Treading very lightly, now. No one seems to be sure of anything regarding Pat Bostick.

“He’s a talented guy and very smart, so he must be going through something very serious,” [LeSean] McCoy said. “I’m here to support him, just like his other teammates, (in) whatever he’s going through. … I don’t know what it is. Whatever it is, I just support him.”

There’s no timeframe for his return. Some reports are that he might be returning next week (unfortunately nothing on the WGAL website at this time). Paul Zeise in his Q&A today suggests darkly that it might be quite a while.

A big news day, but probably not a good news day, for Pitt as Pat Bostick, the heralded quarterback recruit from Manheim Township, has left camp for personal reasons and is not likely to return in the near future.

…

I can’t tell you whether he’ll be back or not — though I think it was made pretty clear to me that coaches aren’t anticipating him getting back any time soon — but to me that is not relevant right now. Regardless of what happens, I just hope he is OK and I’d say that’s what everyone should want for him as well.

Coach Wannstedt really didn’t have anything to add to in his remarks this afternoon (no surprise), except that the team still supports Bostick. Speculation will, unfortunately, continue.

LaRod Stephens-Howling has a goal this fall. Something Pitt hasn’t had in several years.

Still, that elusive 1,000-yard barrier looms for Stephens-Howling

“That is definitely a goal. That’s what Coach Wannstedt told me I should get it and I told him I am ready for it and pushing for it,’’ he said. “I hope our linemen are pushing for it as well as the rest of the team. Hopefully, we can do it as a group effort.’’

No one was been unable to unseat Stephens-Howling last year, except for injuries. There’s a lot of potential talent at the position, and apparently Shariff Harris looked good with the second group, no contact or pads and just helmets today.

Although McCoy was the most heralded running back recruit, and performed as such, Harris showed surprising burst all day and might have been the most impressive offensive player. He broke through the line of scrimmage, running with power and slapping away arm tackles.

Think Harris might be trying to let the coaching staff he doesn’t want to be moved to linebacker?

Dorin Dickerson does not sound like a player torn about being moved from offensive weapon to linebacker.

“I’m very comfortable with where I am at as a linebacker and I’m really happy with this move,” Dickerson said. “I think it is best for me and for the team. Defense is far more free, you just go out and play and don’t worry so much about much of anything else.

“Coming out of high school, I didn’t even like playing defense, but I’ll be honest — I love defense now. I love it so much it is ridiculous. I wouldn’t even want to go back and play offense now because I have a different mind-set and a more hard-nosed mentality. I used to look forward to running or catching the ball. Now I just can’t wait to put the pads on and hit somebody.”

Now, if he can just avoid injury.

I don’t have an excuse. Posting, even in speculation, about why Pat Bostick went home was just wrong, regardless of my intent.

Of course, that isn’t really good enough. I owe an explanation of how I got to that point.

When I saw the articles and the statement from Coach Wannstedt about Pat Bostick leaving for a while, I focused on the last sentence:

“No timetable has been set for his return. we are leaving that judgment to Pat and intend to do everything we can to be supportive of him and his family.”

I took that to mean it was a legitimate family/personal issue.

I was also curious as to what it was. I went to the Lancaster newspaper to see if there was anything happening and saw the article. Being from the Lebanon area (about 15 miles away), I know Lititz does not have a particularly large population and a simple white pages search yielded a single “Bostick.” The two things mean nothing. It did make me wonder and worry some more.

Worry enough, that I went to the message boards to see if there was anything else out there. I started reading the worry and speculation that Bostick was leaving the program for whatever reason. Oh, woe unto Pitt. Why do these things keep happening to “us?” And I got pissed.

Pissed that other Pitt fans were flying off the handle and apparently ready to turn on the kid without another thought. Pissed at an overreaction. Pissed because I thought I knew better.

The smart thing would have been to just walk away from the keyboard for a while. Cool down. Do something else.

Instead I stupidly added my own speculation. I did it because in that space of time, I presumed myself to be some sort of superior fan. I made one of the biggest mistake a fan can do — see himself as some sort of representative of the team and/or “true fans.” Some sort of protector of the interests of the team and players. That’s when fans do the stupid crap that gives fandom a bad name. It’s not being biased that gets fans in trouble. It’s when the fans think they are part of the team or representing them directly.

I knew shortly after I posted it, that I shouldn’t have. I knew better, and I still screwed up. Regardless of my intent, I was wrong. I’m not going to delete or edit out what I wrote. Scrubbing a post doesn’t change it, and I have to own my mistake. All I’m going to do is add a link to this post.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry to Pat Bostick and Bostick family for publishing my own speculation about what is a private and personal issue. I’m sorry to Pitt and Pitt Athletic Department for pretending to be some sort of rep. And I’m sorry to everyone who reads this for crossing the line.

Both papers are reporting that Pat Bostick has left Pitt for a while to return home for undisclosed personal reasons.

“With our full support and understanding, Pat Bostick left campus last night and returned home to Lancaster to deal with a personal issue,” Wannstedt said in a statement. “Everyone connected with our program has the highest regard for Pat, not only as a talented football player but also as a fine young man. No timetable has been set for his return. we are leaving that judgment to Pat and intend to do everything we can to be supportive of him and his family.”

While there’s the cynical and selfish part that quietly notes that this will put him further behind Bill Stull and Kevan Smith in the QB battle, the real hope is that whatever it is that got him back on the PA Turnpike to Exit 266 is nothing too serious.

UPDATE: I’m hoping it is nothing too serious, but I’m really afraid that this might have something to do with it.

A 77-year-old motorist died Monday morning when his pickup truck collided with an oncoming vehicle and struck a utility pole in Clay Township, investigators said.

The Lititz man, whose name wasn’t released, was driving a Ford Ranger in the 2000 block of Route 322 about 9:50 a.m. when it collided with an Oldsmobile driven by 56-year-old Margaret Eckles, police said.

The impact forced the Ranger off the roadway and into a utility pole, according to investigators.

The man was extricated from his vehicle and flown to Reading Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Clay Township police said they didn’t released the victim’s name Monday because his family hadn’t been notified.

I’m really hoping to be wrong.

ADDENDUM: An apology and explanation about this post.

These are the articles that don’t focus on a particular player, coach, position battle. Just the broad overview articles that bounce from one area, side of the ball and theme quickly trying to weave it all into one cohesive story. Of course the focus will still be on what Coach Wannstedt said, like this from the AP.

But as his players posed for pictures on the day before the start of fall camp, Wannstedt didn’t offer excuses for the failed finish of last year or the perception that Pitt is falling further and further behind the Big East’s best teams.

Rather, he suggested a turnaround is near, now that the majority of starters — at least 14 — are his own recruits and not those of predecessor Walt Harris. Wannstedt also likes the competitiveness at many positions, such as on the defensive line. There, he said, the backups are nearly equal to the starters for the first time since he took over.

Then there’s the picking up of one theme from the day and using that as the story arc throughout.

“Finish,” Wannstedt said Monday morning at Pitt’s Media Day, “is going to be a big word you’re going to hear me talk about.”

After going 6-6 last season – Pitt was picked to place sixth in the Big East in a media preseason poll – the Panthers have been hearing the word so much that it has become a prevalent theme.

“Whether it’s talking about finishing every single rep in the weight room or on the field, every single run or time spent watching film,” junior quarterback Bill Stull said, “the word finish has been embedded in our mind.”

Some, though, haven’t forgotten a huge Dave Wannstedt theme and maybe asks one of the best questions in a stock “5 keys/questions” overview.

5. Will this team be faster?

When Pitt plays Big East Conference heavyweights West Virginia and Louisville, the Panthers’ lack of speed is apparent. Wannstedt continues to recruit faster athletes than previous head coach Walt Harris did. Judging from what the rest of the Big East Conference thinks – Pitt was picked to finish sixth out of eight teams – Wannstedt needs a few more recruiting classes like the one he secured for this year to catch up.

You know, Hoopie fans and others point derisively to Coach Wannstedt’s comments at the halftime of the 2005 Backyard Brawl when Pitt was getting beaten badly about what the team needs to do. “Get faster,” was the comment and that was a long-term thing. The team is supposed to and better be faster this season.

Despite Coach Wannstedt’s efforts to minimize the QB battle versus all of the other position competitions and his back-and-forth attempts to declare the position wide-open, the lead story in multiple papers/media outlets is about who will be the quarterback. Specifically, it will be Bill Stull as the presumed starter. It just seems that there is a countdown until the questions really start coming on who will be the starter.

Some liken this to the most undecided Pitt has been at QB since 1999.

From Pete Gonzalez to Rod Rutherford to Tyler Palko, Pitt has produced a string of successful, efficient quarterbacks over the past decade. Even Matt Lytle, a starter in 1996 and 1998, enjoyed a brief stint in the NFL as a backup with the Carolina Panthers.

Each time a quarterback left, another proved ready to emerge. For instance, when Rutherford left as Pitt’s fourth all-time leading passer, Palko stepped in and put up bigger numbers. The last time uncertainty at quarterback arose, David Priestley and John Turman went back-and-forth as starters. That was during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Of course, that’s a bit of revisionism — or simply forgetting something. Palko didn’t just step in after Rutherford graduated. He spent the entire training camp in a virtual dead heat with Luke Getsy before getting the nod and Getsy transferred. That actually seems like a closer comparison at this point.

Of course, Stull being the early leader to start means he also faced the most attention in the  media day with the players. He apparently handled it well (…Stull really handled all the media scrutiny very well and he showed he is mature enough to handle the rigors of being in the spotlight), and leads to his first puff piece.

Judging by the way he led his team through spring drills and a tortuous offseason conditioning program – not to mention the way he handled yesterday’s media crush like a 10-year pro — that might not be a bad thing.

None of the off-field stuff equates to playing in a game, of course, but it’s the only criterion upon which to judge Stull thus far.

Point being, he has carried himself like a bona fide leader in his quest to replace his roommate from last season, Tyler Palko.

There’s also a quote from Offensive Coordinator Matt Cavanaugh saying he believes that starting job is Stull’s to lose.