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Hello all and welcome to game week - finally. It seems like forever since the Panthers last played a game, and that's not a surprise since last year was the first time in a long time their season ended without them going to a bowl game. We've also been talking a lot about the Panthers since signing day because the freshman class was so heralded. But finally the games are here so all of the offseason noise and hype will be rendered meaningless. As Bill Parcells always says -- you are what your record says you are.

Before I get started, let me tell you about something new for this season.

The Q&A will continue to appear on Fridays throughout the season. But at noon on Thursdays, I will host a live chat with Pitt fans. You can log in from noon to 12:30 each Thursday and ask questions about your Panthers and I will do my best to answer them. Our first one yesterday was a success so I look forward to interacting with you all each week.

As for Pitt-UVA, I really don't have a great feel for this game because both teams have so many new players. I don't expect it to be a high-scoring game and I think an early lead for either team could be the key to a win. As for the season, I think I've said it before: 7-5 is realistic, anything less is a problem and anything more is gravy.

So as the Black Eyed Peas always say, let's get it started....

Q: Why is T.J. Porter receiving such soft treatment? Do you think Wannstedt is being too easy on him, and what message is he sending?

Erik Wirtner

Las Vegas

Zeise: Good question. I can honestly say I don't know what the right answer is in this situation. From the outside it is easy to say "this kid is being babied and should be kicked off the team." I don't know if that is the right answer because all of these kids are 17 and 18 years old -- they are all fragile and a few may need a little more nurturing than others. In this case, I think Wannstedt is trying to do the right thing by the kid and the issues are a little deeper than they appear. I know he gave him a second chance but demoted him to the scout team and said he had to earn his way back to the two-deep as well as earn the respect of his teammates. That seems sensible. I think only time will tell -- if Porter responds accordingly, matures and goes on to have a good career, then Wannstedt will be commended for doing the right thing at what really is one of his primary jobs -- helping boys make the transition into fine young men and good citizens. The message he is sending, it sems to me, is that he cares about his players and wants them to succeed not just in football, but also in life. I mean, it isn't like Pitt couldn't survive the loss of Porter. He may develop into a decent player, but my guess is if Wannstedt went looking he would be able to find a receiver of similar abilities in Florida tomorrow.

To just cut a true freshmen a few weeks into the season, basically because he's immature -- I'm not sure what that message sends to the other players but it clearly sends a very bad message to the parents of prospective recruits. Ask yourself, if you had an 18-year-old who was a good player, would you send him off to school to a coach with a track record of giving up on a few freshmen three weeks into camp?

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Q: The game will be on ESPNU. What does that mean for people in Pittsburgh?

Eric Howard

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Zeise: If you have DirectTV or the Dish Network, congratulations. You will able to watch the game from the comforts of your own home because both carry ESPNU.

If you subscribe to Comcast or Adelphia or any other cable company, well, the only way to see the game is to either go to it or go to a sports bar or a place like Damon's where they have the satelite feeds of games.

Unfortunately, most cable companies don't carry ESPNU, which is a surprise given the popularity of college sports.

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Q: What happened to Azzie Beagnyam?

Greg Martin

Duncansville, Pa.

Zeise: He transfered to a Division II school in Texas last summer. If you remember, he broke his ankle early in 2004 and he never recovered from it physically or emotionally. He couldn't seem to develop the same work ethic about rehab that he had when he was forging his way to the top of the depth chart at defensive end.

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Q: Given Dorin Dickerson's chronic ankle problems, should he be redshirted?

Mark Schilajew

Huntingdon, Pa.

Zeise: I wouldn't classify it as a chronic ankle problem. He sprained his ankle. And I don't think this team can afford to redshirt anyone who has a chance to make some plays. I've said it before: From where I sit this team is devoid of big-play guys. I'll have to be convinced that they have true home-run hitters because I haven't seen it. Yeah, Stephens-Howling can break a big one every now and then, but to me their best chances of making big plays -- getting those easy scores -- will be on special teams, and believe it or not, defense. So Dickerson, who I saw running around this week and who looks pretty healthy again, needs to play because the offense can use all the help it can get. I know Oderick Turner and Marcel Pestano are being counted on to be the big-play guys, but neither has played enough to warrant that label yet. That's not to say they can't develop into that, but as of right now, I'll just take the Missouri approach -- "show me."

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Q. What should we expect from Virginia -- how good are they?

Jim Bowser

Freeport, Pa.

Zeise: Like Pitt, Virginia has an NFL-minded coach, which means you will see a lot of the same things from the Cavaliers as you see from the Panthers.

They are a 3-4 defense (an NFL scheme, no surprise), which is a little different than most teams, who play a 4-3 or even the suddenly popular 3-5.

I would imagine, with a quarterback who is making his first start on the road, Al Groh will play things pretty close to the vest. You can expect a team that will try and establish the run, win the field position battle, play physical on defense and take very few risks. They'll likely line up and try and pound the ball at Pitt. Personnel wise, they are very similar to Pitt in that they are in a rebuilding year and have many young players in the starting lineup and throughout the two deep. That's why I'll be shocked if it is a high scoring game and I think there is no reason to believe Pitt can't win it.

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Q: What is your prediction for the opener?

George Lucas

Prescott, AZ

Zeise: I hate trying to predict an opener because I have no idea about how either team will react under game pressure, although last year I had no doubt Pitt would get mopped by Notre Dame. The best I can tell you is that I'll be shocked if it is a blowout either way. I think this one is going to go deep into the fourth quarter before it is decided.

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Q: I think Tyler Palko has to be a few hits from speaking Turkish the rest of his life after last season. Do you think this offensive line can finally protect him?

Todd Reilly

Carlsbad, Ca.

Zeise: Turkish? As opposed to say Spanish or say, gibberish? That's good stuff. Yes, I know that it seems as if Pitt has been determined the past four years to lead the country in sacks allowed, but this year that should change because the offensive line is the one group that has experienced veterans. I think they will do a better job protecting Palko, with one big if --- if they stay healthy. There is very little depth at this position. The five starters and one or two top reserves all must play every game for the line to have a chance to become as good as I think it can be. The bigger question to me is, can these guys finally line up and open up holes for the running backs? That remains to be seen.

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Q: With all of Pitt's questions at wide receiver, why is Pitt's fastest player playing linebacker? Is this really his best position given the fact that he is a little slim?

Steve Mumaw

Aliquippa, Pa.

Zeise: I think Tommie Campbell is an interesting case. Yes, he is a bit small right now (about 198) but given his frame -- he is 6-foot-3 or so -- he can put on a good 25 pounds over the next year or two and not lose any of his speed. I don't know that linebacker is his best position right now, but projecting the future, yes, it seems like it is. And I also think Pitt needs his speed at linebacker. He will miss some plays because he overruns them, but when you see him run from one sideline to the other and catch a running back from behind it is a thing of beauty. When was the last time we saw that from a Pitt linebacker? Campbell, like most of the team, is young and so he is not even close to the finished product coaches hope he will grow into.

Like I've said all along, you have to give this team time -- and that means live with some growing pains and rough stretches -- because it is being built for the next few years. This year is all about laying a foundation and getting players headed in the right direction.

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Q: You keep saying you think this team will struggle because they are young, but West Virginia had some inexperienced players last year and look how they fared. Why can't Pitt do the same?

Johnnie Johnson

Boston

Zeise: Uh, I'm going to say this one more time for the cheap seats.....To try and compare what happened at Penn State and West Virginia last year and Pitt's situation this year is apples and oranges. The situations are completetly different. In both cases, there was a veteran group of players, particularly on both lines, and the players who were the freshmen were at a couple of skill positions. West Virginia's defense was a veteran group last year with a lot of returning players. They added a running back and a quarterback, whose main function was to run, and they ran behind a pretty veteran offensive line. Penn State added some speed at receiver, but had a bunch of fifth-year seniors on the offensive line and a defensive line that had been excellent for the past few years.

Pitt has far too many inexperienced players across the board, and in particular on the defensive line, to expect them all to step on the field and play at a high level. Adding a couple of freshmen to a veteran team is one thing. Pitt's offense should be ahead of the defense because there is more experience there, but the defensive line is so young, and that is such a difficult position to play when you are a freshman that I can't see it being very consistent, at least early. I look up and down this roster and see far too many places where the two-deep consists of players with very little experience or none at all. Think about it, the best defensive lineman coming out of camp is Doug Fulmer, a redshirt freshman who has yet to play a down in college football.

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Q: I'm tired of seeing Pitt give up 200 yards rushing every week. Will this defense stop the run?

Sean Foster

Greensboro, North Carolina

Zeise: Yes, the potential is there because there are finally some more athletic players at defensive tackle. In the past few years, the defensive tackles have made very few plays. Some games they'd hold their own, but not since Tyre Young has this team had a defensive tackle who was quick enough and strong enough to get off his blocks and plug some holes -- or better yet, blow up a running play in the backfield. The guys, and again here is that disclaimer, in there now are young so they will be inconsistent and at times overpowered, but they are better athletes and they can move to the ball quicker. I don't know that we will see something that reminds us of the 86 Bears but they'll be better, maybe much better, by the end of the year.

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Q: A lot was made of the team's lack of chemistry last year. Do you buy that as an explanation for why things went wrong and is it better this year?

Jeff Cumpson

Hershey, Pa.

Zeise: There clearly were some severe chemistry issues on last year's team, but that was only part of the problem. Also part of it was the team's failure to adjust to a new coaching staff and the new style and a new system of doing things. And the team also had no capacity to handle adversity, which speaks to a lack of leadership. Plus, the talent level on the team wasn't very good in many positions. That had as much to do with it as anything.

As for this year, they are clearly all settled into the system and have a clearer understanding of what this coaching staff expects. They also seem to be more unified, but chemistry is fragile and can be blown out with a few tough losses. The talent is clearly better, the team is more athletic and faster, but, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is young, so anything can happen.