Lee needs to step things up for Pitt

When looking through the list of problems that have plagued Pitt throughout this football… When looking through the list of problems that have plagued Pitt throughout this football season, the first couple are obvious.

But they were also expected.

The overall inexperienced offensive line needed time before it could open up holes for the rushing attack that quarterback Tyler Palko so desperately needs, and the lack of a true No. 1 runner didn’t help either.

What wasn’t expected, however, was that the Panthers’ big-play receiver would disappear when it came time to make a big play in a big-play situation.

Too many times this season – about two or three per game – fans have been left stunned, standing in their aisle with their hands above their head, questioning what just happened.

Well what usually happened was Greg Lee just dropped a for-sure pass that Palko put right in his hands.

In no other game was this more evident than last Thursday’s showdown in Louisville against the heavily-favored Cardinals.

On a national stage with millions watching on ESPN, you’d expect your best from all your players, but that’s not what happened with the Panthers.

Down by nine in the third quarter, Palko hit Lee over the middle on second down and five that would have put Pitt in the red zone – had Lee been able to hold on.

On fourth down, Palko looked his direction again, but nothing came of it other than a turnover on downs when the ball skipped away from Lee during his diving attempt. You can’t fault him for missing a diving play though, because the effort was there.

But if you want to be considered the next leg of “Wide Receiver U.” alongside the likes of Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald, then if you don’t make the first play, you’ve got to pull that one in.

Later in the third quarter, the offense looked to drive for a last-chance effort at staying in the game. Helping halt that drive was a drop by Lee on the right side without having a defensive player within 5-10 yards of him.

At some point, the continuous drops have got to be frustrating for the offense as much as it is to everyone else.

Through it all, though, Palko has said the right things.

“It’s part of the game,” he said after the 42-20 loss on Thursday. “Getting mad about it is not going to do anything. It’s not like Greg [Lee] went out and said ‘Hey, let me drop these.'”

“That’s not what it’s about.”

Maybe he didn’t go out there and say that, but that’s certainly what happened. It’s been happening far too often, too.

You can’t argue against Lee’s numbers, because they are there. He’s caught 41 passes for 805 yards and five touchdowns, but his inconsistency reminds you of a former Pitt athlete that also put up the numbers – Chris Taft.

And you know how many times we questioned Taft as to whether he was going to show up last season.

Well, the same goes for Lee. There are two games left, and Pitt needs to win just one to become bowl eligible. That’s tough to do without your top receiver.

He’ll have his chances. Palko, Dave Wannstedt and the rest of the team have not lost confidence in him. At least they haven’t stated that, and Wannstedt believes Lee just had a bad game.

It’s time to forget about the bad games and move on. It’s also time to forget about Fitzgerald and Bryant comparisons if you haven’t already.

For Pitt to be successful, Lee needs to start playing to the level of at least a Latef Grim or R.J. English, who were both very solid, dependable receivers – and I stress dependable.

“Greg Lee is the best receiver we got,” Wannstedt said after the game. “He’ll make the plays next week.”

I’ll believe it when I see it.

Alan Smodic is a senior staff writer for The Pitt News.