Pitt Redshirt Diaries : Frank Cignetti

Pitt 37, Syracuse 10 - Good, Bad and Ugly

Paul Zeise — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:32:00 GMT

Welcome back folks to the Pitt football blog -- I missed last week of blogging because I was battling a very nasty flu bug (if you notice, I wrote very little for the paper as well). But now we're back, healthy (almost) and ready for the stretch run...(read more)

Pitt Football - An offensive explosion or a mirage?

Paul Zeise — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:49:00 GMT

I've gotten a number of e-mails this week which have started off something like "what do you think of the Panthers offense now you negative cynical stinking media hack?" And believe me that is only a paraphrase of the ones I can publish...(read more)

PITT CAMP -- SCRIMMAGE NUMBER TWO

Paul Zeise — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 14:47:00 GMT

OK, it has been a few days since I've updated this blog on Pitt camp and mostly because it has been an uneventful few days. The coaches were getting ready for the scrimmage, the players were getting a little bit of a rest and frankly, there just isn't much new or interesting to report until yesterday's scrimmage.....

So here seven observations and/or thoughts about camp thus far....

1.) I received some criticism via e-mail that I wasn't "paying attention" enough to this so-called quarterback controversy, even though I reported EXACTLY what Dave Wannstedt said earlier in the week which was "Bill Stull is our starter." I'm not sure how many different ways he could say it but that's exactly the mindset that he has and has had and frankly I've seen nothing in the past four days that makes me believe it will change. Yes, he and Tino Sunseri were "splitting reps" but they were splitting reps (while Pat Bostick was throwing the ball to trainers and managers and cheerleaders and anybody else he could find to catch with him) because the coaching staff is trying to figure out if Tino is ready to be the back-up quarterback - which would give them the luxury of redshirtting Pat Bostick and have him around for two more years. This wasn't a competition for the starting job in the truest sense of the word, though had Sunseri shined and jumped off the page with his play he might have had a chance to overtake Stull.

Quarterback controversies are fun, unless, like this one they bore us all to tears because we were all pretty sure the fix was in from day 1 and this was never a true competition involving two guys on an equal ground trying to win the job. I can't make it any clearer than this one. I suppose I could be wrong. I highly doubt it based on everything I know and have been told.

Bill Stull will be the starter, get over it and move on.

2.) Dave Wannstedt yesterday said that whether or not Ray Graham is ready to be trusted in a game must "still be evaluated". Translation -- he's a true freshman who fumbled a few times early in camp and turnovers get you beat. From what I've seen Dion Lewis is indeed the most consistent of the running backs but only because he's been here six months longer than Graham.

But let me say this -- if you have an offense which looks like it will really struggle to throw the ball and make big plays in the passing game -- without some sort of play-action or other misdirections in the backfield -- you better have a "home run" hitter in the backfield and Graham is clearly that. In fact, he had the five-tweeter twitting play of the day yesterday on his first carry when he took it 65 yards for a touchdown -- then topped that and probably had a few more twits tweeting with a 24-yard screen pass in which he made about nine of the 11 defenders -- the first team defense by the way -- look rather silly trying to tackle him. There is no question that this kid needs to play and play a lot along with Lewis but it will be interesting to see if he has earned enough trust (never mind the fact that the other two guys he is competing with have never played in a game either) to get on the field. He is the most explosive back and the one who is the biggest threat to take it the distance every time he touches it. LeSean McCoy fumbled a few times as a freshman but his upside was far too high to keep off the field. Hopefully Graham will be given the same consideration.

3.) Speaking of freshman who need to be on the field, thankfully Dan Mason has apparently earned enough trust that he will play in a game. I've said this a few times to people I've talked to -- if I listed the top 15 or 20 hits I've seen this camp so far, he'd have about eight or nine of them. I know he's a freshman and it is a lot to put on him, but I hope at times this year we see him in the middle playing alongside of Adam Gunn - who can play both outside positions -- because I think that he can be a game-changer.

4.) The right tackle position is the only shaky position on the offensive line and mostly because the starter is a sophomore (Lucas Nix) who needed a lot of work but spent the past four or five days watching with a leg infection. And even before he got hurt he was swimming a little bit, though trying to block Jabaal Sheard would make a lot of guys look shaky. There is no question, however, that Nix needs to get back and work his tail off over the next two weeks in order to get ready to play. If he does come on, the line will be pretty good as the other four guys, and in particular Jason Pinkston and John Malecki, are playing really well. And that is regardless of who emerges at left guard because both Chris Jacobson and Joe Thomas have played solid throughout camp.

5.) The nagging injuries are starting to pile up and that probably is a sign that it is time to start dialing back the hitting and contact at practice and rebuilding guys legs. Dave Wannstedt admitted the other day that the Panthers have hit more in this camp than in any of his previous four camps and he said the reason is because it is the only way to evaluate running backs. I understand the rationale, I just hope he has a team left standing by the time the season rolls around.

6.) I haven't spent a lot of time talking about the secondary but Aaron Berry has played -- I know, it is only camp - a lot like a guy on a mission and a lot like a guy who realizes that his clock is ticking and his time is running short if he really wants to try and get to the NFL. And Dom DeCicco has played extremely well also. The only issue with the secondary is, if Elijah Fields can't do the things he needs to do in order to become the starter -- and as right of now, he isn't, and Andrew Taglianetti is -- the secondary is comprised of DeCicco (6-3) and three guys who are right around 5-foot-10. That could be a problem when the Panthers face a team with tall receivers - and we've seen some of that at camp as Oderick Turner (6-3), Mike Shanahan (6-5) and Jonathan Baldwin (6-5) have all at times been able to take advantage of their size advantage over Pitt's corners. Still, I think the secondary will be a strength of the team provided the pass rush is as good as we think it is because the one thing all four of the starters do very well is tackle, so there shouldn't be a lot of yards after the catch and if the pass rush is good, there shouldn't be a lot of opportunities for deep balls a la the Rutgers (from last season) debacle.

7.) There are a lot of really good football players who will have a hard time getting on the field because there is so much depth at some positions. That says a lot about more about how well Dave Wannstedt and company have recruited than any star rankings or recruiting rankings could ever tell us. I mean, even though Jabaal Sheard has been hurt, Justin Hargrove got hurt and Tony Tucker is AWOL and looking like he is probably going to be headed elsewhere -- the pass rush from defensive ends hasn't missed a beat thanks to guys like Shayne Hale (who by the way has missed a few days with a concussion-like thing) and Brandon Lindsey and heck yesterday even Nate Nix stepped in and got to the act. Think about this -- the first season Wannstedt was here they were converting running backs, using true freshmen and walk-ons and trying to find anyone who had a little bit of size and speed -- like Chris McKillop - to try and field a defensive line. And if they had an injury to any of the "starters", forget about it. Now, that isn't the case and despite a rash of some injuries and a possible defection, a freshman like Tyrone Ezell -- who looks like he is going to be a good one and who is physically big enough to play right now -- will certainly be redshirtting and spend a year in the weight room and working on his technique, which is what you'd like to do with your freshman linemen.

Day 2 of Pitt Camp - Exotic Bugs on Trains!!!!

Paul Zeise — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:40:00 GMT

OK, maybe not -- but theories abound that the trains which run on the tracks on the North shore of the Mon river in the South Side carry little critters capable of causing hands to swell and seasons to be lost. Of course, we all know the best players in the world except the perfect player were all produced south of the Mon, or so we're told but esteemed experts on such matters. Those two things may be related, or maybe not but even if they are, there is no way they are as closely related as the three sets of brothers this team has.

And just when things got rolling along, the afternoon session was twittered away due to lightning and had to be moved inside the indoor facility. This caused the tweeters to twit furiously or something like that.

At any rate, the highlight of Day 2 might have been when Pitt marketing Guru Chris Ferris stopped by practice and fielded a number of unsolicited suggestions about the music selection at Heinz Field in between quarters. No truth to the rumor that Neil Diamond will be at the opener to sing Sweet Caroline live between the third and fourth quarters but we in the media offered to take up a collection to make it happen. I think we had about five dollars in the cup once it made it around the room and $4.50 of it was donated by Chris himself.

As for song selections -- well maybe you, the fans, can do better than we did but then again, how many songs can you really work the words "Let's Go Pitt" into and not break the rhythm or flow of it

One member suggested Craklin' Rosie, by that same Neil Diamond, and well, once we tried to sing the chorus, it just didn't work, sing along with me here and see if you can make it work.......

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"Cracklin rose, you’re a store bought woman
You make me sing like a guitar hummin
So hang on to me, girl
Our song keeps runnin on....

Now instead of.......
Play it now
Play it now, my baby

The crowd will sing....

Lllletttt's go Pitt

Lllettt's go Pitt, my baby.....

Other suggestions were as follows:

Ice Cube, "It was a good day" -- "Today I didn't even have to use my AK, I'd have to say Let's Go Pitt....."

AC/DC "Back in Black" -- "Let's Go Pitt, I hit the sack, I've been gone to long and I'm glad to be back...."

The Jets "Crush on you" - "How did you know, cause I never told, but you found out, Let's Go Pitt....."

Player "Baby Come Back" - "Let's Go Pitt, any kind of fool could see, There was something in everything about you, Let's Go Pitt, you can blame it all on me, I was wrong, and I just can't live without you......"

And finally, how about a tribute to Michael Jackson......(I'll be there)....

"Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, well that’s all I’m after
Whenever you need me, LET'S GO PITT
Let's Go Pitt to protect you
With an unselfish love I respect you
Just call my name and Let’s GO PITT"

Now this is a game you can all try at home and hopefully you can come up with better songs to insert the words "Let's Go Pitt" into than we did. If you do, e-mail us here at pzeise@post-gazette.com and the best ones will certainly make a future edition of the Redshirt Diaries.....

What's that? You want to hear about the actual football on Day 2.....

OK, here are some observations, well at least in between watching YouTube videos to try and come up with song selections.......

One position change I forgot to write about yesterday, in a move that I never advocated but happened anyway, Kevin Adams moved from defensive back to fullback and Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said it will be a good fit given his size and ability.

1.) The more I watch Frank Cignetti's approach, the more I like it. He's high energy, he's aggressive and he is demanding - and the players, particularly the quarterbacks seem to feed off that. He is much more animated than his predecessor and he really is a stickler for perfection. The quarterbacks really seem to have taken to him and frankly, they are playing as you'd expect. Bill Stull is steady and makes a lot of good decisions. Pat Bostick has surprised me with his increased arm strength. It is very noticeable that he can throw the ball down the field with a lot more distance and zip than he could last year. And like I wrote yesterday, the best pure passer on this team is Tino Sunseri. I've been as hard on the quarterbacks as anyone, but the more I watch them, the more I think they just may surprise some people, including me.

2.) It could be a mirage -- I mean, they are still playing fantasy football (i.e. they haven't put on any pads) -- but Aundre Wright has been quite impressive catching and running after the catch. And between Chris Burns, Dion Lewis, Ray Graham and Jason Douglas, the Panthers might have the fastest combination of four tailbacks in the country. Those guy are flying around the field, especially Douglas, who like I said is tiny, but my goodness can he make people miss.

3.) Since there is no hitting going on yet, there is no way to make any judgments about the line play or even the linebackers, though I do find it interesting that so far the starting linebackers have been Gruder (not Shane Murray), Gunn and Greg Williams. Gunn is moving well but even he admits he is anxious to get that first full-speed, full contact hit out of the way. And line coach Tony Wise said that a pleasant surprise in camp so far is tackle Greg Gaskins, who is apparently "getting it" more and more every day. He also said he has been extremely pleased with the progress of tackle Ryan Turnley and both developments should be viewed as good news because this team needs some depth beyond the first six guys.

4.) The most underrated coach on this staff, or at least the one nobody talks about but did a great job last year and really is excellent at what he does if you really take the time to watch him is linebackers coach Joe Tumpkin. He is a teacher and a motivator and his guys seem to really respond to him. And like last year, he has a lot of young guys to get up to speed. I watched him explain a simple, yet important technique, to his group this afternoon session (it is the freshmen and reserves) and by about halfway through it even I understood it and watched the younger kids pick it up as well. There is so much teaching of fundamentals that goes on in football during training camp that it sometimes gets lost in the shuffle among those who don't get to watch it but it is pretty impressive to see a coach teach something and the players pick it up and then put it to use in other situations.

5.) Dave Wannstedt again made a comment about how much better the football team looks -- you know, the Look Test -- than it did when he got there and while he credited strength coach Buddy Morris, it is also a testament to the fact that he has recruited a lot of bigger, faster athletes and it is showing up on the field. This team really looks like a Division I football team is supposed to getting off the bus. In fact, this is one of the best looking teams I've covered since I started covering the Big East many moons ago. I know I was skeptical about the changes a strength coach can make -- believe me, Buddy Morris has really made a mark on this team as they are mentally and physically tougher.

And finally, don't forget to watch Pitt West (Russ Grimm and Terryl Austin (assistant coaches), Tyler Palko, LaRod Stephens-Howling, Gerald Hayes and Larry Fitzgerald are all with the Arizona Cardinals) play at Heinz Field in an exhibition game Thursday night (tomorrow or today depending on when you read this) against the Steelers.

AND JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT HOW FITZGERALD FARED IN THEIR LAST ENCOUNTER:

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A job well done by Dave Wannstedt

Paul Zeise — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:17:00 GMT

Dave Wannstedt has taken a lot of heat over the past four years from Pitt fans, some of it deserved (like when he played for a tie and then lost in overtime to Ohio) and some of it not deserved (like when the Panthers went 5-7 in 2007 -- given how bad the quarterback play was that year, he deserved a raise, a promotion and everything else just for getting five wins out of that team.......) but one thing is clear -- even his harshest critics can't possibly be upset or find fault with the hiring of Frank Cignetti Jr.

Cignetti, to me, is like a five-star recruit from this standpoint -- you don't know if he can live up to the hype, but you'd like to think so. And more to the point, when you land a five-star recruit, it is always a good thing, even he ultimately turns into a bust, because you at least aimed for the sky.

I don't know if the guy can coach, but he certainly won the press conference and he certainly won the battle of public perception and he certainly has energized a fan base -- and believe me this is the kind of jolt of energy this program needed.

Yesterday was the first day I met Frank Cignetti and here was my immediate impression....

"I'm talking to the next head coach at Pitt"

Oh I know, I am getting way ahead of myself as I don't expect Dave Wannstedt to step aside or get asked to step aside any time soon, but Cignetti is that impressive and it is easy to see why he was such an attractive hire for Pitt.

In fact, in my discussions with people after the news conference I said "I don't know what "it" is when talking about what makes an outstanding coach, but that guy has "it" and he's convinced me that he'll get the job done."

And you know the last time a coach made that kind of an impression on me with just one interaction?

Late in 2000 when I first met and interviewed West Virginia's coach-in-waiting, a young guy by the name of Rich Rodriguez (I was covering WVU at the time, Don Nehlen announced his retirement with a game or two left in the season but remained through the Music City Bowl and in the interim Rodriguez was hired) who was engaging, intense, funny, well spoken, enthusiastic and most importantly, truly was excited to get started in what he called his "dream job."

I came away from that news conference so impressed I told my boss at the time, Fritz Huysman, "You know, I don't know much about this guy, but he has me wanting to sign up to play and I have little doubt that he's going to get the job done here."

Now, I know that Pitt fans (and WVU fans for that matter) aren't huge fans of Rich Rodriguez (who I happen to like a lot by the way) but there is no doubt that WVU fans should thank their lucky stars they had him, even for a short period, because he transformed that program into something special in a very short period of time.

There is just some special quality that almost every successful coach has and I think Cignetti has it, too. There was so much about yesterday that reminded me of the initial Rodriguez news conference it was eerie to be honest....

But beyond my initial impression, there are some very, very positive things about this coaching hire and some things that should have a lot of people excited.....

1.) Pitt hired a major assistant coach -- i.e. coordinator or assistant head coach - who ALREADY HAD A VERY GOOD JOB. Let me repeat that -- Cignetti isn't a retread, he wasn't fired at his last job, he wasn't looking for work, he wasn't a "Pitt guy" (though, he is a Pittsburgh guy), he was a coach, with a great job in a BCS conference and more than happy to stay there. Yet Wannstedt got him to come to Pitt - and that is quite a nice accomplishment.

2.) Pitt proved once again it will pay for performance or the right guy -- The idea that Pitt won't pay coaches is often thrown about because you don't see Pitt getting into bidding wars for $4 million a year coaches. But Pitt time and time again has proven it will pay the right coaches and this is another example. Sure, he took a pay cut to come here -- but I guarantee you it wasn't much, if anything, when you take the cost of living into account and more importantly I guarantee you he didn't come cheap. Pitt made him a very nice compensation package and that's something the administration has been willing to do time and time again.

3.) Pitt hired a proven recruiter at offensive coordinator. I think as great of a recruiter as Dave Wannstedt has been, the fact that his former offensive coordinator was not nearly as engaged in the recruiting process as most assistant coaches are, probably has held him back some. Wannstedt, make no mistake, is one of the best recruiters around, but Cavanaugh didn't do much recruiting and thus wasn't much help in getting some kids over the top. With Cignetti, that won't be a problem as he is a coach who, like Wannstedt, likes the recruiting process, enjoys the competitive aspect of it and will be an instant asset in this department. And with Wannstedt, Cignetti and Greg Gattuso knocking on doors, every prospect in the entire state of Pennsylvania has suddenly become in play.

4.) Pitt hired a college coach -- Cignetti understands the challenges of working with college kids and understand how to tailor what he did when he was in the NFL to fit the constraints and limitations of the college game (like yesterday, when he was talking about his “quarterback academy” and how he does it differently now than he did with the 49ers and Saints because he has so much less time with college kids due to NCAA rules). That tells me that it will be reflected in his game plans and his play calling.

Like I said at the start, I don’t know if this guy can or will get it done, but I’d say the chances are very good that he will. Only time will tell, but at this point, given what we know about him and given the first impression, I’d say yesterday was a very good day for Pitt fans everywhere.

Now, in the interest of objectivity and fairness, here is the other side of the Cignetti story from someone who covers the Pac-10 teams in the Bay Area (Stanford and Cal)....

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2009/02/18/pittsburgh-hires-cals-cignetti-losing-taufoou-is-a-bigger-deal/

I'd say the money shot in this one are these graphs (and by the way, Jon Wilner is an excellent reporter with plenty of credibility)......

"So Cignetti is headed home to Pittsburgh. Wake me when it matters.

I say that semi-facetiously, and the only reason for the “semi” is because of the timing. It’s getting late in the winter (ie: close to spring ball) to start looking for a playcaller/quarterbacks coach.

But does anyone think the Bears benefitted significantly from Cignetti’s presence?

Does anybody think the playcalling was all that dynamic?

Does anybody think the quarterbacks were that well coached?"

Again, just a different perspective from the other side of this personnel move. The feeling out on the West Coast is that Cal. head coach Jeff Tedford ran the offense, did most of the game-planning and adjusting and hired Cignetti to be a caretaker of his offense and call plays. Obviously we can't know that because didn't cover it but I do think it is an important observation to at least keep on file.....

Cignetti is hired

Paul Zeise — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:43:00 GMT

The deal is now officially done and Pitt's search for a new offensive coordinator is over.

California offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. will be named the Panthers offensive coordinator at a news conference at 3:45 at the SouthSide complex.

All signs are pointing to Wannstedt closing the deal

Paul Zeise — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:50:00 GMT

Has Frank Cignetti Jr. agreed to become Pitt's offensive coordinator?

I'd say the answer is yes based on a number of conversations I have had this morning and last night on this subject and I expect an announcement on the matter at some point in the next day or two.

Coaching searches are always a pain because nobody will talk to you on the record, some will talk off the record but only give you bits and pieces of information and there are always so many rumors floating around and people throwing names that you have to chase them all. And being as we are a news organization, we can't just write stuff based on rumors - and that makes it frustrating.

That's why I am glad this one appears to be finally over and Cignetti appears to be a tremendous addition to the Panthers staff as he comes with a great reputation as a recruiter, an offensive mind and his local ties and name recognition are only a bonus.

One recruit commits -- is a commitment from an OC next?

Paul Zeise — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:43:00 GMT

Pitt got a commitment from Wilmington Area running back/linebacker Derrick Burns and it was one of the easiest commitments the program has had -- well since Scott McKillop and for the same reason it was so easy for the Panthers to land McKillop all those years ago.....

Family ties -- and not the 80's sitcom featuring Alex P. Keaton.

Burns older brother, Chris, is a redshirt freshman running back (and one of the favorites to win the starting job vacated by LeSean McCoy) for the Panthers. Derrick told my good friend Chris Peak over at Pantherlair.com that he has wanted to follow his brother’s footsteps to Pitt and that's why it was easy to say "yes" when Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt offered him a scholarship yesterday.

Burns, incidentally, was one of a number of junior prospects who visited Pitt over the weekend.

That's very similar to the recruitment of Scott McKillop, whose brother was a freshman at Pitt when he committed and he did so early and was one of the first in his class to commit to the Panthers. McKillop was familiar with Pitt's coaching staff, wanted to play on the same team as his brother and never had any doubt about where he wanted to play his college football.

Boy, if only they were all that easy......

Meanwhile, Dave Wannstedt is waiting to hear about another offer he has tendered -- to California offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. --- who I profiled earlier on this blog --- as he is hoping to lure Cignetti, a Pittsburgh native, back home. The job has been offered now and Cignetti is very much considering it according to one source.

I spoke to Jonathan Okanes from the Contra Costa Times and he told me that based on the digging he did today that signs are pointing to the fact the Cignetti sounds like a "man on the move". In fact, he called Cignetti's house and spoke to his wife, Ellen, who told him he'd have to talk to her husband about the situation then said "he's not taking any calls".

Stay tuned as there could be some movement on this front soon....

The OC search continues

Paul Zeise — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:54:00 GMT

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.