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Pitt's Tyler Palko and H.B. Blades

Pitt senior linebacker H.B. Blades and quarterback Tyler Palko were elected 2006 captains by their teammates following last year's disappointing 5-6 season. PSR Editor Tony DeFazio sat down with Blades and Palko to discuss last season's disappointment and their upcoming senior years.

PSR: There was so much excitement before last season, then the year the team had was certainly disappointing. How has the attitude changed from last year to this year?

Blades: We're just focused on getting better in practice. Everybody was disappointed in last year but we're not focused on that - it's behind us now. We learned a lot from that whole process. The coaches learned a lot from that whole process as far as personnel goes, and we're just all moving forward and trying to be at our highest level come September 2.

PSR: Is there a feeling of desperation because this is your final season?

Palko: You know it's your last year but there's not reason to push the panic button. When you do that, or try to do too much or do certain things because it's your last year, you don't perform well. I've learned by my own example on that one, because I've tried to do that and you don't perform well. So that's not the attitude that I want to have going into this last year. It's just another year and that's how you have to look at it.

At the end of the year, obviously you know you're not going to be playing for Pitt anymore, but you have to keep a clear perspective on what's at hand. I can't look at it and say, 'OK this is MY last year so I need to do this or that,' because I'd be doing my team an injustice. That's selfish and I'm not going to put myself ahead of the team. So, my long-winded answer to you question is a simple, 'no.'

PSR: You've taken bigger leadership roles this year. Was that lacking last season?

Blades: It was missing. We had guys who disappointed us last year. Guys that we thought were going to be huge leaders for us decided to turn it down. Towards the end of the season we started to pick it up again, but the one thing you can't do is get down on each other. It's understandable to get down, but we cannot start talking negatively about ourselves. No matter what's going on you have to stay positive and keep working.

I just try to lead by example. I don't talk a lot in that respect, I just go out and do my job and work hard and lead in that way. Hopefully that rubs off on the young players and they see how hard you have to practice and how you approach game week. Hopefully that rubs off on them and carries on that way.

Palko: Last year was a year that we'd like to forget but I don't really think it was leadership, I think that we just didn't mesh as a team. We didn't handle adversity well. So when you don't mesh and you're not handling adversity, all those little things become that much bigger. And when that happens, you're never going to have a chance to win. Then throw on top of that a new system and a new coaching staff. So I'm not doing anything different this year that I haven't done every time that I've played football. You don't wait for your senior year to lead - you're either a leader or you're not. Leaders don't always have to be purely vocal and they don't always have to be purely by example. Maybe it's a look at the right time. But whatever it is, leaders do it. But it's not something you SAY you're going to do, it's something you have to earn through respect. You just have to do it.

Coach Cavanaugh made this point the other day and it really hit home. He said, "Success won't lower its standards to us, we must raise ourselves to meet success." That holds true for everyone, myself included. You have to perform every day. Coach Wannstedt challenges me and the entire team all the time - it doesn't matter whether you're an All-Pro or a rookie, you have to prove it each and every year.

PSR: How frustrating was last year for you?

Blades: I'm a competitor. I love to compete. On Saturdays I'm very emotional and very into it. I was mind-blowing, some of the seniors that we had last year just turned it down on game day. Whatever - that's not what the game is all about. It's not what this team and this university are all about. So it got frustrating, but it's something we learned from.

We did everything in our power during the off-season and the summer to turn that around. Right the ship and get it going in the right direction. That's our focus right now.

PSR: What kind of advice would you give to Pat Bostick for next season?

Palko: Stay who you are. I've been fortunate to have some great games, and fortunate to experience bad games. And it IS fortunate, because you can't learn by experiencing all highs. I've been fortunate to meet a lot of people, to be praised, to be booed, to experience the whole gamut of things.

The thing I'm most proud of is personality wise-my standards and my morals-I will leave here the same person as when I came. People can tend to go either direction and get arrogant or lose confidence, but it's important to stay who you are.

Learn and enjoy it because it goes fast. People tell you that but you never realize it until it's passed you by. He'll have a long way to go. It won't be easy for him having to learn the system and having to deal with the expectations that people will put on him. It can be rough. But he needs to trust coach Cavanaugh, and if Pat trusts him then he'll be fine.

PSR: What will be the difference between having a successful season and having another disappointing one?

Palko: To be a smart aleck? Winning.

But honestly, you never know. We need to find an identity. We didn't have that last year - we weren't really good at anything last year. We were good at just showing up to games, to be honest. And that's no way to go about it… I think it's a combination of finding an identity, responding to adversity and trusting this system. I'm not going to through a touchdown pass every play, but I have to trust that the system will work for me. HB knows that he's not going to make every tackle, but he does always need to be in the right gap. Those types of things. It's nothing new.