Whipple Resigns
- Thread starter WillFerrell
- Start date
And keep bitching about everything.
The defense felt like they got hung out to dry last year because they spent so much time on the field during the second half of games; way too many three and outs because Whipple was pass happy. Marion was brought in to help open up the offense to score more, stretch the field, and help give the defense a break by running more, especially in the second half. Salem also helped out with play calling, too, this season.
If Marion is OC, then my guys were right about how this shook out. The only difference is Whipple potentially going to Nebraska, as he was pretty much always moving on after the season and leaning towards retirement.
Again, just things I’ve heard from some people who have told me some reliable things in the past. I think I’ve been on here long enough for most to know that I don’t post opinions and pawn them off as something someone told me.
Let me get this straight-Pitt brought in a wide receivers coach from Hawaii to get better at running the ball, made him a WR coach at Pitt, then proceeded to set school records in most meaningful passing categories, while running the ball marginally?. Marion did not call plays and had zero to do with the running game while at Pitt. I do believe he did an excellent job with the WRs, but beyond that I do not believe he had any significant role in stretching the field, running the ball more, etc. That’s not what position coaches do.
I mean he may in fact be a future star in coaching, but I don’t believe for one second that he was hired as a receiver coach to teach Whipple how to run a better offense.
Yes, keep posting, even if it does not turn out exactly as relayed, it is good solid information.
Marion Hired
Of course Marion wasn’t responsible for everything, nor was he hired to teach Whipple how to run a better offense. But he was brought in to help him make the offense better because it wasn’t very good under Whipple the previous 2 seasons, and a bunch of people said that on here for two straight years.
They knew Whipple wasn’t returning, and they didn’t offer him a contract extension after his 3 year deal ended after this season. Why do you think they didn’t? They weren’t happy with the offense. They had a great offensive year this season, but the expectation was Whipple would retire.
What changed? Kenny played great. Did Whipple get much better this season calling plays vs. the previous 2? Maybe. But he had help. The better WR play helped open everything up and they ran a lot in the second half to put games away. They had better yards per carry, more yards per game. Look at the numbers of receivers from last year. Better across the board, including yards per catch. They changed how they called plays this season.
From the article above:
"Most importantly, Marion’s influence should elevate what has been a largely disappointing offense under coordinator Mark Whipple. In 22 games against FBS opponents, Whipple’s unit has averaged 23.7 points per game. Pitt’s running game ranked 118th and 111th nationally in 2019 and 2020, respectively, while the passing offense lacked efficiency. The Panthers ranked seventh and 14th in passing attempts per game the last two seasons with only 31 passing touchdowns to show for it. For reference, Clemson and North Carolina had 31 passing touchdowns in 2020 alone."
Huh? Can anyone summarize the day’s events? KP & Whip looked to be a package deal one way or the other. If Duzz wanted Whip “beyond KP“ the money would have been there if that was an issue. The man IS NOT retiring. Sooooo. The door was apparently held open for Whip to leave. Lyke would have had the money If that was the case. It’s more philosophy than anything. This news took a quick turn after all we heard this week was that the staff may have been asking decommitted recruits to look elsewhere while focusing on the portal. No Duzz hate here. You haven’t been reading my posts.
No, just not stupid enough to agree with the with the stupid crap all you sheep fall in line behind
From the article really sold it - More powerful than Moses
If Marion is named OC, you will get an apology If not, you know the drill.
Last edited:
I've been supportive of Whip since he was hired. I hate to see him leave, but understood it was likely to happen at some point. I'm more surprised if these Nebraska rumors are true. That would tell you Pitt wasn't interested in keeping him around for whatever reason.
As far as KP and Whip, I think the most interesting thing I remember reading or hearing Kenny say was that he and Whip sat down in the offseason and went through the playbook. Kenny provided input on the plays he liked and was comfortable with and the plays he didn't like. We saw the results. Credit to Whipple for not being a mule.
If Duzz thinks Marion is the guy then I'm ok with that. He'll be able to provide some recruiting from that OC position and he'll have Salem to lean on. I hope they look at Kasper for WR coach. He's a good football coach and I think he would do well on the recruiting trail, especially locally.
As far as KP and Whip, I think the most interesting thing I remember reading or hearing Kenny say was that he and Whip sat down in the offseason and went through the playbook. Kenny provided input on the plays he liked and was comfortable with and the plays he didn't like. We saw the results. Credit to Whipple for not being a mule.
If Duzz thinks Marion is the guy then I'm ok with that. He'll be able to provide some recruiting from that OC position and he'll have Salem to lean on. I hope they look at Kasper for WR coach. He's a good football coach and I think he would do well on the recruiting trail, especially locally.
Watch Whipple take Marion along with him to Nebraska as his WR coach. That would be the most Pitt-like thing that could happen.
That and then we re-hire Watson.
That and then we re-hire Watson.
No one even knows what you're upset about my man but you're giving off some strong Michael Douglas, Falling Down vibes. Maybe don't go out in public for a few days...
Matt Canada's offense was a "new" gimmick back in 2016. He used WR's in a different manner then every one else. He basically made the "Jet Sweep" popular again, kudos to him for that. We are now in 2021 and as we can all see, Canada's offense sucks. He has made the Steelers offense look pathetic and his offense exposes the teams skill position players to a greater risk of injury. Ask JuJu Smith-Schuster about that.
In regards to Kinne, please remember that UCF changed head coaches last year and along with that, they changed their OC as well. UCF Head Coach Josh Heupel left to go to Tennessee and their OC at the time Jeff Lebby left to go to Mississippi. Heupel replaced by conservative minded Gus Malzahn and with that he brought in Kinne. I do believe that the change in UCF's ppg is more affected by Malzahn's offensive philosophy then it is by the presence of Kinne on the coaching staff.
I really could care less who they hire as the OC at Pitt, as long as that person believes that they need to put points up on the board. I just do not want a former NFL coach on the staff. The NFL focuses on just winning games, a 14-10 win is great for most NFL teams. In college football, unless you are one of the "elites", you have to win and win BIG to draw attention to your program. Get me Josh Heupel to be the OC, get me Lebby to be the OC, I just don't want another OC who wants to win 14-10 games.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
The most telling thing about Whipple leaving is that his contract expired and there was no effort to extend him.
I'm going out to a fast food place at 11:05am and they better have breakfast
Football is not brain surgery. It's really not hard at all. If you've worked in a D1 program in any capacity, you understand how a program works. I think energy, attitude and work ethic are the important attributes that are required. From what I can see, Marion has those boxes checked. He also seems to be a good teacher as evidenced by the improved play of the WR group this year.
Good post
I’d add that having a bunch more weapons (legit TEs. A healthy snack and Izz adding stoval and the frosh RB) this year along when a mores seasoned OL helped make Whip look a lot better as well. Prior to this year whip didn’t set the world on fire You could tell there was tension on the sidlelines at times between him and duz. I do think that while Duz is more open to leaning more on the passing game I still think he’d prefer to have a more balanced offense that runs a bit more than they did this year
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Or at least has a rushing attack that helps the O-line out a little. Not much play action in Whipple's offense and draws are rare.
In a profession where people start over every few years for an entire career?
It seems pretty normal to me for a football coach.
Whipple's offense during his first 2 years left a lot to be desired...most notably in points scored.
There's no arguing the turnaround in points scored this year and Whipple deserves credit for his part in it. I really think KP's improvement was the key to this year's success, though. I'm sure Whipple deserves some credit for that too, but I think KP deserves the lion's share of the credit for his hard work.
I absolutely hated Whipple's play-calling in many key situations this year and IMO we were lucky to escape most of those head scratching moments. I will definitely not miss Whipple's play-calling.
This was a perfect time to separate with Whipple. New QB next year and I don't think Whipple was going to stay much longer anyway.
I would be all-in on Marion at this point if I was in Narduzzi's shoes.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
Recruiting Article Borders wants to "leave a legacy" at Pitt
- Latest: PittInMissouri
-
-
-
-