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More than seven months after the bowl loss in Annapolis, Pitt is back on the field preparing for regular-season football. Panther-Lair.com has run down the major position battles for training camp, as well as the key players, the players who need to step up and much more over the last week.
With training camp starting today, we’re taking a look at the major storylines facing the Panthers this month.
THE OBVIOUS
- The topic of replacing Tyler Boyd will be one that discussed early and often with this team. It was a frequent topic of discussion during spring camp, and training camp figures to be the same - as does the answer. No single player is going to match Boyd’s 91 receptions and 135 passing targets from 2015; that’s just not going to happen.
What can happen - and what Pitt needs to have happen this season - is for a group of players to collectively emerge as viable options in the passing game. Whether that’s Dontez Ford taking on more responsibility as a redshirt senior returning starter or Jester Weah taking a big step or second-year players like Quadree Henderson and Tre Tipton moving up the depth chart or freshmen like Ruben Flowers and Maurice Ffrench making a positive first impression, the Panthers need more options at receiver.
Training camp will be the proving ground for who can assume that role (or those roles).
- Boyd’s replacement will be a big topic, but a player who is returning will likely be an even bigger point of emphasis, as James Conner is about to step onto the field for his first live-action football since last September.
Conner’s story is a remarkable one that stands to grow even larger as he gets back into the flow of things. And if he can do anything close to what he did the last time he was on the field, Conner will be one of the biggest sports stories in Pittsburgh - and perhaps the nation - this fall. All eyes will be on him in August.
- Aside from Boyd’s departure and Conner’s return, Pitt has a pretty significant storyline going on with its offense. Namely, it’s the fact that the Panthers have a new offensive coordinator for the second year in a row. Jim Chaney’s tenure was short-lived, and he has been replaced by Matt Canada, who ostensibly has a stronger relationship with Pat Narduzzi and, one would think, a better understanding of what the head coach is looking for.
Synergy with Narduzzi is one thing; what Canada really needs to develop this month is synergy with his players. It’s never easy learning a new offense (although Pitt’s players have plenty of experience doing just that), and Canada has a month to get everyone on the same page. For all the stats about the defense last season, Pitt’s offense shares as much - if not more - of the blame for the losses, especially against North Carolina and Miami.
Canada has to get that ship righted and play to this team’s strengths. But first, he’s got to make sure the players know what they’re doing, and that’s the focus in training camp.
THE NOT-SO-OBVIOUS
- Pitt’s pass rush was a lot better in 2015 than it was in 2014, as the Panthers nearly doubled their sack total from the previous year. But the overall number - 37 sacks - didn’t really reflect a team effort, as three players combined to record 21.5.
The imbalance was particularly striking on the defensive line, where Ejuan Price put up 11.5 sacks and the rest of the line combined for eight. That needs to be improved more than anything. The coaches will look to get the linebackers to the totals they were at last year - right around 15 sacks - but they absolutely need more of a group effort from the players up front.
The addition of Tennessee transfer Dewayne Hendrix at defensive end should help that, and the move of Shakir Soto from end to tackle should make an impact as well.
- The coaches also need more out of the Star linebacker position, where the competition for the open starting job is a critical one to the defense’s success. Gone is Nicholas Grigsby, who underperformed somewhat in his redshirt senior season; the coaches want more than 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks out of that position, and finding a player who can provide that is key.
Grigsby’s brother, redshirt senior Bam Bradley will get an early crack at the job, and he’ll compete with converted receiver Elijah Zeise and converted safety Oluwaseun Idowu. Whoever wins the job has to put up better numbers than Grigsby in order to boost the linebackers and the defense as a whole.
THE CRUCIAL
- The quarterback is always the most important player, and for Pitt, keeping Nate Peterman healthy is an absolute must this season - and that includes August. With no experience behind Peterman, the Panthers can’t afford to lose him for any stretch of time, and that means the coaches have to be extra careful with him in training camp.
Peterman was always going to wear a red jersey, but the coaches might want to put a red helmet, red pants, red shoes and anything else on Peterman in training camp to ensure that the defensive players know to stay away from him.
- Speaking of health, Pitt also has to get out of training camp with a healthy offensive line. If all five of the projected starters plus presumptive top backup Alex Bookser can stay healthy through August, then the Panthers’ offense looks like it will have a chance to be very effective. At the very least, Pitt should be able to run the ball at will, and if the pass protection follows suit, then Peterman’s chances of staying upright increase considerably.
But those five linemen have to stay healthy themselves in order for all of that to work according to plan.
THE PLEASANT SURPRISES
- The most pleasant surprise the Pitt coaches could get in training camp - aside from staying healthy - would be to have some upperclassmen emerge at key positions. Players like Bam Bradley, Tyrique Jarrett and Jester Weah have underperformed to this point in their careers, but with needs at all three positions - outside linebacker, defensive tackle and wide receiver, respectively - a big step forward couldn’t come at a better time for those three players.
The coaches will be looking for answers at those three spots this month, and they would love nothing more than to find those answers among the upperclassmen. Jarrett is in place as a starter at nose tackle, but the coaches want more production from him than they got last year. Bradley will get the first shot at filling the open starting job at Star linebacker, a position that should fit his skill set well. And if Weah’s focus and consistency can catch up with his physical tools, then he can be an impact player for the offense.
Getting one, two or three of those players to reach those levels would be a pleasant - and needed - development for the coaches.
- At the same time, the staff certainly isn’t shying away from the potential for a freshman or two - or more - to emerge in camp. There are some obvious options, like Damar Hamlin at cornerback or Keyshon Camp and Amir Watts at defensive tackle. But the coaches showed last year that they are willing to play freshmen, and they will be keeping an eye on more than a few frosh in camp this year.
Whether that’s a linebacker, another cornerback or a receiver, the freshmen will get an opportunity if they can earn it in training camp.
OVERALL
In general, Pitt needs to stay healthy, stay focused and stay the course.
The coaches can’t control the health element, but they still need to hope for the best. Peterman and the offensive line are crucial to the success of the offense, and there are a few defensive players who absolutely need to stay on the field as well. Getting out of training camp with no significant injuries would be a positive development for the team.
In terms of focus, the coaches have to remember that, while the Sept. 10 game against Penn State will get a lot of attention, they have to keep the players’ attention on the details that will help them be successful in every game. They can’t over-focus on Penn State (even though they’ll be asked about that game a lot).
And they have to stay the course. Pitt made a lot of progress in Year One of the Narduzzi Era, not the least of which was the fact that the Panthers won five one-score games last season, including a few victories that were secured in the fourth quarter. Previous Pitt teams weren’t as successful in those situations, so whatever the coaches did last year with the team needs to happen again. If that success stemmed from the staff’s energy - an early and obvious hallmark of Narduzzi’s influence at Pitt - then that energy needs to be maintained this year.
