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March 28, 2014

Eyes On the Defense

Filed under: Football,Practice — Chas @ 7:33 am

Offense is what everyone notices. It’s always the focus of stories. Especially in the spring practices where contact is more limited, so it is easier for the skill positions to stand out.

It doesn’t feel this way for this spring. Even with all eyes on Chad Voytik. Even with the annual angst concerning the O-line. No, the questions, concerns issues of depth all seem to be on the defense.

It’s replacing the irreplaceable Aaron Donald. It’s the half the DBs being new starters. It’s the questions at the defensive end spots. And without any obvious stud players coming in this fall, it is about seeing who is developing this spring.

We start in the backfield where new secondary coach Troy Douglas has two returning starters, but has to replace Jason Hendricks and K’Wuan Williams.

In the midst of the cornerback competition are three sophomores: Jahmahl Pardner and Clairton graduates Trenton Coles and Titus Howard. At safety, Clairton product Terrish Webb is competing with Ryan Lewis, Jevonte Pitts and Reggie Mitchell. Pitts is Lafayette’s cousin and a fellow Woodland Hills grad; Mitchell transferred from Wisconsin after graduating from Shady Side Academy.

Coles, Howard and Webb played key roles last season as backups; the others have even less experience.

“They’re a little confused on the checks and all the adjustments, and all the motions and shifts the offense is giving us,” Douglas said. “We’ll get there. We have to keep working them and getting them better.”

I feel good about the secondary. I really like the hire of Troy Douglas and there seems to be plenty of potential with the guys vying for the starting jobs.

At Safety there isn’t a huge physical difference between the players. All are 5-11 or 6-0. Mitchell played as a freshman at Wisconsin and had to sit out last year as a transfer. Webb and Lewis both got some playing time last year. Pitts has physical maturity as it has took some time for his academics to be in order to be at Pitt which makes him intriguing for his strength, as he is the heaviest of the group. Best guess is that it comes down to Mitchell or Webb as the starter at Strong Safety and Ryan Lewis will be second on the depth chart behind Ray Vinopal at Free Safety.

The cornerback spot opposite Lafayette Pitts seems wide open. I don’t expect that one to be settled over the spring practices. Coles and Howard are both over 6-0, and probably give them a slight edge over Pardner. Really, Pardner should be playing safety, but there is more depth there than at corner, so he seems to be somewhere in between.

At linebacker, the issue isn’t replacing lots of starters. It has more to do with the depth. Shane Gordon was the only player lost to graduation. Presumably Matt Galambos moves up to grab the Middle Linebacker spot. But there is the curiosity of how Reggie Green fits into the linebackers after moving over to the defensive side of the ball. He has seen work at the weakside spot, but with the lack of overall depth with linebackers he may move around a bit even as he gets a crash course.

Linebacker Anthony Gonzalez sat out today’s practice with another injury that Chryst termed as “day to day.” Bam Bradley filled in for him at the Will linebacker spot, with redshirt freshman Reggie Green stepping into that spot on the second team. It’s weird seeing Green out there at linebacker still wearing No. 87, but he certainly looks like he has the size to play linebacker.

Then there is the place of true terror for Pitt. The entire defensive line. Pick your place to panic. Is it at defensive end where Shakir Soto looks good, but if oft injured Ejuan Price isn’t healthy the other side is a lot weaker. To say nothing — once more — about the depth.

Price is really a player Pitt can’t afford to lose again for an extended period of time. In today’s practice, for instance, the first-team defensive ends were sophomore Shakir Soto (who had a nice play stuffing an inside shovel pass during team drills) and redshirt senior David Durham, which is fine, but the second-teamers were redshirt freshman Luke Maclean and freshman Rori Blair. Blair has actually impressed me with his size this spring, but having a second-team unit with absolutely zero playing experience is bad news. Thus, I expect the Pitt staff will handle Price with bubble-wrap this spring.

Which is part of why most people presume James Connor got some practice time at DE. Necessity more than any desire to risk Connor on the defensive side of the ball is what may force Pitt to play Connor on both sides.

On the interior of the line. Good to have K.K. Mosley-Smith back.

…Mosley-Smith received constant encouragement from his star position-mate Aaron Donald.

“[Aaron was always] telling me how bright my future is, keep doing what I’ve been doing,” Mosley-Smith said.

“It was very hard, but I just knew I had to, being on scout team, help the team out as much as I could. I gave them the best look possible and I felt like I did a good job with that, but I never took a step back.”

Mosley-Smith was expected to be a big part of the defense from the time he signed with Pitt. But has not really had the impact expected. Now he is a redshirt junior and his time is running out. There is no way to replace Aaron Donald with another guy. And to the same extent it could be said as much about Tyrone Ezell at nose tackle. He was obviously overshadowed by Donald, but was solid and consistent.

Former defensive tackle Aaron Donald was at practice today, and Chryst joked that his presence was a nice reminder of what his current group of defensive linemen has to replace next season. I think this is definitely a case where Darryl Render and KK Mosley-Smith are the likely starters, but a lot of guys (including LaQuentin Smith, Tyrique Jarrett, Justin Moody and even Jeremiah Taleni) could see the field this year. Moody, in particular, had a nice play today blowing up Rachid Ibrahim in the backfield on a run play. Chryst agreed that it could be a DL-by-committee approach to some extent, replacing Donald’s “one-man wrecking crew.”

“I thought KK came in spring ball and winter and made a concentrated effort to lose some weight,” Chryst said. “I think he’s moving, he’s playing with an edge to him.

“Tyrique, he’s got to continue to drop some weight. It’s his second spring, and I think he’s approaching it the right way. Darryl’s had enough snaps now to kind of be able to draw on those experiences. Justin flashes and does some really good things, but absolutely [it’ll be a group effort].”

The pressure is on the defensive coaching staff to show that they can develop the players. High recruiting rankings don’t matter so much if the players develop and are well coached. But they sure do become obvious when that part breaks down.





Gordo I really hate to break your rose colored glasses but you brought it up. Penn States recruiting class is in the top five Pitts is in the 40s and 50s . Check any recruiting service you like Scout, Rivals Espn they all say the same thing. I guess mediocre is OK with you

Comment by Chick 03.29.14 @ 10:35 pm

Good article about James Conner in the Trib … about the off-the-field part of him

Comment by wbb 03.29.14 @ 11:15 pm

looks like trouble on U of A campus, fans not dealing with that charging call

Comment by wbb 03.29.14 @ 11:19 pm

How are we doing in the NCAA tourney? Are we a BB school again?

When do we start with the FB predictions?

Comment by Reed 03.30.14 @ 6:23 am

Reed – Good to hear from you. When are you going to start predicting FB?

I’d wait a day or two to let the Miller people vent their frustrations.

Comment by PITT-cocks fan 03.30.14 @ 7:00 am

Reality check, TJ McConnel 2-10 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 2 assists, no steals.

Comment by alcofan 03.30.14 @ 7:33 am

At half-time Charles Barley said the there are 3 things that Wisconsin needs to do. Number 1, get the ball to Kaminski, number 2 get the ball to Kaminski, and number 3 get the ball to Kaminski.

Comment by Justinian 03.30.14 @ 8:08 am

Funny, wbb, was at my kids’ swim meet yesterday and saw another dad/big Pitt hoops fan who told me he was at Uncle Sam’s on Friday for lunch when Dixon with this “monster” of a guy sat down one table over from him.

Comment by Carmen 03.30.14 @ 8:17 am

I guess 6’11, 255 qualifies as a monster. My question …. is Uncle Sam’s a better recruiting tool than Primanti’s, Quaker Steak or The O’s (monster fries)?

Comment by wbb 03.30.14 @ 8:23 am

Hey, if Jamie treated him to an Uncle Sam’s stake hogie with the grilled onions and green peppers, it’s a done deal. He’ll have to sign with Pitt to be able to get another sandwich at Uncle Sam’s.

Comment by Justinian 03.30.14 @ 8:26 am

wbb, It’s no contest. A Primanti Brothers’ Sandwich is distinctively different and I always take out-of-towners there. BUT, Uncle Sam’s are far-and-away MUCH better sandwiches!

Comment by Justinian 03.30.14 @ 8:31 am

Hey Chick do you actually comment on anything other than Penn State recruiting. Two points for you, Gerry Faust was a great recruiter, never won anything more to football than recruiting. Second, three years in and you can’t tell that Chryst has his own plan. I do not know if it will work or not but any fool can read the rankings on scout or rivals. By the way WVU is top ten also, guess Holgy is on his way to 12-0.

Comment by cas myzlinski 03.30.14 @ 8:31 am

Justinian, I agree that Uncle Sam’s has good sandwiches (although I prefer to eat at the neighboring Fuel & fuddle) And I haven’t eaten at Primanti’s (any location) or the O in years, and don’t miss them. However, I’m trying to think like an 18 year old and what would motivate him

Comment by wbb 03.30.14 @ 8:55 am

Cas Whether you guys like it or not college football is recruiting. If all you can get is 3*s and an occasional 4* your progam is going nowhere. Pitt and Penn State recruit many of the same players they seem to get 5 to our 1. It pisses me off to no end when most of the major area talent go to Penn State and West Virginia. If not for sanctions theres a good chance that Boyd and Johnson would both be at Penn State. Its time for Chryst to stop hiring Wisconsin cronies and hire someone that can recruit better than those other schools.

Comment by Chick 03.30.14 @ 9:41 am

“If all you can get is 3*s and an occasional 4* your progam is going nowhere.” -Chick

Let me introduce you to Boise State.

It is silly to paint with such broad generalizations. Football success isn’t a perfect equation that can be replicated from place to place to place. I don’t care if Chryst hires all guys from Westminster…just win.

Comment by ECH 03.30.14 @ 11:05 am

Oh, BTW…there is a numbskull sports reporter from Milwaukee that is claiming Jamie Dixon is in town getting ready to sign the dotted line to be the next head coach at Marquette.

Do these idiots ever get called out for the BS they spew on the inter webs? Does credibility even matter anymore?

Comment by ECH 03.30.14 @ 11:10 am

Chick, it is also true that top recruiting classes do not guarantee winning. ND and Michigan were both bringing in Top 10 classes under previous coaches, but did not win enough to keep their jobs. I’ll believe the Franklin hype when PSU wins a Big 10 championship.

I recognize the importance of good recruiting, I just don’t see it as the only thing that matters when it comes to playing championship football.

Comment by HbgFrank 03.30.14 @ 11:14 am

except for a year here and there, Penn State has outrecruited Pitt for 3 decades now … what’s the big deal?

Comment by wbb 03.30.14 @ 11:27 am

wbb you are absolutely right, thats why this program isn’t going anywhere.

hsbg frank Correct me if Im wrong but didnt Notre Dame play in the title game 2 years ago. How many bad recruiting classes does Alabama and Florida State have. Bottom line if you cant recruit you cant win

Comment by Chick 03.30.14 @ 11:48 am

Just a couple points Chick, and I really do not care who PSU and WVU recruit. I am concerned about the Beaver Valley but nothing else that has happened is unusual. PSU has always gotten most of the kids out east and it just happens to be a great year out there. This is no different than two years ago when Stoops got hired at Kentucky. He had a field day in ohio, last I looked they are still Kentucky. I see the kids Chryst is recruiting and I wonder if he knows what the hell he is doing, this is a big year. At this point I see no point in panicking over the number of stars our kids have.

Comment by cas myzlinski 03.30.14 @ 11:50 am

Pitt fans have more class than this:

link to espn.go.com

Comment by Pitt Dad 03.30.14 @ 12:01 pm

Chick, Pit will never be able to recruit with the likes Bama or FSU, or even PSU. They have to pick their spots, pick the right people for their program and develop them … where have you been?

Comment by wbb 03.30.14 @ 1:39 pm

wbb I don’t know Wanny did a pretty good job of recruiting he just couldn’t coach them on the field. Majors, Sherrill and even Foge attracted a number of high profile kids so it can be done. Chryst just can’t get Wisconsin out of his DNA. Please hire a decent recruiting coordinator not another Wiskey flunkie.

Comment by Chick 03.30.14 @ 3:51 pm

Wanny was 27-12 his last 3 years (which looks good now) but was allegedly fired for other reasons.

Nonetheless, it was an entire different environment back in the days of Majors and Sherill. At that time, Western PA was as good as anywhere when it cam to HS recruiting … but that ship has sailed a long time ago. There is still quality here but not even close to the quantity …. this area pails in comparison to the SE, Tex, Calif and even Ohio.

The recruiting plan has to be different now.

Comment by wbb 03.30.14 @ 4:02 pm

Heck, many years W Pa doesn’t even compare to E Pa. Dokish has a list of top 20 PA recruits fror 2015 … and something like 14 or 15 was from the eastern part of the state, which plays right into PSU hands. Anyone from that part of the state that Pitt gets will likely not be a PSU priority

Comment by wbb 03.30.14 @ 4:08 pm

wbb you may be right maybe the quantity of talent isn’t the same but you need to protect your back yard. Jenkins is a perfect example, both of his parents are Pitt alum if we can’t get him something is wrong. I have a feeling though that he will go to Penn State or Ohio State

Comment by Chick 03.30.14 @ 6:29 pm

Chick, I get the feeling no matter what happens you’ll find something wrong with it…

Recruiting rankings are for suckers… They’re worth about as much as a pre-season poll/ranking…

Comment by Pitt2Cali 03.30.14 @ 7:35 pm

I want Pitt to be better certainly, could care less about recruiting against either of them. I wouldn’t trade places with Morganhole where your sister is your cousin, is your mother is your neice. Where both football and basketball programs are in disarray, and their nearest rival is 1500 miles away.

Nor, Pedophile State, that will forever be linked to child molestation. Football program itself is mediocre, the coach they have has Vanderbilt rape stuff going on, he still may be subpoenaed, and will be leaving for the NFL in a couple years.

Not to mention a non-existant basketball program.

Morganhole?? Pedo State?? Recruiting??

Nah, happy as hell to be a Pitt fan and alum!!!!!

Comment by Dan 03.31.14 @ 9:37 am

Pitt-cocks, maybe not so soon. Haven’t followed PITT FB since mid-season last year. I’ll get back into it but am not renewing my season tkts… drive was too long and usually not worth the time when the games were on TV.

Comment by Reed 03.31.14 @ 4:43 pm

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