Aug. 4, 2008

Head Coach Dave Wannstedt
Media Day Quotes
August 4, 2008

Opening Statement:

“As we get started the enthusiasm and the energy amongst our players and our fans is very evident. I think that’s good and that’s exciting. From a coaching standpoint, it’s excellent to see your players have legitimate enthusiasm. At this time of year, every player and every coach on every level feels their team has a chance to finish near the top. However, when you step back, there is a select group that can truly accomplish that. That said, when we start practice tomorrow, the only way you make it an exciting season, and a very rewarding season is to take it one step at a time. As we install our offense, defense and special teams, we have to make sure that we have solid back-to-back-to-back practices, building as we get ready for the season. When I have a conversation with someone who’s excited for this upcoming season, my first reaction is ‘we gotta prove it.’”

On Pitt’s injured players returning:

“As we get ready for opening day, the exciting thing is that all of our players who did not participate in spring practice are ready to go. They’ve been practicing full speed from a run standpoint and a lift standpoint for a while now. To get them back on the field, not just their talent, but also their leadership is going to serve us very well in getting where we want to go.”

“All of our freshmen are here, they’ve all been attending summer school, and they’ll all be practicing tomorrow. As I stand right here, I’m not counting on any one of the guys to be a necessary performer for us to go out there and win games. Do I think that some of these freshmen will contribute? Yes I do, but I can’t say exactly who that’s going to be. Obviously, you have a need for greater depth at certain positions, so that will definitely play a factor.”

On the practice logistics:

“For practices, we’ve divided the team in half, having one practice in the morning and one in the afternoon. That’s going to give every player – seniors through freshmen — a chance to get in good reps. Under this system, everyone is at least second on the depth chart. This way, when we bring it all together on Saturday, we’ll hopefully have a very clear evaluation of our talent level.”

On how the players are being divided for practice:

“What we tried to do is put the first group and the fourth group together in the morning. There are going to be a lot of rookies mixed in with that first group. Then, it’s pretty much the second and third groups practicing together in the afternoon. There are some changes that we’ve had to make as far as special teams, such as putting Conor Lee together with Mark Estermyer in the afternoon. But for the most part, that’s how we did it.”

On who is the favorite in the Big East:

“I definitely think West Virginia is the favorite. To me, they’re still the team. They were the champs last year, and they’re the team to beat. When you look at the conference after that, it’s very wide open. South Florida’s certainly got a lot of good guys returning. In making these kinds of preseason evaluations, I think you have to look at quarterback. South Florida’s got Matt Grothe coming back, who’s an excellent player. Rutgers returns a three-year starter at quarterback. It’s going to be very competitive, I have no doubt.”

On Pitt’s quarterback situation:

“Coming out of camp a year ago, I really believed Bill Stull was going to be the best kept secret in the Big East. When he came out of camp a year ago, his statistics were as good in two categories as Tyler Palko’s when Tyler was a senior (during training camp). Bill never redshirted when he came in, so I think the redshirt last year will help him out. He’s bigger. I know his arm’s stronger. He’s more mature. Hopefully he’s smarter, but I was very pleased with how he performed and progressed at spring ball. Coming out of that, he was our most complete quarterback. Then you look at Pat Bostick, Kevan Smith and Greg Cross, who’s learning the system. We have four guys coming here to win the job. That’s what makes players better.”

On Derek Kinder’s progression:

“Derek Kinder has done everything but have contact. However, he’s now been cleared for that. It’s going to be a big moment from a confidence standpoint when he’s out there in a live drill and gets hit and bounces back up. He hasn’t done that yet but he’s cleared to do that, so it’ll happen soon.”

On not having to rely on freshmen to win games:

“I would say that’s a change from previous years. We started as many as five of them last year and at key positions as well.”

On the difference between this year’s team and last year’s team:

“The difference is maturity as a football team. We had 10 seniors last year. This year we have 14. We’re still not a veteran group, but Greg Romeus, Mick Williams, Tommie Duhart, Scott McKillop and a lot of other guys, just on defense, all saw their first major action last year. These players are going to mature and because of lifting, and running and spring training camp they’re going to get better as well.”

On whether the win over West Virginia helps momentum this year:

“I think the first day we put the pads on and we’re out there screaming and yelling and coaching, that game will be the last thing on a player’s mind. That game helped us finalize our recruiting class and helped us springboard into our offseason program. It won’t do anything for us when we line up to play Bowling Green in the opener.”

On the development of LeSean McCoy:

“He showed up last May (2007) as a very talented player. However, he didn’t even know the snap count of our offensive system. I would like to believe that from an intelligence standpoint of knowing our offense, he’s a lot more comfortable. That will enable us to do a lot more things with him. I think in his own way, he’s becoming a leader on the team with the energy he brings, and the way he approaches things. This is also the first full offseason program he’s ever been a part of, so I’m sure he’ll be stronger and in better shape. He understands the finer points of the game better now, too. I expect him to be an overall better player.”

On potential breakout players on defense:

“The one corner spot has the guy with more talent maybe than anyone, and that’s Buddy Jackson. He’s a redshirt freshman who needs to just mature. If we can get him to a point where we can just trust him, then he could be a guy we’re talking about as a starter. He ran the fastest time on the team in the spring, and with his height and weight, he’s the picture perfect image of how you want a corner to look. If we can just bring him along a little bit, he definitely has the potential to make an impact.”

On Kevan Smith:

“Kevan was an excellent baseball player, so I think his focus growing up was more on that sport. So no, he doesn’t have a ton of experience playing quarterback. He does have a ton of skill and intelligence, but it’s just the inconsistency. He has the strongest arm on the team, but he needs to make better decisions and have better accuracy. Accuracy is the most important trait to me when thinking about a quarterback.”

On the offensive line’s conditioning:

“When you see our guys today, take a look at some of our linemen. We have drastically changed the bodies of some of the guys. Joe Thomas and C.J. Davis have both lost more than 30 pounds. I love the way our football team looks. We’re a lean and very athletic group right now – what we were shooting for. In spring practice, Mick Williams, who’s a great athlete, was essentially unblockable. Tony Wise, our offensive line coach, then made the observation that the toughest guys to block in our conference fit that mold — they’re athletic, they’re mobile and they can run. We took this to another step and tailored our offensive line conditioning work to matching up with those kinds of players.”

On Pitt’s linebackers:

“I would hope some of our younger players could push our veterans. I really like our depth at that position. I also think our linebackers will make a huge impact on special teams, too. They’re all really athletic guys that can run, and that’s a valuable asset to have in that aspect of the game.”

On Gus Mustakas:

“Right now I think we have four or five guys that I would label as starters on the defensive line. As good as Gus was playing last year, we’re hoping that the year of maturity will really benefit him. Gus was a starter as a true freshman at age 17, which tells you how far the defensive line has come. So I’m really trying to look at the redshirt from an optimistic standpoint, in that it’s going to help him be a better player down the road.”

On Dorin Dickerson:

“Wherever we lined Dorin up, he gave phenomenal effort. It was never a question about him trying to be the best he could be. I think we may have fallen into something with the tight end position. It fits his physical stature very well. He’s a good enough blocker and he can run against linebackers as opposed to defensive backs. He had an excellent spring, where we recognized him as one of the two most improved (offensive) players. Now he joins up with Nate Byham and John Pelusi, where there should be an excellent battle for playing time. I expect him to have an excellent year. He has enough talent to be a difference maker.”