Draft profiles are starting to show-up. Pitt has 4 players likely to have their names called on draft days: Jeff Otah, Darrell Strong, Joe Clermond and Mike McGlynn.

While I was happy that Paul Dunn was asked to pursue other options by Coach Wannstedt, I don’t wish him ill. Dunn, afterall, is an alum. So, it’s good to see he landed a job with the Atlanta Falcons as an assistant O-line coach.

O-Line Coach Paul Dunn had to go. Arguably the O-line was not particularly strong when he started and between injuries and depth there were lots of excuses. The problem was that players didn’t seem to develop much. There was talent, but not much was done with it.

Consider that the O-line will almost certainly have two players drafted in the 2008 draft. Mike McGlynn will get picked up by somebody on day 2 (Insider subs.).

Pitt’s Mike McGlynn runs from drill to drill like his hair is on fire. It is hard to miss a 309-pound offensive lineman running at full speed down the field to get to a drill. While hustle and “want to” are great traits, he needs to settle down a little bit. McGlynn is an intriguing prospect because he could potentially fill in at every line spot in the NFL with the exception of left tackle. At this point, he is a master of none, but does have some upside, particularly as a guard. McGlynn is also able to deep snap, which adds to his versatility. If he gets the opportunity to snap for punts — it is a safe bet that McGlynn will hustle down the field.

Right now the speculation is 3d to 4th round, but more likely would be sometime in round 5 or after once the combines, scouting and measurements really happen.

Jeff Otah is the other, and everyone is putting him in the first round.

Mel Kiper, Jr. puts him at #13 to the Carolina Panthers (Insider subs.).

Don Banks at SI.com has him at #15 and the Detroit Lions (poor guy).

Todd McShay at ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. puts him all the way at #23 and the Steelers (Insider subs.).

The Steelers could use two of their first three picks on offensive linemen. They have bigger holes to fill inside at center and guard, but with his combination of size and skills Otah is far and away the best lineman available in this scenario. G Roy Schuening (Oregon State) and C John Sullivan (Notre Dame) could also become Steelers in later rounds.

Now Dunn did help develop Otah and McGlynn. Of course, by the same token, despite having two seniors who will be on NFL rosters next season, the O-line was still a joke and never got better.

So in that respect, it’s hard not to believe that new O-line coach Tony Wise has to be an improvement. Teaching and coaching wise, he better be. He’s been at the NFL for the last 18 years, and it’s hard to imagine he’s going to bring much initially to the recruiting side of things.

Tony Wise, now a former New York Jets employee, was the favorite and front-runner to get the offensive line coaching job. He’s coached with Dave Wannstedt in the past, and today he was hired.

“Tony Wise brings to Pitt an outstanding record of teaching offensive line play at the highest level,” Wannstedt said. “We started our coaching careers at Pitt together, and I was always continually impressed by both his coaching style and teaching ability. I know he is going to be an immediate asset for our players on and off the field.”

Obviously as a coach, he knows what to do to get players to be successful in the NFL. He coached for so long in the pros that he knows what the good players have and can teach it to his linemen at Pitt. Not only is it good for current players but it should help attract new recruits in the future.

He’s saying all the right things and appears to be enthusiastic about returning to Pitt and the college game. I’m already expecting better results than those of Paul Dunn.

Jeff Otah apparently is getting a lot of interest.

ESPN.com’s Todd McShay has left tackles Sam Baker (Southern Cal) and Jeff Otah (Pitt) going 20th and 23rd, respectively, in his mock draft, but Mayock said either might be available when the Dolphins pick first in Round 2.

Now I don’t know who actually watched the East-West game — aside from NFL scouts — but Joe Clermond apparently had a good showing.

Three front-office men independently mentioned Pittsburgh’s Joe Clermond as a player who helped himself. Clermond played as a down end for Dave Wannstedt, but several NFL teams wanted to see if he could play outside linebacker in a 3-4. The early results were encouraging.

Plenty of time for them to rise and fall on mock drafts.

Sundays are part of the weekend, but it never feels like it. The thought that Monday is around the corner sticks in the back of my mind all day. Ah.

A large number of football recruits visited this weekend for the hoops game against Seton Hall. The list includes verbals like Nix, Burns, and Sunseri plus some hopefuls (most notably AJ Alexander). They were able to pick up their 17th verbal from TE Justin Virbitsky.

Jim Snyder of Pantherlair.com is reporting that TE Justin Virbitsky gave the Panthers a verbal commitment today. Virbitsky is the Panthers 17th verbal commitment. Virbitsky is from Lakeland, Fla. and is being recruited as a “blocking” tight end. Virbitsky was a 3-year starter at Lakeland H.S. and was named to the 1st team Class AA as a defensive end. [PSI]

The “blocking” tight end style is more similar to John Pelusi’s game rather than Nate Byham. Byham is a great blocker but an even better pass-catcher.
Speaking of tight ends (there’s a dirty joke in there somewhere), Darrell Strong played in the Hula Bowl last night. The other Pitt player was Kennard Cox. Two other all-star games will feature former Panthers.

Two-time All-Big East defensive end Joe Clermond will play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 19 in Houston, Texas. The game will be a 7 p.m. (ET) telecast on ESPN. Pitt’s defensive captain, Clermond (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain) finished the season as the Panthers’ leader in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (13). His 53 total tackles tied for fourth. An outstanding pass rusher, Clermond’s .88 sacks per game ranked 11^th nationally (tied) and third in the Big East.

Pitt’s starting offensive tackles, Jeff Otah and Mike McGlynn, will play in the Jan. 26 Senior Bowl, held in Mobile, Ala. The game will kickoff at 3 p.m. (ET) and be televised by the NFL Network.

All-star games have never really excited me; now really planning to watch these unless I find myself really in need of something to do. NFL Draft Countdown has Otah going near the middle of the first round and says this about him:

Otah is still very raw and only has two years of division I experience but he has mind-boggling size (6-6, 340) and great athleticism with almost unlimited potential. In college he played left tackle and did a fantastic job but he might have to the right side at the next level and a good way to think of him would be as a poor man’s Jake Long with more longterm upside.

Teams and Detroit and Philly would be two teams drafting in the middle of the round that could use him on their o-line.

– A “marathon” negotiating session last week led to former Panther Darrelle Revis getting a deal done with the New York Jets. Aside from 1st overall pick JaMarcus Russell and Revis, every other 1st round pick had been signed. Revis has a bright future ahead of him, and SI’s Peter King lists him as a CB on his “All-Future Team.”

The Cleveland Browns thought enough of him to have him ranked as a top-five player in the draft this year — and the Jets thanked their lucky stars Revis was still there at No. 14. He’s got excellent cover skills and is a willing tackler.

– CBS SportsLine predicts Pitt will finish sixth in the Big East over UConn and Syracuse.

6. Pittsburgh: Which way you headed, Wanny? Without a proven quarterback and six new starters on defense, Dave Wannstedt is on the hot seat. Watch roadies at Virginia and Michigan State. They will be an indicator of his future.

Pitt and Cincinnati in the 5/6 spots seem to be a toss up. And the comment about Wannstedt being on the hot seat is a bit premature; but it got some talk in the discussion thread.

– Sports Illustrated devoted this week’s issue to previewing college football. They also have Pitt coming in at #6 in the BE with a 5-7 overall record and 2-5 in conference. Not a ton of love there — but they do give a nod to Oderick Turner who is going to be a little more widely known since he’s our top receiver right now.

– Both PSI and Kevin Gorman report that freshman offensive guard Chris Jacobson badly hurt his right knee and will need surgery. The procedure will like take place next week and though he will possibly miss the whole season, Wannstedt did not entirely rule him out for the rest of the year. Obviously, redshirting him is looking like the smart option.

– Beano Cook was a guest on Mark Madden’s show on ESPN Radio 1250. Cook, who Madden calls the “Pope of college football,” says Pitt’s home schedule is the worst it’s been since World War II. That’s not a joke — Beano knows. He also says that LeSean McCoy will see a ton of playing time this year and will make an immediate impact. I found it funny when Cook, at a young 75 years old, referred to McCoy as “Shady.” He also says McCoy will be Pitt’s running back for 3 years before jumping to the NFL.

Have to admit, I didn’t have a chance to watch the Saints exhibition game last night. Read through everyone’s comments later so, I almost feel like I did see it. Despite a statistically mixed bag and harsh self-criticism from Tyler Palko –

“Tyler did a pretty decent job for his first time out there with a significant amount of snaps,” New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. “His first interception was my fault. I thought he hung in there.

“He needs to learn how to protect the football better. In his first night, there are some things he did OK and other things he needs to work on. Those reps for him will be valuable to learn from the tape.”

Palko finished with 172 yards and a touchdown on a 17-of-25 slate. He showed his grit with a team-high 47 yards rushing on four carries. He also threw two interceptions, including one in the endzone.

“When you don’t come out with the win, it’s hard to feel good about it,” the rookie out of Pitt said. “I’d probably give myself a C-minus or D. We didn’t win and that’s not a good thing.

“There were some things I was not happy with. When you turn the ball over twice and you don’t win, it hurts.”

– Palko seemed to have won some people and has support from within the organization.

“I thought Tyler did a fine job,” said Brees. “Every young quarterback is going to make mistakes. What I liked is the way Tyler responded. He keeps on improving, and he’s going to get better.”

Palko finished 15-of-27 for 172 yards and was sacked twice. Still, he had mobility and escape instincts to finish with 47 yards, turning losses into positive yardage.

The kid who threw for 66 touchdowns at Pitt, second only to NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino, suggests he’s a work in progress. But with Brees and Payton in his corner, he appears to have a better than decent shot to hang around and do some good if opportunity calls.

In the NFL, you never know when that opportunity might arrive. Obviously, the number one prayer offered by all Saints fans is directed toward the continued health, and well being, of No. 9.

In the case of Tyler Palko, living in a climate of a savvy coach and quarterback, the rookie could not be in a better position.

And he knows it.

That was one of the reasons Palko signed with New Orleans. Palko being kept by the Saints was echoed by one of the Saints beat writers.

Tyler Palko is going to be the No. 3 quarterback. This is just a prediction. Nothing official. But the rookie from Pitt is a favorite of Coach Sean Payton so he would have had to play really poorly to blow his opportunity. On the contrary, though, Palko played well. He led the Saints to two scoring drives, including a picture-perfect 2-yard touchdown pass to Robert Meachem on a fade route. All in all, Payton had to be pleased with his effort. Payton won’t like the interception he threw in the end zone but he had to love the way the rookie competeted and led the offense. Those are the kind of things Payton wants to see out of his young signal caller. As Drew Brees said last night, he was benched three times as a young quarterback for throwing interceptions. Decision-making will come in time.

Some weren’t as impressed and don’t think much of Palko’s game.

Free-agent quarterback Tyler Palko took over for Brees in the second quarter, and while his name rhymes with the immortal Shane Falco of “The Replacements” fame, the kid doesn’t have much of an NFL future.

(See strength, arm.)

The writer of that comment (Larry Holder of the Sun Herald) provides a neat little lesson in information and quote manipulation. From the Sean Payton quotes (take a look at the top of the post for the full quote) earlier it seems that he was reasonably happy with with Palko’s performance in the bigger picture. Now, how did Holder treat it in his notes on the game?

Saints coach Sean Payton said Palko did a “decent job.”

“He’s got to learn to protect the football better,” Payton said. “He did OK. Those reps are valuable and he will learn from them.”

It’s not at all uncommon. It’s just something to watch. Always much easier in two or more paper towns.

Glad I got that TE’s post off when I did, because the house lost power for almost 24 hours. Plenty of townships are in a state of emergency because of the rain/wind/other natural disasters. I was going to go over to McKnight Road until I saw on KDKA that it was covered in a foot or two of water — ugh. Hopefully all of you readers out there in the Pittsburgh area are doing well after an ugly day.

Another place that knows a little too much about rain and wind damage is the City of New Orleans, Tyler Palko’s new home. Palko, who turned 24 yesterday, is going to have an opportunity to take some big steps towards the Saints’ third-string QB job. Once Drew Brees plays the first quarter, Palko will be next in line to play against the Buffalo Bills’ defense tonight.

He’s going to get a lot more playing time than he did against the Steelers on Sunday — it’s expected that he’ll play deep into the second half.

“I just want to know what I have with a player, and the only way I can do that is play him,” Payton said. “I’m anxious to see his development, his progressions, his ball security, how he handles his decision-making and seeing if we can move the ball while he’s in there.”

He knows what he has to work with in order to impress the coaches.

“It’s exciting, but your window of opportunity is very small,” Palko said. “So you have got to make the most of it when you get your chances. . . . Here (at camp), you’re kind of like an afterthought. You have to continue to have the mentality of getting reps and stealing reps — watching Drew and Jamie, really taking from that.”

On Sunday, Palko was 4-for-8 for 53 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. He also almost got teammate Robert Meachem killed while leading him over the middle with a pass.

The sense, even down in Louisiana, seems to be that Tyler Palko will have to really be terrible not to at least stay with the team this year. Coach Sean Payton personally contacted Palko about signing with the Saints if he wasn’t drafted, and Palko has been the first to arrive, last to leave player.

Yeah, you’ve heard it a million times, one of the oldest clichés: He’s the first guy on the practice field every morning, and the last one to leave every night.

But in the case of Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Palko, it’s true. He is the one guy who has been making the coaching assistants put in the most overtime throughout the first week of training camp.

…

“I’ve got a lot of work to do, so I’m just trying to get my extra work in. And when I get a chance to play in the preseason, hopefully the work will pay off,” said Palko, who shrugged off the notion that he’s trying to impress the coaches and evaluators with his regiment. “I don’t really believe in that. When you’re at this level, that stuff really doesn’t matter. If you’re good enough to play, you’ll be good enough to play.

“I just like to get out and get some extra work in, and I hate sitting around the locker room. So I guess that’s why I’m out there a little early.”

Still, the exhibition season will be big for the 3d stringer.

“Those live snaps you get at quarterback over the period of four or five games are very important,” Payton said. “I think for both of them, the preseason games will be important to evaluate that position.”

I can’t believe I’ll actually be watching the 3d quarter of an exhibition.

It is entirely possible I may actually watch a little of the Hall of Fame Game — beyond the first quarter — just to see Tyler Palko on the field in a New Orleans Saints uniform.

The former West Allegheny High School and Pitt star quarterback will play some time in the second half when the New Orleans Saints play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

Drew Brees will start for the Saints and play a series or two. Backup QB Jamie Martin will finish the first half. In the second half, Palko and Jason Fife, who are battling for the No. 3 job, will split time.

“It’s accurate to say that those live snaps you receive at quarterback over the period of four or five games are very important,” Saints coach Sean Payton said.

Last year when the Saints won the NFC South Division and advanced to the NFC Championship Game, they kept only two quarterbacks most of the year (Brees, a first-team All-Pro last year, and Martin, a journeyman who’s only started eight games in his 12-year pro career.

New Orleans Coach Sean Payton seems to really want Palko to succeed.

There are some other youngsters to watch: second-year receiver Lance Moore could end up being the punt/kick returner; Rutgers free-agent cornerback Joe Porter has impressed while Payton mentioned Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko, another undrafted rookie.

Payton’s eyes lit up when he spoke of Palko’s passing background at Pitt, which is interesting because should the Saints lose Brees, their season figures to go downhill fast. Jamie Martin is the backup, but he isn’t physically imposing.

At the very least, Payton seems to believe Palko could become a solid back-up. Palko performed well in minicamps, but has made some mistakes in training camp. Big shock, it came from trying to do too much.

Often, he has struggled to decide where to throw before being forced to scramble out of the pocket. On one such occasion, as he rolled frantically to his right, the lefty attempted to flip a short backhanded pass about 10-yards down field, then watched it get intercepted and returned to the end zone.

“He’s had a lot thrown at him. … He’s probably pushed it a little bit to try to make plays,” Payton said after a recent practice. “He’s handled the installation well, but like any young quarterback, there is a lot going on in their minds and it’s moving pretty quickly. You just hope each practice he gets better.”

…

Payton did not seem terribly disturbed by Palko’s botched, desperate, backhanded pass, considering that it happened early in training camp. But Palko will need to avoid making the same mistakes twice.

“That indiscriminate decision where you are trying to force something can be common with young quarterbacks - and you have to eliminate them,” Payton said.

There are some habits that take a while to shake.

I’m sure tomorrow we can expect a story or two about Palko coming to play the team he grew up watching. The usual cliches are expected to be overused.