Football Notes

Dave Wannstedt teamed up with the enemy, Joe Pa, today to discuss high school spring football practice. Wannstedt was mum on expansion issues:

"There are a lot of rumors out there as far as I'm concerned," he said. "I don't have any comment on that. That is for the chancellor [Mark Nordenberg] and the higher ups to discuss."

And, well, so was Paterno:

"This is not about Penn State or Pitt, it's about Pennsylvania high school football," Paterno said.

Anyway, both were all for allowing high schools to hold Spring football practices:

"Anything we can do to help the high school coaches, we'll do," Paterno said.

Wannstedt previously has coached in Florida, Texas and Oklahoma, three states that had spring practice. He said players from those states were farther ahead skill-wise than players from Pennsylvania.

"We all know how many repetitions it takes for a young man to develop a skill," Wannstedt said. "The more he can get an opportunity to do that, the better opportunity he has to improve his skills, the better his opportunity to go onto college somewhere."

Personally, I'm not so sure that between part-time jobs, schoolwork, other activities, and just being a kid that high school students need yet another commitment. But I understand both sides of it.

Brian Bennett of ESPN.com has a Pitt Spring wrap-up and looks ahead to some of the league's stars in 2010.

Meanwhile, on the NFL front, D-Line coach, Greg Gattuso, thinks Mick Williams can play in the NFL but could be moved from the line:

"You could see his talent the last two years," he said. "He was a great football player the last two years. He fit our system well because we emphasize speed and athleticism. We don't want big tackes."

Gattuso feels Williams' size of 6-0, 275 pounds may create a position change in the pros.

"They want tackles in the 330-pound range so he could be switched to defensive end or linebacker," he said. "He's a great pass rusher. I thought someone like Chicago, Indianapolis or Tampa Bay would give him a shot."

I was a little surprised the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year couldn't slip into even a late round pick, but we'll see what happens.

And the ridiculously uncredible Bleacher Report thinks Dave Wannstedt could be fired if he doesn't win the Big East this year. I can't see any scenario where Wannstedt isn't back next year. He's had two successful seasons in a row now and the university really seems pleased with him. I don't think an 8-4 season gets him canned. No chance.