Pitt Football: Mike Shanahan Vs. Devin Street

The argument when comparing Mike Shanahan vs. Devin Street isn't necessarily about who is the better wideout. Both serve their purposes and are different styles of receivers, so it's a bit like comparing apples and oranges.

Shanahan isn't solely a possession receiver, but he does fill that role more than the speedy Street, who's not only a deep threat, but, as we saw in last year's Syracuse game has the ability to take a short pass and go the distance.

So the question isn't really about who's better, but who will be a better fit for Todd Graham's offense.

I'm really intrigued by the idea, if you can't tell. I got to thinking about when Shanahan was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List as a candidate for the nation's best receiver while Street was not.

I've seen some call Street Pitt's biggest threat while others expect Shanahan to have the bigger year. It's a tough call and one that I can't make without having seen Graham's offense up close. Heck, I can't even make an educated guess.

But I'll say this - Some 'pundits' look at Street's 318 yards as a third receiver last year and probably rate him lower than Shanahan simply because that's where he finished last season. I also don't think you can look at Shanahan's modest numbers as a starter last year and assume that Street will be better. Shanahan had to compete with Jon Baldwin for balls last year and even though he only had one touchdown catch, I'm not so sure that he can't increase that number in a big way in 2012.