Steve Pederson is going to be the New AD. Count me as ecstatic about this. I know some people who aren't going to be happy about it.
Pitt Brings Back Pederson as Athletic Director
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Some Rumblings
Well, I thought I'd share with you some info about Pitt that you probably won't read else where (for a while at least).
First off, on the recruiting front don't expect any type of flurry of activity for at least a couple of weeks. Right now we are in very good shape with Jonathan Baldwin which will help us out at the TE position to replace Strong.
Clemson is making a strong push for Averin Collier. Plans were for him to make an annoucement soon, but expect him to hold back to see if any major shake ups happen. If I were to bet, I'd still say that Averin is going to follow his brother to Pitt.
Pitt just offered Andrew Taglianetti. He doesn't have many "big" offers and really isn't rated high on any of the scouting services. He is considered to be a special teams demon though. He is the type of player that could make an impact for 4 years on special teams alone if he came to Pitt. Based upon the offer and the lack of others, there is a good chance he will take it and stay close to home.
The rumor mill is generating speculation that Dorin will be moving to tight end with a possible redshirt so that he can learn the position and not go through another wasteful year of learning on the go. I'd say right now that the chances of this happening are about 25%. It really depends on the development of our younger linebackers, how impressed the coaches are with the in coming linebacker recruits (Manny Williams and soon to be Steve Gardiner). Also the coaches are very happy with the running backs and want to make sure that whomever is quarterback next year has the best set of receiver options around him. So you can say it makes sense to put Dorin at TE to allow Nate to be used as a blocking TE when needed. It could also give Baldwin time to develop. If the younger/incoming linebackers struggle, don't expect to see Dorin moved.
Pitt is still looking for QB recruit for this class. Zach Stoudt and Tino Sunseri seem to be the most likely at this point. Sunseri has almost completely backed out of his Louisville commitment. Pitt wasn't involved early with Sunseri due to the Pryor situation, already having 4 qb's on the roster (Dexter Davidson included), and a false thought that he would be a Pitt lock if offered. One of the most likely situations to see Tino at Pitt is if John Fox and crew are fired from the Carolina Panthers. That would free up his father Sal Sunseri who is the DLine coach there. If for some reason Sal would come back to Pittsburgh (for employment or just to live) then I would expect Tino to be a Panther. One other prospect to keep your eye on is Josh Vick. He wasn't recruited too much at first, but interest started to pick up after our QB problems arose this season. If he gets an offer he will take it. If you remember the Luke Getsy recruiting situation from a few years back then this should remind you of the same thing.
Terrelle Pryor is still being heavily recruited by Pitt. Some say Pitt was really never eliminated while others say Pitt was never in it. He was quoted as saying he wants to play from day 1 and wants to play both sports at a big university. His future is at Qb and not in the NBA, and if he wants a team he could start at immediately then Pitt would be it. At WVU thoughts are Pat White will return next year which would leave Pryor on the bench, but they could use him in basketball. Texas and Ohio State are the other big 2 involved but they already have their quarterbacks of the future. While my bias says Pitt is the best fit, expect sweater-vest to shell out the money and land Pryor for OSU.
Next years camp will feature the current 3 quarterbacks plus which ever freshman we bring in a competition for the starting job. I really don't see the coaches picking anyone but Stull unless we get Pryor. In that case expect Bostick to redshirt and come back for the 2009 or 2010 season.
Kennard Cox will be starting at corner against WVU, but look for Pitt to pull him in favor of Jovanni and faster db's to try and offset the speed of WVU. As has been said here before, the coaches and the rest of us aren't too worried about getting beat through the air off of Pat White's arm.
Thats all for now.
First off, on the recruiting front don't expect any type of flurry of activity for at least a couple of weeks. Right now we are in very good shape with Jonathan Baldwin which will help us out at the TE position to replace Strong.
Clemson is making a strong push for Averin Collier. Plans were for him to make an annoucement soon, but expect him to hold back to see if any major shake ups happen. If I were to bet, I'd still say that Averin is going to follow his brother to Pitt.
Pitt just offered Andrew Taglianetti. He doesn't have many "big" offers and really isn't rated high on any of the scouting services. He is considered to be a special teams demon though. He is the type of player that could make an impact for 4 years on special teams alone if he came to Pitt. Based upon the offer and the lack of others, there is a good chance he will take it and stay close to home.
The rumor mill is generating speculation that Dorin will be moving to tight end with a possible redshirt so that he can learn the position and not go through another wasteful year of learning on the go. I'd say right now that the chances of this happening are about 25%. It really depends on the development of our younger linebackers, how impressed the coaches are with the in coming linebacker recruits (Manny Williams and soon to be Steve Gardiner). Also the coaches are very happy with the running backs and want to make sure that whomever is quarterback next year has the best set of receiver options around him. So you can say it makes sense to put Dorin at TE to allow Nate to be used as a blocking TE when needed. It could also give Baldwin time to develop. If the younger/incoming linebackers struggle, don't expect to see Dorin moved.
Pitt is still looking for QB recruit for this class. Zach Stoudt and Tino Sunseri seem to be the most likely at this point. Sunseri has almost completely backed out of his Louisville commitment. Pitt wasn't involved early with Sunseri due to the Pryor situation, already having 4 qb's on the roster (Dexter Davidson included), and a false thought that he would be a Pitt lock if offered. One of the most likely situations to see Tino at Pitt is if John Fox and crew are fired from the Carolina Panthers. That would free up his father Sal Sunseri who is the DLine coach there. If for some reason Sal would come back to Pittsburgh (for employment or just to live) then I would expect Tino to be a Panther. One other prospect to keep your eye on is Josh Vick. He wasn't recruited too much at first, but interest started to pick up after our QB problems arose this season. If he gets an offer he will take it. If you remember the Luke Getsy recruiting situation from a few years back then this should remind you of the same thing.
Terrelle Pryor is still being heavily recruited by Pitt. Some say Pitt was really never eliminated while others say Pitt was never in it. He was quoted as saying he wants to play from day 1 and wants to play both sports at a big university. His future is at Qb and not in the NBA, and if he wants a team he could start at immediately then Pitt would be it. At WVU thoughts are Pat White will return next year which would leave Pryor on the bench, but they could use him in basketball. Texas and Ohio State are the other big 2 involved but they already have their quarterbacks of the future. While my bias says Pitt is the best fit, expect sweater-vest to shell out the money and land Pryor for OSU.
Next years camp will feature the current 3 quarterbacks plus which ever freshman we bring in a competition for the starting job. I really don't see the coaches picking anyone but Stull unless we get Pryor. In that case expect Bostick to redshirt and come back for the 2009 or 2010 season.
Kennard Cox will be starting at corner against WVU, but look for Pitt to pull him in favor of Jovanni and faster db's to try and offset the speed of WVU. As has been said here before, the coaches and the rest of us aren't too worried about getting beat through the air off of Pat White's arm.
Thats all for now.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Don't Root Against Pitt
On the surface a Big East team getting into the National Title game is great, it brings prestige and attention to the conference. If WVU beats Pitt by a significant margin on Saturday they will have a legitimate claim to one spot in the National Title game. Our season has been over since the phantom pass interference call against Rutgers; why do we need to ruin WVU chances to win the National Title?
Obviously, they are the main rivals that we have (actually the rival that we actually get to play). I think effects of WVU winning and getting the BCS National Title will be felt for years and years to come. WVU will get the boost in recruiting of being on TV and being in the discussion of the national sports media, something we never get in football other than to take swipes at our coaching staff or to laud the rare great player. Potential recruits are going to get to see pieces about Dick Rod turning around the WVU football program, making him look better in their eyes (many of whom we both go after). Wannstedt has done a terrific job of bringing in the top talent in the region but what happens if WVU gets even more of those kids? Wannstedt isn't Walt Harris he can't win games with second-rate recruits, in order to win games we need top recruits all over the field.
Do me a favor next time somebody tells you that WVU beating us is good for the Big East and therefore good for us, tell them to shut up. WVU winning and getting a shot at the National Title is going to be horrible for us and will continue to separate the two the programs. Right now WVU is light-years ahead of us in coaching. Position for position we probably have more talent but that means nothing to us because we don't have the expert coaching they have in Morgantown. I hate Dick Rod's arrogance but I really respect what he has done with what the reality is at WVU, he is a great college coach who is on the fast track to a marquee job.
If WVU dominates and puts a stamp on us to end their season I'm very concerned about what this means for WVU on signing day. Terrell Pryor is out there and he has WVU in the picture, if they can get him away from the bigger schools we are screwed. Pryor would basically be Pat White Version 2.0 and Noel Devine would be Steve Slaton 2.0. Do we get another win this decade against the Hoopies if they reload in such a big way?
So if you root for WVU on Saturday you might as well keep rooting for them over us for the foreseeable future. Screw the Big East we need to look out for Number 1.
Obviously, they are the main rivals that we have (actually the rival that we actually get to play). I think effects of WVU winning and getting the BCS National Title will be felt for years and years to come. WVU will get the boost in recruiting of being on TV and being in the discussion of the national sports media, something we never get in football other than to take swipes at our coaching staff or to laud the rare great player. Potential recruits are going to get to see pieces about Dick Rod turning around the WVU football program, making him look better in their eyes (many of whom we both go after). Wannstedt has done a terrific job of bringing in the top talent in the region but what happens if WVU gets even more of those kids? Wannstedt isn't Walt Harris he can't win games with second-rate recruits, in order to win games we need top recruits all over the field.
Do me a favor next time somebody tells you that WVU beating us is good for the Big East and therefore good for us, tell them to shut up. WVU winning and getting a shot at the National Title is going to be horrible for us and will continue to separate the two the programs. Right now WVU is light-years ahead of us in coaching. Position for position we probably have more talent but that means nothing to us because we don't have the expert coaching they have in Morgantown. I hate Dick Rod's arrogance but I really respect what he has done with what the reality is at WVU, he is a great college coach who is on the fast track to a marquee job.
If WVU dominates and puts a stamp on us to end their season I'm very concerned about what this means for WVU on signing day. Terrell Pryor is out there and he has WVU in the picture, if they can get him away from the bigger schools we are screwed. Pryor would basically be Pat White Version 2.0 and Noel Devine would be Steve Slaton 2.0. Do we get another win this decade against the Hoopies if they reload in such a big way?
So if you root for WVU on Saturday you might as well keep rooting for them over us for the foreseeable future. Screw the Big East we need to look out for Number 1.
Monday, November 26, 2007
We appreciate defense.
It is true, as a city, we love the defensive side of the game. It is just a shame that we aren't where we should be defensively. Paul Rhoads in all likely scenarios has saved his job. Unless WVU puts up 60 points on us, I really believe that Wanny will keep him around since the defense did play better in the latter half of the season. The UConn and UVa losses put Rhoads in a tough spot but the opponents had a short field most of the time due to poor coaching decisions and because of turnovers. While the defense did improve, they did not come up big when we needed them to. The two freshest examples are Grothe's 80 yard td to start the 2nd half last week, and Louisville's late touchdown drive to put them ahead of Pitt late in the 4th quarter. There are only a handful of games I can remember since 2001 where the defense has held on tight to preserve a win. Usually the defense keeps us in games but the offense is so incompetent that we over look some of the defensive mistakes because of the poor play of the offense. Under Walt, Rhoads had a ton of talent. Claude Harriot, HB, Lewis Moore, Gerald Hayes, Torrie Cox, Shawnte Spencer, and Ramon Walker just to name a few. The defenses then were fine because most of those guys were NFL players. The funny thing is though, you do not need NFL caliber players to succeed as a team in college football. If you get guys who play well as a unit and have an effective scheme you can make up for those short comings. Now on this team we're finally starting to see some players who will be in the nfl. Outside of HB, Clint, and Revis last year not many of the players were seen as impact players at their position. This year, Romeus, Mustakas, Duhart, Clermond, McKillop JR, and Berry have all taken strides to be considered more than above average players. On the flip side of that we have McKillop Sr, Mick Williams, Adam Gunn, Jameel Brady, Mike Phillips, Eric Thatcher, and Kennard Cox who have all seen significant playing time. The problem with those guys is that they are well below average college players (except Mick) and they are taking away from guys that should be seeing the field more.
Next year at DLine we are in the best shape I have ever seen in my 7 years at Pitt. Romeus, Duhart, Malecki, Mustakas, Tucker, and Sheard will all be returning and should make up the best front four in the Big East. Hopefully we get the right players in there from the start. This year there is no reason why Romeus and Duhart should not be on the field to start the game and for every play they can possibly be out there. Those two are HUGE impact players and can really make a difference in a game.
At linebacker we are in the worst shape we have ever been in. Scott McKillop is the only one who has shown he deserves a scholarship on this team. Brady, Gunn, Dell, and Murray are all awful. They have been given significant playing time and continue to embarrass themselves week after week. I was one of the many that felt Dorin would be an impact player on defense. During the pre-season practices he looked amazing. He made solid wrap up tackles, was in position, and never avoided contact. However, during games it appears he makes too many mistakes. It could have been that our offense was so bad during practice that it made Dorin look great, or it could have been that Dorin was given so few opportunities that he never had a chance to prove himself. To me, it always looked like he would be in for one play then go out and get yelled at on the sidelines. I hope Dorin continues to work hard in the offseason and improves to earn a starting spot. He is big enough and strong enough that just based upon ability he should be able to play well in his last two years here. Nate Nix and Dan Loheyde were two of our most highly regarded freshman linebacker recruits last year but both ended up redshirting this year. Add into the mix Tristian Roberts and Max Gruder, that gives us hope that one of those 4 can step up to earn a starting spot alongside Scott McKillop. It is unfortunate to know that this staff will only play the upperclassmen so get ready for another year of Gunn, McKillop, and Murray at linebacker. To be honest, I really would like to see McKillop (obviously), with Nix and Dickerson filling up the other two spots. That would allow us to rotate Loheyde and the others to find out who really are the best linebackers on this team.
At defensive back we have seen the biggest mismanagement of the year. Cox, Phillips and Thatcher have been god awful. I was very disappointed in the season that Thatcher has produced because in the short amount of time he played in the 06 season, he really dominated. It looks like he lost some intensity when he was injured last year and that really is a shame. Dom Dicicco is a heavy hitter and is arguably the 2nd best safety on this team behind Elijah Fields. If Elijah can get his off the field problems solved then there will be no excuse for both of them to be starters next season. I am willing to bet that next years starters will be Fields and Thatcher at the safety spots.
At the beginning of the season I was ready to anoint Aaron Berry the best defensive player on the team without actually playing one game yet. I was really disappointed to see him not see much action early in the season due to his ankle injury and I questioned why Ricky Gary was in the game. In the time that Gary was on the field all he did was cover his receivers and play good solid football. His reward was to never see the field and when Cox was yanked later in the season he was replaced by Jovanni Chappel. Don't get me wrong, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jovanni, but I really feel that Ricky earned that spot based upon his play early in the season. For next year we know Berry will be our #1 corner. It will be interesting to see what happens with the other spot. Chappel is now the most seasoned corner of those remaining. Ricky Gary played well and should be given a shot. We also have the lightning fast Buddy Jackson, as well as the Chris Ball stolen from Alabama redshirt freshman Sherod Murdoch. I expect Berry and Chappel only based upon experience but I think this is the only defensive position battle that the staff will objectively look at and actually pick the best player to start.
Rhoads has his strengths and his weaknesses. I really hate our bend don't break defense. It has cost us in the past, and will most likely cost us in the future. Paul Rhoads should be ashamed of his work with the linebackers this year. Outside of McKillop they have been by far the worst performing position on the field (and thats saying a lot with how bad the O-line was). The corners improved throughout the season and the DLine is amazing. I don't expect one single change on defense. I really would like to see a linebackers coach brought in and let Rhoads call the plays if he is going to stay. Greg Gattuso is an amazing coach and should be considered a top candidate to become a defensive coordinator very soon. Chris Ball has taken some criticism from us, but to me, I think he is worth keeping around. I just really hope we can get someone from outside to teach these linebackers how to play smart, how to play physical, and how to be complete players.
Like I said, it will take a 60 point performance by WVU to raise questions of Rhoads getting fired. He may find a job as a head coach else where and if he does, we really need to consider making Gattuso our DC. Congrats Paul Rhoads, these last few games have saved your job when I once considered you to be the first casualty of Pitt football this season. If you are back, please just play the best players. Please be aggressive when the time calls for it. Please call for some nickel and dime packages on 3rd and longs. And to satisfy the yinzer in me, please let me see some blitzing.
BEAT THE HOOPIES!
Next year at DLine we are in the best shape I have ever seen in my 7 years at Pitt. Romeus, Duhart, Malecki, Mustakas, Tucker, and Sheard will all be returning and should make up the best front four in the Big East. Hopefully we get the right players in there from the start. This year there is no reason why Romeus and Duhart should not be on the field to start the game and for every play they can possibly be out there. Those two are HUGE impact players and can really make a difference in a game.
At linebacker we are in the worst shape we have ever been in. Scott McKillop is the only one who has shown he deserves a scholarship on this team. Brady, Gunn, Dell, and Murray are all awful. They have been given significant playing time and continue to embarrass themselves week after week. I was one of the many that felt Dorin would be an impact player on defense. During the pre-season practices he looked amazing. He made solid wrap up tackles, was in position, and never avoided contact. However, during games it appears he makes too many mistakes. It could have been that our offense was so bad during practice that it made Dorin look great, or it could have been that Dorin was given so few opportunities that he never had a chance to prove himself. To me, it always looked like he would be in for one play then go out and get yelled at on the sidelines. I hope Dorin continues to work hard in the offseason and improves to earn a starting spot. He is big enough and strong enough that just based upon ability he should be able to play well in his last two years here. Nate Nix and Dan Loheyde were two of our most highly regarded freshman linebacker recruits last year but both ended up redshirting this year. Add into the mix Tristian Roberts and Max Gruder, that gives us hope that one of those 4 can step up to earn a starting spot alongside Scott McKillop. It is unfortunate to know that this staff will only play the upperclassmen so get ready for another year of Gunn, McKillop, and Murray at linebacker. To be honest, I really would like to see McKillop (obviously), with Nix and Dickerson filling up the other two spots. That would allow us to rotate Loheyde and the others to find out who really are the best linebackers on this team.
At defensive back we have seen the biggest mismanagement of the year. Cox, Phillips and Thatcher have been god awful. I was very disappointed in the season that Thatcher has produced because in the short amount of time he played in the 06 season, he really dominated. It looks like he lost some intensity when he was injured last year and that really is a shame. Dom Dicicco is a heavy hitter and is arguably the 2nd best safety on this team behind Elijah Fields. If Elijah can get his off the field problems solved then there will be no excuse for both of them to be starters next season. I am willing to bet that next years starters will be Fields and Thatcher at the safety spots.
At the beginning of the season I was ready to anoint Aaron Berry the best defensive player on the team without actually playing one game yet. I was really disappointed to see him not see much action early in the season due to his ankle injury and I questioned why Ricky Gary was in the game. In the time that Gary was on the field all he did was cover his receivers and play good solid football. His reward was to never see the field and when Cox was yanked later in the season he was replaced by Jovanni Chappel. Don't get me wrong, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jovanni, but I really feel that Ricky earned that spot based upon his play early in the season. For next year we know Berry will be our #1 corner. It will be interesting to see what happens with the other spot. Chappel is now the most seasoned corner of those remaining. Ricky Gary played well and should be given a shot. We also have the lightning fast Buddy Jackson, as well as the Chris Ball stolen from Alabama redshirt freshman Sherod Murdoch. I expect Berry and Chappel only based upon experience but I think this is the only defensive position battle that the staff will objectively look at and actually pick the best player to start.
Rhoads has his strengths and his weaknesses. I really hate our bend don't break defense. It has cost us in the past, and will most likely cost us in the future. Paul Rhoads should be ashamed of his work with the linebackers this year. Outside of McKillop they have been by far the worst performing position on the field (and thats saying a lot with how bad the O-line was). The corners improved throughout the season and the DLine is amazing. I don't expect one single change on defense. I really would like to see a linebackers coach brought in and let Rhoads call the plays if he is going to stay. Greg Gattuso is an amazing coach and should be considered a top candidate to become a defensive coordinator very soon. Chris Ball has taken some criticism from us, but to me, I think he is worth keeping around. I just really hope we can get someone from outside to teach these linebackers how to play smart, how to play physical, and how to be complete players.
Like I said, it will take a 60 point performance by WVU to raise questions of Rhoads getting fired. He may find a job as a head coach else where and if he does, we really need to consider making Gattuso our DC. Congrats Paul Rhoads, these last few games have saved your job when I once considered you to be the first casualty of Pitt football this season. If you are back, please just play the best players. Please be aggressive when the time calls for it. Please call for some nickel and dime packages on 3rd and longs. And to satisfy the yinzer in me, please let me see some blitzing.
BEAT THE HOOPIES!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
2008
It's officially over. 7 losses with the 8th only a few days ahead will end what has to be the most disappointing season in recent history for our Pitt Panthers. We've all had our expectations and opinions change throughout this season and it has been an interesting ride. After a 2-0 start and a close loss to MSU, I really thought this team was on the right track. Kevan Smith played an awful game and we all thought it was Bostick or Williams time. Bostick came in and didn't play all too poorly for a freshman. After last game, the same fans who turned on Smith have now turned on Bostick. It's a shame because Pat is only an 18 year old freshman who was expecting to redshirt this year. Instead he was thrown to the wolves on a team with a horrendous offensive line. I don't expect to see Pat play qb for another 2 years as he will most likely be redshirted next year and have Bill Stull be the qb until the end of the 09 season.
Shady McCoy was a very bright spot on this team. He, like Bostick, was allowed to play thanks to an injury to 2nd string running back Kevin Collier. Against MSU, Hot-Rod was hurt and Shady won the starting job. After some fumble-itis, a strong rumor went around that the coaching staff was going to bench him in favor of Hot-Rod. Next year will be interesting as all 3 running backs will return and all deserve some playing time. Along with the backs we will have an interesting situation with Conredge Collins and Henry Hynoski. Hynoski, as far as I know, should still be inline for a redshirt. Mix this in with Collins (hopefully) coming back for his senior season we may have a problem brewing. Collins should be seeing more time, but we go without a fullback on many plays. Next year we will have an outstanding core of running backs and fullbacks but who knows how it will be split up.
The wide receivers will get a major boost with Derek Kinder coming back for a senior season. TJ Porter will hopefully remain as the teams number 2 WR with Mo Williams and Aundre Wright battling it out for 3rd and 4th spots. Pestano and Turner have been major disappointments and I really can't see any reason that would justify either of them having a top spot on the team.
At TE, Nate Byham should be on the field for every play. This year he has had to take a backseat to lazy Darrell Strong. Strong has run poor routes, taken plays off, and been the reason why Nate was not allowed to go over the middle to catch passes since Strong's inadequate blocking made him very 1-dimensional. Nate, Pelusi, and hopefully a 3rd TE can be brought in (Mike Cruz, wanna come back?) to help the line with blocking as well as improving the offense with more passing options.
Our offensive line has killed us ever since I have been at Pitt. It seems like we always have one or two guys that are very good, but the other three just completely ruin the line. This year the combo of Otah, Davis, Vangas, Thomas/Bachman, and McGlynn have been awful. Otah is the only one with NFL hopes. Yes McGlynn, I am saying you will not be in the NFL, sorry. Next year, a healthy Jason Pinkston and Chris Jacobsen will return to help bolster the line. Lucas Nix should be a starter too, but I say SHOULD BE, not will be. We all know that Wannstedt loves to play the older, and in most cases, shittier players. Next year's line must be this going from left tackle to right tackle: Pinkston, Jacobsen, Davis, Thomas/Bachman, Nix.
If we go with that our offense should be good enough to win 6 games on talent alone regardless of poor play calling. Cavanaugh will most likely be in the NFL. If he can't find a job there, expect him to be back in the blue and gold calling more draws and bubble screens.
Hill, Walker, and Angelichio will all be fine and should keep their jobs. Paul Dunn is the only casualty that the offense will and needs to see. If Dunn is not fired at the end of this year then we have no one to blame other than Wanny himself. I do believe that Nordenberg will meet with Wanny to say something needs to happen, so Dunn will be what happens. We also need to have a quarterback coach that isn't also our offensive coordinator. If we keep Cavanaugh, bring in someone to work with Stull, Smith, and Bostick that way he can devote the required time to work with these guys and make the most prepared they can possibly be.
I will get to the defense and special teams later, as well as my thoughts for WVU.
BEAT THE HOOPIES!
Shady McCoy was a very bright spot on this team. He, like Bostick, was allowed to play thanks to an injury to 2nd string running back Kevin Collier. Against MSU, Hot-Rod was hurt and Shady won the starting job. After some fumble-itis, a strong rumor went around that the coaching staff was going to bench him in favor of Hot-Rod. Next year will be interesting as all 3 running backs will return and all deserve some playing time. Along with the backs we will have an interesting situation with Conredge Collins and Henry Hynoski. Hynoski, as far as I know, should still be inline for a redshirt. Mix this in with Collins (hopefully) coming back for his senior season we may have a problem brewing. Collins should be seeing more time, but we go without a fullback on many plays. Next year we will have an outstanding core of running backs and fullbacks but who knows how it will be split up.
The wide receivers will get a major boost with Derek Kinder coming back for a senior season. TJ Porter will hopefully remain as the teams number 2 WR with Mo Williams and Aundre Wright battling it out for 3rd and 4th spots. Pestano and Turner have been major disappointments and I really can't see any reason that would justify either of them having a top spot on the team.
At TE, Nate Byham should be on the field for every play. This year he has had to take a backseat to lazy Darrell Strong. Strong has run poor routes, taken plays off, and been the reason why Nate was not allowed to go over the middle to catch passes since Strong's inadequate blocking made him very 1-dimensional. Nate, Pelusi, and hopefully a 3rd TE can be brought in (Mike Cruz, wanna come back?) to help the line with blocking as well as improving the offense with more passing options.
Our offensive line has killed us ever since I have been at Pitt. It seems like we always have one or two guys that are very good, but the other three just completely ruin the line. This year the combo of Otah, Davis, Vangas, Thomas/Bachman, and McGlynn have been awful. Otah is the only one with NFL hopes. Yes McGlynn, I am saying you will not be in the NFL, sorry. Next year, a healthy Jason Pinkston and Chris Jacobsen will return to help bolster the line. Lucas Nix should be a starter too, but I say SHOULD BE, not will be. We all know that Wannstedt loves to play the older, and in most cases, shittier players. Next year's line must be this going from left tackle to right tackle: Pinkston, Jacobsen, Davis, Thomas/Bachman, Nix.
If we go with that our offense should be good enough to win 6 games on talent alone regardless of poor play calling. Cavanaugh will most likely be in the NFL. If he can't find a job there, expect him to be back in the blue and gold calling more draws and bubble screens.
Hill, Walker, and Angelichio will all be fine and should keep their jobs. Paul Dunn is the only casualty that the offense will and needs to see. If Dunn is not fired at the end of this year then we have no one to blame other than Wanny himself. I do believe that Nordenberg will meet with Wanny to say something needs to happen, so Dunn will be what happens. We also need to have a quarterback coach that isn't also our offensive coordinator. If we keep Cavanaugh, bring in someone to work with Stull, Smith, and Bostick that way he can devote the required time to work with these guys and make the most prepared they can possibly be.
I will get to the defense and special teams later, as well as my thoughts for WVU.
BEAT THE HOOPIES!
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