IF Cignetti's job was in jeopardy, did Yarnell and Hammond save it last night?
- Thread starter cbpitt2
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Don’t see how or why last night changed anything in that regard.
If anything, it magnifies some of the earlier mistakes and errors in decisions that FCJ had made this season, IMO.
But we’ll have to wait and see what happens after the Duke game. And whatever it takes, Pitt absolutely CANNOT have another losing season in 2024. Think the HC HAS to recognize that.
If Cignetti keeps his job then it’s time to hire hostage investigators to go through Narduzzi press conference videos looking for evidence of his attempts to alert the authorities that his children are captives through blinking or other code. Is “watch the tape” really some trigger to start writing down the first letter of each subsequent word?
If anything it’s even a bigger reason to fire him. Yarnell should have been given an opportunity earlier. Bartholomew, Hammond and I were wasted this year (them on the field and me getting drunk trying to forget).
This mismanagement of personnel was criminal this season.
This mismanagement of personnel was criminal this season.
Powell should be gone, another penalty for 2 people with the same jersey on the punt last night. And sticking with C'Bo for so long.
I almost think he needs to go more so than Cignetti.
when Veillieux started to turn the ball over like water ....... i mean the defense is going to quit.
plain as day.
Yesterday , they wanted to win because they had a chance.
Don't tell me KFP means nothing to the Steelers either and he sucks.
Ball control means something.
plain as day.
Yesterday , they wanted to win because they had a chance.
Don't tell me KFP means nothing to the Steelers either and he sucks.
Ball control means something.
Honestly, I hope Heather lets Pat make the decision on FCJR. If 2024 is a make-or-break season for his tenure, let’s see how much faith he really has in his offensive coordinator. Heck, let’s see if accountability still matters after a 3-9 or 4-8 season.
I think quite the opposite. Narduzzi apparently benched CV and put in Yarnell not Cignetti. Perhaps he also went with Hammond as well.
So when the head coach comes in and makes changes and you win, then the OC is more likely gone than staying.
So when the head coach comes in and makes changes and you win, then the OC is more likely gone than staying.
Judging anyone good or bad on one game is foolish. He has a body of work here, way more than what we know or see, and i can't imagine he wont be evaluated accordingly.
true, i remember Foge beating the nits to end his 3-7-1 season probably saved his job and left everyone thinking there was hope for him.
Honestly, Yarnell played well enough last night that he should start against Duke. Barring a collapse or injury, you go into the Spring with Yarnell as your starter. Cignetti sucks, but I agree Borbely and Powell should be gonzo. I still don’t know exactly what Tim Salem does. Salem has been here as long as Narduzzi and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him.
Just looked Tim Salem up - another ancient type.
he's one of the few that seems to do anything in recruiting. Powell, Boberly should be gone, on the fence with Underwood.
yeah , the Duzz and Pitt are at a fork in the road........... lets see what path he takes.
i bet he lets go of 1 tops, and 2 or 3 leave.
i bet he lets go of 1 tops, and 2 or 3 leave.
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so what will influence his decisions ?
maybe his wife or an Italian friend over a plate of meatballs and some bolognese and sauce , never know.
maybe his wife or an Italian friend over a plate of meatballs and some bolognese and sauce , never know.
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The documentary on Netflix about Berra is a must watch gem.
Last night was probably the best offensive performance we've seen this season (no, I don't count Wofford). That said, we scored 24 points. Not exactly the second coming of the greatest show on turf.
Yarnell did what he needed to do to win...and avoided doing the things that create losses. We still have miles to go in order to have a serious offense. The O line was better in pass protection but still didn't get much push on most running plays. The few times that they opened serious holes, we saw what Hammond could do.
The bottom line is that Cignetti still needs to go. And take Borbely, Manalac, and Powell with him.
Yarnell did what he needed to do to win...and avoided doing the things that create losses. We still have miles to go in order to have a serious offense. The O line was better in pass protection but still didn't get much push on most running plays. The few times that they opened serious holes, we saw what Hammond could do.
The bottom line is that Cignetti still needs to go. And take Borbely, Manalac, and Powell with him.
The problem isn't cigarettes; it's lungs that can't handle a little cancerous tar up in 'em.
Perhaps could have gotten into the 30’s if it weren’t for tightly clenched asses (and brains) before half. The field goal that wasn’t kicked doesn’t bother me on 4th & 1, but ya just gotta know looking at this OL all year that some new deceptive plays are in order for short yardage.
You mean after his first year when was Pitt 114th in scoring offense?
Or the next year when he was 10th in the ACC in scoring and 13th in yards during a pandemic season?
Or when Nebraska poached him and he led them to the 102nd best scoring offense?
Whipple lucked into an extra year of QB eligibility.
Not counting Woffard, the offense is averaging 15.7 points per game. They have scored over 24 points once, scored over 17 three times.
I don't think it's possible to save his job at this point.
I don't think it's possible to save his job at this point.
No question the OL was not a good run blocking OL this season.
But for me, that begs the question: Why was Frank calling so many inside runs on 1st, and even often on 2nd, downs?
3rd and long is not a good place to be. Even for teams with excellent, experienced QB’s.
If Pitt hadn’t thrown a pass for 9 yards to Mumpfield on 1st down in the 4Q, does Hammond rip off that 66 yd TD run? I believe being 2nd and 1 really helped make that play work.
An OC has to have enough confidence in his O’s ability to be willing to make the D aware that his O is at times going to throw on early downs. Keep the opponent guessing and off balance on D.
Pitt’s tendencies and predictability on early downs put the Pitt O at a disadvantage all season. The OL just didn't have the horsepower to get ahead of the sticks by running inside so much on 1st down. But FCJ just kept doing it over and over.
I hated the decision to go for it on that 4th & 1. Kick the FG and go up 10. This team has sucked in short yardage situation, and finishing drives has been hell for this team. Take the points, go up 10 and maybe start to get BC out of their game plan.
That's what was so infuriating about the SU game. We had a 6 pt lead with the ball at midfield, and shot ourselves in the foot, then allowed SU to bludgeon us to death the rest of the day.
literally everyone in the stadium knew it was going to Carter, including Hafley and BC easily stopped for no gain. Would have been a good time to dust off the old Pickett/Whipple play of throwing deep on 4th and one, probably would have worked there (although that play didn't work as well towards the end of 2021 as teams caught on to it)
Seems like e never get any push regardless of what we do. Even the elaborate Jurkovec sneak vs FSU seemed like an adventure.
I just see zero downside in taking a 10 point lead there. Maybe our staff really does hate scoring points.
That's pretty much what you get when start a QB that hasn't been developed and surrounded by mediocre talent.
Doesn't really matter who is OC.
Easy answer. Because Nate has done nothing to separate himself from CV. (not including PV, as he obviously won the job based on knowledge & experience, and everyone knew when they moved on from him, he was done)
Nate was 11/19 for 204 yds. last night. Neither QB has shown they can consistently put drives together. The offense has been a constant struggle, except for the occasional big play. Veilleux throws a better deep ball, and that probably factored in to who got the nod between those 2. When CV shit the bed versus a winnable opponent, it was time to let Nate play.
NY managed the game great. Hope it continues against Duke.
Pickett in 2020 was one of the most accurate QBs in the country.
Pickett in 2020 according to PFF
2nd most accurate passer in the ACC
3rd best pressure to sack ratio in Power 5
Top 30 passer rating under pressure
Top 10 in fewest turnover-worthy throw in the nation
Only QB in the country with 500 dropbacks that averaged under 7 yards per attempt
He also used that year to turn the guy into a first round pick and delivered a championship to Pitt for the first time in 40 years. The first 2 seasons blew but everyone of us would give our left arm to relieve 2021. No other coaching staff has come close besides the tier 1 guys.
By many metrics Kenny was already an elite college QB in 2020, but the rest of the offense and the scheme was holding him back. He was at the bottom in the nation in YPA and balls thrown down field. Pickett would have balled out in any half-decent coordinators offense in 2021 and likely would have killed it in 2020 with any half-decent coordinator.
I give credit to Whipple for developing him because Kenny does. But a good QB developer does not necessarily make someone is a good coordinator and firing him after back-to-back atrocious offenses would have been the right call.
