PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pretty. It's a word rarely used to describe anything in football. Hey, that lineman looks pretty. That's a pretty field. Those uniforms look pretty. New Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell wants his offense to be pretty.
"Coach makes fun of me all the time because I talk about when I pause the film I want things to look pretty," Bell said. "When you pause that film, you see all the receivers, you see all the players in the areas they are in. You want it to look pretty, you don't want people on top of each other and not crunched together."
It's interesting that Pat Narduzzi makes fun of him, because Narduzzi said the 31-year-old Bell reminds Narduzzi of himself as a younger coach. Not by using the word pretty, but in their attention to detail and demanding perfection out of their players.
"Anywhere I've ever been I try to set the standard, from day one, what's the standard for us on offense," Bell said. "That's the expectation every day. You can't let anybody go under it-the players, the assistant coaches, anybody. You have to hold them to that standard every day and push them."
As he said it's not just the young players or the non-starters that get that treatment. Bell said everyone must play and act a certain way or they will feel his wrath, even the coaching staff. He said he coaches hard, but that shows he cares.
What exactly is the standard Bell has set for the Pitt offense this year?
The first and most important would be a seismic jump in points. Bell expects his offense to score 50 points a game. He said only one or two will do that a year, actually in FBS play, the highest in 2023 was LSU at 43 points, then USC at 41.8, even Georgia averaged under 40.
He expects 50 points. He admits it's a tough goal and for perspective, it would be 32 more points a game than the Panthers averaged last year.
Even his outstanding offense at Western Carolina averaged only 37 points a game, as if 37 points is disappointing. It was just three years ago that Pitt averaged 41.4 points per game, that was second in then Power 5.
Here is how Bell's offenses get to that 50-point goal
· create explosive plays
· take care of the football
· efficient throwing the ball, including being able to throw on first down
· be able to run the ball-not just in space, but be physical when you need to be physical
· doing everything the right way with details
· play within the system
· then it comes down to the timing and the spacing
Complete that checklist to reach 50 points a game.
A man who has that as a demand obviously is confident. He said Narduzzi knows what makes a great defense and equally he knows what great offensive looks like and what needs to happen.
What that looks like is what Pitt fans are waiting to see. Bell wants to be able to snap the ball seven seconds after the previous play. Last year it seemed there were few times Pitt's offense snapped the ball before seven seconds left on the play clock.
"You'll watch us play, some games we will play really, really fast," Bell said. "Some games we will play fast. Some games we will play medium and some games we will do more different stuff. It all depends on how we score points."
He said it all comes down to how efficiently they score points. How quickly they can adjust and not by halftime, but by the second drive. Expect multiple players to sub in-and-out to be able to play quickly, including tailbacks. To work this quickly, players have to believe in the plan and each other.
"One of the biggest worries we have on offense is trust," Bell said. "If we are going to be a great offense and be efficient. We have to trust each other."
He's encouraged the improvement not just from spring ball, but during their camp. Bell said they were able to fight through adversity so much better from the first scrimmage of fall camp to the second. The energy was great. They played hard and figured some things out.
Bell oozes confidence. That's one of the many things Pitt's offense lacked in 2023. It's a new year, new offensive staff and expectations are astronomical. He's not afraid to discuss them.
"If you ask for my opinion, I will give it to you," Bell said.
You can see why Narduzzi believes they are so alike.
