March 18, 2006

"Now, when we fought, you had that eye of the tiger, man; the edge! And now you gotta get it back, and the way to get it back is to go back to the beginning."

 

--Apollo Creed in Rocky III

 

Fans of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky films will no doubt remember the series' third installment when the fallen champion goes back to his roots to regain his "Eye of the Tiger." Rocky trains in the roughest, toughest way to regain the hunger that made him the heavyweight champion of the world.

 

It is questionable how well that 1982 film has aged, and the movie's hit song "Eye of the Tiger" has fared even worse. There is a lot of resonance, though, in the idea of regaining your edge by going back to your roots.

 

That was the motive behind the training regimen leading up to the 2006 edition of Pitt's spring football drills. Coming off a disappointing 5-6 campaign, Coach Dave Wannstedt and the Panthers are intent on regaining that winning edge. In true Rocky fashion, Wannstedt designated a day when the team would leave the state-of-the-art training methods of the Duratz Complex and "take it to the streets." 

 

Among the Panthers' winter activities:

 

• Running the steps up the long and steep hill next to the Swinburne Bridge in Pittsburgh's Greenfield neighborhood.
• Running all 36 flights of steps in the Cathedral of Learning.
• Running the trail that runs alongside the Monongahela River at 6 a.m.

You'll notice the common denominator in those activities is "running." The Panthers did plenty of that. The goal was to strengthen the team not only physically, but in other important ways as well.

 

"This has made us come together as a team," senior quarterback Tyler Palko said. "When you are facing something tough together it helps your camaraderie. It has made us tougher and we're definitely in better shape."

 

"Our leaders have really attacked this, and the other guys have indeed followed," observed Wannstedt. "We have a team that is much closer right now because they all have more ownership in it. They all know they need to rely on each other to come through -- and that's really what we're after, team unity."

 

The Panthers begin spring drills on March 19. Per the NCAA, Pitt can hold 15 total practice sessions, including the spring game, which is scheduled for April 15 at Heinz Field.

 

In an effort to reach out to Western Pennsylvania's surrounding communities, the Panthers are scheduled to hold two spring practices at area high schools. On March 24 Pitt will practice at Center High School, while on April 7 the Panthers will be at Thomas Jefferson High. 

 

"Western Pennsylvania is our home and we have really appreciated the way the surrounding communities and area high school coaches have rallied around us," Wannstedt said. "This is our backyard and we always want to make an effort to keep those ties strong. Visiting area high schools during the spring is a win-win for all of us. We really enjoy making those visits and I think the host schools and communities relish the opportunity as well."

 

The Panthers have a solid nucleus returning in 13 starters and 46 lettermen. Key areas of attention during the spring figure to be on the defensive front, where Pitt lost two starting tackles, and in the offensive backfield, where two starters and six lettermen departed.

 

Other interesting positional races include Charles Spencer's vacated left offensive tackle spot, Greg Lee's split end job and the cornerback position left open by the graduated Bernard "Josh" Lay.

 

Some prominent Panthers will be on the shelf due to injuries during spring drills. Among them are potential starters in safety Mike Phillips and linebacker Brian Bennett. Both players are still rehabilitating from injuries suffered in the first month of last season. However, full recoveries are anticipated for both in time for the '06 campaign. 

 

"We're looking forward to getting back into it," Palko said. "It's been far too long since we've had the pads on. We need to be hungry. Last year was disappointing and we're looking forward to getting back after it for spring ball."