right now is he will have the surgery, we’ll see how the rehab goes and go from there.”

Fulmer’s career is not over — though, if he wanted to quit after this setback I would not begrudge him. He still has next season. He had a regular redshirt in 2005. He missed all of last season without a medical redshirt. The NCAA has on occasion granted an extra redshirt for some who have had this kind of bad luck, so there is a chance that Fulmer may be that rare 6-year player — hey, with a broken ankle and ACL tears in both knees the least he should have is a chance to earn a Masters on scholarship.

From a team standpoint and depth, it is not nearly as big a blow as it was not having him last year. Jabaal Sheard, Greg Romeus, Tony Tucker are definitely in the two deep. Tyler Tkach can be a solid contributor there. To say nothing of Craig Bokor and Justin Hargrove might be able to get a chance.

Still, here’s hoping for another full recovery for Fulmer.

I’m a little tied up with some things. Working on some Big East preview posts at FanHouse for the week.

Meanwhile, the Rocky Top (Tennessee) blog went with a series of lists to kill time related to mascots and logos. Clearly you have to question his judgment when his color scheme uses creamsickle. So, I guess it shouldn’t be too stunning that he actually chose the dino-cat as the 10th coolest college logo.

I once saw a house cat with its ears pinned back like that topple, tie, gut, and quarter a black angus bull in under 45 seconds. Add 100 pounds and call it a panther, and you have Pittsburgh.

The secondary logo that is not exactly revered by Pitt fans themselves somehow makes the list. I’m stunned.

I was somewhat bemused that Trib columnist Joe Starkey — who spent such effort into defending ex-DC Paul Rhoads by saying wait until 2008 to judge him, Wannstedt and PItt — is now seeking to limit expectations for the goal year.

Eight is enough.

Check that. An 8-4 regular-season record won’t be nearly enough to satisfy those who expect the Pitt football team to double its win total from a year ago and go 10-2 or better.

But it should be enough to satisfy the realists among us.

Seriously, how could anyone have a problem with Pitt going 4-1 in non-conference games, 4-3 in the Big East and maybe winning a bowl game to pump that total to nine?

Now, I’m not saying that 8 wins is a bad season. I am a little amused to see a fake argument — that realists should be satisfied with 8 wins and only those who are out of touch with things would expect more.

At this rate, I assume Starkey thinks Pitt should challenge for a BCS bid in maybe 2012.

Bruce Feldman lists his 10 most indispensable players to a team (Insider subs), and LeSean McCoy is on the list.

With all due respect to little LaRod Stephens-Howling, McCoy turned a dismal offense into a force late last season and the shifty 210-pound sophomore looks good enough to make Pitt into a Big East title threat. McCoy’s showed his worth in the Panthers’ huge upset at WVU when he ran for 148 yards against a defense keyed on containing him. McCoy also is a very underrated receiver, and as Dave Wannstedt likes to remind people, he’s a believer in hitching his wagon to a team’s star as was the case when he was with the Miami Dolphins and Ricky Williams led the NFL in touches and when he worked with the Cowboys and Emmitt Smith led the league in touches as well. Look for Wannstedt to try and let McCoy led this program back into the top 25. Without him, though, it could be another sad season.

Pat White (WVU), Jake Locker (Washington), Brian Hoyer (MSU), Jevan Snead (Ole Miss), Chase Daniel (Mizzou) and Tim Tebow were on the list as QBs naturally dominated. The only other running back was Chris Wells (OSU). Macho Harris (VT) and Alex Mack (Cal) were also on the list.

I’m not going to disagree with the inclusion of McCoy on the list. Given expectations and how bad Washington will likely be, I’d sooner put Matt Grothe of USF on there. I mean, what happens to the Bulls if Grothe goes down?

Finally, this article cites a need for the Big East to have a coach to step up and be the face of the football conference. I find it kind of silly.

Who is the face of Big East football?

It’s probably outgoing commissioner Mike Tranghese. The league is taking applications for Kingpin Coach.

I imagine the first interview goes to Bill Stewart, the former assistant who took over for Rodriguez at West Virginia before the Fiesta Bowl, then beat Stoops and Oklahoma.

Jim Leavitt of South Florida is poised to cut the line. He’s the only coach to direct the Bulls’ program, giving him gallons of sweat equity.

Bozich notes that there is no Big East coach that has even won the conference (technically UConn was co-Big East champ last year so Edsall could count).  Here’s the short answer why the league lacks one. Money.

The Big East as a conference spends the least on coaches — especially assistants. That means, coaches are moving on, more often than not.

It was just a shot to the ribs. It was just a shot to the ribs.

The play Stull got hurt on, however, was exhibit A of what continues to be the Panthers top area of concern – right tackle as junior Joe Thomas was pushed back into Stull by defensive end Jabaal Sheard. Thomas needs to play more consistently than he has and he needs to improve in a hurry or else he could find himself sitting behind either redshirt freshman Jordan Gibbs or freshman Lucas Nix.

Wannstedt said after practice that the right tackle spot is “wide open” which is not where you want to be with such a critical spot less than three weeks from your opener.

At the start of camp, Thomas said all the right things and looked better conditioned. It’s telling, though, when Pinkston was moved to left tackle despite being out of shape and never playing on the left side — admitting that he is struggling with the footwork — seems to have things settled. Thomas is probably more comfortable and has trained on the right most of his HS and college time, but is struggling.

Just about everyone — including me — believes Pat Bostick will be redshirted this year if Stull does not get hurt. It just makes too much sense based on the eligibility of the players at the position and what Bostick needs in terms of development.

That said, while I’m bothered that Greg Cross is not making as much progress, it is very positive to read that Bostick has really come along in camp.

On Pat Bostick possibly getting a redshirt:

“I’m sure that could be an option but our biggest concern right now is what gives this football team the best chance to win. It’s a long season and we’re only in the first week of camp so I haven’t given it much serious thought just yet.”

On the quarterback competition:

“It still is a battle. Pat’s right there but both quarterbacks (Stull and Bostick) are playing well right now. It’s between those two; I think they have separated themselves from the rest. (Greg) Cross has his package of plays and (Kevan) Smith is still learning and working hard. (Tino) Sunseri is a freshman and I have been very pleased with him. He has a chance to be a good player for us.”

Of course, the other explanation is that Wannstedt giving Bostick a little public positive reinforcement. He could be making sure Bostick knows he has a shot not to be redshirted and to stay focused on preparing and learning in camp.

The defense continues to make the strong showing in practices.

Senior nose tackle Rashaad Duncan terrorized offensive linemen during the 5-on-5 rush drills. On one play, the 6-foot-2, 295-pound Duncan enervated senior guard C.J. Davis on the way to the tackling dummy.

Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Myles Caragein continued to be virtually unstoppable during the rush drills. In the 11-on-11, the Keystone Oaks High School product stuffed tailback Kevin Collier behind the line of scrimmage, while freshman Tony Tucker swooped in to force a fumble.

And the linebackers look to be solid.

Middle linebacker Scott McKillop is even better than advertised. Let me say that again — Scott McKillop, the one getting all the accolades, might actually be underrated. He is the smartest football player on the defense — maybe the team. He’s tough, he knows his position and he is a much better athlete than people give him credit for. The other thing is that Adam Gunn has become an excellent linebacker as well and Shane Murray always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

Aliquippa’s Brandon Lindsey is another player who looks like he is getting better and better.

So far in camp, all the defensive attention has been on the D-line and a secondary battle. Very little talk about the linebackers, despite McKillop’s presence and the fact that Pitt is pushing him for national attention.

In something of a minor surprise in media watching, LeSean McCoy has not gotten a lot of puff pieces yet.

There’s the one today that is about his close relationship with fellow RB LaRod Stephens-Howling, and plans to pair the two out there at the same time.

“The reality is we have two starting tailbacks,” Pitt running backs coach David Walker said. “They are both going to play a lot and they are both going to play together at times because when we put them out there together it opens up a whole new challenge for defenses trying to stop us.”

McCoy added, “With both of us out there, you have no idea who is getting the ball and that makes us both more dangerous. That is what made West Virginia so good, they had Pat White, Steve Slaton and Noel Devine back there, that’s a lot to deal with. Hopefully people will say the same thing about us.”

Stephens-Howling and McCoy are not just backfield partners, they have become best friends. They refer to themselves as Mario and Luigi in reference to Nintendo’s Mario Brothers and have used that friendship to push each other.

So, duality is key this season for the offense. Two tailback sets. The hope to see two tight end formations. Using Greg Cross for Bill Stull for two QBs getting action. I’m sure there is a great and deep meaning for the number 2 in the Pitt offense.

The rest of the article is a nice enough piece as each flatters the other.

The facet of their relationship was also featured on another piece on Stephens-Howling from his hometown paper last week.

But rather than sulk about the loss of playing time, Stephens-Howling has embraced his role.

“I feel like I’m here for whatever they need me for,” he said. “I’m not going to whine about not getting enough playing time or anything like that.”

McCoy said the player he calls “Hot Rod” has been instrumental in his development as a running back.

“He’s done so much for me, helping me out with formations,” McCoy said. “He’s like having a coach on the field. If I have any questions, I can go to him. He knows the playbook like the quarterbacks.”

McCoy and fullback Conredge Collins each got puffing Pitt press releases that are sure to make it into the info packets that broadcast crews get for Pitt games.

Sometimes they can be amusingly (or disturbingly) fawning.

One look at his well-defined, chiseled features reinforces his words that he is more than ready for his senior season.

“I’ve been working very hard on my conditioning,” he said. “I’ve heard all during my career that I’m too small, too light, to do this or that on a football field.”

As for Collins, you bet this will get picked up in the on-air stories. After all, what commentator can resist a “mother-knows-best” theme.

“I told her how I felt, told her I didn’t think this [playing fullback] was a good idea,” he said. “My mom said, ‘You stay there, and you be the best fullback coming out of your class.’ I said, ‘Okay, Mom, I’ll do what you tell me.’ She said, ‘You’ve built a bond with your team. You stay committed. You do what they ask you to do.’ I’ve been working hard ever since.”

Mothers always seem to know best – and have great foresight. Heading into his senior season, Collins is considered college football’s top fullback by several scouting services.

Both of course are all about the team, and really seem to have accepted that McCoy is the leading star among the backs. They are focused on helping the team and keeping the younger kids behind them in the depth chart.

At the start of camp I mentioned that with the number of injured players from last year, it could be counted on that the local media would be doing stories on each of them coming back this year.

With that in mind, a couple of severe knee injury stories from each side of the line.

On the D-Line it was Gus Mustakas who had a torn ACL in the left knee.

“I think it will take him a little while to play at the level he was playing and get comfortable again,” Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso said of Mustakas. “Everybody that has injuries of that severity has work to do to get to that level again. But he’ll be fine. He’s tough, smart and understands it. I think it’ll take a game or two.

“The nice thing is, whatever minutes he can give me in a game are bonus minutes right now. He has to get to a high level – he knows it – because of the talent level of the others.”

For the O-line it was Chris Jacobson with a torn patella tendon in the right knee.

Tony Wise, Pitt’s new offensive line coach, said Jacobson is making progress.

“He is feeling more comfortable every day,” Wise said. “As he twists and turns his body, things like that. There’s really not much hesitation.”

Both are coming back to squads with a bit more depth.

The silver lining is that with Mustakas and [Mick] Williams, Pitt has the opportunity to use a rotation to keep them fresh. That’s quite a difference from two seasons ago, when Mustakas played every snap against Rutgers, West Virginia and Connecticut. Mustakas is a strong pass rusher, but Williams is better against the run.

Not to mention that taking a medical redshirt has allowed Mustakas another year to grow into his frame, especially after being forced to play defensive end as a 17-year-old true freshman.

And.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said Jacobson could be the first reserve off the bench for Malecki or left guard C.J. Davis.

“I think (Jacobson) is going to be a solid guy,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “We need him to play. If we can get him to the point where he can be the swing guard, that would be a big bonus.”

That Wannstedt is already saying how Pitt needs him for the line as a reserve is actually reassuring. It means that O-Line coach Tony Wise’s comments last week about wanting just the top-5 guys always playing is already being scaled back a bit.

In terms of pixels and ink, there are two players among the Pitt receiving corps that have gotten the most attention. Freshman WR Jonathan Baldwin and junior TE Dorin Dickerson. That really didn’t change over the weekend.

Dickerson has been solid in practice, but receives extra attention in part because this is his third position in three years. That makes him an intriguing story as a player the reporters know, constantly taking a new challenge.

“It fits his physical stature very well,” Wannstedt added. “He’s a good enough blocker and he can run against the linebackers as opposed to the defensive backs. I expect him to have an excellent year. He has enough talent to be a difference maker.”

Thanks to spending his freshman year on offense, Dickerson already knows offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh’s playbook.

“That’s not a problem. I remember all the plays from my freshman year and it’s still the same concepts,” Dickerson said.

Dickerson has been showing enough, that despite the now healthy Nate Byham (and John Mackey watchlist candidate) and John Pelusi, Dickerson is right there for major playing time.

On the competition at tight end:

“I’ll tell you the tight ends, it’s between (Nate) Byham, (Dorin) Dickerson and (John) Pelusi. In my mind we have three starters, and I think any one of those guys can line up and start and we can win with any of the three.”

Expect at least 2-TE sets this season.

Q: Will the tight ends be more involved in the offense?

ZEISE: I’d say yes if for no other reason than I think the passing game will be a lot better than it was last year with Stull taking over at quarterback. Also, I think coaches see that Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham are match-up nightmares for most linebackers and are looking for ways to get both into open space. I’m not saying these two will combine to catch 100 passes, but I could see both getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 35 which would be about five or six per game.

Honestly, I keep waiting for more passes to the TEs. I mean, the one thing you can say that Cavanaugh did well as OC for the Baltimore Ravens was utilizing TEs and making use of Todd Heap. Again, no excuses this year.

As for Baldwin, every practice report seems to include mention of Baldwin making some great catch or just showing that he has more talent than those trying to cover him.

Freshman receiver Jonathan Baldwin added to his growing list of circus catches, leaping high for a one-handed catch in double coverage on the left sideline.

Panthers players started howling when the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Baldwin showed off his 40-inch vertical jump by soaring above safety Elijah Fields and cornerback Jarred Holley.

“Jonathan Baldwin made a catch today that, I think, let everybody know that he plans on competing,” Wannstedt said.

Which, in turn makes him the subject of other stories, even as he sticks to the tried and true cliches.

“I’m just trying to work hard in training camp,” he said. “I’m not looking farther than this right now. Just continue to work hard. Whatever happens to please the coaches happens.”

Wannstedt hasn’t discussed Baldwin’s future, saying it’s still too early in camp to discuss the freshmen, but the coach seemed willing to leave open the possibility that Baldwin could begin the season without a redshirt.

“I think the big decision for us is who we are going to put on the field when we get the entire team together: an extra back, tight end or receiver?” Wannstedt said. “We have some choices at all positions. How much these young kids will have an opportunity, I think it’s just too early to tell yet.”

RRRIIIGGGHHHHTTTT.

Assuming no injuries, it would be a huge shock not to see Baldwin on the 2-deep by week 3. I’m hedging just because I think Coach Wannstedt would put the older players ahead of him on the official depth chart initially out of respect. Even if he didn’t actually stick to the chart when it came time for substitutions.

Sticking with the receivers, we are still waiting for Derek Kinder to show he’s healthy. He’s frustrated as well after having to sit for a few more days.

It felt good to go out and run around, coach limited me some but he wanted me to get back into the swing of things and it felt really good,” said Kinder, who said he is close to 100 percent. “I just needed some rest for my knee after that first practice, my knee just wasn’t used to those long practices. As soon as I get a few two-a-days under my belt and get used to all the running and pounding my knee is going to take, I hope by next week I’ll be all right.

“I feel good cutting, but I need to get back to where I was before. I’m still waiting on that first hit, I hope it comes soon, maybe tomorrow.”

Kinder said it was frustrating to have to sit out the past few days after working so hard to get back from the injury, but he understands the rehabilitation process on an injury such as his can be as long as two full years.

On Sunday, Kinder did actually participate in contact drills. No clear word on how much contact he actually took.

Oderick Turner hasn’t gotten attention in camp from the media, but it seems he is handling things rather well.

Oderick Turner capped one of his best practices in some time with a punctuation mark, catching a 23-yard pass from Bill Stull on third-and-25 pass and – after LeSean McCoy converted a fourth-and-2 – a corner fade in the end zone to end the day.

Turner is quickly developing into Stull’s favorite target, and took a step toward regaining the starting split-end job by showing off skills that points put on the scoreboard.

More importantly, the offense responded to adversity and took an important win over a defense that has been dominant at times. That was certainly the case in third-down drills.

After sacks by Tommie Duhart and Jabaal Sheard, Stull found Turner on a square-in pattern for a big gain. Then Stull lobbed a scoring pass to Turner, who jumped over Jovani Chappel and Eric Thatcher for the catch in the left corner of the end zone.

Gorman speculates that Wannstedt has been judicious in his praise of Turner, in part because Turner is compteing against Cedric McGee for the starting spot, and that McGee is a favorite of Wannstedt’s for his blocking and arguably being a harder worker.

I would also suggest that it is a little psychological. Turner seems to respond better when he isn’t  the focus. He struggled as the #1 receiver last year with Kinder out. Coach Wannstedt hasn’t really singled out Turner one-way or another up until today’s practice. Instead just letting Kinder play.

Geez, a couple days worth of stories have piled up as the practices have progressed. As that happens, things become a little clearer on the depth chart.

On the O-line, as late as Friday, the coaches were talking like Jason Pinkston wouldn’t make it to 1st team on the depth chart until much later in the training camp.

“He is a guy who last year was slated as a starter and started a few games before his shoulder injury took him out of the lineup and he had to sit out,” Cavanaugh said of Pinkston.

“He is a little behind the eight ball because he missed so much time and wasn’t able to practice all spring, but I think he gets the message right now that he is working with the second unit and he has to work his way up to that first unit.

“Ideally, he’ll come on and start dominating people like he can and get back into the starting lineup.”

Well, it didn’t take long at all for Jordan Gibbs to give way to Jason Pinkston at Left Tackle . Gibbs will be the primary back-up, very likely playing at both tackle spots, but it is telling that Lucas Nix is already playing behind Thomas at RT.

Nix, of course, was one of the top offensive linemen recruits in the country. As much as Coach Wannstedt loves to redshirt freshmen — especially for the lines — and there were rumors all spring and summer that Nix will be academically shaky (which would be another reason to redshirt him so he can get better acclimated to the student side without as much athletic pressure); that Nix is already looking to be on the 2-deep after only a week.

Starting Friday — after Wannstedt criticized them publicly — the QBs responded.

…but the offense looked drastically different today.

For one, the quarterbacks actually had time to finish their drops and spot receivers. For another, they actually completed the majority of their passes. And, for the most part, the receivers caught those passes. Some even found their way into the end zone.

…

We mentioned Sunseri’s TD passes in the morning post, so let’s start with Bostick. I’ve noted that his physique has been radically altered, and it’s certainly had a positive affect on his footwork. His arm is still suspect, but Bostick makes up for it with his smarts and soft touch.

He’s moving better in the pocket, and ran one nice play-action fake to find freshman receiver Mike Shanahan for a 20-plus-yard gain. Bostick also threw a scoring pass. More on that later.

At the end of practice, during the two-minute drill, a Bostick pass bounced off the hands of Shanahan and into those of middle linebacker Max Gruder for an interception to end the day.

And Coach Wannstedt appropriately praised them afterwards.

Opening Statement:

“The best thing between this morning and afternoon was quarterback play overall, and they all played, with Billy Stull and Pat [Bostick], both up in the 80 percentile as far as completions, and that’s where they both should be in my opinion when we’re out here practicing and not scrimmaging. I think both guys responded the way you’d like them to. Kevan Smith was better today, Greg Cross, and I’ll tell you, Tino Sunseri made two throws this morning that were as good as any throws we’ve had from starters. I was real encouraged how the quarterbacks as a group responded after the first few days. That gives us a chance to have an upbeat practice. There were no interceptions, except at the end and that was a tipped pass. No mistakes. We got rid of the ball quick and that helps the practice go smooth. Tomorrow we go with the entire team. No practice in the morning, full practice in the afternoon and I would expect another surge of energy now that we are all back together. I look forward to that. We’ll have some live stuff tomorrow, a live inside drill for sure. This will be my 34th first day of pads, live inside drill.”

…

On the factors that led to the improved quarterback play today:

“I think it’s a combination of them responding, blocking a little better. The plays that we put together probably gave them a little better chance to be successful. [Jonathan] Baldwin made some plays today, [Mike] Shanahan made some plays today, [Cameron] Saddler made some plays. It was good to see. That’s three outstanding freshman receivers. That’s a unique group right there.”

I think Coach Wannstedt knows that the O-line (at least right now) looks average at best. For LeSean McCoy, that should be more than enough for him to have a bigger year. While even average would be a step-up from the past couple of years, I don’t think Wannstedt wants to let the QBs be able to use that as an excuse.

As for the defensive side, it just keeps reading that there is such depth all over the place (well, maybe not as much as safety, but even there it looks strong).

— Although the starting safety jobs are being held down by Eric Thatcher at free and Dom DeCicco at strong, Wannstedt didn’t rule out the possibility that we’ll see DeCicco and Fields together at times.

“Elijah is such a good coverage guy, we’re talking about using him in some nickel and dime situations to get both of those guys on the field,” Wannstedt said. “Most definitely.”

— The inside-run drill saw Belle Glades products Tommie Duhart and Rashaad Duncan lined up next to each other inside, and they wasted no time blowing up a play to drop McCoy for a loss.

Pitt has such depth at defensive tackle that you might see the Panthers go big (Duhart and Duncan), small (Mustakas and Mick Williams) or a combination (Duncan and Williams or Duhart and Mustakas). And that’s not even counting Caragein and Bokor.

— Nate Nix made a big hit to break up a pass intended for fullback Henry Hynoski, and Nix is an intriguing position. He could stay at weak-side linebacker, where he is contending with redshirt freshmen Tristan Roberts to back up Shane Murray, but it wouldn’t come as a shock to see him move to defensive end to add depth now that Fulmer is hobbled.

…

— Defensive end Ty Tkach came around the left side to drop Stephens-Howling from behind for a loss. After spending the spring at tight end for depth reasons (Byham and Pelusi were injured and Dickerson was new to the position), Tkach is another end taking advantage of his increased reps with Fulmer out.

…

— One twist to the second-team defense was that the linebacker corps consisted entirely of redshirt freshmen, with Max Gruder in the middle flanked by Lindsey at strong-side and Roberts at weak-side. That might have just been for Pitt coaches to get a look at them behind a veteran line.

The other combinations we’ve seen include Steve Dell at middle, with Nix at weak-side and Greg Williams at strong-side. It will be interesting to see how the competition plays out, especially with Gateway All-American Shayne Hale in the mix in the middle.

You get the feeling Coach Wannstedt, DC Phil Bennett and the rest of the defensive staff just start to get a little silly in the late-night meetings when it comes time to discuss who plays where and when and all possible permutations. They’ll just throw some things out there and see what happens.

Take one day to spend with the family. Banking some small amount of goodwill in anticipation of lost weekends of me either at Pitt games or watching football and basketball from September ’til April and lots happens.

A couple years ago when Henry Hynoski gave his verbal to Pitt, his teammate chose Penn State. Offensive lineman Josh Marks, was a preseason top-15 recruit in PA. Well, this week, it was reported/rumored that Marks failed the conditioning test at Penn State. Marks decided that he was done with PSU. Not, however, done with football.

Marks was unavailable for comment Friday, but his father John Marks said that his son was on a “recruiting visit.” The elder Marks said that Josh would play college football again, and he wanted to dispel rumors about why his son left Penn State.

“He did not get in trouble, he did not get in a fight,” John Marks said. “And his grades are fine.”

Which brings things to this item on who was on the sidelines for Pitt’s Saturday practice.

Perhaps most interesting was the presence of lineman Josh Marks, who recently left the Penn State football team. Marks was heavily recruited by Pitt out of Southern Columbia, where he played with Hynoski. The two spent time talking after practice, and it’s possible Marks could transfer to Pitt and walk-on to the team.

Coming out of spring practices, Marks was second on PSU’s depth chart behind guard Stefen Wisniewski.

Of course, that’s getting ahead of things. There is no verbal. No decisions there. Marks may decide he wants to play right away and go the 1-AA route. Besides there were a couple others that actually verballed.

The first came Friday night when Carl Fleming out of Maryland gave a verbal.

The safety is a 2- to 3-star recruit, with offers from Delaware and UConn, with growing interest from Rutgers and Maryland. He was also the Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year in Maryland.

Pitt also got a big in-state verbal from Tyrone Ezell from Munhall (Steel Valley HS). A 3- to 4-star defensive tackle recruit, he had offers from Ohio State, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan and Virginia. Rivals.com had him as the 10th best recruit in PA while Chris Dokish at PSR lists him at #8. Here’s a bit on Ezell from ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. (Insider subs.):

He will play some end and tackle in high school and could project to defensive end in college, but with his size potential and ability it looks like he will be best suited for the tackle position. He looks to be about 250 pounds of muscle and should be able to add more bulk. He can be a stout force versus the run. He has a solid get-off. Does a good job of using his hands. When he gets his hands on a blocker he displays the power to control him and move him aside. Will flash the ability to come off the ball with good pad level and shot his hands and when he does that he can jolt a blocker back.

He’s a bit on the raw side, but lots of the ever-important, “upside.”

Some already Pitt verbals — Devin Street and Juantez Hollins — were at the Friday practice along with past Pitt great Jimbo Covert and his son, Scott, who is also a Pitt recruiting target.

Oh and a couple other recruits and future targets were around the camp.

Allderdice senior defensive end Will Clark, Seneca Valley receiver Matt Plautz and another ’09 commit, Bethlehem Liberty receiver Devin Street, also watched practice from the sidelines.

Sto-Rox junior quarterback Paul Jones, considered by some the state’s top prospect in the Class of 2010, had an audience with Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson (who spent 15 years as a recruiting coordinator at Nebraska, Tennessee and Ohio State).

Dokish had a small profile on Jones recently.

Perhaps Georgia Tech AD Dan Radackovich misremembered?

Or perhaps it was AD Steve Pederson and Assistant Athletic Director/Football Operations Chris LaSala?

You may recall Post-Gazette beat writer Paul Zeise wrote this.

There are rumors flying around the Internet that Pitt and Georgia Tech are nearing a deal to play a home and home in football. As it turns out, they seem to be just that — rumors, and not very credible ones.

How do I know?

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

Since I was likely the source thanks to a loyal reader and an Atlanta resident, I couldn’t back up the “rumor” at the time. The station only put the first half of the interview on their site.

Thankfully there are all these technological things like e-mail and mp3s. So, I e-mailed the producer of Mayhem in the A.M. at Sports Radio 790 The Zone in Atlanta, Scott Klug. He was nice enough to send me the MP3 of the second part of their interview with Georgia Tech AD Dan Radakovich.

Here’s the final 1:47 of the interview where they do get into the non-con football schedule.

GT AD Dan Radakovich Interview

Is this conclusive that it will happen? No. Does it suggest that Pitt and GT have done more than a little talking? I’d say so.

So, at least now that “rumor” has a source.

So much activity in the first week of training camp. So many stories to mention. Just need to get them out of my browser tabs.

The secondary has lots of battles going on for starting positions. Senior Eric Thatcher appears set at free safety.

It was a battle in spring drills and it is still raging as Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields are trying to get the starting strong safety position.

The mix of experience and his ability to grasp the defense is what sets DeCicco apart, [Secondary Coach Jeff] Hafley said.

“Dom covers a lot of ground,” he said. “He’s very physical, he’s a great tackler and he’s an intelligent football player. He’s a young kid right now, he’s only really been playing college football for one season, but he’s pretty intelligent back there. That’s a position where he’s got to be a leader and he’s got to be a quarterback. He brings those intangibles to the defense.”

Fields also brings an important aspect to the Panthers defense. He lettered as a freshman in 2006, appearing in eight games on special teams, before redshirting last fall.

“I think I just have to learn the defense inside and out and make plays, do what I usually do,” Fields said. “(Dom and I) are both like the same size, with my speed, covering ability and closure to the ball and stuff like that, I think I’ve got a good shot.”

“Everybody kind of says the same thing, he’s a super athlete,” Hafley said of Fields. “He can run, jump, he’s physical, he’s got the size you want, he’s got great coverage skills and he’s learning the game. He’s done a nice job, he had a great offseason and we’re really hoping he becomes a part of it this year.”

DeCicco has the advantage of getting a year of practice and playing special teams, while Fields had to sit all of last year due to a suspension. I expect this one to get a lot more attention deeper into camp, and the final decision to come late.

Then there is cornerback. Aaron Berry isn’t going anywhere at field cornerback, but at the boundary position and determining the depth chart, it seems up in the air. Jovani Chappel came into the training camp at the top of the chart on that side, but that was definitely written in pencil.

Buddy Jackson has already gotten some early mentions by Coach Wannstedt, and his athleticism is a big reason why.

Jackson, a 6-foot-1 redshirt freshman from Plantation, Fla., runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, has a standing broad jump of almost 11 feet and sports a 41-inch vertical leap. He can dunk a basketball with two hands — after doing a 360-degree spin in the air — and ran the 100-meter dash in 10.4 seconds in high school.

…

News of Jackson’s 40 time and other numbers began to circulate and as the summer wore on he began getting offers from programs in the SEC, ACC and even the Big 12.

Jackson stuck with his commitment to Pitt because it was the first school to give him a shot and because he said Pitt “just felt like home to me.” Coaches are hoping his knowledge of the position and football ability can match his physical ability sooner rather than later for Pitt, which is ranked 19th by Sports Illustrated in the magazine’s preseason poll being released today.

Jackson doesn’t shy away from contact, so that also helps him. Freshmen Ronald Hobby and Jared Holley have also been noticeable in the position battles. It is crowded back there with Chappel and Ricky Gary as well.

Good problem to have.

Yesterday was the scolding day for the quarterbacks.

“I have not been happy with our quarterback play. I would like to think we would be a bit farther along than what we have shown. We have not shown the execution that I would like to see. Our expectation for these guys is a little higher than where we are at right now. We did inside run drills today and with both groups the defense did get the better of the offense. However, I have never been a part of a good team anywhere in the first couple days where the defense is not ahead of the offense at this point.”

Effect of the quarterback play on the defense:

“No, the decision making and execution is there. It’s on them to perform better and be more efficient.”

On how the quarterbacks will respond to the challenge:

“They will respond fine. It’s only practice three but we hold that position highly and if we’re going to play well they have to play well.”

Of course that last comment strikes me as somewhat conflicting to Coach Wannstedt’s general view that a QB for his squad just needs to manage the game. An implication that the QB just needs to be competent and avoid mistakes.

The defense dominated in the first day of pads at practice, as expected. Still, Paul Zeise has not been impressed by the QBs so far.

Bill Stull got things started on the wrong foot this morning with an inconsistent session but you have to figure he’ll get it together as he is a smart kid, a tough kid and he is generally an accurate passer. The guys behind him, however, I’m not so sure.

Kevan Smith has struggled with his accuracy and consistency going back to the spring. Pat Bostick still needs to develop some arm strength and his accuracy has seemingly gotten worse, not better. And Greg Cross, while he is capable of being a nice change of pace, needs to show he can beat someone with his arm as well as his legs or the Wildcat will become just another goofy formation with a predictable — and thus ultimately not successful — outcome.

Again, it is early, but so far the struggles of the quarterbacks — struggles which have not gone unnoticed by the head coach — have begun to be a bit of a developing storyline.

Though, when the QBs do start to get it together, it already looks like they will have a very helpful target.

Bossard, Pitt’s new receivers coach, exchanged stunned looks with offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh as both watched with amazement a feat of incredible athleticism.

“There was no spoken word, but we were both saying the same thing,” Bossard said. “I thought that ball was eight feet out of bounds.”

At 6-foot-5, 222 pounds, with 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash and a 40 1/2-inch vertical leap, Baldwin is challenging the dimensions of the playing field and the Panthers’ passing game as a downfield threat who provides a big target in the end zone.

The word redshirt has not and will not be spoken in conjunction with Jonathan Baldwin.

It hasn’t helped the QBs, that the defensive line manhandled the offensive line. The D-line apparently looks strong and deep.

“I’ve been very, very pleased with their effort,” Gattuso said. “I think that complacency is a danger now that these guys are getting a little older and feeling a little more confident, but their effort has been outstanding. Right now, we have four tackles who have played and started a lot of games, and they are all having a good camp.

“I think one of the things we’ve found is the best motivator is competition and depth, and, right now, they are all pushing each other, so you can’t help but be pleased with what we’ve seen so far.”

…

Gattuso said the Panthers likely will use a rotation of four tackles and three ends once the season begins.

“I don’t know who is going to end up the starters, though Mick Williams has really been playing at a high level right now,” Gattuso said. “But I can put any of these guys in and feel good about it. The one thing I will say is I’ve talked to Jabaal Sheard about how he needs to increase his effort and how he needed to become more coachable, and he’s responded well. He’s working harder. I’ve never worried about his talent or his instincts, it is the fundamentals and techniques and, if he keeps working on those things, he’ll be a starter and a great player for us.”

And don’t forget about players who redshirted last year.

Myles Caragein dominated the afternoon practice like no other, in both one-on-one and team drills. He used a spin to beat right guard John Bachman almost untouched, then flipped to the other side and beat left guard Josh Novotny.

Caragein also was disruptive against the run, stopping Harris at the line on one play and beating Bachman to hit Harris behind the line of scrimmage on another. Caragein is capable of playing inside or outside on the defensive line, and it’s just a matter of Pitt coaches figuring out how to use him.

Of course, the question that always is there at this time of year. Is the defensive line really that good, or is the offensive line struggling?

Q: It has been widely documented that the 08 season will be contingent upon the performance of the o-line. But the line must face arguably the best defense in the nation. How much of their poor performance has to do with facing an awesome defense every day in practice?

ZEISE: I will concede that some of the struggles of the line in the spring were due to injury and the defense being so good. So far in camp, however, even though they haven’t gone in full pads and at full speed, it appears as if the line is going to struggle again. And some of that is the defensive line being so good but a lot of it is inexperience and the fact that these guys haven’t played a lot together as a unit. That’s why I would expect (and Pitt fans should hope) that as this unit plays together (once the starting five is sorted out) it will get better and better, and it should because this group is talented. The problem is that is not a guarantee. You never know how long it takes for linemen to develop and for the chemistry to develop between them. We know there is talent, we know it will get better with experience but we don’t know how fast the learning curve will be.

Apparently O-line Coach Tony Wise, is very high on John Malecki on the offensive line.

Q: How has John Malecki looked at offensive guard? Even with the depth at D-line I am still concerned about this move. He was a beast on the d-line.

ZEISE: If you go back to top and look at what I wrote, you’ll see I couldn’t disagree more. The defensive tackle position is fine — and he would have a hard time getting a lot of playing time there, particularly with Mick Williams and Tommie Duhart and Gus Mustakas and Rashaad Duncan all playing as well as they are. He is going to be a beast as an offensive guard. Tony Wise — the line coach — said his toughness, his intensity, his fearlessness, his physical play have all rubbed off on the other guys on the line — he’s a fighter and he loves to hit people and block people. This staff gets criticized for moving people around and sometimes justifiably so but not in this case. This was the absolute right move for both Malecki and the team.

Just a day past 3 weeks until we start to see for ourselves about all of this.

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.