Not exactly a surprise that John Pelusi will likely redshirt at this point. As he is still coming back from an ACL tear and Pitt isn’t exactly desperate for depth at TE, there is no real reason to rush him back.

It also seems that Coach Wannstedt isn’t promising Tommie Campbell his starting job back at Weakside (Will) Linebacker. Might be a motivation thing as much as anything for practice this week.

Darrelle Revis has been struggling with his punt returning duties. Seems that Revis is trying too hard to break a big one that he has forgotten what made him a top punt returner in the first place.

Pitt coaches watched Revis go right, left and backwards instead of straight up the middle against The Citadel on Saturday — he finished with 33 yards on six returns — and told him not to try to break one every time.

“When you have exceptional ability — and Darrelle Revis has exceptional ability — and you’re such a competitor, in your mind, you get the ball in your hands and you don’t want to settle for a 5-yard return. You’re trying to make a big play,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He came in and saw the film, and I think he realizes he has to take what he can get and the big plays will come.”

Seems like one of those things where it’s “don’t think, just pitch.” Pitt’s special teams just aren’t at the level where he should be dancing around looking for a seam and lining up his blockers.

What the rest of the media horde saw at practice.

The offense showing up was the big thing.

After encountering Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt’s wrath Monday, the offense “showed a little bit of character” Tuesday by responding with an inspired practice.

“That’s what it’s going to take,” Wannstedt said. “It’s a team effort. We’re not good enough to go out and beat anybody with one phase.”

Dale Grndic agrees that the offense looked much better. Helps when the O-line shows up to give running room and time to throw.

TB LaRod Stephens-Howling had several runs for first downs on sweeps, as well as between the tackles to show his versatility. With Brooks having another good day, freshman Kevin Collier looking better all the time and Dorin Dickerson working his way into the lineup Pitt’s RB situation appears to be better than it was last season.

…

RB Shane Brooks had several big runs Tuesday, including some between the tackles, but he also bolted around right end for a 20-yard gain as right guard John Simonitis and right tackle Mike McGlynn caved in the defense on that side.

The line battles continue.

McGlynn straightened up DE Joe Clermond. Simonitis got the better of DT Corey Davis. NT Rashaad Duncan, who moved up to the first group Tuesday, beat C Joe Villani. DT Gus Mustakas slipped past OG C.J. Davis, but LT John Bachman held off DE Doug Fulmer for a while until his speed paid off.

Aaron Berry had a good day that everyone took note of.

Freshman cornerback Aaron Berry had an outstanding practice. He read a pass play and intercepted Bill Stull, then partially blocked a Dan Hutchins field goal attempt, causing it to bounce off the left upright.

Mick Williams has been a big question mark after his concussion. Which was initially missed, and thought only to be having some migraines. This article suggests his problems are not to be taken lightly.

Sometime during the opening two practice sessions, or maybe even during pre-camp workouts, he apparently suffered a concussion. He has been debilitated by migraines and vomiting ever since and has not been able to get back on the field or do conditioning work on the side.

Tuesday, Wannstedt said an MRI to determine if Williams has more severe head trauma was negative.

So far, it’s been a mystery to everyone.

Everyone is hoping for some big things from Williams this year. He  was redshirted and spent the past year working very hard at his conditioning and learning.

“I was kind of a slow learner when I got here, and a guy like Rashaad jumped on it a lot quicker than I did,” Williams said. “So, he got a chance to play a lot quicker. But I don’t have any regrets about that or any hard feelings. I’m happy that I took the redshirt, because I’m a better player now.

“I think I improved in a lot of areas. My overall technique, I’m stronger and faster, and I don’t second-guess myself now. I don’t have to think so much when I’m out there. I can just go out and make plays now, and that’s what we need to do on the defensive line.”

Williams improved his bench press to a maximum of 370 pounds, and he can squat 565 pounds. So, his strength has increased a great deal as well, but he also is much quicker. He gives the line an added dimension, along with Mustakas, of speed. Duncan and Davis are more stout. The same holds true for newcomers Jason Pinkston, John Malecki and Mackenzie Mathews.

As much as he and the coaching staff want him out there, he needs to be held out until he is all the way back. Concussions are scary, and if they happen too close together, that can just be it for good with playing.

Former Pitt head coach Jackie Sherrill is in town for the football alumni weekend (complete with a golf outing at the Montour Country Club) and paid a visit to practice yesterday.

The Panthers watched the telecast of the 1982 Sugar Bowl, when Dan Marino threw a scoring pass to John Brown in the final seconds of the 24-20 victory over Georgia.

“It was pretty amazing,” Sherrill said. “I never watched the game on TV. They had us written off because they were scrawling all the credits and saying how good Georgia was. All of a sudden, they had to change the story real quick.”

Back when ESPN Classic actually showed classic games in full, this game often was shown. Not as often as the BC-Miami Flutie hail mary game, but good frequency.

Freshman Aaron Smith’s separated shoulder does require surgery. He’s likely headed for a redshirt. Back-up QB Bill Stull had the pins removed from his finger a couple days early and was actually able to take some snaps under center. Darrelle Revis’ hamstring kept him out of practice for a second straight day. Hopefully it is just the team being extra cautious with the All-American CB.

Words you don’t like to see in the same sentence: Safety Mike Phillips, ankle, hurt. Phillips turned his left ankle during practice and was held out for the rest of the session.

More than a couple hits in practice sent helmets flying, literally.

Freshman defensive tackle John Malecki knocked the helmet off sophomore guard Dom Williams on a Shane Murray interception return. On the next play, redshirt freshman John Brown replaced Williams and knocked the helmet off freshman corner Jovani Chappel.

I hate reading that sort of thing. The risk of concussion is scary.

The latest press conference from training camp. Nobody panic because McKenzie Mathews went home.

On McKenzie Matthews’ absence from practice:

I’ll tell you what happened with McKenzie. When all of this happened without getting into a lot of details, he obviously stayed and practiced through everything. I had conversations with his coach, his mom and everything. I had pre-arranged for him to go home and see his mother and his coach. This was set up four days ago, and he’ll be back. It was a personal thing that I just felt was important to do at this time. That’s where that’s at.

Everybody breathe. This is not a big deal. It jibes with what his HS coach told the Syracuse beat reporter on Monday.
Brandon Mason was excused for personal reasons that Coach Wannstedt says will be explained later. Cue ominous music.

Linebacker Tyler Tipton is going to transfer. Pitt will help him. I would guess he sees an opportunity to crack the line-up fading quickly.

Darrelle Revis has a sore hamstring. Dexter Davidson needed to have both his knees scoped. I’m guessing he’s heading for a red shirt.

Bill Stull apparently gets the pin out of his finger on Friday, so he is getting closer to returning to full practice.

On the bright side Kicker David Abdul is apparently getting close to being cleared to practice. That’s great news for Abdul.

Other players returned or are close to returning.

On injured and returning players:

Dorin Dickerson came out today and got some work today which was encouraging. We expect that Conredge Collins will be back tomorrow. [Jason] Pinkston and Mick Williams are still slowed up because of the concussions. Hopefully Pinkston will be back tomorrow. Mick – it’ll be another day or two. For the most part guys are showing up. We don’t have any serious injuries. We’ve got a lot of guys out here that are banged up, beat up and practicing. That’s part of training camp. It’s what separates the men from the boys as we say. Dorin came out today and worked through some individual [drills] and did some things. He’s obviously not 100 percent. It’s going to take him a couple of days, but he’s back at it. I asked him at the end there, and he said he did feel good so that’s encouraging.

Coach Wannstedt had plenty of praise and encouragement.

On his thoughts after viewing the film from yesterday’s scrimmage:

After the film, the guys that jumped out that made some plays were Tommie Campbell, big John Malecki, Jovani [Chappel] did some nice things at corner and on special teams. Jeff Otah did some nice things on the offensive line. Shane Brooks, I think, has kind of turned into that tough guy. Kevin Collier showed up and scored two touchdowns. Doug Fulmer continues to make plays. I was really encouraged by, if you want to look at positions, probably our defensive line. But we still haven’t settled on anything yet. And the neat thing about it right now is the competition is so fierce – Rashaad Duncan, Corey Davis – everybody’s playing better. They’re all playing. It’s going to be a real, kind of interesting thing when we can say, `Okay, it’s game week guys, and here are the four tackles who are going to play and the four ends.’ It’s going to be a good thing, and we’re going to play a lot of guys and keep guys fresh. I kind of like that thing. I think Greg Gattuso and Charlie Partridge are really doing a great job of bringing those young kids along but at the same time keeping that healthy competitiveness.

Coach Wannstedt is relentlessly positive about his players. So I think it will be a cold day in hell before you see him really call out individual players. It does, though, breed a certain reading between the lines or reinterpretation of what he actually means when he doesn’t completely praise a player.

The other stuff I hadn’t had a chance to post on this week.

Assistant Head Coach Bob Junko is taking a leave of absence from the team as his recovery from heart surgery in February has gone much slower than hoped. Junko is an underrated recruiter for Pitt, and has been Pitt’s recruiting coordinator this season. Not sure if the perceived slowness in the Pitt recruiting this summer is actually related considering how hands-on and active Coach Wannstedt is.

Taking over on the field for Junko is Charlie Taafe.

“We were fortunate to be able to gain the services of a highly knowledgeable coach in Charlie Taaffe on such short notice,” Wannstedt said.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to the University of Pittsburgh’s football program and help Coach Wannstedt build Pitt to the level of prominence it is accustomed to,” Taaffe said. “There is a real excitement and anticipation here and I’m glad to be part of it.”

Taaffe was Maryland’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2001-05. Prior to Maryland, he served as the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (1999-2000) and The Citadel (1987-96). Taaffe additionally held collegiate assistant coaching positions at Army (1981-86), Virginia (1976-80) and Albany (1973). He was a graduate assistant at NC State (1975) and Georgia Tech (1974).

Taaffe was something of the scapegoat at Maryland for the team’s struggles. After leaving Maryland unexpectedly to “pursue other options” Maryland HC Ralph Friedgen announced he would serve as his own OC. Can you say scapegoat? I knew you could.
Alan Robinson is the longtime AP sportswriter for Pittsburgh. He has a piece noting some similarities to what Coach Wannstedt has done with recruiting in his first year to what his old boss and mentor Johnny Majors did back when he started at Pitt.

Maybe there’s not a Tony Dorsett or a Bill Fralic in the bunch, both players who were known nationally before enrolling at Pitt and went on to great college careers.

Less than a week into summer camp, though, it seems evident Pitt’s 27 freshmen have the potential to be the best such group at Pittsburgh since Dorsett’s in 1973. That class was greatly responsible from transforming the Panthers from one-game winners in 1972 to unbeaten national champions in 1976.

Maybe the names aren’t well known yet outside of recruiting circles, Pitt’s fan base and opposing Big East teams, but coach Dave Wannstedt didn’t bring them to campus to let them sit. That means the Pitt team that takes the field Sept. 2 against Virginia may not closely resemble the one that ended last season with an embarrassing 45-13 loss at West Virginia.

There probably hasn’t been a bigger changeover in the roster from one Pitt season to another since first-year coach Johnny Majors, during the days when there were no real scholarship limits, brought in scores of new players in 1973.

That’s one to save from the memory hole to review in a couple years.

Shane Corson is learning to play Center. Viewing it as the shortest route to playing time. It’s gone as smoothly as expected as a Guard moves to a position never played before.

Scott Corson’s training camp practice debut for the University of Pittsburgh was rather inauspicious, but at least he left a lot of room for improvement.

A former GreaterJohnstown Trojan lineman, the 6-foot-5, 280-pound Corson was moved from guard to center with the freshman group and mishandled consecutive snaps to the quarterback in the opening team drill.

“That was a tough start for Scott, but he’s learning a new position,” Pitt offensive line coach Paul Dunn said. “So, he’s going to make some mistakes, but he’s gotten better already. And he’ll continue to improve.”

Corson didn’t think it could get any worse.

“I was real nervous that first day because I never took a snap before in my life,” Corson said. “Then, we had two fumbled snaps right off the bat, so I had to make sure it didn’t happen again. I needed to be confident and approach the next practice with a better frame of mind.”

Interesting to note that in the story, Chris Vangas, who was challenging Villani for the starting Center position in the spring before an injury shut him down is now been moved to Guard. I would presume because he is good enough to be playing somewhere on the line, and Pitt needs depth and the best players out there.

Finally, Tom Dienhart at the Sporting News doesn’t think much about Pitt this season in his Big East quickies.

He does the least with the most: Dave Wannstedt, Pitt

…

Offensive coordinator on the spot: Matt Cavanaugh, Pitt
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Watch him now, because he’s turning pro: Darrelle Revis, CB, Pitt

If this guy gets hurt, his team is toast: Tyler Palko, QB, Pitt

…

They’ll be worse than advertised: Pitt

Safe to call this the conventional wisdom of national sportswriters heading into this season.

Aside from the brief drama of a couple homesick freshmen, training camp was relatively quiet. No overarching themes or big news. Just a lot of little notes and impressions from the beat writers.

The passing offense looked a little off yesterday.

DE Chris McKillop hurt his shoulder during practice was the only new injury. Other players were still with minor dings sitting out practice.

Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Mick Williams (migraines) missed practice for the third consecutive day. Freshman receiver Dorin Dickerson (ankle) hasn’t practiced since Thursday. Other regulars who did not practice were safeties Jemeel Brady (shoulder) and Irvan Brown (shoulder) and receiver Cedric McGee (hamstring).

Lowell Robinson and Aaron Berry are splitting kick return duties and backing up Darrelle Revis on punt returns.

Shane Brooks keeps getting noticed in practice for dishing out punishment to the defense when he carries the ball.

The situation with T.J. Porter is somewhat filled out this morning.

Pitt’s freshman class may have taken another big hit yesterday as receiver T.J. Porter did not show up for the afternoon practice and is considering leaving school. This comes one day after freshman defensive end McKenzie Mathews left the team and returned to his home in Syracuse, N.Y.

What makes the decisions puzzling is that both players were having excellent camps and were on their way toward making it onto the two-deep.

In Porter’s case, there is a good chance he can earn a starting spot or be the third receiver.

There is some understandable confusion about why two players who were in Pittsburgh all summer for voluntary workouts and conditioning. Who are performing very well in the first week of training camp, fully looking like they will at a minimum make the two-deep depth chart. Why would they, now start pining for home to the point where they might leave and set back their hopes and dreams a couple years (be it making it to the NFL or just getting a college education).

The easiest, simplest and probably best answer is that they are kids. They may be very physically gifted and talented kids, but the key thing is they are kids. With Porter, at least, he has shown some sensitivity to being overwhelmed by things. It’s part of why he ducked out of a signing day ceremony at his high school before quietly signing the following day.

Coach Wannstedt is doing the right thing by staying in touch but giving the kids a chance to catch their breath, talk to family and think.

What isn’t completely explained is what happened to back-up QB Bill Stull. One day he’s having a fine camp, looking real good. Now he has his finger in a splint and not taking snaps for at least a week. No word on what digit or hand.

Freshman WR Aaron Smith could be heading for a redshirt with a seperated left shoulder. Especially if it needs surgery or extensive rehab.

The highlights from camp, seem to have a majority coming from the offense.