Late start today. Too many offline responsibilities and matters to attend.
Not that it mattered as much as practice yesterday was uneventful.
Getting the daily QB stuff out of the way. Coach Wannstedt naming Stull the starter is a full AP story making the media wires. Nothing new there, though, Bob Smizik sees a short leash for Stull.
I’m not sure I agree with his point that it had to be done since Stull played best in the spring practice. And I’m not sure I believe Stull has a short leash. What I do find myself agreeing is his point that Stull would be ill-suited to come on in relief in a game. I think that if Stull loses the job or keeps it, Pat Bostick stays the #2 QB. I can see Sunseri being put as the #1 guy and Stull down to #3 and vice-versa. Bostick at this point, and Zeise alluded to it in a Q&A, is the best choice at back-up. He’s done it. He’s probably the most comfortable of the three to do it in a live game. That’s probably the only route available to Bostick at the moment to get the #1 spot. He would have to come in for a yanked Stull and grab the job.
Coach Wannstedt confirms what I already thought, that he has Dion Lewis as the leading candidate to be the starting tailback to date.
“As far as yesterday and Dion Lewis, it’s easy to watch a scrimmage from the sideline. You see one guy make a run, and you really evaluate how his technique was, and how he was during those 32 plays. Sometimes what you see in one or two plays might not really be the true evaluation. But Dion Lewis did some good things.”
It’s a simple equation. No fumbles (Graham is having that problem) plus running better than Chris Burns minus Douglas and Harris having injuries hamper them equals Dion Lewis.
Craig Bokor has been a Pitt player for longer than Bill Stull has, and it seems like Stull has been here forever. Now Bokor has his academics and priorities in line and will finish his final year.
Today, Bokor is a chiseled 260 pounds. That’s a long ways from 330, and he overhauled his approach to academics, as well. He spent a semester at Valley Forge Military Academy after high school and will earn his diploma (legal studies) in December with the possibility of becoming a lawyer.
“I made some bad academic choices early in my career here, when I thought college football was all about football,” Bokor said. “It’s not. It’s about becoming a better person.”
No. No. No. No. Not a lawyer. Don’t do it.
Jonathan Baldwin gets a puff piece devoted to his efforts to improve in the offseason.
“I knew that I didn’t do enough last season and I wanted to set the tone for this season right away,” Baldwin said about his offseason workouts. “I knew that to do more than I did last year, I’d have to do more on my own in the offseason. I wanted to work with the quarterbacks and get our timing better. I just wanted to get better.”
By all accounts, Baldwin got a lot better in the offseason.
He has been one of the most dominant players in Pitt’s training camp. and there have only been a few practices in which he hasn’t done something special.
Well, he did a lot of that last year in training camp. This year, though, it isn’t just the spectacular. It is the domination.
This bit on the linebackers dealing with an interception drill amused me.
The Pitt linebackers surely had some jammed fingers and sore hands after their interception drill. Former Panther quarterback Rod Rutherford, a first-year graduate defensive assistant, was firing left-handed lasers from about 10 yards during the drill. The linebackers dropped back and then reversed field to catch Rutherford’s offering. Adam Gunn and Shane Murray were among those who, somehow, managed to hold on to the passes. More frequently, Rutherford’s rockets whizzed through the hands or bounced off the chest of the grimacing linebacker. For sure, in the real games, it will be easy. They will not face any harder-thrown balls all year.
The linebacker depth chart is getting closer to being solidified, it appears.
Q: I read your take on the middle linebacker. What about the outside linebackers?
ZEISE: Right now Greg Williams has been one of the best players on the field. Well, besides the two defensive ends and Mick Williams who are in another stratosphere right now. But Williams is at strongside linebacker and he has played extremely well. He’s clearly taken the next step as coaches hoped. Max Gruder and Shane Murray have battled at weakside linebacker but it seems as if Gruder has been consistently ahead. Murray is still coming back from a knee injury and they’ve limited him some. Both look capable of getting the job done. The other guy who has really played well is Manny Williams and if he continues to progress, I think he’ll get into the mix at weakside linebacker and perhaps Murray could move to strongside behind Greg Williams.
At the risk of sounding Wannstedtian, the inexperience at the linebacker spots is still a bit worrisome, but the athleticism and potential of the group is exciting.
Did Smizik actually say that Stull outplayed everyone in camp??? I would like to see where he got that info from??? Everything I read basically said Stull has been the worst of the three.
I hear the defense and offense go pretty much their own ways, little comaraderie between the two. I also hear that they’re being run ragged, sacks of mush by nighttime.
I also hear that they share our consternation about the QB situation.
I will say though the only thing that bothers me is this. When asked about Ray Graham who apparently stood out in the scrimmage but fumbled twice, Wanny says Ray did a good job but those to plays could have us down 14pts insinuating he wasn’t ready to play. However, shouldn’t the same go for the QB’s as Stull through a pick six on the first pass which definitely puts the team down 7. I have no problem with earning a way to playing and I believe you should have to. But the thing that is missing is consistency. You can’t claim one guy isn’t ready because of the mistakes he makes, when another player you are promoting each day is turning the ball over day in day out. That being said, all that I read are reports from the newspaper and don’t see every practice. Therefore, the only plays I hear about are those reported by Gorman, Zeisi, etc.
I think it’s this… RB fumbles are much more rare than QB interceptions and when you run a rushing play you do so to help eliminate the element of turnover risk. When executing a passing play you know the risk of interception is there and try to account for it – hence so many less passing plays than running plays by teams inside the opponents 10 yard line for example.
So, when a RB keeps putting the ball on the ground it’s a real cause for concern.
Look, I agree that the coaches not only see much more than the fans and press, but also know much more about the game and these players than anyone else. I also agree that as a general rule, playing too many inexperienced guys can be problematic because they will make more mistakes. That being said, Wannstedt has repeatedly demonstrated a stubborn unwillingness to play younger players until circumstances force his hand (e.g., because of injury), seemingly only because they are inexperienced. I think the frustration that fans have is his demonstrated unwillingness to bend from what should be a general rule even when the talent level of the younger, inexperienced players appears far greater than the guys who get playing time.
Please keep in mind that this is coming from someone who is not a “Wannstedt basher”. I think he has done a remarkable job recruiting and rebuilding this program, particularly along the lines. Five years ago, Pitt was getting pushed around by teams that were both stronger and faster. I think those days are now behind us, and Wannstedt deserves most of the credit. The frustration that many people feel (I think) is that this team seems to be very close to turning a corner, but for a couple of key positions.
Boy, do we look SMALL in comparison to today’s team! Pantherman, great point….DW has brought in Bigger and Faster players…that is for sure.
Against EMU McCoy had 10 carries to LSH’s 16 carries – not that big of a discrepancy for a true freshman’s first game.
Against Grambling McCoy had far more carries and receptions that LSH before Stevens-Howling got hurt in that game.
As we know McCoy then went on to get the bulk of the carries from that point on – and rightly so. But, contrary to what you say, McCoy started the Syracuse game (when LSH was healthy to play ) and got 28 carries to LSH’s 13.
This “DW wouldn’t play McCoy until LSH got hurt” is a myth perpetrated by PITT fans to make a point, but just isn’t true.
Now, what DW didn’t do is start McCoy in those first two games, but he certainly didn’t keep him on the bench in any way either.
I think PITT fans tend to forget that LSH wasn’t some bum RB for us – the year before he had just about 900 yards rushing and with a 5.0 YPC had a better YPC average in 2006 than McCoy had his whole PITT career.
And with 2 years of experience under his belt starting LSH in those games was a perfect way for the coaching staff to ease McCoy into the games – remember that he fumbled a ton and missed lots of blocking assignments his rookie camp – it was pretty nice to have the luxury of not having to throw him into the fire without some acclimation.
Baldwin didn’t play because he was flat out not ready, and if you read the interviews he’s had this year he’s the first to admit it.
As far as other true FR – we’ve see DW play his share, just ask Gus Mustakas or Joe Thomas or Pat Bostick or Tags or….
If Stull looks horrible against YSU, which I suspect will happen, you have to wonder how short the leash will be!