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Pitt football Q&A with Paul Zeise
Tuesday, August 05, 2008

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Q: Being that we (Pitt) is so strong at wide receiver. Do you see us going to a four wide receiver set on occassions with LeSean McCoy the lone running back?

Larry Harris, Beaumont, Texas

ZEISE: I could see four receiver sets -- but I'd be willing to bet the fourth "receiver" will either be tight ends Nate Byham or Dorin Dickerson split out wide because this is a formation we saw some last year. And i'd be careful talking about how much depth there is at receiver because, with Maurice Williams out of the picture, Pitt is really down to four experienced guys -- Derek Kinder, Cedric McGee, Oderick Turner and TJ Porter, which means one injury to any of them could be devastating unless a few of the talented freshmen are ready to play.




Q: Any chance that Henry Hynoski will see playing time this year?

Randy Flick, Indiana, Pa.

ZEISE: Yes, particularly since he has moved up to second string thanks to the academic ineligiblity of Shane Brooks. Hynoski is also a better blocker than Conredge Collins, so he'll probably see some time on those merits alone and in the spring he showed he is a powerful short yardage runner so I'd expect to see him on the field in at least some limited capacity this year before taking over as the starter next year.




Q: Is it really good that Pitt has no linemen over 300 pounds?

Marc Thirkell, New Bern, N.C.

ZEISE: I think that if you see these guys you say yes because they aren't fat and that is a good thing. I mean, they have shed 25 pounds a man (on average) but have not given up strength and have added speed, athleticism, quickness -- they'll move a lot better and won't get beat quite so much by speed rushers. I agree you don't want to get too small, but we're still talking about 285 and 290 pound guys, they are just a bit leaner and in much better shape than before. Fat guys that can't move are not good linemen and Pitt has had too many of them in that category in recent years. I think this line has a chance to be very good.




Q: Paul, what do you make of Coach Wannstedt taking over as Special Teams coach? Will we see a difference in the Special Teams play because of it? Also, who do you see returning kicks, both kickoffs and punts, this season?

Reed Kohberger, Columbia, Md.

ZEISE: I don't think there will be much of a difference -- former special teams coach Charlie Partridge left late in the process last winter and rather than try to find a new special teams coach, Wannstedt just took them over but he has delegated a lot of the responsibilities, so you won't see many differences, perhaps a few little wrinkles. I think LaRod Stephens-Howling and Aundre Wright will do a lot of the kick-off returning and Aaron Berry, TJ Porter or Wright or even Cam Saddler will be in the mix to return punts. There is a lot of talent and with all these young athletes, a lot of speed, on the Panthers special teams so they should be a strength of the team.




Q: Do you think the Pitt coaches have finally settled in as college coaches and the college game?

Frank Stosic, Munhall

ZEISE: Yes -- and I think that adjustment period to the college game took a little longer than normal and mostly because Dave Wannstedt had been in the NFL for so long. Perhaps the three biggest signs that the coaching staff -- and in particular the head coach and offensive coordinator -- have finally adjusted to the college game are (1) the Wildcat offense, an admission that a pure pro-style West Coast offense is a dinosaur in college football, which is why few teams still use it (2) the hiring of Phil Bennett, a college defensive coordinator with experience defending college offenses, as opposed to one of Wannstedt's NFL cronies and (3) the recruitment of Greg Cross - a multiple-threat quarterback with the skill set to run a variety of spread and option offenses. I think this change from a pure NFL mentality to a college mentality was easy to see at some point during last season and to me it is the biggest reason I expect this team to improve dramatically this year.

First published on August 5, 2008 at 3:48 pm