Battle For Pitt Backup Quarterback Job Continues

With spring football practices winding down, there are still some positions up for grabs heading into the fall. Quarterback, though, isn't one of them.

The general feeling I've gotten in reading the spring reports is that Tino Sunseri hasn't been spectacular. But he's done enough to beat out the competition and that's all that really matters. It'd be great if Tino took huge steps, but from his standpoint, all he needs to do is keep the other guys at bay to keep his job.

And so far he's done that.

That's not news, but what is is that the battle for backup still seems to going on, though. Unlike last year when Anthony Gonzalez appeared to have a pretty good grip on the backup spot after the spring, that isn't the case this year. Myers looked like he had a leg up on Anderson, but then Anderson moved back up.

Whose job it is now is anybody's guess.

Quarterbacks coach Brooks Bollinger says it comes down to consistency for Myers:

Myers still has a slight edge on Anderson, but the two have split reps in most practices and Anderson has forced his way into the discussion.

"Trey carries himself like a quarterback. You can tell he understands it, but he is still young and mentally he has a lot of football to learn, but he has the mentality and the attitude and he has done a good job," Bollinger said. "And with Mark, it just needs to happen every day. He has had some days where he has been very focused and then it will drop off for a day or two.

"I think the thing with him is he has to expect to be able to do it at a high level every day."

That's not only been the story of Myers' spring, but his career. He's got the look and the arm that makes you think he can be, at the very least, a good backup. But here we are, still talking about his consistency. On paper, a Myers/Anderson battle sounds like it should be lopsided, but Anderson refuses to quit. Despite the fact that he's younger and despite the fact that he was probably more built for Todd Graham's offense, he's still battling for the backup job.

To me, that says more about Myers than it does about Anderson. No disrespect meant to him, but Myers was a solid quarterback prospect coming in to Pitt while Anderson didn't even have any offers until grabbing a late one from Pitt last summer. It doesn't matter all that much to me who gets the job, but time is running out for Myers to make an impact - particularly with Chad Voytik coming in this fall.

So what's it all mean for Myers and Anderson? Well, you hate to put so much stock in something as relatively meaningless as the Blue-Gold game, but the fact is that if the two are really as close as it sounds, that every little bit will help. I won't go as far as to say whoever performs better in that game will have a leg up on the other, but it will be an important game for both.

The other piece of news out of that article is that Gonzalez apparently isn't getting any reps and will probably be moved. All I can say to that is, thank God. Like the E.J. Banks move I railed against, Gonzalez' talent is being wasted there if he can't play. Here's to hoping he gets moved out of there sooner rather than later.

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