The departure from preseason camp, perhaps for good, of touted freshman quarterback Pat Bostick only compounds what figures to be a major problem for the Pitt football team.

The Panthers virtually have no experience at quarterback, and Bostick was given a good chance of winning the starting job. At the least, he would have been a strong challenger to inexperienced junior Bill Stull, who is the leading candidate to replace Tyler Palko. If Bostick didn't win the job in camp, it widely was assumed he eventually would supplant Stull and be Pitt's long-term answer at quarterback.

Even before Bostick, who was the Gatorade Pennsylvania player of the year in 2006, went home, coach Dave Wannstedt had been doing his best to make the quarterback position as inconsequential as possible. It made sense that with nearly no experience at the position -- Stull has thrown 10 passes in two seasons -- Wannstedt would want to downplay the quarterback's role. In reality, though, it's not possible to downplay the quarterback. It's the most important position on the field.

Acknowledging that Palko and middle linebacker H.B. Blades were indispensable parts of the team last season, Wannstedt said, "The focus for so long has been the quarterback and the middle linebacker. It's not going to be that way this year."

Oh, that it were so easy to dismiss the problem.

Stull appeared in 10 games in two season, almost always in a mop-up role. Redshirt freshman Kevan Smith, who had limited playing time in high school, is the only challenger to Stull. That means Stull, who had a celebrated high school career at Seton-LaSalle, is a lock to open the season at quarterback against Eastern Michigan Sept. 1.

It's not as if Wannstedt is gushing over Stull. He damned him with the faintest praise the other day.

"He's a gamer," Wannstedt said. "The players believe in him. He knows our offense. He's one of those guys who always seems to perform better when the lights go on. He might not be that impressive in practice."

Stull, who passed for 3,310 yards and 40 touchdowns as a high school senior, has the luxury of opening with Eastern Michigan and Grambling. It will give him the game experience he missed in caddying for Palko for two seasons.

Whether that is enough remains questionable. Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh have purposely eased the responsibilities on the quarterback this season. In discussing his job description, Stull said, "I understand my role. I don't have to be the hero and make huge plays. I have to get the ball to my skills guys and let them make plays."

In Pitt's situation, such a philosophy makes sense. But the importance of the quarterback cannot be minimized. That's especially true at Pitt, where the running game has been less than potent for too long. Pitt finished seventh in the eight-team Big East in rushing last season, ahead of only hapless Syracuse. And that was with a quarterback (Palko) who demanded the attention of the opposition. Without such a quarterback, defenses will focus more intently on stopping Pitt's running game.

It's one thing to emphasize the running game. It's quite another to do it without at least the threat of a strong passing game. It's possible Stull can do that. But it would be nice if there was a quarterback with at least some experience, which leads us to Joe Flacco.

At one time, Flacco was the heir apparent to Palko. But Flacco wanted no part of such a role. It would have left him with one year of eligibility. Flacco has a big-time arm. He once threw for almost 500 yards in a high school game in New Jersey. Like so many young prospects, he didn't relish sitting behind Palko for three seasons and playing one.

He transferred to Delaware in 2005. He sat out that season and started last year. He completed 264 of 416 passes for 2,783 yards last season. He threw 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and had a passer rating of 128.8.

This season Delaware is pushing Flacco for All-American. He is being mentioned as a quarterback who will get a chance to play in the NFL.

"That was a thought of mine when I transferred. I wanted to play so people could see what I could do," Flacco said over the phone the other day.

Is he sorry he left Pitt?

"Not at all. I didn't want wait around for three years, and I wanted to play for more than one year."

He feels he's getting the necessary experience that could get him to the NFL. He would look good at Pitt this season, but that's history.

The job belongs to Stull, and no matter how much Pitt wants to downsize the responsibilities of the position, it remains the most vital on the team.