Pitt was best choice for Petitti

On Thanksgiving, Rob Petitti will be with his family. Not around the dinner table, with a… On Thanksgiving, Rob Petitti will be with his family. Not around the dinner table, with a fresh, oven-baked turkey and mashed potatoes steaming in the center.

Rather, they’ll be watching their loved one show the nation why he deserves a shot in the NFL.

“I’m a hard worker,” Petitti said, giving reasons why NFL teams should take interest in him. “Football is pretty much my life. I put 100 percent in it.”

And he has gotten 100 percent back.

On Nov. 25, Petitti will start in his final Backyard Brawl. The 6-foot-6, 335-pound left tackle from Rumson, N.J., will be graduating this year, but it seems like only yesterday he was a freshman.

“I just can’t believe it’s almost over,” Petitti said.

He has been a starter since his freshman year, when he started in all 12 games. He came to Pitt chiefly because head coach Walt Harris displayed confidence in him. Not many schools did.

“Boston College and Syracuse told me I wasn’t good enough to play in the Big East,” Petitti said.

Four years later, he’s good enough to play in the NFL. Pro scouts have already been at Pitt games and will be at the final three games to evaluate him.

“I know scouts are watching everything I do,” Petitti said. “It pushes me to work harder than I did last year. When they’re here watching you, you start getting the mentality that’s the way you got to be all the time.”

Petitti has also been quite the leader on the field, according to Harris. He has stepped up to the challenges and led this year’s offensive line to recover from the woes of 2003 (a line that allowed 43 sacks).

“He’s added leadership,” Harris said of Petitti’s improvement. “He brings a lot of enthusiasm to practice. He’s really been a joy to coach this year.”

He has come a long way since he first arrived at Pitt, and he has kept many defenders from getting to the quarterback. Dwight Freeney, who is now with the Indianapolis Colts, was held without a sack in 2001 when Pitt played Syracuse. Petitti was the first lineman to hold his ground against Freeney in 15 games.

“When he first came here, I remember he was kind of slow; he wasn’t very fast,” defensive tackle Vince Crochunis said. “He’s definitely a guy who worked to become a good football player. He listened to coaches, what they had to say and what he needed to do to become an excellent football player. And that’s what he is. He’s one of the best offensive tackles in the country, I think.”

As one of the best, Petitti wanted his team to be the best, but it did not work out that way. He has been just short of winning the Big East for the past three seasons. And at this point in the season, Pitt still has a chance if Boston College loses a game, but it’ll be tough. The Panthers were in control of their own destiny until they lost in double overtime to Syracuse two weeks ago.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of bad losses,” Petitti said. “And I knew that was it for me.”

It was a game, according to both Petitti and Crochunis, Pitt should have won, but they did not put Syracuse away when they had the chance.

“I can remember walking into the locker room,” Crochunis said, “and for a second I started thinking, this can’t be real. This couldn’t have happen. We were winning this game.”

It’s over now, yet both Petitti and Crochunis must go on. Two games remain on the schedule and both will go out and give it their all.

Before the win at Notre Dame, Petitti knew that he had to go out and perform.

“I have career I got to worry about next year, so I got to play good against Notre Dame,” Petitti said.

And he did. He kept the Irish’s sack leader, Justin Tuck, away from his quarterback.

“There’s no letting down for me,” Petitti said.

Even after a stuffed nation loosens its belts and sits down at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving to enjoy a Backyard Brawl, he will not let down