The one area where there just doesn’t seem to be any angst over the position — now or into the future — is in the receiving corp.
It starts with Jonathan Baldwin, as the star of the crew. Realistically he is gone after this season barring some catastrophic injury, but there is such depth there.
Mike Shanahan has a lot of us excited because he is just as tall and opposite Baldwin. Both were basketball stars with offers from BCS programs. That size and athleticism is one of the reasons why there is a touch less worry about the passing game with a new QB behind a line that will likely be weak up the middle.
Cam Saddler appears set as the third receiver. Then it is a real battle for the fourth receiver.
The last two days, Devin Street has come on strong and frankly, looks to me like he is now starting to hammer down that fourth receiver spot. I wrote about the receivers for Friday’s paper and had a talk with receiver’s coach Scott Turner and receiver Cameron Saddler and they both raved about Street’s talent. And now we are starting to see each day, Street come up with some big plays and he is getting more physical and developing into a very good receiver right before our eyes. But it is funny – my story is about just how deep the receiving corps is – Ed Tinker doesn’t want to let anyone forget he is still fighting for that spot as well and he just makes plays as well. I think honestly between Baldwin, Mike Shanahan, Saddler, Street and Tinker, there just isn’t going to be much room for either a guy like Greg Cross, who is still learning and then had a little setback with his ankle injury so he fell a little behind, or any of those true freshman to get on the field. I like Tinker a lot because he really is a physical player and I’ve seen him hold onto the ball after taking a big hit.
That doesn’t even take into account the true freshmen that have played well in camp, but simply won’t be able to climb the depth chart this year.
“I mean, my goodness, we have such a good, solid group of veterans that I’m having hard enough time finding enough playing time for all those guys, much less those younger guys,” Turner said. “We really like our freshmen, but all of them have a lot of work to do so right now, on day six of camp, we’re just trying to get them all better and worry about defining roles in a couple of weeks.
“Right now, I’d say if we were to play a game none of those [freshmen] would play, but it could change.”
The freshmen are Todd Thomas (Beaver Falls), Drew Carswell (Sto-Rox) and Kevin Weatherspoon (Clairton) and former Bishop McDevitt standout Salath Williams.
Of course the tremendous depth at WR also takes the pressure off of new starting tight ends. You would think that there would at least be some more worries about replacing Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham.
Dickerson was an athletic freak of talent that just happened to be listed at the TE spot. You can’t simply replace him. You just readjust your offense for the more traditional role of a TE that does a lot more blocking. In otherwords, the production from the position will look a lot more like when Byham was the #1 TE.
In that respect, there is quality depth at the spot with Mike Cruz, Andrew Devlin and Brock DeCicco. All three were highly touted and sought after TEs in high school. Probably not as good as Byham (or at least not as good a backstory), but really good.
Cruz, especially, has solidified that he is the #1 TE on the team.
“Nate was the best blocking tight end in the nation,” the redshirt sophomore said. “And Dorin was the best route-running tight end. Taking the best of their abilities and trying to form that into my game, that’s definitely helped…I just try my hardest at both. I go out there and try to bring to my game what they taught me.”
…
“Mike’s been working hard, he’s making improvements,” Angelichio said. “The nice thing is, he’s starting to grasp the offense and the system of what we’re trying to get done here. His blocking is going to be a continuous thing; he’s working at it. He’s getting better each day. Certainly by the end of training camp, that’ll be an area that he makes great strides in.” Angelichio added that a major strength Cruz possesses is that of his pass-catching ability — something he’s displayed since his days at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown, Pa.
At this point, the number two tight end is Brock DeCicco.
DeCicco, who is a Thomas Jefferson graduate and the younger brother of all-conference senior safety Dom DeCicco, added: “We’re all a lot younger than last year’s guys. They were vets and knew what they were supposed to do while we’re learning. But there is nobody else but us, so we have no choice but to improve each day and go out there and get the job done.”
Interestingly, both tight ends are changing, but in opposite directions. DeCicco has focused on gaining weight — he could still add another 15 to 20 pounds — while Cruz spent the offseason trying to lose weight and is 15 pounds lighter than last year.
I think Andrew Devlin is getting the short end when the article suggests there is some thinness at the position after DeCicco. Devlin was fine at Virginia and doesn’t seem to be a problem.
I doubt there will be much of a 3 TE set — unless the O-line is such a mess that they need to rely on so many extra blockers. Given the quality and depth at WR, it just seems more likely that you will rarely see more than two TEs on the field at any time. More likely, just one.
The only legitimate concern about this Pitt team is the Center and Right Guard positions. Only because we don’t have experience in those positions and camp has just started. By the end of camp we should know if the line is going to be ok or not. Worst case, we always run to the left and Tino in the gun every passing play!
Baldwin and Shanahan will be problems for any defensive coordinator. If early reports about guys like Street, Cross, Thomas and Saddler are true, those guys will be able to operate in space underneath. This, of course, is also before we get to Lewis, Graham and Hynoski being used out of the backfield – something Wannstedt hinted at earlier this week in a radio interview when asked about Cignetti replacing Dickerson.
Geez, do Wannstedt and Co. even do any recruiting in Western PA anymore?
Q: Paul, you describe Mark Myers as being “very raw.” What do you mean?
Steve G., Metuchen, N.J.
ZEISE: I mean, he has all the physical tools and no real clue about how to play quarterback at this level. That isn’t a knock on the kid, he’s only been here for about a week and he is a true freshman who is learning. But it is clear every day that he just isn’t very experienced and will take some time to learn how to play the position of quarterback — from mechanics to footwork to the delivery of the ball to the reading of defenses and everything else. It is a process. It is not easy to step in and play quarterback in this offense, especially as a true freshman. When I watch the guy throw the ball, I have no question he has a chance to be pretty good. His arm is strong, it is live, he has a quick release — everything you want. He’s just going through the learning process right now as Frank Cignetti and Luke Getsy work with him and teach him and mold him into a finished product.
Read more: link to post-gazette.com
I believe it is common for a CB to be criticized since he is always out on an island, and in Berry’s case, usually on the opponent’s best receiver without much safety help.
In fact, ND’s all-american WR now in the NFL (forgot his name) stated that Berry covered him better than any other CB last year.
You may recall that ND mounted their comeback when Berry was injured probably due to the fact that the replacement CB needed safety help which opened up another area that could be exploited (and was.)
Omar, either you are a scholar who studied a lot of film and read a lot of newspapers and are expressing conclusions gleaned from your research, or Aaron Berry did something to you personally to really tick you off. I could understand the latter scenario. The former scenario? Agghh! Don’t lose your credibility.
Bye bye Berry. Kudos Omar.
Since DW named a starting QB for 2010 back in Jan of 2008 then that is the way it is. Pat Bostick had been selected as the back up QB two years ago, hence no first team snaps for Bostick in either of the last two off seasons.
Personally, I disagree with the way things unfolded, not because I don’t think Sunseri is the better QB, he may well be, but I think it leaves too much room for catastrophic failure in not being prepared… but I’m no coach so we fans live with what has been decided.
If we get rolled at Utah, my guess would be the OL is getting blown up and Tino is running for his life the entire night.
Lots of intangibles will make or break a great season for us, IMHO…
1) Progression of Tino
2) Special Teams play (cost us a BCS bid last year and almost blew the ND game)
3) Development of our young secondary
4) Health (as always)
5) Mindset of DW (Play not to lose or play to dominate)
Tino’s progression will be fine
The special teams play will be fine.
The development of our young secondary will be fine
The teams’ health will be fine.
DW’s mindset will be fine.
“Fine” is not going to cut it with these key areas. Hoping that things come together is another problem, and I seem to hear that a lot with DW. We hope this, we hope that…
To me, being “fine” = 9 wins and 2nd place in the weakest BCS conference. Fine is inexplicably losing a 3 TD at half, in large part, to abysmal Special Teams play. Fine is coaching a QB to “stay within himself” because his talent is inferior. Fine is giving up 70 yds runs up the middle to Noel Devine; Fine is losing to a weak BCS team on the road and having a medicocre QB shred us like warm butter…. You get my drift…
Excellence = 11 wins and ending the year in the top 5.
I think we’re a little beyond fine with DW and his talented bunch of young men. Kudos to him and the program for getting us to the point of high expectations, but let’s not forget, we’ve gotten to this point with Walt in the past and we fell gloriously from the perch.
I tend to have B&G colored glasses on when it comes to Pitt Athletics, but my patience is running thin with DW and co. We’re expecting a little more than fine, with all due respect. These key pieces need to rise to superior levels, not just hope.
Hope, as my boss would say, is NOT a strategy.
Time to deliver excellence.
HTP!
Enough of my rant…back to Crown and Soda on the patio!
I get the need to be confident, but the tone is a bit silly to me…
Also appears to be a logjam at WR. If there is, then Todd Thomas & Salath Williams & Drew Carswell, as well as Witherspoon need to be redshirted. Or convert one or two of them to CB, since that position seems to be thin. I believe Thomas played defensive secondary as well as offense in HS. If they redshirt Thomas, they should bulk him up a little, so he could be a Dorin Dickerson type H-Back, as we have plenty of WR’s for the foreseeable future or maybe he could play OLB. (an impact player is always needed there)
While Coach & company have done great recruiting skill positions and D-line. I would like to see them start getting some more stud O-linemen.
Anyway it seems like it will be an exciting season at PITT and it’s great again to be looking forward to competing for a BE championship and a Top 10 finish in the National Polls.
Hail to PITT and Coach Dave.
Good luck to him with his future endeavors.
Wanny is known for favoring his seniors. His comments post scrimmage about Bostick lead me to believe he may make the switch soon.
Understood. I will try to curtail the hyperbole going forward.
Golden Tate described Berry as the toughest defensive back he faced all year. “He’s not the biggest kid in the world, but he’s tough and he will tackle,”
Finally and again … a CB is put out on an island, thus looks bad when he gets beat, yet often gets overlooked when he is paying well because the QB is not throwing to his area. Hell, I have a vivid memory of D Revis getting beat last year against the Dolphins and only watched a few Jet games last year!
………
On the plus side:
D Dickerson 3 rec 38 yds; N Byham 3 rec 52 yds
Anyone, including Dave, notice these stats from Saturday?
Myers 4/3/0 75.0% 44 1TD 33
Lots of banged up boys. Ought we not save them for 9/2?
link to pittsburghpanthers.com
As to “getting out of the huddle quickly” – I know exactly what he means. It is a phrase a lot like “We have to run faster” when at first glance sounds strange and simplistic but upon reflection makes a lot of sense.
The biggest potential problem area on this team right now is the combination of the new starting QB and the new interior of the OL. Because offensive success starts with good communications and good inter-play between those positions in making sure the play is executed well is paramount – and the play begins when it is sent in from the sidelines, not necessarily when the ball is snapped.
Plus – command of the offense is something that Sunseri has to build and show to the other offensive players. Getting them into the huddle, getting them ready to execute and then getting them to the snap is all part of it. Delay of game penalties as the worst kind in some ways because they infer that the staff and QB are having fundamental problems… not good with those new components I mentioned above.
I agree completely with your last post! we could have lame kifflin.
replacing LeSean McCoy with a freshman running back; replacing starting middle linebacker, and defensive captain, Scott McKillop; a starting QB coming off the worst performance in the history of the positionl; 2 starting cornerbacks who were burnt toast against Rutgers & Cincy to finish the season; a starting center coming off of a horrific ankle injury; a new offensive coordinator; the early camp reports were of an offense that was awful and couldn’t compete against the “great” defense.
We saw how the early reports about the offense played out. Pitt’s offense wasn’t an issue in even one game last season. The defense, on the other hand, was the culprit in every single loss.
Of course the team has some holes to fill, but every team does. Pitt has a lot more talent than in previous years across the depth chart. I think we should wait and see how things progress.