Matt Freed, Post-Gazette photos Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt won't sacrifice program's integrity. Click photo for larger image.

Pitt has had a long, strange summer of tough breaks and off-field issues to try and resolve. But coach Dave Wannstedt has remained calm because he believes the story of his team this season will be very similar to that told by former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber on those Cadillac commercials.

Barber talks about his rise from a second stringer at Virginia to one of the best running backs in NFL history and says, "One of the great things I've been able to do in my life is seize opportunities when they've presented themselves. Opportunities that come are seldom perfect, but I've learned that if you are not ready for them, they may not ever come again. Everyday is an opportunity."

Wannstedt said that seizing the opportunity has been his theme throughout training camp. That's why he isn't panicking or losing sleep about the issues he has had to deal with the past three months.

"It isn't about the adversity, to focus on that is a waste of energy," Wannstedt said. "That's not what we are dwelling on, not one of us here. Our focus is on getting the job done. When Derek [Kinder] got hurt, my message to the coaches was 'The reason we have the whistles and wear the shirts that say coach is because we need to figure out a way to get this done.'

"And my message to the team is that when unfortunate things happen, and believe me, we've had our share, it creates opportunities for everyone else to step up, including those going through the adversity. That has been our approach ... if one guy goes down someone else must step up. I ask the guys every day, 'Who is it that is going to seize the opportunity they have today? Who is going to dare to be great,' and that's how we've kept moving forward through this.

"Remember this -- we are going to have a good football team this year and part of the reason is because I have always believed it is not always the 11 best but the best 11 that win games and that is our approach as we circle the wagons so-to-speak -- team, team, team."

The Panthers' list of misfortune has increased each week.

Seniors Darrell Strong and Joe Clermond, key players, were involved in legal issues. Strong was cited for criminal mischief and harassment after an incident involving a confrontation with his girlfriend, while Clermond was arrested for possession of a small amount of marijuana. Charges were withdrawn against Clermond a week later.

Pitt's Eric Thatcher poses with coach Dave Wannstedt during media day on the South Side. Click photo for larger image.

Recruit Kyle Hubbard decided to play baseball instead of enrolling, then star quarterback recruit Pat Bostick left camp the day before it started for personal reasons and did not return until eight days later.

Standout Elijah Fields was suspended for the season for violating a team rule and Kinder, who is the Panthers only returning first-team All-Big East player was lost with a torn ACL.

Wannstedt said most of those problems have been resolved and the ones that haven't, such as the loss of Fields and Kinder, are the same kinds of things every program is dealing with. He said the players have rallied around each other and have not missed a beat.

"I've been doing this for 33 years and I've learned a lot of lessons along the way, some easy some I had to learn the hard way," Wannstedt said. "When you have adversity, you have to understand the adversity you are dealing with at the present time doesn't impact your life, or in our case your team, nearly as much as how you respond to it. That's a real key principle for us.

"Good football teams overcome adversity, not by dwelling on it but by figuring out how to use it as a positive. If you have a solid foundation, and we have a great foundation with the backbone being our coaches and support system provided by the university and athletic department, then you won't waver or falter when adversity hits."

Wannstedt said he knows that there is some mounting pressure on him to turn the program around in the wake of two losing seasons, but he isn't about to start cutting corners by not holding players who can help the Panthers win accountable. He has heard some criticism for suspending a player of Fields ability for a year, but he believes in the long run it is the best thing for the team and for Fields.

He said much like a parent, it is up to him to stick by and support all his players but that doesn't mean he can't, or shouldn't, discipline them.

"The commitment I've made to every parent whose son has come to Pitt to play football is that I will stick by their son and support him through good times and bad," Wannstedt said. "I'm going to do everything in my power to help him get his degree and we're going to coach him up so that if he has enough talent he can get to the NFL. But ultimately, we are committed to helping him become a better person as he goes through this very difficult maturing stage.

"Integrity matters to me, and part of integrity is doing the right thing even when it may not, in the short term, look like the best thing for your team. Being without a player like Elijah is disappointing for us, but it also is motivating for us because we want to make sure he can still accomplish everything he set out to accomplish when he signed on the line to come to Pitt.

"Ultimately, people forget sometimes that we are dealing with 18- and 19-year-old kids and they are still that -- kids, which means their book is not close to being written and this chapter in their life is not closed, so I'm not going to give up on them. And I'm going to try and make sure they write a happy ending."