From the desk of Jim Snyder
What are the keys this year?
This fall Pitt has a very tough road schedule. They must travel to West Virginia, Rutgers and Louisville. All three teams are ranked in the top 16 in the country and all three games will be played before a sellout crowd. They also have tricky road contests at Michigan State and at Virginia.
Pitt must win at home this year. Home games against Cincinnati and South Florida should determine just how successful this year is. If Pitt is to go bowling they might have to win both of these games. All eyes in the Big East Conference will be on South Florida’s game at Auburn on September 8th. It would be a big boost to the conference if the Bulls pull off the upset but it might also mean the Panthers could have their hands full in November. The South Florida site is reporting the Bulls talented young quarterback Matt Grothe is out with a hip pointer. No word on how soon he will return but I assume he will be ready by the play the Auburn Tigers.
Pitt must show it can run the football. Bill Stull is set as the Pitt starter at quarterback but he is short on game experience. Running back coach Dave Walker has a couple of young, talented running backs that are capable of taking the pressure off him. The question will be can the offensive line open holes? Pitt finished No. 7 in the conference last year running the ball. They have four starters back up front that have more experience and should be stronger. Pitt fans will be watching to see if Buddy Morris and Paul Dunn have made progress with the horses up front. Pitt has running backs capable of breaking it for big plays if they get the job done up front.
Can Pitt stop the run? The Panthers gave up 181.3 yards per game on the ground to finish No. 7 in the conference. Their defense was beat up with injuries last year. They have a lot of depth at defensive tackle for a change. Can the Panthers stop the run and force teams into passing situations? You hate to over simplify things but it all starts up front. You can’t finish No. 7 in the conference in rushing and rushing defense and expect to move up in the Big East standings.
Earlier this week a reader asked Post-Gazette beat writer Paul Zeise if Coach Wannstedt was in trouble this year if the Panthers did not win this year. Paul gave him the straight answer. He might be in trouble with some recruits and some Pitt fans but he is solid with the Pitt administration.
There is an old football saying that people remember what you did in November. When it came to forecasting Pitt’s fate this fall national observers took at look at November and did not like what they saw one bit.
Pitt probably has more talent on this team than at any time in the Majors II/Walt Harris/Dave Wannstedt era. However the Panthers are young and/or inexperienced. They have also been slowed by some injuries. You might see marked improvement in September or maybe not until October. One of my colleagues corrected me recently and said and maybe not until 2008. You never know with young teams. I believe it is only a matter of time until they start moving up the Big East ladder. This team has enough weapons that they should be a lot of fun to watch while they grow.
It has been a good year for the UPMC medical complex
Over the past year the following Pitt football players have required surgery to repair injuries:
Mike McGlynn (shoulder)
Dan Matha (shoulder)
Dexter Davidson (knees)
Doug Fulmer (knee)
John Malecki (shoulder)
Chris Jacobson (kneecap)
Irvan Brown (shoulder)
Eric Thatcher (broken leg)
Mick Williams (shoulder)
Francis Johns (knee)
Kevin Collier (wrist)
In addition linebacker Greg Webster has been sideline with Chron’s disease and Purdue transfer Jason Kacinko with a blood disorder.
This group has kept the medical staff busy. I hope Chris LaSalla is checking to insure the medical insurance premiums have been paid. If you add Elijah Fields who is suspended for violating team rules the Pitt team has been operating at something less than full throttle.
Pitt lost sophomore running back Kevin Collier for the season this week. Keep your fingers crossed that this young football team can avoid any more serious injuries.
Rivals.com’s preseason All-Big East selections
Rivals.com released their preseason All-Big East selections this week. In case you missed it several Panthers were honored.
Dave Brytus- punter (first team)
Joe Clermond- defensive end (first team)
Lowell Robinson- kick returner (first team)
LaRod Stephens-Howling running back (second team)
Oderick Turner- wide receiver (second team)
Scott McKillop-linebacker (second team)
C.J. Davis-offensive guard (second team)
I would like to see several other Panthers on the list at the end of the season. Jeff Otah, Nate Byham,LeSean McCoy and Gus Mustakas are all possibilities. Pitt had better be able to run the ball if several of these players are going to make the list at year’s end.
It appears the following freshmen from the recruiting Class of 2007 will play this year: running back LeSean McCoy, wide receiver Aundre Wright, wide receiver [/B]Moe Williams[/B], defensive end Jabaal Sheard, safety Dom DeCicco, running back Henry Hynoski and defensive tackle Tommie Duhart (who is a sophomore in eligibility). You could have another player or two join this list if injuries or circumstances call for it. A wide receiver slot opened up when Derek Kinder went down with knee surgery. The defensive end slot is open because Doug Fulmer has not yet recovered from off-season knee surgery.
Rivals.com’s recruiting analyst J.C. Shurburtt would occasionally tell me that Pitt could be getting a good one in defensive end Jabaal Sheard. He would say he was amazed that the Florida schools let him leave the state. I have a feeling we are going to be very glad they did.
Tight end Nate Byham
There is a very good article today by Joe Starkey in the Trib on Nate Byham. I have a link on the Between Fifth and Forbes message board. It is a very good read.
When Nate was being recruited I put in a call to interview him. He called back and my wife picked up the call and bullshitted to Nate for about 10 minutes. She explained that she had a very good friend that lived in Murrysville where Franklin was located (John Malecki’s old school).
Nate was far to gracious to tell her that the Franklin that he attended was in Clarion County and let the old woman ramble on. Both Tony Greco and I have roots in Clarion County. My grandmother was born in a town that Nate’s uncle lives in today. At first I thought we might be related but Nate is far more athletic and is much better looking than I am.
Every time Nate’s name comes up I kid my wife and tell her you remember him. He is from the other Franklin.
Rivals High
The new Rivals High was launched this week. I have put a link under Quick Links. It is the first small step in expanded high school coverage. This year rivals.com will have camera crews at 80 high school football games around the country for their All the Way to Friday series. Several games will involve teams from Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Thank you!
Subscription sales to the Pantherlair are at an all-time high. This is despite the fact the Panthers are picked by many to be in the 5-6 to 7-5 range this year. We have a feeling that if this young Panther team puts a few wins together the fan base will grow and tickets sales at Heinz Field will go up in 2008. Thanks for your support!
Fall camp HQ
We will keep a link to Fall Camp HQ up for a couple of weeks in case you want to look back a photos or video interviews. Yesterday we had a video interview of Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt talking about the last scrimmage. Yesterday we also had 44 brand new photos taken on the final day of fall camp. There are some fun photos if you missed them. The 44 photos are broken up into three separate slide shows dated 8/22.
Recruiting roundup
This week rivals.com released a list of players to watch in the Class of 2009. These prospects would be juniors in high school this fall. On the list were five players from Pennsylvania including the following prospects:
Dorian Bell (6’ 1” 205) Gateway HS Athlete
Corey Brown (6’ 0” 170) Gateway HS wide receiver
Jack Lippert (6’ 4” 225) Harrisburg defensive end
We expect Pitt to send all three a written offer in September which is the earliest a written offer can be extended to the Class of 2009.
We also reported this week on junior offensive lineman Dave Istanich (6’ 5” 270) from Johnstown. We expect he will also get a written offer in September.
Hopefully you saw my post on Averin Collier early this week and the article from the Clemson site. He talks about possibly taking an official visit to Pitt in December. This one could get down to how set he is on being a running back and does Kevin still have his head on straight late in the year. He is very close to Kevin. I like both of the Collier brothers so I have not given up hope. It is too early to tell how Kevin’s injury will effect his recruiting.
We updated our Big Board this week to reflect that Montour’s Christian Wilson committed to Michigan and defensive end Pete Massaro committed to Penn State. Pitt never seemed to pick up much traction with either of these guys so there are no surprises here. Defensive end Kaleb Ramsey committed to Boston College. Our understanding is there were a few on the Southside who were a little surprised with his decision and that Pitt will continue to recruit Ramsey. It is sill only August. If you put a few wins together it is still a long way to Letter of Intent Day in February. You can find the Big Board at the top of the Fifth & Forbes message board.
If you check the Big Board you will find a dozen linebackers that Pitt has been recruiting who have said they do not want to go to Pitt. Dublin Coffman linebacker Steve Gardiner is still a good possibility but not a slam dunk. We hear that he should make a decision within the next two weeks. Yesterday we interviewed a Big 33 linebacker by the name of Travis Wolff. He does want to go to Pitt. Time will tell if Pitt coaching staff takes another look at him as he plays for Milford Academy this fall.
We will have an article later today on tight end Hubie Graham who has scheduled an official visit to Pitt.
More Pitt alums on the way
I had one cousin tell me recently that her nephew who graduated from Notre Dame was accepted to Pitt’s medical school. Another cousin from New York checked in yesterday to say his daughter is now an undergrad at Pitt. She is reports she plans on attending all of Pitt’s football games this year but is finding basketball ticket hard to come by. My guess is there has been at least one member or another from my extended family at Pitt for over six decades. My cousin was the editor of a magazine that covered the broadcast industry for many years. He recently left to run his own internet site which also covers broadcasting. Another internet guy. Go figure.
No War Room next week
Next week is the Labor Day holiday weekend. I will be traveling and have some family obligations. I am looking forward to the Pitt kickoff luncheon at the Hilton and watching the Panther plays Eastern Michigan at Heinz Field. Here is hoping they don’t save all the fireworks for the post game celebration.
If you want to get the Labor Day weekend off on a football note the Washington Huskies visit Syracuse in Friday night. The game from the Carrier Dome will be televised on ESPN at 8:00 pm. The Huskies are a three-point favorite.
We will have some photos from Fan Fest later today.
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die-hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
What are the keys this year?
This fall Pitt has a very tough road schedule. They must travel to West Virginia, Rutgers and Louisville. All three teams are ranked in the top 16 in the country and all three games will be played before a sellout crowd. They also have tricky road contests at Michigan State and at Virginia.
Pitt must win at home this year. Home games against Cincinnati and South Florida should determine just how successful this year is. If Pitt is to go bowling they might have to win both of these games. All eyes in the Big East Conference will be on South Florida’s game at Auburn on September 8th. It would be a big boost to the conference if the Bulls pull off the upset but it might also mean the Panthers could have their hands full in November. The South Florida site is reporting the Bulls talented young quarterback Matt Grothe is out with a hip pointer. No word on how soon he will return but I assume he will be ready by the play the Auburn Tigers.
Pitt must show it can run the football. Bill Stull is set as the Pitt starter at quarterback but he is short on game experience. Running back coach Dave Walker has a couple of young, talented running backs that are capable of taking the pressure off him. The question will be can the offensive line open holes? Pitt finished No. 7 in the conference last year running the ball. They have four starters back up front that have more experience and should be stronger. Pitt fans will be watching to see if Buddy Morris and Paul Dunn have made progress with the horses up front. Pitt has running backs capable of breaking it for big plays if they get the job done up front.
Can Pitt stop the run? The Panthers gave up 181.3 yards per game on the ground to finish No. 7 in the conference. Their defense was beat up with injuries last year. They have a lot of depth at defensive tackle for a change. Can the Panthers stop the run and force teams into passing situations? You hate to over simplify things but it all starts up front. You can’t finish No. 7 in the conference in rushing and rushing defense and expect to move up in the Big East standings.
Earlier this week a reader asked Post-Gazette beat writer Paul Zeise if Coach Wannstedt was in trouble this year if the Panthers did not win this year. Paul gave him the straight answer. He might be in trouble with some recruits and some Pitt fans but he is solid with the Pitt administration.
There is an old football saying that people remember what you did in November. When it came to forecasting Pitt’s fate this fall national observers took at look at November and did not like what they saw one bit.
Pitt probably has more talent on this team than at any time in the Majors II/Walt Harris/Dave Wannstedt era. However the Panthers are young and/or inexperienced. They have also been slowed by some injuries. You might see marked improvement in September or maybe not until October. One of my colleagues corrected me recently and said and maybe not until 2008. You never know with young teams. I believe it is only a matter of time until they start moving up the Big East ladder. This team has enough weapons that they should be a lot of fun to watch while they grow.
It has been a good year for the UPMC medical complex
Over the past year the following Pitt football players have required surgery to repair injuries:
Mike McGlynn (shoulder)
Dan Matha (shoulder)
Dexter Davidson (knees)
Doug Fulmer (knee)
John Malecki (shoulder)
Chris Jacobson (kneecap)
Irvan Brown (shoulder)
Eric Thatcher (broken leg)
Mick Williams (shoulder)
Francis Johns (knee)
Kevin Collier (wrist)
In addition linebacker Greg Webster has been sideline with Chron’s disease and Purdue transfer Jason Kacinko with a blood disorder.
This group has kept the medical staff busy. I hope Chris LaSalla is checking to insure the medical insurance premiums have been paid. If you add Elijah Fields who is suspended for violating team rules the Pitt team has been operating at something less than full throttle.
Pitt lost sophomore running back Kevin Collier for the season this week. Keep your fingers crossed that this young football team can avoid any more serious injuries.
Rivals.com’s preseason All-Big East selections
Rivals.com released their preseason All-Big East selections this week. In case you missed it several Panthers were honored.
Dave Brytus- punter (first team)
Joe Clermond- defensive end (first team)
Lowell Robinson- kick returner (first team)
LaRod Stephens-Howling running back (second team)
Oderick Turner- wide receiver (second team)
Scott McKillop-linebacker (second team)
C.J. Davis-offensive guard (second team)
I would like to see several other Panthers on the list at the end of the season. Jeff Otah, Nate Byham,LeSean McCoy and Gus Mustakas are all possibilities. Pitt had better be able to run the ball if several of these players are going to make the list at year’s end.
It appears the following freshmen from the recruiting Class of 2007 will play this year: running back LeSean McCoy, wide receiver Aundre Wright, wide receiver [/B]Moe Williams[/B], defensive end Jabaal Sheard, safety Dom DeCicco, running back Henry Hynoski and defensive tackle Tommie Duhart (who is a sophomore in eligibility). You could have another player or two join this list if injuries or circumstances call for it. A wide receiver slot opened up when Derek Kinder went down with knee surgery. The defensive end slot is open because Doug Fulmer has not yet recovered from off-season knee surgery.
Rivals.com’s recruiting analyst J.C. Shurburtt would occasionally tell me that Pitt could be getting a good one in defensive end Jabaal Sheard. He would say he was amazed that the Florida schools let him leave the state. I have a feeling we are going to be very glad they did.
Tight end Nate Byham
There is a very good article today by Joe Starkey in the Trib on Nate Byham. I have a link on the Between Fifth and Forbes message board. It is a very good read.
When Nate was being recruited I put in a call to interview him. He called back and my wife picked up the call and bullshitted to Nate for about 10 minutes. She explained that she had a very good friend that lived in Murrysville where Franklin was located (John Malecki’s old school).
Nate was far to gracious to tell her that the Franklin that he attended was in Clarion County and let the old woman ramble on. Both Tony Greco and I have roots in Clarion County. My grandmother was born in a town that Nate’s uncle lives in today. At first I thought we might be related but Nate is far more athletic and is much better looking than I am.
Every time Nate’s name comes up I kid my wife and tell her you remember him. He is from the other Franklin.
Rivals High
The new Rivals High was launched this week. I have put a link under Quick Links. It is the first small step in expanded high school coverage. This year rivals.com will have camera crews at 80 high school football games around the country for their All the Way to Friday series. Several games will involve teams from Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Thank you!
Subscription sales to the Pantherlair are at an all-time high. This is despite the fact the Panthers are picked by many to be in the 5-6 to 7-5 range this year. We have a feeling that if this young Panther team puts a few wins together the fan base will grow and tickets sales at Heinz Field will go up in 2008. Thanks for your support!
Fall camp HQ
We will keep a link to Fall Camp HQ up for a couple of weeks in case you want to look back a photos or video interviews. Yesterday we had a video interview of Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt talking about the last scrimmage. Yesterday we also had 44 brand new photos taken on the final day of fall camp. There are some fun photos if you missed them. The 44 photos are broken up into three separate slide shows dated 8/22.
Recruiting roundup
This week rivals.com released a list of players to watch in the Class of 2009. These prospects would be juniors in high school this fall. On the list were five players from Pennsylvania including the following prospects:
Dorian Bell (6’ 1” 205) Gateway HS Athlete
Corey Brown (6’ 0” 170) Gateway HS wide receiver
Jack Lippert (6’ 4” 225) Harrisburg defensive end
We expect Pitt to send all three a written offer in September which is the earliest a written offer can be extended to the Class of 2009.
We also reported this week on junior offensive lineman Dave Istanich (6’ 5” 270) from Johnstown. We expect he will also get a written offer in September.
Hopefully you saw my post on Averin Collier early this week and the article from the Clemson site. He talks about possibly taking an official visit to Pitt in December. This one could get down to how set he is on being a running back and does Kevin still have his head on straight late in the year. He is very close to Kevin. I like both of the Collier brothers so I have not given up hope. It is too early to tell how Kevin’s injury will effect his recruiting.
We updated our Big Board this week to reflect that Montour’s Christian Wilson committed to Michigan and defensive end Pete Massaro committed to Penn State. Pitt never seemed to pick up much traction with either of these guys so there are no surprises here. Defensive end Kaleb Ramsey committed to Boston College. Our understanding is there were a few on the Southside who were a little surprised with his decision and that Pitt will continue to recruit Ramsey. It is sill only August. If you put a few wins together it is still a long way to Letter of Intent Day in February. You can find the Big Board at the top of the Fifth & Forbes message board.
If you check the Big Board you will find a dozen linebackers that Pitt has been recruiting who have said they do not want to go to Pitt. Dublin Coffman linebacker Steve Gardiner is still a good possibility but not a slam dunk. We hear that he should make a decision within the next two weeks. Yesterday we interviewed a Big 33 linebacker by the name of Travis Wolff. He does want to go to Pitt. Time will tell if Pitt coaching staff takes another look at him as he plays for Milford Academy this fall.
We will have an article later today on tight end Hubie Graham who has scheduled an official visit to Pitt.
More Pitt alums on the way
I had one cousin tell me recently that her nephew who graduated from Notre Dame was accepted to Pitt’s medical school. Another cousin from New York checked in yesterday to say his daughter is now an undergrad at Pitt. She is reports she plans on attending all of Pitt’s football games this year but is finding basketball ticket hard to come by. My guess is there has been at least one member or another from my extended family at Pitt for over six decades. My cousin was the editor of a magazine that covered the broadcast industry for many years. He recently left to run his own internet site which also covers broadcasting. Another internet guy. Go figure.
No War Room next week
Next week is the Labor Day holiday weekend. I will be traveling and have some family obligations. I am looking forward to the Pitt kickoff luncheon at the Hilton and watching the Panther plays Eastern Michigan at Heinz Field. Here is hoping they don’t save all the fireworks for the post game celebration.
If you want to get the Labor Day weekend off on a football note the Washington Huskies visit Syracuse in Friday night. The game from the Carrier Dome will be televised on ESPN at 8:00 pm. The Huskies are a three-point favorite.
We will have some photos from Fan Fest later today.
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die-hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
