Summer workouts pay dividends for Pitt line

Box jumps, medicine ball workouts and short sprints. Suicides, long distance runs followed by… Box jumps, medicine ball workouts and short sprints. Suicides, long distance runs followed by hours in the weight room. It’s the summer workout plan for Pitt football. And newly acquired offensive line coach Tony Wise said it could make the Panthers roar again. Throughout the summer, Pitt strength and conditioning coach Buddy Morris, along with other members of the coaching staff, set a goal for the Pitt players: to get leaner, more agile and more explosive. The focus was less on weight gain and more on becoming better athletes. Wise, who coached in the NFL for the past 18 seasons before coming to Pitt this spring, said that a lot of coaches try forcing weight on their linemen, thinking it will make them better in the trenches. But he said the most important thing to do is concentrate on making them the best football players they can be ‘- no matter what weight they are. ‘To expect some of these guys to put on weight just for the sake of putting on weight, that slows people down,’ said Wise. ‘There are a certain amount of big guys that can do that, but they’re few and far between. We’re now about explosion, quickness and power. Those are the things we stress.’ But it didn’t come easy. ‘Ridiculous,’ said Pitt offensive lineman Joe Thomas about the offseason workouts. ‘Disgusting,’ added offensive lineman Jason Pinkston. Thomas, who played at right guard last year before making the transition to right tackle, said he lost about 15 pounds during the summer workouts. Thomas said he expects the lost weight to help him while blocking the quicker, more athletic defensive ends in the conference. Robb Houser, a transfer from Butte Community College in California, said he also made positive strides and feels more prepared than ever. But he added that the workouts were some of the most difficult he’s ever had. ‘The first four weeks of summer we had to run Flagstaff Hill,’ said Houser. ‘It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.’ Wise said that Houser, who’s expected to start at center, was one of the most impressive players throughout the summer workouts. He added that the offensive line, which Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said is still one of the biggest question marks heading into the season, has made strides in the right direction ‘- especially since it’s been facing one of the deepest defensive lines in the country every day. ‘All of our guys have to feel really good heading into Saturdays,’ said Wise about the offensive line. ‘They’re blocking Tommie [Duhart], Mick [Williams] and Greg [Romeus]. There are no plays off.’ Houser agreed. ‘There’s no better way to prepare for a game,’ said Houser. ‘Our guys [on the defensive line] are some of the best.’ Pitt lost offensive linemen Mike McGlynn and Jeff Otah to graduation. Both were drafted into the NFL and leave big holes in their spots. But Wise said plenty of players improved and are ready to make a big impact when the season starts. ‘You have to look at the weight [Joe Thomas] has lost and the condition he’s in,’ said Wise. ‘Robb Houser also had a very good offseason. So did Jordan Gibbs. Everyone improved their foot speed and quickness, and we’re getting better every day.’ Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso said he saw this improvement while comparing the offensive line in the spring to the offensive line at the end of the summer, and he added that the physical condition of the players was one of the biggest reasons why. ‘Buddy [Morris] does a terrific job with our guys,’ said Gattuso. ‘We want to be lean, fast and powerful. Buddy did a great job doing that.’