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August 27, 2014

Catching Up On Things

Filed under: Football — Chas @ 1:24 pm

For real media companies and reporters, this past week and this one would be where all the coverage is ramped up and there would be lots of articles. Chasing page views and taking advantage of the growing excitement for the new season. Not at Pitt Blather. Noooo. Instead we take the less is more approach. Letting our pieces breathe, and —

Okay, that’s an obvious load of crap. Sorry folks. Between covering for people trying to squeeze in their final vacations at work. The ramp up to school restarting for my kids. Not to mention a horrid week in between school starting and all summer camps ending — creating a chaotic situation where the wife and I juggle our schedules to ridiculous levels. Then there is just making sure everything is in position so I can take off on Saturday. I’ve barely been on the computer the last couple of weeks.

I really, really look forward to Saturday. Seeing my friends before the game, then abandoning them for the comforts of the press box. This coming season will feature both Reed and myself watching games with the media. Onto some links and thoughts.

Coach Paul Chryst in his press conference for the Delaware game, listed five freshmen he is sure will see the field in the opener: CB Avonte Maddox, DE Rori Blair, LB Quintin Wirginis, S Pat Amara and RB Chris James.

Maddox and Blair are no-brainers simply from a depth chart situation. The same could be said for Amara with Reggie Mitchell doing more at CB than S at this point.

Chris James was one of the highest ranked recruits from the past class and had a very good camp. His fellow classmate Qadree Ollison wasn’t listed by Chryst. Ollison did well, but with Isaac Bennett’s return, the backfield is a little crowded. So Chryst probably is hedging for now on guaranteeing anything for Ollison.

WR Adonis Jennings didn’t make that cut, but he was among the next four freshmen who will have a chance to see the field at some point.

He also identified four others as players “we are going to make sure are ready, but a little bit of a wait-and-see.” They include running back Qadree Ollison, offensive tackle Alex Bookser, wide receiver Adonis Jennings and quarterback [Adam] Bertke.

Jennings was one of Pitt’s most highly touted recruits, but he remains behind older backups Ronald Jones and Kevin Weatherspoon.

“I liked a lot of what he’s done,” Chryst said. “But (it’s) a matter of making sure he truly understands all that he has to do.”

Jennings nursed some minor injuries in camp, which plays into it. I also have to think that Chryst is providing Jennings with a little extra motivation to stay focused. Getting on the field is still earned, regardless of the obvious ability.

Reading him mention freshman QB Adam Bertke is a little bit of a surprise. I know Chad Voytik hasn’t had the camp most would have preferred, but I doubt Chryst is seriously thinking of playing Bertke over Voytik. More likely, it is simply the reality that the QB spot is also one of the very thin positions for Pitt.

Trey Anderson is a great kid, and by all accounts is like a young coach for the offense and QBs. But no one really wants to see him running out onto the field in a game situation. That would not be a promising sign.

The ongoing fascination with when and how much to play James Conner at DE continues.

Chryst keeps a watchful, wary eye on his star running back, who also may be his best pass rusher. Conner, who spends time every day with running backs coach John Settle and defensive ends coach John Palermo, will play defense only on third downs.

Which raises the question:

“When you look at Conner, and you watch him rush the passer and see him run the ball, what is his natural position?” ESPN college football analyst John Congemi said.

[Conner] said he spends much of his free time with Palermo and assistant strength coach Kenechi Udeze, who was an All-American defensive end at USC and a first-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings.

“I think I’m a better running back, I’ll say that,” Conner said. “But working with coach JP and coach KU every day, I get better.

“I’m blessed to have the ability to play both. It will help me get exposure, help Pitt get exposure.”

The reality: Pitt needs Conner at both positions.

He is the best running back at a position with plenty of depth — senior Isaac Bennett, sophomore Rachid Ibrahim and freshmen Chris James and Qadree Ollison. Also, two 2015 running backs verbally committed to Pitt — four-star Darrin Hall of Youngstown, Ohio, and three-star Sekai Lindsay of Melbourne, Fla.

There is much less depth at defensive end, one of the team’s thinnest positions.

This is probably one of the more overblown and time-wasting topics of camp. I’m sort of sorry for my part in it, but I can’t deny the fascination with it. A combination of economic theory: scarce and surplus resources, individual desires versus the team needs, coaches personal interests. There’s a lot of competing interests in play with James Conner and his position on the football field.

I’ve said this in the past, but it bears repeating. As the NFL has de-emphasized the workhorse running back. The using more of a committee approach. As defensive end has become more of a highly visible glamor position on defense — and with commiserate pay. As players looking to the NFL as a viable future look at career longevity — especially if it is RB vs. DE. It is something completely different from even 6 years ago when this wouldn’t even be a real discussion.

I will not be surprised in the least, if by next season Conner is playing DE nearly full time. This year, at least, and certainly for the first half of the season, Conner will spend most of the time at running back.

The O-line has been set for nearly a week. No surprise that it is the same starting  O-line everyone assumed it to be heading into camp. A little competition to make things interesting. A bit about the players feeling more comfortable in their position this year.

Finally, former players coming back to help as volunteer and graduate assistant coaches.

[Ryan] Turnley was a volunteer assistant coach at the time, and has since transitioned to become a graduate assistant on the Panthers coaching staff. This year, he has been joined by two more recently graduated Panthers, former receiver Mike Shanahan (2008-12) and former linebacker Scott McKillop (2004-08), who are on the staff as volunteer assistants.

“Any time you get good guys that want to get into this profession, you’re excited,” coach Paul Chryst said.

All three took similar paths to their coaching positions at Pitt. Turnley and Shanahan had stints in NFL training camps — Turnley with the Buffalo Bills, Shanahan with the New York Jets — but were cut before the regular season. Turnley returned to coaching last summer after a phone call with offensive line coach Jim Hueber shortly after the Bills let him go.

“He said he’d talk to coach Chryst,” Turnley said. “And a few days later coach Chryst said, ‘Come on down, help us out, volunteer on the O-line.’”

Shanahan tried to break into the Canadian Football League in the spring, but was cut by the Montreal Alouettes at the end of June. That’s when he got back in touch with Chryst, who welcomed him back as a volunteer assistant.

“I knew I liked coaching, but I wanted to do it at the college level just to see how much I would like it,” Shanahan said.

McKillop was the only one of the three to see regular-season NFL action after he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round in 2009. He played in all 16 games that year, but a severe knee injury in training camp in 2010 effectively ended his career.

He, too, tried some other routes back to the NFL, including the CFL, before reaching out to Pitt director of football operations Chris LaSala in May.

Despite most positions being filled, the staff found a spot for McKillop as a volunteer defensive assistant.

Yes, you will find a spot for a former All-American and one of Pitt’s best linebackers of the last 25 years.





Like I’ve said… playing “Panther Beast Mode” at Defensive End would be a mistake. Too risky.

In any case, fans are going to find out that, at this level and with this Pitt Team, Conner is better at RUNNINGBACK.

Glad to know he agrees.

Comment by PittofDreams 08.27.14 @ 1:46 pm

And by the way, back when Rushel Shell left… and all the Chryst NAYSAYERS were all Gloom and Doom… I posted that Conner would make everyone forget about Shell.

And that was BEFORE he played a Single Down.

Comment by PittofDreams 08.27.14 @ 1:50 pm

Hello, I’m a new poster, Pitt grad from 2011 who lives on the West Coast now, but lover of all things Pitt. I gotta say love this site, along with Cardiac Hill and it’s a God-send for me living so far away from home.

Am I posting wrong on this site though? I wrote two other posts on a couple of Reed’s articles and they were taken down…just curious it’s totally cool if just didn’t want them them there! lol

Comment by Summer2011Panther 08.27.14 @ 1:50 pm

And speaking of Delaware… the Quarterback from Greensburg should be LIGHTING A FIRE under PITT.

Confidence is good, but I get the sense that this kid is more on the COCKY side of the equation.

From the Trib Review…

********
“We look at it as opportunity, not a challenge,”
(Trent Hurley) said. “We are looking at it as an opportunity to play against kids who were more highly recruited than most of us.”

He said he respects Pitt’s defense as a unit “that is going to get after you,” making special note of linebackers Todd Thomas and Anthony Gonzalez and safety Ray Vinopal. But he doesn’t view the game as an insurmountable hurdle.

“We have some things geared up,” he said, “so we can take advantage of what they do.”
********

Does anyone see smoke? I sure hope so.

Comment by PittofDreams 08.27.14 @ 1:58 pm

Just posted this on the last thread and now see the new one. So, here it is again——-

Any chance that we can have a “Game One Preview: Cheerleaders” post? They are (sort of) members of the special teams unit. And I am thinking of the girl cheerleaders, not guys (if we have guys).

H2P

Comment by pmdH2P 08.27.14 @ 1:59 pm

@POD

He (the QB) has to believe that they can beat us. If he doesn’t, he can’t expect the rest of the team to show up. It is like me still thinking that I can get a par when I am laying 3 on a par 4 and am 35 yards from the green.

H2Positive Thoughts

Comment by pmdH2P 08.27.14 @ 2:19 pm

I’ve figured out the running backs for the season.
Connor, Bennett, James. Any running backs whose last name is also not a first name has no chance of playing.

Comment by Caw Miller 08.27.14 @ 2:28 pm

Ollie?

Comment by Atlanta Panther 08.27.14 @ 2:32 pm

I’ve been saying Conner will end up at DE in the long run for over a month now, and certainly will not back off. This is not an opinion; it’s reading between the lines of everything I have read, as well as pure logic. If Conner was not at or near the top of being our best DE, he would not be practicing there, especially for an offensive HC. And funally, he RB position will be loaded next year with addition of Hall, Poteat and Lindsay.

I like the idea that McKissick, Turnley and Shanahan are assisting. These guys came off as real gamers who had a high FB IQ.

I believe that Voytik will prove to be a pretty good QB, but if not (or maybe even so), Bertke will be challenging hin next spring.

Comment by wbb 08.27.14 @ 2:39 pm

He is practicing for the 8 plays or so Chryst said he would use him for in passing situations. He has not practiced with his hand down so unless there is a rash of injuries, I doubt the plan will change – running back with a smattering of pass rush plays from the outside.

Comment by PittMan 08.27.14 @ 2:42 pm

I agree that if a Running Back steps up this season, and Conner plays well at end when he’s in there, he’ll be on defense next year. It’s what I’d do if I were the coach. And I’d make a heck of a coach.

Comment by Atlanta Panther 08.27.14 @ 2:45 pm

when I say end up at DE, I was referring to next year and beyond (if there is a beyond)

Comment by wbb 08.27.14 @ 3:03 pm

If I were Luke MacLean I would be getting pretty motivated to show what game I had playing the DE position, since up to this point, he has apparently been doing the “cellophane man” song and dance routine.

Comment by Dr. Tom 08.27.14 @ 3:28 pm

And here is the Mr. Cellophane link.

link to m.youtube.com

Comment by Dr. Tom 08.27.14 @ 3:33 pm

pmdH2P – Here is a shot of the 2014 PITT cheerleaders I took from the back deck of my beach house on the Outer Banks.
link to grfx.cstv.com

To tell the truth, it was like herding kittens to get the girls dressed and sober enough to take the photo but we pulled it off. Good thing I had the whip and the electric prod with me for the weekend.

These girls have funny names that you don’t hear everyday, at least they introduce themselves with funny names. Maybe they don’t want me to know their real names which I think is a bit insulting after I bought 100 cases of 2002 Perrier-Jouët Rosé Fleur de Champagne and seven ounces of uncut Peruvian blow for the weekend. We didn’t really eat that much, for some reason everyone’s appetite just kind of died away after that first “Welcome To Paradise” party I always throw for my beach house guests.

My two favorite two young women are the girls on the top row at the ends – the brunette on the left is always smiling and is called “Lickety” and her blond BBF on the right end is called “Split” which I still find hilarious. Every time I yelled “Get me a burger, Lickety Split!” they would get in the Hummer and drive 134 miles to the nearest McDonalds. They are not really the sharpest knives in the drawer you’d say.

I promised Theresa Nuzzo, their coach, that I’d take real good care of the girls since Theresa was not able to make the trip herself. She was tied up mainly because I sent her, her husband and those little bastard brats of theirs to Paris for a week. So I did random “head checks” and always seem to come up two short. I couldn’t understand why until one girl told me that “Lickety and Split split” like that was supposed to make some sort of girly sense to me. My head hurt too much to pursue that line of conversation and it was starting to feel like I was in a Dr.Suess book.

Strange thing is that we ended up finding them by accident in a lipstick lesbian bar in Corolla, NC (don’t ask why I was there, my feet are still sore).

Anyway, I’m still tired and can’t walk too well so I have to say goodbye.

Comment by Reed 08.27.14 @ 3:34 pm

Here is the above link:

link to grfx.cstv.com

Comment by Reed 08.27.14 @ 3:36 pm

@Reed

You are truly amazing. Thanks for some laughs to end the day.

H2P (I Have the P word in mind to finish this, but will reluctantly not do it out of respect to any female readers))

Comment by pmdH2P 08.27.14 @ 3:54 pm

Reed, are you sure you weren’t on the beach of Lake Erie with the girls? LOL

Comment by Pittman4ever 08.27.14 @ 3:54 pm

Reed, it’s good for us retired types to develop hobbies but it is also important to remember to recap the glue tube when you’re building those model airplanes of yours. Those fumes are toxic.

Comment by Dr. Tom 08.27.14 @ 3:56 pm

Funny you should say that Dr. Tom – I was reading a ‘do-it-yourself’ airplane magazine and got pretty interested. The use a lot of glue for those small airplanes.

I’ll kill myself if Conner gets banged up on defense.

Comment by Reed 08.27.14 @ 4:10 pm

Dr. Tom, McClain will play. I think Soto, who McClain rotates with, has the most to prove. Soto is big, but media reports based on potential are just that. He played, so his experience will pay off vs. the run, but McClain may get more playing time if Soto hasn’t improved his pass rush technique.

Comment by PittMan 08.27.14 @ 4:49 pm

OK, before I forget. I made my first contribution to the cause today via PayPal. It was probably less than what I should have done. But, I assuming that that this is a low-cost operation. Reed stays with a buddy, etc.

So, Chas and Reed, please let me (and all of us) know if more money would make the job easier to afford. I would be happy to contribute more. Just not sure that it is needed.

And, for those of you who have put up with me during the “wearing my Blue & Gold boxers” days during Hoops season, I don’t know what to do for football games. I don’t want to waste the karma for football. But, karma is karma. So, I am guessing that I will pull them on before I head out to play bad golf in the tournament on Saturday morning. Let’s hope my wife pulls them off on Saturday night.

H2P

Comment by pmdH2P 08.27.14 @ 5:14 pm

It might be a little too swampy for the sacred boxers on Saturday. Might not be worth the risk.

Comment by Nick 08.27.14 @ 5:34 pm

On Connor. I fully expect him to make the move to defense full time next year. Chas is spot on by the way. In addition to that though, NFL players have told Connor his future is on D, he was recruited on D and you have to know if Chryst is playing him there this year if his year last year, that’s where his future is. Connor is also not too big and is plenty fast enough to play OLB – and we’re losing our two starters there, just a thought. Look at the recruiting, they are clearly bringing on guys to replace Connor. Finally, let’s not forget, through 11 games (he missed ODU), Connor only had 550 yards, hardly dominant.

On Bertke, do not be surprised if there is a QB controversy no matter how good Voytik is, just like UNC now with Marquis Williams and Trebinsky. And I expect Chad to be pretty good.

Comment by PittHW 08.27.14 @ 6:49 pm

Considering his last year*

Comment by PittHW 08.27.14 @ 6:55 pm

3 QBs alone makes our frosh a potential starter. Didn’t Maryland lose 2 QBs last year? It happens.
A 13 game schedule (assuming bowl) makes me think we get to the 2nd level of freshmen.
As for Connor: he is a future NFL pass rush end/backer.
Those guys get paid very well indeed.
Hope Connor blossoms in the role well enough to declare after his junior year.
I am 100% in favor of Pitt players maximizing their earning potential. It worked well for Martin and McCoy to be sure.

Comment by Sfpitt 08.27.14 @ 7:35 pm

McKillop Me!!! I never did get a t-shirt made. Glad to see the young man back at Pitt.

Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Digdug 08.27.14 @ 10:51 pm

WSJ annual “Grid of Shame”:

link to online.wsj.com

We are out of the doghouse and the Nits are not.

Comment by San Diego Panther 08.28.14 @ 12:11 am

Herbstreit in his effort to promote the Big10 and help his Buckeyes get into the playoff, seriously discussed Iowa as a team that will compete for a playoff spot because of their ease of schedule.

I was berated for a Bertke comment about a month ago. I like to hear his name mentioned as it is a win for us if he is in the conversation. Especially if we think Voytik will do well. If Voytik does well and Bertke displaces him, wouldn’t that mean we are improving even more at the position? He has a great arm and good size. A win win for the program as he improves. I like Repischak as a solid backup too, being an alum of USC.

Man I am getting excited for some football!! Means crappy weather is on the way, but football trumps the weather on Saturdays.

Comment by dhuffdaddy 08.28.14 @ 12:36 am

“OK, before I forget. I made my first contribution to the cause today via PayPal. It was probably less than what I should have done… So, Chas and Reed, please let me (and all of us) know if more money would make the job easier to afford. I would be happy to contribute more. Just not sure that it is needed.”

Umm, “OK,” thanks for that, pmd. WTF?

Comment by Neil 08.28.14 @ 1:52 am

Pumped up for Saturday. Can’t wait to see the Panthers in action.

WBB- who is this McKissick character you are glad to see coaching?

Reed- awesome coverage this year. So much better than any of the local media outlets. Though I’m sad to hear that you’ll be in the press box. I was hoping to BS with you at halftime in the “smoking” section in the 500 level of the North End zone.

Comment by hacky3 08.28.14 @ 6:46 am

hackey3, good question … I’m not sure myself

Comment by wbb 08.28.14 @ 6:53 am

Nice San Diego Panther !

Thx for posting that link.

Creepy Valley…the Valley of Shame.

While PITT is headed toward the Top ! Now we just have to progress more to the right as well.

Comment by Emel 08.28.14 @ 2:07 pm

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