Not sure why there is still more new stuff on basketball than football these days.

I’m sure the Pitt coaches are working on this. As are the strength and conditioning and nutritional consultants.

With PF Sam Young set to return for his senior season, Pitt’s priority is ensuring that 6-10 C Gary McGhee has the kind of offseason that turns him into a consistent rotation player. McGhee reached double figures in minutes only three times as a freshman, including in a solid game against South Florida when the Panthers were just beginning their recovery from injuries to SF Mike Cook and PG Levance Fields. McGhee will need to be better conditioned and more assertive to expand his role, but if he can play 12 to 15 minutes per game, the Panthers will be able to show opponents a different look.

It would be good not just to spell DeJuan Blair but also allow Pitt to throw a bigger look at teams with Blair and Young being able to slide to the 4 and 3 spots on the court, respectively. Getting McGhee more minutes and in the rotation consistently seems to be likely so that he can step in as a starter in his junior year.

Mike Cook (with Coach Dixon and Pitt’s help) formally submitted his appeal to the Big East for a 6th year of eligibility on Monday. The Big East then passes it on to the NCAA which will rule on it. A decision isn’t likely until sometime in June.

The NCAA has gotten a little more lax with medical waivers, but one question remains: where’s the available scholarship if he gets the clearance? Either Pitt knows that one of the present recruiting class is going to miss qualifying or there’s another transfer/player quitting coming soon.

Aaron Gray was back at Pitt and PittsburghPanthers.com has a Q&A.

What brings you back to Pittsburgh for the week?

“I love it here. It is a great situation for me. I am able to come back and work with the strength and conditioning coaches. I can work with players like DeJuan Blair and Austin Wallace and help them improve.”

…

Do you still try to stay in contact with your former teammates and coaches?

“Absolutely, I use them for advice and help all the time. Coach Dixon came out to training camp last year too. They have continued to be great teammates and coaches since I have been with Chicago.”

Were you able to catch any of Pitt’s Big East Championship run this spring?

“Oh yes, they had me on speakerphone the whole time. It was as if I was celebrating right there with them.”

Via NBE Basketball Report, this bit on a possible Pitt recruit having issues.

A St. Raymond high school basketball player was arrested Tuesday afternoon after an altercation with a coach during a team meeting at the school, according to a police source.

A witness said junior Kevin Parrom punched Ravens head coach Oliver Antigua in the face after the two had a brief argument in the locker room.

A person close to Parrom said the player was provoked by Antigua.

No charges have been filed and Oliver Antigua is the brother of former Pitt player and present (for a little longer) assistant coach Orlando. The small forward has offers from Pitt, Rutgers, WVU, Xavier and others.

No complaints about a solid 2-hour infomercial for Pitt football. It was fun to watch and nice to just enjoy it rather than try to analyze every little thing and go into heavy angst. It was a spring football scrimmage. The last one of spring practice. The biggest goal should have been to make sure no one got hurt.

Plenty of key players saw little or no time — McKillop, McCoy, Kinder, Mustakas, Collins, Jacobson, Davis and Pinkston — and 7 others didn’t suit up for the game. Plus there are freshmen that will be expected to be in the mix come August. As Coach Wannstedt said in the broadcast and was amply apparent, the defense was bland and didn’t really come hard against the offense too often.

Still, this was the chance for the coaches to get an idea of a rough depth chart and arguably the offense getting to have a chance will help with the confidence.

“Our offense, I thought, needed that,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, who did color analysis for the NFL Network telecast. “At our practices this spring, for the most part, our defense probably had the upper hand more times than not. It was good to see our offense respond in that fashion.”

I have no doubt that if this hadn’t been the final scrimmage/practice of the spring that the defense would have been lit into for the way they played. Maybe it was just because they had to lay back up front, that it disrupted them and took their edge. It’s just that the defense I’ve been reading all spring about hardly looked it.

The thing about the spring game is that it does give players a chance to really get noticed. Buddy Jackson, Mo Williams, Shariff Harris and Dorin Dickerson definitely took advantage from what was seen in the Blue-Gold game.

I’m guessing Harris suddenly seems the most intriguing. The redshirt freshman running back made his case to be the #3 RB. Heck, there are plenty of fans probably ready to pencil him in at #2. Kevin Gorman at the Trib can feel good for having a piece on Harris the day before the scrimmage.

“I can see improvement from when he started Day One until where we are, Day 13,” running backs coach David Walker said. “His thing is, he’s a big, physical runner. He got his shoulders turned downhill at times and made it tough for people to hang onto him.”

Despite a strong training camp, when his running style raised eyebrows, Harris was the odd-man out last season and took a redshirt. Turns out, it was the best thing for him. Not only did Harris develop his 6-foot-1 frame from 190 pounds to 225, he matured as a student and an athlete.

“I wasn’t ready last year,” said Harris, who was asked to elaborate. “Reading the defenses and the offense and knowing my plays. I wasn’t ready to play college football.”

He looked ready yesterday.

Dickerson looks very comfortable at the TE spot. Maurice Williams was able to use his size and speed well against the corners.

As for the QB spot, it is still Stull’s. Greg Cross brings a lot of excitement but right now he is a situational, Tim Tebow-in-his-freshman-year change of pace, special package QB. That’s good and will help Pitt’s offense a lot. He’s not, however, going to be the starter on August 30.

Bostick and Smith both looked good. Of course, with the limited pressure they had time. Something neither had last year (in every sense of the word).

Gene Collier joined with those intrigued by Cross.

“I’ve never been in a stadium this big; I loved it, loved the crowd, loved the atmosphere, and I can’t wait to play here in the fall,” said Cross, whose 29-yard scramble up the middle and 37-yard strike to Maurice Williams in the second half were the longest plays of the night.

“All of the quarterbacks are pulling for each other, and we’re all trying to move the team down the field. We’re all about winning.”

There was little doubt what Cross was about when he got to Fort Scott Community College in Kansas two years ago, because suddenly a program that had lost 24 consecutive games started winning more often than not. When he was done, Cross had led Fort Scott to 16 victories in two seasons and into the Valley of the Sun Bowl, where he threw for two touchdowns and ran 85 yards for another.

“When I first got there and the coaches saw how athletic I was — I mean I’d played all kinds of sports my whole life — they told me I was trying to be so perfect as a quarterback that it wasn’t working,” Cross said. “They told me just to be myself. Just to have fun.”

Pitt’s offensive coaches should have plenty of fun when they sit down and talk about this because Cross is so fast that he could serve as an occasional fuel injector for Matt Cavanaugh’s standard offense. With steady development in August added to his qualifications, he could be something much more.

Then there are the awards to the players at the end of spring practice.

Wannstedt announced the winners of the Ed Conway Award, annually presented to the most improved players of the spring. This year’s recipients were junior tight end Dorin Dickerson, junior receiver Cedric McGee (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Plantation) and junior defensive tackle Mick Williams.

Pitt also presented its freshman Academic Award, which was shared this year by defensive lineman Myles Caragein (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) and offensive lineman Chris Jacobson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks), both graduates of Pittsburgh’s Keystone Oaks High.

For the truly obsessed, offense and defense stats (PDF).

The Blue-Gold game fanfest is underway. I would love to be there tonight. Of course the one flaw in all of this planning for the festivities.

Where the Blue-Gold Game drew an announced attendance of 2,103 last year, Pederson is hoping to lure more fans today with free admission and other enticements. Pitt players will sign autographs in the Gate A plaza from 4 to 4:30 p.m., followed by live music and entertainment before the 6 p.m. kickoff of the two-hour scrimmage.

Former Panthers greats now in the NFL — Ruben Brown, Claude Harriott, Tyler Palko, Darrelle Revis and Charles Spencer among them — will make appearances and drop by the broadcast booth for in-game interviews.

“We’re going to build events around the game so that the two hours before kickoff are family-fun time,” Pederson said. “Obviously, we think it’s important to raise our profile every chance we get. The opportunity to put it on the NFL Network gives us a chance to have a nationwide presence for the spring game, which we think is spectacular.”

What? No Rod Rutherford? He’s up in Erie now.

Fantastic. Excellent. Great to bring back former players and having them interact with the fans. Can’t say enough great things about that. That the former players are willing to do this, and the school reached out to them is a great change.
Of course, tonight is also the first night of Passover. Kind of an important night for some of us. Aren’t there any Jews in the Pitt Athletic Department? Hopefully there will still be a sizable crowd.
I am happy the game is on the NFL Network at least. I can still watch it. Plus there’s the admitted recruiting angle.

Because the game is televised, it will have to fit in the allotted two-hour window and that means the second-half clock likely will run unabated and the length of the third and fourth quarters will be determined by time constraints. Wannstedt said he’d like the game to end at the same time the broadcast is over.

Wannstedt said the television exposure is excellent for the program and might provide a recruiting boost.

“Anytime you have a chance to get some exposure, it is a good thing,” Wannstedt said. “I mean, I didn’t get a chance to watch any of the Texas or the Florida spring games, but we had them on in the locker rooms after practice and our guys were able to look up there and see them. And I think being on national television says something about the program.

“And also, the prospective recruits who can’t get to the game, the non-local kids, the kids in New Jersey, Florida and Maryland, they will be watching.”

Assuming they know somebody with the NFL Network. It’s not like they can go to the bars.

I know, everyone is waiting for more news on Murdock and Pinkston. At this point there is only speculation, rumor and a little angst. Without even an arrest report or a filed complaint on record, there’s nothing to go on. Stuck with the dreaded, “wait and see” response at this moment. Even the media is stuck.

On the subject of spring practice, I have to apologize for the poor job I’ve done at posting on practice — or more accurately posting on the stories about practice. I’ve read the stories, but trying to interpret them takes more time that I have been lacking the last couple weeks.

The O-line seems to be the biggest issue — and has affected so much of the team that it can be hard to judge. The defense has been great, but how much is it because the O-line is so bad? The running game can’t do anything. The QBs rarely have time to make reads and connect with receivers. It’s such a mess, I don’t see how Lucas Nix doesn’t come in and grab a starting job on the line as a true freshman at this point. Even if he is only half-as-good as advertised.

Really, there isn’t too much concern over the running game. Other than figuring out who will be the #3 back behind LeSean and LaRod. But the O-line concerns are making it that much harder to figure out the starting QB. It seems that Bill Stull is/was the favorite, but JUCO Greg Cross may see more than just packages for Pitt’s “wildcat” formations given his speed and ability to escape a rush. Over the past weekend, Cross really stood out in the scrimmages. He has to work on his passing accuracy. The last thing I want to see is a redux of the first two years of Rod Rutherford — where he would come in in certain packages ostensibly to either pass or run, but everyone knew he was running. But he is showing flashes of what could be.

Cross, who is an excellent athlete, was brought in specifically to be a dual-threat quarterback in the Panthers’ Wildcat package and some spread formations, but yesterday he was effective in the Panthers’ standard West Coast offense.

“He did some really nice things today, for three weeks he has just been learning,” offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh said. “We’ve tried to put him into situations where he is doing the things he knows how to do because he is obviously not where [the other quarterbacks] are as far as knowing things. But, his package is expanding every week. And every time he gets the ball in his hands he is a threat, because he can run and he is now starting to show he can pass it.

“It was good to see him have the kind of day he had, it will do a lot for confidence. He hasn’t had a lot of work throwing it, but today we let him show some things and he still has some mechanical flaws and some things he has to work on, but he is working on them and he’s improving.”

Cross’ first drive was impressive yesterday because it was the first time the Panthers scored a touchdown and he did it against virtually the entire Pitt starting defensive unit. Cross’ touchdown run was a quarterback draw but he had an impressive 10-yard run on a bootleg in which he made a number of defenders miss and picked up a first down.

Still, it is probably Stull’s job to lose. If the O-line doesn’t get him killed.

And, while much has been made about the fact that the defensive line is playing well and that there are two starters — left guard C.J. Davis and left tackle Jason Pinkston — sitting out, the bottom line is the unit that is left has a long way to go.

As things stand, the right tackle spot will be manned by either junior Joe Thomas or redshirt freshman Jordan Gibbs. While both have had some good moments, they also have struggled in trying to handle the Panthers’ speedy defensive ends. Center Robb Houser has been consistent, but the revolving door at left guard — Davis’ spot — has not spoken well of the Panthers’ depth.

The one positive development has been the smooth transition of junior John Malecki from defensive tackle to offensive guard. He clearly has been one of the most consistent performers on the line this spring.

The one thing I’d like to know is since the 1st team O-line is so patchwork and key players out, how is the 2nd team O-line doing against the 2nd team defense? That would probably tell a good deal about the depth at O-line and the drop-off on talent on both the offensive line and the D-line.

Gauging the drop-off on defense has been an issue for new Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett.

Bennett said that coaching with enthusiasm is the only way he knows how to do his job, but that if players don’t know it is genuine, it is a waste of energy. And he also believes his job has been made much easier because he has inherited a lot of good football players to work with.

“I’ve quickly figured out that our first-line players are definitely good players,” Bennett said. “So that’s helped, and now we’re trying to develop a second group so that the drop-off is minimal. We have some quality depth, but we need to build on it. And I guess my coaching style is such that college football is a lot about emotion and passion, and I think you have to bring that with you when you coach, and I always have.”

No shock that he isn’t trying to change the defensive philosophy from last year.

Back to the depth issue, the one area on defense where there is a clear problem, only exacerbated by Murdock’s indefinite suspension, is at Safety. Eric Thatcher will be the starter at free safety, and while Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields battle for the strong safety starting spot, it’s safe to say the back-up will see plenty of action spelling both starters. And that means any injuries or suspensions would make this a very, very thin position.

After that, it’s all walk-ons: Michael Toerper. Austin Ransom. And one guy who’s not even on the roster. Murdock switched from cornerback to safety this spring to replace Irvan Brown, who was excused for “personal reasons.”

…

Problem is, Pitt doesn’t have any safeties in its recruiting class. Manny Williams played safety but is projected as an outside linebacker and is coming off an ACL tear. Antwuan Reed could move from corner. Or Pitt could elect not to greyshirt Andrew Taglianetti.

Possibilities from the current roster to move to safety could include Aaron Smith, a cornerback last season who has been a pleasant surprise at receiver this spring; Tristan Roberts (a high school safety) or Greg Williams, but both have looked good at outside linebacker this spring; and Jovani Chappel, who played safety last season but is now starting at the boundary corner.

Safe to say, safety should be a priority for Pitt’s recruiting efforts for the Class of 2009.

He’s probably 25-30 pounds too light for the spot, but CB Buddy Jackson has reportedly been very physical and done well this spring. He might be a desperation option.

The last link was to Kevin Gorman’s blog post after the last practice. Some other key things from his typical must-reads on practice.

– The teams didn’t give a good effort yesterday, and Wannstedt let them know.

– O-line issues kill the running game (again)

– Cross is looking more comfortable in the offense every practice

– Even Wannstedt is unsure about how good the D-line is versus the O-line problems

– Dan Matha will miss the rest of spring practice, but won’t need surgery on a knee that was “sprained” last week. Cedric McGee is already back practicing with the receivers

How do we know we’re heading for the final week of spring practice and there just isn’t much to talk about? When the player puff pieces hit re-runs? Last week, the Trib had a piece on Doug Fulmer, this week it’s the P-G.

“Doug is fine, the mental part is not a concern,” Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso said. “If you watch him, sometimes the thing we have to be most concerned about is that he is a little too excited to get out there. We need to slow him down. He’s missed a lot of games, but he has been outstanding this spring.

“He is one of the hardest-working, blue-collar guys on the team. And a lot of times when you say that, you are talking about a guy who lacks some athleticism or speed — with Doug, that’s not at all the case, which is why he is where he is.”

Fulmer will be one of three players, the other two being sophomore Jabaal Sheard and redshirt sophomore Greg Romeus, who will play the majority of the snaps at the two end spots. He has been one of the more dominating defensive players throughout most of spring.

Reed over at PPP, explains why he’s pulling even harder this season for Dorin Dickerson to have a break-out season.

In an O-line still struggling with injuries, question marks and high anxiety (at least for the fans), John Malecki is an apparent bright spot as he has transitioned from the D-line to the O-line at Right Guard.

Malecki had to adjust from striking with his hands on defense to learning to block with his chest and shoulders under the direction of offensive line coach Tony Wise, who’s encouraged with Malecki’s progress.

“John is learning every day. But he’s got very good footwork, and he can move,” Wise said. “If he makes a mistake, he can make up for it, no matter what it is. That kind of quickness he has is a real positive.”

Malecki already possessed the traits Wannstedt wants in an offensive lineman — from his attitude and aggression to his technique and toughness — so Wannstedt considers this spring a “refresher course” for Malecki.

“Most of those guys have enough athletic ability, and most of those guys are tough enough,” Wannstedt said. “In John’s case, he’s one of the smarter players on our team. The learning part is coming quicker than most.”

In the 2008 recruiting class, early verbal commits are often forgotten. Especially when they were relatively unknown or undervalued at the time. Take the case of Ronald Hobby. Hobby gave a verbal to Pitt back in July 2007. He had speed, but his “star” value was only 1-2 star “athlete” with speed. By the time of signing day, he was a 3-star for both recruiting sites.

Hobby got an early start at Pitt by doing the early enrollment. He may not be winning a starting corner spot, but he is learning and will have a head start.

“I’m very pleased with Ronnie,” Wannstedt said. “Where being here early will benefit Ron Hobby will be in August. Right now, he’s lost. He’s trying to feel his way. But come August, when the other freshmen show up and don’t know where to line up, he’s going to know the drills, know the defense.”

After starring at Gwynn Park, where he averaged 26.1 yards per catch and had 51 tackles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries last fall, Hobby is splitting time with Buddy Jackson as the second-team boundary corner. Hobby hopes to get a jump on other incoming freshmen, especially corners Jarred Holley and Antwuan Reed.

“What motivated me was the early start,” Hobby said. “I wanted to get adapted to the college life early, using time management and practicing and competing. I think I definitely have a head’s up on everybody.”

The biggest adjustment?

“Half the time, I want to sleep,” Hobby said, “but I can’t sleep because I have so much work to do.”

Have to say, that last part just doesn’t seem to go away for the rest of your life.

A big Pitt/Wannstedt puff piece from Yahoo!/Rivals.com to start off the day.

The upset of West Virginia may not have been a fluke, but Wannstedt – ever the cautious coach – warns that it won’t matter when the Panthers open the 2008 season against Bowling Green on August 30.

“That will be the focal point, but it won’t have a darn thing to do with us beating Bowling Green,” he said. “Beating West Virginia reinforced that we could be good and reaffirmed to the kids we were recruiting that you could win at Pitt.”

There are a lot of reasons to anticipate a successful season for Pitt this fall. Seven starters return from a defense that ranked fifth in the nation last season. The return of Stull and Kinder should boost the passing game, which will benefit McCoy.

…

You also need a reliable quarterback. Stull, who has thrown only 30 college passes, doesn’t figure to challenge for All-American honors, but he should be an upgrade at quarterback. His presence is another reason many Pitt fans can’t wait for the season to start.

But Wannstedt can. “I can wait,” he said. “We need to work. The season will get here soon enough.”

When it arrives, Wannstedt will have a team with eight offensive starters returning. He’ll have a dynamic tailback, an All-American linebacker, a junior quarterback and an all-conference receiver returning from injury. He’ll have a team with one of the best defensive lines in America. He’ll have emerging stars, like strong safety Elijah Fields or defensive end Greg Romeus.

He has a team that lost three games by a touchdown or less last season and is seeking redemption. He has a team coming off that win over West Virginia. There are a lot reasons to like Wannstedt’s team in 2008. And he does, although not for the reasons listed above.

Looks like Pitt is set to be the trendy media favorite “darkhorse” team to “suddenly” jump from losing record to top-25 team at least. This always begs that deep philosophical question of whether a team can truly be considered a sleeper or darkhorse when everyone is picking them to be that team?

Paul Zeise has had a week to watch practices and the P-G beat writer has had daily Q&As. The first one, to the shock of no one was all questions on the O-line. The now annual concerns for the O-line.

Dickerson has looked great at TE by all reports, and that was another major topic for a Q&A. It was also the topic of this story.

“It feels good catching the ball again,” Dickerson said. “I worked real hard in the offseason. I knew this is what I wanted to do, and me and Bill went in there and started throwing every day.”

What has caught Wannstedt’s attention is Dickerson’s willingness and effort to take on defenders with blocks, even though Dickerson likened the difficulty of blocking linebackers to hitting a moving target.

“I was impressed with how he made an attempt to block. That’s usually the biggest transition for these kids,” Wannstedt said. “Catching the ball and running is an easy thing. Everybody wants to do that. Very few guys want to get in there and get their nose bloodied up. Dorin showed that he’s not afraid to do that. If he can keep that attitude, I think he’ll be an asset for us at tight end.”

At least he is willing and working on the blocking. If he can, then he has huge potential to be a key player in the offense.

The latest Q&A addresses Bostick’s wind-up motion –like everyone and their mother, Zeise believes Bostick will be redshirted — and then questions about the linebackers. Especially the young ones: Brandon Lindsey, Tristan Roberts and Greg Williams. And what do you know? A story on the linebacker corps to tie-in to this.

Now, the coaches seem to have found linebackers capable of delivering that speed. That group includes four redshirt freshmen in Max Gruder (middle), Greg Williams, Tristan Roberts and Brandon Lindsey, as well as redshirt sophomore Nate Nix.

Williams, who is 6 feet 3, 220 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, is the most intriguing prospect, mostly because he is physically gifted. He is a converted running back who seems to have picked up his new position well and continues to make plays in every practice.

“The competition we have at linebacker, I really like our young linebackers,” head coach Dave Wannstedt said. “I am really impressed with the progress all of them have made in two weeks. It looks like that will be a good competition and they’ll only continue to improve.”

Of the group, Gruder is the one who likely won’t see the field much this fall, because he is behind McKillop at middle linebacker and also is battling Steve Dell for the backup spot. But Gruder has been a surprise and looks like he might be a fixture at the position when McKillop graduates.

At this point, Shane Murray and Adam Gunn look to remain the starters at the WIL and SAM spots. The rotation, though, should be a little more frequent which means a lot more speed and energy regardless of who is out there.
Finally, there was recap article from Zeise at the start of the week on key obsrvations from spring practices so far. Most of them have already been mentioned in this and previous posts — Dickerson at TE, Stull will be the QB, WR is deep, Defense is strong, O-line [sigh] — but this stood out to me.

Buddy Morris is worth whatever they pay him — Morris was brought in last year as the strength and conditioning coach and he has transformed the program. His grueling schedule has instilled a mental toughness the team seemed to lack in recent years, and more importantly, they are stronger and in better shape this spring then they have been. The Panthers seemed to get stronger as the season wore on last year and played some of their best football down the stretch. That has carried over into the spring, and it is clear his contributions are making a difference.

This is a radical shift from his view on the whole matter in February 2007.

My point? Strength and conditioning is an easy target when things go bad, but I’d be willing to bet most strength and conditioning coaches are roughly the same and their success or failure is almost always commensurate with the talent they have to work with.

I agreed with his viewpoint back then, and I think there is something to be said for the change in players. The majority of the players now, are recruits Wannstedt has brought in. If we agree that the players are better physical, athletic talents, then it stands to reason that they will respond to most strength and conditioning better and probably faster.

Still, that he would change positions like this suggests that what Morris is doing has had a significant and noticeable impact on the players.

I’m going to share (one of) the dark thoughts in my mind. That little voice of doom and despair that goes against all this optimism and expectations for this coming season. The puff pieces and encouraging news of how the team is developing. Everything. And then that little voice whispers:

Remember 2005?

That first spring of the Wannstedt era. When everything looked so promising. All the national attention. The darkhorse talk of what that team might do? How good it could be?

I know, on a micro- level this is no where near the same. Players have changed, style, the departure of Rhoads. All that. Then that little voice gets louder when I read pieces foreshadowing in national mags.

I’m here in Pittsburgh and just finished a nice chat with Panthers’ coach Dave Wannstedt. As I got on the elevator at my hotel — a Roberto Clemente long ball from PNC Park — a few Pirates fans hopped on and were grousing about losing to the Cubs in the home opener.

Guy No. 1: “I’m done with the Pirates. Fifteen straight years of losing home openers.”

Me: “You guys know there are 150-something games left, right?”

Guy No. 2: “I can see the end from here.”

And I can see the beginning for the Pitt Panthers. It’s all starting to fall into place for this team, and I’ll address that more next week in SN Magazine.

I really get nervous when the other darkhorse teams Matt Hayes likes include: NC St., Mississippi St., Stanford and Michigan St.

Unsurprisingly, the defense looked great in the first scrimmage. Everyone healthy, more depth, cohesion and not a lot of losses from the starting D-line. That versus an offense that was a mess last year except for McCoy. That still has lots of key players out with injuries and a 1st round O-lineman gone. So nothing too shocking to this point. Still waiting on an O-line to show up.
Everyone’s probably read the stories and the way individual players like Safety Dom DeCicco has done to this point. Dorin Dickerson has looked good at TE, but then no one is asking him to block a this point. Every bit of good news, should come with some dark caveat. Or at least a “but…”
I can’t help but be optimistic, but then I’m always optimistic about the football team in April.

There was a scrimmage today. The View From the Zoo has the all important rundown on 2009 recruits that attended. Nice work on the actual information gathered, guys.

Glad to know that I’m not the only one who isn’t sure what year Doug Fulmer actually is.

Doug Fulmer isn’t sure what to make of his class designation — officially, he is a redshirt junior — but after missing the majority of the past two seasons with injuries, the Pitt defensive end isn’t worrying about it.

“I consider myself a ballplayer,” said Fulmer, in the process of appealing for a sixth year of eligibility. “I don’t even pay attention to it. I couldn’t wait to get back out here. It’s been too long.”

Fulmer recovered from a broken left ankle suffered against The Citadel in September 2006 only to tear the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during spring drills last March 22. Now, a year later, he’s finally back on the football field and trying to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup.

He is fighting for the starting left DE position with sophomore Jabaal Sheard. Sheard has the raw athleticism (and a much healthier body), but Fulmer still has more experience and at this point a more physically mature player.

Moving to the receiving corps. Walt Harris made this a prestige position and spot of strength at Pitt. It’s been something of a surprise that despite Coach Wannstedt’s well known preference for running the ball, that the receiver position is still a big position of strength and depth.

The backbone of the group is formed by returning junior starters Oderick Turner and T.J. Porter and key reserves Cedric McGee, a junior, and Maurice Williams, a sophomore. Those four would constitute an excellent receiving corps, but the addition of two talented redshirt freshmen, Aaron Smith and Aundre Wright, pushes it into a higher category.

And that doesn’t take into account the return of fifth-year senior Derek Kinder, a first-team all-Big East as a junior in 2006 who missed the 2007 season with a torn ACL. Kinder is limited as to what he can do in the spring, but he will be pushing for a starting job in preseason camp.

Kinder said he is taking his rehabilitation slowly, but admits it is tough to watch the younger players make big plays because he knows it means he’ll have a much more difficult time breaking into the lineup.

“I get stronger every day, it feels better every day, but I’m not going to rush it,” Kinder said. “You have to be smart but the competitor in me wants to be out there because I know nothing is going to be handed to me.”

Which is yet another reason why the QB position is of such vital importance and the focus of every Pitt fan. We know that there are a bunch of talented receivers — especially some speedy deep threats. It does little good, though, if there is no chance to hook up with them.

So, that’s when observations come into play. Kevin Gorman’s observations from yesterday’s practice suggest that Bill Stull is still the leading guy to get the starting job. I hesitate to say reclaim the spot, since he was injured in the first game and the whole situation at QB is so different from last spring or even last summer.

The Panthers went without pads Friday for the third time during spring drills, fulfilling NCAA rules that mandate three of the 15 practices are without contact. Tomorrow, they will have a live – or full-contact – scrimmage with Big East Conference officials.

Ever the defensive-minded coach, Wannstedt said the quarterbacks will not wear green jerseys, which protect them from contact. But …

“They’ll be live on my whistle, and I’ll have a quick whistle” Wannstedt said, noting that it will be mostly for the benefit of Pitt’s “bread-and-butter,” the defensive line. “They’ll all get hit a little bit. … When they get a hold of them, I’ll control the whistle.”

Such tactics will put to the test the pocket presence of quarterbacks Pat Bostick, Greg Cross, Kevan Smith and Bill Stull, who are playing behind an inexperienced defensive line but are surrounded by talented skill players.

Stull showed some ability to escape pressure (and gets a high mark for creativity) during the two-minute drill. Flushed to his right, he wheeled back left and used Wannstedt as a screen before throwing a touchdown pass to Dorin Dickerson in the end zone.

I am hoping Wannstedt and Cavanaugh are not so wedded to only one QB type system. It just seems that Pitt has two pairs of QBs that can help change things up. The opportunity to mix things up with Stull and/or Bostick sharing time with Cross and/or Smith doesn’t mean going to a straight spread. It does mean keeping teams off-guard and allowing more variety and dictate things from the offense.

A couple other things from Gorman’s post that I feel like commenting. He notes that Dorin Dickerson looks tremendous at the TE position.

Now, I’m starting to think he’s a natural at H-back. He made a few catches today that raised eyebrows.

Two came during red-zone drills. On the first, he beat corner Aaron Berry and safety Dom DeCicco in the upper right corner of the end zone to catch a Stull pass for a touchdown. Then he got a step on safety Elijah Fields on a crossing pattern and leapt to pull down a Bostick pass in front of McKillop for another score.

Later, in 11-on-11 drills, Dickerson made a spectacular one-handed grab with safety Eric Thatcher in coverage. Not only does Dickerson bring size and speed to the tight end position, but he’s a legitimate downfield threat.

If it was all about catching the ball, Darrell Strong would have never had a battle. The issue — especially in the Cavanaugh/Wannstedt offense — will be his blocking skills. That’s something that remains to be seen with scrimmages and especially come summer practices. I’m optimistic, though.

The other is his observations on Wannstedt being effusive in his praise of Dom DeCicco’s performance at safety.

“Dom’s doing a heck of a job,” Wannstedt said. “We’ve got some good players – you’ve got (Eric) Thatcher with the experience and Elijah (Fields), as talented a player as we have on the team – but Dom DeCicco has probably made as many plays this past week as any defender we have. You trust him back there. It’s a good situation for our football team right now. I wish we had that kind of talent and depth at a few other spots.”

I’m not disputing any of that. I also think that Wannstedt is going to do everything he can to keep Fields from thinking he’s earned anything at this point. It’s probably safest to make sure Fields believes that he needs to keep working — on and more importantly, off the field — to see significant playing time.

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. It’s been a bit hectic in the offline world. Couple that with the coaching carousel craziness and stuff as the Final Four looms for FanHouse, and it has been a frustratingly neglectful week on Blather. Hopefully there’s been stuff from the Pitt Consortium to help fill the gap.

So, let’s do some catching up.

Over the weekend the one story looked at linebackers not named McKillop.

At the Sam linebacker is senior Adam Gunn, on the other side of McKillop at Will linebacker is junior Shane Murray.

Gunn and Murray started every game last year and, while they didn’t grab headlines the way McKillop did last season, the bookends of the linebacker corps improved every time they took the field.

And that is why Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt expects Gunn and Murray to be the glue of a unit that has the makings, especially with McKillop anchoring the middle, of being special.

“Last year at this time I was convincing Shane that he was going to be a linebacker and not a safety, and Adam Gunn was the one guy we were all convinced everybody on the team could take his job away from him,” Wannstedt said. “They were both battling issues and overcame them, and I expect both of those guys to make big plays this year. They have both come a long way in a year.”

No mention of Brandon Lindsey and Nate Nix pushing Gunn. Nor, Tristan Roberts at the Will spot. Apparently Max Gruder is being groomed to see time in the Middle.

Staying on the defense, after Scott McKillop, Greg Romeus probably has some of the biggest expectations to build on last season. Romeus came on strong as the season went on and got plenty of accolades as a redshirt freshman on the D-line. His pure athleticism and strength helped him overcome what he didn’t know. He and D-line coach Greg Gattuso seem to think that is catching up.

Romeus spent most of his high school days reaching for the basketball rim until the football coach spotted him and explained that at 6-5, he could have more potential in football than basketball.

“I enjoy playing football more because it’s a more aggressive game and more of a team sport,” Romeus said. He laughed.

“I like to hit people.”

Romeus, who redshirted as a freshman, became a hit with his coaches once he started to grasp the nuances of the defense midway through the season. He always had the physical skills, but he needed time to learn the techniques involved with playing college football.

“I feel like I’m adapting more to being a football player,” he said. “Things aren’t as shaky as they were at the beginning of last year. I can play faster now. I just want to learn more every day.”

Romeus’ playing time should increase this season because the defensive line has been depleted by the departure of ends Joe Clermond and Chris McKillop.

“We see it as a rotation with everybody getting time,” Romeus said. “I don’t want to set myself up and say that I expect to start. We’re all going to play.”

He may not expect to start, but everyone else does.

Stop me if you have heard this before. The offensive line is struggling. Really, that should just be a stock headline for Pitt. The facts and circumstances may change, but I can’t remember a year where the O-line wasn’t in some sort of major flux in the spring.

As if it’s not bad enough to lose three starters — tackles Mike McGlynn and Jeff Otah and center Chris Vangas — to graduation, compounding the situation is that Pitt’s most veteran linemen are limited to non-contact drills. The Panthers are without senior left guard C.J. Davis (hamstring), a three-year starter; redshirt freshman right guard Chris Jacobson (knee); and bookend tackles in fifth-year senior Chase Clowser (shoulder) and redshirt sophomore Jason Pinkston (shoulder).

“That’s four guys who should all be starters or competing for starting jobs,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “We’re a little bit thin there because of graduation and injuries, but they’re working hard with them.”

The offensive line now has redshirt freshman Jordan Gibbs at left tackle, fifth-year senior Dom Williams at left guard, junior Robb Houser at center, junior John Malecki at right guard and junior Joe Thomas at right tackle.

While they form a fearsome front in pads, averaging 6-foot-4, 287 pounds, their inexperience shows once the ball is snapped. Gibbs played tight end at Penn Manor High. Williams is a career reserve. Malecki was a defensive tackle the past two seasons. Thomas has the most experience, but all of his 14 starts are at right guard.

Add in the highly heralded Lucas Nix won’t be on the practice field until August. On the bright side, they and the redshirt freshmen are getting a lot of work.

Wannstedt singled out the large group of redshirt freshmen — John Fieger, Greg Gaskins, Jordan Gibbs and Wayne Jones — as the most in need of work, particularly since that group will be counted on to provide depth.

“Those guys are going to need every full-speed situation we can put them in between now and the season,” Wannstedt said. “Like I said, they have done really well when they are coming off the ball in drills and hitting bags and doing that stuff, but, when they have to line up over a Mick Williams or a Greg Romeus and have to block them, that is where we will find out who gives us a chance to play and who doesn’t.”

The good news is that at least JUCO Center Robb Houser has been healthy and looking good.

“It makes a big difference being able to transfer for the spring semester,” said Houser, who is expected to compete with redshirt junior John Bachman at center. “I was lucky enough to be eligible to transfer in the spring. I’m learning everything I can. I’m learning the offense really well right now. I know that if I would’ve only had the summer to learn this, it would even be harder because this is actual football practice, five hours a day, double-day style.”

Houser said he’s benefitting from the extra time by getting acquainted with new teammates, getting used to a new system, studying plays and getting stronger in workouts.

“It really makes it much easier for me to earn a starting job than the people who are coming in in June and July,” he said.

He and JUCO QB Greg Cross are both expected to provide immediate help.

Derek Kinder gets a nice little puff piece in his return for a redshirt senior year and coming back from injury.

“You can make yourself crazy wondering why,” Kinder says. Or you can work like hell to make it all the way back.

Kinder still hasn’t tested how his knee will hold up to lateral movement and likely won’t face full contact until the first game of the fall. Why risk it?

Pitt knows what it has in Kinder — one of the game’s most dynamic receivers when healthy. What we don’t know is how the script will end.

I wasn’t the only one missing in action. The women’s basketball success drew the Trib’s Kevin Gorman away. He has a post on his observations at the first practice he’s caught and what he’s heard. Here’s the quickie summary.

• Max Gruder looks like the back-up for McKillop at MLB
• Elijah Fields is impressing in spring practice — again
• The QB situation still looks like it’s Stull, but Bostick does indeed look good, Cross is as athletic as advertised and Kevan Smith has a very strong arm.
• LeSean McCoy looks good, and so does LaRod Stephens-Howling.

Naturally it’s worth reading the whole thing.

I didn’t see this in the Spring Practice Guide (PDF), nor anywhere else. I was tipped off by a contact — okay, it’s an old frat brother who works for NFL Films.  And it wasn’t exactly a tip so much as a “why haven’t you posted this” e-mail, you idiot. Details, and that’s not important.

The info I am trying to share is that the Blue-Gold Spring Football game will be aired live on the NFL Network. That’s 6pm on Saturday, April 19. There will be a re-airing again at Midnight.

That’s right, as long as you can watch the NFL Network you can actually see the game on TV. No settling for the grainy and glitchy internet video feed like last year.