Elijah Fields given a one-day suspension as a wake-up call. Again.
Sophomore Andrew Taglianetti replaced redshirt junior Elijah Fields at free safety with the first-team defense because of what Wannstedt termed an “internal issue” involving Fields on Wednesday. “Elijah will be back working with the first group,” Wannstedt said. “He hasn’t started yet. He hasn’t done anything. We’re being very demanding on these players. It’s not just what happens on the field.”
Zeise is less than charitable about this. Seeing it as Fields still not getting it in his 4th year. Since I don’t know what it was this time — and one practice seems relatively minor — it may simply be that Fields is one of those kids who needs a regular shake-up. He may be a redshirt junior and extremely talented, but I don’t think anyone seriously considers him a team leader. He is a talented cog with pro possibilities.
Also happening as usual, is the D-line overwhelming the O-line.
Speaking of the more things change, the more they stay the same – watching Pitt’s defensive line dominate a practice has become fun in some ways, particularly when it is still going on with the second and third units in there.
Gus Mustakas is back and apparently at full strength to lend more depth and further force inside the defensive line.
And continuing the familiarity theme, the quarterback play slipped noticeably. Obviously not helped by the O-line getting blasted back.
Despite receiving praise from Wannstedt — who said he “thought that all the quarterbacks threw the ball well” — it was actually a tough day for the signal callers, Stull in particular. They were under constant pressure and, as a result, their throws weren’t as crisp as previous practices. Stull threw five consecutive incomplete passes, as the team drill ended with Stull and Sunseri combining to complete only one of their final 10 passes.
Not a cause to sound the alarm, but not a good day, either.
Cat Basket is hoping for freshman Dan Mason to beat back Wannstedt-ian perceptions and become the starting middle linebacker. Looking for one word to describe that goal: Quixotic.
On the matter of the running back competition, Coach Wannstedt emphasized that it will more likely because of one thing that will eliminate contenders.
“We’re going to have to work on the running game, we’re going to have to find a couple tailbacks and the only way to do that is to run the plays in practice. Unfortunately, it’s going to come down to the guy that gives up that one fumble or makes a mental mistake. He’s going to eliminate himself. Coach David Walker has a very difficult job.”
I do think, unlike a couple other positions, that running back is truly open regardless of whether the kid is a freshman or not. Mainly because three of the contenders are true freshmen while a fourth is a redshirt freshman.
“They all realize there’s not a player in our room that has won a job,” Walker said. “Everybody is being given a fair opportunity to compete. It’s a competitive environment. This is a production business and the guys that are the most productive in camp are the guys who are going to play, regardless of everything else.
“When we say it’s an open competition, it is open competition across the board. The guy who may be taking the fifth rep today might be taking the first rep Sept. 5 (in the season opener against Youngstown State). Who knows how it’s going to play out?”
What will really help any running back? An offensive line they can trust. There’s a focus on sophomores Lucas Nix and Chris Jacobson. Nix already has the right tackle spot locked up, and Jacobson is trying to beat out Joe Thomas for left guard.
Wise said Jacobson has a lot of ability, but he needs to do better with the mental part of the game and the intricacies and fundamentals of line work.
“Chris, it hasn’t come as natural to him,” Wise said. “But he has very good toughness, [and] he is still sorting some things out more. He is still thinking too much, but it is coming.”
Jacobson knows that beating out Thomas (6-5, 290 pounds), a player with 27 career starts, is not going to be easy, but Jacobson also knows that the Panthers are counting on him to contribute this season.
“Coaches want me to prove I deserve to start. It is a competition, that’s what I thrive on,” Jacobson said. “I didn’t know what I was doing last year, but [guard] John Malecki and even [former quarterback] Tyler Palko did a good job in the offseason explaining things to me and working with me.”
And there’s the segue to all the former Panthers on the Arizona Cardinals squad that stopped by to talk to the Pitt players before the exhibition NFL game last night.
Five former Pitt players who are now members of the Arizona Cardinals visited the Panthers at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on Thursday before their preseason game against the Steelers at Heinz Field. All-Pro receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Gerald Hayes, quarterback Tyler Palko, running back LaRod Stephens-Howling and secondary coach Teryl Austin took turns speaking to Pitt players. “Ever since I’ve been back here, I’ve been trying to bring alive our great tradition. That’s one thing we have here that a lot of schools don’t have around the country,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “Those are the guys that made this program. It was awful nice of them to come by and spend a little time, and they all said something to our team. Hopefully, it sticks with a few guys and makes a difference with a couple guys.”
You would hope.
