Nothing like previewing tomorrow’s stories tonight by peeking at the transcript from Coach Wannstedt’s post-practice presser. This morning the story was that Tommie Campbell was not quite ready to be a starter at Linebacker. This evening…

On the linebackers:

Right now we’ve got three linebackers. (Tommie) Campbell, (H.B.) Blades and (Clint) Session. Then in my mind, everybody else is competing.

We’re trying to figure out who the fourth and fifth linebacker is at this point.

We have two more scrimmages, one this weekend and one next week and that will help in our evaluation process but it’s going good.

That means that Campbell is now a starter over Derron Thomas and Brian Bennett. Whether that will remain, or even if that’s to send a message to Thomas and Bennett that just because they are upper-classmen (redshirt junior and senior) they can’t expect to be starters, is something of a question mark in my mind.

Also being pushed is Connor Lee for the field goal kicking duties. Unfortunately, David Abdul’s name wasn’t mentioned.

On the progress of the kickers:

We have two field goal kickers, (Dan) Hutchins and Lucas Stone. Both those kids have been kicking well. One kick was a 47-yarder. I don’t know what the other one was. I was real pleased the way our kicking game has been progressing. With Adam (Graessle) punting the ball, he’s had a great camp and the field goal kickers are pretty consistent, so that’s all good.

On the possibility of using Adam Graessle as a field goal kicker:

Sure, we would use him if he’s the best guy, which right now I don’t know.

Dorin Dickerson is practicing at tailback, not wide receiver. Coach Wannstedt said it’s because it seems the fastest way to get him on the field. Again, that seems a little reading between the lines to suggest that in the running game noone has truly separated from the pack. The alternative is to suggest that the WR corp is that solid and set. I don’t think anyone sober can really say that right now.

Finally on Brandon Mason, Coach Wannstedt didn’t directly say why the Redshirt Sophomore RB was “excused for personal reasons” but he sure made it clear to anyone with half a brain.

… We have had a few (players dealing with personal issues), but it’s all part of the process. I think some of the freshmen situations are different from upperclassmen. Most upperclassmen, if they leave, it’s because they feel they’re not going to have an opportunity to play. With the freshmen, it’s they’re homesick, or the girlfriend, or their high school buddies, you know, it’s a whole different set of environments.

Hmmm?

Several little things to pass on and clear off the browser tabs.

Brian Walsh a Moon Junior and player on the AAU Pittsburgh J.O.T.S.  had a very good AAU summer tournament season. Before, it was expected that he might be a MAC/A-10 level recruit. It has led to more offers than initially expected. This now includes Pitt.

Walsh, a 6-4 1/2 guard, met with Pitt coach Jamie Dixon Wednesday and was offered a scholarship. In the past month-and-a-half, he also received scholarship offers from Duquesne, Memphis, Xavier, Penn State and Maryland is very interested.

Walsh opened college coaches’ eyes with his performance at the Reebok ABCD camp this summer in New Jersey.

“When I came back from a few camps, I just started getting calls,” Walsh said. “I was kind of blown away by the Pitt offer. They’re going to be one of the top five teams in the country this year. For coach Dixon to think I can play at that level, is really something.”

South Carolina is out as Pitt’s opponent at MSG on December 21. Alabama might be in if they can move another game (Insider subs.).

South Carolina abruptly pulled out of a Dec. 21 game against Pittsburgh in the Aeropostale Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Pitt-South Carolina game was supposed to be the undercard of the headline game of Gonzaga-Duke. Well, according to multiple sources, South Carolina withdrew from the game because the Gamecocks weren’t getting any kind of financial guarantee. South Carolina picked up a home game against Baylor in place of Pitt. Now MSG is scrambling to find a replacement for the Panthers. Alabama is trying to get NC State to move a date so the Tide can take South Carolina’s place. Virginia Tech was interested, but couldn’t move a game. MSG is sending out feelers to loads of teams. Pitt is still committed to the game, but is getting nervous about an open date. The Duke-Gonzaga game is on ESPN, while the Pitt game would be on ESPNU. Alabama needs another home game, but is willing to go to New York.

You get to play at MSG. You get national exposure. You get to play a pre-season top-10 (and in some cases -5) team on a neutral court. And the concern is over a financial guarantee? Riiiiggghhhtt.

Andy Katz also has the news on a nasty bit of legislation that is pissing off the membership of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

Beginning Aug. 1, a school’s director of basketball operations (99 percent of the time a man, but there have been cases of a woman or two people holding the spot) will no longer be allowed to recruit. That means the person can’t write letters, make a call, pick up a player, nada, nothing, zilch.

“We were very opposed to this in the Big 12,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said Wednesday. “In the past, we’ve utilized the DOB with letter writing and that’s how you worked your way up. Usually, the DOB takes a second or third list and recruits off of that list.” The membership’s complaint is that if there were preexisting relationships with high school or AAU coaches, then how will the compliance staff be able to police whether the DOB is actually recruiting or just having a conversation with someone he knows?

Pitt will be in an interesting position since its new DOB, David Cox, has a lot of preexisting relationships with many players Pitt is now recruiting. Pitt is going to be very careful not to get tripped up by something like this.

While on the subject of dumb NCAA rulemaking, how about the re-institution of some dumb practice rules.

A lot of schools operating on the semester system begin classes in the next week or two, which means basketball players will be returning to campus. They’ll be allowed to head for the gym to work with their coaches. But heaven help them if the entire starting five winds up on the floor at once.

That would be a violation of NCAA bylaw 17.1.5.2.2.

This new rule declares Division I players starting school before September 15 can take part in their customary two hours per week of supervised skill work but says only four of them can be in the gym at any one time. After September 15, programs operate full-squad workouts.

A year ago there were no such restrictions. Skill workouts started when classes started, they ended when classes ended, and coaches could have as many players as they wanted in a session. That was the first year for this approach, which pleased college coaches, who had been stuck with the four-at-once limit since offseason workouts had been approved a decade earlier. Most hope one day to have year-round access to train their players, a scenario that would bring the United States in line with what young players around the world are allowed.

Why go back? Because schools that operate on the Quarter system — especially those in the PAC 10 — whined long and loud how unfair this was to them since they started later than September 15.

“The problem is, we had it right,” says Dayton coach Brian Gregory. “And we had an opportunity over the next year or two to show the NCAA we wouldn’t abuse that. And then you could go back in a year or two and say, ‘This really should be extended to year-round.’ ”

It’s only a few weeks we’re talking about here. It’s not a life-changing inconvenience. The NCAA was moving forward — slowly forward — on the issue of allowing coaches to make their players better. This should be among the foremost issues for college basketball coaches because it’s an essential part of improving the game in this country. It certainly should be of greater importance than petty, baseless, selfish concerns.

You expect coaches to risk any perceived disadvantage in the short-term? No matter how questionable?

Pitt defensive coaches are working hard to get the two fastest players, Tommie Campbell and Elijah Fields, uh, up to speed at new positions.

“Tommie is scary fast,” Rhoads said. “Scary because you watch how effortlessly he runs and how athletic he is, and it is as pretty to watch as a deer. Elijah does so many things that you can’t coach someone to do because of his natural ability that his potential is unlimited.”

Despite their athletic talent, neither is ready for a big-time role because they are learning new positions, a process that can be slow. Campbell was a safety last year, but he was moved to linebacker in the spring and is trying to unseat Derron Thomas at weakside linebacker. Fields was recruited as a receiver, but was moved to safety the first day of camp and has played catch-up since.

Both are potential difference-makers, big-time playmakers Pitt’s defense has lacked in recent seasons. That’s why coaches are pushing them so hard.

Speed is so vital for a Wannstedt defense.

In other notes, Zeise says that Brandon Mason not being at practice has something to do with his unhappiness with where he is on the depth chart. Zeise has been a big supporter of Mason, but Mason’s biggest problem has been an inability to stay healthy for longer than two weeks.

Pitt will help Tipton find another school. I’m guessing Tipton is looking for a Div 1-AA school. He is a redshirt sophomore, and I doubt he really wants to sit out another year.

Lowell Robinson had a very good practice at WR, and RB Kevin Collier has excelled when playing with the second team.

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

On McKenzie Matthews’ absence from practice:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other players returned or are close to returning.

On injured and returning players:

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

Coach Wannstedt had plenty of praise and encouragement.

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

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

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

You know, as late as Monday, I was reading and posting on stories about how the offense was looking better than the defense. Now, after the first scrimmage the defense was apparently a little ahead of the offense.

On the scrimmage in general:

I think we got about 60 plays in. It was good. For the first scrimmage out of the block, I think the encouraging thing was, and history has proven, that your defense had better be a little bit ahead of your offense. I haven’t been involved with a good football team on any level where you’re watching the first scrimmage and the offense is going up and down the field and scoring a bunch of touchdowns and then all the sudden you become good on defense. I was pleased. I thought both quarterbacks threw the ball well. We didn’t have an interception. We didn’t have a turnover. We had two penalties, and they were both by the same guy. So for the most part, there were no penalties for the first group. No penalties for the first group, no interceptions, no fumbles. When you come out of the block and have the first scrimmage, that’s something that’s important. It’s important all the time, but particularly early. I really thought our defense played with a lot of emotion – the first group from time to time. We got an opportunity to look at a lot of young players.

That’s fine, if a little disconcerting. Once the team started scrimmaging the defense looked better. Everything else was just practice and drills. At most 11-on-11 drills.

It’s not like there’s some sort of revisionism going on.

Pitt’s defense has been dominant throughout training camp, while the offense — and quarterback Tyler Palko in particular — has been erratic. And that didn’t change in the scrimmage. But the offensive came on strong down the stretch behind second-team quarterback Kevan Smith.

Smith, a freshman, has taken plenty of snaps because Palko’s backup, sophomore Bill Stull, has been slowed by a broken finger.

Um, well that’s just one view.

The Panthers defense has been dominant throughout training camp, while the offense — and fifth-year senior quarterback Tyler Palko, in particular — has been inconsistent at best.

Palko and the offense showed improvement during Pitt’s first extended intrasquad scrimmage yesterday afternoon at the UPMC Sports Complex, but the best players on the field were on defense.

The former was an AP wire story — no byline — while the latter was from Dale Grdnic (who regularly covers Pitt stories for the Harrisburg Patriot and Johnstown Tribune-Democrat). I really hope Grdnic wrote the AP piece as well, because there are a few too many similarities in the stories.
In the scrimmage itself, the offense was able to move the ball but not able to get it into the endzone. Instead it was a couple field goals, and the kickers struggled overall for the day.

Both kickers vying for the starting job — Conor Lee and Dan Hutchins — struggled again (Lee 1 for 4; Hutchins 1 for 2) which has Wannstedt concerned.

Both walk-ons. Lee had nearly battled Abdul to a draw in the spring. Of course, maybe it’s because they were looking over their shoulders.

On the placekicking competition:

[Dan Hutchins] has done a nice job. It’s between him and Conor Lee right now. David Abdul was here today. He’s going to meet with the doctors, and we should get word on him by tomorrow whether he’ll be cleared medically or not. But it’s right now between Hutch and Conor, and nothing has been decided.

After two very good years of kicking, looks like this year could be something of an adventure.

Dorin Dickerson has been slowed in camp by injuries, but there is little chance Coach Wannstedt will redshirt him. He’s still too versatile and too potent a weapon on offense to not use right away. Other injuries included

Cornerback Kelvin Chandler, fullback Conredge Collins (hamstring), receiver Joe DelSardo (hamstring) and defensive tackle Jason Pinkston (concussion) joined the injured list and did not practice or scrimmage yesterday. Defensive end Chris McKillop (shoulder) practiced but did not participate in contact drills.

Mick Williams who has missed a few practices with migraines has been re-diagnosed and it seems is suffering from a concussion. He won’t be back practicing for a few more days.

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

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

Taking over on the field for Junko is Charlie Taafe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corson didn’t think it could get any worse.

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

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

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

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

…

Offensive coordinator on the spot: Matt Cavanaugh, Pitt
…

Watch him now, because he’s turning pro: Darrelle Revis, CB, Pitt

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

…

They’ll be worse than advertised: Pitt

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

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

The passing offense looked a little off yesterday.

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

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

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

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

Neither McKenzie Mathews or T.J. Porter were going to be made available for interviews after taking a practice or three off to work through some homesickness issues.

Pitt director of football operations Chris LaSala said it isn’t uncommon for young players, particularly those from out of state, to go through some rough times and the team has support systems in place to deal with such issues. He said there are people to mentor the freshmen on everything from academic issues and life skills to campus life as well as life as a football player in a major college program.

He said camp is often the toughest time for freshmen because the players come to a new environment and do nothing but football-related activities for about three weeks. Because there are few students on campus, the opportunities for social interaction and activities are limited and so some players deal with loneliness as well as homesickness while they are struggling with the pressures of trying to earn a position.

H.B. Blades, essentially speaking for the players, does not see a big issue now that they are back.

That’s why it was easy for him to understand the plight of Porter and Mathews and why he knows there isn’t anybody on the team who is looking down on them. He said every player has gone through similar struggles and the tough part is finding a way to survive them.

“[Quitting] comes up in every player’s mind when you are a freshman,” Blades said. “At some point, every player considers it, especially when you are away from home and you have no family. You are in a new atmosphere with new people. It is tough at first, but we’ve all been there and you have to grind through it.

“We need T.J. and we need McKenzie. We need them to be here and contribute if we are going to be an elite team.”

At the same time, he points out they do need to take responsibility for their actions.

“I think they owe some people apologies, as far as coaches and their families,” senior linebacker H.B. Blades said. “A lot of people made sacrifices for them to be here. I’m sure that they’re going to regret it.”

So what could have been a big deal has quickly become a minor bump.

Yes, it’s true. T.J. Porter and McKenzie Mathews were practicing with the team today.

On having T.J. Porter and McKenzie Mathews back at practice:

They were great to have. In fact, they both made some plays today. It was encouraging. Like anything, I realize that things like that happen. They happen every year. It happened in the NFL. You just do the best you can, and there’s always that fine line where you want to make sure you keep as many players as you can, but you sure as heck can’t compromise anything from a team standpoint. And this has nothing to do with football. These are just personal things with young kids. That’s all part of it.

T.J. had a nice play today for a touchdown. Mack had a couple nice rushes. How much they would contribute, it’s early yet. Right now we’re just trying to get everybody as much work as we can.

These things happen, and while it needs to be covered and discussed. Perspective needs to be kept. Nice to see Coach Wannstedt agrees with me. They are still kids.

The press conference transcript also notes that the freshmen who came and took some summer classes to get a head start did very well. H.B. Blades gets some attention for his ongoing work ethic.

Tomorrow will be another scrimmage, though QBs will of course be off-limits.

We’ll find out later today as to whether McKenzie Mathews went to practice today. There are a lot of indications that he will.
Thanks to Matt of Orange 44 for the additional info on McKenzie Mathews.Webb of the Syracuse Post-Standard has some more. Mathews got in touch with his HS coach, who was contacted by Webb.

Casamento said Mathews plans to be at practice today with the Panthers after having lunch with Pittsburgh assistant coach David Walker. Casamento said Mathews has not been home to Syracuse and has remained in Pittsburgh, though he added Mathews may “come home and talk to his mom and me. That’s all I’m going to say. That’s all I know.”

He said Mathews’s absence does not necessarily mean he has contemplated a transfer and that being homesick is part of the college experience for many college freshmen.

“I said are you OK? He said ‘yeah.’ I told him I loved him just know you can call me any time. He said ‘thank you’ and said he’d call me after practice,” Casamento said.

I was told by someone close to the situation that a representative of Mathews had approached another Big East school about transferring. I sent off a query to the Big East seeking further explanation of the league’s no-transfer rule and whether it contained loopholes (such as attending junior college before transferring). A league official said a response would be available on Tuesday.

The Big East transfer rule isn’t clearly known, even by the beat writers and league office. Who do they think they are with these unclear vague rules? The NCAA.

Nate Byham, the stud freshman TE for Pitt has already caught the coaches attention and is pushing for playing time.

Tight ends coach Brian Angelichio said, “Nate has certainly made a lot of strides and has had an impact even though we are only a short way into the preseason. His work ethic — he is relentless — and his willingness to learn are what sets him apart. It is still early, but he has had a great start.”

Byham still needs to get bigger — he has gained 15 pounds since he arrived at Pitt and would like to gain about 15 more — but his size doesn’t hinder his blocking. Angelichio said Byham’s quick first step is a big asset in his blocking.

His role, at least initially, will be mostly as a receiving tight end.

Byham said he feels good about his first week of camp, but he has so much more to learn that he isn’t worried about where he fits in on the depth chart. He said he is pleased with how the tight ends are used in the Panthers’ West Coast offense.

“Being here has really exceeded all of my even most optimistic expectations,” Byham said. “We have a great coaching staff and our offense is a pro-style offense, so hopefully, if I learn what I am supposed to learn, some day I hopefully can make it to the next level. That’s one reason I came here because I trust this coaching staff and I know they’ll help me achieve all of my goals.”

With all the questions and criticisms for OC Matt Cavanaugh, one that can’t be made is his utilization of talented Tight Ends. Buches is the oldest and the best blocking TE. Strong has such potential with his size and strength that you wonder about how he will be used. (Idle rumination alert!) I can’t help but think John Pelusi, who is still a month or two away from coming back from his knee injury, may end up being redshirted. I think it could be more likely with Pitt not able to land Devlin from Mt. Lebanon.

The way everyone raves about Byham, and if he develops the way he’s expected, he could go pro after his junior year. Redshirting Pelusi might be good insurance.
There’s also a brief chat with WR prospect Toney Clemons. He gives no real clues as to where he will be heading. He seems to enjoy the attention and won’t decide until after his visits and the football seasons (HS and college) end.

The Offensive Line is working hard to be cohesive and not be the weak link on the team this year.

“We’re going to be more successful than last year,” said junior right tackle Mike McGlynn, who reported to camp in the best shape of his career. “That’s not a stretch. Who am I kidding? We didn’t have a good last year. This year, we’re going to work to be a unit and have a successful year.”

It isn’t just talk. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt addressed the run offense and run defense as two main areas of concern before training camp, and the Panthers have shown that the offense is well ahead of the defense during 11-on-11 drills.

The experience of the group is a primary reason for the improvement. Senior right guard John Simonitis is entering his fourth year as a starter and McGlynn his third, while Villani and sophomore left guard C.J. Davis now have a full season behind them. The only question is at left tackle, where sophomore John Bachman is battling junior-college transfer Jeff Otah for the starting job.

There’s enough stability that freshman Joe Thomas, who has earned rave reviews from coaches in camp, will make the two deep but not be forced into starting duties.

The story almost makes me optimistic about the O-line. Cynicsm and the past few years, however, has me thinking about reserving judgment for a few games.

Part of the reason for the hesitancy is that the O-line is only going up against Pitt’s D-line. Not exactly a stiff test at this point. Still a major concern.

The Panthers worked that offensive play extensively, and the offensive line controlled the defense more times than not with redshirt sophomore Brandon Mason, sophomore LaRod Stephens-Howling, redshirt freshman Shane Brooks and freshman Kevin Collier running wild.

“The offensive line did a great job, and it all starts up front with them,” Mason said. “They came out and punched the defense in the mouth, and that’s how it all starts. They gave us some good blocks, but we have a lot of talent in the backfield that can go out and do our thing.”

Wannstedt wasn’t pleased with the overall intensity level, but he was happy that the running game showed some improvement.

“I thought we ran the ball better today for the first time and made some strides there, but we have a lot of work to do with our run defense,” Wannstedt said. “That’s an area where, if we’re going to be an improved team, we need to obviously run the ball better and we need to stop the run better. We’re working a lot of people in there to get the right mix.”

Mix, blend, puree. Whatever. The D-line is going to need to be better very soon. Less than 3 weeks to opening night.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You know, I love having the transcripts of the press conferences with the coaches. It’s easier and quicker than trying to watch or listen to some video (which isn’t up yet for today). The problem, is there seems to need some sort of sub-titles or something to fill in the gap (you mean beat writers or something?). Yesterday it was McKenzie Mathews, that required waiting until the beat writers filled in the gaps. Today its something with T.J. Porter and an injury with Bill Stull from today’s scrimmage and practice.

On T.J. Porter:

He’s been excused for personal reasons. Hopefully, he’ll be here tomorrow. He was out here this morning, and we talked and he said he needed a little bit of time so we’re going to give it to him and we’ll have some discussions with him tonight. But I expect him here tomorrow.

…

On Bill Stull:

Hopefully [he’ll be ready to take snaps] in another week. I don’t know. No, he will not scrimmage this week, I can tell you that.

Your guess is as good as mine. Hopefully we’ll know more tomorrow.
What I did get from the press conference transcript is that Kevan Smith is ahead of Dexter Davidson at the QB position among the freshmen. Smith is working with the second team while Stull recovers from whatever it is.

On Kevan Smith’s progress:

Very pleased. I probably haven’t mentioned his name [enough]. We’ve talked about [Nate] Byham. We’ve talked about [Aaron] Berry. [Kevin] Collier’s done some good things. Joe Thomas. [John] Malecki’s had two good days. I kind of sense him coming along a little bit. Probably the two freshmen that were the unsung, quiet guys that really flashed are Ty Tkach and Kevan Smith. Because of Billy Stull’s situation, Kevan Smith has taken all the second team work, and he’s really done a commendable job.

Really not much else from the transcript.

Aaron Berry gets love from his local paper.

Aaron Berry might not be the most impressive physical specimen, but when the freshman cornerback from Bishop McDevitt gets on the football field he is lavished with praise.

Just ask University of Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt. Even though he has only practiced with the Panthers for a week, and the workouts have been with other freshmen and young players, Berry has turned heads.

“Aaron Berry, he’s off to a fast start,” Wannstedt said. “He’s a player. And we’ve got Reggie Carter. KC [Kennard Cox] did some good things. Jovani Chappel, he’s like a little pit bull out here, so we have some serious competition for that other cornerback spot out there.”

One of the reasons Berry came to Pitt was his chance to get out and play early.

“The freshmen, we’re definitely getting more reps, so it’s been great,” Berry said. “When you’re a freshman, for most guys, they’re at the bottom of the depth chart. But this gives us a chance to work on things and not worry too much about that. We’re all together, and this helps us learn a lot more than usual.”

Even if Berry doesn’t contribute in the base defense this season, special teams are a possibility. The majority of his recruiting class should make an impact of some sort this season. They have to for Pitt to be successful.

“I wanted to play early, and this was the school where I could do that,” Berry said.

“And Coach Rhoads, he’s definitely one of the best DB coaches and defensive coordinators in the country. He puts a DB in the [NFL] league like every year. So, it was definitely the place for me to go to school.”

Now, I am not the biggest fan of Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoads, but I will say he is a very good Defensive Backs coach.

LaRod Stephens-Howling gets a nice piece from Smizik.

Still, when you think of Pittsburgh football, you think of running backs who could move the pile, not dart around it.

Which maybe is why so many people have a difficult time with the fact that Pitt’s starting running back this season in all likelihood will be LaRod Stephens-Howling, who stands 5 feet 7 and, after gaining 15 pounds, weighs 175. The thought of such a specimen being an every-down back on the NCAA Division I-A level is hard for people to grasp.

It’s possible, even the Pitt coaching staff is having a problem with this concept. Certainly, when Stephens-Howling was recruited out of Johnstown High, it wasn’t to fill such a role. Players of his size are mostly seen as little more than gimmicks, someone who can catch a pass out of the backfield, run a reverse or a sweep and return kicks.

But to pound the line down after down, well, that’s for the big boys.

Except that the memory of Dorsett, arguably the most exciting athlete in Pittsburgh history, is too fresh to dismiss a player based on size. As a 19-year-old freshman in 1973, just months removed from Hopewell High School, Dorsett weighed about 160 pounds and ran for 1,686 yards. The most amazing aspect of that accomplishment is that he did it behind a line that returned intact from a 1-10 team the season before.

This is not to suggest Stephens-Howling is the second coming of Dorsett or even remotely comparable. It is to suggest, though, that body mass is not the key ingredient to successfully running the football. There’s more to the art than brute force. Quickness, the ability to accelerate and vision are at least as important as size.

Personally I always feel comparisons to transcendent sports figures are completely unfair and do more harm than good — and Dorsett is a transcendent figure in Pitt football. They create ridiculous expectatoins and resentment from others who inexplicably blame the player for getting the comparison.

I’m a fan of Stephens because I think it is very rare and hard to find a single back anymore in college. I prefer seeing a couple backs sharing the load, staying fresh and if this is going to be a run-first offense really being able to keep the defense off-balance with different running styles. He’s got a style that is more elusive and frustrating for a defense. He forces them to stay in position and react. Trying to be aggressive against Stephens when he is running can give him the opening for a quick burst.

Finally, if you have faith or trust in the bloodlines of athletes, then Pitt is in better shape then you may realize.

Forgive the Panthers if they express a nonchalant attitude toward their pro football surroundings, as 16 players have relatives who are current or former NFL players. Pitt has a cadre of Panthers who are hoping their success on Saturdays will translate into paydays on Sundays.

“It’s in your bloodlines,” said Pitt sophomore fullback Conredge Collins, whose father, Tony, played for the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. “If you’ve got football and NFL that’s in your bloodline, the majority of the time you can go to that level, too. (When) you’ve got people that come from the NFL, you know what it takes.”

Collins is one of three Panthers whose fathers played in the NFL, joining senior linebacker H.B. Blades and redshirt freshman receiver Oderick Turner.

The others have cousins or uncles with NFL history.