Rolling through Week Three of training camp in the South Side…
Pat Narduzzi mentioned the weather and the heat on Wednesday morning, one day after referring to the “dog days” of camp, because that’s what happens at this time of year:
Everybody’s hot and the days run together. Still, there are some things to note as one day rolls into the next.
- I wrote about the versatility on the offensive line this morning after Narduzzi and OL coach John Peterson talked about the variety of options they have this season.
Article: https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/...pitt-coaches-options-in-finding-the-best-five
Alex Bookser really seems to be something of a wild card in this equation. He’s a returning starter at right guard but has practiced at both tackle (his freshman year) and center (the spring of 2016). And he has worked at all three positions in training camp. Peterson mentioned that the redshirt junior from Mt. Lebanon could do all three, but Wednesday morning was the first time I saw him taking snaps at right tackle.
Do I think he will start at right tackle? No, probably not. I think Jaryd Jones-Smith, Brandon Hodges and Bryce Hargrove will probably get the nod ahead of him. That is, unless the coaches believe Hodges is a better fit at right guard and Jones-Smith has to play left tackle in place of Brian O’Neill and the coaches prefer Bookser’s experience over Hargrove’s lack thereof.
That’s kind of how it is on the offensive line this year: there are a bunch of guys who can play a few different spots, and all of those options seem to be interconnected.
Of course, Bookser’s suspension for the Youngstown State game only increases the intrigue surrounding the lineup of the line. And I suspect we could see multiple iterations throughout the season.
- Receiver is an interesting position. I put it at or near the top of my summer ranking of the positions I have the most confidence about, with Jester Weah and Quadree Henderson looking like one of the best duos in the ACC and the guys behind them - Tre Tipton, Aaron Mathews, Maurice Ffrench and Rafael Araujo-Lopes, not to mention redshirt freshman Ruben Flowers and the incoming freshmen - looking quite promising.
Then Tipton suffered a season-ending injury and Mathews missed the first two weeks of training camp, and things looked a bit thinner there. Now, when Narduzzi is asked about which players have stepped up behind Weah and Henderson, he seems to be reserved.
“Really, you look at Lopes - you know, Ra-Ra has done a great job,” Narduzzi said Wednesday morning. “He works his tail off. He’s been very, very consistent. Maybe the most consistent of all. Maurice Ffrench has done a nice job. Those are the guys that stand out to me. Those are probably the top four at this point.”
No mention of Mathews, although that’s to be expected, given that Wednesday was the first day in camp that he has worn shoulder pads. Nor was there any mention of Flowers or the freshmen (Michael Smith and Darian Street, specifically; since Dontavius Butler-Jenkins has been hurt since the first week).
I suspect those weren’t oversights by Narduzzi; I think he really views the position as not having a ton of actionable depth at this point. That will change as Mathews gets up to speed, and I still think there’s a chance for Flowers and/or Smith to contribute. But it really might come down to those five: Weah, Henderson, Ffrench, Araujo-Lopes and Mathews.
That doesn’t seem like much; last year, they used seven receivers - those five plus Tipton and Dontez Ford - so maybe a freshman or redshirt freshman will have a small role. But ultimately, it’s going to come down to Weah and Henderson being the playmakers for the team (ideally with Henderson doing more in the passing game, as we’ve talked about a lot).
- We’ve definitely talked a bunch about Damarri Mathis recently, but I think there’s a chance both freshman cornerbacks - Mathis and Jason Pinnock - see the field in 2017. Part of that is due to depth: with Philllipie Motley out for the time being and Therran Coleman being limited in practice, the numbers are down a bit at corner. Plus, the coaches love guys with a little size who can run helping on special teams; Pinnock is well-built, so he can probably contribute there in addition to seeing some time at cornerback.
- That’s about it for today. As always, we’ll have articles, photos, videos and more as camp heads toward the final week.
Pat Narduzzi mentioned the weather and the heat on Wednesday morning, one day after referring to the “dog days” of camp, because that’s what happens at this time of year:
Everybody’s hot and the days run together. Still, there are some things to note as one day rolls into the next.
- I wrote about the versatility on the offensive line this morning after Narduzzi and OL coach John Peterson talked about the variety of options they have this season.
Article: https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/...pitt-coaches-options-in-finding-the-best-five
Alex Bookser really seems to be something of a wild card in this equation. He’s a returning starter at right guard but has practiced at both tackle (his freshman year) and center (the spring of 2016). And he has worked at all three positions in training camp. Peterson mentioned that the redshirt junior from Mt. Lebanon could do all three, but Wednesday morning was the first time I saw him taking snaps at right tackle.
Do I think he will start at right tackle? No, probably not. I think Jaryd Jones-Smith, Brandon Hodges and Bryce Hargrove will probably get the nod ahead of him. That is, unless the coaches believe Hodges is a better fit at right guard and Jones-Smith has to play left tackle in place of Brian O’Neill and the coaches prefer Bookser’s experience over Hargrove’s lack thereof.
That’s kind of how it is on the offensive line this year: there are a bunch of guys who can play a few different spots, and all of those options seem to be interconnected.
Of course, Bookser’s suspension for the Youngstown State game only increases the intrigue surrounding the lineup of the line. And I suspect we could see multiple iterations throughout the season.
- Receiver is an interesting position. I put it at or near the top of my summer ranking of the positions I have the most confidence about, with Jester Weah and Quadree Henderson looking like one of the best duos in the ACC and the guys behind them - Tre Tipton, Aaron Mathews, Maurice Ffrench and Rafael Araujo-Lopes, not to mention redshirt freshman Ruben Flowers and the incoming freshmen - looking quite promising.
Then Tipton suffered a season-ending injury and Mathews missed the first two weeks of training camp, and things looked a bit thinner there. Now, when Narduzzi is asked about which players have stepped up behind Weah and Henderson, he seems to be reserved.
“Really, you look at Lopes - you know, Ra-Ra has done a great job,” Narduzzi said Wednesday morning. “He works his tail off. He’s been very, very consistent. Maybe the most consistent of all. Maurice Ffrench has done a nice job. Those are the guys that stand out to me. Those are probably the top four at this point.”
No mention of Mathews, although that’s to be expected, given that Wednesday was the first day in camp that he has worn shoulder pads. Nor was there any mention of Flowers or the freshmen (Michael Smith and Darian Street, specifically; since Dontavius Butler-Jenkins has been hurt since the first week).
I suspect those weren’t oversights by Narduzzi; I think he really views the position as not having a ton of actionable depth at this point. That will change as Mathews gets up to speed, and I still think there’s a chance for Flowers and/or Smith to contribute. But it really might come down to those five: Weah, Henderson, Ffrench, Araujo-Lopes and Mathews.
That doesn’t seem like much; last year, they used seven receivers - those five plus Tipton and Dontez Ford - so maybe a freshman or redshirt freshman will have a small role. But ultimately, it’s going to come down to Weah and Henderson being the playmakers for the team (ideally with Henderson doing more in the passing game, as we’ve talked about a lot).
- We’ve definitely talked a bunch about Damarri Mathis recently, but I think there’s a chance both freshman cornerbacks - Mathis and Jason Pinnock - see the field in 2017. Part of that is due to depth: with Philllipie Motley out for the time being and Therran Coleman being limited in practice, the numbers are down a bit at corner. Plus, the coaches love guys with a little size who can run helping on special teams; Pinnock is well-built, so he can probably contribute there in addition to seeing some time at cornerback.
- That’s about it for today. As always, we’ll have articles, photos, videos and more as camp heads toward the final week.
