University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Training Camp Transcript: Day 10
8/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 16, 2010
Training Camp Transcript: Day 10
Opening Statement:
"It was very, very encouraging this morning with Greg Romeus. He came out and took every snap, full pads, inside run, team and pass rush. He did everything from start to finish. He felt good afterwards, so we're heading down the right road with him. A couple of the other guys that were banged up a little bit are starting to come out. They're limited in some situations, but everybody is doing what they can do. I think the real key to training camp at this point is the attitude -- not letting your mind become weak because of the two-a-days, the soreness, the heat and everything that goes along with camp. I think our guys are doing a really good job of dealing with it.
"We decided to come out in the evening tonight to change things up. It's been nine days of pretty much the same routine as far as wake-up, lunch, dinner, meetings and bed checks, so I thought this would give us the chance to break it up a little bit. The kids got a couple of hours to rest today, too. Hopefully they took a nap this afternoon and didn't come back to the dorm and play video games. Practicing tonight gives us the chance to get out here under the lights."
On putting together the offensive line:
"I think that with our two remaining scrimmages we will have the time to name the other starters on the offensive line. We have a big scrimmage Wednesday night, which is very similar to last Saturday, and then we're going to have a controlled type of scrimmage. Because we're opening on a Thursday, everything is moved up a few days.
"Our second biggest scrimmage will be Wednesday night. Saturday will be a big practice for us. It will be the same amount of time, but the scrimmage work will be more controlled. We'll have some live scrimmage work, we'll have officials here, but it won't just be putting the ball down and having a scrimmage for two hours."
On Alex Karabin:
"Alex Karabin is playing well. The guy has been here four years, and has overcome a lot. He's waited his turn and taken advantage of it. (Offensive line coach) Tony Wise, he doesn't say things just to say it. When he makes a comment about a player, it's usually a comment that has been thought out and well documented. Alex (Karabin) is playing well, and he's the starting center right now.
"I think that we don't need to come out and name the starting group. We still have a battle going on at right guard. We still have a competition going on at a couple other spots on defense. We have time. Let's get through this week. Let's get another scrimmage under our belt, and then by the time FanFest rolls around we'll pretty much have a depth chart set.
"Alex's experience, at that position, it's huge. It's something that on the offensive line is invaluable. With the offensive line, communication -- the terminology that they use -- is particularly valuable with the center position. If you were to ask me to list the five most important things that you have to have as a center, being intelligent, and being able to make decisions would be two of those five. Alex, being around here, he's a smart guy, he's done a very good job this camp, he really has.
"I hope to have one scholarship for him, probably two, he's a top candidate. We'll cross that bridge in the next week or two. He and I have talked, so we'll have a discussion probably at the end of the week, or the beginning of next week."
On individuals standing out at camp:
"Dion Lewis worked this morning, he was sick yesterday so he had to sit out. Greg Williams has been a starter since he's been filling in for Tristan Roberts a little bit. Jason Hendricks is a guy. He's going to be a fourth safety for us, a nickel back. He's been working at that safety spot, and with Andrew Taglianetti and Dom DeCicco being banged up a little bit, Jason (Hendricks) has done some good things."
On preparing for Utah:
"We've talked about them. We've done a very thorough summer scouting report on them. We did that at the end of May, and when we came back from vacation in July, I had the coaches take a day and we dedicated it to Utah. We went through and double checked ourselves -- we dotted the "I's" and crossed the "T's" on our summer game plan. We have put in the time. I think with as many young players that we have, it's still a game of blocking and tackling. It's very important that we don't get ahead of ourselves. I think we have a good plan for how much extra time we need for an opener, and we're going to try to stick to that as close as we can."
On Lucas Nix:
"Lucas Nix, out of that whole class that came in, he's one of the most intelligent players. He's a sharp guy, he can do more and we expect more of him this year. He's an established starter. He can help with communication, and whoever that right guard is, whether it's Greg Gaskins, Ryan Turnley or Jack Lippert, they'll benefit from it. That's where we're at right now. We're going to ask Lucas (Nix) to do a little more than what he's done in years past."
