For the last few years, I tried to broach the idea to the wife of letting me go to a night of summer league games. I have yet to succeed.

For some reason she has a hard time seeing the logic in coming home early from work, dealing with the kids for the whole night without me, taking care of their dinner, letting me spend some $40+ in gas and tolls driving nearly 300 miles just to watch what is essentially a few high quality pick-up games.

When I discussed it last week, once more it predictably failed. I followed it up with, “Okay, but this means I definitely get to go to the Thursday night Miami-Pitt game.” A night on the couch is definitely more painful as I get older.

So, it looks like more reliance on other reports will continue.

Can’t wait for a puff piece on Gary McGhee. Seriously. I want to hear from the big guy about getting to go to the Amare Stoudemire Nike Skill Academy. They do measurables of all the players in sneakers. McGhee measured at 6-11 with a wingspan of 7-1.

He got back from the camp and was apparently dominant in his game.

On the opening play of the second half, Pitt center Gary McGhee ran a pick-and-roll with Duquesne guard Eric Evans for PGT and delivered a thunderous dunk after the Evans pass. From the sidelines Gilbert Brown and Brad Wannamaker showed their support by singing the “Sportscenter” theme.It was that kind of night for PGT’s Gary McGhee.

“I had a size advantage. So I tried to make myself available, and then attack the rim,” said McGhee, who scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds. When PGT ran their offense through McGhee last night, they were unstoppable.

Have to wonder if he got a little more confidence while at the camp. Hope so.

Gilbert Brown had a good night when he played. Exciting news. That means two games in a row where he had it going. Sure it’s summer games, but he’s gotta start somewhere.

Then there’s Ashton Gibbs doing what he does best. Hitting a buzzer beater for the win.

UPMC was up by as many as 10 in the second half, as they built a 55-45 lead with 10 minutes left. Gibbs went to work, scoring 11 consecutive points, including three consecutive three-pointers. After his scoring spree, Center Court was up 60-59.

Woodall answered, taking a strong drive to the hole, tying the score at 64-64, with two minutes left. From there, both players went back and forth making plays. With under a minute to play, looking to ice the clock, Gibbs was called for a five-second call.

On the ensuing possession, Woodall was fouled, where he connected on both of his free throws. His free throws put UPMC up 72-70 with eight seconds left. That gave Gibbs just enough time to bring the ball up and take a spot three-pointer, which he connected on, with just a second left on the clock.

The final tally–Gibbs with 23 points and one assist, on 8-of-19 shooting. He was perfect on his final seven shots of the game.

Woodall also had a very good shooting night and nailing 2 FTs late, is a good sign. Otherwise, trying to remember that this is summer league so defense is optional for both Woodall and Gibbs.

Yes, it had to be done.

Amusing and disturbing at the same time are the number of people who have taken the time to re-set the lyrics to various anime. Haunting.

Anyways, back to the main point. Pitt put out a press release on the basketball’s summer trip to Ireland.

Pitt will play six games on the tour including two contests in Cork at Neptune Stadium (July 31 and Aug. 1), two in Dublin at the Dublin City University (Aug. 3 and Aug. 4) and two in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the Odyssey Arena (Aug. 6 and Aug. 7). Pitt will face Australia’s oldest and most respected basketball club, the Melbourne Tigers, on August 6 in Belfast. The Tigers, which feature former Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf and former Utah center Luke Nevill, have claimed four Australian NBL championships including two recent titles in both 2006 and 2008. The Panthers will take on the English National Team the following day on August 7 in Belfast and the Irish National Team two times (July 31 and Aug. 3) in Dublin. Pitt will also face the Dart Kilester Basketball Club team in Dublin on August 4. Dart Kilester won the Irish national title in 2007.

In addition, Pitt has been invited to join Pittsburgh Steelers owner and United States Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney for a reception on Monday, Aug. 2. Rooney was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Ireland by President Barack Obama on March 17, 2009.

“As a lifelong Pittsburgher, it will be very special for me personally to host the Pitt Basketball team here in Dublin during its tour to Ireland,” Rooney said in a statement. “Coach Dixon, his staff and players will also visit the UPMC Children’s Hospital here in Dublin as well as spend time with the Peace Players, who have used the game of basketball as a vehicle toward achieving peace and understanding in Belfast and universally. It is an honor to represent President Obama and the American people here in Ireland. It will be such a pleasure having these fine young men from Pittsburgh and all of their traveling party be a part of all things ‘Irish.'”

The NCAA allows a team to take an out-of-the-country summer trip once every 4 years. In addition to the perk for the players, it allows the team to get some 10 team practices under the direct supervision of all the coaches. Something that otherwise is not permitted in the offseason.

And don’t think Coach Dixon isn’t looking forward to that part.

“From a basketball perspective, this is an outstanding opportunity for our team to get an early start on the season,” Dixon said. “It is also a chance for the players, coaches, support staff, administration and families to experience Ireland.”

Everyone except for Isiah Epps should make the trip.

Dante Taylor has been looking good in summer games, and wants to perform far better than he did in his first year.

The baby fat is gone, replaced by a new and improved muscular frame. His confidence is sky high, and he has learned to live with the expectations that come with being a McDonald’s All-American.

Taylor has been one of the most impressive players in the early going of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Pro-Am. He had 19 points and 13 rebounds in his team’s summer league opener Monday night and followed that up with 21 points and seven rebounds Wednesday.

What does it all mean? That won’t be determined until the season starts in November, but Taylor at the very least has put himself in better position to succeed as a sophomore.

“You see Dante getting it,” senior guard Brad Wanamaker said. “He’s a hard worker. Coming in as a freshman you could see him sometimes get a little nervous. Maybe he worried too much. This summer something has been going on. Dante has been improving. He’s finishing around the basket better. He’s been in the weight room working hard.

“He’s a very different player. After that freshman year a lot of people change. You’re more mature. You know what’s going on. You know the system better. His confidence is on another level right now. He’s taking people off the dribble, rebounding. But he’s not doing too much. He’s doing what he’s capable of doing and he’s doing it well. I feel like Dante can have a great year for us.”

Starting center Gary McGhee agrees. When McGhee and Taylor went against each other in practice last season, McGhee bullied Taylor and pushed him all over the court. That has not been the case this summer.

With better conditioning, more confidence, and knowing Pitt’s system better Taylor should also get to see some time at the power forward spot. Perhaps fulfilling many fans’ hopes of being paired with McGhee at times.

That becomes a higher probability if Zanna is developing as hoped and J.J. Richardson can be counted on as a quality sub.

The exciting thing right now is the possibilities of how many looks Pitt can throw at teams in the upcoming year. Obviously Pitt will be able to go big with McGhee and Taylor.

They can also consider a small and fast team using Nasir Robinson as the primary guy inside, but surrounding him a combination of small forwards and guards from Brown, Patterson, Moore, Gibbs, Woodall, Wright and Epps. May not happen, but I do like thinking about it.

Last week it was taxes, son’s birthday, assorted other offline stuff and taking a full day in Pittsburgh. This week it has been all Big Ten expansion stuff. As such, there are plenty of links and stories that have accumulated in the tabs.

I hit 40 last year. You do notice the changes. They are subtle and sometimes slow differences, but then at some point you realize you can’t pull off staying up until 1:30 on a Sunday night watching the Blazers-Suns playoff game and get up at 6 am without being absolutely miserable. The body just needs more time for everything — recovery from drinking too much, more sleep to recharge, eat less and exercise more to keep from getting paunchier and paunchier.

Needless to say, I envy Rod Rutherford’s youth. Especially after reading this.

On those two nights a week Erie Storm quarterback Rod Rutherford practices in Edinboro, that alarm clock rings a little louder the following morning.

Rutherford usually completes a four-hour round trip around 1 a.m. in Pittsburgh, and then must be at Pitt at 6 a.m. to work as an assistant for its football team.

“The hardest part is getting up in the morning,” he said grinning. “But once I’m up, I’m good.”

Hard to believe Rutherford is only 29. Seems so long ago that he was a quarterbacking Pitt back in 2003. Now he is a Pitt assistant and moonlighting as a QB in the AIFA. Enjoy it while you can, Rod.

It’s never too early for watchlists for college awards (apparently). Greg Romeus is on the Lott Trophy watchlist.

A week ago the offense was looking sharp and the guys on that side of the ball were feeling confident.

Pitt had swagger on offense, and it has carried over to spring camp 2010.

“It’s real high right now,” redshirt sophomore receiver Cameron Saddler said after practice on Tuesday.

The seeds of Pitt’s offensive swagger and confidence were planted last season, when first-year coordinator Frank Cignetti – with ample assistance from running back Dion Lewis, receiver Jon Baldwin, and tight end Dorin Dickerson – engineered an attack that ranked second in the Big East and 21st nationally in points per game while averaging nearly 400 yards of offense.

“He’s a very confident guy, and he always feels like we can take advantage of the defense,” Saddler said of Cignetti. “All the coaches we’re surrounded with – Coach Turner, Coach Angelichio, and Coach Walker – they’re confident guys, too. So as a unit we’re just confident and the swagger’s really there right now. It really is.”

Then the Blue-Gold scrimmage happened.

The 6,532 fans who braved the elements to attend Pitt’s Blue-Gold spring game on a damp and brisk Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field most likely came away thinking one of two things — either the Panthers’ defense is going to dominate opponents or the Panthers’ offense is not very good.

The good news is there is a lot of time between now and when the season begins for the offense to improve. More important, the lack of explosiveness on offense — it scored only one touchdown — and imagination was by design.

At least that was the storyline from the key players after the 62-24 beat down the Blue team (defense) handed the Gold team (offense, though the offense actually wore white uniforms).

The post-game spin was that the offense was not showing much because it was televised on the NFL Network. The coaching staff wanted to give Utah little to work with in advance of the season opener in September. While it was true that the offense attempted no deep passes, it was very clear that the middle of the O-line needs work.

“The offensive line, particularly the center and two guards, is going to be an ongoing process,” Wannstedt said. “Throughout training camp, throughout the season, I think those guys up front will be playing their best football in December. It is just going to be one of those positions that is going to take some time to bring those guys along.”

Along with the offensive line, tight end is still in flux, but not because there aren’t any candidates. There are plenty of options and each player can do certain things, but only one, redshirt sophomore Mike Cruz, seems able to do it all. So the position will be manned by committee.

Cruz seemed rather solid out there on Saturday. I don’t have nearly the same level of concern for the TE spot as I do, the O-line.

Maybe there is something to the spin that the offense was playing for the basics.

The goals of Pitt’s offense changed in each of the team’s three scrimmages this spring. In the first scrimmage two weeks ago, the offense focused on sustaining drives. Last weekend, the focus was on hitting explosive plays and getting yardage in big chunks.

On Saturday, the Panthers went to work at Heinz Field for the annual Blue-Gold Game, and the offense’s goals appeared to be centered on conservative, low-risk/low-reward play-calling.

It certainly was that.

I still haven’t had a chance to watch the spring practice on the DVR. For real analysis of the scrimmage I don’t feel like I have anything particularly deep. It was interesting to be on the sidelines and being able to walk around the whole field to see different things, and taking pictures.

The truth is, though, it is really hard to see much except along the edges of the line and one-one-one battles. Couldn’t really see plays develop (or die).

Here’s some more perspective from Eye of the Panther.

Given how cold it was, I was actually quite impressed with the turnout. The parking lots they had open were quite filled. They officially declared a count of over 6000. Cold, sharp wind blowing through continually and even freezing rain at points. Just a very nasty day that was more late-November than mid-April.

We heard a lot about the other running backs doing well all spring. That’s great. They aren’t catching Dion Lewis on the depth chart. Just for the few plays he saw action, the difference was noticeable. It is something when you see a running back make the O-line look better.

Whether to keep from getting a pounding or because he knew the outside part of the O-line is better, Lewis quickly bounced it out to the edges of the rather than trying to go up the middle.

Both QBs threw maybe 2 or 3 times at most across their body. Almost every pass attempt was to the right side.

Both QBs really struggled to get plays in and called. Probably not a major issue at this point.

Yes, Sunseri has noticeably better arm strength than Bostick. Yes, Sunseri is going to have balls knocked down at the line of scrimmage. He is not that big.

The middle of the O-line is going to have to get much better. More of a concern is that the drop-off from the 2nd team O-line from 1st team is much steeper than the difference between the 1st team D-line and 2nd. That made it hard to judge the tailbacks running behind the 2nd team O-line.

Redshirt sophomore DB Jeremiah Davis saw a good amount of action. Actually played decently.

Aaron Smith does not like contact. I think everyone knew that from his time trying to return punts on special teams last year, but seeing him trying to play WR was disheartening. He was easily bumped off routes and discouraged from going after the ball.

Antwuan Reed will be a starting corner, but his most electrifying impact could be on special teams. He is tremendous at coming off the edge to block FGs.

The sideline had plenty of incoming freshman from the 2010 signing class along with recruits for this year.

There was also a strong turnout of former Pitt players. Obviously headlined by Larry Fitzgerald. Also there Kris Wilson, Torrie Cox, Tyler Palko, Clint Session, LaRod Stephens-Howling and plenty others.

Still trying to get warm from Saturday. Cold. Really, effing cold.

Son’s birthday was Sunday, so time was not permitting. Here are some photos from the scrimmage.

Click the picture for the full image.

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Coffee, bourbon, beer and I’m grilling some skirt steak along with onions and peppers somewhere around Heinz Field. It’s our own trial run for the coming season of football and tailgating.

Well, more like a taste of what will be. Family in tow so the kids can have some fun and get positive reinforcement about Pitt football. Maybe dim those memories of daddy downstairs yelling at the TV, typing into the laptop and drinking. Yeah. When I put it that way it will be amazing if either of my kids will come to a game with me this year.

Tweets most of the day.

If you are watching at home on the NFL Network at 2pm tell us what you see. I have it on DVR to watch for a different perspective later. If you went, add your thoughts later.

Sorry for the quiet. Between the last minute scramble of finishing taxes, assorted other things in the offline world, and the logistic scramble of bringing the wife and kids to Pittsburgh for the Blue-Gold game — the time in front of a computer has been limited.

In case you were unaware, the scrimmage will be on the NFL Network at 2 PM. If you scan the sidelines closely, you may see a short, goateed geek with glasses. If so, it’s a good bet that it will be me. Especially if he seems a little twitchy and fearful that at any moment he will be run over by a play that goes out of bounds.

There will be an open thread tomorrow to share observations, and I’ll be tweeting most of the day.

Stories in the dailies today focus on some of the new guys on offense. First up, the soon to be highly scrutinized Tino Sunseri at QB.

“I’ve been prepared for this opportunity right now,” he said. “I think, the way spring ball has been going, it has been a learning experience for me every day. Whenever you are the No. 2, like I was last year, you aren’t really getting the reps and you don’t see things like a Greg Romeus rushing from the outside and different coverages.

“I feel like I’ve come a long way just even in this spring.”

Coaches haven’t officially installed Sunseri as the starter yet and aren’t likely to until closer to training camp, but they have referred to him as their current No. 1 and they have made it clear by the way Sunseri and Bostick have been used.

Although Sunseri can throw all the passes, has a strong arm, quick release and all the intangibles to be an excellent quarterback, the one question that seems to follow him is his height.

He is listed at 6 feet 2, but that seems to be a little bit of a stretch as he looks smaller when he is in the pocket.

“A bit.” Naturally any vertically challenged QB will bring up Drew Brees for comparison. That’s all fine. The issue will be Sunseri making good decisions and finding the seams to throw the ball. That and presumably the offense will be tweaked enough to allow him to roll out and move around a lot more to find openings to pass the ball.

I have faith that OC Cignetti is planning to operate that way, but that still depends on the offensive line being able to block in a slightly different way.

Next, the tight end spot, and replacing Dorin Dickerson.

“You can replace his position, but you can’t replace Dorin,” Cignetti said.

It’s a huge challenge for Dickerson’s successor to fashion a stat sheet that reads: 49 catches, 529 yards and 10 touchdowns.

More important, can the new starting tight end draw the attention of outside linebackers and strong safeties to force man coverage on flanker Jon Baldwin, who amassed 57 receptions for 1,111 yards and eight scores?

Mike Cruz, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound redshirt sophomore from Bishop McCort in Johnstown, is the most likely to earn the job.

…

“There’s a lot of pressure, but you can’t let that show on the field,” Cruz said. “I just have to try to duplicate what they did on the field. I need to take something from Dorin and Nate and try to be a leader in the tight end room.

“I have to know my assignments. I just have to concentrate on playing ball.”

So far, Cruz has been pushed some in practice by Andrew Devlin and Brock DeCicco.

Devlin, a Mt. Lebanon product, is a transfer from Virginia. DeCicco, the brother of safety Dom DeCicco, redshirted last season.

“The tight end group is kind of like the interior of our offensive line,” Wannstedt said. “It’s a work in progress.”

All three: Cruz, Devlin and DeCicco were highly sought after TEs coming out of high school. It is not that they are lacking in talent and potential. They just aren’t athletic freaks. They are more along the lines of Nate Byham — who did rather well in the spot the year prior. I am not terribly worried about the TE spot in terms of performance or depth.

Looking for more creativity there, is not going to happen. That is why there is talk of using Ray Graham to catch some short passes and get in space. Find other ways to use the talent.

Saturday was a scrimmage. A lot of players didn’t get much action either because they are entrenched  and don’t need extra hits on them — Dion Lewis — or banged up — Ray Graham, Jabaal Sheard and Hynoski.

The O-line is the biggest question mark as far as a unit that does not have the excuse of injury ravaging (secondary).

As expected, Wannstedt and offensive line coach Tony Wise are trying to figure out a puzzling situation on an inexperienced offensive line. The book ends, tackles Jason Pinkston and Lucas Nix, are still trying to jell with three new starters.

“We’re still working through some things,” Wannstedt said of the offensive line. “Right now, it’s two good plays and one bad play. The consistency with our offensive line is not where it ought to be right now. We have more experience on defense, so it’s going to be a work in progress.

“It’s not going to get solved today. It’s not going to get solve the first day of training camp.”

That was echoed by Zeise in his blog-dump. The center position is still unknown, though, Alex Karabin appears to have the spot over Lippert. Depth is also a concern, as there are hints that the back-ups are a noticeable drop-off.

Zeise also raves about how redshirt freshman DT Tyrone Ezall is playing. Greg Williams seems pretty shaky at linebacker. As for the secondary, there is optimism once the safeties get healthy.

Also, because the receivers are so good, we’ve gotten a good chance to see just how good the corners really are and I’m going to go out on a limb with this one (and if I am wrong, I’m sure some of you will remind me) — Saheed Imoru and Antwuan Reed – the two starting corners – will be better than Jovani Chappel and Aaron Berry were last year, both individually and as a tandem. Reed to me, along with Cross, are the most improved players on this team — coach kept telling me Reed could play even though every time I watched him last year he was struggling but I’ll tell you what, he’s taken the bull by the horns so to speak and he’s had a great spring. Once the safeties get healthy, this secondary could be really, really good. And that’s a good thing because I think the secondary was torched a few times last year and probably cost them the N.C State and Cincinnati games.

The lack of healthy bodies at the safety spot was echoed in a weak piece that somehow managed to completely whiff on the existence of Saheed Imoru and that he is penciled in as a starting CB. Glaring misses on a perfunctory story focused on injuries to the safeties makes it entirely forgettable.

Pitt has lots of depth at WR. Even more as Greg Cross has emerged.

“I want to do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Cross said. “I was excited when we first talked about moving to receiver — I never played this position before but I always wanted to because I always believed I could do some things catching passes, returning kicks and blocking.

“Really, I felt like, when I first was talking to the coaches about moving, all I needed was just some extra time and that’s why redshirting last year as a junior was so important.”

Cross caught only one pass for 15 yards in the scrimmage Saturday but showed a glimpse of the weapon he could be. He ran a reverse and also threw the touchdown pass to Baldwin on a trick play.

He ran only 4 yards on the reverse. The truth is the play should have been an 8-yard loss but he made two tacklers miss with a little shuffle of his feet and made a positive play out of nothing.

Some have made much of a seeming obsession among a contingent of Pitt fans that have decried the non-use of Cross after one successful Wildcat TD run against Iowa two seasons ago. Count me among that contingent.

And maybe it has only grown in my own mind, but what I remember when he came in was that everyone knew he would be running it. Everyone. Including Iowa. He didn’t appear to be moving that fast, but he just kept moving and evading. He stayed upright and was seemingly untouched for the 17 yard TD.

Pitt’s receiving depth is in far better shape than down in WVU where two consensus 4-star WRs have left the team without even finishing their freshmen seasons — apparently because they are lazy (H/T to Dave).

Walk-on Alex Karabin may be the starting center come the fall. He’s also hoping for a scholarship for his final season at Pitt.

“Alex is one of those guys you probably take for granted,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He’s very consistent. He knows his strengths and weaknesses. … He continues to get better.”

Lippert, a redshirt freshman, might be the center of the future, but Wannstedt said he is lagging behind Karabin after making the transition from defense.

“Jack Lippert, every day is a new adventure,” Wannstedt said. “He’s not ready to line up and play center and win for us yet. Might he be in September or October? I hope. I’m very pleased with the progress he has made, but he has a long way to go.”

That leaves Karabin as the starter entering camp in August. Even if he does earn the job, he might not get a scholarship. Last season, Wannstedt gave scholarships to three former walk-ons — kicker Dan Hutchins, reserve quarterback Andrew Janocko and defensive lineman Chas Alecxih.

“If we have one, nothing would make me happier than to give one to Alex,” Wannstedt said. “He’s deserving.”

Hopefully it will work out for him.

Finally a piece on new linebackers coach Bernard Clark. Hits the expected notes. Played for the “U.” Check. Still looks like he could play. Check. Intensity still there. Check.

That said, I really like to read about emphasizing tackling. Not hitting.

Clark has greater expectations for what could be among the best trio of linebackers in the Big East next season. He isn’t bothered by much but admitted he’ll be troubled if his safeties, Jarred Holley and Dom DeCicco, lead the Panthers in tackles.

“The first thing (Clark) said to us was that his priorities are tackling and make sure we aren’t loafing,” Gruder said. “He wants us to be 1, 2, and 3 in tackling. That’s the way it should be. That’s the way it’s going to be.”

Even though Holley and DeCicco will play close to the line of scrimmage, Clark said he fears the run defense will break down if the safeties are being pressed to make tackles.

“A linebacker should be sick to his stomach to see a defensive back with more tackles,” said Clark, who has coached at Florida International and South Florida. “Our linebackers understand the pressure, but if they learn something new every day — like how to take on blockers — they’ll play well.

“Of course, the biggest thing is intensity. If they go full speed, we can correct a mistake. If they’re loafing, we can’t correct that. The only thing you can’t coach is effort.”

Not talking about being fearsome hitters. Or setting tone.  It is about making the tackle and stopping the play.

I know it is beating a dead horse about the poor coverage from two dailies, but it is frustrating. For Scout and Rivals, it is tremendous. Providing more reasons why people should subscribe. For the record, I hold no involvement or paid subscription to either site, primarily to avoid any conflict or accusations that I am scraping their premium content.

While the Post-Gazette appears to be moving (probably smartly from a business standpoint) to putting more of its sports coverage into the “Plus” paywall, they are setting it up for disappointment with regards to Pitt. What enticement is it for Pitt fans to pay when clearly they are not putting much effort into covering spring practices? They made the strategic decision to put Pitt football beat writer, Paul Zeise, onto the NCAA Tournament, and has generally skipped having anyone else do much with the spring practice.

As for the Trib. I don’t know what to say. They don’t have that excuse but new guy Pat Mitsch hasn’t filed much. Not sure if Grupp is b-ball only now. Gorman was a good beat writer, but almost as important, he was ambitious. That produced more material. He provided great infodumps in his blog.

So, even though there is a week of practice left, very little has been learned without having a paid subscription to PantherLair or PantherDigest.

Well, I’ve vented. On to what there is.

PantherLair’s Chris Peak tosses some free content out there. Tristan Roberts is healthy and definitely improves depths and could be a help on passing downs.

Roberts missed all of 2009 with a shoulder injury.

“I missed all of last season, so I felt like I was kind of little out of it,” Roberts said after practice Thursday. “Then when I first came back, I was definitely a little out of it. I had to get back into making all my reads and hitting people and getting used to my shoulder.”

Roberts began spring camp working as a backup on the weak side, but the combination of Williams dealing with a minor injury and Roberts improving his own play has led to first-team work.

“Greg Williams is limping a little, so I’ve been getting some of the reps; we’re kind of going back and forth to see who’s more consistent, I guess,” Roberts said. “After the scrimmage they said I was doing good and they wanted to see what I could do with the first team because it’s always different playing behind a different d-line.”

Several years ago, Roberts was the subject of much hype, both from the coaches and from camp observers. But the promise and potential he showed never materialized to the extent that he could win a starting job, and the shoulder injury further side-tracked his career.

I admit, I had almost forgotten about Roberts, yet here he is a redshirt junior and still with time.

Other guys, while not likely to be starting barring injuries, are looking to make sure they get rotated in at the defensive end spots are Shayne Hale and Brandon Lindsey.

“When Jabaal’s not in there and we’re limiting Romeus, we need Brandon Lindsey and Shayne Hale to come on,” Wannstedt said. “We really do.”

Both Lindsey and Hale were linebackers in high school, Lindsey at Aliquippa and Hale at Gateway, and both were moved to defensive end after starting their Pitt careers at linebacker. Now that Pitt is holding Sheard out of contact drills, the two are using the extra work to try to stand out.

“I know I got a real good opportunity in front of me,” Lindsey said. “But I just got to try to get better every day and not let there be too much of a drop-off from when Jabaal’s in the game.”

Jabaal Sheard has a cracked bone in his hand, so he is limited to non-contact drills only.

New cornerback Saheed Imoru started out strong in spring practices, but is now struggling a little.

“The positive is that everything that we saw him do on tape at the junior college, he’s done here,” head coach Dave Wannstedt said during the first week of spring practice.

Lately though, Imoru has cooled off a bit, and now he hopes to battle through his slump and elevate his game.

“The first couple of days I was doing real good, and then this last week has probably been my worst week here. And I need to pick it up a lot,” Imoru said.

Adjusting to defensive coordinator Phil Bennett’s system and playing with more emotion are two of the necessary improvements that Imoru noted.

Having to go at it with Jonathan Baldwin most days — while great practice — has to take a toll on the confidence and how good you look.

Over on the offensive side, Mike Shanahan is considered the possession receiver in the offense. This despite his size, speed and athleticism. In part because that is how almost every white WR gets labeled. The other and just as important reason is that compared to Baldwin, that is what he is.

Shanahan’s role in the offense might be labeled as a “possession” receiver because, as Wannstedt notes, Shanahan has the ability to hurt teams that underestimate his athleticism.

“He’s a big guy who, because of his basketball skills, can position you,” Wannstedt said. “If they’re going to double-team Baldwin and leave Shanahan one-on-one, the guy covering him is going to have to go up and be able to make a play on the ball, or [Shanahan] is going to beat you.”

Even though he excelled in the role of short-yardage receiver last season, Shanahan does not like being labeled a possession receiver. He said offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti has a plan to use all of his skilled receivers.

“It turned out last year that I was making third-down conversions. The big plays were going to Jon,” Shanahan said. “I think that’s just how it worked out. Coach Cignetti knows our strengths and weaknesses. He will utilize us the best he can. If it works out like that again, it will. If not, I’ll be making big plays, too.”

Praise continues for Greg Cross and his conversion to WR. Still a big question mark as to whether he will ever get on the field.

Bad news from the same article is that Aundre Wright, who converted to cornerback from WR because of depth issues hurt his knee and will have surgery.

Meanwhile Todd Thomas has officially been cleared academically to go to college. He will be enrolling for the summer session in May. The Cat Basket wants him immediately converted to safety.

Not sure why both papers have done such a poor job covering spring practice. I sort of get that Zeise at the P-G was shifted between the NCAA Tournament and WVU. Yet the Trib has hardly been impressive without a similar excuse. You would think that with Pitt’s potential for 2010, plus the quarterback competition that was expected (even if it didn’t happen) there would have been a push to stay on top of the spring intrigue.

The only ones enjoying this are Panther Digest and PantherLair. They have been covering practices, but it is all behind paywalls and thus restricted information to paying customers.

What stories have been published, have focused a lot on the offense. Ray Graham is not displacing Dion Lewis, but he has come out ready.

Graham’s talent has always been apparent, Walker said. But Graham excels at taking concepts out of video sessions and team meetings and applying them on the field, even if they are difficult to grasp at first.

It is that attention to detail that has sparked Graham’s improvement the most, Walker said.

“That’s probably the thing that’s most encouraging for me,” he said. “I know he can make a play and do some things, but it’s all the little things that maybe go unnoticed that he’s also doing that have been nice surprises.”

As he prepares for the start of his second collegiate season, Graham hopes he can continue to perform well in practice, push Lewis to better himself and compete for as much playing time as possible.

And, he hopes he can show a little more versatility in his game.

“You’re going to see me catch a little more,” Graham said. “I’ll show you my Reggie Bush side.”

As others noted in the comments, that sort of statement suggests using Graham to catch passes out in the flat and use his speed in open spaces. What wasn’t mentioned, and one of the factors that will play a large role in his playing time — holding onto the ball.

Graham struggled last summer and in some action last year. We all know how Coach Wannstedt feels about turnovers.

Another member of the backfield hoping to do more, fullback Henry Hynoski.

Hynoski primarily has been a blocker in his first two seasons, but his role is going to expand in the fall. The Panthers lost two of their top four receiving threats when tight end Dorin Dickerson and receiver Oderick Turner graduated, and the coaches are looking for new weapons in the passing game.

“Henry is a guy who is a better player with the ball in his hands than anyone gives him credit for,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “With Dorin gone and Nate [Byham] gone, we’ve got to find some ways to get the ball to some people. One guy [defenses] know we’ll get the ball to is Baldwin, and they’re going to have three guys covering him, so it’s pretty simple that we’re going to have to find other people, in other ways, to throw the football to. And Henry is capable of doing that.”

Not to be negative, but exactly how much passing is going to get out there? This is still a Wannstedt team, and it will be a Sunseri in his first year back there. Dion Lewis is a weapon no one forgets.

There is Baldwin and Shanahan obviously should get a lot of the passes thrown their way. Then Cruz and Devlin can’t be just blocking the entire time at TE. Now there’s Graham and possibly Hynoski? To say nothing of other receivers that could step up like Saddler, Devin Street, Todd Thomas and Ed Tinker. Let’s also not forget that Greg Cross has been looking pretty good. The euphoria and optimism of spring and possibilities must still be tempered.

The defense this year, has been more beaten up and dealing with injuries, so the offense has looked really sharp for 1st and 2nd teams.

“The best thing we did on offense was both the first and second units played fairly clean,” Wannstedt said. “You didn’t see the ball on the ground, you didn’t see any turnovers, there were very few penalties. When we play like that on offense, we’re very tough to stop because of our balance.”

Wannstedt praised both quarterbacks, who threw for a total of 251 yards and five touchdowns yesterday. Sunseri completed 13 of 18 passes for 129 yards and four scores, while Bostick was 10 of 14 for 122 yards and the touchdown to Cross.

Dion Lewis carried nine times for 64 yards, and Chris Burns netted 35 yards on 11 carries. Jason Douglas and Ray Graham combined for 53 more rushing yards on 24 carries, Graham with 22 on 11 and Douglas with 31 on 13, while Mike Shanahan and Jon Baldwin each had touchdown catches.

There have been some bright spots on the defense. Tyrone Ezall looks really good at DT. He has shined this spring.

The corner positions look  a lot more stable than expected with junior college transfer Saheed Imoru and Antwuan Reed. Apparently because the coaching staff has gotten away from having the corners play so far off the receivers. Showing tighter and more bump-and-run style of coverage. Depth may still be an issue, at the spot but at least it is not looking horrid.

Guys at the Cat Basket had been saying from the start, that Tino Sunseri was going to be handed the starting QB job by Coach Wannstedt in the spring. The early indications bore that out as the supposed to be a QB competition alternating the 1st and 2nd team between Pat Bostick and Sunseri went out the window as soon as practice began.

Now Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti is saying there is competition — but the description is in name only.

“Right now, there’s competition at every position. Tino’s number one and Pat’s number two, just like Dion Lewis is number one and Ray Graham is number two but there’s great competition. There’s competition at every position,” Cignetti said Thursday.

Cignetti’s analogy is telling: there’s no uncertainty about Lewis’s role in Pitt’s offense, and now there appears to be little uncertainty at the quarterback position as well.

Yeah, not the best comparison to suggest “competition” in the way expected. The thing that seems so odd is that Sunseri has hardly appeared to be running away with things by most accounts.

So far in spring camp, Sunseri has completed roughly 66% of his passes and has been intercepted six times, most coming in a rough outing on Tuesday when he threw four picks. Bostick has completed approximately 73.9% of his passes and has been picked off just twice.

“Some of the interceptions are bad decisions, and those are correctable,” Cignetti said. “Tino and Pat are doing a tremendous job of competing. The first thing we ask those young men to do is come out here and compete. They’re both out here to win a job, and they’re both here to win every snap and every drill. They’ve both done a very nice job running the offense. There are run-game adjustments, there are protection adjustments, and there are obviously decisions to make in the passing game, and I think that Tino and Pat have both made good decisive decisions.”

Yes, there is a big difference between passing against the 1st team defense and the 2nd team defense (especially with such low depth in the secondary). So that has to be taken into account. The fact that the coaching staff hasn’t even tried to switch things up early to pay lip service to competition with Sunseri and Bostick is still surprising. Even if the end result is predictable.

Also predictable. The story of a young player responding well to a new position coach and getting better. Hello, MLB Dan Mason and new Linebacker Coach Bernard Clark.

Mason has a new mentor who should help ease his transition. Bernard Clark took over as linebackers coach this spring after Joe Tumpkin left to become the defensive coordinator at Central Michigan.

Clark won two national championships when he was the starting linebacker for the Miami Hurricanes in 1987 and ’89. He wants to help Mason with his mental approach to the game.

“The best thing about Dan is he has such natural instincts,” Clark said. “The thing about Dan is you have to slow him down. He’s so excited about playing. He’s really hyper when he’s out there on the field. It’s basically pulling the reigns back and letting him know things develop in front of him — let it develop and react that way. He’s so quick to react right now. That’s the biggest thing we’re working with him on right now. His instincts and speed are outstanding.”

How’s it going in learning to handle pass coverage?

Clark said it’s not unusual for a linebacker coming from the high school ranks to be behind in pass coverage skills. Most high school teams do not face sophisticated passing schemes, so when they line up in college and face intricate passing games it is the first time they are exposed to it.

“It’s a situation where he hasn’t played the pass as much, so it’s getting used to it more than anything,” Clark said.

Insert cynical, snarky, outdated comment about going against Pitt’s offense to learn pass coverage.

Now for the silly. Pitt has depth at running back. We all know that. There’s some quality at the spot. So there’s the story of the competition pushing Dion Lewis and the absurd headline to the article. “Pitt rushing game won’t be one-man show.”

“We all know Dion had a lot of success last season. We know he did a great job,” said Pitt running backs coach David Walker. “But Ray Graham’s trying to win a job. Jason Douglas is trying to win the starting tailback job. Chris Burns is trying to win the starting tailback job. So, those guys are working hard, and they’re not going to concede anything to Dion.”

Now to be fair, there is nothing in the story to suggest that Pitt is even pretending that there will be a rotation at running back. Also keep in mind that the story writer is not the guy that writes the headlines for articles.

Take those factors out and it becomes a standard spring practice story on a position that is set. We know that Dion Lewis is the starter. That he is going to be the workhouse back — having already shown he can handle it — and that Coach Wannstedt is a one-back guy.

It’s a practice this morning, so hopefully there will be something interesting to read tomorrow. In the meantime a couple of the stories focus on players who now have their chance to grab the starting jobs.

Mike Cruz has been stuck behind Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson at TE. He has the early chance to be the starting TE this season.

“It was a huge loss losing two of the best tight ends in the country, and you really have some shoes to fill,” Cruz said. “I feel like I need to step in and be a leader for the whole tight end group and for the offense. It’s a huge, huge loss, but you can’t dwell on who you lost. You just gotta step up and do your best.”

Cruz now leads a Pitt tight end group with several new faces, including redshirt junior Andrew Devlin, who sat out last season after transferring from Virginia, and redshirt freshman Brock DeCicco.

“I definitely learned a lot watching Nate and all the older guys,” DeCicco said. “Now, I’m just coming out, learning from Cruz and trying to learn and compete. It’s making us all better right now.”

Brock DeCicco was a big TE recruit, but Cruz was no small recruit either. He had waffled between Pitt and Alabama.  While none of the TEs on the depth chart are athletic freaks like Dickerson, that doesn’t mean they can’t get a lot of chances to catch the ball. Byham — prior to getting hurt and Dickerson emerging — had lots of chances.

Then there is redshirt junior Chris Jacobson. He has had to take a medical redshirt early and ended up behind other O-linemen who developed. That and, of course, he made mistakes in practice. Something that Coach Wannstedt never wants to see.

Jacobson could always do the latter. From a physical standpoint, he was ready to play when he was a true freshman, but not having a full grasp of the mental aspects of the game is what prevented him from earning the starting left guard position this past fall.

Jacobson competed with senior Joe Thomas throughout camp, but the coaches decided to start Thomas because he did not make as many mental errors.

“It was just stupid mistakes that shouldn’t have been made that you want to kick yourself in the butt for,” Jacobson said. “It was never the physical part. It was just some of the mental parts.

“But now the mental part is clicking. Now I look at some of the mistakes I made, and it’s like, ‘That’s so easy. It all falls in like a puzzle.’ “

He was very effective in the Meineke Bowl,when Thomas was hurt. The job is obviously his. Not even to lose. It’s his job barring injury or a complete meltdown.

Good, free information on spring practices seems to be very limited. This is where we really miss the infodumps of Kevin Gorman’s blog. Everything else seems to be behind paywalls and subscriptions.

There’s a post-practice video interview with Jared Holley that lets you know he is happy to be back practicing and stuff.

A little old, but over at Cat Basket they talk a little about the opening of camp. Let’s just say they have their doubts over the actual openness of the QB competition.

Arguably, they are looking right in their predictions as Sunseri has practiced only with the first team — but Coach Wannstedt says not to read anything into that. Why would anyone do that?

Other details is that, yes, the TE spot is Mike Cruz’s to lose. Devlin and DeCicco have not shown Coach Wannstedt much yet.

Shayne Hale knows that he is not only learning to play DE, but that he is behind two of the best in the Big East. Still he is eager and has his cliches down cold.

“He hasn’t even played the position for a year yet, but he has really improved,” said defensive line coach Greg Gattuso. “We need him to be able to play 15 to 20 snaps a game next year and that is if [the two starters] are healthy. If we get an injury, we’ll need more, and if he isn’t playing that many there is something wrong.”

Hale, who is 6 feet 4 and 250 pounds, said he knows his time is now and he’s making sure he takes full advantage of the opportunity.

“I’ve been staying after practice working on things, I want to work with [strength and conditioning coach] Buddy Morris on getting even stronger,” Hale said. “I know I can be a big part of things in the future, but I have to start this year. Just getting on the field and making plays when my number is called, that is all that I can control.”

In controlled scrimmage, the retooled O-line got some work. Coach Wannstedt was upbeat (shocking and stunning) while offensive line coach Tony Wise, playing the part of crusty, curmudgeon coach was less so.

At times, Wannstedt liked what he saw during a 45-minute controlled scrimmage. But offensive line coach Tony Wise wasn’t overly impressed.

When asked if he feels confident about filling the gaps on an offensive line that lost three starters — center Robb Houser, along with guards Joe Thomas and John Malecki — Wise sharply responded, “No.”

Wise is expecting more from his returning starters, All-Big East left tackle Jason Pinkston and right tackle Lucas Nix. And he’s demanding more of the projected first-year starters — guards Chris Jacobson and Greg Gaskins, and center Alex Karabin — in the weeks leading up to the Panthers’ spring game April 17 at Heinz Field.

What is spring practice or training camp without concern over the O-line?