Q: I'd like to see Jonathan Baldwin, Cedric McGee and LaRod Stephens-Howling on the field a lot more against Iowa because they seem to be difference makers. Do you think that will happen?

Steve S.

State College

Zeise: Stephens-Howling and McGee play a lot and I don't know why that would change, though the star of the receivers in the Buffalo game was TJ Porter who is clearly healthy now. I think his playing time will cut into McGee's but both will play a lot, so I think that both will have a chance to continue to make plays. As for Baldwin, well, this has been an ongoing story and while coaches have talked about using him more, they have yet to. Now with a bye week and extra week to get him some work, you'd think he'd be able to get on the field.

Q: How do you develop depth if you aren't playing your roster?

Greg Smith

Providence, R.I.

Zeise: That is a great point and one I made earlier this week when someone asked about where all the back-up linebackers are. I think there are plenty of guys on this team who, if they were given an opportunity to play and play with any amount of regularity, they'd be able to grow into their positions and become productive players. I think sometimes coaches put too much emphasis on class work and film study and probably hold the development of kids back some by not putting them on the field in situations that they will have a chance to succeed. It is ridiculous that no other linebacker other than a converted receiver (Austin Ransom), for instance, was ready to step in and play. There are guys with more talent who just need a shot. By the same token, there are a number of players on this team who either (a) aren't good enough to play at this level or (b) have been badly over-rated and over-hyped and thus are being unfairly judged by their inability to get on the field.

Q: While Bill Stull played better on Saturday than against BG, there were some throws that were just awful against Buffalo. You mentioned the two incomplete passes with three minutes left - one a swing pass to the RB, the other to the TE, and they weren't even close to the target. You can't run a West Coast offense if the QB can't even complete a swing pass to the running back, right?

Steve Foglia

Monoghahela, Pa.

Zeise: That is true -- the two things you must do in a West Coast offense is throw on time and throw with great accuracy. I would argue Bill Stull can run this system and he can run it well. I'd say the main problem with the two plays you described is in the design of the routes as they had no chance at all to work, even if they had connected. And frankly -- why are you throwing sideways passes at that point in the game, when you should be (a) working the clock and forcing Buffalo to use time-outs and (b) trying to score to put the game out of reach. Those two plays were doomed to failure and if you look at a number of those kinds of routes in Pitt's offense, they just don't seem to be very well designed. Stull throws the ball well enough to be an effective quarterback, but I think he and the potential receivers of his passes would be more effective with a little tweaking of the scheme and the design of the offense and in particular the routes that are run by tight ends and players coming out of the backfield.