As the Chicago Bears continue to search for an offensive coordinator who can work with whiny bitch quarterback Jay Cutler, their attention may be turning to the ranks of the NCAA, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
According to the paper, and citing two unnamed sources, Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti has emerged as a candidate to become the Bears’ offensive coordinator. The report does not state how serious a candidate Cignetti may or may not be.
Cignetti just completed his first season with the Panthers after spending the 2008 season as Cal’s coordinator.
While he’s spent 17 of his 21 years in the coaching profession at the collegiate level, Cignetti has done some grunt duty in the NFL -- as an offensive assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs (1999), and as a quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints (2000-01) and San Francisco 49ers (2007).
Given his extensive work with quarterbacks -- especially his latest remodeling project -- Cignetti would, on the surface, seem to make sense for the Bears as they attempt to further mine Cutler’s immense but erratic talent.
The year before Cignetti arrived in Pittsburgh, quarterback Bill Stull completed 57 percent of his passes, and had more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9).
In 2009, Stull completed a shade over 65 percent of his passes, and threw 21 touchdowns against eight picks. And he did all of that while attempting nine fewer passes than he did the year before.
It remains to be seen whether or not Cignetti could be the one to pull Cutler’s head out of a place where human heads aren’t supposed to reside, but the Bears seem to be beating each and every bush at any level to uncover someone who might be able to perform such a feat.