Practice will be light today coming off the scrimmage and in light of the fact there is a two-a-day scheduled for tomorrow. I'm sure there will be a little lineup shuffling but nothing major. Coaches will experiment with Adam Gunn in the middle a little because it is clear they'll need someone to give Scott McKillop a rest during games -- and that would enable Dorin Dickerson to get more plays at strongside linebacker. As for Pat Bostick, Wannstedt's comment was simply that he'll be back practicing full speed and Saturday will be his "audition" during the scrimmage. I'd expect him to get a long look as coaches are searching for someone to step forward at quarterback, but in all honesty Bill Stull is the team's best quarterback so he needs to begin to find some consistency.

Q: With all the issues at quarterback, why have I not heard anything about Dexter Davidson? What is his status?

Jerry Coltin

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Zeise: Dexter is still a part of the program -- I've seen him working out every now and then at the complex. Wannstedt said he'll honor his scholarship -- and perhaps he will get a medical waiver for him. However, he has a chronic knee condition that will prohibit him from getting back on the field any time soon. His career actually never got started because, if you remember, he was injured pretty much from the day he stepped on campus.

Q: Is it true there is a divide in the locker room between Dave Wannstedt's players and the players recruited by Walt Harris?

Glen Wible

Edwards, Co.

Zeise: This is my sixth year covering this team full-time and seventh in at least some capacity. I've been around here for the past ten days, 10 to 12 sometimes 14 hours per day. I can honestly say this is one of the most unified Pitt teams I've been around for a number of reasons. For one thing, there aren't many guys on this team looking ahead to their NFL careers because most of the most talented players are young. Secondly, star treatment isn't being handed out to anyone -- and it seems as if coaches have learned from their mistakes of the past two years because they are very hesitant to say anything publicly that is going to give players a big head. A great example is LeSean McCoy. You remember last year, when Dave Wannstedt told anyone who would listen that "our offense is going to get the ball to Dorin Dickerson eight to ten times per game." I think that was a tough lesson because stuff like that caused some dissension. It took Wannstedt, what, eight, nine days of camp to say anything really complimentary of McCoy -- who has been spectacular, but coaches don't want to get ahead of themselves in praising him. So again, the star treatment that has been given to certain players over the past few years is non-existent here. There may be a few of Harris's players who are grumbling about losing their jobs to younger guys, but they are clearly in the minority (and probably aren't very significant) because it really seems like this team has good chemistry. That might not translate into wins, but if they lose it is because they aren't good enough and not because they've quit on each other like I've seen some Pitt teams in recent history do.

Q: I've never seen Bill Stull take a snap, but judging from what I've read this far, it sounds like he is a big step down from Tyler Palko. Can you give me your evaluation of his skill sets and strengths and weaknesses?

Terry Smith

Littleton, Co.

Zeise: Well, it may be a step down from Palko to Stull simply because Palko was a fifth-year senior who had been the starter for two years entering the season and Stull is a junior who has no real experience. There is just no substitute for real game experience and, just like every first-year starter, Stull has to learn and grow on the job and that means he'll experience ups and downs in the early part of his career as he struggles with consistency. And I think that's what we've seen in camp -- I don't think anyone doubts Stull's talent or ability -- it is just he, and all the quarterbacks for that matter, have not been very good to this point in camp. That doesn't mean he won't get better, it doesn't mean he doesn't have talent -- it means he is struggling while he tries to find consistency. I think he can be a good leader and quarterback for this team and that this team can win with him -- he just needs to start playing better and more consistently. But Stull actually has some of the qualities that made Palko so good -- Stull is a tough guy -- no doubt about that. He is gritty, he's a fighter, he'll battle through stuff and he doesn't make excuses. The team respects him and they respond to him. He doesn't have the biggest arm but he is accurate and he is smart, so he generally makes good decisions, and he is a little more athletic then you'd think.