Andy Katz of ESPN.com has made no secret in the past that he is on good terms with Coach Jamie Dixon. That sure helps in doing a story like this that has been on the front page of ESPN.com’s college basketball page all weekend.

The coaching carousel tried to scoop up Dixon yet again this spring. And, for the third year in a row, Dixon turned down all the suitors. Stanford, Cal, Oklahoma State, LSU, Arizona State, Indiana and Arkansas have all tried to get Dixon interested when they’ve had recent openings. But he won’t bite.

“He is so loyal to us and if there are three to five suitors every year, that would not surprise me at all,” Nordenberg said. “He doesn’t dangle that in front of us and doesn’t advertise it or try to take advantage of it.”

“Every time his name circulates with a job, Jamie shuts things down fast,” said athletic director Steve Pederson, back for his second stint as AD.

The Arizona State job was the only one that reached anxiety levels. I’d say there were a couple reasons for that. First, it was the first time he had been so actively pursued by another school. The year before the Pitt team really faded in the back end and there was a lot of sniping about Dixon’s performance. Finally, the difference in salaries at that point was a big difference that had to make anyone listen.

After that, it has been quiet or quickly rejected without much dancing. As a fan I appreciate that. As a blogger looking for material to write in the off-season, it’s damn frustrating. Mindless speculation of will he-won’t he and possible replacements can fill weeks of blogging if drawn out correctly. But no, that keeps being denied to me.

And still Dixon is doing it at a place where elite players in the area are virtually nonexistent. So with the help of his assistants from former aide Barry Rohrssen (now the head coach at Manhattan) to current assistant Orlando Antigua, he continues to make Pitt a familiar name in New York City. The Panthers can call Madison Square Garden their home away from home, too, going 23-8 in the building since 2000, which is better than what UConn, Syracuse and St. John’s can boast.

“He put Pittsburgh in a position where it’s an upper division team in the Big East,” said Florida associate head coach Larry Shyatt, a former assistant in the Big East at Providence under Rick Barnes and a former head coach at Wyoming and Clemson. “That’s the way it’s thought of outside and in the Big East. That’s the best compliment I can give.”

And now, Pitt has made inroads into Maryland and Philly.

I know that feelings are mixed on Dixon. I do understand that. I am one of those in his corner.

A big reason why is that I feel he has done a lot to build Pitt’s program overall. Not just the winning — which is huge. It’s the effort in helping to support the summer league in Pittsburgh. Something that never existed. Giving the players a chance to stay in the ‘Burgh over the summer to play together and against each other. To be able to keep improving, hit the weight room with direct supervision and guidance, and to take classes to stay up on the academics.

All of that is vital to making Pitt a basketball program a growing and strengthening entity. And it pays off in that the former players in recent vintage are still eager to be around the city and the program. We also see more connection with past players renewing ties to the school. Re-connecting and supporting.

The summer program also gives the more talented high school kids other options on playing and connecting with present Pitt players. Western PA will never become a hotbead of basketball talent, but the more connections made into the area can only encourage and make sure that kids feel some local ties and desire to play there one day. It’s something that Pitt has still fought to overcome.

All of that has happened with Dixon here.

Mike McGlynn is somewhat the forgotten man with Jeff Otah being projected to go somewhere in the 12-20 range of the NFL Draft. McGlynn is a mid-round pick. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve some puff pieces. Especially from the hometown papers in the Mahoning Valley. One focuses on his time in High School where he essentially lost two seasons — academics and injury.

Scouts weren’t scared off by the missed season, figuring (correctively) that an athletic lineman who stood 6-foot-5 and weighed 310 pounds could recover from a missed season. McGlynn verbally committed to Pitt the next July — Inglis was irritated he didn’t wait until after he had attended Ohio State’s summer camp in case Jim Tressel wanted to offer him a scholarship —and the big left tackle seemed poised for a terrific senior season.

For 3 1/2 weeks, he had one. Then, against GlenOak in the fourth week, McGlynn fractured his right fibula, ending his season. Making matters worse, his mom had just lost her health insurance, meaning he wouldn’t be able to rehab the injury.

Then an athletic trainer named Don Sherwood stepped in.

“Without him, I don’t know where I’d be,” said McGlynn. “He helped rehab me and got me back where I needed to be. I was 335 pounds and I didn’t have any way of rehabbing it myself.

“He got me ready for my career at Pitt. We’re best friends now. He’s like a brother.”

The other story focused on his versatility along an offensive line.

‘‘One of my strong points is my versatility,’’ McGlynn said. ‘‘We‘ll see what position I‘ll play. Some teams have me as a guard and some as a tackle, and I‘ve played center. I think where I‘m going to make it is at guard or center. Some teams think I‘m undersized (for tackle) and would prefer me at guard or center.’’

According to nfldraftscout.com, McGlynn is rated fourth among all guards. He‘s being projected as a third- or fourth-round pick.

In a more statewide look at  Ohio kids waiting for the NFL Draft, comes this tidbit about life in the McGlynn household.

Mike McGlynn, Pitt offensive lineman: An Austintown Fitch product, now 6-4 and 311 pounds, he had to weigh in every Saturday morning for youth football. ‘’It was cold, I’d be down to my underwear and my dad used to hang me upside-down so I’d lose a couple pounds to make the weight,'’ McGlynn said. ‘’When I was 9, I was playing with 12- and 13-year-olds.'’

Coming soon in paperback: The upside-down diet.

Speculation has had McGlynn being selected by the Dolphins, Lions and Rams. Go figure. All teams with big issues on their O-lines.

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 haven’t written about the press conference/PR thing with Tony Dorsett and LeSean McCoy to this point, simply because I hadn’t had time to watch the video.

A couple thoughts before I get to the news write-ups.

Watching the interspliced clips of Dorsett and McCoy really makes me miss the old Pitt colors. But then anytime I see old clips I probably think that.

I got a kick out seeing how they dressed McCoy for the event. I have to imagine he was thinking something like: They put me in a collared shirt, pulled the logo sweater over my head and put me in khakis — make me dress like I’m Bobby friggin’ Knight — for this. And Dorsett shows up in jeans and sweatshirt???

There are times when it seems like it’s too much, too soon. That it is all but setting things up for something to go horribly wrong and then to read one of those “what happened to..” articles 5 to 10 years later. But then to hear Dorsett talk about how nothing is assured and how much work is still needed. That was reassuring. As much as this was PR and singing the praises of McCoy — which Dorsett was happy to do — there was an element of reminding that there is plenty still ahead.

That element was caught in part in this story.

“He’s got to pass the test of time,” Dorsett said. “He’s go to prove himself all over again, starting again (this coming) season.

“But if he’s here for three more years, which we’re all hoping he is, he has a darn good chance of doing it. There are a lot more records that I hold here, but I hope he breaks them all. He’s going to bring back a lot of focus to this university.”

The prominent theme, though was the similarity of the two on the field.

Greatness is greatness, and we can see right now he’s a diamond in the rough,” Dorsett said. “I admire what this young man has been able to do. He can be one of the more exciting running backs in college football.”

…

“I say this is a special time because this is a special young man,” Dorsett said. “I’ve watched him play. Comparisons are just comparisons, and I hate to compare someone to myself … but this is the first guy that I’ve seen that reminds me of Tony Dorsett.”

McCoy rushed for 1,328 yards on 276 carries last season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Dorsett saw slightly more action as a freshman, when he rushed for 1,686 yards on 318 attempts while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

“I don’t know where he gets it from,” Dorsett said. “I don’t know where I got it from, but I saw him jump through a hole one time in one of the games and he just threw a stutter and he took off like a blur and I said, ‘That’s Tony Dorsett.’”

McCoy was well composed throughout. As is typical, he handled the media with smiles. He spoke a lot of respect and seemed quite humbled by the comparisons. He was also very careful in his answers, definitely hesitant to say too much about how he sees the comparisons.

Asked how he would compare himself to Dorsett, McCoy’s face contorted in obviously deep thought.

He struggled twice to begin a sentence.

That was when Dorsett swooped in, saying, “Let me answer that for him, LeSean is LeSean. He is his own player. … We can see that his upside is so very large. He has a lot of things that he can accomplish. Comparing him to me, no, he is LeSean, let him be LeSean.”

And McCoy looked very relieved for the save.

Dorsett also mentioned the hope that McCoy would be at Pitt 3 more years. Something that seems highly unlikely if McCoy keeps doing what he’s been doing.

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.

Jeff Otah will likely be drafted somewhere in the middle of the first round. A second straight year for Pitt to put a player in the 1st round of the NFL draft. It’s progress. Otah got a puff piece in USA Today as they were looking at O-linemen.

“It’s the best group I’ve seen in 24 years,” says Kevin Colbert, director of football operations for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “The majority of them can play the left side or play both sides. It’s unusual to have that many guys that big and that athletic and that productive.”

Colbert has had a bird’s-eye seat to watch Otah’s development. “Jeff’s an interesting kid that probably hasn’t played his best football yet because he’s not a real experienced guy as far as football is concerned and having playing experience. So there’s probably a lot of upside left in him,” Colbert says.

Meanwhile, Kris Wilson may finally get a chance to play now that he is out of Kansas City and the back-up to Tony Gonzalez. He joins the Philadelphia Eagles with a 3-year deal.

“I’m coming in here to play tight end,” Wilson said. “The coaches told me I’ll be working primarily at tight end. I think my skill set definitely allows for more success at tight end.

“My strengths are stretching the field, catching the ball, beating defenders one-on-one, mixing it up and blocking guys - a lot of the all-around things that tight ends do. I think at the tight-end position, you have to be a jack of all trades.”

Some of Wilson’s tight-end numbers at Pitt were impressive. He averaged 16.3 yards per catch and scored nine touchdowns his senior season.

Wilson was one of my favorites from that period. I complained at a lot of games that he didn’t get enough balls thrown to him.

Meanwhile, if you live in the Wilkes-Barre area, you can check out Rod Rutherford QBing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of the af2.

“Rich called me all the time around this time to see if I wanted to play but I would always blow him off,” Rutherford said. “Everyone has a dream of playing in the NFL but I realize that my window of opportunity is smaller than it was when I first came out.

“If that opportunity comes I am not going to run away from it. I gave (Ingold) a call and he was happy to welcome me aboard. I am going to take advantage of this chance and do what I have been able to do my whole career.”

Rutherford signed a free- agent contract with the Carolina Panthers when he came out of the University of Pittsburgh. The Panthers released him in 2005 and he was picked up by the Steelers where he received a Super Bowl ring.

He spent a summer in Germany, serving as a backup before trying out with the Tennessee Titans. When nothing worked out with the Titans, he volunteered as an assistant with Pitt this past season.

…

“Honestly I would love just to continue to play at whatever level I can,” said Rutherford who has no experience with the indoor game. “Whether it is AFL or even coming back here, ultimately whatever I am doing it is going to be in football. You have guys who love to play with computers, I love the game of football.”

I just hope he has been wise with the money he has received in his time in the NFL.

Well Pitt’s pro-day for the NFL scouts was Monday. The main attraction, Jeff Otah, was unable to go because of a lingering high ankle sprain.

There were other seniors who worked out — Mike McGlynn, Joe Clermond, Darrell Strong and Kennard Cox.

McGlynn (6-4, 310), a four-year starter, started two games at right guard and nine at right tackle last season for the Panthers. But he is being projected as a guard by NFL scouts and coaches because of his height and arm length. However, what makes him an attractive mid-round prospect is that he has what Tomlin called “position flexibility.”

“That’s the good thing about him — he can play three positions,” said Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach/assistant head coach Russ Grimm, a former Steelers assistant who attended the workout. “He was a center before he played guard and tackle.”

Strong is an intriguing prospect because of his size (6-4, 268), athleticism and big hands, yet he is not ranked among the top tight end prospects in the draft. Part of the reason is that Strong began his college career as a quarterback, was switched to wide receiver and has only been a tight end for three years.

“It went good,” Strong said of his workout. “I think I did good in all the drills. I improved on all the things I did at the combine.”

Size likely will be a deterrent for defensive tackle Joe Clermond (6-3, 250), who was a productive player at Pitt and led the team last season with 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and was second team All-Big East. Colbert said Clermond would be an outside linebacker in the 3-4 style of defense the Steelers employ, but he could play end for a 4-3 team.

The more Pitt players drafted, the better.
Today is the start of spring practice. As is usual, there is a sense of optimism and excitement. This despite a slew of questions and upheaval.

Pitt opens spring football drills Tuesday with a four-way competition at quarterback, an overhaul on the offensive line and a coaching staff that features five new assistants.

That would be cause for alarm at some schools, but the Panthers’ 13-9 victory at No. 2 West Virginia in the season finale and 100th Backyard Brawl has provided optimism.

The challenge for Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is to build on the momentum of that monumental victory, when the Panthers finally played the way he had long envisioned.

“We’ve got to get coaches and players feeling that confidence that we finished the year with,” said Wannstedt, whose Panthers are a preseason top-25 team in some polls.

The biggest issue will be the position battles. QB, Center, all along the O-line, Linebacker spots outside of McKillop still look open, CB, depth chart issues at WR.

There’s nothing like the spring practices to challenge the cynicism. There’s the anticipated — almost standardized — stories of off-season workouts; new coaches and new perspectives; position changes; players ready to step up; blind optimism; players coming back from injury and so on.

God help me, every year I get sucked into it and believe this year will be different. Can’t wait.

Why wait? Scott McKillop gets the first national puff-piece in the week before spring practice.

It’s a defender’s version of nature vs. nurture. Are good tacklers born or are they made? Good tackling may be all about technique. Ask any safety who has to listen to a coach berate him for lunging at a tailback. But if the player doesn’t have “a nose for the ball,” as coaches are wont to say, it doesn’t matter how good his technique is.

Take the case of Scott McKillop, the Pittsburgh senior linebacker who, in his first season as a starter, led his team in tackling. He led every other team in tackling, too. McKillop made more tackles per game than any player in the nation last season. His 12.58 stops per game is more than 1½ tackles higher than any other returning player averaged in 2007. That adds up to 151 tackles, or 91 more — that’s right, 91 — than Pitt’s runner-up, linebacker Shane Murray.

Let the unbridled optimism flow.

It’s several hours before tip-off and I am already tense. The Spartans Weblog has their take on the game. I appreciate the bias (”MSU should be prepared, having played 20 games in the most physical conference in the land”), and the focus on tempo-free stats. That said there is some fun with myopia. There’s a bit of dismissal of Pitt’s defense as not being as good as the media portrays based on the stats, while downplaying the Spartans own turnover problems reflected in the stats because they have been under control recently. Pitt’s defense, in case they hadn’t noticed, has picked up in the last couple of weeks.

I’m not sure either side is sure what to expect from their teams. Having seen the Spartans several times this season, they do have a tendency to be very, very sloppy with the ball. When that happens, they tend to get frustrated and out of sync. Pitt has been good at forcing turnovers this season. The Spartans have a big advantage in depth. If the game is called tight, Pitt is at a bigger disadvantage.

The major theme for this game has been both teams’ reputation for playing defense. Hard-nosed, physical, brutal, tough, defense. We get it. Oh, and physical practices.

For Michigan State it’s the “war drill.” A ball rolls onto the floor and the players go after it. There are no fouls called. Contact is demanded. Bloody noses and lips are often souvenirs.

“It’s pretty intense,” Spartans guard Drew Neitzel said.For Pittsburgh, it used to be called the “war drill.” Now it’s just the “box-out drill,” but the same anarchic principles apply. Two players trying to prevent two other players from getting a rebound. Until you get two boards in a row, you do not leave the drill. Broken nose or not.

“That can get real brutal,” Panthers guard Sam Young said.

Of course, both coaches have downplayed the whole thing.

Izzo is a hell of a coach. No denying the obvious. Scary how successful he has been in this second round. He’s only lost twice in the round of 32 in 13 tries. Yeah, that makes me nervous even if technically it should have no bearing on this game.
Quickly to the player pieces. A couple on DeJuan Blair — hometown hero and as a vital part of the team as a freshman.

Sam Young gets the puff piece, including his ability for playing the piano — which now seems to be a requirement to be the starting power forward at Pitt.
Levance Fields gets plenty of love as he is hot and healthy. For this week he has drawn Mateen Cleaves and Khalid El-Amin comparisons.

Hopefully no one has had time to read their press clippings the last couple days.

I do love increased transparency. Both papers had features on DeJuan Blair and LeSean McCoy. Credit to Ray Fittipaldo and the P-G, though, for explaining exactly how this happened.

First, there were the photo shoots, then a television interview and finally another round of interviews with print reporters. By the time their media obligations were finished late morning had turned to early afternoon, but LeSean McCoy and DeJuan Blair seemed to be reveling in their new-found celebrity.

The Pitt media relations staff has been busy touting the exploits of their young superstars and a media blitz yesterday was done in part to showcase two of the school’s emerging stars. Both athletes, who are just as comfortable in front of a microphone as they are on the athletic fields, are embracing the pressure that comes along with star status.

“You know me,” said Blair, a Hill District resident and former star at Schenley High School. “I love the media. It’s excellent to get into the limelight.”

“When you have success, this comes with it,” McCoy said matter-of-factly.

It has been 30 years since two freshmen have made such a big impact on Pitt athletics.

The rest of the story focuses on the historical parallels to 1977 with Sam Clancy and football recruiting class Jackie Sherill brought in.

The Trib story plays it straight and does a Q&A with the two.

Good stuff and a solid idea to promote the two.  Not a lot more to really say about it, though.