Actually a pretty good Smizik column on Wannstedt and the extension issue. I say pretty good because it seems to have been — much like my earlier post — a response to the discussion of a possible extension and the arguments/claims. That he echoes some of my thoughts makes it easier for me give it a positive review.
Wannstedt should not be fired, although not for the illogical reason that he deserves four years to get his program in place and to be playing with his own players.
Wannstedt should not be given a contract extension because he doesn’t deserve one. Extensions should be rewards for a job well done. Wannstedt has not done his job well.
A perfectly good case could be made for firing Wannstedt. He is 13-16 in the middle of his third season. He has lost nine of his past 10 games against Division I-A opponents. By the most important barometer, wins, his teams are getting worse instead of better.
There’s not a lot to say in his behalf, but there is something to say about the importance of continuity. Pitt has a long and unsuccessful history of changing coaches. A change is not always for the better. There’s no guarantee the next man will improve the situation.
The simplest reason Wannstedt won’t be fired this year is that there is no AD right now. By all accounts, there likely won’t be until well after the season and probably signing day are complete. Not exactly the time to go searching for a replacement.
I don’t have a problem giving him the extension. It doesn’t make sense on some levels, but it makes a lot of sense on others, mostly – as you mentioned – centered around recruiting. I used the Cameron Saddler interview with KDKA last week as evidence that 1) Wannstedt’s issues don’t seem to be affecting at least some of the recruits, and 2) neither do the current struggles of the Pitt team (as they seem to be selling these kids on where the program will be three, four years from now as opposed to where it is now…which is what they should be doing).
I don’t mind Wannstedt staying on as long as changes are made to the coaching staff in some critical positions – DC, OC and o-line – and he allows the new coordinators to do their jobs and let them essentially run their respective parts of the game. If that means he takes over the defense, so be it. If that means promoting Gattuso to DC (Gattuso ran a very aggressive defense when he coached at Duquesne), so be it. If it means bringing someone else in, so be it. Let the respective coordinators call their facets of the game…the less Wannstedt has to micromanage, the better.
