Charlotte 49ers head coach Biff Poggi will do a few things the same way as he enters his second year. The offense will still be built around running the ball. The bluntness that makes him one of the best interviews in college football isn’t going anywhere.
And the sleeveless T-shirts are staying. “They’re not a statement,” Poggi said of his signature look, which you can buy in the Charlotte student bookstore. “It’s just what I’m most comfortable in, because it’s so damn hot during football season.
” But the unfettered optimism? Poggi is dialing that back. Wa-a-a-ay back. I sat in Poggi’s office Tuesday and read him what he had told me .
“If we’re not in the hunt,” Poggi said at the time, “I’ve failed as a coach.” There were other statements that were similar. when he was hired in November 2022: “Our goal is very simple.
We want to win the (conference). And we want to win it repeatedly. And we want to get to the College Football Playoff.
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And you should be asking, ‘What’s your timetable?’ My timetable is now.” Instead, the 49ers went 3-9 in 2023 with team chemistry issues and an inept offense that played in front of a lot of half-full stadiums. It was the exact same record the 49ers had posted in 2022.
Reminded of those quotes Tuesday, Poggi winced. “I wish I could go back and slap myself,” he said. “By nature I’m an optimistic person, but that was way out over my skis.
” ‘A process that takes time’ There will be no predi.