Little things worth noting, that do not have a real common thread.
Michigan needs an opponent to start 2010 in the refurbished Big House.
Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez said Michigan is close to signing a deal with a major-conference opponent to open the 2010 season. “We’re looking at a BCS school,” Rodriguez said. Duke, Virginia and Pitt are among the BCS schools with open dates in Week 1 next year.
I have a hard time believing ole’ Dick Rod would really want to risk scheduling Pitt to open Year 3 of his term at Michigan, with the updated stadium. Still…
Brian Bennett makes his predictions regarding Pitt. He sees Greg Romeus having a big year and going pro, Pitt beating the Irish, and a blindingly obvious prediction.
1. Bill Stull will take the most reps at quarterback: There’s a heated quarterback battle underway on the Panthers, with Pat Bostick and Tino Sunseri nipping at incumbent starter Stull’s heels. Stull didn’t help himself with a poor stretch run last year and an awful Sun Bowl performance. But I think that, in the end, Dave Wannstedt will go with the experienced senior over the other two candidates, though all three will probably see the field at some point. Whether Pitt can win the Big East depends largely on how Stull (or the other two) come through.
Frankly, I think Bennett overstates how much of a competition there really will be. This is already a given to most fans. As Jones at Cat Basket has already noted that Coach Wannstedt has essentially said it is Stull’s job unless Stull blows it.
I don’t think anyone is really shocked. Disappointed? Perhaps. Frustrated? Sure. This is still Coach Wannstedt’s team. There may be a new OC, but the call is ultimately the head coach’s. Wannstedt will go with the QB he feels will make the fewest mistakes — not the one that will give Pitt the best chance to win. And I don’t know if Bostick or Sunseri or even Kolby Gray are truly better than Stull. I am certain, though, that Wannstedt trusts Stull not to make the big mistakes more than the other QBs.
A good interview/discussion with defensive coordinator Phil Bennett on defending the spread.
Your defense at Pitt is built on undersized but fast guys. Does that help against the spread?
PB: I think obviously it helps on the pass rush against play-pass because you don’t have as long to throw it. In the spread read game, it makes the quarterback have to make a faster decision, whether it’s give, keep, throw the bubble. And I think what it also does — I keep using the word equalizer — but if you blitz this thing it’s dangerous. If you don’t hit the right blitz, there’s a chance — and you’ve seen it over and over again — the dive can go 80 straight up the field, or the pitch, or the quarterback keeper. So you’ve really got to be careful how you pressure. It makes people think twice about pinning their ears back and taking off and getting after people.
That goes back to our philosophy. We’re a speed defense. … I just believe that speed beats size. If you look at it right now, so many people are running a version of the spread that outside linebackers are what I would call a tweener safety/linebackers. You look at our guys, and Austin Ransom was a former wide receiver/safety. Greg Williams we handpicked; he was a running back. I think the days of the 6-foot-3, 235-pound plug linebackers on the edge are gone, for the time being.
I’m a firm believer in that I don’t think you recreate your defense. We had a lot of people come up and visit because they liked the way we played it this year. We’re sort of a nickel defense to begin with.
I haven’t focused much on the preseason mags, because they seem as unsure about the Big East and Pitt as I do. The NY Times clocks Pitt at #42 overall (probably placing Pitt 4th or so in the BE). Really, the only reason to mention this preview is that they wisely mention this blog as a destination. They also point out that the issue of QB play looms large.
