I’ll be throwing up an open thread for the college football playoff championship game tonight. If for no other reason, everyone can wax rhapsodic over the analysis, insight and way Pat Narduzzi sells Pitt in the ESPN Film Room on ESPN2.
In the mean time, I guess we can pour over the news of Pitt’s new offensive coordinator. His name is Jim Chaney and he has been the Arkansas OC for the past two years.
Chaney spent the past two years with the Razorbacks, calling plays in their pro-style offense. This year, Arkansas ranked 26th in Division I-A with 218 rushing yards per game. He had two running backs surpass 1,000 yards in Jonathan Williams (1,190 yards) and Alex Collins (1,100 yards).
By the end of the season, Arkansas’ offense put up more than 30 points on top-30 defenses Texas and Mississippi. The Razorbacks scored 30 on the Rebels, who ended the season with Division I-A’s best scoring defense.
Arkansas finished the season 42nd in scoring offense, averaging 31.9 points per game.
Narduzzi said Saturday he prefers an offensive coordinator with play-calling experience, and Chaney fills that requirement. The move should also ensure a relatively smooth transition, as Chaney’s offense appears to be relatively similar to the one the Panthers ran under former coach Paul Chryst.
There were reportedly issues by the end of the year with Arkansas Head Coach Brett Bielema and Chaney. Chaney wanted a more balanced offensive attack, while Bielema wants to just run the football. So, from that standpoint the move for Chaney makes sense as HCPN has stated he does not want to meddle with the OC and play calling.
What also stands out is that Chaney was the highest paid assistant coach of the Razorbacks with a salary of $552,ooo and a $100,000 buyout — reportedly. This was the final year of his contract and while a new contract was being put together, it wasn’t yet signed. Even if Pitt only matched the salary, that is a significant move by Pitt. Which, historically, has been loathe to loosen the purse strings for assistants.
Chaney is an experienced offensive coordinator who knows how to coach QBs.
Chaney’s appointment follows a trend by Narduzzi to fill his staff with veteran coaches. Chaney, 53, coordinated the offensive units at Purdue (1997-2005) and Tennessee (2009-12) before joining Arkansas coach Bret Bielema’s staff in 2013. At Purdue, Chaney tutored New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
Not to mention Kyle Orton, who he helped make into a journeyman NFL QB.
When Chaney was at Purdue with Joe Tiller, the Boilermakers were actually relevant in the Big Ten. They also ran a spread oriented offense. Chaney is not strictly a spread guy — or else he’d never have been coaching at Arkansas under Bielema — but is comfortable using the players on hand to run the best possible offensive system.
This move likely answers the question as to whether there will be a QB coach. Unlikely as that would appear to be something Chaney is experienced and comfortable doing.
That leaves coaching positions open for WRs/TEs, O-line, D-line and D-backs.
As for the 5th Quarter… it would NEVER work at Pitt so long as the Games are “Off-Site” (to quote Gallagher).
Students are too worried about getting in the LONG LINES for the Bus Ride back to Oakland.
The big thing is to be relevant in Pittsburgh you have to be a winner. If you can start averaging over 50,000 per game a stadium may make sense. Otherwise we need a billionaire that wants to put his/her name on something.
Harley is at PITT and he definitely gets it, in terms of Swag and Script!
So then you are all reconnected with the University prior to going over to the North Shore for their adequate parking, multiple bars and restaurants, various venues to tailgate, and great panoramas of the city’s skyline, not to mention the Rivers Casino and museums, now to watch Pitt win a football game.
And the KEY word to ALL of the above? Just win baby, WIN!
But you still never know. Gallagher could always have a CHANGE of Heart. If he has one. jk
Voytik, backed up Bertke, backed up Davidson, backed up by Repishack. We’ll be fine.
In ’15 we’ll have Voytik and untested Bertke, Repischak and Davidson. I say offer a scholarship to Repischak ASAP and get him rotating into the practices from day one of spring practice – if for no other reason than to get the others on the two deep used to him calling signals back there.
I guess Davidson is fine for a 3rd/4th string guy…link to pittsburghpanthers.com
They want kids that want to be here…. good luck to the young man. we will be fine and who knows who the new coaching staff might have lined up.
They may not want the pure pocket passer either…
The three-star signal caller will join Austin Kafentzis, who arrived on campus Sunday, as the quarterbacks in Wisconsin’s 2015 recruiting class. The Badgers are also currently involved with Houston transfer John O’Korn.
Hornibrook committed to Pittsburgh in June over Rutgers, UConn, and others. After Chryst left Pittsburgh for Wisconsin, Hornibrook began looking into Wisconsin’s admissions and got the clearance to commit and will enroll early.
The nation’s No. 62 ranked pro-style quarterback.
Hornibrook is Wisconsin’s 26th commitment in the class of 2015.
Per 247 Sports
We get the old saying “nice guys finish last”. BA says “no more Mr. nice guy”. hahahahaha
Who is f*ck has Wisconsin produced ?
(and don’t say Russell NC State Wilson)
What is wrong with these people ?
I mean I like the commentary but I want to see the game .
There…….my rants are done for awhile.
Is the max # of recruits you can take in one year 25?
I love it!
HTP – the Panther pride is coming back from the gory days.
Pitt
Whoever plays WVU
Whoever plays PSU
Whoever plays ND
Share the love of favorites!!!!!!
Let’s assume for a moment that this coach and this staff actually does turn this abomination around. It’s possible, and for the first time in a long time I don’t feel like I’m reading a list of names and struggling to figure out who they are and why we wanted them. If, and I do mean IF these guys are able to make Pitt football relevant again, can we safely assume that over the last 30 years it’s been MONEY that has held us back???
I know people talk about “the curse” and what it has meant for Pitt football, but I get a little queasy when I ponder the fact that the team was doomed to struggle through not just mediocrity but outright embarrassment because the University administration wasn’t willing to write a check large enough to fix it correctly. It just doesn’t sit well with me at all. Of course, we can’t just assume that if Wanny, or Harris, or Foge, or ANYONE over the past 30 years would have been more successful with deeper pockets, but we also can’t assume it they wouldn’t have been. What if Wanny was given a fat assistant and recruiting budget? Could he have “turned the corner”. It would have only taken a couple more wins…. but then it seems like it’s always been “a couple more wins”.
If it wasn’t the money, then we’re left with the incompetence of the administration from the chancellor on down. We can conclude form the results we saw that for Nordenberg, excellence WAS selective as long as he had SOMETHING to hang his hat on, be it academics, basketball, or whatever.
But still… I come back to money. Was it really MONEY that has keep us in this pathetic stasis for all the years? The unwillingness to invest further because you’ve reach a plateau of “not quite/just good enough”?
I guess time will tell, but to me, success will be a damning indictment of the previous administration either way. They were either too cheap, too stupid, to arrogant, or a combination of all three to solve the problems. Although it will offend some (many) here, I’m glad I never gave the University one thin dime during the Peterson/Nordenberg years – I had my reasons beyond athletics but they played a roll without question. Time will tell whether or not I’m willing to open MY checkbook now that Pitt is apparently opening theirs….
3)Notre Dame – Arrogant, Arrogant, Arrogant. They really do think they’re the ONLY TEAM playing that day.
2)West Virginia – They would be No. 1 except that you just can’t take them seriously because they just don’t know any better… and likely applied to Pitt but didn’t have the grades.
1)Penn State – Yes, they are ARROGANT. And EXTREMELY Preppy. But most of all they’re just ANNOYING!