University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Panthers Finish Third Day of Camp
8/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Panthers Finish Third Day of Camp
8/13/2003
Walt Harris Quotes
On new practice format:
?With the way the rules are, you know they give us three (hours) so we should take what we?re going to take. We missed our multiple day. They allow us to have this so we?re going to try to take it. When you have a multiple day, we were out here four hours, well a little more than three, but three different times. It was probably a little closer to three-thirty than four. But they took that day away so we have to make up for it.?
On keeping the team?s attention for three hours:
?I think the day was hard because we haven?t had any heat. It hasn?t been hotter than 80 degrees the whole summer and during our summer workout with the players. So this is the first warm day we had, and I think that?s a factor right now. That?s why you need training camp, and that?s the scariest part about it for us. With us not having a first-week game, and with school starting early, we don?t have much training camp. The guys will not be in the dormitory for very long. Then they?ll be in their own apartments, and who knows what happens then. And they won?t be practicing as much so it?s pretty scary.?
On quarterback Tyler Palko:
?I don?t think he mentioned that (he?d move). I think what he said was that he would do anything to help the team. That even meant move to safety. If you watched practice, and I know you did, he was the quarterback all day. So he will remain a quarterback. I thought he had a heck of a day. He and Luke (Getsy) both had a heck of a day.?
On wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald?s improvement:
?I think he?s improved in the areas that we coach that you may not know about. You know, there are little details of a play. Most everyone can see when he goes up and snatches it, those are great catches. But all the little details that he has to do, he?s much more polished in all the details of being a receiver which is not only about catching the ball, it?s about running routes, it?s about alignment, it?s about splits, it?s about depth, it?s about blocking, it?s about targets when you?re blocking. It?s just a lot of things. Is he faster than he was? I don?t know, they say he is. I think he?s bigger. I don?t like them always so big. This is a game of speed and quickness and sometimes the bigger you get, you slow down. But he?s assured me that he?s quicker and faster than ever so I believe him. I don?t have a reason not to.?
On offensive lineman Jon Schall possibly starting:
?I mentioned him in the press conference, and I got a lot of respect for Jon because Jon started as a true freshman. Well really what happened, I think he came early and hurt his knee and had to go home. He went home and I think he was really worried about whether we were going to keep him. He went home and rehabilitated. We set that up with somebody that we knew and we tried to help direct his rehabilitation and he came back mid-year and ended up starting that year. Then the next two years he didn?t. He sat on the bench and hardly played at all. The bench got to him and you know that?s a hard deal. I have nothing but the greatest respect for what Jon Schall?s done hanging in there and now being in a position to be a starter this year. What has he done to get himself back? Well we graduated some guys and it just comes together. Sometimes they just see it, relax and see it, put it together. We thought he could play since he was a freshman so it was always there. I think maybe he felt like it was more his time.?
On recruits in the past from Woodland Hills (reference to Shawntae Spencer, Lousaka Polite, and Tutu
?We love those guys and we love what Coach Novak does up there at Woodland Hills. We?ve watched them practice. Obviously we?ve seen them and our guys have seen them play, but we?ve also watched them practice in the late year like December. You know there?s a reason why they?re so good. They?re very well coached and very tough-minded and it pays off. Those three kids have played a tremendous amount of football for us. We just can?t wait to keep getting them, and we hope to be the school that everyone of those young men would like to go to.?
On Shawntae Spencer as a kick returner:
?Shawntae was a big blocker. He doesn?t look like a lead blocker but he?s a tough, tough guy for a slender guy. But now he?s a lot bigger. He had a tremendous day today, by the way. He was all over the field, he had to be the player of the day. He?s a slasher. He doesn?t like any kind of a gut, so he?s going to smack it up in there which is what you have to have in order to return a kickoff. You have to pound it up in there without hesitation. So we think he?ll be a good kickoff returner and hopefully a good one like Torrie (Cox) was.?
On the special teams:
?We?ll play the best players. The special teams is a third of the game. We?ve got three coordinators so Bob Ligashesky is a coordinator. He?s a very important part of our team, special teams. So we practice as much as the best team?s special teams. I doubt there are many teams practicing more than we do. In fact, I doubt there?s anybody because of that. We?ve seen it help us, and we?ve seen it hurt us. The last ball game we played we saw it help us tremendously. Against
On Tyler Palko?s progression:
?I think
On Tyler Palko saying he?ll do whatever it takes to help the team:
?It says that he?s been brought up by a great mom and dad. It also says that he?s for sure a coach?s son because you know, being a coach?s son, how important a team is. And it says that he wants to win. No, I don?t see him making a move. And I don?t think he wants to make a move either. He?s that kind of player in terms of being a team player. So we?re excited that he has that much love for the team.?
On the possibility of Tyler Palko redshirting this year:
?I think any time a young man who hasn?t used that term, there?s always that chance there. But we?re so far away from that decision. That goes 12 games, probably after game six or seven.?
