As noted last night, Shane Brooks really stood out in camp, that isn’t up for dispute judging by the articles about practice.

In other parts of practice and depth chart determination. Redshirt Freshman Doug Fulmer has the starting right DE spot won, and Sophomore Tommie Campbell will start at Weakside Linebacker. Both had another very good day on the field.

Surprisingly Left OT is still undecided between John Bachman and Jeff Otah.

Pitt’s radio broadcasts will be moving down the FM radio dial from 104.7 to 94.5 in November. The new station is a 50,000 Watt signal. There is no change to the Flagship AM side (970). During the transition the games will be simulcast on all 3 stations. Pitt basketball is included in this move. (These are all Clear Channel owned stations.)

An AP article that does a good summary of the question marks around this team.

• The offensive line returns four starters.

That would be good news for most schools, but the Panthers almost never mounted a reliable running game while being outrushed by an average of 69 yards per game last season. The lack of a solid running game put even more pressure on Palko to succeed, a problem that could return this season.

“Tyler’s not talking as much this year,” Wannstedt said. “By that, I mean he is more focused on his job. He has been very businesslike and that rubs off on all the players.”

• The defensive line badly needs upgrading.
This is where Wannstedt hopes some of the recruits can move in quickly. Pitt never did establish much of a pass rush last season, getting only 22 sacks. The rushing defense (185.2 yards per game allowed) was one of the worst in Division I-A, meaning opponents could stay on the ground and run the clock after getting ahead.

We just aren’t going to know a thing about these lines until the games start. It’s frustrating, because it really will decide what kind of season Pitt will have. And there is no way to know. Hope, believe, think — sure. Presume it has to be better than last year simply because it couldn’t be much worse — hard to disagree. How much better?

And on the issue of newcomers, the national perspective on the Big East presumes that of the new players in the conference to have the biggest impact, 3 of the 5 freshmen will be Pitt players (Insider subs.).  Call this the conventional wisdom list.

2. WR/RB Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh
Dickerson not only will be counted on at wide receiver, but he also might see time at running back as Pittsburgh is searching for some help in the backfield to complement gunslinger Tyler Palko.

Dickerson is big, physical and very smooth for a player of his size. A local Pittsburgh product, he is expected to add speed and a significant red zone threat to a receiving unit that only returns one starter in Derek Kinder.

…

4. RB Kevin Collier, Pittsburgh
While Collier isn’t very big yet, his speed and quickness will be a significant upgrade to a below-average running game at Pittsburgh.

He is a darter-type back with great explosiveness and vision, but he is also a surprisingly effective inside runner, and the Panthers need a physical presence up front. Also expect Collier to contribute in the passing game as he is a threat in space and can make multiple defenders miss in the open field.

5. WR Tamarcus Porter, Pittsburgh
Simply put, Tamarcus Porter is an excellent overall athlete who we actually projected to play safety, but it seems Porter is making a statement at wide receiver early. He and Dickerson could give Pittsburgh a dynamic young tandem out wide.

Porter is explosive and at his best in space. He can make people miss and has excellent instincts and playmaking skills. He lacks ideal vertical speed, and if he had it, he would have been a national recruit.

Louisville DE Deantwan “Peanut” Whitehead and Syracuse WR Andrey Baskin were 1 and 3.

As for predictions for the BE, at least one person thinks Pitt will get off to a fast start.

4. Pittsburgh will go bowling. The Panthers were within one victory of playing in the postseason in Dave Wannstedt’s first season coaching his alma mater in 2005. With quarterback Tyler Palko bouncing back from an up-and-down junior season, and linebacker H.B. Blades and cornerback Darrelle Revis leading an improved defense, the Panthers will get off to a hot 5-1 start and finish 7-5. Rutgers and Connecticut will play in the postseason, too.

5. The Big East will flex its growing muscles against the ACC, the conference that raided three of its best teams. Connecticut will beat Wake Forest on Sept. 16. Pittsburgh will wallop Virginia in its Sept. 2 opener (ESPNU, 7 p.m. ET) with players from the Panthers’ 1976 national championship team watching. Rutgers will upset North Carolina on the road the same weekend, and West Virginia will beat Maryland on national television on Sept. 14 (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET).

I would be thrilled if Pitt got off to that kind of start. If Pitt starts out that way, then 8-4 or 9-3 would be more likely. I know conventional wisdom has Pitt losing the final 2 bames to L-ville and WVU. Fine, pretending to accept that, I have trouble accepting that Pitt would go 2-2 versus UCF, Rutgers, USF and UConn. With Pitt being as young as they are, it is more reasonable to expect the team to get better further into the season as things shake out more and the players become more comfortable with the system and their roles.

Is the running game showing major signs of improvement or is it that the run defense is still highly suspect. Or is it somewhere in between? I’d love to know the answer, but despite an apparently spirited final scrimmage I have my questions.

On Shane Brooks’ performance in the scrimmage:

Shane Brooks – he earned his scholarship today. He did a nice job. We held LaRod Stephens [-Howling] today [out of the scrimmage]. We held him and [Darrelle] Revis and [H.B.] Blades and [Clint] Session for most of it. We wanted to get a good look between [Shane] Brooks, [Kevin] Collier and Dorin Dickerson. And we basically told them all, hey, it’s up in the air. Go after the job. Shane came out today. The thing that he did today that was impressive, he put the ball on the ground early and then he bounced back. I mean he didn’t go in the tank and lose his confidence, and he came back stronger than when he started. The thing that’s a little bit deceiving about him is he can run on the perimeter which he showed today. He’s little bit deceiving. Everybody thinks of him as a between the tackles type of runner, but he has a little bit more shake on the outside than what anybody really gives him credit for. They’re all [running backs] going to play. We’re going to need them all before the year’s out. That’s for sure. [Shane Brooks has] got good hands. That’s an area all of our running backs need to improve on because for the type of team we’re going to be, we’re going to need to get the ball out quick and Tyler [Palko] will do that. I thought Tyler had a good day. He was nine-for-eleven. He made good decisions, but we didn’t come up with any big plays. But he can’t control that. We’ve got to get the ball into the hands of our backs and receivers and tight ends and those guys will make plays.

On the depth at running back:

[Shane Brooks] is going to play a ton. If we were playing tomorrow, he’s second team behind LaRod. We’ll take a look at the tape. He might be as good as short yardage and goal-line runner as we have.

On who stood out on the defense:

Starting off, I thought Gus Mustakas up front really made some plays. Doug Fulmer – I think he’s kind of got comfortable with that right defensive end spot and made some big plays. Even one or two of the passes that Tyler [Palko] threw way at the end, he was right there in the quarterback’s face. I thought Fulmer made some plays. Gus made some plays early which is what we need – our defensive linemen to rise up. I forgot about Tommie [Campbell]. Him and Fulmer set the tempo for the scrimmage. On the offensive drive, not only does [Tommie] cause the fumble, but he recovered it. Then he comes up with a sack later. He’s more comfortable every day at that spot. Think about this. He hasn’t played in a game yet at linebacker. So he’s going to be better every week as time goes on.

Shane Brooks ran wild. Which is good for the offense, and helps with the depth chart. He definitely feels confident.

Brooks bulked up to 225 pounds after last season, and the Panthers believed he would be their power back. But he lost some weight after the spring workouts and checks in a 212 pounds.

“I just spent every day in the weight room with Coach (Mike) Kent, going hard with lifting on the bench, the squat and a lot of running,” Brooks said. “I think it was a little bit natural for me, too, because I have strong legs.

“I’m much more comfortable at this weight.”

And he feels confident and that he has earned his spot.

Several times against the watered-down defense that was minus starters Darrelle Revis (hamstring), Mike Phillips (ankle), H.B. Blades and Clint Session (resting), Brooks slammed into the line for a first down on third-and-short. He had a 25-yard run, but he did most of his damage inside.

“If we need a yard, then I can get the yard,” Brooks said. “And when we’re on the goal line, I can punch it in. So, I think I pretty much solidified myself in that position. And on Saturday night (against Virginia), when it’s third-and-one, I want to go in there.”

While Palko was effective and efficient. He also appeared to be harried and hurried.

Palko was 9-for-11 for 66 yards, while Bill Stuff was 5-for-9 for 67 yards. There were no touchdown passes. But the key to the offense Wednesday was the running game.

* Even though some top defensive players were absent, several others were able to shine. Sophomore defensive tackle Gus Mustakas made some plays early, including dropping Collier behind the line and sacking Palko for lost yardage, while sophomore Tommy Campbell continued to show improvement at weak-side linebacker with a forced fumble and a recovery, as well as several big solo tackles.

* And redshirt freshman defensive end Doug Fulmer consistently harassed the quarterbacks from the right side.

“(Fulmer) has gotten comfortable with that right defensive end spot,” Wannstedt said. “He made some big plays. Even one or two of the passes that Tyler threw away at the end, he was right there in his face.”>

Wannstedt’s comments after the scrimmage are pretty clear that the starters on the D-line are still very much up in the air. That is less than reassuring.

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.

I’m being unfair, I know. But the instinct kicked in with this bit from this afternoon’s post-practice comments.

On an overall evaluation of camp:

I think we’re going to go into the season with a lot of positions cleared up but also with the mentality that we’re going to play a lot of guys. Right now it’s going to be running back by committee. We’re going to play them all. LaRod (Stephens-Howling) is the starter but we’re going to play them all. At receiver, if we we’re playing tomorrow, it would probably be Oderick (Turner) and (Derek) Kinder, but Marcel (Pestano) is going to play a ton and we’ll rotate other guys in. I think the same thing with the defensive line, there are very few positions that are locked in that it’s going to be one guy, and that’s good, that can be helpful. When you’ve got a young football team like we are, I think the competition is good.

[Emphasis added.]

Get that?

The depth chart is being written in pencil. I don’t actually disagree with Coach Wannstedt. It’s a young team and there is no way training camp is going to clear up all the questions at so many spots, but it seems then, that it’s less like a depth chart and more like the general roster broken down by position.

A day after calling out the offense, for a lack of effort, they naturally made some today.

On the improvement displayed today:

That’s why you practice. I think our guys showed a little bit of character today, especially on offense. Yesterday’s practice was so one-sided defensively, it was good to see the offensive players come out and respond today and that’s what it’s going to take, it’s a team effort. We’re not good enough to go out and beat anybody with any one face. It’s going to take offense, defense and special teams every week. They came out today, I’ll tell you. Our receivers (and) Shane Brooks had a good day today. Marcel Pestano had his best day since I’ve been here. Not just catching the ball but showing some toughness. Getting knocked around a little bit and holding onto the ball. I thought our offensive line as a whole really showed up today and competed.

I think you could have cancelled the season and found Coach Wannstedt going fetal in a corner if they hadn’t responded today.

Kennard Cox’s consistency seems to have him winning the open CB position over Reggie Carter. Aaron Berry had a very good day. Not sure where he’ll be on the CB depth chart but expect to see him very active on special teams.

Punter Adam Graessle, Defensive Lineman Raashad Duncan and QB Tyler Palko got praised today. Dorin Dickerson is still not fully healthy. Conredge Collins, T.J. Porter and Conor Lee all were held out of practice as precautions or minor dings.

Mick Williams is still not right, but the MRI’s are clean.

Just some little things. Derek Kinder continues strong steady play as the #1 receiver.

Conredge Collins joined those who are a bit banged up.

While the offense was bad yesterday, the defense seemed to have plenty of good showings. Freshmen Defensive Tackles Jason Pinkston and John Malecki and Defensive End McKenzie Mathews all got rotated up to play with the first team during the practices.

Also Defensive Ends Doug Fulmer and John Clermond were seeing plenty of 1st team action.

While the wide receivers comes in for more scrutiny, the tight ends are looking even better.

Youth is the general excuse for the WRs slow progress. Unfortunately, that doesn’t explain the lack of any advancement with a number of players from last year to this year.

The Panthers are set to finish camp tomorrow and likely will do so with a depth chart at wide receiver that is unsettled. And unlike other positions, such as the defensive line, where the depth chart is cloudy because so many players have performed well, the receiver position is unsettled because of inconsistency.

Junior Derek Kinder is the only receiver who has consistently played at a high level throughout training camp. He is the veteran of the group and the leading returning receiver from last year. The coaches also believe redshirt freshman Oderick Turner has played well enough to separate himself from the rest of the pack and become a second viable option at receiver.

But after Kinder and Turner, there is no third option.

…

Hill pointed out that the receivers’ failure to progress as fast as he would like hasn’t been completely about a lack of ability. There have been injuries — McGee (calf) and Turner (ankle) have missed some time — and off-field issues — Porter left the team for a day and senior Joe DelSardo has been suspended for two weeks — that have hindered their progress as well.

The group also is extremely inexperienced — Kinder and DelSardo are the only two with more than five receptions in a game.

But the explanations for the state of the receiving corps don’t erase the fact that there is a game to be played in 11 days and the Panthers have only two receivers ready to play.

Kinder said he has seen a lot of improvement on the unit. The receivers have talked about holding on to the tradition of “Wide Receiver U.” and, as the veteran of the group, it is his job to help mentor the younger players.

He said most of the younger players have had trouble making the transition from high school to college, where receivers are asked to block and need to be a lot more physical to get open.

Seems like plenty of excuse making at the moment. Turner, by the way, tweaked his ankle in practice yesterday.
The better excuse might be that the receivers have been raided of the potentially best and/or fastest players for other positions. Elijah Fields is now a safety and Dorin Dickerson is practicing with the running backs. That I would actually buy.
The flip side is that the other part of Pitt’s receiving corp, the tight ends looks like it’s the strongest it has ever been. There is no question the depth there is best I’ve seen at Pitt, but Pitt has had an all-conference quality TE there the last 4 years. Kris Wilson was tremendous there for 2 years. Erik Gill really came into his own taking over for Wilson — though Gill had a bad senior year.

Pitt is turning its sights toward its tight ends, not only its biggest targets but also its most reliable. The Panthers are showing signs that three-tight end sets featuring fifth-year senior Steve Buches, junior Darrell Strong and freshman Nate Byham could become commonplace this season.

“As of right now, I think we should be the best targets on the team,” Strong said. “We’re still trying to find the second receiver, so that’s putting pressure on the tight ends. That’s going to be a big part of our offense this season.”

In such packages, Pitt will likely use a one-back set or an empty backfield and substitute a tight end for a fullback. Buches and Strong have lined up tight, next to the tackles, while Byham is split wide as an additional receiver.

“If you see three tight ends in a game, most defenses are thinking run,” Buches said, “so it can only help.”

Although the formation gives defenses a run-first look, any of the three tight ends – and, sometimes, all three – can release and go out for a pass.

“It gives us a luxury to try to get mismatches with corners or linebackers on our tight ends,” Pitt tight ends coach Brian Angelichio said. “When they see three tight ends on the field, they’re going to defend the run. With the athleticism of some of the guys we’ve got, they can catch the ball and stretch the field.”

The three tight end set will definitely see a fair number of appearances. What has me drooling with hope and anticipation is that the single back would be Dorin Dickerson. That could create some tremendous opportunities with misdirection and four very big targets. All of whom could catch the ball, plus the versatility of just giving it to Dickerson. It could even create the space to allow Palko to scramble for yardage.

Not to mention that both Dickerson and Strong played QB and could pass the ball on a trick play. We just have to depend on creativity from OC Cavanaugh and the rest of the offensive staff. Gulp.

Apparently the usually optimistic Dave Wannstedt has his limits. That was a direct quote from Coach Wannstedt following what was a less than positive practice. While he wouldn’t single out the particular unit that upset him, it was evident to those who watched practice.

Wannstedt did his best impersonation of Steelers coach Bill Cowher on Monday, staring down his offensive line and then shouting at the unit in an on-field meeting.

Pitt’s offensive front struggled in the morning practice and closed the session with a dismal effort that included three straight sacks. And, quarterback Tyler Palko banged the thumb on his left hand – his throwing hand – on a helmet, but finished practice.

“We sure as heck didn’t make any progress today in a couple areas of our football team,” Wannstedt said. “It was pretty evident that certain areas of our team didn’t come out today and compete with the desire to win.

“And we’ve got to make sure that we don’t get ahead of ourselves, and we make sure that we cover first things first, which is to put the guys on the field that are willing to be accountable with the desire to win with every snap. And for whatever reason, we didn’t have enough of them today.”

No indication at this time that the thumb bang is serious.

Dorin Dickerson got positive reviews for his first full-contact practice he was able to participate. Darrelle Revis was held out for one more practice as a precaution but will be back tomorrow. Mike Phillips is still out with a sore ankle.
Kicker Conor Lee still looks like the kicker unless Freshman Dan Hutchins really comes on in the next week (or Lee’s hamstring really gets bad). David Abdul will not be coming back to play football.

On placekicker David Abdul:

David Abdul was not cleared medically. So unfortunately his football career at the University of Pittsburgh is over. He’ll be put on medical [scholarship]. He was a senior and going to finish up anyway. If there was a deserving senior, we could use the scholarship for a year, but nothing has been determined yet. We just got the news on David. Mark Estermyer is a guy that we’re talking about [giving a scholarship to]. He’s been doing a good job snapping for us the last couple of years and we’re looking at a couple of other guys too without giving you their names right now.

Good luck to David. He still has his whole life ahead of him, not to mention a young daughter.

T.J. Porter looks to be making the case that he will be the #3 WR behind Derek Kinder and Oderick Turner. Marcel Pestano has also been looking better in recent practices.

Pitt Athletic Department is moving ahead to another part of the fundraising for the “Quest for Excellence.” This part is for self-sufficiency of football scholarships by creating the Pitt Football Endowed Position and Scholarship Program.

The initiative’s goal is to endow the athletic scholarship budget for the Pitt football team. Contributors will have the unique opportunity to attach their name to one of 24 starting positions on the Panthers’ team (11 offense, 11 defense and two specialists).

“To fund the 85 football scholarships permitted by NCAA rules it will cost $2.1 million annually,” Long said. “While that may seem like an ambitious goal, the time to secure the promise of a bright future for our football program is now by focusing on building the Pitt football endowment.”

Coach Wannstedt and his wife are getting out in front on this by donating $250,000 to endow the left offensive tackle spot — his position when he played.

I’m sure plenty of schools do this. It makes sense considering the volume of scholarships the football team swallows every year. It will be interesting to see if some of Pitt’s other high profile football alum step up with their own contributions.

Today it is likely to be determined who will be the the starting left tackle. Jeff Otah was widely expected to take the job — coming in as a JUCO — and while he has not disappointed, John Bachman has shown a lot of growth from last year and fought very hard to keep the gig. Still, it is expected to go to Otah.

A brief preview of Pitt projects 6 or 7 wins.

Pittsburgh opens with Virginia and takes on Michigan State two weeks later. The squad later closes out its regular season with back-to-back games against Big East powers Louisville and West Virginia. Winning any of those games will be tough, although the Panthers figure to be competitive. Palko will put up numbers, but fans of the program are unlikely to see any more than six or seven wins in 2006.

Now here’s another classic PA college football rivalry that will capture the imagination.

Pennsylvania football fans don’t have the enjoyment of watching the Penn State-Pitt rivalry anymore.

But soon we will have Villanova vs. Temple.

Division I-A Temple and Division I-AA Villanova will meet in a four-game series starting in 2009. Temple will be the host for all four games at Lincoln Financial Field.

Villanova leads the all-time series, 15-12-2. The last game was in 2003, when Villanova won 23-20 in double overtime.

Is there any team against whom Temple can claim a winning record?

Big feature “day-in-the-life” type story on the defensive linemen in training camp.

Pitt defensive end Greg Romeus is one of the fastest players on the Pitt football team, but as he walks out of the training facility before practice on this day he’s sluggish. His legs appear heavy as he lumbers toward the field.

He looks like he would rather be anywhere else but practice on this day.

Other Pitt players know how Romeus feels. Most of the team’s defensive linemen are slow to get the motor started in their big bodies. It is hard enough for the big guys to maintain their legs for practice every day. But, after more than a week of practice, mornings are the toughest.

“I can’t think of any part of my body that isn’t sore by this point in camp,” defensive end Chris McKillop said. “Mornings are the roughest, especially on days when we have two practices, because it is like you wake up and next thing you know you are out on the field. At least when we just go in the afternoon you have a few hours for your body to get out of that morning funk.”

McKillop could be the poster child for the warrior-like mentality defensive linemen have to have to get the job done. He appears to be held together by ace bandages and tape and seems to squint in pain every time he makes contact with a sled or during blocking drills. Still, he presses forward and makes it through each day.

“…Held together by ace bandages and tape.” That last paragraph could be the poster child for bad cliche-ridden sportswriting. Sorry, that little paragraph in an otherwise solid piece really made me want to scald my eyeballs with hot coffee.

The thing that makes it tough to read is you can almost envision the use of this story as a soft-focus narrative on ESPN looking at any school’s practice during training camp. (Which may have been what he was going for with the piece.) Media saturation, cynicsm exacerbated.

And almost as if they were working together despite being at competing papers, a couple stories looking at individual young members of the D-line. Freshman John Malecki is forcing his way onto the depth chart.

“Malecki has come in, and he’s making plays in the backfield,” senior linebacker H.B. Blades said. “He does a great job getting off blocks. He’s making a lot of good plays for us. I think he’s going to come through for us this season.”
…

Although Malecki still has a lot to learn, he possesses the one trait Gattuso believes is essential in a defensive lineman: football instincts. Malecki impressed Gattuso Monday on a play to the opposite side of the line, coming under a guard before using his hands to change directions and stop a runner at the line of scrimmage.

“I think he’s a football player,” Gattuso said. “Some kids are technicians, and some are great athletes – and we have both of those – but John’s a football player. He’s not the most athletic kid there, and he doesn’t have the best technique, but he’s making more plays than just about everybody.”

And Redshirt Freshman Doug Fulmer is learning the Defensive End position quickly after being converted from a safety.

“There’s some things Doug Fulmer does better than any of the ends,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He’s rotating with the first group. In my mind, he’s playing at a starting level.”

Fulmer, a redshirt freshman from Syracuse, N.Y., is learning his new position at warp speed. He approached the switch with an open mind and the intelligence of a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. Fulmer knows that his best chance of getting on the football field is at defensive end.

“It’s been a fun experience, getting to know a new position,” Fulmer said. “I already knew coming in that I had a chance to play at this position. I had to come in here with the right mind-set.”

Even so, it’s the opposite of everything he knew defensively. Instead of playing 10 yards or more away from the ball, he is stationed on the line of scrimmage. Instead of backpedaling in coverage, he has a hand planted and leans forward to initiate contact with the offense.

“It’s a whole different world,” Partridge said. “The biggest thing is, as a safety, if they take a wrong step, they’ve got time and distance to recover and react and read things.

“At defensive end, there’s no time for that. You have to take perfect steps at the perfect angles, strike your hands in the perfect spot. Of course, they’re moving, not stationary.”

Coach Wannstedt says he’s very happy with how the D-line has developed and envisions using a rotation of eight for the rest of training camp.

Wannstedt said that because there are only a few days of camp left, he plans to expand the rotation to include eight defensive linemen. That is two more than he would like to play. In the past he has used three tackles and three ends.

“We’re going to play eight guys,” Wannstedt said. “I just don’t know if there is anybody that has separated themselves at this point. I think that we will end up playing four tackles and four ends because they are that close. A lot of it will have to do with situations and a lot of it will have to do with opponents and things like that.”

Wannstedt said that sometimes when the competition is close it is a sign that a unit isn’t playing well or lacks talent. He said that’s not the case with this defensive line, and he has been pleased with the progress that group has made.

The rotation at defensive end likely will be Chris McKillop, Charles Sallet, Joe Clermond and Doug Fulmer and the four tackles appear to be Gus Mustakas, Corey Davis, John Malecki and Rashaad Duncan. Vernon Botts is also in the mix at tackle and freshman McKenzie Mathews could push for playing time at end.

Mick Williams is also expected to get into the rotation. Hopefully Coach Wannstedt isn’t just blowing smoke about the close competition not being indicative of progress and how it is playing.

It was apparently a light practice today. Something to be expected after a big scrimmage the day before. Still, there are things worth observing.

There are still several positions up-for-grabs, and some experiments are not yet complete, but the move from safety to linebacker for sophomore Tommy Campbell is looking better every day. Now, he’s working with the first team alongside seniors H.B. Blades and Clint Session.

“I’ve been waiting for this chance since I came here from high school,” Campbell said. “I looked at it as a fresh start for me, moving to linebacker, and I left all the problems I had at safety behind me. I think I’ve become a better player and a new player as a linebacker.

“It doesn’t hurt to have H.B. and Clint beside me, either. They’ve been helping me out a lot. Brian Bennett, Derron Thomas, I can ask any of them about anything. If I have a question, they’ll help me out. Coach says that linebacker is the most experienced part of this football team.”

Campbell’s speed and athleticism is a perfect complement to Blades and Session. The trio likely is Pitt’s most aggressive linebacking corps in years, and each one is a playmaker. Sure, Campbell still makes some mistakes, but they’re fewer and farther between.

“Perimeter plays, I can do real well on them, but I have to do better on the inside runs,” Campbell said. “I make some false steps on those plays, but I’m learning all the time. And I’m going to get better. The best way to fix it is to get more repetitions. Eventually, the mistakes will go away.”

It’s been astounding how quickly Campbell has won the starting position amongst the linebackers.

Coach Wannstedt, showing a little of his old school upbringing, seems more than a little frustrated by some of the injuries.

On Ernest “Mick” Williams:

He doesn’t feel good, he got sick again. We need to get him on the field. He had a concussion, it’s been over a week. We’re expecting him back any day. I was hopeful that he would do something yesterday. He just doesn’t feel right the moment he tries to do something. He came out to do individuals yesterday and he just didn’t feel good.

Considering they didn’t seem to diagnose his concussion initially — just calling it some migraines, there should be no rush to get him back banging helmets.

Keeping things easygoing while I watch the final round of the PGA Championship.

Kevan Smith gets a nice write-up.

“I found out Stull broke his hand, and Dexter has two bad knees, so I’m second guy right now,” Smith said. “That gets butterflies in your stomach, just thinking about it.”

Smith is showing no signs of anxiety. In Tuesday’s scrimmage, he completed 11-of-17 pass attempts for 130 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, while working with the second- and third-team offenses.

“My head was spinning a lot in the beginning, but now it’s really slowing down,” Smith said. “I’m definitely making progress. The speed that I’m learning, and how I’m grasping it, shows my development and how fast I can grab things. If I keep learning at this rate, hopefully, good things will happen.”

Coach Dave Wannstedt singled out Smith for praise after the scrimmage.

“The guy who has learned the most, who was thrown into the fire as quick as any of them, is Kevan Smith,” Wannstedt said. “He’s come out here and has been the second-team quarterback from Day One. He has been very consistent the entire camp. He has been a real pleasant surprise and no one’s talking about him.”

Smith is silencing all the major-league scouts — and even his own family — who insisted baseball, not football, held his best chance as a future pro. Focus on baseball, they said, and the 6-foot-3, 215-pound catcher would have been a top-10 round draft pick last June.

No indication as to whether he’s going to play ball with the Pitt baseball team. You have to imagine Joe Jordano would love to have him “walk-on.” It had to be tough, though, to do his own thing when his own father is at least “hinting” baseball was the way to go. Suggests a very strong-will and desire towards football.
From all accounts, Smith is a natural talent, and if he prefers football over baseball it makes sense to pursue it. Not to mention, that it’s generally been a bit easier for two-sport athletes to move from football to baseball than the other way. At the very least, the baseball organizations will still take a chance on you in the draft and with a signing bonus if you play football first.
An interesting piece looking at the QBs for Pitt, PSU and WVU.

Palko had to learn some things the hard way: Being a backup to Rod Rutherford as a freshman, taking a redshirt the next year and learning that, after a standout sophomore year, he couldn’t win games by himself last season.

“That’s my personality a little bit,” Palko said. “I’m not a selfish person, but if something needs to be done, I step up and try to make it happen. In football, one guy can’t do everything. I’m a little bit of a hard head. Sometimes I have to learn the hard way.

“My way’s worked. It’s not going to always work. There’s that old saying, different ways to skin a cat. My sophomore year, there were times when I handled it the way I handled it in high school. Hey, high school worked.”

Palko admits that last year didn’t.

He went from hometown hero to scapegoat, took the lumps that went with the position. There were questions about his arm strength, his decision making, his leadership. He has learned to listen to his coaches, not his critics.

“I think it helped him a lot,” Pitt linebacker H.B. Blades said. “Now he knows. He handled adversity last year. Tyler’s a great player. He knows that. We know it. He found out through the media not everybody loves you. I think he took too much of the blame last year.”

He left out questions as to whether he was playing hurt or such. Honestly, there are still some questions about his arm strength. Especially throwing to a sideline, 10-15 yards downfield. The ball tends to float a bit at that spot — which may be more about the way he throws to that spot — unlike when he throws over the middle or even a deep ball along a sideline. Hopefully they have worked on that some more.

The part on Morelli skips over his mental acumen issues. Which leads to a contrasting figure.

Finally, Luke Getsy, in his second year starting at Akron gets a story on ESPN.com. (Given that I live in NE Ohio and a Pitt alum, I probably pay more attention to stories on Getsy than I should.)

Some quarterbacks get by with bionic arms and chutzpah. Getsy does it with preparation.

“You’ve got to be prepared for everything,” he said. “If I move this way, I’ll be able to make a play here or there. It’s kind of an instinct thing, but if you don’t know what’s going on around you, bad things happen.”

Getsy’s instincts were telling him to leave Pittsburgh, his hometown school, after losing the starting quarterback job to Tyler Palko in September 2004. But he was hardly prepared for his next move.

He had never been to Akron. He didn’t know much about the MAC. And because then-Pitt coach Walt Harris wouldn’t release him from his scholarship, Getsy had to pay his own way.

The scholarship situation also prevented him from contacting other schools.

“I pretty much had to go on hearsay,” he said.

He knew Akron coach J.D Brookhart, who had been Pitt’s offensive coordinator during his first two years there. But as Getsy packed his bags, left his hometown behind and headed for Akron, sight unseen, he knew it was a leap of faith.

Turned out to be the best scramble this quarterback would ever make.

“I wouldn’t trade my past for anything,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade the position I’m in now for anything.”

When Getsy was battling Palko for the starting QB spot in 2004, it seemed unbelievable that the much heralded Palko could be in a dogfight through training camp with Getsy for the starting position. It did refelct well on Getsy’s guts, smarts and preparation to make it a battle. The best thing for Getsy was probably that Coach Harris has always preferred the arm strength and physical tools at the QB spot (for those whow remember the epic David Priestly-John Turman QB battles). That probably got Harris to make a decision before the end of training camp and give Getsy just enough time to leave Pitt.

One of Getsy’s most gratifying moments came after the MAC championship, when he and Brookhart received a congratulatory letter from Harris, now Stanford’s coach.

“We have a lot of respect for each other,” Getsy said.

“Luke understands how much Walt gave him,” Brookhart said. “We’re men and we make our mistakes and don’t handle things right. They worked it out and they’re again on speaking terms, so that’s good.”

Getsy enters the fall with high expectations. He wants another MAC title and for Akron to make a statement nationally. The Zips get a chance right away with an opener at Penn State.

If all goes well, could Getsy become the next MAC quarterback playing on Sundays?

“Someone would be crazy not to give this kid a shot in the NFL,” Brookhart said. “I’ve never been around one like this, who knows it the way he knows it and gets it and make decisions and sees things.

“The intangibles, he’s off the chart.”

There were some hard feelings on both sides when Getsy left.

More family stuff this weekend, kept me away from the computer. If I had known I was only going to get one post I would have done more of a round-up thing. So, a little combining and mixing of Saturday and Sunday news.

Freshman receiver Aaron Smith is going to need surgery on his separated left shoulder. Coach Wannstedt conceded he was done for the year, but said the issue now was whether Smith would enroll at Pitt for the fall or wait until winter semester to take classes. I suppose it could be a numbers manipulation thing with scholarships, but considering Smith had some delays relating to academics getting on the field with the NCAA Clearinghouse there could be other reasons for delaying. The other possibility is to preserve his full eligibility, including a redshirt year. It all seems kind of vague and unclear to me since Smith has actually practiced with the team and the school would be footing the medical bills. I guess the issue is that he hasn’t started taking classes.
Smith was the closest Coach Wannstedt would come to saying who would be redshirting this season.

On having a timetable on making decisions about redshirts:

I think we wouldn’t even think about that until we’re into the season. Last year, John Bachman was a great example. We had led ourselves to believe we were going to redshirt him, and then halfway into the season, as we looked at our offensive line not just for last year but for this year, we said we’ve got to play somebody or we’re going to have a tired, inexperienced left side of the line. Those decisions are made as the season goes on.

Nate Byham will be one player Coach Wannstedt has declared will not be redshirted. The TE corp already looks solid and set with Senior Steve Buches, Junior Darrell Strong and Freshman Byham. I have to agree with Paul Zeise that Pitt could and might be wise to make use of three tight-end sets during the season. Strong has excelled in second team scrimmages when Bill Stull has been the QB.

Senior LB Clint Session was a standout player on Friday.

For the Saturday scrimmage, around a 100 or so Pitt football alumni watched before going to a cookout.

John Bachman is making it a battle with Jeff Otah for the starting left tackle position. During the scrimmage the offense was able to move the ball well, but made 4 turnovers to miss opportunities in the redzone.

The Panthers conducted their second scrimmage of training camp. The offense showed progress by scoring four touchdowns, but it also committed two fumbles and two interceptions.

“Offensively, I was real pleased with how we moved the ball. The disappointing thing was we turned it over when we had the opportunity to score,” Wannstedt said. “You have to give the defense some credit, too. Defensively, I thought we were OK. The best thing we did on defense was cause turnovers.”

Fifth-year senior quarterback Tyler Palko completed 10 of 19 passes for 115 yards with an interception. Sophomore Bill Stull was 12 of 19 for 145 yards with an interception. Freshman Kevan Smith was 3 of 8 for 37 yards with a 10-yard touchdown pass to walk-on fullback Chris Bova.

Sophomore tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling led all rushers with 42 yards and a touchdown on seven carries but fumbled once. Redshirt freshman Shane Brooks (six carries for 29 yards) and freshman Kevin Collier (eight carries for 27 yards) also scored in an overtime drill.

Junior tight end Darrell Strong led all receivers with seven catches for 95 yards. Redshirt freshman receiver Oderick Turner had four catches for 59 yards, including a 37-yarder.

Coach Wannstedt was mostly happy about the second scrimmage.

On the second scrimmage in general:

It was good work today. We ended up getting probably close to about a hundred plays with everything included. The special situation that we worked today, we worked some overtime, live, ones against ones and had the officials go through everything which I thought was good. The thing that was good today, the good and bad, was that offensively we moved the ball. I was real pleased how we moved the ball. The disappointing thing was we turned it over a few times when we had opportunities to score. But, you have to give the defense some credit, too. Clint Session went in there and caused a big fumble. There was some pressure on one of the interceptions. Defensively, I thought we were okay. The best thing we did on defense was cause a couple of turnovers. And I was pleased with the offense. I think we’re starting to come together a little bit and [we’re] making some plays.

The Kicking game is something that looks to be an issue of growing fear in the pit of everyone’s stomach.

With senior David Abdul (heart) not cleared medically after undergoing surgery, redshirt sophomore Conor Lee and freshman Dan Hutchins have been vying for the placekicking duties.

Lee, from Upper St. Clair, was the unquestioned front-runner coming into camp but did not kick yesterday because of a strained hamstring.

He said, “It is precautionary right now, and I could have [played] if it was a game.”

Hutchins went 1 for 2 yesterday, making an 18-yarder but missing from 37 yards.

Wannstedt sounded a little perturbed at the kicking game, saying: “We have to get zeroed in and get some consistency with our field goals.”

Abdul might actually make it back to the team this season, but nothing is clear.

Palko played well in scrimmage. To some it was a marked improvement over what had been a lackluster camp to date.
H.B. Blades likes what he is seeing up front from the defense.

Blades wasn’t pleased with his defensive front’s performance last fall, but he had a lot of good things to say after the scrimmage.

“They’re doing real well,” Blades said. “I’m very pleased with Corey Davis’ progress. He’s come a long way and is playing terrific football right now. John Malecki has come in and played real well.

“Gus Mustakas, all those guys, collectively as a group, they’re doing a great job getting into the backfield and making plays. Last year, it was kind of like they were getting used to everything, but now they’re comfortable. You can see that by the way they go out there and play.”

Lots of work still before the first game.

Morning and let’s get to the juicy stuff. Senior WR Joe DelSardo has been suspended for “violating team policy.” His suspension will run through at least the Virginia game. It is completely unclear what the reason was, and speculation is running rampant at the moment. DelSardo had been missing part of training camp with minor injuries.

Coach Wannstedt didn’t comment. I assume it was some sort of announcement made, but no clarification or explanation was added. The primary speculation seems to be that DelSardo was unhappy with his place on the team — depth chart, role, playing time. I don’t know any more than anyone else. For all we know he had some blow-up at a coach.

It’s no secret that I thought DelSardo was horribly used by the Pitt offense last year. Trying to send him out along the sideline, not on crossing routes. Putting him on passing plays that required more speed than he had rather than his sure hands, good route running and smarts. I don’t know if Pitt was still using him in a way that doesn’t play to his strengths or not. He had, by what I had read been having a pretty good camp.

Brandon Mason, though, is leaving the team for good to transfer. Good luck to Mason and try and to stay healthy.

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.

Silly me, I thought the bigger story was Tommie Campbell being moved to starter on the Linebacker depth chart and the challenges issued to Bennett and Thomas about playing.

Dorin Dickerson being moved to tailback didn’t seem too stunning since as Coach Wannstedt put it, “He was either going to be a receiver that we put in the backfield some, or a running back that we threw the ball to some.” By moving him to tailback is similar to the way Michael Bush at Louisville is used and Reggie Bush of USC was used. Naturally, then the move of Dickerson to practicing with the tailbacks was the lead story.

While the thought of moving freshman Dorin Dickerson to tailback was tempting Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, Dickerson was daydreaming about returning to his natural position.

“I’d sit there whenever I was getting a break and look at the running backs and say, ‘I miss running back,’ ” Dickerson said. “I missed getting handoffs and taking those licks. Hopefully, good things will come out of it.”

…

“We’ll know if that’s going to be his career move in a couple days,” Walker said. “Right now, he’s learning that position, and we’ll see if we can’t get him to do some work there tomorrow based on how his ankle is.”

Dickerson adds a new dimension to a backfield that features sophomore LaRod Stephens-Howling and freshmen Shane Brooks and Kevin Collier at tailback. For Walker, the question is not whether Dickerson can play the position, but whether his impact can be immediate.

“He’s good enough,” Walker said. “That’s a non-issue. He’s plenty good enough. If I can go out and recruit another Dorin Dickerson, sign another Dorin Dickerson to play running back, I’m going to do that gladly.”

Yes, Running Backs Coach David Walker is quite thrilled to have Dickerson in his area of expertise.

Pitt running backs coach David Walker is responsible for recruiting in New York, but he may have pulled off his greatest recruiting victory yesterday without leaving Pitt’s South Side practice facility.

That’s because heralded freshman Dorin Dickerson officially was moved from wide receiver to running back.

Walker hardly could contain his excitement when talking about it. Dickerson had worked with the receivers during the first week of camp, when he was slowed by an ankle injury.

…

“We will know in a few days if this is his career position,” Walker said. “But I watched his film, too, and [receivers coach Aubrey Hill and I] were fighting for him. We were fighting for him during recruiting. We’d obviously love to have him as part of our group, and coach Hill would love to have him as a receiver.

“In high school, he showed he can run with power and niftiness and catch the ball out of the backfield, so, for him, it will be like riding a bike. It will take him a couple of weeks, and he’ll be back up on it.”

Dickerson was slowed in camp by lingering injuries sustained while practicing for the Big 33 HS all-star game. The extent to which seemed to be somewhat glossed over. He had sustained a partial tear in the ACL of his right knee and a fractured  right ankle. Neither of which were serious (apparently) to need surgery. Just rehab and time. So while Dickerson is a little out of shape at this point, he is sharp on his cliches.

“I’ll play anywhere as long as we win, that’s all I care about,” Dickerson said. “As of right now, I’m a running back. I’m cool with any way I can get on the field and help the team produce and win games. I’ll play defense, I’ll play offense.”

Cliches are an athlete’s friend. Know them. Use them.

The articles do suggest that Pitt coaches are happy with the development of depth at the WR position.  I’m a little nervous since Aaron Smith has been injured, Elijah Fields is playing safety and now Dickerson will be in the backfield a lot. T.J. Porter has garnered a lot of praise — sandwiched around his moment of homesickness — but essentially it is the same group of receivers that had me nervous after spring practice.
Apparently the move of Dickerson to tailback is part of the reason Brandon Mason left camp for his home and family in New Jersey. Mason was the “big back” similar in size to Dickerson, but has never been able to climb the depth chart be it because of youth, injuries and/or the talent in front of him. From the accounts I’ve been reading, he’s had a good training camp. It’s just that he still can’t climb the depth chart and is at risk of slipping further behind with Kevin Collier and now Dickerson in the mix.