Mark Whipple's Pitt Offense (2021: New Nebraska Football OC)

Twitter: @tcpfootball
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In this video, see how the Pitt Football offense of Mark Whipple, now the new offensive coordinator of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, was able to feature first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett and Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison to produce one of the best offenses in the country. We'll see how Whipple's no-huddle offense originated under the influence of Roman Gabriel and Ted Marchibroda. We'll also see how his time in the NFL led him to modify his scheme after working with coaches like Andy Reid, Bruce Arians, Mike Holmgren, and Pat Shurmur. We'll also see how Whipple's early adoption of the no-huddle led him to influence coaches like Chip Kelly and Bill O'Brien.

[@michaelmosser3182]

Love your videos! This channel is one of the few I'm actually subscribed to.

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

That's awesome, thanks for the compliment!

[@CitrusAviation]

Outstanding video on how Mark Whipple’s offense actually works! I was so impressed I subscribed. How do you think his offensive style will translate to Nebraska this season?

[@krilin31]

the one thing that stuck out to me was that their line gave pickett enough time to get the ball off even if they didn't have an SEC caliber line. a lot of these plays would have been busts at nebraska last season because of o-line breakdowns and qb being under pressure in under 2 seconds. Have to do the basics before scheme really matters.

[@cornfednebraskaneer]

Very good breakdown. Throw in some Mesh and Y-Cross, and we're basically running the Air Raid. Never thought I'd see the day where this kind of ball was being played in Lincoln. Yikes.

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Whip's a lot more matchup-based than most guys from the Leach tree. People focus on the QB's that he's worked with, but schematically the real benefit is for the WR's. Much more based on getting specific receivers matched up on particular defenders in Whipple's offense.

[@TheBetterGamerz]

Love your videos man. Would love to see a video on Texas Tech’s new OC Zach Kittley’s offense at WKU and Houston Baptist

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

I don't know how many new pods of teams I'll be able to start before the season starts, but I'll keep an eye on Texas Tech during the season and try to break down a good game for Kittley's offense!

[@AK-ug1md]

Damn it’s so much information I’m going to have to rewatch this . Nice work as usual but kudos for the old school footage. The web of football knowledge is amazing then the clear and concise audio is great. When is the football book coming ??? Hope all is well Go Bears G4R

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

I would love to write a few books, hah. Once I grow the channel enough, I hope to be able to land interviews with some of these guys. Diving into these offenses and defenses from the 80's and 90's has been awesome. It's clear that there are a lot of missing pieces in the public understanding of where these schemes came from, and a lot of unsung heroes who were taking chances and innovating before the big names that we always hear about. Actually, Wilcox would be toward the top of my list as an interview on the defensive side of the ball. He'd have a lot of useful info on the hybrid defenses that started coming out of the MWC just before 2010. Go Bears!

[@lukaswilson1437]

Love your videos. Keep it up my dude

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Thanks!

[@husker_nation]

Thank you for this video! As a Husker fan, I'll be looking for this type of offense and see if they work (hopefully) for my struggling team.

[@calebcroy07]

Love your videos, glad I found this channel, I had a request, Could you do a breakdown of Mike Denbrock, new LSU OC, offense. I’m really interested to learn more about the offense he’s had at Cincinnati the last couple years

[@dwpagliari]

Sid Gillman. That's the offense Marchibroda was running. All the top offenses in the 60s-70s were Gillman - then Coryell and Walsh exploded on the scene. They were both Gillman proteges. BTW, George Allen was a Gillman/PBrown guy as were many at the time. Yes he's a Defensive guy - but Gillman and Brown had a lot of great ideas for football that included Defense as well. Special Teams too - which was something Allen loved. Before Allen was coach of the Rams it was 2 coaches before him that both coached/played under Gillman who was the Rams coach in the mid 50s. Marchibroda was definitely the innovator of the NoHuddle and I'm glad you pointed that out. He was a top OMind and had a lot to do with morphing the R&S Kelly was in at the USFL and turning it into a Shotgun 11 Personnel with pro concepts and using the NH and Tempo -- awesome - and he never gets enough credit. But Gabriel's ideas, along with Marchibroda and the influence on Whipple (before he learned the Walsh stuff in the nfl) was Gillman all the way.Whipple's NH stuff was most likely Marchibroda (Wyche as well).

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Do you have more detail on the Gillman/Marchibroda connection? I've got a long-term project on the early modern passing game that I'm always working on in the background. I actually went to Miami (OH) to look at some of Gillman's old notes and stuff in their library special collections last fall. In general, what I'm finding is that a lot of the early AFL guys had connections to: Frank Leahy's Notre Dame staff, Paul Brown;,or the Chicago Bears, and often more than one of them. Lots of big-time programs are completely missing from those coaching trees (very little Michigan, Ohio State, Green Bay, etc.) It's like the second- and third-generation T guys had all grown up by 1960, and the passing game grew out of what they'd learned from the masters. I've also seen rumblings that some in the Paul Brown camp think that Gillman ripped his stuff off, and apparently Brown and Gillman hated each other. A lot of old-school Ohio football lore wrapped up in the relationship between those two...

[@dwpagliari]

@@TheCoordinatorProject oh boy. Another can opened. 🙂 You have to know the full history of the game. (Not saying you don’t). The ModernT is Shaughnessy. Gillman weaved his magical pass spread ideas within that set. Gillman also liked the idea of zone D and flex DLine and gaps, 3-4. Bum learned from this. Gillman never stopped thinking. Always had thoughts. Probably on SpTeams as well. That I don’t know yet. I used to talk to Bill Mountjoy. I would spout my PS theories (~2011-14) and he’d yell at me “the hell with that - it will all end up Gillman!” I used to make jokes about it with my friends. “Shut up it’s all Gillman!” But on the Pro side of the equation he turned out right. And I could see that when he talked. Bill knows more football than most of us. He used to watch film with Gillman all the way up to the time Sid died. He wanted me to go to the Gillman Library. Cincinnati. I never have. Maybe you and I could work on something together - put our heads together - and do something like that..? Just a thought. Without getting into more detail I’d suggest thinking of it like this… Shaufhnessy was a genius who didn’t get his due. The whole zone D that Steve Owen started was Shaufhnesy. All the pro sets of today - Shaughnessy. Option football started with Don Faurot but Shaughnessy really set that stage as well. So Shaughnessy = Pro + Zone + Option. Russell to Dutch Meyer = Spread Sets. Gillman = Pro Spread - using all the Space for pass and run + Timing Execution. He thought of it as an Art but really turned it into a science. With these guys. Brown = CULTURE. Organization. The way to run a football team. Neyland and others before him but he solidified the modern pro football organization still used today. But he was tough. He wanted all the credit. He struggled with Gillmans mentor more than Gillman. Read the book on Frances Schmidt. Ahead of his time with scheme. He coached with DMeyer at TCU. Spread. Though he liked the single wing set he ran a lot of play action and pass plays. Sammy Baugh. He came to osu. Coaches Gillman. Gillman turned it into a system. With a lot of timing. Then there’s Tiger Ellison. This is where the real fun started. But yeah, brown had things to say about everyone. Even Walsh and his dinky stuff. He threw the DMeyer book at him called Spread Football and said learn something. Brown is culture. Shaughnessy & Gillman Scheme. Russell Dutch Tiger finding ways to make it a game again. Run and Shoot. That’s what Mumme Leach tried to balance. Power Spread is all about Balance. So not over coaching either. Let it play out. Trust. Toughest thing for coaches.

[@dwpagliari]

@@TheCoordinatorProject Another thought. I have always wanted to do a schematic history book. But there are books within books. You seem interested in the Ohio or Midwest connection I can tell you that Ohio to Texas was the thru like of innovation. It’s a great story itself. NE started the game then stagnated. SEC is copycats. But they wanted so bad to be better than the North and did it thru share will. But not much innovation. Bear copied. A lot of them did. Saban is an Ohio boy remember. Southwest jumped on the innovation and West Coast systemized it for the south to follow and the North to resist. But it’s Ohio to Texas. That’s the innovation. From all I’ve studied. (Not 100% of course. Always exceptional exceptions). But it would be cool if we could help each other in this cause I have a ton of knowledge and bookmarks for the actual proof. I’ve taken a lot of time to make sure I can wasn’t just speculating. Though some things are obvious. Like Tiger HAD to read Dutch book. I’d like to have that for sure. I know a coach who I will pin down and tell me for sure. I really try to go with facts as much as I can. Like film. Film doesn’t lie. People either miss things or mid-interpret but the truth is in there

[@mickleandkniolawhsworkouts6749]

How do you have only 3k subs? I watch your videos like everyday haha! My favorite team is app state for about 6-7 years now, maybe a video on how there offense has made them an average team in a weak conference to a ranked team? Such a fascinating program that I’ve been following for quite some time now! Thank you so much!

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Thanks for the compliments! App State is definitely on the radar, so this season we'll see where things get interesting. The Mountaineers have some big non-conference matchups coming up, and if they make some noise there then that's definitely something I'd be interested in making a video about. I've also been looking for a reason to do a profile of Scott Satterfield for a while, so it's just a matter of seeing who gets the some good buzz first, but it's gonna happen!

[@eldav4489]

Great video, Do you think he can be a good for the Pittsburgh Steelers? He already knows KP and he runs a West Coast offense.

[@dwpagliari]

Great research on Whipple! Not a widely known background. BTW, Belichick went to UMeyer before Whipple to learn about this new "college" offense. The quick pass spread game, eventually with the no-huddle element, suited Brady to a tee. Brady was not nearly as good at the old pro drop back game that was being run at Michigan. I remember his games there (osu fan) and one of the biggest shocks in my life is that Tom Brady became a great NFL QB. Anyone who tells you they saw greatness in him at Michigan is flat out lying.

[@maximosupnet1037]

Great video like always ever think about doing a vid on Kendal briles ?

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Definitely! I'm not sure when, but after the Heupel and Lebby videos I for sure want to do more with that Baylor tree.

[@GoBigRedcast]

Great job on this video!

[@bigredrant2354]

Dude…Bravo!

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Thanks!

[@TMoose44]

Good stuff!

[@RZA36]

I wonder if Whipple can turn around the Neb offense. Should be interesting.

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Nebraska's a weird team. In 2021 they had a top-25 offense and a top-50 defense, but they went 3-9 (a bad TD:INT ratio from Martinez didn't help). Now they've got Casey Thompson at QB, and he played in a pro-style passing game with Sark and had a much better TD:INT ratio, so they've gotten Whipple some of what he'll need to be successful early. It's amazing that Frost still has the job at all, though, and if the offense doesn't look great in year 1, there's a real possibility that the whole staff will be gone in 2023. Whipple's traditionally taken a few years to get going, so unless the Huskers are patient enough to wait for year 2, it could get a little ugly.

[@brettk9316]

8-4, next year 10-2

[@andrewanderson7912]

@@TheCoordinatorProject Many of us Nebraska fans thought Frost would be further along than he is now. If he wasn't Scott Frost, he probably doesn't get the chance to restructure his buyout and and revamp his offensive staff, which has been a failure for much of his time in Lincoln (ST has been bad too). I personally think he needs to do better than 6-6 but being a former NC winning QB has brought him a lot of rope.

[@CitrusAviation]

@@TheCoordinatorProject Unfortunately, I agree with this statement. I honestly think it all comes down to how UNL preforms against Northwestern in Week 0 and how that impacts the team’s mood.

[@james85442]

Great video!!!

[@TaxinGigs]

12:59 Does this mean Nebraska will have a Fullback??? Can only hope.

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Not a dedicated FB in this version of the offense, but there are lots of 2-back schemes that use a second TE in the blocking back role. The benefit there is that you can use the same personnel package to present both 21 and 12 Personnel looks (2 Backs + 1 TE vs. 1 Back + 2 TE's), so you can threaten both lead run plays as well as four vertical routes. Whipple actually did some cool things with backfield tendencies in the run game, but it wasn't frequent/effective enough to be a strength of the O.

[@TaxinGigs]

@@TheCoordinatorProject Wow 👏

[@o.o.2255]

💪🏼

[@seen3804]

👍

[@mikes8248]

Whipple's contract was not renewed by Pitt. He would have been let go prior to 2021 had Pickett gone to the NFL.

[@kanagawa85]

I would love to see breakdown for OC willy korn

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Coastal is 100% on my radar! There are a few things that have to happen for a video on a Sun Belt team to make business sense, but as a personal matter I'm all-in on the Chanticleers!

[@rinkevichjm]

So what happened in the Peach Bowl?

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

I haven't broken that game down, but a few things stand out. (1) Pitt's rushing attack wasn't that great, and it wasn't in this game either, putting everything on the passing game. (2) The passing game was accurate, but not very explosive, so I'd want to look specifically at how MSU covered Addison. I believe that Tucker's still running that Saban school of tight matchup zones with a lot of different coverage and pressure possibilities, so schematically that system gives them more weapons than a lot of other teams would have, and their matchup rules do a lot to minimize seams in the coverage. At QB, I'm not as high on Pickett as others are, and I think throwing into tight windows downfield requires a decisiveness and confidence that I'm not sold on for him. (3) A weak run game puts a lot of pressure on the offense to throw downfield if they get behind schedule at all, and given the fact that Pitt apparently didn't get a lot of chunk plays, my guess is that this led to a horrible 3rd down conversion percentage. Because of this, Pitt ran fewer plays than they'd run in any other game this season. It looks like MSU's O did a fantastic job of controlling the ball with the passing game (86 total plays), so part of it seems to be that they just didn't give Pitt a lot of possessions, and then they got them off the field on 3rd Down.

[@markmohr9356]

Pickett didn't play

[@rinkevichjm]

@@markmohr9356 neither did Walker III

[@markmohr9356]

@@rinkevichjm doesn't really have much to do with the Pitt offense under Whipple, who was gone too for the bowl.

[@joesherry9731]

2nd string QB got hurt 3rd string came in never sniffed the field until that game. Sad thing is Pitt still almost won it until a pick six what's that say about Mich State?

[@Chris-tq1jy]

I’m a Boston College fan and think it’s bull shit what Addison did. They need to change the transfer rule back to sitting for a year. I’m all for paying the players but it’s bull shit that programs can just bid for players to try and get them into the transfer portal. Our top receiver Zay Flowers at BC was offered money to leave BC for another program but he chose to stay at BC. Bring back the one year sit out transfer rule.

[@brettk9316]

Wow Romans Gabriel's passing mechanics were trash he lead league in passing like that? Well different times I guess.

[@dcj3831]

Nebraska is FULL of “run the damn ball” fans. What will they think of Whipple’s offense?

[@TheCoordinatorProject]

Haha, well, they're probably not going to love it. If I had the time to make these videos 30-45 minutes I would've talked then the next segment that I would've put in would be Whipple's run game. He's interesting because I saw some things that were truly creative, but they just weren't a featured part of the offense. The interesting possibility is that Frost interjects a lot of scheme on the run side, and they work together to fit it together with Whip's passing game. It's a collaboration that can work if both coaches buy into it, but it'd be a different setup for both of them.

[@KALICOE]

I don't think Nebraska playbook gonna like pit

[@LRS80526]

Nothing will save frost from being fired this year!! Worst coach ever!!

[@stephenlang7870]

Wasn't Texas 5-7 last year with much more talent than Nerbraska in a weaker conference than the B1G. So best that can be said about Thompson is the jury is out. Also, Whipple is a journeyman coach at best. Really dive into his record. Whipple had a few good years but mostly average at best as an OC, below average as a HC. As for Pitt taking off last year, I don't think anybody would disagree that it was a deeply off year in the ACC and Pitt had a good QB. Also, Frosty the Chokeman is still HC. the stink of 4 losing seasons are still on Nebraska. I think Nebraska's whole season will come down to their very first game against Northwestern. If Nebraska wins by 10 or less or god forbid loses the flight home from Dublin will be an Irish wake for Frost as HC. Bad news if your a Nebraska fan because you are looking at yet another rebuild. Good News if your looking to buy a house in Frosty's neighborhood, because there will be a house for sale sometime in late October.

[@jameshoops10]

lol he is talking solely about scheme where is this coming from

[@kennygismo6315]

whipple's offense will do nothing at nebraska. Frost should have stayed at UCF and would have had his program playing in the ACC within 5 years of when he left. He got greedy and became a Diva going to Nebraska. They are looking for another Tom Osborne in Nebraska, not another Chip Kelly.

[@latortugapicante719]

He’s a diva for being a coach at a better position?

[@kennygismo6315]

@@latortugapicante719 He's a Diva because he had something unique going on down at UCF. Not only was it unique, it was working!!! Instead of continuing to build upon what he had going at UCF, he left for more money. To bad for him because the reality of it is, his style of football will not be accepted at Nebraska. They want to run the ball and play defense to win, not score 50+ points a week throwing the ball around.

[@forreal2398]

We should not go away from Frosts offense period. martinez is a loser as a QB.

[@dallaslane6927]

Kansas State would like to have a word...

[@biguglyduck540]

HUGE HUGE HIRE BY SCOTT FROST