WEEK TIL SIGNING DAY SPECIAL

This year was a year where recruiting was on the back burner due to Pitt winning 9 games. However, the Floss has been following. The Floss will rank the Pitt recruits in order of importance/skill/coolness. Then the Floss will predict who will become a Pitt Panther in the final week of the 2009 recruiting season.

2009 PANTHERS

19. JASON HENDRICKS**, CB, JERSEY CITY, NJ

A recent commit to the Panthers. He projects as a corner at the college level even though he was listed as a running back. This was a confusing prospect to say the least. The positives are that he is a fast, tall(er) corner, and might open some more doors in New Jersey. The negatives are that when you take lower ranked recruits from out of state, they have a high transfer ratio if they don't get into the depth chart. The Floss doesn't see much from this kid, hopefully he opens some doors in Jersey for the future.

18. ED TINKER**, WR, PITTSBURGH, PA

The former Brashear standout was always on the Panthers radar even after committing to Colorado as a senior in high school. He went to prep school in North Carolina with Greg Blair, brother of Grizzly Blair. A lot of Pitt fans are high on him. I see grade issues possibly coming back. He never seemed like a high end talent in high school. If he can come out of prep school and be as good as Aundre Wright, that would be a plus.

17. DEVIN STREET**, WR, BETHLEHEM, PA

A camp offer from the Panthers who pulled the trigger early in the process. He is a tall WR who can run. He might be able to play defense. The Floss saw him win a state title. He wasn't even close to as good as Liberty's QB Gonzalez, who already has early offers from Penn St. and Pitt. That kid looks like a really solid football player. Street might be able to bring him here, which would probably be his best contribution.

16. JASON DOUGLAS***, RB, WESTON, FL

5'6 running backs are always interesting players to take a gamble on. He actually could be much higher on the Floss' list if he wasn't the third RB in this class. You can't teach Florida speed, and he had a few low level SEC and B12 offers. This kid actually might turn into a good one. J Doug as he is more formally known could impress.

15. KEVIN ADAMS**, LB, MONTVALE, NJ

Another Jeff Hafley Jersey Boy. He got rave reviews as the season went on. He was another camp standout. The Floss likes RB's turning into LB's after the Greg Williams experiment. He is also a reported stud in the classroom. Gotta make them grades baby, just ask Moelicious about that.

14. CORY KING***, OL, STONEBORO, PA

Cory King looks like a fat, lazy, slob. He did well at camp, however, his body leaves much to be desired(see Beverly from ROL3). He didn't have many offers. He is another camp guy. He loves the Panthers. I hate kids from schools that normally don't produce D1 talent. I could see Cory suffering from the small fish in a big pond syndrome once he gets down to Oakland. He just looks like a softy. Actually he would be my 3rd choice to not make it 4 years just ahead of Hendricks and Tinker.

13. WILL CLARKE**, DE, PITTSBURGH, PA

Will is definitely a project recruit at DE. He currently stands 6'6, 250. That is huge. He also runs around a 4.8, 4.7 forty. He screams Greg Romeus. He is actually bigger than GRom was coming in as a freshmen(weight). Gattuso is one of the best D-Line coaches in the country and I expect BIG things from Clarke. He is also mentored by former Pitt stud hoopster and NFLer Sam Clancy.

12. FERNANDO DIAZ**, C, BRONX, NY

Not many recruits come out of the Bronx, at least for football. Fernando Diaz is another reported solid student, which is important if you are coming out of the Bronx. He also looks like a physical specimen, which is more important than technique in the Floss' eyes, especially with projects. Fernando will redshirt next year and will battle Jared Martin and Greg Gaskins for the C position in 2010. Hopefully he lives up to the Floss' hype.

11. CARL FLEMING***, S, REISTERTOWN, MD

A confusing offer when he jumped onto the Panther train early on in the process. He actually had one of the best years of all the Pitt recruits. He was a beast on both sides of the football. He actually got a star bump from Rivals, which was nice for Carl. The Floss is a huge fan of Fleming. He also starred in the Crab Bowl, which is the Maryland all star game.

10. DION LEWIS***, RB, BLAIRSTOWN, NJ

Dion is already enrolled at the great University of Pittsburgh. He is a 5'7 RB, who has a fucking awesome highlight video. Lewis looks like an absolute stud. He may only be 5'7, but he is a built kid. The Floss could see him not even redshirting next year if he impresses in spring ball. He will be one of the players to watch for in the Spring Game on April 11th. He plays a position where it is wide open going into next year, but if you aren't a junior or senior, Wanny usually doesn't like you. Lewis also enrolled early, which should be an advantage in the classroom as long as he doesn't Ronald Hobby himself out of here.

9. JUANTEZ HOLLINS***, OL/DL, ALIQUIPPA, PA

Just another Quip, another Panther. Pitt has had much success with Quips in the Floss' lifetime. Josh Lay, Darrelle Revis, Jonathan Baldwin, and Brandon Lindsey. Tommie Campbell was an aberration when it comes to Quips. A big, physical, quick lineman who could play either way is always a valuable asset. A redshirt will benefit him. He will probably play by his 3rd year at Pitt. The Floss expects a 2 or 3 year starter out of Juantez. Great pickup for the Panthers.

8. BROCK DECICCO***, TE, JEFFERSON HILLS, PA

Another Cherpak kid coming to the Panthers. Brock DeCicco could easily be higher on this list, but since TE is just another lineman in Cav's system, the Floss doesn't see a huge need. When I watched Brock DeCicco, the Floss came away very very impressed. He is a big kid that goes up and gets the ball. He isn't on the level of first team all BE TE Nate Byham, but he should have a very solid career for the Panthers.

7. KOLBY GRAY***, QB, HOUSTON, TX

Easily the most talked about player in the 2009 Panther class due to the GLARING hole at the QB position. He won't come in and be able to make an immediate impact however. He might actually never get a chance until his senior year, that would be awesome. It would mean that Tino Sunseri is the one. He adds some much needed competition to the QB spot. Also, if Matt Cavanaugh gets the ax any time soon, Wanny may hire an OC who believes in the spread offense. Kolby could really succeed in a spread offense. Who doesn't love this Texas gunslinger? The sad truth, not much of the B12.

6. BERNARDO NUNEZ***, DE, HOBOKEN, NJ

Jeff Hafley and the Oakland campus worked hard for Mr. Nunez. He had some big offers early. Penn St. was definitely involved at one point. He actually might come in and make an impact as early as his RS FR year. He sadly is playing the most competitive postion on the team. Romeus and Sheard both have 2 years left. Hale has 4, Tucker has 3. He might not get a chance til later, but he will be a great player for the blue and gold.

5. JACK LIPPERT****, DE, HARRISBURG, PA

A kid whose recruitment I never got. He put up numbers, always stayed highly ranked, tore up some camps, but never got his PSU offer. No shame in admitting that this kid would have been a Cryin Lion had the offer came. The Floss still believes in Jack Lippert. I see a RS in his future, to put on weight. I think with Lippert's 6'4 frame, he can carry about 280 lbs. I see him contributing in the middle of the Panther's D-Line. He should be a great player, and I hope Penn St. hates themself for Mr. Lippert.

4. TODD THOMAS****, WR, BEAVER FALLS, PA

Todd Thomas is a WPIAL star who could make an impact early. He will probably RS, but he might be good enough to play. The Floss had bigger hopes for Thomas. The Floss thought he might get close to Terrelle Pryor level in recruitment. Another terrible thing about Thomas is his character. He also couldn't play RB on his team, which is weird and scary. He makes plays though. I really don't know what to expect from Todd Thomas. He could honestly be an All American or he could be off the team in less than two years. Weird kid, but definitely tons and tons of talent.

3. TYRONE EZELL***, DL, MUNHALL, PA

6'5, 255. Ezell is a big kid. Physically he is very intimidating. His ranking would be 4 stars and much higher had he not been hurt much of his senior season. The Floss could see him playing either way for the Panthers, but I think his future is on the D-Line. I could see him starting as a RS FR alongside Myles Caregein. He will definitely be in the 4 man DL rotation by his sophomore year. He was one of my favorite players in the class, as seen by his 3rd ranking.

2. RAYMOND GRAHAM****, RB, ELIZABETH, NJ

Probably one of the few people excited about Shady leaving. His highlight tape is off the chains. Ray Ray as he shall now be known could play next year. If Wanny lets the best players, and youngest players play, Graham could play next year. The only way he redshirts is if Dion Lewis is a stud. I think the staff believes in Shariff Harris and Kevin Collier, but they are really pumped about Ray Ray. Ray Ray should get some touches next year in the Floss' eyes, again, unless Dion Lewis is an absolute stud.

1. DAN MASON****, MLB, PENN HILLS, PA

Pitt hasn't really pulled a Penn Hills kid in a while. Probably because Neil Gordon hid their letters or something. He is kind of undersized, but that shouldn't matter seeing as HB Blades was very undersized as well. Mason probably won't be allowed to come in and play as a true frosh, but he might. Mason might not see time next year, but he will definitely be a name Pitt fans remember, just like Scott McKiller, HB, and Gerald Hayes. Hail to Pitt.

WHO MIGHT STILL BE COMING?

SHANE GORDON***, LB, WESTON, FL

The high school teammate of Jason Douglas. Pitt has been on him for some time now. The Floss really likes Gordon because of Florida speed. The only real competition here is South Florida if he wants to stay closer to home. He would be a great player for the Panthers at OLB. He would be about number 6 on the Floss' list if he was committed. The Floss puts our chances at 74.5%.

MALCOM BUSH***, TE, HACKENSACK, NJ

A weird recruitment to say the least. He committed early to Slutgers, but he realized that they blow balls. Now he is down to UNC and Pitt. UNC has something like 29 committments. Bush is a big TE that would be a great player alongside Brock. Pitt is really thin after next year at TE and they use a lot of double tight sets. Bush would look great in a Panther Uni. The Floss puts our chances at 89.6%.

ISAAC HOLMES****, DL, HOBOKEN, NJ

He is an absolute beast. The amount of linemen being stockpiled is getting ridiculous, but their is definitely room for the big guy. He is actually the scariest looking big man ever. He could definitely have a future as a bouncer at Peters Pub. He could also be a valuable addition to any rap group's entourage. The only real player here might be Maryland. He took a hometown visit to Rutgers, but he's tryna leave the Dirty Jerz, IMO. The Floss puts our chances at 66.6666666%.

JOSH EVANS****, S, IRVINGTON, NJ

The number one player on any true Pitt fan's radar. Josh Evans would be number one on the list if he committed. He had a great time in Gainesville last weekend. If Pitt can just get him to come on his visit this weekend(crossing fingers), we have a punchers chance. He is a huge safety that runs like a WR. Evans is such a freak. Literally, he could start alongside Dom DeCicco next year and it wouldn't surprise me. This is the first time in my memory that a recruitment is coming down to the wire that Pitt is legitimately FIGHTING the NATIONAL FUCKING CHAMPIONS for a recruit. Not too mention it's Florida. Hot chicks, hot chicks, warm weather, Tim Tebow, and hot chicks. Right now it is a stunning 26 degrees and it is ice storming outside on top of a few inches of snow. This seems like a very uphill battle. If Jeff Hafley lands Evans, Nunez, Holmes, Bush, Graham, and all the other Jersey guys, he is my official favorite coach ever. I also would never count out the Recruitinator Dave Wannstedt. Let's just hope he makes it to the Burgh. Either way the Floss will watch this kid become a STUD. The Floss puts our chances at 34.3%.

Either way this should be a really fun week leading up til Signing Day. Another tragedy, the floss has a test on Signing Day and the day after. Therefore no drinking again on signing day. Damn shame. Did I mention that the Super Bowl is Sunday?

HERE COME DA BUS

My editors decided to give the Floss a week off to fully recover from the "scalp contusion" suffered in the early hours of Monday, January 19th, 2009. However, the Floss is back and ready to roll down the road. Now most people probably think that the "Here Come Da Bus" title refers to James "Potsie" Farrior's claim right before Bettis' legendary fumble in the 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff Game against Indy. A fumble that led to dry heaving into the mulch(completely sober, btw) from CINC, one of the all time best stories relating to devotion to a team. If you puke because of something that happens to your sports team, you've made it my friend. CINC, you've made it. Back to the issue at hand, the Elite 8. No I'm not talking about where Pitt better get this year, the Floss is talking the Elite 8 of Season 3 of ROL. Now that we have hit the final 8, the Floss figured he could do his normal power rankings segment. The Floss hasn't been able to analyze Bret's feelings on the girls that much, so these rankings are based on the Floss' impressions not Mr. Michaels.

8. BEVERLY

The Floss just had so much trouble spelling her stupid name. She is the ugly one that gets to stay on the show. Sure she likes the music and might be the only one who can sing a song, but she is an effin dog. Literally, she might be a lesbo. No girl on Bret Michaels show should force the Floss to say, wow I would probably need drinks in me to touch her. Well congrats, you did it Bev. And Bev is one of the stupidest shortenings of a name. Think of a hot Beverly that you have ever came across. BIG FAT ZERO HERE.

7. NATASHA

The lone African American even selected for the show. She isn't bad looking, too much make up. She is loud and obnoxious(hold the puns). Basically just not going to win. 5,6,7 really don't mean much. None of them have any spot in the Floss' heart. Basically a coin toss decided their order.

6. FARRAH

Farrah has a few LB's placed around her waist that the Floss ain't digging. She is also a legitimate 35 years old. When comparing her to girls that don't touch 28 or so, the 35 year old better be real hot. I like her big knock knocks but that's about it.

5. MINDY

She has decent looks actually. She also is probably closing in on mid 30's, but she is much better looking than Farrah. She would be higher if not her terrible, awful, miserable disposition. Not too mention she has an accent that makes her sound dumber than a bag of fucking rocks.

4. ASHLEY

Ashley might be the hottest one left. The Floss is a real big fan of this sexy sexy slut. She has the big fake boobs that everyone loves to hate. However, she is a bitch and a slut. Hard to win when you are a bitch and a slut. I would have no problem putting her on top(pun intended) of my list.

3. BRITTANYA

She has that Bret Michael's look about her. The sleeve arm tat. The dimple-rings. Truthfully I've never seen dimple piercings. She rocks them with the best of them. Last year the lip ring brought about the debates from the loyal followers of Floss. The dimple-rings do not have a ringing endorsement, but they might have also put her up to number three. She also keeps her mouth shut which makes her hotter than some of the girls. The 3 spot would have been Marcia's if Bret didn't axe her last night. How couldn't he love a girl that was that drunk ALL THE TIME. She was the drunkest person ever, plus great tits and basically couldn't speak English. If I'm a millionaire within the next five years, I might hire her for something around my estate. I don't know what job(s) she could perform. I see her as a jester. She could just get blackout drunk all day and make jokes for me. She would do all of this naked. Dreams people, we all got em. DDP(L) would fight me over her because he fell head over heels in love with her.

2. Taya

It was a crafty move by VH1 to put a Penthouse Pet in with the other girls. She is probably the hottest by most standards, but not in my eyes. She has a lot going for her, but she is kind of a C-Word. No one likes a C-Word.

1. Kelsey

The girl next door. However, she has big tits and is kind of slutty. So she is just..the perfect girl next door. Literally how awesome would it be to grow up next door to a hot, slutty drunk. It would be like winning the housing lottery(kind of like Boquet Gardens). She is by far the Floss' favorite. Her top spot won't be taken unless Bret takes it from her. She is only 23 or 24, so she has no chance of winning because of the 20+ year age difference, but O well.

Stay tuned this week for...

Wednesday: One Week til Signing Day Special

Friday: SB XLIII Preview

IIIIIIIIIIIIII GOT A FEELIN'

Well we are headed to the Super Bowl, albeit it took a 3 hour hospital stay for the Floss last night, no joke, bad decisions were made. It hasn't been easy, but it was predicted by yours truly. Coach Tomlin certainly has grown up fast(so has Coach Wiz in AZ). Now we get the NFC West in the Super Bowl again. Kurt Warner clinched the HOF yesterday in the Floss' eyes. 2 MVP's a Super Bowl MVP and he has been to 3 Super Bowls now. Congrats to Kurt. Ben might be playing for something bigger however. If he wins number 2 in 2 weeks, he will be that much closer to the best QB of all time. Everyone and their mother knows how the Floss feels about his boy Ben. Ben rules. He played fanfuckingtastic yesterday. To think, yinzer nation was all, "Buuuuuyyyyyyron has dat hot hand, Ben is huuuuurt, play da hotttt hand". Well yinzer nation, Ben just took you to his second Super Bowl, are you happy? Queerdell never took us to one on his own. We had that crapdick O'Donnel back there in '95. I still can't believe that we are going to number 7. In Pittsburgh, we truly are blessed with one of the best sports franchises of all time!

POST UL THOUGHTS

Well yesterday the Floss was quick to blame Ed Fucking Hightower and his absolutely absurd officiating yesterday, but today I realize that you can't control the officials. You can control near 20 turnovers. You can control 8 for 18 from the charity stripe. However, to say the officials had no bearing on the outcome of that game is absurd. Their tight whistles are the reason that Blair and Sam were on the bench. The only call I have a real problem with was the completely FUCKING BULLSHIT offensive foul call on Fields with under 2 left. No way you can make that call. That is an official attempting to be a big shot. Officials are egotistical fucks and love to try and make any attempt to take control of the game. It is expected as they are underpaid and working a thankless job. They work in billion dollar industries and still work other jobs. There is so much wrong with not hiring full time officials. No reason they shouldn't be compensated on a full year scale, just like teachers. If teachers get paid on a yearly basis so should officials. However, the Floss would also raise the minimum salary of a ref to the same as the minimum for a player(NFL) and for college sports, maybe use a median coaching salary or something. Just something around 150 to 200,000 dollars. I digress, back to the game:

**Fields struggled, but wouldn't you turn the ball over if you were gettin ridden on your back up the floor every DAMN possession.

**Sam needs to start giving us a full 40. He can't look like a first round pick for a few possessions and then like sophomore Sam the next.

**Dejuan needs to learn to avoid shitty fouls. He simply can't reach around people. His fouls need to occur when banging inside, not when he's gambling for steals.

**Gil Brown is by far the most confusing player on the court in Pitt history. You literally have no idea what you are getting. Trying to read Gil Brown is like trying to read Chinese.

**Brad Wannamaker grew up a lot yesterday. He did have some turnovers, but that was a tough responsibility for him yesterday. His play yesterday will help us down the road against aggressive, pressing, trap type teams.

**Ashton Gibbs needs more minutes and needs to fire when out there, but only from 3. I hated both times when he went for floaters. Antonio Graves loved floaters, for which he was always in the Floss' doghouse. The floater is reserved for Fields.

**Gary McGhee proved worthless again. It's starting to make the Floss happy as sick as that is. When he plays bad, I just think about us somehow getting rid of him by persuading him to peace out. He also will eventually start to lose minutes. It's funny because on the message boards, people defend him saying that UL was a quick, athletic team that he couldn't play against. Well when can he play? He gives us nothing. He sucks. I hate him. He's so much worse than Aaron Gray.

**Nas Robinson is perfect for this team. Just watching him develop into a more athletic Jaron Brown brings a tear to my eye. He is much more productive out there than Gary Retard.

**The Floss looks forward to blowing the roof off the Pete tomorrow in our big matchup versus Cuse. The Floss looks for a win by 10+.

HERE WE GO STEELERS

WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE, FUCKING BLOCKBUSTER?

So, the Floss just had a weird fucking moment. I'm sitting in my room, nursing a hangover, with DDP(L) and SJ(Slack JAW), and our landlord comes in. We figure he is just checking the heat or whatever, but instead he comes into my room and asks who's room it is. Well it is the Floss'. He tells me that he borrowed 2 of my DVD's that were laying in my room. I'm pretty sure the whole room was flabbergasted at the fact that this 70 year old burn out, piece of shit, dick sucking faggot of a landlord decided to borrow 2 of my DVD's. Who the fuck does this? Should this be considered stealing? Are you fucking kidding me? I'm too shocked to be this angry. The movies he borrowed, my 3 pack of American Pie and Ferris Buellers Day off. So technically he took 4 fucking movies. One of the kickers, that he didn't bring Ferris with him. So my landlord stole from me. This is my day, fucking hungover, and my landlord stole my fucking movies. When he gave back the American Pie pack, it prompted SJ to remark, "There is probably so much semen on that". Great. My DVD, my own personal property. He's probably wacking it to Matthew Broderick right now. FUCK. I'm looking for a new apartment.

MID WEEK REPORT

The Floss figured it out. I know why no blog ideas have came into my head. It's because...SPORTS RIGHT NOW ARE A FUCKING DREAM(SANS SHADY). Really there has been nothing to complain about which hurts the Floss' blog game. So here come some happy, positive thoughts, and of course some not so happy:

**When the Steelers were 5-1, the Floss said that all players better step up because this was a wide open AFC race. Well we are here. A home AFC Title game. Coach T deserves much credit for having this team so ready. Sunday at 6:30 will be a WAR. I know it is cliche, but it is true. However, with the long layoff for *cough* Super Bowl XLIII *cough*, the Steelers better lay it all out on the field. There is nothing to suggest they won't. The Floss isn't going to predict this one because well who cares what I say.

**The Floss also received tickets for the next two Pitt basketball home games. Tonight versus South Florida where the Floss will probably be drunkest in attendance. Pause

Just poured a 7UP and Three Olives Cherry drink. No bullshit here. Tonight should be a fairly easy win. The Floss predicts that Pitt covers the 21 that they are laying. South Florida is the last game before a normal BE stretch of @Louisville, Syracuse, @WVU, @Villanova, Notre Dame. Those are a huge 5 games. I don't think Pitt necessarily needs to prove anything with those three games. I think 3-2 would be respectable, 4-1 would be very impressive, and 5-0 would be fanfuckingtastic.

**The Floss is again going to apologize to Coach K and his Devils. The Floss was very very wrong about them. They are a solid team, and I think Coach K is having one of his best seasons as a coach, IMO. Singler is probably a top 10 to 15 player in the country, but outside of him they really don't have many superstars. Hendo, Nolan Smith, and Jon Scheyer are all about top 15 at their positions, but still not superstars. This team is really buying into what Coach K is selling. They also are benefiting from not having major impacts from freshmen because they can't be trusted night in and night out.

**Another thing, seeding around tourney time better take note to the ACC and Big East's superiority as far as conferences go. The ACC has 4 in the top 10, while the BE has 8 in the top 25, not to mention numero uno. I was sick of listening about the B12 and SEC dominance in football. The selection and seeding committee better reward both of these conferences.

**Shady McCoy. While I don't agree with his decision at all, I still love what he did for this university. Shady McCoy was the only reason Pitt football was watchable last year(07). He basically won us the game on 12-1-07 against the Mountainqueers, which is still my most exciting day as a student. He led us to our first bowl game in 4 years/DROF's college career. I think coming back for one more year would have put him in the top 15 as a lock. I also know that family pressure is the reason he declared. No doubt in my mind that he wanted to come back, but his mom and brother wanted the money now. I can't argue with listening to your momma, but I think she didn't look ahead on this one. Some tricky dealings with agents definitely forced this. O well.

PITT FOOTBALL SEASON END RECAP

POST SEASON PITT FOOTBALL REVIEW(LONNNNNNNNNNNNG)

QUARTERBACK: Well the one position that never fully developed was the quarterback position. Bill Stull never ended up getting it done. The Big problem with this, he will most likely be the starter next year. We burned Pat Bostick's redshirt season albeit legit because of the concussed Billy Stull. All Pat Bostick did again was win. If you actually go back to the ND game, you will see that Pat Bostick actually threw the ball solidly in that game. Sure he had a couple of bad throws, but he also didn't play much before that. If Pat Bostick started all year, Pitt would be a better team heading into '09. Now we are pretty stuck with an average 5th year senior that probably won't take us anywhere next year. The Floss has a solution here, play Tino. Cut your losses and give a kid 4 years to play. It will help your future. College football is a weird game, you need to be prepared for the future. Tino will let us be prepared. The Floss also wouldn't be against giving Bostick a 2 year window since he has previous experience going into next year, unlike Stully going into this year. Bill Stull is not the answer.

RUNNING BACK: This position is still loaded. Wanny recruits D-Line then RB. Hence why this position is loaded even if Shady doesn't return. The Floss still believes the chances of Shady returning are 60-40, possibly better. Sidenote: This was when I started writing this. Now the Floss believes the chances are 20-80. Honestly, Shady would take us to the BE title next year, IMO. If Shady doesn't come back, the Floss expects a solid 3 RB system for maybe 3 games. Chris Burns will then take over and be a 3 to 4 year starter. Don't sleep on Kevin Collier, the Floss still hasn't given up hope.

WIDE RECEIVER: The position that never improved. The quarterback position regressed, the WR's just never seperated themselves from one another. Jonathan Baldwin never improved. He still will be a starter heading into '09. JB probably will still be a stud. OD actually had a really solid year minus the first few games. He probably would be my starting WR alongside JB next year. His blocking is very solid, which might separate him. TJ and Ced Money are both also ready for another solid year in '09. None of the current freshmen will do anything next year IMO. This position will be solid but not spectacular again in '09.

TIGHT END: This positon doesn't really need talked about. We have 3 SR's coming back for next year, including first team all conference TE Nate Byham. I just wish we had a QB that could utilize them.

O-LEEZY: The Floss loves trying to analyze the O-Line even though he doesn't really know what to look for in a lineman. It is also nice that 4 of the starters are locked in for next year. C-Houser, RG-Malecki, RT-Joe Thomas, LT-Jason Pinkston. However, the LG spot is very up for grabs. You ask or wonder what the Floss would do with this spot? Well, he would move Joe Thomas to LG. Joe likes the left side of the line and guard is a better spot for him. Then you can judge where to play Pinky and Luke Nix. Personally the Floss would let Luke take his lumps at LT and let him become the stud LT that he is destined to be.

D-LEEZY: The strongest position on the team for sure. The D-Ends are absolute freaks. Romeus(6'6, 270), Sheard (6'4, 260), Hale (6'4, 260), Tucker (6'4, 245). They are all nasty. Probably at least 2 will play on Sundays. The ends will be fun to watch. The interior is pretty solid. The starters will probably be Gus and Mick Will, but the Floss isn't sure about Mick playing the more traditional Nose Guard position. The Floss could see Mick Will starting alongside Myles Caregein. Myles was good this year and will only develop to get better. The 4th DT spot is interesting. Tommie Duhart is one bad grade or missed practice from getting the boot from this team. If he turns his life around, he gets this spot no doubt. Other interior possibilities are really Ty Tkach(probably the favorite), Scott Corson(same situation as Tommie Du), Mike Cruz(still hate him), or a recruit. Not exactly as exciting as the QB or RB battles, but stay tuned!!!!!

OLB'S: Fighting for a spot in the Floss' top 5 favorite Panthers is Greg Williams. He actually was the Rivals.com BE Defensive freshmen of the year. This was his RS FR season fellas. He could be a really really good one. He needs to put on some weight. A lot of the other things will come with time. Joe Tumpkin should be able to develop his Florida boy G Will. Shane Murray will be back from injury to take back his other starting spot. He was real good at the end of the 2007 season especially against WVU. Who would want to meet Shane Murray in a dark alley? No one. The backups are currently Mad Max Gruder, who probably will be moved inside, Nate Nix, and Tristan Roberts. Nix and Roberts are definitely solid backups for outside and the inside is thin, so please Davey: MOVE MAX.

MLB: This position is a damn crapshoot. Right now it is between 5th year SR Steve Dell and Brandon Lindsey. Lindsey was a really highly recruited player. He has NO experience unlike Gruder, but he has upside. Whoever takes over this position will not be half the player Scott McKiller was. McKiller always credited Blades for teaching him. Steve Dell was taught by Blades AND McKiller. He should be the best right? No, he would probably be in my top half of players to go because of recruiting. MEMO TO DAN MASON: The position is THIIIIIN HOMIE.

CB'S: Pitt will start 2 SR's at CB next year. Aaron Berry and JoMoney Chappel will definitely start. No chance Wanny gives one of the young bucks even a chance at the spot. They actually both played decent minus a game or two. Soooooo much hope with some of the young guys though even with Ronald Hobby getting kicked off for forgetting to realize that 2 star CB's don't get preferential academic star treatment. Buddy Jackson, Antuan Reed, and Jarred Holley all have very bright futures. Holley is one of the Floss' 5 non-skill position players to watch next year. SIDENOTE: The other 4 are, Dom DeCicco, Max Gruder, Myles Caregein, and Luke Nix.

S: Probably the most exciting position for WPIAL football fans. Dom DeCicco actually made the most strides of any defensive player minus Greg Williams. He led the team in INT's. He also got much better with his angles and tackling. The Floss still remembers how incredibly AWFUL he played against BG and Buff. Now he is a clear cut starter next year at one of the safety spots. He never lost his celeb status. Eric Thatcher has finally graduated. The Floss was just never feelin' E Thatch. Back to WPIAL players, the other S spot will be decided between two WPIAL boys, Elijah 'Scoot' Fields and Andrew Tags. Scoot would be a 4 to 1 favorite for this position if the Floss believed he would be back. He was out of the doghouse early on last year, but still stayed in the yard, never made it into the real house, and then he ended the season back in the doghouse. Drugs and grades will probably kill this one time WPIAL great. Other possibilities would be to move Jovani Chappel to safety if Wanny believes in one of the young corners. Greg Cross also moved to safety apparently, jesus. Irvan Brown is a 5th year guy who might need to be brought back. The Floss hates 5th years who have never done anything early in their career. It's like plugging a leak with a piece of gum, sure it will hold up for a little, but eventually it will fail, just ask Clark Griswold. Bill Stull=piece of gum.

COACHING: The Floss isn't going to bash the coaches. 9-4 is a step in the right direction. Depending on what happens with Shady and the QB position next year will let me evaluate Wanny fairly. If he gets Shady back and puts Stull in at QB, and Wanny doesn't get to 10+ wins, I will know that Pitt will never get over the hump with him here. I also wouldn't mind seeing Cav go just to bring in a spread guy. The Floss wants a spread offense really bad or something creative. No one should be forced to watch an offense like we did in the Sun Bowl. This is actually something that we all should see coming. Billy and Pat are pro styles, but the other 2 real QB's on our roster are spread guys. Tino and Kolby Gray are both quick, undersized guys, who need to make plays on the run. Pro offenses are gonzo. Spread 'em wide.

RECRUITS: The Floss isn't going to get into a long winded talk about recruiting. I'm just going to talk about some of the guys who might make an impact. The sad thing is, most of these guys aren't even committed. Tyrone Ezell from Munhall might get a chance at an interior DLine spot if he is as good as the Floss believes. Isaac Holmes if he comes here most likely gets a spot in that rotation. Raymond Graham will also get some looks at RB if Shady goes. Dan Mason could come compete immediately at MLB, probably land on the 2 deep. Finally, my favorite recruit left, Josh Evans, S, Irvington HS in New Jersey, Youtube him, would get in on defense. This kid is a man. A freak. He could actually snag a starting spot if Fields is gone. Now we just need to convince him to pick Pitt over Florida and Oklahoma, wish I was kidding.

A JOKE: I saw this joke on a message board, thought I'd pass it along:

"I saw Bill Stull at the O today. He threw his money to the woman behind the counter only his doller went too high and left splashing into the fryers and giving her third degree burns. Coach Cav blamed the wind"

Absolutely beautiful joke.