PDA

View Full Version : Fichtner boasts pedigree to succeed Arians as offensive coordinator with Steelers



stillers4me
01-25-2012, 05:43 AM
Randy Fichtner's former boss said three words best describe the coach that could become the Steelers' next offensive coordinator: energy, enthusiasm and passion.

"It's not just a day at the office with Randy, and I think it's contagious," said Tommy West, who was the head coach at Memphis University when Fichtner was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach there. "He has 'it,' and players respond to it."

Fichtner, the Steelers' quarterbacks coach, is a candidate to succeed Bruce Arians, who told the York Daily Record earlier this week that the Steelers did not renew his contract.

Fichtner has a close relationship with coach Mike Tomlin and franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and the Steelers' last three offensive coordinators — Arians, Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Mularkey — were in-house hires. Fichtner also has play-calling experience, having served as an offensive coordinator for 10 consecutive seasons before joining Tomlin's staff in 2007.

Fichtner presided over a spread offense at Memphis, something that might be at odds with the Steelers' smash-mouth sensibilities. But he also helped mold running back DeAngelo Williams during his second coaching stint at Memphis, and Williams became an All-American and a first-round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2006......................

Read more: Fichtner boasts pedigree to succeed Arians as offensive coordinator with Steelers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_778223.html#ixzz1kTALmtZu) http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_778223.html#ixzz1kTALmtZu

Bluecoat96
01-25-2012, 06:34 AM
"I thought he had a great strength for being able to adjust in ballgames, being able to make adjustments at halftime," said Helton, now the quarterbacks coach at Southern Cal. "Everywhere he's been, he's been successful. Given the opportunity (to serve as the Steelers' offensive coordinator) he would do that again."



What's this "making adjustments at halftime" thing they're talking about? :chuckle:

:behindsofa:

suitanim
01-25-2012, 07:35 AM
I have a feeling people will HAAAAAAAAATE Fichtner. He'll have two strikes against him right out of the gate:

1) Inside candidate
2) Keeping Arians offense

First time he runs when the braintrust think he should have passed (of course, that judgment will only occur AFTER the play doesn't work), the pitchforks and torches crowd will be readying the cross on Golgotha...

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-25-2012, 07:55 AM
What's this "making adjustments at halftime" thing they're talking about? :chuckle:

:behindsofa:

I think it's something they just do in college. No need to do it here with the prolific offenses that we have had,

suitanim
01-25-2012, 08:37 AM
Halftime adjustments are a myth, so says "Player X" from ESPN the magazine. He states emphatically that you don't add new things in 15 minutes at halftime, you roll back on what you know.

We did plenty of that under Arians. This is another red herring.

BlastFurnace
01-25-2012, 09:32 AM
If he gets rid of the Bubble Screen and not call 30 yard passes on 3rd and 2...he will win me over.

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-25-2012, 09:37 AM
Halftime adjustments are a myth, so says "Player X" from ESPN the magazine. He states emphatically that you don't add new things in 15 minutes at halftime, you roll back on what you know.

We did plenty of that under Arians. This is another red herring.

I think most of the fans know that you dont install new plays at halftime. Instead you look at any particular things the defense is doing that you may not have prepared for and make subtle adjustments to combat that. That, honestly is done by position coaches on the sideline as offensive and defensive possessions change.

Most fans know its chess, not checkers.

suitanim
01-25-2012, 10:30 AM
Most fans know its chess, not checkers.

No, they obviously don't.

Psycho Ward 86
01-25-2012, 06:46 PM
I have a feeling people will HAAAAAAAAATE Fichtner. He'll have two strikes against him right out of the gate:

1) Inside candidate
2) Keeping Arians offense

First time he runs when the braintrust think he should have passed (of course, that judgment will only occur AFTER the play doesn't work), the pitchforks and torches crowd will be readying the cross on Golgotha...

and youll be the first one all over it so that you could scream 'i told you so' :lol:

st33lersguy
01-25-2012, 07:02 PM
How much influence has Airhead Arians had over this guy. I was excited to see Arians out of Pittsburgh hoping that we might finally have a real offensive gameplan, that the play calling would bu at least decent, that Issac Redman would receive more than 5 carries a game when he was not starting, that Ben wouldn't be able to deep the ball down the field whenever he felt like it. With Fichtner as OC I don't see it happening. Then starting 2 years from now I can see myself calling for this guy to be fired

Psycho Ward 86
01-25-2012, 07:25 PM
How much influence has Airhead Arians had over this guy. I was excited to see Arians out of Pittsburgh hoping that we might finally have a real offensive gameplan, that the play calling would bu at least decent, that Issac Redman would receive more than 5 carries a game when he was not starting, that Ben wouldn't be able to deep the ball down the field whenever he felt like it. With Fichtner as OC I don't see it happening. Then starting 2 years from now I can see myself calling for this guy to be fired

I tend to agree with you. Nothing would be a bigger tease than having an Arians 2.0

SteelGhost
01-25-2012, 09:39 PM
I prefer an outside guy, and of course one special area for him in this forum :chuckle:

polamalubeast
01-25-2012, 09:49 PM
Must be not worry even if the new OC is the steelers on the inside of the team.

The best example is the Detroit Lions as their new GM in 2009 was Matt Millen's assistant for some year!

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-25-2012, 10:23 PM
No, they obviously don't.
Why the myopic hate towards the average Steelers fans?

XxKnightxX
01-26-2012, 05:54 AM
Halftime adjustments are a myth, so says "Player X" from ESPN the magazine. He states emphatically that you don't add new things in 15 minutes at halftime, you roll back on what you know.

We did plenty of that under Arians. This is another red herring.

Player X must of Been Kordell Stewart. Bull Fucking Shit they dont make halftime adjustments. You dont script 15 plays to start a game for a reason, and to say that blocking schemes and protection schemes for certain pass packages doesnt get adjusted is complete and utter bullshit. Unless your offense is a fully developed offense and running on all cylinders, then you make adjustments. This is where football has a 'chess match' feeling. Also running a hurry up/no-huddle offense in the 2nd half isnt an adjustment either.

Bluecoat96
01-26-2012, 06:44 AM
It seems like many Arians Haters are convinced that IF Fichtner is picked as the next OC, it will be more of the same. I understand the apprehension, but reality is that WE HAVE NO CLUE what he'll do w/ Ben and the Offense.

I can cite my own experience as a teacher of music. I've been working with the same music teacher for 10 years now. He's technically my "superior." We do compete in contests, etc., with him as the main conductor 99% of the time. He's been out of school for 12 weeks on paternity leave, thus leaving me in charge of the contest season. Even though we've worked closely for 10 years, I can tell you that I run things completely different than him. Will it work better in the end? I don't know....we'll see.

I guess my point is that people are way too quick to assume things will be exactly the same under someone like Fichtner. I'll take the wait and see approach. It sounds as if he'll be a great teacher to the men if he's picked.

Chidi29
01-26-2012, 06:46 AM
If Fichtner is like Arians, I'll be more than happy. Because that means the offense will again show its ability to be one of the tops in the league.

X-Terminator
01-26-2012, 07:17 AM
If Fichtner is like Arians, I'll be more than happy. Because that means the offense will again show its ability to be one of the tops in the league.

Still have to score more than 20.3 PPG. I understand that it's skewed due to injuries, but still, improvement is needed in order to score more points. Again, I feel an extra TD per game is possible with this offense if they can fix their red zone issues and stay consistent throughout the entire season.

Chidi29
01-26-2012, 07:22 AM
Still have to score more than 20.3 PPG. I understand that it's skewed due to injuries, but still, improvement is needed in order to score more points. Again, I feel an extra TD per game is possible with this offense if they can fix their red zone issues and stay consistent throughout the entire season.

Sure, they definitely do. But Arians' offense showed that when there weren't giant obstacles in the way, the offense was a well oiled machine.

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-26-2012, 07:25 AM
Sure, they definitely do. But Arians' offense showed that when there weren't giant obstacles in the way, the offense was a well oiled machine. by Giant obstacles, do you mean the Colts Defensive line, which the well oiled machine could not run the ball against?

fansince'76
01-26-2012, 07:45 AM
Fire Fichtner! :chuckle:


Fichtner looks like the next OC

Thursday, 26 January 2012 Written by Bob Smizik

No one should be greatly surprised if Randy Fichtner is the next Steelers offensive coordinator.

It might not be the Steelers way to force their offensive coordinator into retirement, but it is the Steeler way to promote from within.

The past three offensive coordinators, Mike Mularkey, Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians, all were on the staff in other positions before being promoted.

The promotion of Fichtner, the team's quarterbacks coach, also would help in lessening the disappointment of Ben Roethlisberger, who is believed not to be pleased with the dismissal of Arians, with whom he had a close relationship. And whether people like it or not, $100 million superstars must be kept happy.
Read more: Fichtner looks like the next OC (http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/bob-smiziks-blog/31688-fichtner-looks-like-the-next-oc)

Dino 6 Rings
01-26-2012, 08:05 AM
It'll be interesting to see what he brings to the table.

X-Terminator
01-26-2012, 08:47 AM
Fire Fichtner!

...will be heard after the first incomplete pass or 2-yard loss by Redman.

The Duke
01-26-2012, 08:53 AM
...will be heard after the first incomplete pass or 2-yard loss by Redman.

...in preseason

tube517
01-26-2012, 09:12 AM
...will be heard after the first bubble screen.

Fixed it :chuckle:

steelerdiva
01-26-2012, 09:48 AM
Whoever wrote that article need to get smacked! MEMPHIS UNIVERSITY??? Seriously!? :crazy:

It's the UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, ya twit!!

(Go Tigers!) :wink02:

86WARD
01-26-2012, 10:16 AM
As long as they aren't on the road, they'll be a well oiled machine.

As for halftime adjustments...a totally over used term. There's no such thing anymore. No such thing. In this day and age with the technology that teams have, adjustments are made immediately (or should be made.). There is no such thing as a "halftime adjustment" any longer. If teams are waiting until halftime to make an "adjustment," they're falling further behind the eight ball...

Austin87
01-26-2012, 11:28 AM
If Fichtner is like Arians, I'll be more than happy. Because that means the offense will again show its ability to be one of the tops in the league.

Had a good laugh at this! Dude, you crack me up!

Chidi29
01-26-2012, 12:06 PM
Had a good laugh at this! Dude, you crack me up!

No, I'm serious. I saw on offense that averaged 25 a game over eight weeks. One that dominated the Titans, a top ten defense, in the red zone, during that span (to the tune of 4 passing TDs). One that defeated the Patriots. A red zone running game that was just outside the top ten. An offense that was balanced. That did run on first down (55% of the time) unlike what some will tell you. An offense only held back by turnovers and injuries/lockout. A team that improved its running game, per Rooney's wishes. One that groomed young players into stars, again, per Rooney's request.

It was a witchunt. And every one of those needs a scapegoat. Unfortunately for us, Arians was that guy.

Dino 6 Rings
01-26-2012, 12:52 PM
Scoring Totals for our Offense, and the "25" points a game...

7 @ Ravens
24 Seahawks
23 @ Colts in the box score but 7 were by Troy Polamalu, so really, 16 (Fired their coach team sucked)
10 @ Texans
38 Titans
17 Jaguars (Fired their Coach, Team Sucked)
32 @ Cardinals
25 Patriots
20 Ravens
24 @ Bengals
13 @Chiefs (Fired their Coach, Team Sucked)
35 Bengals in the box score but 7 points were on a Brown Punt Return so really, 28
14 Browns
3 @ 49ers
27 Rams (Fired their coach, Team Sucked
13 Browns

20 @ Denver

Sorry, But I'm Not Impressed at all. Not one single bit.

Chidi29
01-26-2012, 12:54 PM
If you would have read my red zone posts, I said the 25 points came from an eight week span. Week 5 to Week 13.

Edman
01-26-2012, 12:57 PM
If Fichtner is like Arians, I'll be more than happy. Because that means the offense will again show its ability to be one of the tops in the league.

...but never actually be one of the top offenses in the league and wind up mediocre and carried by the Defense and Ben's improvising because they can't score. When the Defense fails, the Offense is exposed as mediocre and they can't do ****.

Yes, you would be happy with that.

Chidi29
01-26-2012, 12:59 PM
...but never actually be one of the top offenses in the league and wind up mediocre and constantly carried by the Defense because they can't score.

Yes, you would be happy with that.

Because of Ben's injury. Because of the turnovers. Because of the lockout.

The weeks we struggled on offense were the first and last four. Those all correlate to those events perfectly. If you look at the data, I don't know how you can think otherwise.

GBMelBlount
01-26-2012, 02:26 PM
No, I'm serious.

I saw on offense that averaged 25 a game over eight weeks.

One that dominated the Titans, a top ten defense, in the red zone, during that span (to the tune of 4 passing TDs). One that defeated the Patriots. A red zone running game that was just outside the top ten. An offense that was balanced. That did run on first down (55% of the time) unlike what some will tell you. An offense only held back by turnovers and injuries/lockout. A team that improved its running game, per Rooney's wishes. One that groomed young players into stars, again, per Rooney's request.

It was a witchunt. And every one of those needs a scapegoat. Unfortunately for us, Arians was that guy.

I think you are making a very good point Chidi.

I am not saying Arians is blameless but between the line issues and Ben's injuries that arguably explains A LOT of the variance from the 25 - 30 ppg we should DEFINITELY be seeing under normal circumstances with this level of talent.

suitanim
01-26-2012, 02:51 PM
Because of Ben's injury. Because of the turnovers. Because of the lockout.

The weeks we struggled on offense were the first and last four. Those all correlate to those events perfectly. If you look at the data, I don't know how you can think otherwise.

Data?

PAH!

KILL ARIANS! BURN THE WITCH, BURN THE WITCH, BURN THE WITCH!

In the immortal words of Neal Peart from Rush:

Features distorted in the flickering light
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right
Confident their ways are best

Quick to judge
Quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand...

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-26-2012, 03:04 PM
I think Art Rooney prefers "Limelight" better.

"Cast in this unlikely role,
Ill-equipped to act,
With insufficient tact,
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact"

He must have seen Arians as "ill-equipped to act" when he told him to run the football better. Then again, not sure he takes advice on how to run a football team from Geddy Lee.

suitanim
01-26-2012, 03:14 PM
I think Art Rooney prefers "Limelight" better.

"Cast in this unlikely role,
Ill-equipped to act,
With insufficient tact,
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact"

He must have seen Arians as "ill-equipped to act" when he told him to run the football better. Then again, not sure he takes advice on how to run a football team from Geddy Lee.

And then he bravely........................................... ..............blamed Tomlin for it?

Nonsense.

You people have lost your minds and your ability to think clearly.

suitanim
01-26-2012, 03:19 PM
You NEVER sacrifice your word, your honor, or your integrity in getting rid of a coach.

If Rooney wanted him gone he should have just said so and been done with it.

Something is rotten in Denmark....

suitanim
01-26-2012, 03:31 PM
Crickets? Nobody?

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12021/1205041-66-0.stm

That decision appears to have come from team president Art Rooney II, even though coach Mike Tomlin told Arians several times since the playoff loss in Denver that he wanted him to return next season.
According to sources inside and outside the organization, Tomlin had told Arians on several occasions since the end of the season that he wanted him to return in 2012 -- once even telling him in front of other coaches. And Arians had told other people, including his assistants, he intended to return in 2012.

On Friday morning, before the team announced Arians' retirement, Rooney went on radio station WDVE and said that whatever happened with Arians is "really Mike's decision," referring to Tomlin.

"It's that time of year we do the coaches' contract for those who don't have a contract and sometimes we extend contracts," Rooney said. "Mike's involved in those conversations with all his coaches."

Devilsdancefloor
01-26-2012, 04:30 PM
maybe something happened that we do not know about from the time Mr rooney made his remarks :noidea:. We all saiod when he was retained we trust the FO to make the right decision well now you are gonna have to say i trust the FO. I really think Mr Rooney wants to run the ball 40% of the time, but RUN effective enough to run out the clock or get those tough yards in the RZ. If we had that run game we could depend on week in and out the 2nd Ratbirds loss most likely wouldnt have happened we would have run the clock out.

Now to fitchner i know he was a spread O guy which is fine, but he has also gotta be smart enough to say hey i need a effective run game as well. I asm going to do more research on him later, but for now i say we go with him.

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-26-2012, 04:40 PM
So Rooney wanted the press to think that Tomlin has autonomy over his coaching staff, but perhaps the final call on who gets a paycheck from Rooney is not Tomlin's call after all.

Maybe Rooney is not as saintly as some fans want to believe. Maybe the way he handled the situation was not right and lacks the honor and integrity that some fans need from the leader of their organization.

I think if it really bothers you how it all went down, that maybe its time to take a moral stand and stop supporting the Steelers and their owner. Quit being a Steeler fan and rather wait until Arians surfaces with another team, then support them.

ALLD
01-26-2012, 05:53 PM
If you do not scheme to protect BB better, then he will not be around for a third contract.

Steeldude
01-26-2012, 06:36 PM
I think if it really bothers you how it all went down, that maybe its time to take a moral stand and stop supporting the Steelers and their owner. Quit being a Steeler fan and rather wait until Arians surfaces with another team, then support them.

^^^this

suitanim
01-27-2012, 05:28 AM
I'm aloud to bitch about dumb stuff. Some of the people on this board ONLY complain, and usually about stuff they clearly don't even understand. Why would I stop supporting the team before they snotty nosed whiners who complain about everything would? That makes as little sense as still talking about a QB that stopped playing for us ten years ago in every other post, or making up ridiculous conspiracy theories about the recently retired OC.

Steeldude
01-27-2012, 05:39 AM
someone has clearly gone over the edge over the wise decision not to extend arians' contract

Austin87
01-27-2012, 11:05 AM
You NEVER sacrifice your word, your honor, or your integrity in getting rid of a coach.


Noted, Sir Knight...:wink02:

suitanim
01-27-2012, 11:12 AM
Noted, Sir Knight...:wink02:
Look at how Gilbert handled the whole situation with LeBron James. That's a template of how NOT to handle a tricky situation. Cleveland was going to be challenged in the free agent market to begin with, but if the owner comes off as being not trustworthy (perhaps even a back-stabber, which is how some other NBA players characterized his behavior), it could hurt in the recruitment of other free agents.

The same could happen when the Steelers recruit new coaches.

First off, the bar for the Steelers OC is set ridiculously high by the fans, to a point that it's probably not a reachable goal for the types of people that expect the Steelers to win every game 35-0. After the success Arians had here, that also indicates that the ownership has very, very high standards set, which is fine. But if the standard is set high, AND you're not going to be sure where you stand with the owner, that will make for some real challenges for the next coach as far as facing perhaps unrealistic expectations. You can really take the fans out of the equation, though, as it's obvious most of them really have no idea what they're talking about and have no real input at all in the whole process. But it's also quite obvious that the ownership of the team has also set expectations that might also be realistically unattainable. Because the message is clear that even winning Super Bowls isn't enough. We'll have to wait and see...

GBMelBlount
01-27-2012, 11:19 AM
I'm aloud to bitch about dumb stuff.

ABSOLUTELY...and if others want to bitch about Arians, or whatever, right or wrong, they are entitled to their opinion.

You and Chidi have made some great points and have raised my opinion of Arians but not to the point where I feel the Rooneys did not have the right to decide to make a change or try something different.

suitanim
01-27-2012, 11:20 AM
EXACTLY...and if people want to bitch but Arians, or jock itch, or whatever, whether they are right or wrong, they are entitled to their opinion.

You and Chidi have made some great points and have opened my eyes to A LOT of things that are causes of the offenses problems but not to the point where I feel the Rooneys did not have the right to decide to make a change or try something different.

He certainly does have the right. But I think the message being sent here is pretty extreme: With the Steelers, even winning Super Bowls may not be enough to save your job, and you may not ever know exactly where you stand with the ownership. Those are tough conditions to work under.

It's "allowed", too, before someone tries to lay some grammar smack on me. I typed that at 6:30 this morning...

GBMelBlount
01-27-2012, 11:26 AM
He certainly does have the right. But I think the message being sent here is pretty extreme: With the Steelers, even winning Super Bowls may not be enough to save your job, and you may not ever know exactly where you stand with the ownership. Those are tough conditions to work under.

It's "allowed", too, before someone tries to lay some grammar smack on me. I typed that at 6:30 this morning...

Arians IS the easiest "fall guy," no doubt.

SOME of the Arians bashing IS knee jerk, ignorance and oversimplification.

But as you know, just as you should not blame everything on Arians, you can not fully validate him simply because he was OC at the time we won a Super Bowl. It is NOT that simple...just as you are pointing out.

suitanim
01-27-2012, 11:45 AM
I never claimed the guy was a great OC. But the standard is the standard, and we've been to 3 SB's and won two of them with him on the staff. The guy certainly played a critical role in both the standard of winning as well as Ben's development as a player.

My salient and over-riding points throughout have been:
A) It will not be an easy task to upgrade at OC
B) If we go back to a run-first-type offense, we will almost certainly DIgress on offense, not PROgress.