Well, it’s official.

“When I signed with Pitt out of prep school, I didn’t know what to expect. I just knew in my heart that God had given me a second chance. As a result of a season-ending injury my senior year, I learned a humbling lesson. Nothing is promised to us and it can all be taken away in a moment.

“During my two years at Pitt, I have received an overwhelming amount of love and acceptance, starting from my first visit to the university all the way through the end of this season. I have been treated with respect, class and consideration. For that I am incredibly grateful.

“Recently there has been a lot of speculation regarding my decision to either stay in school or enter the NFL Draft. I have frequently played both choices in my mind. I have considered my alternatives — and I have prayed. I have made my final decision and will forego my junior season at the University of Pittsburgh to enter the NFL Draft.

“I will always cherish the opportunity Pitt has given me. I wore number 25 with pride and tried to represent my coaches, teammates, staff and Panther fans with class. I would like to thank everyone involved with the Pitt football program for a wonderful two years in Pittsburgh.

“On a personal note to Coach Wannstedt: Thank you for your support, guidance and counsel. I take a part of you with me. Although I will be wearing a new jersey next season, I will forever be a Pitt Panther.

“One of my goals in coming here was to help my teammates and coaches bring Pitt back to its rightful place among the prominent teams in college football. We made big strides in that journey, and I believe Coach Wannstedt, the coaching staff and my teammates will continue that upward climb next season and into the future.

“Hail to Pitt!”

Good luck to LeSean McCoy. Please don’t get drafted by the Patriots.

It’s worth noting that over the two years at Pitt, he carried the ball 584 times. No other back in the country carried the ball more over those two years. I hope he is at peace with the decision.

I also hope he eventually takes advantage of the chance to finish his education. Pitt does allow its former players who leave for professional sports the opportunity to come back and finish their undergraduate education at no cost.

The only comparisons for this sort of thing are in basketball. And those tended to be long drawn out things. Odd that this is really not even a week since it started leaking that McCoy was going pro. It feels like it’s been at least two weeks of angst. Of course, two weeks roughly corresponds to the Sun Bowl, so that might explain things.

Here’s the one thing that is absolute. No decision has been made.

Pitt athletics spokesman E.J. Borghetti released this statement last night: “LeSean McCoy spoke to (Pitt coach) Dave Wannstedt (Monday) afternoon and said he is not ready to make a final decision on the NFL Draft. Coach Wannstedt encouraged LeSean to take the time he needs to make such an important decision.”

After that it is rumors, speculation and leaks.

Lots of sources saying all sorts of things.

Still, a source close to the situation said that Pitt’s chances of keeping McCoy are “very slim” at best — if they are even that good — and that he is not likely to change his mind and return to school.

And those around the program don’t expect McCoy to change his mind, either, and have begun to prepare as if he is not going to return.

He has not been on campus since before the Christmas break and he has not been in classes even though Pitt’s spring semester began last Monday. He also missed a postseason team meeting on Thursday and that fueled speculation about his departure.

This report from his local tv station put McCoy down in Florida preparing for the draft, then sort of backtracking, with his HS coach indicating it is very undecided.

“He’s torn,” Weachter said then. “He loves Pitt. He loves playing for Coach Wannstedt.”

Then there is the juicy stuff.

Very close sources to this story are 100% confident that Shady McCoy wants to return to Pitt. He does not want to turn professional and leave Pitt. He loves being “Shady” McCoy and the big man on campus at Pitt. That is not meant as a criticism. He loves the fans at Pitt and loves college life. However, he is being pressured to turn pro. LeSean doesn’t want to cause friction within his family. On the other hand, he doesn’t want to leave Pitt and be unhappy “going to work” in the NFL. From what I’m told, McCoy is “an emotional wreck” and my source told me that “he really feels sorry for McCoy.”

What is reality? What are the ulterior motives of those being a source? Those are the questions that do have to be asked. Information isn’t just “leaked” without a reason. Sure there are natural gossips, and those that like to show off how connected they are. Still, take everything with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Everyone has an agenda. Any “soruce” always risks discovery and a loss of those connections. There generally has to be another reason to give things away like this.

All I’m doing is keeping a jaundiced eye on this and will not go much further in speculation. There’s still two more days before the clock runs out and the decision is made for him.

It looks like it will be at least until Monday before there is an official word.

McCoy’s parents, Ron and Daphne, and brother, LeRon, accompanied him to the meeting at Pitt’s Duratz Athletic Complex on the South Side. Afterward, LeRon McCoy said his brother was overwhelmed by the gravity of the decision and will wait until next week to make up his mind.

“We had a great meeting, and coach Wannstedt put the options on the table,” said LeRon McCoy, who has spent three seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver. “LeSean is going to take some time to think about what he wants to do. It’s a very hard decision.”

…

“Coach Wannstedt is very supportive of LeSean in everything he does,” LeRon McCoy said. “It’s more about what he thinks is the best option for him. LeSean wants to make sure his decision is the right one.

“He’s going to use the time available to do that.”

It’s good that McCoy is taking his time. He does have that choice, but it really seems that he is still leaving.

McCoy still is expected to declare for the NFL draft. But the meeting gave Wannstedt the opportunity to sit with him, and the two were able to hear each other’s thoughts.

And while Wannstedt is hoping for McCoy to have a change of heart and return, it is clear those within the program already have begun moving forward as if McCoy, who has two years of eligibility remaining, is not going to be back. The most telling sign is that McCoy has not been on campus all week despite the fact classes began Monday.

Wannstedt spent the week recruiting in New York and New Jersey and said yesterday was the first time he and McCoy and his family had a good chance to have an open discussion about the subject. This weekend is a big weekend for recruiting, and the team is playing host to 14 recruits on their official visits.

“We had a lengthy meeting and tried to talk through the pros and cons of staying and leaving, and I tried to present him with some facts and truth, more than anything else,” Wannstedt said. “He is going to go home and sleep on it over the weekend, and I think he’ll have a definite decision the first of next week.”

[Emphasis added.]

Missing the first week of class to think about it  isn’t a killer, but it doesn’t help.

It’s no surprise that Coach Wannstedt was completely neutral on the issue other than to be supportive of whatever he does. There’s no other way to handle it. All you can do is present the facts and back the player.

“My role as the head coach is that I make a commitment to these kids that I want to see everyone of them graduate and I want to see everyone of them get in the NFL if they have the ability. That is the commitment I made to him, and I stand by it.”

Wannstedt said he hopes that McCoy comes back, but he is not going to let McCoy’s decision change the way the Panthers prepare for next season.

“To continue on here, our focus is to win a Big East championship,” Wannstedt said. “I made that very clear. I told him ‘I love you and as much as I want you back, we’re moving forward, and [if you decide to stay], you better be ready to go to work.’ It is about the team.”

Not that anyone was or is questioning McCoy’s work ethic. It’s not just about how many underclassmen are coming out, and how deep the draft is at running back. It’s about what McCoy wants to do. Is he ready to make football the full-time job? Does he want to go play in the NFL now? Or does he want to stay at Pitt for a little longer, playing college football and still have a little time for a life?

These are just my opinions. Don’t take them as the gospel or as heresy.

That McCoy is going really doesn’t surprise me. I know what he said, but plenty — like Larry Fitzgerald — have said similar in the past. No one should have been surprised.

El_Diablo: Colt McCoy and Michael Crabtree have announced they are returning next year as has another Heisman trophy hopeful , shady McCoy. When are you and your buddy bendel knock off the Shady will change his mind mantra.He loves Pitt, He loves Wanny and he loves the college life. Why is this so hard for you media guys to accept?

Paul Zeise: I’ll say it one more time — when his own coach has reservations about it, why shouldn’t we? I hope the kid comes back- it will make a more interesting team to cover that’s for sure. But again, when his own coach is telling people to hold off before they declare him back and when people around the program are still not completely sold, the responsible thing as a “media guy and a media guy buddy” is to report the fact that it is a long way between now and declaration day. We don’t make up stories, we don’t guess at things, we report what we know as has been told to us by people in the know. That’s what we do here.

Donald Brown told everyone he was coming back to UConn, but as soon as the International Bowl was over he admitted that he lied. I don’t think McCoy had his mind made up, and was necessarily lying. He was just trying to end speculation while the season was still happening. It’s what college players do, the same way college coaches try to deny interest in another job.

Now, I have to admit, that McCoy’s departure has me worried about the prospects for Pitt for next year. I know there’s a lot of optimism and enthusiasm for Chris Burns and even Shariff Harris. I know there a slew of other running backs coming in this recruiting class. McCoy, though, was a special player at the position and it isn’t some plug-and-play simplicity. McCoy accounted for 1793 yards (1488 rushing, 305 receiving) and 21 TDs. The rest of the offense produced 2659 total yards and 18 TDs.

Beyond that, the entire backfield is being replaced with Stephens-Howling and Collins both graduating. Whether you are of the opinion that the talent that will take over for them is superior or not, it also has to be acknowledged that Coach Wannstedt is not a big fan of inexperience and will be looking for ways to ease the players into the spots.

That may mean, gulp, actually trying to use the passing game. The place where the veterans and experience is located. Anyone feeling really confident about that, beyond falling back on — “well, it can’t get much worse”? From the subpar QB play to less than impressive route running by the receivers.

Beyond that, it can’t be glossed over that the O-line remains a big question mark. The team’s best lineman, C.J. Davis is gone. How well will Robb Houser come back from his leg injury and exactly who is going to be the back-up center? So far, there has been a distinct and noticeable inability to develop a center from the recruited offensive linemen. Jason Pinkston has not finished a season healthy yet and both times with the shoulders. How good the O-line is or can be is a huge unknown.

Then it comes to Offensive Coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. Whether it’s calling the game or developing QBs.

It keeps coming round to the chicken-egg thing with QB development. The supporters say he’s never had much to work with. Whether it was Chris Redmond and Kyle Boller with the Ravens or Stull, Bostick, Smith and Cross at Pitt. Detractors point to the fact that there was little improvement even with that material and he played a role at both spots in helping to evaluate the players to draft or recruit.

I’ve found myself increasingly siding with the detractors on Cavanaugh. He’s fine with QBs that all ready know what they are doing, but there aren’t any of those veterans available to him at Pitt. Palko graduated a couple years ago. I think he knows much about offense and what should be done. He does not do a good job teaching it. When it comes to calling the offense, he just doesn’t seem to have any feel for the game or what the players are or can do. There’s an absurd level of inconsistency.

We were very lucky to have McCoy, and have him healthy the entire time. That is just not easily replaced.

Both papers are reporting that LeSean McCoy will announce tomorrow that he is going to enter the NFL Draft.

Daphne McCoy, the running back’s mother, said Monday the family was awaiting a report from the NFL Draft advisory board, which graded McCoy a first-round pick. Fear of injury appears to be a key factor in the decision. A fractured leg ended McCoy’s high school senior season early.

He’s gotten advice from outside sources including Larry Fitzgerald.

I have no problem with this. A running back has a limited tread life. McCoy sustained a major injury in high school. At Pitt he is/was in a very run heavy offense that almost necessitates going pro as soon as possible to better maximize the time to make the money off the abilities he possesses.

I will miss him, and obviously this is a blow to Pitt for next year. I’m sure there will be more tomorrow.

Nothing confirmed or proven. And honestly a little strange, but take this one for what it is worth.

On New Year’s Day we reported that Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy was leaning towards entering the draft despite public statements to the contrary. Yesterday Panthers head coach Dave Wannstedt said he believed McCoy would return.

We now believe we know the reason why.

Sources from inside the league have told us McCoy received his evaluation from the league today and was told by the advisory committee he would not be selected in the first three rounds of April’s draft if he enters the event. It will be shocking to some yet not others who feel McCoy really does not have the makings of a feature runner at this time.

I have no sense as to the voracity of this. I’m too biased to be fair, but I have a hard time believing McCoy would not be a first or at worst early-second round pick. This is not some RB in a spread or running in the MAC.

Then there is this one, via Jon from Bleed Scarlet on USC WR Vidal Hazelton looking to transfer.

Hazelton’s current list of schools includes Pittsburgh and several Football Championship Subdivision schools (Western Michigan, Florida International, Georgia Southern).

If he transfers to a lower-division school, Hazelton will be granted instant eligibility.

“The option is whether he wants to play immediately or sit out for one year,” said Hazelton’s father, Dexter Hazelton. “I’d like him to stay closer to home.”

Two weeks ago, Hazelton narrowed his choices to Missouri and Rutgers but his father said they decided to reconsider their options. “I think (Missouri and Rutgers) are out,” Dexter Hazelton said.

Two other possibilities are Syracuse and Delaware. Hazelton is friends with former Penn State quarterback Pat Devlin, who recently transferred to Delaware.

“He’s contemplating hard about going I-AA,” Dexter Hazelton said. “He probably make a decision by end of the this week.”

Hazelton — who is from New York — recently learned that his grandfather has been diagnosed with cancer. The junior has been rumored to be a possible transfer since early this season. He suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for several weeks and was actually interested in redshirting. He was not, but also found himself buried on the depth chart. He basically said he was transferring because of a combination of reasons which included a rift with Hazelton and the OC.

He seems more likely in my mind to go to Delaware and play right away. I just don’t see him coming to Pitt. I mean, has he seen Pitt’s passing offense? He’s got the talent to move to the top of Pitt’s depth chart — so I doubt the depth at the position would bother him.

I just don’t see it, and frankly Pitt has other needs than taking another WR who would have to sit next year and would only have one year of eligibility.

As I said in the earlier post, lots of unfinished loose-ends. I touched on one issue — Matt Cavanaugh. A “negative” issue. So, let’s go positive. Coach Wannstedt is saying that LeSean McCoy really is coming back.

After speaking with McCoy, McCoy’s family, and a number of NFL talent evaluators, all agreed, Wannstedt said, that it is in McCoy’s best interest — and it is his desire — to return to school for at least one more season.

“I had a good talk with his parents and several talks with LeSean,” Wannstedt said. “LeSean believes, and his mom and dad believe, that he’s excited about being here and we all believe that this next year will do nothing but enhance his opportunities for the National Football League.”

Or is it that simple? Not if you ask mom.

But McCoy’s mother said Monday that the family is awaiting a report from the NFL Draft Advisory Board before making a final decision.

“LeSean does love being there. He loves Pitt and loves the football team. I know he wants to be there,” Daphne McCoy said. “But he’s 20. At 20 years old, you don’t always know what’s good for you.

“For right now, it looks like he’ll be back next year. If the report tells us anything different, we’ll see if he should come out at this time.”

I side with mom, on this. Do I want McCoy back? You bet. Should he get all information before making a final decision and take a lot of that into account, especially the financial aspects? Oh, hell yes. Do I believe McCoy wants to come back? Yes. Should he? I think reasonable minds can differ on that.

Until I hear it from McCoy himself after he gets the NFL evaluation, it is not a done deal. I’d put it 80-20 that he stays, though.

There was the very reasonable article on Sunday from Cook that I wanted to get to, suggesting what everyone already thought. That LeSean McCoy almost had to turn pro after this year.

McCoy apparently has a different view.

“Everyone keeps trying to push that idea, that this is my last game at Heinz Field. I’m not going anywhere,” McCoy said. “There is a lot of stuff I have to prove and the thing is, I don’t think I’ve done enouhg here at this university and there is a lot of stuff I have to achieve here.

“It is something I want to squash and get it over with and not have to talk about it because I am kind of getting a little fed up with it. When you look at the [NFL] them guys, that’s what they do, that is their job. When you play college football, you just come out to have fun and play ball but to those guys, it is their job.

“I feel I am not ready yet. Right now, I’m in school, I’m enjoying myself, I’m not pushing to go anywhere.”

This is great news. It’s very responsible and makes you proud that he’s at Pitt. To say nothing of what it could mean for Pitt next season.

At the same time, I’m not even holding him to that. There is still plenty of time between now and when he has to decide. He should still do some due diligence.

A major reason, not mentioned often is that the NFL labor peace is nearing an end. It is likely that by 2010 it could be a capless year and a lockout in 2011. There’s a big risk of money to being left on the table, and a more restrictive rookie salary structure. That is one of the reasons that there could be a record number of juniors coming out this year.

Still, that’s a concern for another day.

Former Pitt QB Rod Rutherford, who has been bouncing around minor arena football league programs is now looking into coaching. He did a part-time assistant thing with Pitt last year. This year it’s at D-III St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, PA — coaching the secondary.

“I’m brushing up on the coverages,” Rutherford said with a laugh. “Football is football, no matter what the level and no matter what position you play. I feel that I have a good sense of what (defensive backs) are thinking, having played quarterback and seeing their reactions so often. I just need to understand it through their eyes.”

Rutherford’s career path carried him through short stints with the Carolina Panthers and Steelers, plus NFL Europe and the American Indoor Football Association.

Now, after a year as a part-time assistant on Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt’s staff, Rutherford is taking serious the idea of coaching football.

“I tried a number of things. I tried office jobs. That’s not for me,” he said. “I’m a football guy.”

I hope he does well. I also hope he banked a lot of the minimum salary he earned in the NFL. It’s going to be some time before he reaches that level of salary. On the plus side, he is doing something he likes and wants to do.

Clint Session, now of the Indianapolis Colts, has attracted a lot of attention in exhibition NFL season. He was moved to strong-side linebacker and is the starter there until October.

Session is a 6-0, 235-pound bundle of energy who has a knack for making things happen. The key, coaches say, is to harness the aggression, stay within the defensive scheme, generate positive plays and limit the mistakes.

Dungy was impressed that Session was able to shake off the early mistake and make better use of his aggressive nature.

“He comes back and he’ll run through and make a tackle in the backfield, chase some things down and (produce) blow-up hits,” Dungy said. “We’ve got to channel that in the right way.

“He had plays that you would notice in a game. There were highlight-film plays for one team or the other, so we are just working to make sure there are more highlight plays for us.”

It was pointed out earlier this week, but, yeah, that’s real familiar.

One of the things I never quite grasped was the mocking Coach Wannstedt came in for at the end of his first year back at Pitt. The debacle that was the Backyard Brawl that year had a sideline interview at the half asking what Pitt needed to do to get back in the game. “Get faster,” was Wannstedt’s response.

For some reason, many on the outside saw this as an indication of Wannstedt’s overall cluelessness about the game. I think most Pitt fans recognized that Wannstedt was not talking about the game in particular at that point. The game, that was already out of hand — and with H.B. Blades injured — not going to get better. What he was talking about was the program and team — but specifically the defense — needed a lot more speed.

Whether it was to contend with the proliferating spread offense. Or just the way college football was becoming. Oddly, within a year of that statement there began the whole meme about the speed in the SEC and the plodding, slow athletes in the Big 11. Conflicting styles and speed was winning nearly every argument.

Whether it was Wannstedt recognizing the trend or just because his defensive philosophy has always been about generating speed on defense it probably doesn’t matter. Pitt’s defense was anything but in the first couple years.

Last year Pitt began showing it, but the lack of depth and execution was glaring. Especially the mindset and execution. The Navy game was the worst demonstration of the problems with the execution and a defensive braintrust that just could not seem to understand where to adjust against Navy’s triple option.

The theory that Wannstedt effectively took control of the defense from DC Paul Rhoads after the Navy game is still just that. It’s an attractive one. Don’t get me wrong. As a long-time member of the anti-Rhoads base, I find it very appealing and believable. It’s unlikely, however, that we’ll ever know. And really, all that matters is that Rhoads is gone.

Keep in mind, however, that 10 days later, Pitt still gave up over 350 yards in offense. 3 Cinci turnovers in the 4th quarter were the reason Pitt was able to take the lead and hold on to the win. The point being, the defense remained inconsistent and prone to giving up big plays and yardage even if it was statistically strong.

I was thinking about the speed on defense for the past week after this article on “tweeners” and moving kids one spot back on defense.

And those “tweeners” — like safety Elijah Fields, who is 6 feet 2, 225 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds, or defensive end Jabaal Sheard, who is 6 feet 4, 250 pounds and runs the 40 in about 4.7 seconds, are the type of players every defensive coach covets.

“Offenses have gotten smart, and they are putting more skill-position players out there and making you cover them all,” Bennett said. “It has completely changed the way we have to recruit.

“Now, we’ve got to find those what I call hybrid players to play linebacker — kids who are smart and who are fast and maybe played other positions in high school.”

Bennett said the spread offense is the “passing version of the wishbone” because the concepts are pretty much the same: The offense spreads the defense out and reacts to where the numbers favor the offense. If there are five defensive players in the box, the offense will likely run the ball. If the defense decides to put a sixth or seventh player into the box, the offense will react with a pass.

The concept of putting “hybrid” players on the defensive side of the ball is not new, especially not to Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, who has been building defenses this way for nearly his entire career.

It’s all about creating exploitable mismatches whether on the offensive or defensive side of the ball.

As for Elijah Fields, specifically, he has an incredible opportunity before him. The NFL has been evolving in its own way. Fields is in a system, paired with his own ability that will get him to the pros. Especially as a safety in today’s game.

The safety position is evolving to match increasingly complex playbooks, personnel packages and presnap adjustments. Versatility—not size—is the key. Today’s top safeties (think Ed Reed and Bob Sanders) have to match up with freakishly athletic tight ends and barracuda-quick slot receivers while still providing run support and zapping receivers on crossing routes.

Coaches can mask some of the deficiencies of a pass-challenged safety with Cover 2 schemes, but that pulls an enforcer off the line of scrimmage. The Cover 3 is an alternative, but not every DB is comfortable in zone, where spacing and discipline require constant vigilance. Plus, spread sets, motion, no-huddle and playaction still can create (or mimic) scenarios that force a safety to match up one-on-one with a slot receiver or downfield burner. And with refs throwing illegal-contact flags more than ever, there’s no margin for error.

He seems to be catching on the big picture of his future. I hope he gets how close it actually is.

Jeff Otah has signed his contract with the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina… swung a trade that included giving away a 2009 first-round choice to land Otah with the 19th pick.

Terms of Otah’s contract weren’t available.

Otah, 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, is expected to add a mauling presence to the right side of the offensive line. He’s first on the depth chart at right tackle after being credited with 192 knockdown blocks in two college seasons at Pittsburgh, including 26 that led to touchdowns.

Another former Pitt offensive lineman, Charles Spencer was released by the Houston Texans.

Spencer (6-4, 337 pounds) is battling back from a serious knee injury he suffered Sept. 17, 2006, against the Indianapolis Colts. He remained hopeful all month the Texans would let him open camp with them Friday.

“They just didn’t feel I was healthy enough to compete in camp, so that’s why they made their decision,” Spencer said. “Only I know how I feel, and I feel like I can compete and be a starter for the Texans. But they make their decisions. I respect that.”

Spencer remains focused on playing again. He said his leg is stronger than it was before the injury, and he is simply working to get back in football shape.

“Of course I’m going to play football again,” Spencer said. “I’ll find a job.”

A third-round pick in 2006, Spencer suffered a serious fracture to his tibial plateau in just his second start. He underwent surgery and had eight metal screws inserted in his knee. He has spent the past 22 months rigorously rehabilitating it.

Well, Spencer was right. He was signed by… the Carolina Panthers. Add in Nick Goings and Carolina probably has the most  former Pitt players in the NFL

Mike McGlynn is ready to play for the Eagles, including having signed a 4-year contract. It’s very likely that McGlynn will continue for a while to be an offensive lineman playing at multiple spots. One day it may be guard.

McGlynn, a right tackle for much of his collegiate career, says Eagles offensive line coach Juan Castillo has told him he’ll likely play guard or center in the NFL. With two-time Pro Bowler Shawn Andrews on the Eagles’ right side, McGlynn likely will have to be a left guard if he hopes to start.

The next day he’s at center, snapping the ball to Kevin Kolb.

He is getting the positive press.

McGlynn knows what he’s up against, and also knows by now how much more time he’ll need to put in to gain the complete trust of meticulous offensive line coach Juan Castillo.

So each day during this Eagles’ organized team activity for rookies and first-year players, he just tries to soak up as much as he can from Castillo, who is the perpetual motion machine that has driven the line even before Reid arrived.

“So far it’s going good,” McGlynn said. “My goal is to play, but I just want to pick everything up right now, take one thing at a time, pick everything up, the offense, the techniques, then try to earn a spot on the team.”

And he’s got his cliches down. Good sign.

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.

A couple days later and not much has changed.

I found it amusing that on the day before the draft, the Delaware paper wrote about how Otah’s family was hoping he might go with pick #19.

So, even though they know it probably won’t happen, the Otah family will dream about Jeff playing just a half-hour drive up Interstate 95.

“That would be such a thrill for all of us, to have Jeffrey play for the Eagles,” Patricia Otah said. “We’re not getting our hopes up, but if we could pick any place, it would be someplace close to home. And Philadelphia is as close to home as he can get.”

Well, they got it half right with Otah going #19.

The latest pride of Delaware is the 5th Delaware high schooler taken in the first round.

…joining Randy White of McKean High (by Dallas with the second pick in 1975), Joe Campbell of Salesianum (New Orleans, seventh in 1977), Luke Petitgout of Sussex Central (New York Giants, 19th in 1999) and Kwame Harris of Newark (San Francisco, 26th in 2003).

As the NFL is a well-oiled publicity machine, they had quick Q&As with all first round picks on the teams’ respective sites that night.

On playing for Dave Wannstedt at the University of Pittsburgh: He just told me to be a man, and it’s a job now. Everyone playing is a grown man and you have to take care of your family. That is how he treated me when I was there, like a man. He let you make your own decisions, and if you couldn’t abide by that then you wouldn’t be playing.

They also had Otah on a plane to Charlotte that evening to be introduced to the local media.

Otah was puzzled, not knowing Carolina had only minutes before traded up with the Eagles for that 19th pick — and had chosen him.

“I thought it was a prank call,” Otah said.

But it wasn’t, although Otah wasn’t fully convinced until another call came. This time it was Panthers coach John Fox, whose voice Otah recognized from a meeting they had at his workout day for NFL teams.

Otah, as it turned out, was heading where he hoped he would be.

“This is where I envisioned myself going,” Otah said Sunday at Bank of America Stadium, where he had just finished taking a tour of the facility with Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.

Given that Carolina traded a good deal to get back into the first round to get Otah, there is probably more pressure on Otah to perform right away than on #13 Jonathan Stewart (who at least has DeAngelo Williams to share carries).

Despite the increase in the level of competition at the Division I level, Otah held his own. By the time he graduated Wannstedt was calling him “the best offensive lineman I’ve ever coached.”

Coach John Fox hopes he can say the same at some point down the road.

He’d better hope so.

The Panthers gave up a king’s ransom – a second- and a fourth-round pick this year and a first-round pick in 2009 – to get Otah with the 19th pick in the first round, so there will be plenty of inherent added pressure on him to play at a high level.

On the second day, Mike McGlynn and Kennard Cox got drafted.

McGlynn was a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles as the 109th overall pick, while Cox was selected in the seventh round [251st] by the Buffalo Bills as a compensatory selection.

Cox was the third CB taken by the Bills in this draft. It’s a safe bet as the second last pick in the NFL draft that Cox’s survival on the roster will be dictated by how well he performs on special teams.

As for McGlynn, Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid likes his versatility.

“In the fourth round, we took Mike McGlynn. He’s an offensive tackle from Pittsburgh, however he did play some guard and also some center. That’s where my interest came in, that he can play all three. He’s very much of the same mode as [RT] Jon Runyan. He’s got a nasty streak to him and he’ll fit in nice with our group of guys here.”

McGlynn, of course, is just ready to play.

On whether he spoke to the Eagles coaches about what position he would be playing: “I think (offensive line) coach (Juan) Castillo likes me inside, playing guard or possibly even center. I really don’t know. We really have not gotten into that to see where they want me to play. I will play anywhere, tackle, guard or center. It doesn’t matter. I am excited.”

On the free agent signings. Chris McKillop, Jameel Brady, Mike Phillips and Lowell Robinson are unsigned.

Joe Clermond signed with the Bears.  Darrell Strong with the Raiders. I’m mildly surprised neither got drafted. Strong’s physical characteristics and Clermond’s production just seemed like someone would take a 6th or 7th round flier on them.

The Carolina Panthers gambled by not taking Otah at the #13 spot. Instead reaching (in my opinion) for Jonathan Stewart of Oregon at Running Back. They then traded with Philly to move in to the #19 spot to grab Jeff Otah.

Otah was expected to go in the #12-20 range. He slid a touch further than expected. I really expected the Bears to grab him at #14 when he was there.

Congrats to Otah.