Went the entire weekend without firing up the computer. Not by plan, but because with college football season getting closer there is a lot to do. All the things I can get done now, will create less strife in the household when I spend 12 hour saturdays in front of the TV or traveling to the ‘Burgh for Pitt games.

SI.com predicts a 3-way tie for first in the Big East, with Pitt being third of the three (presumably meaning a belief that Pitt will lose to both Rutgers and WVU).

Family ties to look at when Pitt and Rutgers meet.

[Khaseem] Greene is already thinking about Oct. 16, when Pitt comes to Piscataway, and taking down his brother.

“That’s pretty much a big topic around where we live at,” Greene said. “My dad, my uncles, my whole family talks about that: When that time comes, when we could actually meet up one on one, what’s going to happen.

“As a man and a competitor, I gotta do what I gotta do just like he’s gotta do what he’s gotta do. And that’s how we leave it at the end of the day.”

[Ray] Graham’s speed and low center of gravity (he’s 5-foot-9 to Greene’s 6-1) rattle the nerves of Greene – who admits he couldn’t beat Graham in a running back duel these days.

The likelihood of the too meeting on the field this year are slim. Not only is it unclear if Graham will be seeing action in the game, but Greene is 3d on the Rutgers depth chart at strong safety. In time, though, it can be expected.

One more thing from the Cardinals exhibition visit to play the Steelers. The Johnstown paper ran a story on their local boy, LaRod Stephens-Howling.

Bemusing little piece on Pitt having three sets of brothers on the roster. Given the Taglianetti’s father, there is a bit more in the anecdote department regarding them.

Adam Gunn is eager to go.

Fullback Henry Hynoski gets it.

In fact, gauging Hynoski’s success will likely be done by looking at the team’s overall rushing numbers.

“I don’t get the ball as much,” Hynoski said. “I’m more of a lead blocker than a runner. They will throw me the ball, so I’ll be catching some passes when they dump the ball to me. It’s actually a lot like high school, but I’ll do more blocking.”

It’s a role that he not only likes, but it helped sell him on the Panthers program.

“The coaches that recruited me were honest that it wouldn’t be like high school,” Hynoski said. “I would be doing three things: blocking, running and catching passes. I don’t care about statistics. I’m going to do my role.

“I’d obviously like to make more runs. I will get my share of touchdowns, but I’m playing for a prestigious team. It’s an honor to play for a program like Pitt.”

Cameron Saddler says his knee is at 95%, happy to be playing and trying to win the punt and/or kickoff return duties.

New offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti gets a two-part piece. The first about his return to Western PA, the second and the bigger part most Pitt fans care about is his views on offense and coaching. Not to mention recruiting.

“Think players, not plays,” Cignetti said. “That’s especially true in college football. Identify who your playmakers are and then put them into whatever plays you are going to run against a given defense.

“I wish I had something more philosophical for you but honestly, it all comes down to the guys out there making plays and as a coach, you have to ask yourself, ‘How can I make sure my best players are touching the ball as many times as possible every game?'”

…

“Coach Cignetti has done a great job with our feet and helping me get my rear end into throwing the ball,” Bostick said. “He is a great quarterback coach and a great offensive thinker. It is definitely different [than most coaches] but it keeps you on your toes. Attention to detail is such a big part of his approach. There are so many little things that most people wouldn’t be able to even see it but he is stressing them and pushing us on them every day and on every play.”

Cignetti put it simply: “In this classroom, with the quarterbacks, we have high expectations, we expect them to compete every day and we expect to be successful.”

Beyond his offensive philosophy, Cignetti’s approach to coaching is what really sold Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt. Wannstedt was looking for a coach who ran a pro-style offense but what he also got in Cignetti was an extremely competitive recruiter and a guy whose energy level and borderline-hyperactivity rivaled Wannstedt’s.

Which has showed up in grabbing kids out of Ohio so far for the 2010 recruiting class.

Linebackers now seem a lot more fluid than it did at the start of training camp.

In the unlikely event Gunn can’t perform, the Panthers will have to try to get senior Steve Dell, who never has started a game, or true freshman Dan Mason (Penn Hills), who has started fast, groomed to be a starter in a hurry.

Murray is the other wild card.

He is listed behind redshirt sophomore Max Gruder at weakside linebacker as he tries to show he has fully recovered from his injury.

Like Gunn, he can play all three positions but first must prove he can withstand full contact.

Redshirt freshman Manny Williams is in the mix at weakside linebacker as is redshirt sophomore Tristan Roberts, who has struggled thus far.

Dan Mason, a true freshman, has really stood out in camp so far.

“I hope I can make a contribution,” Mason said. “They are giving me a lot of reps.”

With camp only five days old, Mason already is pushing Steve Dell for second-team middle linebacker (behind senior Adam Gunn) on a defense that is the reason Pitt is picked to win the Big East title.

Mason, ranked as the nation’s No. 8 middle linebacker out of Penn Hills, is responsible for adjusting the defensive front.

“I have to work harder at the mental part,” he said. “Strength and conditioning, I’m ready. I’m feeling good.”

Not to mention convincing the coaches. All accounts have said he has been a standout in camp. The coaches just have to believe he can make the reads on defense.