At least one of his investments turned out really poorly.

Seems Coach Wannstedt held some stock in Orion Bank in Naples.

There are 405 “holders” of private stock identified on Orion Bancorp’s registration list. Some names are repeated two or three times, with a different number of shares, indicating multiple holdings.

…

The five other directors of Orion Bancorp’s board – Earl Holland of Fort Myers, Brian Schmitt of Marathon, James Torok of Sarasota, Alan Pratt of Vero Beach and James Aultman of Marathon – were big investors in the holding company. In the group, Holland had the most shares – 273,136 – making him the second-largest individual shareholder after Williams.

Dave Wannstedt, a former coach of the Miami Dolphins and head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh, owned 71,008 shares.

The bank was one of the largest privately held bank in Florida.  It got shut down by the FDIC back at the end of September. The shareholder list just surfaced.

Ouch.

But, at least his name isn’t surfacing with failed real estate development deals and some banned booster named “Clegg.”

Or at least it is rumored/expected to be.

High-ranking Big Ten representatives will meet Sunday in Washington to discuss expansion. The timing and location of the session make sense considering the Association of American Universities has its semi-annual meetings there through Tuesday and all 11 Big Ten schools are AAU members.

Among those attending will be Northwestern President Morton Schapiro, according to a university spokesman, and Illinois’ interim chancellor, Robert Easter.

If the conference can emerge from the meetings with a mandate to expand, Commissioner Jim Delany could take a substantial step next week at the annual Bowl Championship Series meetings outside Phoenix.

As laid out in the Big Ten’s Dec. 15 statement, Delany would “notify” the commissioners of the affected conferences before “engaging in formal expansion discussions with other institutions.”

In other words, Big East Commissioner John Marinatto would get a heads-up if the Big Ten wishes to contact schools such as Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

That would allow the Big Ten more than a month to negotiate with schools before conference presidents and chancellors meet in Chicago during the first weekend in June.

That timetable also makes sense from a financial standpoint. The fiscal years of universities end on the last day of June, “so if you go past July 1, you have to wait an extra year,” one source said.

So while the Big 10 Presidents and Chancellor’s meet for the AAU meeting (along with Pitt, Rutgers, Mizzou, Nebraska and Syracuse), Big 10 commish Delany goes to Arizona for BCS meetings with conference commissioners and presumably athletic directors from the BCS schools.

At that point, Delany could let Beebe (Big 12) and/or Marinatto (Big East) know that they will be poached. Because let’s be honest, whoever they ask from the conference will go (except maybe Texas).

To admit a new member to the Big 10, it takes at least 70% to say yes, or 8 of the 11 schools have to back the proposed school.

The presumption is that the Big 10 will have to take one more run at Notre Dame before moving down the list. I have no idea how this plays out.

I’ve read so many different scenarios based on expanding with or without ND. Expanding by 1, 3 or 5 teams. Pitt — depending on the person doing the ranking and their biases and values on various aspects — places anywhere from the most attractive candidate after ND and Texas (and Texas A&M) to the least. There are kernels of logic and reason in them, but I don’t think anyone truly knows how the Big 10 is going to make this decision.

I’m also not as worried. If they only go one and it isn’t Pitt, the Big East survives. Even if it would be Rutgers or Syracuse. The loss isn’t that drastic.

If the Big 10 goes to 14, and Pitt wasn’t one of the three, I’m nervous but I also think that the Big East could make it or the ACC would look to expand and Pitt would be a top choice. Is the ACC as lucrative as the Big 10? No. But it would be more stable and more lucrative than the Big East.

Even if the Big 10 went all the way to 16 and still Pitt was left out, then definitely the ACC would be expanding and Pitt would be in there.

Really, I think that Pitt will be okay. It is the fate of the Big East as a football conference that is at stake.

I still haven’t had a chance to watch the spring practice on the DVR. For real analysis of the scrimmage I don’t feel like I have anything particularly deep. It was interesting to be on the sidelines and being able to walk around the whole field to see different things, and taking pictures.

The truth is, though, it is really hard to see much except along the edges of the line and one-one-one battles. Couldn’t really see plays develop (or die).

Here’s some more perspective from Eye of the Panther.

Given how cold it was, I was actually quite impressed with the turnout. The parking lots they had open were quite filled. They officially declared a count of over 6000. Cold, sharp wind blowing through continually and even freezing rain at points. Just a very nasty day that was more late-November than mid-April.

We heard a lot about the other running backs doing well all spring. That’s great. They aren’t catching Dion Lewis on the depth chart. Just for the few plays he saw action, the difference was noticeable. It is something when you see a running back make the O-line look better.

Whether to keep from getting a pounding or because he knew the outside part of the O-line is better, Lewis quickly bounced it out to the edges of the rather than trying to go up the middle.

Both QBs threw maybe 2 or 3 times at most across their body. Almost every pass attempt was to the right side.

Both QBs really struggled to get plays in and called. Probably not a major issue at this point.

Yes, Sunseri has noticeably better arm strength than Bostick. Yes, Sunseri is going to have balls knocked down at the line of scrimmage. He is not that big.

The middle of the O-line is going to have to get much better. More of a concern is that the drop-off from the 2nd team O-line from 1st team is much steeper than the difference between the 1st team D-line and 2nd. That made it hard to judge the tailbacks running behind the 2nd team O-line.

Redshirt sophomore DB Jeremiah Davis saw a good amount of action. Actually played decently.

Aaron Smith does not like contact. I think everyone knew that from his time trying to return punts on special teams last year, but seeing him trying to play WR was disheartening. He was easily bumped off routes and discouraged from going after the ball.

Antwuan Reed will be a starting corner, but his most electrifying impact could be on special teams. He is tremendous at coming off the edge to block FGs.

The sideline had plenty of incoming freshman from the 2010 signing class along with recruits for this year.

There was also a strong turnout of former Pitt players. Obviously headlined by Larry Fitzgerald. Also there Kris Wilson, Torrie Cox, Tyler Palko, Clint Session, LaRod Stephens-Howling and plenty others.

Still trying to get warm from Saturday. Cold. Really, effing cold.

Son’s birthday was Sunday, so time was not permitting. Here are some photos from the scrimmage.

Click the picture for the full image.

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Coffee, bourbon, beer and I’m grilling some skirt steak along with onions and peppers somewhere around Heinz Field. It’s our own trial run for the coming season of football and tailgating.

Well, more like a taste of what will be. Family in tow so the kids can have some fun and get positive reinforcement about Pitt football. Maybe dim those memories of daddy downstairs yelling at the TV, typing into the laptop and drinking. Yeah. When I put it that way it will be amazing if either of my kids will come to a game with me this year.

Tweets most of the day.

If you are watching at home on the NFL Network at 2pm tell us what you see. I have it on DVR to watch for a different perspective later. If you went, add your thoughts later.

Sorry for the quiet. Between the last minute scramble of finishing taxes, assorted other things in the offline world, and the logistic scramble of bringing the wife and kids to Pittsburgh for the Blue-Gold game — the time in front of a computer has been limited.

In case you were unaware, the scrimmage will be on the NFL Network at 2 PM. If you scan the sidelines closely, you may see a short, goateed geek with glasses. If so, it’s a good bet that it will be me. Especially if he seems a little twitchy and fearful that at any moment he will be run over by a play that goes out of bounds.

There will be an open thread tomorrow to share observations, and I’ll be tweeting most of the day.

After the Blue-Gold game and requisite tailgating, this seems like fun and for a good cause.

For that reason, Cox and former Panthers Kris Wilson, Shawn Robinson and Yogi Roth have teamed up for Dessert Tasting for a Cause, a charity event at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Olive or Twist on 6th Street in the Cultural District.

Participants will be able to sample a number of desserts from a variety of places, including All In Good Taste, Cookie Connection, Godiva, Fernando’s Cafe and Shallot.

Roth will serve as the host for the event, which will include a silent auction, giveaways and raffles.

The proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania as well as Kris Wilson’s foundation, which supports a program that uses an Internet-based curriculum to improve reading skills of middle school children.

It’s quite a gathering of Pitt players mainly from the Walt Harris time, that still love Pitt.

“And let’s face it, Pittsburgh is the place where we all got our opportunity, and so it is fitting for us to give back as much as we can. The response has been overwhelming.”

Cox, who lives in his hometown of Miami and is currently a free agent, said other former Pitt players expected to attend are LaRod Stephens-Howling (Cardinals), Antonio Bryant (Browns), Darrelle Revis (Jets), H.B. Blades (Redskins), Clint Session (Colts), Scott McKillop (49ers), Gerald Hayes (Cardinals), Jeff Otah (Panthers), Darnell Dinkins (Saints), Nick Goings, Rob Pettiti and Hank Poteat.

And maybe Hank can bring along another Poteat along for an extra visit.

Offline world today may delay extensive posting for most of the day.

The search for Pitt’s next new assistant to Coach Dixon is mostly quiet. Tony Battle is indeed staying on at Wake Forest, so cross him off the list.

Minor tidbit from the Boston Globe:

…Wake Forest firing Dino Gaudio following a 20-11 season. Gaudio could resurface as an assistant coach on Jamie Dixon’s staff at Pittsburgh, although Pat Duquette, who was on Skinner’s staff at BC, also could emerge as a candidate.

Not sure if that is based on anything other than speculation. Nice to know that  people understand how good a gig and potential career reboot serving on Coach Dixon’s staff can be.

The NCAA Tournament has been over for a couple weeks. As noted, within days of that, college basketball writers start to make their ridiculously early and way too soon predictions for next fall’s pre-season top-25 teams.

The process is fairly simple. So let’s break it down.

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Stories in the dailies today focus on some of the new guys on offense. First up, the soon to be highly scrutinized Tino Sunseri at QB.

“I’ve been prepared for this opportunity right now,” he said. “I think, the way spring ball has been going, it has been a learning experience for me every day. Whenever you are the No. 2, like I was last year, you aren’t really getting the reps and you don’t see things like a Greg Romeus rushing from the outside and different coverages.

“I feel like I’ve come a long way just even in this spring.”

Coaches haven’t officially installed Sunseri as the starter yet and aren’t likely to until closer to training camp, but they have referred to him as their current No. 1 and they have made it clear by the way Sunseri and Bostick have been used.

Although Sunseri can throw all the passes, has a strong arm, quick release and all the intangibles to be an excellent quarterback, the one question that seems to follow him is his height.

He is listed at 6 feet 2, but that seems to be a little bit of a stretch as he looks smaller when he is in the pocket.

“A bit.” Naturally any vertically challenged QB will bring up Drew Brees for comparison. That’s all fine. The issue will be Sunseri making good decisions and finding the seams to throw the ball. That and presumably the offense will be tweaked enough to allow him to roll out and move around a lot more to find openings to pass the ball.

I have faith that OC Cignetti is planning to operate that way, but that still depends on the offensive line being able to block in a slightly different way.

Next, the tight end spot, and replacing Dorin Dickerson.

“You can replace his position, but you can’t replace Dorin,” Cignetti said.

It’s a huge challenge for Dickerson’s successor to fashion a stat sheet that reads: 49 catches, 529 yards and 10 touchdowns.

More important, can the new starting tight end draw the attention of outside linebackers and strong safeties to force man coverage on flanker Jon Baldwin, who amassed 57 receptions for 1,111 yards and eight scores?

Mike Cruz, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound redshirt sophomore from Bishop McCort in Johnstown, is the most likely to earn the job.

…

“There’s a lot of pressure, but you can’t let that show on the field,” Cruz said. “I just have to try to duplicate what they did on the field. I need to take something from Dorin and Nate and try to be a leader in the tight end room.

“I have to know my assignments. I just have to concentrate on playing ball.”

So far, Cruz has been pushed some in practice by Andrew Devlin and Brock DeCicco.

Devlin, a Mt. Lebanon product, is a transfer from Virginia. DeCicco, the brother of safety Dom DeCicco, redshirted last season.

“The tight end group is kind of like the interior of our offensive line,” Wannstedt said. “It’s a work in progress.”

All three: Cruz, Devlin and DeCicco were highly sought after TEs coming out of high school. It is not that they are lacking in talent and potential. They just aren’t athletic freaks. They are more along the lines of Nate Byham — who did rather well in the spot the year prior. I am not terribly worried about the TE spot in terms of performance or depth.

Looking for more creativity there, is not going to happen. That is why there is talk of using Ray Graham to catch some short passes and get in space. Find other ways to use the talent.

Saturday was a scrimmage. A lot of players didn’t get much action either because they are entrenched  and don’t need extra hits on them — Dion Lewis — or banged up — Ray Graham, Jabaal Sheard and Hynoski.

The O-line is the biggest question mark as far as a unit that does not have the excuse of injury ravaging (secondary).

As expected, Wannstedt and offensive line coach Tony Wise are trying to figure out a puzzling situation on an inexperienced offensive line. The book ends, tackles Jason Pinkston and Lucas Nix, are still trying to jell with three new starters.

“We’re still working through some things,” Wannstedt said of the offensive line. “Right now, it’s two good plays and one bad play. The consistency with our offensive line is not where it ought to be right now. We have more experience on defense, so it’s going to be a work in progress.

“It’s not going to get solved today. It’s not going to get solve the first day of training camp.”

That was echoed by Zeise in his blog-dump. The center position is still unknown, though, Alex Karabin appears to have the spot over Lippert. Depth is also a concern, as there are hints that the back-ups are a noticeable drop-off.

Zeise also raves about how redshirt freshman DT Tyrone Ezall is playing. Greg Williams seems pretty shaky at linebacker. As for the secondary, there is optimism once the safeties get healthy.

Also, because the receivers are so good, we’ve gotten a good chance to see just how good the corners really are and I’m going to go out on a limb with this one (and if I am wrong, I’m sure some of you will remind me) — Saheed Imoru and Antwuan Reed – the two starting corners – will be better than Jovani Chappel and Aaron Berry were last year, both individually and as a tandem. Reed to me, along with Cross, are the most improved players on this team — coach kept telling me Reed could play even though every time I watched him last year he was struggling but I’ll tell you what, he’s taken the bull by the horns so to speak and he’s had a great spring. Once the safeties get healthy, this secondary could be really, really good. And that’s a good thing because I think the secondary was torched a few times last year and probably cost them the N.C State and Cincinnati games.

The lack of healthy bodies at the safety spot was echoed in a weak piece that somehow managed to completely whiff on the existence of Saheed Imoru and that he is penciled in as a starting CB. Glaring misses on a perfunctory story focused on injuries to the safeties makes it entirely forgettable.

Tom Herrion was all class as he takes over at Marshall.

“Obviously, I’m forever grateful for coach Dixon,” Herrion said. “I know I am leaving a much, much better coach for having had the opportunity to work for him and be around such a great, successful program.”

One of Herrion’s players next season will be incoming freshman guard Deandre Kane, who was former Pitt star DeJuan Blair’s teammate at Schenley.

Dixon, who’s on the road recruiting and couldn’t be reached for comment, said in a statement: “We have been extremely fortunate to have Tom on our coaching staff for the past three years. … We are happy and excited for Tom and his family. He will do a great job at Marshall.”

You know, I had forgotten about Kane. Kind of disturbing that he still hasn’t reached freshman eligibility in college, though.

With several coaches serving under Coach Dixon now successfully in charge of their own programs the job is more attractive than ever. There won’t be any shortage of interested parties.

Chris Dokish breaks down the names that might be in the running for the top assistant position.

Looking at the list — and it is a pretty comprehensive list — these are my thoughts.

Not great recruiters: Mike Dunlap, Scott Rigot and Pat Duquette.

Duquette was no where near the talent evaluator and recruiter for Skinner that Bill Coen (Northeastern head coach) and Ed Cooley (Fairfield head coach). Besides, the skill of the BC staff under Skinner was finding underrecruited diamonds in the rough. Pitt is looking beyond that at this point.

Dunlap has an excellent basketball mind, but is not a recruiting guy. Lavin wants him at St. John’s for Xs-and-Os. Factual point. Dunlap turned down being the interim coach after Lute Olson’s abrupt resignation. He stayed on staff as an assistant and helped Russ Pennell run things.

I know Kentucky fans can be a little insane, but they do know their stuff. Scott Rigot was not exactly a favored assistant under Tubby Smith there. There was no clamor for Gillispie to keep him and it does say something that Smith didn’t bring him to Minnesota.

None seem like a great choice, and I would be nervous.

Recent head coaches/fine recruiters: Norm Roberts, Dino Gaudio, Dave Leitao.

I would have no problem with any of these choices. Roberts was a very good recruiter for Bill Self at Kansas. Leitao and Gaudio both have reputations primarily for their recruiting chops. Dokish indicates that all three obviously want to be head coaches again, so as likely short-timers Coach Dixon may not want that.

Considering Rice lasted a year and it was almost a shock that Bill Herrion made it 3 years after missing on Holy Cross last year, I don’t know if Coach Dixon would really be that bothered. Especially considering any successful program regularly sees assistants poached.

Any of these three as hires would be a home run. Not sure if Roberts and Gaudio, though, would want to jump right back in as assistants this season.

Chicagoland/Midwest recruiters: Sean Kearney, Tracy Webster, Billy Garrett, Sr., Tracy Dildy.

These are some intriguing choices. Especially for expanding Pitt’s recruiting. If Coach Dixon feels confident about how Brandin Knight can work New York and New Jersey, any of these would be very interesting options. All of these are good recruiters but center in a different geographic base.

Coach Dixon has primarily stuck to hiring assistants who know and recruit the East Coast.  These guys have built their recruiting success in Chicago are and midwest. I’m sure they would also do fine recruiting in NY/NJ, but their roots are not there.

Absolute homeruns, but unlikely: Book Richardson and Jeff Battle.

If Pitt and Coach Dixon can get either of these guys, it is an unqualified great hire.

Book Richardson has been an outstanding recruiter for Sean Miller at Xavier and Arizona. He is still recruiting NY/NJ well even from the other side of the country. Not sure he would leave.

Jeff Battle is also an outstanding recruiter at Wake Forest. Indications are, though, that Wake wants him to stay after they hire Jeff Bzdelik from Colorado. Battle lost his wife to cancer and is raising his son on his own. If Wake and Bzdelik want him to stay, I’d guess he would.

I don’t know enough to have an opinion: Pat Skerry, Pete Strickland, Fred Quartlebaum, Rob Moxley.

I will defer to Dokish on these guys. He seems fairly positive on them.

Really, might as well call this the Dokish post since the other items are authored by him.

He measures Pitt’s post-season success under Coach Dixon and does not see disappointment. He sees more that the team so overachieves in the regular season that what happens in March seems like a letdown.

Finally, from a piece he did last week for NBE Basketball Report on Big East players to watch in 2010. Under established players who should improve:

Brad Wanamaker, Pittsburgh, Sr.- Perhaps no head coach in the league has had as many players improve as Pitt’s Jamie Dixon, and all the proof you need is to look at the Panthers’ dominance in the league’s Most Improved Award. Wanamaker, a 6?4? wing probably won’t win that award since he’s already pretty good, but that doesn’t mean he still may not see a lot of improvement in his last season as a Panther. As a junior, Wanamaker averaged 12.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.7 apg, and 1.2 spg, and even though the Panthers’ will have more depth next season, Wanamaker has proven that he’s the most productive all-around player on the team, and his numbers should continue to rise.

Commencing fierce opinions on both sides in 3, 2, 1…

He also touches on a couple of other players who should make significant progress:

Travon Woodall, Pittsburgh, So.- The 5?11? PG was handed the starting job at the beginning of the season, but lost it because of sloppy play. However at the end of the season, the cat quick Woodall showed much better consistency, averaging 5.0 ppg and 3.2 apg, and could regain that starting spot again next season if his outside shooting improves .

Dante Taylor, Pittsburgh, So.- The 6?9? big man disappointed many Panthers fans this year after being the school’s first McDonald’s All-American in a few decades. But Taylor still managed 4.1 ppg and 3.7 rpg in just 14 minutes a game, showing that there is definitely talent present.

Seems about right.

Pitt has lots of depth at WR. Even more as Greg Cross has emerged.

“I want to do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Cross said. “I was excited when we first talked about moving to receiver — I never played this position before but I always wanted to because I always believed I could do some things catching passes, returning kicks and blocking.

“Really, I felt like, when I first was talking to the coaches about moving, all I needed was just some extra time and that’s why redshirting last year as a junior was so important.”

Cross caught only one pass for 15 yards in the scrimmage Saturday but showed a glimpse of the weapon he could be. He ran a reverse and also threw the touchdown pass to Baldwin on a trick play.

He ran only 4 yards on the reverse. The truth is the play should have been an 8-yard loss but he made two tacklers miss with a little shuffle of his feet and made a positive play out of nothing.

Some have made much of a seeming obsession among a contingent of Pitt fans that have decried the non-use of Cross after one successful Wildcat TD run against Iowa two seasons ago. Count me among that contingent.

And maybe it has only grown in my own mind, but what I remember when he came in was that everyone knew he would be running it. Everyone. Including Iowa. He didn’t appear to be moving that fast, but he just kept moving and evading. He stayed upright and was seemingly untouched for the 17 yard TD.

Pitt’s receiving depth is in far better shape than down in WVU where two consensus 4-star WRs have left the team without even finishing their freshmen seasons — apparently because they are lazy (H/T to Dave).

Walk-on Alex Karabin may be the starting center come the fall. He’s also hoping for a scholarship for his final season at Pitt.

“Alex is one of those guys you probably take for granted,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He’s very consistent. He knows his strengths and weaknesses. … He continues to get better.”

Lippert, a redshirt freshman, might be the center of the future, but Wannstedt said he is lagging behind Karabin after making the transition from defense.

“Jack Lippert, every day is a new adventure,” Wannstedt said. “He’s not ready to line up and play center and win for us yet. Might he be in September or October? I hope. I’m very pleased with the progress he has made, but he has a long way to go.”

That leaves Karabin as the starter entering camp in August. Even if he does earn the job, he might not get a scholarship. Last season, Wannstedt gave scholarships to three former walk-ons — kicker Dan Hutchins, reserve quarterback Andrew Janocko and defensive lineman Chas Alecxih.

“If we have one, nothing would make me happier than to give one to Alex,” Wannstedt said. “He’s deserving.”

Hopefully it will work out for him.

Finally a piece on new linebackers coach Bernard Clark. Hits the expected notes. Played for the “U.” Check. Still looks like he could play. Check. Intensity still there. Check.

That said, I really like to read about emphasizing tackling. Not hitting.

Clark has greater expectations for what could be among the best trio of linebackers in the Big East next season. He isn’t bothered by much but admitted he’ll be troubled if his safeties, Jarred Holley and Dom DeCicco, lead the Panthers in tackles.

“The first thing (Clark) said to us was that his priorities are tackling and make sure we aren’t loafing,” Gruder said. “He wants us to be 1, 2, and 3 in tackling. That’s the way it should be. That’s the way it’s going to be.”

Even though Holley and DeCicco will play close to the line of scrimmage, Clark said he fears the run defense will break down if the safeties are being pressed to make tackles.

“A linebacker should be sick to his stomach to see a defensive back with more tackles,” said Clark, who has coached at Florida International and South Florida. “Our linebackers understand the pressure, but if they learn something new every day — like how to take on blockers — they’ll play well.

“Of course, the biggest thing is intensity. If they go full speed, we can correct a mistake. If they’re loafing, we can’t correct that. The only thing you can’t coach is effort.”

Not talking about being fearsome hitters. Or setting tone.  It is about making the tackle and stopping the play.

Well, it seemed that now former Pitt assistant head coach Tom Herrion was behind Buzz Peterson for the Marshall job. Peterson has the head gig at Appalachian State and had been head coach at Tennessee before Bruce Pearl. Apparently Peterson turned it down because of contract terms.

Instead it goes to Tom Herrion, and I can’t help but admit that this is a very good opportunity for Herrion. He is an outstanding recruiter and a solid coach.

His time at the College of Charleston did not work out, but it wasn’t for failing to recruit. It had a lot more to do with the culture of the school and dealing with boosters. He’s had a chance to learn more and the culture of Marshall will probably be a better fit.

So, good luck to Coach Herrion and beat the Hoopies.

I don’t know who exactly Coach Dixon will be targeting to be an assistant. No shortage of recently fired (or about to be fired) head coaches that can recruit.

Fred Hill was very good at that part, but given it was Pitt baseball that led to his downfall, I’m guessing AD Pederson isn’t going to sign off on that. Dino Gaudio will obviously be in demand, but I’m guessing he takes a year or so before getting back into it.

I don’t think Orlando Antigua is coming back as an assistant. I can almost guarantee that Kentucky is paying much better than Pitt can. Besides, I’d like to see Pitt look elsewhere.

I know it is beating a dead horse about the poor coverage from two dailies, but it is frustrating. For Scout and Rivals, it is tremendous. Providing more reasons why people should subscribe. For the record, I hold no involvement or paid subscription to either site, primarily to avoid any conflict or accusations that I am scraping their premium content.

While the Post-Gazette appears to be moving (probably smartly from a business standpoint) to putting more of its sports coverage into the “Plus” paywall, they are setting it up for disappointment with regards to Pitt. What enticement is it for Pitt fans to pay when clearly they are not putting much effort into covering spring practices? They made the strategic decision to put Pitt football beat writer, Paul Zeise, onto the NCAA Tournament, and has generally skipped having anyone else do much with the spring practice.

As for the Trib. I don’t know what to say. They don’t have that excuse but new guy Pat Mitsch hasn’t filed much. Not sure if Grupp is b-ball only now. Gorman was a good beat writer, but almost as important, he was ambitious. That produced more material. He provided great infodumps in his blog.

So, even though there is a week of practice left, very little has been learned without having a paid subscription to PantherLair or PantherDigest.

Well, I’ve vented. On to what there is.

PantherLair’s Chris Peak tosses some free content out there. Tristan Roberts is healthy and definitely improves depths and could be a help on passing downs.

Roberts missed all of 2009 with a shoulder injury.

“I missed all of last season, so I felt like I was kind of little out of it,” Roberts said after practice Thursday. “Then when I first came back, I was definitely a little out of it. I had to get back into making all my reads and hitting people and getting used to my shoulder.”

Roberts began spring camp working as a backup on the weak side, but the combination of Williams dealing with a minor injury and Roberts improving his own play has led to first-team work.

“Greg Williams is limping a little, so I’ve been getting some of the reps; we’re kind of going back and forth to see who’s more consistent, I guess,” Roberts said. “After the scrimmage they said I was doing good and they wanted to see what I could do with the first team because it’s always different playing behind a different d-line.”

Several years ago, Roberts was the subject of much hype, both from the coaches and from camp observers. But the promise and potential he showed never materialized to the extent that he could win a starting job, and the shoulder injury further side-tracked his career.

I admit, I had almost forgotten about Roberts, yet here he is a redshirt junior and still with time.

Other guys, while not likely to be starting barring injuries, are looking to make sure they get rotated in at the defensive end spots are Shayne Hale and Brandon Lindsey.

“When Jabaal’s not in there and we’re limiting Romeus, we need Brandon Lindsey and Shayne Hale to come on,” Wannstedt said. “We really do.”

Both Lindsey and Hale were linebackers in high school, Lindsey at Aliquippa and Hale at Gateway, and both were moved to defensive end after starting their Pitt careers at linebacker. Now that Pitt is holding Sheard out of contact drills, the two are using the extra work to try to stand out.

“I know I got a real good opportunity in front of me,” Lindsey said. “But I just got to try to get better every day and not let there be too much of a drop-off from when Jabaal’s in the game.”

Jabaal Sheard has a cracked bone in his hand, so he is limited to non-contact drills only.

New cornerback Saheed Imoru started out strong in spring practices, but is now struggling a little.

“The positive is that everything that we saw him do on tape at the junior college, he’s done here,” head coach Dave Wannstedt said during the first week of spring practice.

Lately though, Imoru has cooled off a bit, and now he hopes to battle through his slump and elevate his game.

“The first couple of days I was doing real good, and then this last week has probably been my worst week here. And I need to pick it up a lot,” Imoru said.

Adjusting to defensive coordinator Phil Bennett’s system and playing with more emotion are two of the necessary improvements that Imoru noted.

Having to go at it with Jonathan Baldwin most days — while great practice — has to take a toll on the confidence and how good you look.

Over on the offensive side, Mike Shanahan is considered the possession receiver in the offense. This despite his size, speed and athleticism. In part because that is how almost every white WR gets labeled. The other and just as important reason is that compared to Baldwin, that is what he is.

Shanahan’s role in the offense might be labeled as a “possession” receiver because, as Wannstedt notes, Shanahan has the ability to hurt teams that underestimate his athleticism.

“He’s a big guy who, because of his basketball skills, can position you,” Wannstedt said. “If they’re going to double-team Baldwin and leave Shanahan one-on-one, the guy covering him is going to have to go up and be able to make a play on the ball, or [Shanahan] is going to beat you.”

Even though he excelled in the role of short-yardage receiver last season, Shanahan does not like being labeled a possession receiver. He said offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti has a plan to use all of his skilled receivers.

“It turned out last year that I was making third-down conversions. The big plays were going to Jon,” Shanahan said. “I think that’s just how it worked out. Coach Cignetti knows our strengths and weaknesses. He will utilize us the best he can. If it works out like that again, it will. If not, I’ll be making big plays, too.”

Praise continues for Greg Cross and his conversion to WR. Still a big question mark as to whether he will ever get on the field.

Bad news from the same article is that Aundre Wright, who converted to cornerback from WR because of depth issues hurt his knee and will have surgery.

Meanwhile Todd Thomas has officially been cleared academically to go to college. He will be enrolling for the summer session in May. The Cat Basket wants him immediately converted to safety.