Hello Gents,

Pitt really gave Houston a run for their money today. It was one of the best games I've ever seen. I was especially happy that such a gutty performance was on display at the Armed Forces Bowl.
The few Pitt fans I encountered were gracious. Your team fought their hearts out, and you can be proud of them.
That said, I was just watching the replay and Narduzzi kept emphasizing that he was going to be a CEO-style Head Coach. That made me cringe because Houston just fired a guy who spoke of himself in the same fashion.
Basically, he just wanted to hire a staff and supervise their work. As a result, Houston lost all continuity to the offense the Coogs had under Sumlin (which is basically why Levine was hired in the first place).
IMO, Narduzzi was hired off the reputation of his defenses. Judging by the demonstration I saw in the 4th quarter (when Ward finally decided to put the ball in the air), I'd hope that Narduzzi actually wants to get a little dirty in the trenches when it comes time to fix that.

I sincerely wish you the best in your future endeavors. I remember how Todd Graham left Rice, and seeing him do it to Pitt too, makes me want to root for you guys a little bit (as does the fact that you're a city school). I really hope you do better with that "CEO" approach.

I think his point is that he wants to get the best staff he can and let them do their jobs. He mentioned in other interviews that he plans on being heavily involved with the defensive game plan at first if need be. He's not just going to hang back and let his team suffer if his coordinators and position coaches are failing.

Hmm, I've never heard the term "CEO Coach" before. That worries me a lot.

Wait a second. In looking at my notes, it appears I've heard it approximately 10,000 other times. I don't think it means anything at all.

If you are looking to hire coordinators, it seems like a good strategy to get the word out that you will let them run their areas as opposed to just drawing up plays.

It's how Bobby Bowden did it at FSU. I seem to recall it working rather well there for a long time...

OP: thinly veiled backhanded compliment

I'm glad he severely toned down the "bling".

Hey guys, I remember Narduzzi being interviewed at the Armed Forces Bowl when Pitt had the lead..

Did anyone catch his comments at the end of the game, after Houston stormed back to win?

That might be interesting.

Please post his post-game comments if there were any.