shouldBworking: All this talk about good Pitt recruiting classes and not getting the results leads me to wonder if Pitt is getting good recruits? If I were a good HS player looking at schools, why would I want to go to Pitt? I would be looking at SoCal, Texas, Florida, etc to get away from this weather. Facilities, coaches can't change that.

Paul Zeise: Pitt has good players, they are certainly getting good recruits. As for weather, well, that's an individual decision but it doesn't seem to stop people in Ann Arbor and State College and places like Iowa from getting good player, either.

DontTaseMeBro_: Paul, it seems like Pitt is overloaded at running back with McCoy, Stephens-Howling, Collier, Harris, and Williams, and Chris Burns coming in. Do you see any of them moving positions? It seems obvious that a couple will never see the field.

Paul Zeise: I think a couple of them could move positions and likely will. It wouldn't shock me if at least one of them transfers, either. That's just the nature of college football these days. That being said, we've found out this year you can't have enough healthy capable tailbacks. If McCoy would have went down at Michigan State, Greg Williams would have been the man to carry the load. So yes, there are a lot of tailbacks right now but the nature of that position is that you need to have depth because they get banged up from wear and tear.

SDWC: Paul, Do you expect Bill Stull to be the starter once he returns or is it too early to tell? After all, he'll actually have less game experience than Bostick when he regains health.

Paul Zeise: Way too early to tell. I think if Pat Bostick is really good or at least shows some signs of life and leads the team to a few wins, it will be a very difficult decision. I will say I don't think Stull is very close to getting back -- he's still wearing a cast on his thumb -- so it could be a moot point as the season drags on.

SDWC: Paul, was Bostick's performance in the 2nd half last week about what you expected? I thought he showed some nice touch on a few throws, he just had very little help from the line and needs to get better on his progressions, which is understandable.

Paul Zeise: Yes -- let's not forget, he threw it like 40 times and mostly against soft coverages. And while he only threw three picks, it very easily could have been six by my count as he hit UConn defenders in the chest on several other occassions. He has a long way to go, but he did seem to settle down as the game wore on and he did seem to be more accurate and more in command of the offense than Kevan Smith so perhaps there is some hope for this team this week....

DontTaseMeBro: It seems Greg Romeus has been making a lot of plays and has great speed. Do you see him moving into the starting lineup anytime this season, if not next season?

Paul Zeise: Not this season unless one of the guys in front of him gets injured. He is, remember, playing with a broken hand, so he is a little limited in what he can do and he is still learning. Coaches would like to use him as much as possible because he does make so many plays, but he is still making plays on natural instincts and talent and sometimes as a result he is in the wrong place. He will be a starter next year, though, as both starting defensive ends are seniors.

Shady4WorldPeace: Paul, it has been documented about Pat's personal issues, but from what I have been told, the main issue is he was overwhelmed with everything. Is that not something that every freshmen goes through, especially at the quarterback postition. If, and I say if, he was able to attend spring classes and participate in spring drills, would this be a mute point?

Paul Zeise: I think that is a gross mischaracterization of what went on with Bostick and I don't think anyone really knows if it could have been avoided. He is here, he is playing now and basically he is Pitt's last hope so all of it is a moot point anyway.

ItIsWhatItIs : Hypothetical: If Pinkston had surgury tomorrow and not play the rest of this year would he have any chance of a redshirt? He only played in the 1st 3 games so I would think it's a possibility.

Paul Zeise: Yes, he could redshirt and it is clearly a possibility given his limitations, his injury (which won't improve without it being fixed) and the fact that if he had the surgery now he'd likely be able to participate in spring practice. Of course, he is still practicing as much as he can and may have to play because, let's face it, what other options are there really at this point if one more guy goes down with an injury?

PittAT: How does Virginia compare to Michigan State and UCONN. Are they a better team than those two?

Paul Zeise: I think Virginia is the best team Pitt will have played at this point in the season. They are more athletic than both UConn and Michigan State, they have an excellent defense and they have a big, mobile offensive line. That being said -- Pitt will have a chance to win if they give the ball to McCoy a lot, don't turn it over and don't have their defensive lapses on third and long.....

ItIsWhatItIs : I know the coaches probably dont want to hear it but I have to think our best bet is to start out in the Wildcat package on saturday. Based on past results it's unlikely that we'll turn the ball over and therefore we wont get ourselves into a situation where we are setting the opponent up in short field position in the 1st quarter like we have in the past two games. It also gives our OL a chance to knock the defense around a little. We can move to the conventional offense in the 2nd quater once everyone's nerves are calmed. What do you think?

Paul Zeise: I wouldn't have a problem with starting out in the conventional offense, either -- just don't hand the ball to your fullback then try play action so you are sitting at third-and-16. And by all means, if you are third and long on the first series, use a draw play and punt!!!! The first series of play calling in the last game made absolutely no sense on a number of levels and Pitt paid for it by turning the ball over and giving the Huskies a short -- 6-yard -- field.

ItIsWhatItIs: Sounds like Mick Williams and Rashad Duncan were pretty dinged up last week. What's their status going into this weekend?

Paul Zeise: Both seem to be much healthier and will be ready to go. I think Williams is a little behind Duncan in terms of his healthy but both are expected to play. Tommie Duhart, however, will start ahead of Mick regardless if he is healthy or not.

Shady4WorldPeace: Bill Stull for Heisman

Paul Zeise: um, OK

BuseysTwoMeatballSubs: If Rhoads gets fired, Wannstedt should hire former buddy and noted cheaper, Pat Jones, as his defensive coordinator.

Paul Zeise: How about Wannstedt go the cheapest route and hire himself as d-coordinator? It has worked well for Greg Schiano.

Shady4WorldPeace: How is the mood of the team considering the disappointing lost last week against UCONN? Do they feel like they have something to prove this week?

Paul Zeise: They seem to be upbeat, though the frustration is boiling under the surface and another meltdown like last week could be enough to have it all boil over. So far, though, the players have been supportive of each other and the coaches but again, you can start to see and hear the frustration levels rising. A win could solve a lot of issues before they even become issues, that is for sure.

BuseysTwoMeatballSubs: How can this team win another game with a freshman quarterback and a defense that couldn't even stop UConn's QB from scrambling. How bad will it be against Navy's option, Grothe and White?

Paul Zeise: I agree, I don't see another "sure" win on the schedule, not just because of the quarterback position but because this team hasn't played well on top of all the injuries. If this team plays like it did against UConn, there is no question it will be 2-10 at the end of the year. I don't expect the wheels to fall off that much but I can't see how 7-5 is reasonable at this point, either.

pittfan: Do you think that LB's cover the wr's too often in this defense?

Paul Zeise: Yes and I think this defense plays too many soft coverages and it is evident when you see the same routes working in the same spots every single week.

pittfan: Did UCONN fumble in the game last week? Was it the on-side Kick?

Paul Zeise: It was an on-side kick and it doesn't count as a turnover or fumble because the Huskies never had possession.

BuseysTwoMeatballSubs: Pitt is down three, they sack the QB, 2nd and 24, and a 31-yard completion happens. So much for Ball as a secondary coach. Why is Rhoads allowed back on the sidelines?

Paul Zeise: That coverage had nothing to do with Chris Ball or the secondary and everything to do with the defense that was called, which asked a linebacker to make a jam at the line of scrimmage and he didn't get it done.

Earl: Can Pitt rebound from this season and if so, what will it take?

Paul Zeise: The first thing Pitt needs to do is play better football. Forget about everything else, the injuries, the reasons things aren't working, the schedule -- and just play a whole game where everybody gets lined up right, they don't turn the ball over, they don't kill themselves with penalties and they play the best game they are capable of playing. That hasn't happened yet and I think if it does, we'll find this team is a lot better than it has showed. And if that's the case then there are some winnable games on the horizon. If it doesn't, like I said, it is time to mail it in.

Panther_Fans_For_Walt: So you said in previous articles and chats that if Pitt cannot beat UConn and Syracuse it would be a long season. So now that the UConn disaster happened and Syracuse went to Louisville and upset the Cardinals, how bad could this season end up?

Paul Zeise: Like I said, 2-10 is clearly possible. I don't think it will happen, but it can't be viewed as out of the realm of the possible given what we've seen.

pittfan: Was the defensive effort vs UCONN really that bad? They only gave up 17 points take away the turnovers.

Paul Zeise: That's true, but it is also true that Connecticut stopped trying on offense in the secnod half and was content to just play as basic and vanilla offense as possible. The coaching staff knew that Pitt's offense was no real threat and the only way the Panthers would get back in the game was to force UConn to turn the ball over and whatnot and thus they took no chances, did nothing risky and just tried to shorten the game as much as possible since they were leading by 20. In the first half, the defense couldn't stop them even when they had long fields.

Tired_of_Losing: Paul, I thought that the defense would come through vs. UCONN, and was very surprised by the performance. 1st half drives of 15, 8, and 9 plays, as compared to the previous week vs. Mich St. Any opinions on what led to what I saw as a breakdown on D?

Paul Zeise: Yes, I thought that Pitt got caught in several coverages and defensive calls that were bad given what Connecticut is capable of doing. I also can't understand, after last year, how the quarterback scrambling thing wasn't rectified because that was a big part of it too. The sad thing is, a very good effort by the defensive line was wasted because the back end didn't take care -- or in some cases wasn't put in position to take care of -- its business. Again, this team seems to never be able to do everything well at the same time and that's a problem.

Shady4WorldPeace: Being at practice this week, how is Bostick handling the fact that he is starting his first collegiate game? Is he able to speak with the media yet?

Paul Zeise: He has not spoken with the media and he has been very Tyler Palko-like in that, he's in watching film at like 7 a.m. each day and coaches have to basically kick him out of the offices each night because he is studying so much and trying to get himself prepared.

Zap_Rowsdower: I keep hearing Stull will RS this year. WHY? We need wins for recruiting purposes and moral. Plus, if Bostick starts the rest of the year and is anyway close to the player we thought he was, Stull never starts again. If I'm Stull, I'm begging for no RS. If I'm DW, I'm throwing him out on the field as soon as he can grip the ball.

Paul Zeise: If Bill Stull can't play -- and right now, he is not healthy enough to play and he has not even begun the rehab process -- he can't play. That has nothing to do with the coaches decisions. It is all a matter of how healthy he is or can become.

Run_the_Ball: Should we be concerned that there were signs of the bad tackling returning last week?

Paul Zeise: Yes, as well as the quarterback scrambling and the fact that second and third and long seem to be very manageable downs for opposing teams again. All of that stuff could have been just a bad game or could be a sign of things to come.

Run_the_Ball: Is the UVA QB mobile, the Uconn QB seemd to kill Pitt again last week?

Paul Zeise: Yes, UVA has two quarterbacks, both are mobile and one is apparantly an athlete/runner type so Pitt's defense and discipline on defense will be put to the test yet again.

Panther_Fans_For_Walt: Is Kevan Smith unable to practice/dress for this weekend? If so and we get in a situation where Bostick gets hurt, who will QB? Or will we just see the Wildcat on every play?

Paul Zeise: No Kevan Smith is practicing, healthy and available if Bostick gets hurt or falters. It would be very interesting if Bostick did go down, however, to see if coaches turned to the Wildcat or to Smith......

Run_the_Ball: I got the impression from what I read this week Shady is going to start, but that Wannny still wants to split time with LSH, who is really going to carry the load this week?

Paul Zeise: No, I think McCoy will get the bulk of the work.

Shady4WorldPeace: Paul, is the Offensive line 'Offensive", or is it just a byproduct of players being hurt, not having enough time to jell with one anther, or not being that sound fundamentally?

Paul Zeise: The offensive line is not playing well and frankly it is surprising considering the unit is veteran, they've been with this line coach (Paul Dunn) for more than two years now and they have some talented guys. I don't buy the whole "we haven't had time to jell" bit because it is four games into the season and for the most part, the same guys have played. Joe Thomas had a bad offseason and it has carried over into the season and now he is working hard to catch back up, so that has hurt. The left side of the line has been very good, by the way, the center has been inconsistent and the right side has been, well, inconsistent as well.

DesperationRow: Paul, which scenario is more likely to lead to a bowl game this year: new players for these coaches, or new coaches for these players?

Paul Zeise: A bowl game this year? Um, a kind act of God?

DesperationRow: Paul, can you rank the three losses to UConn in terms of how much they sucked?

Paul Zeise: The first one in 2004 was the least offensive because the team was still finding itself early in the season (and went on to a BCS bid) and because UConn was a bowl team that year and they were pretty good. Last year's was the worst because UConn was not a good team and Pitt had them beat and then lost in the most amazing of fashion. This year's loss to UConn was bad from the standpoint of, Pitt played terribly, looked unprepared, looked in disarray and looked a lot like it didn't have a game plan.

Zap_Rowsdower: I think South Florida is BCS bound this year starting with a win tomorrow over the hoopies. Who do you like in that game?

Paul Zeise: I have no idea, it will be a great game. I guess thinking about it, West Virginia is a better team than South Florida and has something to prove so I'll say the Mountaineers win a close one.

Run_the_Ball: If they 2-10 will they clean house, and if so who might the next coah be?

Paul Zeise: Dave Wannstedt will be the coach next year, so it is a moot point. He may make some staff changes, but he will still be the head coach.

BuseysTwoMeatballSubs: Staying in the Big East, could Louisville fire Kragthorpe if they lose six games? I can't see how the AD would bring him back. They'd be teetering on a Hackett-like disaster with the program.

Paul Zeise: No, I don't think they'd fire him being as he's been their guy for a long time given that Bobby Petrino always had one foot out the door looknig for the next job. He'll get at least another year if not two. The defense just needs to get it together because the offense is still very good.

Run_the_Ball: Given the speed the team is suppose to have, could Pitt move to a spread option?

Paul Zeise: If Pat Bostick doesn't work out --- that could be next, or at least some version of it that includes the Wildcat offense and some of its concepts. Well, that's all the time i have today, I have to run to an appointment. Thanks for the questions and we will do it again next week.