So, spring practice is over; we have seen three scrimmages including the Spring Game and have discussed the team and the program in-depth.  Now is the time for reflection and looking ahead to the more important summer training camp and the arrival of the 2011 recruits.

What have we learned so far and how do we feel about it… let’s see.  This was a big article so I’m splitting it up into two parts:

How well has Graham taken control of the program both on and off the field?

As far as off the field goes we have seen a few players decide to leave early.  In almost every case that was the natural course of things based on Lewis and Baldwin’s plans, it was pretty evident they weren’t going to stick around even with Wannstedt.  Hynoski’s decision was another matter and understandable given this new offense.  We had two other players expelled from the team in Diaz and Cruz after disciplinary issues (we think, no one really knows what happened in Cruz’s case except that he’s gone).

The Head Coach and his staff seem to have successfully coerced the players into accepting his philosophies.  The kids seem engaged and ready to play High Octane Offense, Nitro Defense and Alaskan Crude Oil Special Teams.  There was a lot of energy in that Spring Game and it was very impressive how all the kids battled to the end of the fast paced 135 minute scrimmage.

It’s hard to tell at this point whether that will translate into a big winning season but signs look good that we’ll continue to progress with the new systems..

Do we have the talent to successfully run Graham’s Offensive system?

We do.  It may not be the exact talent Graham envisions when he has his offense and defense exactly the way he wants them to be; he’ll recruit for that, but he has the playmakers on offense to execute the High Octane offense he’s been selling.  For a good review of why Graham has (apparently) picked Sunseri as the starting QB, please re-read this article by Pat Bostick.

In it he details the differences between Wannstedt’s I-Formation and what we’ll be seeing in 2011.  One salient point to know is that a staple of this new offense is the “read-option” play where the QB makes a split second decision to hand the ball off to the RB; keep it himself and run or keep it himself and pass… the QB keeping and running the ball is a main component of that, as is the pass option.  Sunseri fits that role the best out of our three QBs.

At our skill positions we have Ray Graham who just may have a monster year in this offense; not only will he get a lot of carries we’ll see 5-10 passes a game to him out in space where he can do real damage.  We are thin behind him but Des Brown is fast and quick and has impressed… but we need some freshman to give us depth there. I’d like to see Graham develop a short yardage back from one of the new kids, perhaps Isaac Bennett can fill that bill.

WR seems set with three pretty well proven kids in Shanahan, Street and Saddler with some talent behind them – we’ll be fine there.  TE is a wildcard because we have no real inkling of how they will be incorporated yet, but Hubie Graham has done well in the spring as has DeCicco.  I was really impressed with Brendan Carozzoni the times I watched him play and am hoping he gets a valid shot at playing time.  He’s tough and fast.  IMO this kid is too good not to make sure he stays in the program.

OL is a work in progress but Jacobson has begun to settle in at center and may turn out to be a good one there.  Nix and Gibbs are returning starters and the other two positions are in flux.

Do we have the talent to successfully run Graham’s Defensive system?

On defense we have some great Defensive Lineman returning; the best of which may be Lindsey at the new Panther position.  As a hybrid of a stand-up DE and drop back LB he’ll have the green light to roam the field and the talent, IMO, to be a game changer.  He may do well enough that teams have to plan in advance to avoid him.  Between Caragein, Alecxih, Donald, KK Smith and Ezell we are in very good shape there.

LBs are a problem at this point but we have kids that were injured in the spring who will be ready to compete for a 1^st team spot in the summer; Greg Williams and Todd Thomas among them.  But along with them we have Bryan Murphy, a monster LB who will be at that Panther position also.  I fully expect some shuffling to get this kid on the field more often than not, he’s that good.  We have other fast and talented kids at LB who we haven’t seen in the regular season yet – but we will.  If there is any unit that may see wholesale changes it is this one I think. I believe Mason will be a year out from playing full time again so I’m not counting him in the mix.

We certainly have talent with Hendricks, Holley and Tags at Safety; throw in Kolby Gray and all four are aggressive and can hit.  Ifill brings the speed we need at this position also.  No problems there I think.  DB may be a different story.  The staff is banking on Buddy Jackson to keep playing the way he did in the spring – which was well, but keep your fingers crossed.  Past him we have, IMO, average players where someone better step up big time.

The special teams will be good in the kicking game, perhaps even great.  Both Harper and Yoklic can boom the ball.  Harper has shown better consistency in this Spring; Yoklic needs to work at his.  Coverage teams are a work in progress at this point.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss what to look for over the offseason and in Summer Training Camp.

Odds and Ends:

Zeise of the P-G does his spring wrap up and states that, basically, spring practices don’t mean squat or to put it more accurately “not much really”.  His only real strong statement is negative:

The one thing that will need to happen is Pitt will need to find a legitimate big-play receiver as I am not sure there is one on this roster. Devin Street and Mike Shanahan are very good but neither are going to blow by defenders nor is Cam Saddler, who has found a spot as a slot receiver in this offense.

What he conveniently forgets is the you can have all the speed in the world at wide receiver but it means nothing if that ‘speed burner’;  1) can’t get off the LOS cleanly; 2) can’t run crisp routes and 3) won’t position himself to fight for the ball once it’s in the air.  If he wants a WR corps populated with Jon Baldwin types he can have them.  Personally, I think we’ll be more than fine with the kids we have on roster now.

Hell, I think we have more Big Play receivers on the two deep now than we have had in the last six years.  I’ll trade two or three 70+ yard TD plays a season for fifty 25+ yard plays any day.

DiPaola did an article on the Spring Game.  He takes a 180 degree stance on our offensive talent than his P-G counterpart:

Meanwhile, Sunseri looks to have at least four playmakers surrounding him, including former Norwin wide receiver Mike Shanahan (seven receptions, 158 yards and a 50-yard touchdown).

“Mike Shanahan sticks out to me as a leader and playmaker,” Graham said. “As he gets in mental and physical shape to run this offense, he is going to be special.”

Wide receivers Devin Street (eight, 81, one) and Cameron Saddler (six, 50) also played well, and running back Ray Graham was used sparingly (five carries, 15 yards) because he’s the only scholarship running back on campus.

DiPaola also quotes Graham about the team not having a reprise of last year’s off-season drama:

The players are faced with a lot of free time before summer camp. Some members of last year’s team couldn’t handle it responsibly, and the legal problems that ensued helped lead to Wannstedt’s firing.

Graham expects no such problems, especially after he had his players sign a document earlier this year reaffirming their commitment to the program. “I told them, all over the country between now and camp, you are going to see every day somebody getting in trouble,” he said.

Graham said it’s not enough to ask them to stay out of trouble. “Every day I see them, I am going to shake their hands, look them in the eye and tell them I’m committed, and I expect them to do the same thing. “We have given each other our word, so I have a great confidence that these guys are going to do the right things.”

PITT named the Ed Conway Award Winners for the most improved players over the Spring Practice.  They were Gonzalez on offense and Ezell and Jackson on defense.

The Pitt News had two quotes from Tino Sunseri that I didn’t see anywhere else and they kind of strike to the heart of the matter regarding this new offense:

Despite being seen as the front-runner for the quarterback position, Sunseri is working hard to become what Graham calls “a disciple of the coaches on the field.”

“Whenever I hear him say that, I take that as I need to be basically a coach on the field,” Sunseri said. “I need to understand the situation, what can hurt us, what can help us. I need to understand the total outlook of the game —where he’s thinking the ball needs to go, I need to make sure the ball actually goes. I want to make sure I know exactly where he thinks the ball should go because he’s usually right.”

This makes sense and I think that comes with time and practice.  But it most probably also be one of the things that is transparent to the average fan watching the game, meaning that you the reader will be clueless but me the writer will understand it 100%.

Sunseri also says:

“We came a really long way. If you go back to our first practice, guys were kind of lazy getting up to the ball. They didn’t understand the tempo of the offense or what was expected out of them every play,” Sunseri said. “We got better each and every practice, and we’re going to keep trying to get better this offseason.”

If you want to see what Todd Graham is all about watch this “Meet the Coach” video.  He’s not just acting in front of the camera here; this is how he coaches the players every practice.  Case in point – if you watched the Spring Game you’d have seen him out on the field standing about five yards behind and off to the side of the 1^st string QB.  He also runs down the field with the KO teams.  It appears that he isn’t content with being a sideline coach and having his staff do everything, at least not at this point.