I’m trying to be done with the whole Pat Bostick stuff. It’s just that there are still some things to clean-up.

First, Bostick is a good teammate who knows what to say about this.

“I’m the backup quarterback on a team that’s trying to win a championship,” Bostick said Tuesday. “Whatever they deem necessary to do that, trying to prepare ourselves to win a championship. We’re getting into the thick of things now. I’ve got to get ready to help this team win.”

…

“The important thing is, I’m not worried about the future right now, and this team is not worried about the future right now. We’re worried about right now,” Bostick said. “I think it’s natural to think about the future, and there are questions that arise as a result of what happened. But it’s also important to know that I’m helping this team to win every game, every week, and whatever the circumstances are for me to go on the field, that’s what I’m prepared for.”

Next, Coach Wannstedt should stop talking. It just seems that he is really trying to justify the decision and getting a little silly about it.

“It’s been made very clear to Pat and our team that he’s the backup quarterback,” Wannstedt said. “I’m concerned and Pat is concerned about winning as many games as we can this year. To say to a kid that you’re the second-team quarterback, but if someone gets hurt you’re not going into the game … I don’t know if that’s fair to the team and I don’t know if that’s fair to the kid.

“The third point is these redshirt things work out in different ways. Thank God, Derek Kinder had his redshirt year or his career would have been over [last] August. … You have to look at it in two ways. What’s best for the team? And who knows what’s going to happen and what’s best for the kid?”

I have to agree with Zeise who came back to it in the Q&A. The decision was made solely for this year. To then try and add a justification on how redshirts can work themselves out — because of injuries and what is unknown — is a load.

Q: Why are you people making such a big deal over Pat Bostick burning his redshirt this year when he still has next year to use it? Maybe with another year of maturation Greg Cross or Tino Sunseri will ready to be the back-up and thus Bostick could take his redshirt.

ZEISE: Technically you are correct but I’d say the likelihood of him taking a redshirt next year is next to nothing because he’ll be the back-up again and well, since he is the back-up, he’ll need to get some work and stay fresh. Look, this wasn’t a move that was made with the long term thought out — and this is something Dave Wannstedt even admitted during his news conference Monday. And while those other two players might progress — are you telling me that Greg Cross — or even Kevan Smith for that matter — hasn’t progressed enough to take three snaps and hand-off and then a fourth snap and then take a knee? Really, unless Bill Stull is injured and can’t play this week — and he said after the game he is fine — there was no logical reason to waste Bostick’s redshirt for what he was asked to do. And frankly, if the idea was to get him some work, considering Pitt scored to take a 28-point lead with 14 minutes left in the game he could have entered the game in the Panthers next drive — which began with 12:54 to play — and got some meaningful work. Had that been the case, this explanation of “needing to get him some work” would have been a whole lot easier to buy. The other theory I have heard floated — that coaches are losing confidence in Bill Stull — and want a viable alternative to be ready — that would be a lot easier to buy as well had they put Bostick in the game at the 12:54 mark and let him get some meaningful snaps — but they didn’t.

OC Matt Cavanaugh at least had a more reasonable explanation. The coaching staff screwed up on the timing portion.

Cavanaugh also admitted that the timing of playing Bostick late in the fourth quarter was “probably not” perfect. But he believed it was important because starter Bill Stull has been “banged around a little” this season with hip and shoulder injuries, and “you never know when he’s going to come out.”

“Obviously, it would have maybe been better if we’d stuck him at the beginning of the fourth quarter and given him a lot more work, but we’re a little slow to feel comfortable with a lead,” Cavanaugh said. “We didn’t think it would be fair to just throw (Pat) on the field.

“It could have been a better situation, the timing could have been better, but we accomplished what we wanted to. We wanted to get him some reps. Hopefully, we can continue that and have him ready if he has to play.”

You know, I can accept that easier than anything else. Why? Because it is consistent with the Pitt coaching staff with playing back-ups. There is no plan. It isn’t really thought out. With very little reason or logic. Any “plans” often get tossed because of the game situation.

It’s a shame it took the offensive coordinator and until the Thursday news for this to be said. It might have spared at least some of the speculation, rumors and such.