With Darrelle Revis anchoring the secondary, it feels like it is the strongest area on the defense. This despite questions as to who will be starting at the safeties and at the corner opposite Revis. Part of that is simply because Jovani Chappel has already gotten a lot of press and impressed trying to win the other corner. Then there seems to be solid depth at the safeties — it’s just figuring out who will win the starting job and the order on the depth chart. And of course, for the other corner there is intriguing, high level freshmen talent coming aboard in August.

Still in the battle to start at the other corner position, there are upperclassmen trying to make it theirs.

“We call him Mr. Enthusiasm,” Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis said with a laugh. “He can talk and get us rowdy.”

[Kennard] Cox hopes to make a lot of noise this season. He is one of three players vying to take over the right cornerback spot Josh Lay filled last year.

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” Cox said. “I think about it every day. Everybody wants to be the guy. The greatest man is going to earn the spot. That’s what it’s all about.

“To play DB in college, you’ve got to be a great athlete. You can’t be just a normal person out there, because normal people get beat.”

If Cox is going to win the job, however, coach Dave Wannstedt demands to see more than just amped-up antics.
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Reggie Carter might end up as Revis’ backup, or he could take over on the right side if he impresses the coaches. Carter is a year older than Cox but has appeared in fewer games.

“I’ve learned from Reggie, and hopefully he learned from me at the same time,” Cox said. “We both learned from Revis — how to keep your body square, how to react faster to the ball, little things that give you an edge.”

Kelvin Chandler, a former wide receiver, and redshirt freshman walk-on Mike Toerper also are working for some playing time.

“That competition, it works me out every day,” Cox said. “There’s somebody who wants something I want. That enthusiasm, it keeps you warm.”

The wild card in the mix is true freshman Jovanni Chappel, who enrolled in January. At 5-foot-8, he is five inches shorter than Cox and four shorter than Carter. But the rookie has shown this spring that he knows how to cover — and clobber — wideouts.

No, the question on defense is up and down the line. The guy coaching the line is different from last year.

[Greg] Gattuso began his second year on coach Dave Wannstedt’s staff by switching duties. Last season, he was the recruiting coordinator and worked with the tight ends.

Over the winter, [Bob] Junko was hospitalized for a heart ailment. He is recovering, and he watches spring workouts from the sideline. Gattuso, a standout defensive lineman during his playing days at Penn State, took over as defensive line coach and handed his recruiting responsibilities to Junko.
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Gattuso hopes the line’s speed can make up for what it lacks in size. That is why he has spent every spring practice session stressing fundamentals, especially footwork.

“It’s almost as if you were teaching dance to somebody and you put the little feet on the ground,” Gattuso said. “If I could, I’d spray paint ’em on the field. We’re working on first step, second step, third step — where they’re supposed to be and how they all relate to explosion and striking ability and how the body moves.

“It takes time, and we’re struggling with that a little bit. But every once in a while you see a sign that they get it, and you see a great play. The light’s going on a little bit, and the kids are starting to say, ‘Oh, this does work. I’d better continue to try to do what they’re telling me.’ “

The speed can only be effective if they are allowed to be aggressive. Especially with an undersized line. This article lists the players and their weight and asks:

All of this begs the question how small is too small? Are the Panthers sacrificing too much size in favor of speed?

If they are, it doesn’t seem to have coaches on the team concerned.

“Obviously, size would come into play if we are lining up against a team with a bunch of 300 pounders who are lining up with two tight ends and a fullback and trying to jam it down our throats,” defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said. “In that case, we have to do a good job as coaches creating things schematically so that we don’t have our guys getting double teamed on blocks and so they are able to use their quickness and explosiveness to beat blocks and go make plays.

“The thing I think we have is a lot of kids who are physical football players and we have more speed, we are a faster defense than we have been. Ideally you’d like to have size and speed, but speed can make up for a number of deficiencies.”

Rhoads pointed to Williams and Campbell as two examples of players who, because of their quickness, are able to make plays and get off blocks, even against bigger opponents.

That’s encouraging for the Panthers because one thing the defense lacked last year was playmakers, particularly up front, and the more coaches have watched Williams and Campbell, the more excited they’ve gotten about their potential.

“I think Tommie’s made more plays in three or four practices at linebacker than he did all year at safety,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “The moves we have made, we have gotten faster as a defense. I believe we are in a better position to make plays. We have to make more plays. Last year we were in a situation where our leading sack guy was a freshmen who had 3 1/2 sacks. That’s terrible coaching on our part. We have to do a better job of giving these guys a chance to make plays and putting our speed out there and getting our defense faster is a good start.”

So, um, the primary duties of “coaching them up” and figuring out the best schemes will fall to DC Paul Rhoads? (I just tasted stomach acid in the back of my mouth when I typed that.)