Yes, I had taken note of the story that Pitt is looking to use the safeties more in run support and dare we say, blitzing.

That prompted Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads to re-evaluate everything from their defensive scheme to personnel in the off-season. Midway through spring drills, the Panthers added a new wrinkle by moving a safety closer to the line of scrimmage to help in run support and occasionally blitz the passer.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Wannstedt said, only half-kidding. “We’ve really been looking at a lot of ways to help our run defense. Getting the safety involved with blitzing is one way we haven’t done much of and is something we’re taking a look at this spring.”

I take it fully serious.

Honestly, I had to hold off on posting this until I could beat down the urge to make it all about DC Rhoads’ new-found responsibility for the linebackers and realization that his job (should) could be on the line if Pitt doesn’t start stopping the run. All of the sudden, there is value in bringing the safeties up. Especially as things are completely unsettled and no matter how much potential there may be at the Linebacker spots, it’s a huge question mark.

This has struck me something of a classic groupthink issue. The article points out that Coach Wannstedt hates bringing up the safeties as well because of the risk of giving up the big play. Well, that’s been nothing but reinforced with DC Rhoads’ similar approach. That means no dissenting voices (aside from screaming, pleading fans) to change the view. At least new secondary coach Chris Ball is willing and supportive of using the safeties up closer to support the overall defense.

Eric Thatcher is perfectly willing to contribute.

“If bringing the safeties up in the box is going to help this defense stop the run – and that’s the problem we’ve had since I’ve been here – I’ll be as physical as I have to be,” Thatcher said. “I think it’s going to help us out big-time. The way it’s run this year is definitely a lot better than last year.”

At this point, I’m not even concerned as much about the blitzing as it is about stopping the freaking run. If this is what it takes to finally get Pitt to start stuffing the box against teams — like Rutgers and Ray Rice — so be it.

The other point is that for all the happy and hopeful talk about how the D-line will be better and positive surprise this year, the planning to use the safeties in run support and blitzing reflects one of two possibilities:

1. That maybe all that talk of a stronger D-line is just a lot of smoke being blown-up the collective behind of Pitt fans, and the coaches are much more cognizant of the reality; or
2. This is some advanced planning because while the D-line might be better, the depth isn’t there at this point and it is better to start planning now for what needs to be done when things go lower on the depth chart.

I hope for #2, but suspect #1.

In the Blue-Gold Game, neither QB was particularly impressive, but Stull definitely seemed to have a firmer grasp on what he was doing. That makes sense since this is now his third season learning from OC Cavanaugh. Kevan Smith, is still struggling with things. The most glaring is locking in with his eyes on his primary receiver. Even with the internet feed, you could see his eyes follow just one receiver when he dropped back. Elijah Fields noted that when he talked about his interception after the scrimmage.

Fields followed quarterback Kevan Smith’s eyes, broke on his pass and returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown Saturday in the Blue-Gold Game at Heinz Field.

“I usually can catch Kevan staring a receiver down,” Fields said. “So, I just went on a guess and just broke on it. And it was right there. It felt like high school again. Once I see the end zone, I don’t let anything stop me.”

Hopefully the light for Fields stays on. He says he has a much better understanding of the defense and his role out there. That the game is slowing down for him once more.

I guess the coaching staff is not satisfied with anyone at the Center position right now. Something that makes me nervous.

Mike McGlynn has been Pitt’s starting right tackle the past three seasons, but he sat out spring drills with a shoulder injury. As a result, sophomore Jason Pinkston has been the first-team right tackle and has filled the role admirably.

Pinkston’s emergence at tackle might mean McGlynn could be moved to shore up the center position, which is shaky. That could mean McGlynn would move to center or he could move to guard with junior C.J. Davis shifting to center.

“We have to look at getting the five best offensive lineman out there,” Wannstedt said. “And really, Mike McGlynn gives us the most flexibility to move someone because he is the leader of that group and he can play a number of positions for us. He has the most knowledge of our offense.”

McGlynn is the long-snapper on punts, but this is a little different. Spring practices won’t decide the depth chart for the fall, but you would hope that by the end there’s an idea of where players will be lining up. That they won’t be changing the positions after the final scrimmage of the spring.
It’s hard not to see how LeSean McCoy won’t be competing for the starting tailback job — or at least rotating with LaRod Stephens-Howling. Stephens-Howling looked good out there, but Shane Brooks won’t get much playing time if he puts the ball on the ground, regardless of how well he runs and how good he is at catching the ball out of the backfield. Kevin Collier had a nice run for 28 yards, but only 26 on 11 carries after that.
Nice that DT Gus Mustakas and OT Jeff Otah won the awards for most improved players in the spring. It’s all line play right now.

The defense looked much better then the offense overall. Not a complete shock with the QB position still unsettled. I’m a little worried about the corners right now. I think they will improve and get a lot better — high ceiling and all of that. Right now, though, they are not looking that great. Aaron Berry had a gift interception. He was behind Kinder who went high to try and get a pass from Stull. Kinder was able to get one hand on it while trying to stay inbounds. Berry didn’t go up for it or try to break it up. Instead he stood flat-footed behind Kinder and when the ball tipped off of Kinder’s left hand it went right to Berry.

Maybe it’s because he didn’t want to level a teammate in a scrimmage. Maybe he felt his position was wrong to make a play on the ball (which was probably true). All it looked like he was going to do was shove Kinder out of bounds if he came down with it.

Kevin Gorman’s blog post on the game has lots of nuggets on the Blue-Gold game, and he ends with a little blast to AD Jeff Long:

The past eight days have been a public relations disaster for Pitt athletic director Jeff (Not For) Long, who moved the marquee home game (Navy) from a Saturday to a Wednesday night so it could be televised on ESPN and then charged admission to a scrimmage.

I’d be more forgiving if Long hadn’t issued a news release at 3 p.m. on Good Friday so that he wouldn’t have to answer for changing the game. Or if he hadn’t sat alone during the Blue-Gold Game in a coaches’ box, with a glass window separating him from having to deal with members of the media in the adjoining press box.

For an athletic department so desperate to sell season tickets that it’s practically giving away a second seat (at $10) to first-time buyers (of the $199 package), this was a poor way to promote the football program.

And an even worse way to answer for it.

I noted the timing of the release last week. Gorman seems more annoyed about the avoidance of dealing with the media rather then the more populist perspective that sitting alone and sealed off also kept him away from the fans and general public.

If you are watching the Spring Game and want to comment on what you are seeing. Fire away.

2:07: For whatever it’s worth in the spring game and this being it, I’d say that Stull is looking a lot more comfortable in the offense and much more accurate.

Moved up from the comments, with thanks to Dan35 for the observations:

A cheerleader got drilled right on the noggin with a booming punt during pre-game drills. I don’t know if it’s a bad omen, a good omen, or just plain tragic.

Play of the Day:
Gus Mustakis chasing down Bill Stull and forcing a fumble. It looked like a grizzly chasing down a deer. Great stuff.

Ouch:
Kevin Smith had a day to forget. It was a big step backward from what I saw of him in the scrimage 2 weeks ago. He fumbled 2 snaps, almost lost a couple others, got tripped up at least twice by his linemen, and had a couple near-fumble exchanges. Not very crisp. Not all his fault, though. He never got into a rythm. Stull didn’t set the world on fire, either.

Ready to Rock:
Mustakis, Clermond, & Fields all looked great throughout the day. Shane Murray and McKillop seem to work well as a tandem in the linbacker corp. I think Murray will surprise some people. LSH showed his usual fleetness afoot.

Overall:
The coaches are gonna be pissed about the performace. The stupid mistakes that they did not want to see were everywhere. The offense definitely wasn’t clicking on all cylinders. They kept it pretty conservative. The defense played well (with help from the O). The secondary forced a couple coverage sacks, the linbackers were largely in position and making plays, and the linemen were getting penetration. I think the defense is in decent shape at the moment. The offense needs to get everyone healthy and on the same page.

Miscellaneous:
When the coaching staff tells you that they have high hopes for Romeus, but that he needs some experience/work: believe them. He made some great athletic plays and batted down a pass or two. He also got sucked into a couple fakes and failed to keep contain. That stuff will come.

Pinkston is a monster. He is a huge scary monster. He’s listed at 280, but looks closer to 310. He’s very good news for the O-line.

Dorin Dickerson had a pick and a couple tackles, including one where he tossed Pelusi out of bounds with one arm. He’s definitely going to contribute somewhere. Part of me still can’t help but wish it was running over defenders.

Again, thanks for letting us know what you saw. Hard to judge much from the internet broadcast.

At least for a day. Today’s annual Blue-Gold scrimmage takes place at Heinz Field beginning at 1 pm, and the format is a little different this year. Where as it was previously the blue squad against the gold squad, this year it’s just going to be offense against defense. The new scoring is a little different, but not unheard of. I watched the Oklahoma spring game last weekend for a few minutes and noticed they had a similar system.

The defense will get 12 points for scoring a touchdown, five for creating a turnover and three for blocking a field goal or if the offense misses a field goal, three for stopping a fourth-and-1, two for each sack, any fourth-down stop inside the 50 and any unsuccessful two-point conversion and one for forcing a fumble (that is recovered by the offense) and a tackle for loss.

The offense can earn points in traditional ways — touchdowns, field goals and extra points (or two point-conversions) — and for converting first downs and long runs or passes. If the score is tied at the end of the scrimmage, there will be a playoff at the goal line.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said he made the change to make the spring game more enjoyable for the fans.

Wanny says that both Stull and Smith will get a chance to run the first team offense, but as said many times before, this doesn’t turn into a real battle until Bostick steps into camp. Other things you might notice is that this year the quarterbacks will be tackled. I guess that’s exactly how to make the choice at QB a little easier — get one (or two) of them killed in a scrimmage.

The notable players to watch today include “sophomore right tackle Jason Pinkston, who has had a fabulous spring,” and sophomore cornerback Aaron Berry who is entering the role left open by Darrelle Revis. Safety Elijah Fields is a “big-play threat” and redshirt freshman DE Greg Romeus is a great all-around athlete. We’ll also get to see sophomore Dorin Dickerson’s debut at linebacker.

I won’t be able to make it to the game today but if anyone goes and sees anything special or takes any good pictures, drop a line to dennis.pittblather@gmail.com

I’ll say this about Trib-Review sports writer/Pitt football beat guy Kevin Gorman’s blogging effort. He is definitely providing lots of extra content when he does the spring practice reports. Lots of various tidbits and stuff.

• A new twist to the secondary was that senior Lowell Robinson appears to have moved to cornerback for good and split second-team reps with Aaron Smith. Robinson made a nice play on a toss sweep to his side, when he spun off a block and tackled tailback Kevin Collier.

Robinson also worked on special teams as the kick return specialist (alongside Porter), but doesn’t appear to be a candidate to return punts. Those duties were handled by Aaron Berry, Smith, Porter and Ricky Gary.

• One of the players to have a strong, but subtle spring was sophomore Jovani Chappel. He’s playing second-team cornerback behind Kennard Cox, and could push Cox for the starting job this fall. When the first-team defense lined up in the nickel package, the hard-hitting Chappel was the extra defensive back.

I’m a little surprised to see Robinson shifted over to Corner. I would question his speed there — not to mention his coverage ability. He was an All-American JUCO Safety. Can he really stay with receivers without getting penalized or burned? I would guess they are just trying to find a place for him on the field. Safety seems to have some depth if Thatcher and Phillips are healthy and Fields stays out of the doghouse. Still, there is arguably good depth at corner as well.

Near the end of the post, he slips in — almost casually — that Shane Brooks is struggling with putting the ball on the ground.

Shane Brooks is fitting into the “ultra back” role nicely, especially when he hangs onto the football. If not for his fumbling, Brooks would be the backup tailback.

That’s a bit of a problem.

Final question. Anyone really that wrapped up in the whole scoring mechanisms for the Blue-Gold Game or did your eyes just kind of glaze over as well?

This time it’s Conredge Collins getting the love for the way he’s been running the ball and playing.

Pitt starting fullback Conredge Collins quietly has had as good of a spring as anybody on the team, but has not received much recognition because of the position he plays and the attention that is being paid to the tailbacks and quarterbacks.

His work, however, has not been overlooked by the coaching staff.

Now, if it was just Zeise pumping Collins, I’d take it with less than a grain of salt considering the man-crush he’s had for Collins. Gorman’s practice report blog post, though, also gives some love to Collins.

It was one of several impressive runs by Collins, who had his best practice of the spring after Wannstedt was critical of the Panthers’ running game.

Collins has had limited carries, but ran strong up the middle and to the outside against the first-team defense, which had trouble tackling him individually. On his next carry after running into Phillips, however, Collins saw Elijah Fields coming and slid to avoid a collision.

That’s the type of respect Fields already is commanding with his physical play. Even so, Porter made an impressive play by catching a pass over the middle, absorbing a hit from Fields and hanging onto the ball.

So, at the very least, Collins had a very good practice on top of a steady spring. Mike Phillips was injured trying to bring down Collins, but it seems Elijah Fields has everyone’s attention when he hits.

Other things kind of absorbed from the two reports on practice (not that you can’t read them yourselves):

Junior DT Gus Mustakas got lots of praise from Coach Wannstedt and the beat writers seem to be in agreement.

Senior OT Jeff Otah will probably be the anchor on the line.

Tyler Tkach is now playing more. Seems he was banged up early in spring practice.

Elijah Fields may keep Lowell Robinson off the field at the safety spot. Hmm. Maybe Fields is as good as suggested. Now, if he can just stay focused.

The beat writers are confused and annoyed they don’t have a handle on the starting QB job. Both use comments from OC Matt Cavanaugh to bolster their perceptions. Gorman is under the impression that it will be Stull or Smith — that Bostick will have no chance.

“He’s going to come in and get a chance to compete a little bit, but not being here in the spring is a setback for him,” Cavanaugh said. “He’s missing 15 practices and he’s going to start from square one when he gets here. He’s been here, been studying a little bit and watching practice, but there’s nothing like being under center.

“We’ll certainly take a look at him and see how he compares, but he’s going to be behind. I think these two guys are going to battle and, hopefully, one of them steps up and makes it an easy decision.”

Meanwhile, Zeise doesn’t seem to think Stull or Smith have done enough to merit anything at this point

Cavanaugh said that while both quarterbacks, Bill Stull and Kevan Smith, have made progress, neither is ready to take the starting job. “They are getting better, but I can’t get past the fact that both of them have a long way to go,” Cavanaugh said. “I’m not discouraged because they are improving, but I can’t project where they’ll be come the season.”

Guess we won’t know for sure for some time.

I had toyed with trying to go to the Blue-Gold game. Really. If for no other reason then a trip to the ‘Burgh and maybe a night out. The wife, however, has me on a variation of home detention this month. The good news, is I and others who can’t make it to Heinz Field can watch from the comfort of our own computer (hat tip to Pitt Panther Fans).

Pitt will be streaming the Blue-Gold game live via their All-Access/CSTV.com feature. This event, though, will be a freebie. They use the Windows Media Player stuff. The coverage starts at noon this Saturday.

Shane Murray as the weakside linebacker for a Dave Wannstedt defense does make sense. He wants speed and athleticism there, and doesn’t mind if he’s undersized for the position.

“I knew Shane was a tough guy, or we wouldn’t have moved him,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “You don’t have to be the biggest guy or the strongest guy to play in this scheme, if you’re smart and you can run.”

Murray played QB in high school and was initially moved to safety. Linebacker, though, was something he was taught by his dad when he was younger. It seems he still has the knowledge with the footwork and leverage. That’s promising. Murray would be the type of player that Rutgers Greg Schiano would stick at linebacker for speed.

As soon as the end of the Blue-Gold game this Saturday, you can expect the coaches to hit the recruiting trail. That, of course, includes Coach Wannstedt who also doubles it up with the rubber chicken circuit. This year, that includes going into Ohio for Wannstedt.

He will be the featured speaker for the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. It will be May 8 in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake. That’s going to have an odd feel for it. Wannstedt will be the featured speaker at an event in the Cleveland area where Bernie Kosar and Jim Tressel will be in attendance. Strange billing.

In the opening to Zeise’s Q&A, he noted that the secondary looks to be in good shape.

The defense has been very hard to peg because so many key guys are hurt, but the secondary looks like it will be much improved (I know. Given how bad the safeties played last year, that isn’t saying much.)

Eric Thatcher is healthy and hammering people again. Mike Phillips looks like he regained his 2005 pre-injury form and Aaron Berry is a tough guy with the right mix of feistiness and finesse and he’s the kind of talented trash talker every secondary can use. He’s going to be a good — maybe a great — one.

And then there is Elijah Fields, who finally is starting to look the part. He really has come on strong and that is good news for the Panthers because I really believe he can be a big time player for this team.

The new secondary coach Chris Ball, is also enthusiastic about them.

Ball also is excited about the talent level of the younger players in the secondary, particularly cornerbacks Jovani Chappell, Aaron Berry and Aaron Smith and safety Elijah Fields. He said all four have improved should be ready to play significant roles in the fall.

“Jovani is sort of that swing player, he’s played both sides, he’s played some safety — he’s done a great job,” Ball said.

“Elijah and Aaron Berry are just very talented kids. They both are working hard, they both have a chance to do some really special things. And Aaron Smith, for a kid who has never played corner much before, has really come on. He’s a great athlete, he’s just trying to catch up with the mental aspects of the position.”

Is it too early to wonder how the safeties will do in run defense support?

Remember, this is spring practice. A lot of what happens and what the coaches say don’t mean a lot. So, after a week plus of reading about the running game looking a lot better, there were complaints about its performance.

Although the offensive line got a big push on that play, the running game struggled overall. LaRod Stephens-Howling, Kevin Collier, Shane Brooks and Conredge Collins combined for 39 carries for 116 yards, a 2.97 yards-per-carry average.

“The thing I’m disappointed in is we’re not running the ball like we’re capable,” Wannstedt said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do with running the football on offense. I thought we threw the ball fairly well, we protected fairly well but we did not run the ball like we need to to become a good football team.”

It’s actual meaning.  Very little. If, as believed the QB competition doesn’t start until Pat Bostick arrives. It is safe to say that the RB competition doesn’t start until LeSean McCoy gets to Pitt in August.

If Pitt is going to have any success this year on offense, the O-line will decide it. That’s even with the unknown of the running game. The Pitt receivers have everyone liking the talent and depth.

“That’s definitely a good feeling to know that you’ve got five guys capable of going in and playing,” Hill said. “Coach Spurrier always said, ‘If a guy doesn’t want to play, the greatest ally is the bench.’ ”

It has caused a fierce competition, as Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said Pestano and Porter are pushing Turner for the starting job at split end.

Through the first two scrimmages, Porter is tied with Kinder for the lead with eight catches apiece, but Pestano’s big-play ability has shined brightest.

Once perceived as fragile, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Pestano has repeatedly proved his toughness. The redshirt junior has seven receptions for 142 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown pass from Kevan Smith that was the longest play of the first scrimmage. He caught a 32-yard pass from Bill Stull in double coverage Saturday.

“I think I can be the guy, but I’m not the only one with ability,” Pestano said. “We’ve all got talent. We’ve all got different qualities.”

Porter admits he struggled adjusting last year to college and practice as a freshman. Meanwhile Oderick Turner got a jolt about assuming he would hold onto the #2 receiver spot without having to try when he got demoted in spring drills. Pestano has looked good, and it got Turner’s attention. He had his best day of practice.

“It was good to have Oderick Turner join the team for the first day of spring,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said with a sly smile. “I’m halfway kidding, but it was nice to have him show up and play like he’s capable. I reinforce that our receiver position is going to be pretty good.”

This still goes back to the O-line, though. Pitt’s QB (who ever it will be) won’t be able to get the ball to the receivers and the tight ends if the line doesn’t give the QB time to throw. We saw it in the second half of numerous games last year. The defenses started bringing more pressure up front and go straight after Palko to keep him from having time to hit a receiver. It was a lot easier to stop the ball at the source rather than try and cover all the possible targets.
Regardless of who the starter is at QB, bringing the rush and pressure at a rookie QB should be standard for any opposing team’s game plan. Especially with the depth at WR and TE for Pitt that makes the passing game potentially excellent. So, it will be up to the O-line to give the QB a chance to get the ball to someone. You have to expect seeing a fair amount of max protection for the QB this fall. Or at least, there should be.

John Bachman is struggling to learn to play center. He admits that it still a thought process with snapping and assignments. Not instinct and natural for him. Still, he doesn’t want to go back to tackle. He seems determined to make the change and become very good at it. O-line Coach Paul Dunn thinks coming back from injury is also an effect in the back of Bachman’s mind.

“I think, for him, the hardest thing is to overcome the fear of getting hurt again,” Dunn said. “He’s battling that more than he’s battling assignments, technique and those things. What John doesn’t know as a football player, he sometimes compensates with his athletic ability. The more he works at it, the better he’s going to be at it.”

That fear came to fruition Saturday in Pitt’s third scrimmage, when Bachman sprained his right ankle and had to be helped off the field. The injury doesn’t appear to be serious, but Bachman is likely done practicing for the remainder of spring drills.

While the O-line has plenty of questions, at least there seems to be depth. Corson is now the back-up and he has some potential as well.

You know, I’m starting to get the sense from reports that there still is no separation amongst the running backs in the scrimmage. The numbers have tended to look similar and it is just a different back each day who “looked good” or better then the others.

Shane Brooks led all rushers with nine carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, followed by LaRod Stephens-Howling (7-46, TD) and Kevin Collier (10-45, TD).

That doesn’t really say much since it is completely unclear who was doing these things against first or second team defense. Still, already this spring we’ve been told that Collier, Stephens-Howling and Brooks have all looked good during various scrimmages. Who knows? Maybe they all are performing very well. Maybe the run defense is unchanged. Either way, without any apparent separation amongst the present backs, LeSean McCoy should feel pretty good about his chances when he comes in this summer — and there may be an even stronger clamor by the fans for him to play.

Otherwise, from the Saturday practice the team was inconsistent on both sides of the ball. Nothing about that should be surprising. It’s spring drills. You expect the head coach to grouse a little about the lack of consistency and the need to improve. And you expect a lot of mistakes and unanswered questions.

John Bachman and Kevan Smith are struggling to work on the Center-QB exchange. Darrell Strong keeps getting positive reviews in the camp. Nate Byham is definitely pushing him for playing time at the TE. Eijah Fields had a nice interception as did Shane Murray.

Offense will be interesting. Pitt is strongest at TE and WR. There is depth and lots of skill there. If the QB position gets settled quickly, it will be a challenge for Pitt not to throw the ball a good deal. As much as Wannstedt wants to run, the potential with the passing game is huge. Considering the questions of the O-line, a lot of short-passing and screens might be in the future.

The ongoing one-on-one battle between Jason Pinkston and Greg Romeus is apparently worth watching. What the players seem to lack in skill and knowledge at their respective positions they are making up for with enthusiasm and hits.

Pinkston, Pitt’s right offensive tackle, and Romeus, the left defensive end, have collided nearly every spring practice session and provided a premier matchup during the Panthers’ intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday morning.

Pinkston appears to have gotten the better of Romeus, for the most part, during the past two weeks in practice, but the defensive end did have a sack, a pass breakup and three tackles during the scrimmage.

“You’d like to have 22 freshmen like that, with that type of ability and futures that they have,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “They’re both going to be great players for us here.”

Both are still learning their positions and from that perspective, I would think it might be better to switch them up periodically on the 1st and 2nd teams to have them go against guys with more skill and knowledge at the position. The whole, “they’re just football players and they make plays” thing sounds good but tends to be code for raw, undisciplined and set up to be exposed when playing against someone who knows what they are doing with their hands and footwork on the line.

Hey, everyone. On the road today. This post coming to you from a Whole Foods (free Wi-Fi) in Dublin, Ohio (Columbus suburb). I generally have nothing against the ‘burbs (especially since I live in one) and I don’t have that knee-jerk elitist complaint of cookie-cutter shopping, eating and development. Well, let’s just call Dublin the exception that proves the rule. Jeez, this place makes my teeth hurt from grinding them. From their faux-historic downtown (that isn’t fooling anyone) to this hideous development off of Avery-Murfield Rd. (I think it’s called Avery Square) that insists on trying to make the whole shopping development looks like brick house condo developments — to the point that even the signage has to blend. Which actually makes it damn impossible to locate stores at many points of the day with sun glare because reddish-brown signs against brick tend to blend. Urgh. Sorry, just needed to vent.

Not much happening anyways. Dorin Dickerson’s ankle is hurting so he’s out of practice. Bill Stull is slightly ahead of Kevan Smith to no one’s surprise. The big thing will be this weekend’s “Blue Chip Day” for recruits.

Elijah Fields is going to have to work on shedding a reputation.

“He’s got the natural athletic ability that you look for in a great football player: He’s flexible. He’s fast. He’s strong. He’s explosive. He runs. He jumps. He’s tough,” said new secondary coach Chris Ball, who coached All-Americans Lamont Thompson and Marcus Trufant at Washington State. “He’s got all those things that you just can’t coach in kids. He’s got all the tools to be a great one, but the great ones learned the defense and applied it, so he’s got to be able to do that part of it.”

What Fields struggled with was the off-field transition from WPIAL Class A at Duquesne, where he was the state’s 2005 Player of the Year, to life in a major-college program at Pitt.

No one is at all questioning his talent. What they are questioning is his head and heart. Probably the latter more then than the former. Does he want to learn what to do? Does he want the greatness that so many seem to believe he could achieve? He is in a program and a higher level where he can’t just coast on his athleticism and float around doing his thing. He has to know assignments and work within the unit.

Paul Zeise has his first Q&A. He likes what he sees from some of the players.

That being said, several players have really stood out to me. Jason Pinkston, for one, can become a standout tackle. He has really jumped out among linemen and his athleticism and strength are easy to see.

Shane Brooks seems to be running harder and seems a little quicker as well — he could be a factor in the backfield, particularly since he is also getting reps at fullback.

T.J. Porter and Darrell Strong both seem to have decided it was time to try to maximize their potential and both have had an excellent run thus far in the spring.

Marcel Pestano looks like he might become a star and Derek Kinder just keeps getting better as well. Corner Aaron Berry is feisty and physical and more importantly an excellent shut down corner.

I think the thing that isn’t a shock, so I don’t know why I was hoping. Pinkston was the only one on the  line that he noted is standing out. We may be watching the QB battles and who will be the primary back. Let’s face it, though, the lines have been the biggest problem and it is just not clear how much that is changing for this year. If Pitt is going to have any success this year, the line play on both sides just has to be significantly better.

That said, it’s probably not fair to judge yet on the lines no matter how much anxiety they generate. Instead I’ll turn to my favorite negative slant on the football team — Paul Rhoads.

Q: Do you think keeping on staff and then moving Paul Rhoads from secondary to linebacker coach is a good move or not? Do you think Paul Rhoads likes the move?

ZEISE: The move gives Paul Rhoads a chance to be involved more in the run defense as well as the pass defense. This is the model that Dave Wannstedt has used ever since he has been a head coach or coordinator and everyone on the staff seems more comfortable with it. This has enabled Wannstedt to hire Chris Ball as secondary coach, and I think he has been tremendous for this team. And talking to the players and watching some of the things he’s been working with the players on, he is going to be a major asset. I have talked to a number of coaches and all of them tell me the same thing — Rhoads is an excellent football coach.

First, observe that Zeise actually never answered the question of whether it was a good move or not to keep Rhoads. He says that Wannstedt is happy with the new approach. That Chris Ball was a great hire and will really help the team in the secondary from a coaching standpoint (I don’t disagree). Then, that other, unnamed coaches think Rhoads is an “excellent” coach. Of course, generally opposing coaches love and think very highly of other coaches who they own. The last thing they want to see is a coach they can beat tossed over the side.

I have to admit, I’m rooting for Kevin Collier to succeed at Pitt as a primary running back. Yes, he was one of the bigger offensive recruits Pitt was able to get in Wannstedt’s first recruiting class. Yes, he’s got a younger brother who could be an even bigger blue chip player, and I’d love to see him commit as well. What I really like about Collier, though, is that he is smart and one of those solid team players. He came to Pitt as soon as he graduated (yeah, I was dead wrong about that prediction of him playing early). And he wants the team to succeed.

“I call LeSean all the time and tell him to get in his playbook,” Collier said. “I’m excited because I think all of us are getting so much better and we’re pushing each other. This is the right place for me because we run the ball. We’re all going to get a shot.

“Coaches have just been telling us — take advantage of every opportunity you get and that’s where my focus is. I want to help us win, that’s all.”

Collier wanted to redshirt last year, but Brandon Mason transferred and Stephens-Howling got hurt, so the Panthers were left with only two healthy tailbacks for several weeks.

He learned quickly that he didn’t know nearly as much about the position as he thought and he also realized he needed to work on the other duties of a running back such as blocking and catching passes.

I’m not that opposed to having more then one RB. The whole feature back approach seems overblown. Auburn did pretty well with two backs. The NFL has teams increasingly going to not relying on just one back. It’s part of the trend unless one RB is just so much better than the others — or the coach’s preference. As for Pitt and the idea that the opposition will know what or where the run is coming. Given Pitt’s running game and O-line the last few years, I can’t say Pitt should even be concerned about that problem.

With Mike McGlynn’s shoulder surgery sidelining him until at least the fall practices, Jason Pinkston has slid into his spot at right tackle.

The coaching staff is intrigued by Pinkston, an athletic, 6-foot-4, 310-pound sophomore from Baldwin. He converted from defensive tackle last season when John Bachman was lost to a broken leg and backed up both tackle positions.

…

“It’s going to be a real big step, to step in as a sophomore and start at right tackle,” Pinkston said. “I’m not 100 percent on my assignments, but I’m working on it to get them right.”

Although Dunn said Pinkston is “light years” away from being where Pitt needs him to be, he has the qualities the Panthers are looking for. Pinkston has shown an eagerness to learn, a willingness to work and, most importantly, the athleticism to play the position.

Um, uh. Get well quickly Mike McGlynn.

Coach Wannstedt was giving love to the linebackers.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt praised the play of linebackers Dorin Dickerson and Shane Murray in Saturday’s scrimmage as a “positive,” then made some changes in the linebacker corps Tuesday. Murray moved ahead of Nate Nix as first-team weak-side linebacker, while Dickerson switched to second-team weak-side linebacker with Nix moving to the strong side.

“What showed up with both of them, they’re probably 25 percent of where they need to be mentally as far as learning the defense,” Wannstedt said. “But the most important qualities, the toughness and the way they run to the ball and chase the ball and the effort they give, showed they’re going to be good players.”

Boy, it’s a good thing this is the spring practices. A guy on the OL is “light years” from where he needs to be and the converted linebackers are at 25%. That’s roughly about where my optimism and expectations are right now.

Other things to note. Elijah Fields was back practicing with the team after his suspension. Some players went at each other — as the scrimmages got heated at time. That seems normal. Aaron Berry was tossed off of the field when he got into it a bit with DC Paul Rhoads. Berry apparently wanted to make a non-contact drill into a contact one. A real problem with Rhoads, since we all know how much he hates the corners having any contact.