Pitt Football's Memo To Dave Wannstedt: Let Frank Cignetti Run the Offense

It's Thursday morning, two days before the Pitt Panthers take the field against Florida International, a no-name opponent flying in to Heinz Field with big aspirations.

All the Golden Panthers need to do is look at Wannstedt's Pitt record against the dogs: Do Notre Dame 2005, UConn 2006, Bowling Green 2008, NC State 2009 ring a bell?

With Wannstedt on the sidelines, opponents know underdog to top dog can be an easy 60-minute sprint.

So when Frank Cignetti, Pitt's second-year offensive coordinator, told reporters Tino Sunseri, Pitt's elfish, courage-challenged quarterback who desperately needs a new contact lens prescription, might not make it through the whole game with FIU, Pitt fans should have taken heart.

Cignetti said. "Tino leaves too many plays on the field" which is coach-speak for "Tino, if you suck again, you're history."

And Sunseri has sucked in two of three starts. Under his leadership Pitt ranks 111 out of 120 teams in total offense with 943 yards in three games.  The Pitt offense has scored a whopping 65 points total.

And, please, spare me the nonsense about his youth and inexperience. The Big East may look like pee-wee football but it's officially BCS level - at least until 2013.

Hope for Pitt fans, right? No.

Wannstedt has never been much of an offensive coach but he keeps interfering just to show who's in charge.

Wannstedt does admit Sunseri has to play better. But when asked by reporters if he is considering a quarterback change, he said no.

"Sunseri's progression is not much different from the other young quarterbacks I have coached," Wannstedt said.

This is from the coach whose overall winning record is .5006 in sixteen seasons and who has a rep for not being able to identify good quarterback prospects and not developing good quarterbacks on his teams.

Wannstedt also said,"Tino has had a good week, and I am confident that he is going to play good this week, I really believe that."

When Wannstedt really believes something it's a good bet the exact opposite will happen.

Give the bookies time. The -19 posted for the game could become -15 in a hurry.

Whereas Wannstedt lacks specifics in his understanding of his quarterback's deficiencies or is unwilling to discuss them - maybe he is afraid to speak for fear of upsetting Tino's dad Sal now an Alabama assistant - Cignetti gets the whole picture.

Cignetti told post-gazette.com Sunseri isn't seeing plays develop on the field. Sunseri focuses on the defense - especially pass rushers coming his way which he sees too well.

Cignetti also said he spent the week working with Sunseri on basics - kind of like pre-school for quarterbacks.

Sunseri can't identify his starting point on plays, Cignetti says, and therefore can't or won't focus his eyes downfield.

More coachspeak for "Sunseri has no idea what his receivers are doing on any given play."

Against Miami, Sunseri was sacked three times and threw the ball underneath receivers and didn't look downfield.

Cignetti looks like a man with a plan. Give Sunseri a chance. Pull him if he doesn't work out.

If Pitt's AD Steve Pederson is planning to speak to Wannstedt, he should tell Wannstedt to let Cignetti run the offense, stop interfering, and allow the guy with superior knowledge to do his job.

We all know Wannstedt won't or can't figure that out on his own.