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Hello all and welcome to another spring football edition of the Pitt football Q&A. I'm sorry I haven't had a few more of these this spring, but to be honest, I had a lot of questions myself with a new staff, a new scheme and so many new faces. So I needed to wait a few weeks to get a good feel for what was going on and how things were going before I attempted to answer your questions. I feel now that I have had some time to talk with players and coaches and see the practices I have a much better feel for the team and its strengths and weaknesses. I will have another Q&A next week to wrap up the spring, so keep the questions coming.
The Panthers have made a lot of progress. So far the players that have been the most surprising are Dom Williams, who looks like he'll be the answer at left guard, Joe Clermond, who might be the most impressive player of the spring and Darrell Strong, who has a lot to work on as a blocker, but seems to catch everything thrown his way. Those three have all received the praises of the coaches as well, especially Clermond, but all still have a long way to go to reach their full potential. Chris McKillop has really come on strong at defensive end in the past two weeks and it looks like H.B. Blades and Mike Phillips will thrive in their new roles as middle linebacker and strong safety respectively. We all know Blades can play the game and should be an All-Big East player again, but I am excited about Phillips at safety because I think he could be a star. He is very smart, he is physical and he has corner skills. He could become a tremendous player.
A quick overview: The practices are far more crisp, far more intense and far more physical than they had been in the past. That's not to say they are better or worse, it is just to say they are different. There is more energy, more enthusiasm. One major difference that is definitely better is the amount of time they line up with a running back, the linemen and the defensive front seven and play smashmouth football against each other. This will only help the defense get better - one reason the defense struggled against the run at times is because it spent most of its practices defending 20-yard pass plays. The run game will also help keep the defense off the field and when teams load up to blitz Pitt, they'll be able to slow it down. It really is a lot of fun to watch.
Offense: With nine starters returning the offense figured to be a strength and I think after watching it for four weeks there is no question it will. Well, let me retract that - that is assuming a running back emerges from the pack and proves capable of being that big-time player coaches are looking for. As of right now, there is no doubt Rashad Jennings can be that guy. He is a strong as an ox, he is big, he is hard to tackle and his legs keep churning after he gets hit. I haven't yet seen that breakaway speed from him, but most of the drills are in short quadrants. Brandon Mason has fumbled a little this spring, but he is the quickest of the backs and has some good moves. I think he is going to be right there in the mix as well. The offensive line is going to be a strength, provided the starting five stay healthy. Like I said before, Charles Spencer can be a star at tackle, Mike McGlynn is an excellent tackle, John Simonitis and Joe Villani are very solid at guard and center and Williams just keeps getting better and better. The problem is, the drop off after those five is very easy to see. The only position where a reserve is really ready to step in is at center - Chris Vangas. Finding some depth on the line is going to be a key. Strong will be a huge weapon at tight end. He is not very physical yet, but the catches he has made this spring have been unbelievable and when he gets it, he has the speed to run away from the defense. Tuesday alone he made a one hander, a diving catch of a ball thrown over his head and he snatched a low line drive, kept his balance and ran about 30 yards before he was tackled. Of the young receivers, I've not seen any of them jump out yet. Marcel Pestano has the flair for the big play, but he isn't consistent in the details and routine plays. Allen Richardson has all the athletic ability in the world but is inconsistent catching the football. Kelvin Chandler is probably the most complete receiver of all of them in terms of size, speed and ability to catch but he hasn't been consistent either. Terrell Allen will help in the kicking game returning punts and kicks and maybe catching screen passes or little passes out in the flat and running reverses but so far I'm not sure he has merited becoming one of the regular receivers. Coaches have liked what Derek Kinder has been doing thus far because he's steady. How the receiver position plays out will be interesting in the fall.
Defense: The defensive line needs one more player to be complete - a tackle to play next to Thomas Smith. The ends - McKillop, Clermond, Vernon Botts, Azzie Beagnyam and Charles Sallet (when he gets healthy) are going to get up the field and get after the quarterback. There is no doubt. Beagnyam still has a lot of work to do to get back and fully recover from his ankle injury. He is nowhere near where he was before he got hurt, but it is tough to come back and get back into shape when you've had a major injury like that. He now has the whole summer to work hard and get into shape. If he does, the team will have plenty of firepower at defensive end. There are some days when Thomas Smith is just not blockable and he causes so much commotion in the middle on every play. It was a great decision by Paul Rhoads to move him to the middle. The other tackle position right now is wide open. I think both Corey Davis and Craig Bokor have talent and will be good, but they are freshmen (although Davis is a redshirt) and they are both swimming right now. Phil Tillman could be the guy but he needs to stay in shape and continue to improve, Nick Williams is quick but a little undersized and Ron Idoko hasn't played yet because of injury and he is a pretty good player. So there is a pool of players coaches will look at until they find the one guy who is ready to plug that hole. If they find him, it changes the defense completely. That's because they have found a great mix at linebacker with Blades in the middle, Thomas and Bennett outside and Horne and Session as back-ups that can be also be used in certain situations. Scott McKillop is also a player that has had a great spring and Tyler Tipton has had his moments as well. The secondary is set. If there is a better pair of corners in the Big East than the Panthers' Aliquippa connection of Josh Lay and Darrelle Revis, I'd love to see them. These two guys have had excellent springs and Lay may be the most improved player of the team and he was pretty good last year. Tez Morris is back at free safety and with Mike Phillips and Jemeel Brady - not to mention Sam Bryant when he returns - the Panthers have plenty of options at strong safety. The defense I think can be very good this year but they need to find that defensive tackle. If not, they could run into some of the same issues that have plagued them the past two years.
Special teams: No team in the country has as much talent at kicker as Pitt. There is no question about it. Josh Cummings told me the other day he's kicking better now than ever in his life. You remember how good he was last year. David Abdul is kicking again, which in some ways is a miracle, and while he is not back to where he was coming out of high school, I watch with amazement as he puts them through from 40 to 45 yards out without a problem. And Upper St. Clair's finest, Conor Lee, who is a walk-on, could start at just about any other school - he is that good. That does not even count punter/kick-off specialist Adam Graessle, who the other day was booting them through the uprights from 65 yards out, just for the heck of it. People always ask me who the best NFL prospect on the team is - I say Graessle. He is unbelievable. And just to boot (no pun intended) if something happened to him, Nick Krut, his back-up, is pretty darn good as well. This is certainly an area of strength, which, if you think about will only enhance what the coaches are trying to do. Teams that want to play ball and clock control on offense need a good kicking game to keep the other team back in a hole and to be able to score points if a drive stalls at the 30. I have not gotten a good look at the long snappers, but I haven't seen many bad snaps on field goals and extra points so I'll assume that means some of the problems the team had last year have been solved.
Coaching: This is an excellent staff, there is no question about it. Dave Wannstedt is an old school coach who you see running around from drill to drill, jumping in, showing players how it is done. He really has his finger on everything that is going on, but not in a heavy handed way. His assistants love working for him and it seems like there really is a lot of camaraderie and teamwork among the staff. It is not two staffs divided, rather, one unified staff. I've been very impressed with the new assistants and it seems like the assistants who remained from Walt Harris's staff have had renewed energy and enthusiasm. There is no question the change happened at the right time and the right people have remained in place.
OK, with that said, let's get started....
Q: Does Pitt have the right players to be a successful running team this year?
Bobbie Jo Gasiorowski of Carrick
ZEISE: I think they need to settle on a running back and if they are able to do that, they'll be to run the football effectively. Like I said in the opening - Rashad Jennings looks like he can be that type of player, so if someone is able to beat him out it is going to be an excellent player. The offensive line is coming off the ball now (as opposed to always backing up) which is a big change but the line is showing it is capable of doing that. Dom Williams has quick feet and great hands, so he'll play a big role in the run game.
Q: How do you see the offensive line shaping up?
Michael Buncher of New Hope, Pa.
ZEISE: Well, I touched on this in my opening. The starting line will be (from left tackle to right tackle) Spencer, Williams, Villani, Simonitis and McGlynn. Chris Vangas will be the backup at center. Offensive line coach Paul Dunn said he'd like to have at least eight players who can play - the five starters, a backup guard (who can play both guard positions), tackle (who can play both tackle positions) and center. Assuming he is healthy, Dale Williams will be the likely candidate for backup tackle. At guard, however, take out a coin and flip it a few times and that's really where coaches are at in searching for that third guard. Do not be surprised if come the opener in September, you see the name of a true freshman - like John Brown, like C.J. Davis, like John Bachman, like Kevin Hughes - on the two-deep at guard. Wannstedt has already said several times he wants to see what those guys can do before he makes a decision.
Q: Why doesn't Pitt schedule an odd number of games with Penn State and let Penn State have the first home game in the series so that Penn State will get an extra game in the series and it will in turn give Pitt a leg up when it comes time to renegotiate the contract? And do you think Pitt has a legit chance of running the table next year?
Dave of Pittsburgh
ZEISE: Oh, boy. I'm going to say this in bold caps so that there is no more misgivings about what Pitt will do with Penn State - PITT IS NOT GOING TO ACCEPT ANYTHING LESS THAN A 1-FOR-1 HOME-AND-HOME WITH PENN STATE. Period, end of discussion. Nor should they. Pitt's program does not need Penn State to survive, in fact, much to the dismay of the Penn Staters - Pitt's program has thrived ever since they stopped playing Penn State. It is a disgrace that these two teams do not play every year. But Pitt is not a desperate program. They have a big enough stadium that the game would make financial sense for any big-name team coming to Pittsburgh. If Pitt played Penn State, it would be a nationally televised game. There is no reason these two teams can't play every year. But Pitt should not and will not play the game unless it is treated as Penn State's equal. Penn State is not superior to Pitt and therefore should not receive any special treatment. What will be interesting will be the spin coming out of Penn State now that there is a 12-game schedule allowed starting in 2006. There is no excuse now - especially since Penn State's original excuse was going to be that the Big Ten is just going to add a ninth conference game. From what I am told, that is not likely to happen, meaning Penn State will have four non-conference games to fill each year.
As for your second question - Pitt can run the table but that probably is not going to happen. I think although there has been a lot positive to come from the change in coaches, it is still a change and there will be some growing pains and a period of transition. Two of Pitt's toughest three games are in the first three weeks of the season, so the Panthers may struggle some getting out of the gate. I've heard people discount Nebraska. I think that is a mistake. They are expected to be much improved next year. I do expect the Pitt-Louisville game to be for the Big East championship.
Q: How do you see the fullback position shaping up?
Rich Campsie of Franklin Park
ZEISE: Kellen Campbell and Justin Acierno are right now the fullbacks and are doing a serviceable job. But there is no question that they will be getting some competition in the fall. Some of the tailbacks are going to be moved. The obvious candidate is Tim Murphy, who hasn't played all spring because of injury, and if he moves to fullback I'd expect him to win the starting job. There are also some freshmen tailbacks coming in that could move to fullback - like Conredge Collins if he can't beat out Rashad Jennings at tailback. The fullback position will be fine once it all shakes out, it is just a matter of getting a look at what the actual two-deep will be at this position once the season begins.
Q: I've heard Erik Gill is a possible first round draft choice once he leaves. What do you think?
Dan M of Trafford
ZEISE: I don't know about first round, but he certainly will be drafted and I think he has a chance to go on the first day. If he has a big season and improves his speed, perhaps a first round pick is not out of the question. He is already one of the best blocking tight ends around and with his size, some teams may even flirt with beefing him up and making him a guard. I definitely think he will have an NFL career.
Q: It seems like this coaching staff is putting an emphasis on tight end by moving Strong and Agnone from relatively thin positions. Is this a sign that coaches don't think Pitt's two tight ends can get it done?
Dan Schaffer of Elizabethtown, Pa.
ZEISE: No, I think it is two different cases. In Agnone's case, he came as a tight end but was moved to quarterback last year only as an emergency player and to have another player to throw in practice for drills. He was never going to be a quarterback and with two freshmen headed to campus in the fall, there is no need to keep him there. So he has really just moved back to his natural position.
In Strong's case, coaches look at a player with enormous talent - and size - and are going to try desperately to get him onto the field any way they can. He is so physically gifted, they want to use him and tight end might be the position that makes the most sense.
Q: What freshmen have the best chance of seeing the field this year?
Mike Anderson of Mayfield Heights, Ohio
ZEISE: Well, it looks like Jennings is going to play. I would expect that Craig Bokor will have a chance to play. One of the four offensive linemen will likely have to play. Conredge Collins will likely have every opportunity to play. LaRod Stephens could become Pitt's not-so-secret weapon. After that it is anybody's guess and will be based on who comes in and proves they deserve to play right away.
Q: You raised in your Q & A rhetorical question - when was the last time Pitt used a halfback in its offense? What is the difference between halfback and tailback?
Adam Yacono of Shaler
ZEISE: No, I raised the question - when was the last time Pitt used an H-back (not a halfback) - which is a position that is somewhere between tight end and fullback. Often an H-back is a tight end who lines up in the backfield and either catches a pass out of the backfield, perhaps in some cases runs the ball or blocks. I have seen Pitt use several formations that include an H-back - like Darrell Strong lined up in the backfield between the line and the fullback.
Q: How has Michael Hearn and Vernon Botts progressed at defensive end? Will they play at weakside and strongside? And who is No. 69 that's been taking snaps with the first team offensive line? That number isn't listed in the official spring roster.
Will K. of Burke, Va.
ZEISE: First, the starting center is Joe Villani and he wears No. 68. The back-up is Chris Vangas and he wears 64 so I would assume it is one of them. Sometimes players wear a different number on their practice jersey for whatever reason. Michael Hearn has really been somewhat of a non-factor. I think he's been slowed by injuries. Botts on the other hand has had some really good practices and has shown some signs that he can be a productive player. Right now, he is a little behind Chris McKillop but he is still right in the mix. One change they've made is there is no more strong or weak side defensive ends. They are right and left defensive ends and they are expected to be able to know both positions and be interchangeable.
Q: What is the status of Jawan Walker?
Rick Smith of Philadelphia, Pa.
ZEISE: That is a good question. From what I am told, he is done as far as playing for Pitt but that's all I know. I've heard that he is still in school, but I can't say that with certainty. If anyone knows what happened to him or where he's at, send me an e-mail and I'll revisit this next week.
Q: What is all the hype surrounding Darrell Strong this spring? Is he still the third string tight end or has he moved up?
Chris Seftas of Carrick
ZEISE: The hype says he is an incredible athlete and he catches everything. He has the best hands on the team, except for perhaps Joe DelSardo. He has not moved up because he is not yet a good blocker and not physical enough to be the kind of tight end they need for this offense. But he is being used in a lot of ways - including some three-tight-end sets -- so he will get on the field plenty and have plenty of opportunity to make plays next season.
Q: How is Corey Davis doing this spring? Does he have a chance to start next to Thomas Smith.
Steve Clark of Pittsburgh
ZEISE: Corey is young and he is still learning. He certainly has the ability and he has a chance to be the starter because the position is so wide open. But he has a long way to go and he has a lot more to prove before he earns that job. Right now, he is working hard, he is improving and he is going to be a good player some day if he continues.
Q: Do you think Coach Wannstedt will keep an emphasis on recruiting receivers from Florida?
Reed H. Kohberger of Columbia, Md.
ZEISE: I think he will keep an emphasis on recruiting Florida, period. He obviously has ties there, he loves kids with speed and he brought receivers coach Aubrey Hill and kept defensive ends coach Charlie Partridge because they are both great recruiters and have strong ties there. So there is no question that Florida will continue to be a place that Pitt goes looking for players.
