Ether: Any idea how well ticket sales are going for the Sun Bowl?

Paul Zeise: Brisk. I'm kidding and actually I have no idea but "brisk" is the catch-all, be-all marketing/PR guy phrase when asked about ticket sales and it usually means "not as well as we'd hoped ..." But in all seriousness, I haven't asked, but I will next week once they resume practice and whatnot. The allotment they have to sell is so small that they should be able to sell them all.

theWellHungarian: I asked this question yesterday to Jerry, but I wanted to get your thoughts ... If Shady comes back for his junior season, where do you see Pitt ranked? Conversely, If he does opt for the NFL? Also, who would be the featured RB without Shady or LSH?

Paul Zeise: I think if LeSean McCoy comes back -- and Pitt plays very well in the bowl game to finish 10-3 and is ranked, oh I don't know, say 12th or something to end the season -- I really believe they could be a top ten preseason team given what they have coming back and how this season went -- and they should be favored to win the Big East. If McCoy does not come back, I'd say they'll be somewhere in the 18 to 25 range -- South Florida will be picked to win the Big East and Pitt's featured back will either be Shariff Harris or Chris Burns., both of whom have shown flashes.

El_Diablo: Colt McCoy and Michael Crabtree have announced they are returning next year as has another Heisman trophy hopeful , shady McCoy. When are you and your buddy bendel knock off the Shady will change his mind mantra.He loves Pitt, He loves Wanny and he loves the college life. Why is this so hard for you media guys to accept?

Paul Zeise: I'll say it one more time -- when his own coach has reservations about it, why shouldn't we? I hope the kid comes back- it will make a more interesting team to cover that's for sure. But again, when his own coach is telling people to hold off before they declare him back and when people around the program are still not completely sold, the responsible thing as a "media guy and a media guy buddy" is to report the fact that it is a long way between now and declaration day. We don't make up stories, we don't guess at things, we report what we know as has been told to us by people in the know. That's what we do here.

SDWC: Hi Paul, Do you really think that Aaron Berry is deserving of 2nd team all Big East recognition?

Paul Zeise: Based on his ability -- yes. Based on the way he played this year -- no, not at all. He didn't have a very good year on so many levels but he did play well in the final two games when they needed him too.

Bob_Dylan: Paul: How can Pitt be so effective at containing Pat White and struggle so much at containing Tony Pike, who isn't nearly as good as White?

Paul Zeise: Because unlike Pat White, when Tony Pike got outside the pocket he didn't run -- he threw the ball and that put pressure on and attacked Pitt's weakest area this year. Pat White -- Pitt had a good formula for stopping him from the year before and just did a great job of keeping him in the pocket. I also think that in some ways Pat White suffered a little bit from that "Kordell Stewart" syndrome and that is -- guys who don't want to get pigeon-holed as a running quarterback try too hard to prove it by trying to prove they can drop back and pass instead of using their God-given ability as one of the best athletes in the game and tucking it and running wild. He didn't do nearly as much of that this year, some by design, but some it seemed was his option.

The_Essence_of_Man_Bowl: Paul, long-time/first-time. Any truth to the rumor that all male media members who will be covering the Brut Sun Bowl will be required to use Brut after shave by order of law in El Paso?

Paul Zeise: Um, goodness, I don't know. I hope so and I hope we are all given a lifetime supply of the "Moisturizing After Shave Balm with Aloe and Shea Butter" well, because I'm a big fan of it and my tube is running out!!!

Bob_Dylan: Paul: With Matt Cavanaugh being from Youngstown, I am surprised that Pitt has not recruited in that area hardly at all. I would have thought that, with Wannstedt's philosophy of primarily recruiting within 300 miles of Pittsburgh and with the Cavanaugh connection, that Youngstown would have been a major target area of Pitt recruiting every year. Do you have any idea as to why this is not the case?

Paul Zeise: I think they do recruit that area pretty hard, they just haven't landed many from there. Cavanaugh, however, is really only involved in the actual recruiting of one position - quarterback - so his ties to Youngstown aren't really as much of an asset as you think.

JoePaFearsPitt: This team had the best record since the Marino days. Are they really the best team since the Marino days?

Paul Zeise: I think the 2002 team was better than this team and the 1989 team was likely better as well -- and mostly because those teams were much better at quarterback and had more legitimate NFL guys on the field. This is still a very good team though and I really think that it is underappreciated for how good it is.

swiss_cheese: What is Pitt's allotment of tix for Sun Bowl?

Paul Zeise: From what the guy told me it is only something between like 6,500 and 7,500 tickets -- which is about half of what it is usually is. The key is, the stadium only holds, I think, 51,000 or so and so many of the tickets are sold locally -- this apparently is one of the town's biggest events every year.

jimmy_g: There has been a lot of discussion lately in your Q&A about the QB situation. Personally, I like Bill Stull but believe that he is holding the team back in spite of the fact that he is the best they have. Do you believe that the coaching staff agrees with this?

Paul Zeise: I think the coaching staff knows he gives them the best chance they have to win and they believe that if they call the right plays and put him in the right situations he will be successful. The team is 9-3, he must have done something right. I know it is easy to criticize the guy and he isn't as good as he needs to be, but he did contribute to this team and right now he's there best option.

road2ElPaso: Paul, did Scott McKillop get invited to play in the Senior Bowl? Did any other Pitt player get invited to play in one of the many All-Star games?

Paul Zeise: You know I had thought I had heard this but I don't know if it is official yet. I will check into that but I would imagine he, and possibly C.J. Davis and Conredge Collins, would be the ones the Senior Bowl would look at

SDWC: It seems apparent to me that whether or not Shady returns next year, the only way the Panthers improve on their record is if the QB play is upgraded, regardless of how that is accomplished.

Paul Zeise: I am not arguing with that one bit. In fact, I've said the same thing, over, and, over, and over, and over -- Pitt needs to get much, much better quarterback play next year than it did this year if it wants to win the Big East.

frustratedfan: I know you have discussed the Q-Back situation extensively and accept your opinion and the coaches opinion that Stull is better than Bostick. Could you comment on what the former Gatorade player of the year lacks vs. what impressed so many knowledgeable people 2 years ago. There sure are a lot of less heralded kids than him during very well on several teams. I know you are probably tired of this subject but it is just so hard to imagine that this kid is no where near as capable as Bill Stull who is simply not very good.

Paul Zeise: Pat Bostick should have spent last year redshirtting and working on his physical tools, his release, his arm strength, his fitness --everything else. He should have spent this year as the back-up to a senior Bill Stull and continuing to work on those things. Stull got hurt, Bostick was thrust into a situation where he wasn't prepared for it so his entire freshman season was wasted because, although he got experience, he didn't get better in the areas he needed to. I think another offseason of working with Matt, working on his mechanics, his release, his fitness will do him a world of good. He can certainly be competitive in spring football for the starting job. As for star rankings and all that stuff, I have no idea. He was very productive in high school and he must have went to some 7 v 7 camps and did well enough to impress enough of the key people to get ranked as high as he did. He can still be a good player, he's just not ready and it really isn't his fault. He should be a re

PittDC: Is anyone injured going into Bowl practice right now?

Paul Zeise: Not that I know, but again, next week once practice begins and we get back into the daily routine of talking with coach Wannstedt and the coaches and players, we'll know more. This week has been a nice break away from the team but we'll get back at it next week. The one guy who has been hurt is Tommie Duhart (ankle) but the fact that he has disappeared almost all together for the second half of the season and the injury didn't seem to be that major, seems to suggest that maybe he's found a dog house to reside in.

frustratedfan: Paul: Earlier in the year it seemed that Joe Thomas was not living up the coaches expectations. Has that changed and is he viewed more favorably now?

Paul Zeise: Yes, Joe had a very good year. He wasn't perfect, he wasn't necessarily dominant but he was productive and he showed flashes of the kind of player they were hoping he'd be. He really was very consistent and that was the one area that dogged him, consistency. It will be interesting to see how the graduation of CJ Davis is handled. Assuming Houser is back healthy, will they fill that guard spot with Thomas and put Nix at tackle, or will they move Malecki there and put Jacobson in Malecki's spot or will they put Nix at that guard spot and leave Thomas at tackle -- things that make you go hmmmm?

SDWC: Do you see any juniors on the roster that might try the NFL draft this spring?

Paul Zeise: McCoy is the only one who SHOULD even be thinking about it. Earlier this year, some of the players and people around the program were saying that Aaron Berry had "NFL on the mind" but I can't believe after the season he's had that is still the case. He needs to go back to school and have a much better season next year if he wants a chance to get drafted

Bob_Dylan: Hi Paul: You provided an interesting profile of the quarterback situation on the team in one of last week's Q&As. It is clear from what you said that the coaches are very disappointed in Pat Bostick's performance to date. It seems that the coaches, like the fans and the media, expected Bostick to be the quarterback of the future. And for him to not even be competitive with an average quarterback like Bill Stull, who has really struggled at times this year, has been a major surprise. Will you please elaborate on the specifics of how Bostick has not done as well as the coaches thought he would when they recruited him? Have the coaches reached the conclusion that Bostick's deficiencies are significant enough that they don't think he will ever become the franchise quarterback that they envisioned?

Paul Zeise: This seems similar to the question about Bostick before, I can't tell -- let me add, the coaches haven't given up on Bostick and still hope he can develop into a player.

The_Essence_of_Man_Bowl: Paul, long-time/first-time. How freaking awesome is that song El Paso? Will it be stuck in your head the whole time you're down there?

Paul Zeise: Whose version of the song el paso are we discussing?

swiss_cheese: I know that Pitt had 5 int against UConn but that was due to awful QB Play. However, why is it that Pitt's corners hardly ever look back for the ball in coverage. Are they taught to not look back by the coaches?

Paul Zeise: Well the cynical "media guy" answer is -- because they are always chasing the receivers they are supposed to be covering since they are usually five steps behind. In truth, they are supposed to be turning and locating the ball. It has happened too many times like you've described and that is just an awareness thing.

The_Essence_of_Man_Bowl: Paul, long-time/first-time. What kind of after shave do you use?

Paul Zeise: I've already said.....Brut with Aloe and Shea Butter

PittfanTJ: Is Oregon St's win against USC the only reason they are favored to win the Sun Bowl?

Paul Zeise: No I think also because they stayed within 50 points of Penn State, who some of their fans, you know, the ones who insist that Penn State doesn't care about Pitt, have told me is the greatest team to ever lace the shoes up. That is probably more impressive, obviously, especially at Happy Valley, where the greatest teams, teams like Temple and Coastal Carolina, unsuccessfully try their best to compete ... I'm just joking, sort of ... As for why is Oregon State favored -- they did finish very strong (though the Oregon game was not exactly a ringing endorsement) and they are in a league that is perceived to be stronger than the Big East.

wanny: Will there be any changes to the coaching staff for next year?

Paul Zeise: It will be very interesting. I think there's a chance that there could be one or two. Phil Bennet is obviously the one who people are keeping an eye on just because he never really moved here and seems to want to get back closer to his home. But he has a good situation here so who knows, perhaps he will decide to make this a more permanent situation. There could also be the - position coach looking to move forward in his career type of move - but I think the changes will be minor at best. Even if Bennett would leave, I would think that Wannstedt would consider promoting Greg Gattuso in the interest of continuity, especially since the defensive staff is a year more experienced.

jimmy_g: Do you think that Dave Wannstedt is finally putting behind the "can't win the big game" tag? If so when will he be able to stop losing the ones he shouldn't (Ohio, Navy, Bowling Green)?

Paul Zeise: That's a great question. This was a very good year for him and for the team. I think he may have learned some things in the Bowling Green loss and I can't believe they'll let something like that happen again. The key games next year will be the games against teams -- Notre Dame, USF, West Virginia, Rutgers -- who have equal or close to equal talent as Pitt will. The Panthers must win those games to win the Big East.

wanny: What's the latest on recruiting?

Paul Zeise: It gas been very, very quiet right now but it will heat up in January. Pitt doesn't have many scholarships left and I think they are trying now to reel in the late-breaking bigger fish.

PittfanTJ: If Shady does end up staying at Pitt do you think that will that cause some of the current roster RB's to transfer somewhere they will get more PT?

Paul Zeise: I think that could happen regardless. There is obviously a bit of a log jam there and not enough balls to keep everyone happy. I think this will be one of the most interesting offseasons for a lot of reasons, in a while, and mostly because next year's team will be so eagerly anticipated. OK Folks, thanks for the questions -- we will do this again on Dec. 30th, the day before the game and then in January to wrap up the season and really take a look at recruiting.