The OC search continues

     The importance of the offensive coordinator hire is on full display over at Pitt as the search begins to drag into week three. 

     Not only does this hire have to be the right fit and have the right credentials and a track record of success, it needs to be someone who can generate at least some excitement and help sell tickets. And don't underestimate that last part -- there is no question the pressure is on Dave Wannstedt to hire a coach with at least some pedigree of success and a track record of quarterback development. 

    That's why the latest guy Wannstedt's radar -- California offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti -- is such an intriguing name.

    Unlike Noel Mazzone, who has fallen way down (if not completely off according to several soures) on the list for a variety of reasons and will likely end up as the Browns quarterbacks coach, unlike Walt Harris, who is headed to Akron as I predicted in my last blog post and unlike any of the internal candidates -- Cignetti is a name that would excite people.

   He has run successful offenses at virtually every stop, he is an up-and-comer (I believe he is 43) and he has the right resume and background to become a serious candidate as Dave Wannstedt's successor in a few years when Wannstedt decides to retire.

   He was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State from 2002-2006 and he had some very good offenses and he also has some experience in the NFL, which seems to be a plus with Wannstedt. 

  He also has numerous local ties -- a factor that seems to be the be all, end all among some fans and boosters and alumni but I think is highly overrated -- as he's from here, his dad is a Division II coaching legend at IUP and he has plenty of family still here in the area.

  All of it would add up to a major development if Wannstedt is indeed able to pull it off.

  The question is -- can he?

  Cignetti is willing to listen but talking and listening and actually coming are two different things.

  One sticking point would be the money as Pitt is not likely to get into a bidding war in these economic times. Pitt will, and has proven it will, pay for the right guy but I have a hard time believing they are going to break the bank for an offensive coordinator at a time when the university executives are taking pay cuts and the university is eliminating positions and downsizing some departments.

  That being said, let's look at what it would actually cost Pitt to get into the ballpark to get Cignetti........

  Cignetti's base salary is $168,000 at Cal. He also makes $77,000 in bonuses as per the contract of head coach Jeff Tedford, which allows him $250,000 in bonuses for his assistant coaches. That puts him at $245,000. Then there is also an $80,000 talent fee, $10,000 from camps and a maximun total of $69,500 in potential "merit bonuses" available to him based on how well the offense does and how well the team does (example -- if Cal's offense is in the top ten in the NCAA, he receives a bonus of $4,500).....

  I didn't research enough into Cal's offensive performance rankings to see how many of the incentives he actually reached this year but let's just for arguments sake he got $35,000 of the $69,500 in merit bonuses.

  That would put him somewhere between $350,000 and $400,000 in compensation this past year. I don't know that Pitt would go much higher than that or even get that high, though they came up with a very attractive package to bring Matt Cavanaugh to Pitt in 2004 and gave Paul Rhoads a big bump to keep him at Pitt in 2002 -- but that's the price of doing serious business with serious football coaches these days.

  The buy-out of his contract -- which runs through 2010 -- wouldn't be an issue as it is only $25,000 and he'd have to repay Cal for all of his moving expenses and that is a drop in the bucket.

  One thing to keep in mind, however, is that while Cignetti makes a very nice buck - he makes it in the Bay Area, which is far more expensive than the Pittsburgh area. In fact, I did one of those salary relocation calculators on his salary and frankly, $350,000 there is the equivalent of about $210,000 or so here (Actually, 188,000 if he lives in San Fran, 222,000 if he lives in Oakland and 219,000 if he lives in Berkely to be exact) and that is well within the range of what Pitt would pay.

  So there is clearly some room for Pitt to negotiate and if they want Cignetti bad enough, the money wouldn't necessarily have to become an issue as he'd be receiving a very nice raise just due to the dramatic drop in his cost of living even if he just got the same salary he's getting now at Cal U.

  Pitt could also offer something Cignetti doesn't have right now -- the ability to run an offense without interference from an offensive-minded  head coach who many still see as the guy in charge of the offense -- and that is something that is valuable to any coach.  

  Stay tuned, I expect this search to be coming to an end soon but it is clear to me that the powers that be are taking their time, doing their due diligence and making sure they find the right guy who is the right fit and someone who will at least offer some reasonable hope that the offense will be upgraded next year from what it has been.