Steelers tap Fichtner as quarterbacks coach

[JensK]

Steelers tap Fichtner as quarterbacks coach
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers today reshuffled one coaching assignment to provide Ben Roethlisberger with a new quarterbacks coach and added a potential special-team tackler.

As expected, team officials formally announced that third-year receivers coach Randy Fichtner will move to quarterbacks coach, replacing Ken Anderson, who retired at season's end.

Fichtner coached quarterbacks at Memphis from 1990-93 and 2001-06, when he was also offensive coordinator, plus from 1997-2000 at Arkansas State, where he worked with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers also signed another Canadian Football League player to bolster their special teams. The club announced today it signed linebacker Derrick Doggett, a 6-foot, 210-pound undrafted free agent from Oregon State who made 27 tackles on special teams with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2009. He played the season earlier with the Edmonton Eskimos. He collected nine tackles and one interception as a linebacker.

The Associated Press also reported today, citing an unnamed source, that Green Bay Packers executive John Schneider has been named the new general manager with Pete Carroll's Seattle Seahawks -- a position for which Steelers lead negotiator and salary cap monitor Omar Khan was a finalist.

[cmerrifield]

Why not, the last time we promoted the WR's coach it worked out so well.

[LatrobePA]

Tip for ya Mikey, go outside once in a while for help!

It makes sense, here is a quote from Tomlin: "He has a personal relationship with Ben"!!

[BlitzburghRockCity]

Fichtner has a good rapport with Ben it would seem, and from a standpoint of keeping things as close to the same as you can but still making some offensive changes in philosophy, it makes sense. Tomlin wants to keep the same basic style of coaching for Ben as much as he can, he's obviously not of the mindset that Ben needs to change his play style so he feels staying in house for a QB coach is the right move. I think most of us agree that Ben's style is one that is unique to the Steelers and not many teams could function as well as we do with it. Too many teams would try to coach him to not hold onto the ball and what not, so you have to be careful about how much you bring in new blood if you want to stay with the same offensive scheme.

Fichtner will hopefully be able to guide Ben and help him out, while also hopefully helping him to refine his game and just continue to improve. If you combine that with a change in thinking in that we need to run the ball more effectively, and what all that will entail as well including both coaching and player changes.

[DIESELMAN]

Here is a bio on Randy Fichtner when he was with Memphis and Arkansas as OC and QB coach. Hmmmm.....OC?

Randy Fichtner is in his third season coaching the Steelers’ wide receivers. He joins the Steelers after serving the previous six seasons at the University of Memphis. Fichtner was hired by Mike Tomlin on Jan. 29, 2007, to coach the team’s wide receivers.

Fichtner’s receiving core had an excellent season in 2008 as Hines Ward topped 1,000 yards (1,043) for the fifth time in his career, and Santonio Holmes was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIII after catching nine passes for 131 yards (14.6 avg.), including the game-winning touchdown reception with 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Under the tutelage of Fichtner, Ward and Holmes matched their reception total from 2006 (123), while increasing their TD catches from eight in 2006 to 15 in 2007.
Fichtner, who instituted the spread offense at Memphis, was an integral part of the Tiger football team for six years. He was hired in 2001 to serve as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and his offense re-wrote the Memphis record book for six seasons.
Under Fichtner’s direction, former Tiger quarterback Danny Wimprine emerged as one of the top passers in Conference-USA in 2003.
In 2004, the Tiger offense received much attention heading into the season with a veteran quarterback, an All-American running back in DeAngelo Williams, a seasoned offensive line and a deep receiving corps. That offense lived up to the billing and finished the year ranked ninth nationally in total offense, and 10th in the nation in scoring.
In 2005, Fichtner’s talent was heavily tested as the Tigers lost their two starting quarterbacks by the third game of the season. Fichtner had to make adjustments and instructed true freshman Billy Barefield, who ledMemphis to an upset win over UTEP, and then shifted to leading receiver Maurice Avery, who led the Tigers to a 5-2 record and a Motor City Bowl victory as the starting quarterback.
Fichtner was a part of unprecedented offensive success at Memphis that has also contributed to the Tigers playing in three straight bowl games from 2003-05.
The 2002 squad set a record for total offense with 4,258 yards, and then the 2003 team shattered that mark with 5,779 yards of total offense. In 2004, the Tigers amassed 5,524 yards of total offense to rank second all-time. The 2004 Tigers also set school records in points scored with 430 and in passing touchdowns with 25.
Fichtner was no stranger to Memphis when he joined the staff in 2001. He had previously served as an assistant for the Tigers. Prior to his second stint at Memphis , Fichtner spent four years (1997-2000) at Arkansas State University . He arrived in Jonesboro as the quarterback coach in the spring of 1997 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in August of 1997.
During his tenure with the Indians, Fichtner worked with quarterback Cleo Lemon, who set virtually every Arkansas State passing and total offense record.
Prior to joining the staff at Arkansas State, Fichtner spent three years at his alma mater, Purdue, serving as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator from 1994-96.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native originally went to Memphis in the fall of 1990 and coached the Tiger receivers and quarterbacks for four seasons. During his stay at Memphis, Fichtner worked with St. Louis Rams All-Pro wide receiver Isaac Bruce.
Fichtner, 45, worked as a student assistant and graduate assistant at Purdue (1985-86) and at Michigan (1986-87), before serving as a volunteer coach at Southern California in 1988. He landed his first full-time position in 1989 as the tight end coach at UNLV and worked for the Rebels for one season before coming to Memphis.
Fichtner graduated from Purdue in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in health promotion. He is married to the former Jennifer Parker of Covington, Tenn., and the couple has three children: a son, Nathaniel Ross, and daughters, Shelby Brooke and Kirby Lynn.

Link

[SteelCityKid5]

Tip for ya Mikey, go outside once in a while for help!

It makes sense, here is a quote from Tomlin: "He has a personal relationship with Ben"!!

Our new special teams and o-line coach? I don't understand.

[Blazedby92]

Looks to me that Tomlin has actually made this guy the heir apparrent for the OC job.
Be on your best BA or this might be your last dance

[UKSTEELER]

Tip for ya Mikey, go outside once in a while for help!

It makes sense, here is a quote from Tomlin: "He has a personal relationship with Ben"!!

Sheesh, . . . Ben needs to get a girlfriend!

[greg1964]

Since Fichtner has OC experience, (on the college level) and BA is in the last year of his contract, this may be an "I have my eye on you" moment for BA. This way Fichtner can develop a rep-or with Ben and keep the same system in place, in case BA is let go in 2011.

[ejsteeler]

....This way Fichtner can develop a rep-or with Ben and keep the same system in place, in case BA is let go in 2011.

Sorry man, this struck me as funny.....it's rapport.......

I won't have a problem with any decision made until the end of next season and see where we are at........