Not sure how Chris McKillop’s tryout with the Jets went over the weekend. The former Pitt DE was trying out at Linebacker. It’s as much about making an impression to be invited back in the summer and to maybe create some additional interest from other teams.

That seems to be the result for Mike Phillips after his Browns’ tryout. He didn’t get invited back.

“It was a great opportunity to be in front of a lot of scouts,” Phillips said. “I think it opened some doors for a lot of things to happen. I have to keep working and go from there.”

Phillips has no intention of ending his dream. He’ll confer with his representation at the DeBartolo Co. and see if he can get a chance with another team.

“I’ll have to talk to my agent and look at the rosters of other teams and what they really need,” he said.

…

One possible destination for Phillips is Chicago. He and his agent weighed offers from the Browns and Bears before deciding on the Browns.

’’When I talked to my agent, we felt like the Browns were the better situation,” he said. “Things didn’t work out the way we thought.”

Which of course, does go back to taking advantage of the educational opportunities at Pitt. Just ask Ben Pryor.

Pryor, a highly sought Western Pennsylvania high school football player in 1976 who played in four college bowl games, is enjoying his career in education. He received his degree in elementary education in 1998 and his Masters in 2000.

“It’s going well in this change of careers, and I enjoy what I am doing,” said Pryor, who previously worked in the steel industry.

A focus of Pryor’s daily responsibilities is working with ninth graders entering Roosevelt High, a school of approximately 2,800 students in Prince Georges County, a Washington suburb.

On May 17, Pryor will be one of eight inductees during the A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame’s 39th banquet at the Clarion Hotel in New Kensington.

Pryor had tremendous success in both high school football and basketball. He was named first-team all-state, a Parade Magazine All-American and an adidas All-American in 1976, and played in the 1977 Big 33 all-star football game.

There are always other things after football.

I haven’t written about the press conference/PR thing with Tony Dorsett and LeSean McCoy to this point, simply because I hadn’t had time to watch the video.

A couple thoughts before I get to the news write-ups.

Watching the interspliced clips of Dorsett and McCoy really makes me miss the old Pitt colors. But then anytime I see old clips I probably think that.

I got a kick out seeing how they dressed McCoy for the event. I have to imagine he was thinking something like: They put me in a collared shirt, pulled the logo sweater over my head and put me in khakis — make me dress like I’m Bobby friggin’ Knight — for this. And Dorsett shows up in jeans and sweatshirt???

There are times when it seems like it’s too much, too soon. That it is all but setting things up for something to go horribly wrong and then to read one of those “what happened to..” articles 5 to 10 years later. But then to hear Dorsett talk about how nothing is assured and how much work is still needed. That was reassuring. As much as this was PR and singing the praises of McCoy — which Dorsett was happy to do — there was an element of reminding that there is plenty still ahead.

That element was caught in part in this story.

“He’s got to pass the test of time,” Dorsett said. “He’s go to prove himself all over again, starting again (this coming) season.

“But if he’s here for three more years, which we’re all hoping he is, he has a darn good chance of doing it. There are a lot more records that I hold here, but I hope he breaks them all. He’s going to bring back a lot of focus to this university.”

The prominent theme, though was the similarity of the two on the field.

Greatness is greatness, and we can see right now he’s a diamond in the rough,” Dorsett said. “I admire what this young man has been able to do. He can be one of the more exciting running backs in college football.”

…

“I say this is a special time because this is a special young man,” Dorsett said. “I’ve watched him play. Comparisons are just comparisons, and I hate to compare someone to myself … but this is the first guy that I’ve seen that reminds me of Tony Dorsett.”

McCoy rushed for 1,328 yards on 276 carries last season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Dorsett saw slightly more action as a freshman, when he rushed for 1,686 yards on 318 attempts while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

“I don’t know where he gets it from,” Dorsett said. “I don’t know where I got it from, but I saw him jump through a hole one time in one of the games and he just threw a stutter and he took off like a blur and I said, ‘That’s Tony Dorsett.'”

McCoy was well composed throughout. As is typical, he handled the media with smiles. He spoke a lot of respect and seemed quite humbled by the comparisons. He was also very careful in his answers, definitely hesitant to say too much about how he sees the comparisons.

Asked how he would compare himself to Dorsett, McCoy’s face contorted in obviously deep thought.

He struggled twice to begin a sentence.

That was when Dorsett swooped in, saying, “Let me answer that for him, LeSean is LeSean. He is his own player. … We can see that his upside is so very large. He has a lot of things that he can accomplish. Comparing him to me, no, he is LeSean, let him be LeSean.”

And McCoy looked very relieved for the save.

Dorsett also mentioned the hope that McCoy would be at Pitt 3 more years. Something that seems highly unlikely if McCoy keeps doing what he’s been doing.

Really, anytime a special event is announced for April 1, I have to wonder if this is some gag. The Pitt Athletic Department is probably not going to this much trouble for a joke, but you never know.

The University of Pittsburgh will host a special media and photo opportunity on Tuesday, April 1, featuring legendary Pitt running back Tony Dorsett and current Panther LeSean McCoy. The session will be held at noon at Pitt’s football practice facility within the UPMC Sports Performance Complex.

Dorsett, the 1976 Heisman Trophy winner, will make a special presentation to commemorate McCoy’s remarkable freshman season.

Pitt is letting the non-media (i.e., everyone else) watch  the event for free via Pitt’s website at noon.

Some unconnected links.

A little late, but Rivals.com spring practice preview.

Pittsburgh missed playing in a bowl for the third consecutive season under Dave Wannstedt, but all signs point to 2008 being a turnaround year with recent recruiting classes coming to fruition. With other teams in the Big East in transition, Pitt could make a run at the league title. The Panthers need to settle on a new offensive line and find new starters at defensive line and in the secondary this spring.

A ranking of BE Coaches. Wannstedt comes in 6th. I understand Wanny being in the lower half based on what he’s done, but seeing Kragthorpe 4th and Leavitt 5th is ridiculous.  Kragthorpe may have a solid body of work prior to Louisville, but he can’t compare to what Leavitt has been doing. I can at least see the argument for nos. 1-3 (even if I don’t agree with the order — Edsall, Schiano, Kelly), but if body of work counts for Kragthorpe, Leavitt blows him out with how he’s built USF.

Joe Starkey writes that Pitt is embracing expectations on this team from national speculation.

“I’m kind of surprised,” says Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, whose team began spring workouts Tuesday. “You know, coming off a five-win season.”

That said, Wannstedt welcomes the pressure. The Sporting News’ Matt Hayes and SI.com’s Stewart Mandel have Pitt pegged at No. 25; ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach and CBS Sportsline’s Dennis Dodd at No. 22.

“We don’t dodge the issue,” Wannstedt said. “You meet it head on – but, really, it doesn’t have any bearing on anything. One of the early lessons you learn playing this game is that you have to prove yourself every week.”

There’s also some talk of the possible LeSean McCoy and the Heisman talk. Let’s make sure there’s an O-line first.

Finally, I mentioned that Rod Rutherford is in af2. In his debut, he threw for 4 TDs and ran for 2 more. Of course, in what had to take him back to his Pitt days the O-line let him get sacked 7 times and there was little defense as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Pioneers lost 48-41. Ah, memories.

There’s a Pitt legacy on the Wildcat’s squad.

Jason Richards of Davidson has a chance to match his father’s achievement of point-guarding a team to the Elite Eight. Tom Richards was in charge when Pitt got to the East final in 1974. His son, leading the nation in assists, kept the Wildcats’ offense viable with 20 points and five assists while All-American Stephen Curry gradually found his touch on the way to 30 points and a dismissal of No. 2 seed Georgetown.

Jeff Otah will likely be drafted somewhere in the middle of the first round. A second straight year for Pitt to put a player in the 1st round of the NFL draft. It’s progress. Otah got a puff piece in USA Today as they were looking at O-linemen.

“It’s the best group I’ve seen in 24 years,” says Kevin Colbert, director of football operations for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “The majority of them can play the left side or play both sides. It’s unusual to have that many guys that big and that athletic and that productive.”

Colbert has had a bird’s-eye seat to watch Otah’s development. “Jeff’s an interesting kid that probably hasn’t played his best football yet because he’s not a real experienced guy as far as football is concerned and having playing experience. So there’s probably a lot of upside left in him,” Colbert says.

Meanwhile, Kris Wilson may finally get a chance to play now that he is out of Kansas City and the back-up to Tony Gonzalez. He joins the Philadelphia Eagles with a 3-year deal.

“I’m coming in here to play tight end,” Wilson said. “The coaches told me I’ll be working primarily at tight end. I think my skill set definitely allows for more success at tight end.

“My strengths are stretching the field, catching the ball, beating defenders one-on-one, mixing it up and blocking guys – a lot of the all-around things that tight ends do. I think at the tight-end position, you have to be a jack of all trades.”

Some of Wilson’s tight-end numbers at Pitt were impressive. He averaged 16.3 yards per catch and scored nine touchdowns his senior season.

Wilson was one of my favorites from that period. I complained at a lot of games that he didn’t get enough balls thrown to him.

Meanwhile, if you live in the Wilkes-Barre area, you can check out Rod Rutherford QBing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of the af2.

“Rich called me all the time around this time to see if I wanted to play but I would always blow him off,” Rutherford said. “Everyone has a dream of playing in the NFL but I realize that my window of opportunity is smaller than it was when I first came out.

“If that opportunity comes I am not going to run away from it. I gave (Ingold) a call and he was happy to welcome me aboard. I am going to take advantage of this chance and do what I have been able to do my whole career.”

Rutherford signed a free- agent contract with the Carolina Panthers when he came out of the University of Pittsburgh. The Panthers released him in 2005 and he was picked up by the Steelers where he received a Super Bowl ring.

He spent a summer in Germany, serving as a backup before trying out with the Tennessee Titans. When nothing worked out with the Titans, he volunteered as an assistant with Pitt this past season.

…

“Honestly I would love just to continue to play at whatever level I can,” said Rutherford who has no experience with the indoor game. “Whether it is AFL or even coming back here, ultimately whatever I am doing it is going to be in football. You have guys who love to play with computers, I love the game of football.”

I just hope he has been wise with the money he has received in his time in the NFL.

Draft profiles are starting to show-up. Pitt has 4 players likely to have their names called on draft days: Jeff Otah, Darrell Strong, Joe Clermond and Mike McGlynn.

While I was happy that Paul Dunn was asked to pursue other options by Coach Wannstedt, I don’t wish him ill. Dunn, afterall, is an alum. So, it’s good to see he landed a job with the Atlanta Falcons as an assistant O-line coach.

Sundays are part of the weekend, but it never feels like it. The thought that Monday is around the corner sticks in the back of my mind all day. Ah.

A large number of football recruits visited this weekend for the hoops game against Seton Hall. The list includes verbals like Nix, Burns, and Sunseri plus some hopefuls (most notably AJ Alexander). They were able to pick up their 17th verbal from TE Justin Virbitsky.

Jim Snyder of Pantherlair.com is reporting that TE Justin Virbitsky gave the Panthers a verbal commitment today. Virbitsky is the Panthers 17th verbal commitment. Virbitsky is from Lakeland, Fla. and is being recruited as a “blocking” tight end. Virbitsky was a 3-year starter at Lakeland H.S. and was named to the 1st team Class AA as a defensive end. [PSI]

The “blocking” tight end style is more similar to John Pelusi’s game rather than Nate Byham. Byham is a great blocker but an even better pass-catcher.
Speaking of tight ends (there’s a dirty joke in there somewhere), Darrell Strong played in the Hula Bowl last night. The other Pitt player was Kennard Cox. Two other all-star games will feature former Panthers.

Two-time All-Big East defensive end Joe Clermond will play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 19 in Houston, Texas. The game will be a 7 p.m. (ET) telecast on ESPN. Pitt’s defensive captain, Clermond (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain) finished the season as the Panthers’ leader in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (13). His 53 total tackles tied for fourth. An outstanding pass rusher, Clermond’s .88 sacks per game ranked 11^th nationally (tied) and third in the Big East.

Pitt’s starting offensive tackles, Jeff Otah and Mike McGlynn, will play in the Jan. 26 Senior Bowl, held in Mobile, Ala. The game will kickoff at 3 p.m. (ET) and be televised by the NFL Network.

All-star games have never really excited me; now really planning to watch these unless I find myself really in need of something to do. NFL Draft Countdown has Otah going near the middle of the first round and says this about him:

Otah is still very raw and only has two years of division I experience but he has mind-boggling size (6-6, 340) and great athleticism with almost unlimited potential. In college he played left tackle and did a fantastic job but he might have to the right side at the next level and a good way to think of him would be as a poor man’s Jake Long with more longterm upside.

Teams and Detroit and Philly would be two teams drafting in the middle of the round that could use him on their o-line.

Pitt moved up to #8 in SI.com’s Luke Winn’s Power Rankings, with the focus on the P-G puffer on Levance Fields and the same bit I liked (do I need to revise my view?).

ESPN.com’s Power Poll puts Pitt at #6.

Pitt’s big rally — and the big Fields 3 against Duke showed skill and fortitude. Losing Mike Cook is a downer. Resolution: Get to the free-throw line more. Also, take smiling lessons from DeJuan Blair.

In a less related note, Aaron Gray has moved up in attention among NBA rookies.

This 10th spot seems to be reserved for the one-week wonders. This week it’s the Bulls’ big man out of Pitt. Given three straight games of at least 20 minutes, Gray responded by averaging 10.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. Of course, he came back to earth on Saturday (and Big Ben returned to the lineup), so if the pattern holds up, Gray’s stay in the rankings might be short-lived.

After Kevin Durant, the rookie pool has been a little low on impact so far. That has meant the “role player” rookies are actually doing more.

Among players who weren’t lottery picks but have started to carve out a niche in the league are Miami’s Daequan Cook, New Jersey’s Williams, Detroit’s Arron Afflalo, Boston’s Glen Davis, Utah’s Kyrylo Fesenko and Chicago’s Gray, who looks like the best bargain value of the 2007 crop.

According to Boston’s Doc Rivers, the current draft culture hurt the 7-footer out of Pittsburgh most, because teams started poking holes at his game instead of concentrating on what he could do. What he can do is establish a presence inside, gain position and bang the offensive boards.

ESPN is doing some sort of top highlights of all time.

Jerome Lane’s backboard breaking dunk is on the list. Since they list by date — Jan 25, 1988 — it is somewhere in the middle of the list.

Vote early and often.

Pittsburgh’s favorite pro hoops team, the one and only Pittsburgh Xplosion, have signed former Pitt star Carl Krauser. Krauser played over in Germany last year but will now experience “The X”, of which I wrote about at Mondesi’s House back in January.

Much of the story on the team’s website talks about Krauser’s accomplishments and how excited they are to have him.

“We are very happy and excited to have a guy of his caliber on our team,” head coach Carlos Knox said. “We are very excited to have him contribute both in the community and on the court.”

Krauser became the first Panther in school history to surpass 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. For his career, Krauser finished ninth on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,642 points), fourth in assists (568), and eighth in steals (190). He averaged 13 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 126 games.

The Xplosion picked Krauser in the sixth round of the 2006 CBA College Draft. Teams own the CBA rights of their draft choices for two seasons.

Other former Panthers on the roster include Antonio Graves and John DeGroat. The season opener is Friday night at the Petersen Events Center. Be ready for Krauser mania — or maybe not.

The bye week got Paul Zeise to bite on picking an all-time Pitt squad.

OFFENSE

• Quarterback: Dan Marino
• Running Backs: Tony Dorsett, Marshall Goldberg
• Wide Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Bryant
• Offensive Lineman: Mark May, Jimbo Covert, Bill Fralic, Rueben Brown, Mark Stepnoski
• Tight End: Mike Ditka
• Kicker: Josh Cummings

DEFENSE

• Defensive Lineman: Hugh Green, Rickey Jackson, Bill Maas, Randy Holloway
• Linebackers: Joe Schmidt, Jerry Olsavsky, Tony Woods
• Defensive Backs: Darrelle Revis, Tim Lewis, Tom Flynn, Ramon Walker
• Punter: Andy Lee

Plenty of feedback and other suggestions followed, as you would expect.

On a related note, Ruben Brown is out for the rest of the season with the Bears due to a shoulder injury. It is very likely that Brown’s career could be over. He’s been in the NFL for 13 years.

Still trying to dig things out like the articles for Pitt basketball right after Media Day last week. Starting with the tradition from Coach Dixon to bring the seniors to Media Day, that has special meaning this year amongst the four seniors in tow.

Four years ago, Ramon and Benjamin, New York City natives, were the first two recruits to give Dixon verbal commitments, weeks before he coached his first game at Pitt.

Dixon has always brought his seniors to Big East media day in New York. But yesterday was the first time he brought a class of players that he recruited, signed and brought to Pitt as the head coach.

…

“It’s a reward for the seniors who have been through it,” Dixon said of bringing his seniors to this event. “They came to a program that wasn’t quite established when they arrived, and they’ve established it. They’re part of a team that’s had the best record in the conference by far over the past six years. And they’ve been a big part of that.”

The article also notes that they had a dinner with Manhattan head coach, and former top Pitt assistant Barry Rohrssen. Rohrssen will be one of many to attend the Sunday, November 4, exhibition game. Not to see Pitt have its way with IUP in a tune-up, but for the Bill Baierl Alumni game in between the men’s and women’s exhibitions.

A former basketball letterman and 1951 Pitt honors graduate, Baierl was a kind, caring, generous, highly accomplished and dedicated long-time supporter of the Pitt athletics program. As a student-athlete at Pitt, Baierl was a basketball player under legendary Pitt coach H.C. “Doc” Carlson. Following graduation, Baierl always remained close to his alma mater and became one of Pitt’s most highly respected and widely beloved graduates. Baierl was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni Fellow and was formally welcomed into the Cathedral of Learning Society, a recognition group for lifetime donors of more than $1 million to the University. He provided the lead gift for the construction of the Petersen Events Center’s 43,000-square foot Baierl Student Recreation Center and Baierl Basketball Center which houses Pitt’s lockerrooms, team meeting rooms, training and practice facilities. He passed away in April, 2007.

The game was put together by former Pitt great Charles Smith, who was very close to Baierl. Quite a list of participants.

Smith and Pitt coach Jamie Dixon are the co-hosts for the game. And they pulled out all the stops to make it a star-studded event. Among the former players expected to attend are Don Hennon, Jerome Lane, Clyde Vaughn and Curtis Aiken.

Many prominent coaches with Pitt connections are taking time out of their schedules to be there as well, including Memphis coach John Calipari, Xavier coach Sean Miller and Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen.

The goal is to make this an annual event.  Something that is so blatantly a good idea that I have nothing snarky to say about it. The only thing I will sadly note is that former coach and player Tim Grgurich is not listed in the release as expected to attend. I keep hoping he will reconnect with Pitt at some point. He could be such a resource for Pitt in teaching and helping develop players. One of the great teachers of basketball (IMO), even just to get him in for a day or two each year could be so valuable.

As for the team itself, the consistency and achievements of the program has earned it a place now as a perennial top-25 team. Even with the changes, those outside of the program expect Pitt to continue to do well regardless of the personnel and change in style.

“Will Pitt be different because they don’t have Aaron Gray?” Thompson III said. “I think history has shown that they have made adjustments. They will be fine.”

…

“We’re obviously a different group and they understand it and they push the ball,” Dixon said. “We have six guys out there who can all handle the ball and handle the ball in transition. I think that’s going to lead (to up-tempo play) more than anything. It’s just going to mean opportunities. If Gilbert or Mike comes up with a loose ball, they can take the ball in transition. We always haven’t had that.”

The change in styles and the loss of three starters didn’t lower expectations at Pitt. The Panthers last week were picked to finish fourth in the Big East pre-season coaches poll, and 20th in the nation in the USA Today/ESPN poll.

“Personally, I don’t look at them as rebuilding,” Thompson III said. “They lost some very good players, but they have very good players that are there. I don’t think it’s a case of rebuilding. I think Jamie is too good of a coach and the players they have back there are too talented.”

That is the hope. Of course, stranger things have happened. Just look at UConn.

Many of you have e-mailed me a couple articles about Aaron Gray making a big impression with the fans, coaches and possibly starting for the Bulls. Just haven’t had a chance to get to it.

Gray has endeared himself to both by being productive in the exhibitions preseason, but also humble and very self-critical.

“I know I still have a lot to work on. I hear about it every day. If he didn’t care about you, he probably wouldn’t say anything. The important thing is, I’m learning a lot.”

Not that Gray’s head had swelled from that double-double against the Mavericks.

”Maybe my stats [were] OK,” he said immediately after the game, ”but I’m making so many mistakes out there. I have a lot to learn yet, especially defensively. My rotations are so slow.”

That might help explain why Gray fouled out Tuesday — his six personals matching his six points in 16 minutes — in a victory against the Washington Wizards.

Skiles said Thursday he wasn’t surprised that Gray’s self-analysis emphasized the negatives over the positives.

”Those are the guys we like,” Skiles said. ”If not all, most of the guys in the gym are like that.

”For a young guy like him who is big and has a skill set, he’s a quick learner. You can tell that he wants to learn, so we’ll keep teaching him. He may end up being a bigger factor for us than we realize right now. Who knows?”

His production and presence on the court has Bulls Coach Scott Skiles considering Gray to be the fifth starter, forming a twin towers situation with Ben Wallace.

“We liked what happened at the beginning of the game the other night,” Skiles said. “We thought Ben Wallace and Aaron played well together. Ben is a good passer. And he found Aaron once the other night. Ben also knows our offense well.

“We have to decide, balancing both units, do we want a couple of defensive players in the starting lineup or do we want more offense. Aaron has shown—and I think he will in the regular season—that he can score. Do we want to use that to start a game? It’s something we have to think about.

…

The rookie from Pittsburgh has impressed many with his fundamentally sound play and steady development.

Despite fouling out against the Pacers, most infractions coming from poor or slow defensive rotations, he’s averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 fouls in 18 minutes per exhibition. He’s also shooting 61.3 percent in five games.

“The mobility issue, in my mind, is much less a factor even than it was in the summer,” Skiles said. “He’s definitely picked up how we want him to move and where we want him to move to. And because his hands are so good and he’s got a soft touch and his size, it makes up for those issues.”

Gray has become very intriguing to a lot of fans, even as some are reserving judgment and think this as much to do with lighting a fire under some other players.

Matty Rosenberg of Only the Bulls blog sought my thoughts/scouting report on Gray when he was with Pitt. On his site, I also came across this video of Mr. Gray showing his musical stylings.

[Editor Note: For whatever reason, the embed keeps failing. Code is being stripped out after I insert it. It then screws up the rest of the blog, so I just pulled it.]
Okay.

No Pitt game today. The present is bleak. The future nebulous. Time to take not of past Pitt greats.

As most are aware, Curtis Martin will be honored by Pitt at the Navy game on Wednesday.

Also attending the game will be two former teammates who will be rooting for different teams that night.

Navy’s last win over Pitt came in 1985 during the senior season of tailback Napoleon McCallum, a two-time honorable mention All-American who would play in the National Football League.

Navy and Pitt were once regular opponents, playing 19 consecutive games between 1961-1979 and seven straight times from 1983-89. The Panthers hold a 20-13-3 lead in the series, which dates back to 1912.

Two of the finest players to participate in the rivalry – former Pittsburgh tailback Tony Dorsett and ex-Navy quarterback Roger Staubach – will be in attendance at Heinz Field on Wednesday. Dorsett and Staubach were longtime teammates with the Dallas Cowboys, playing in two Super Bowls together.

The article added another tidbit that made me go, “What, 1, 2, 3, 4… crap.”

However, the once-proud program has never been quite the same since head coach Jackie Sherrill left after leading Pitt to an 11-1 record and Sugar Bowl victory in 1981. Longtime assistant Serafino “Foge” Fazio took over and mediocrity soon set in. The Panthers have suffered 14 losing or non-winning seasons since and gone through six head coaches.

Urp.