Pitt Spring Football Notebook: Revis' leadership asset in secondary full of new players

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Pitt junior Darrelle Revis is one of the top cornerbacks in the country but he knows the Panthers' secondary only will be as good as its weakest link.

That's why he has taken such an interest in helping the younger players surrounding him get up to speed and ready for the season.

Revis' leadership is important because the Panthers' secondary is so young and inexperienced, particularly because veterans like safety Mike Phillips are sitting out drills with injuries.

Even though there are some experienced corners returning, the corner opposite Revis might ultimately be manned by either Jovani Chappel or Aaron Berry -- both true freshmen. And the safety spots are wide open right now and almost every candidate would be a first-year starter. That includes Central Catholic graduate Shane Murray, who redshirted last year as a quarterback, then made the offseason switch to safety.

Revis said the secondary is a work in progress, but it is coming together at the right time. He also believes that the inexperience in the secondary won't necessarily translate into teams throwing away from him because the Panthers have many good players.

"They might pick on the corner on the other side, but they might pick on me to see where my game is," Revis said. "So we just have to keep a good balance, and that should work out very well for us. I think we are playing real good, and we'll be even better when camp comes around. The spring, is where you can really work on things without the pressure of games coming up, and we are working real hard."

Game managers

Coach Dave Wannstedt watched film of the Saturday scrimmage and said he saw a number of positive things. What stood out most was the play of the quarterbacks. He said that it is clear both starting quarterback Tyler Palko and backup Bill Stull have settled into the new offense and seem to have a good understanding of their role in managing the game.

"I really feel a lot better about our quarterback position now than at any time last year," Wannstedt said.

"Both those guys have a very clear understanding about what we are trying to get done in this offense and what they need to do for us to be productive. I'm very pleased with the way they are playing."

Moving up

The Panthers have two redshirt freshmen wide receivers trying to fill the void left by Greg Lee -- Oderick Turner and Cedric McGee. Turner came into spring practice ahead of McGee and was given several opportunities to move up to the first team.

But McGee has outperformed Turner most of the spring and passed him on the depth chart. In the scrimmage Saturday, McGee was excellent, but Turner struggled with consistency.

"Let me make it clear -- it isn't like we are lining up to play Virginia tomorrow, so there is a long way to go," Wannstedt said. "And we are still taking a look at a lot of people.

"But, by the same token, there has to be a way to hold players accountable on a day-to-day basis, and now Cedric has earned a shot to run with the [first team] more. It is an opportunity for him. If a guy deserves to play with the first team, he'll get that shot and right now Cedric is playing very well."

Quick hits

Revis sat out of drills yesterday with a hamstring injury but is expected to return to action soon. ... Phillips sustained a major ankle injury against Nebraska last season but has slowly worked his way back to where he almost is ready to return to action. He is not participating in spring drills, but Wannstedt said he expects Phillips to return to the starting lineup in time for the season. ... Sophomore Tommie Campbell was moved from safety to weakside linebacker. "I like our depth at safety and I think Tommie can help us at linebacker. He played there in the scrimmage the other day and made some tackles, broke up a pass -- he looks like he can really help us there," Wannstedt said. ... Other players Wannstedt singled out as having an excellent spring are defensive tackle Mick Williams, offensive tackle John Bachman, linebacker Clint Session. He also has been pleased with the progress of defensive tackles Rashad Duncan, Corey Davis and Craig Bokor. ... The Panthers will practice from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at Thomas Jefferson High School. The practice will be open to the public, and admission will be free.

(Paul Zeise can be reached at pzeise@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1720. )