That FO had a very good run. Coonelly, Huntington, Hurdle, and even pitching coach Ray Searage all helped build the Pirates into an NL combination of the A's and Rays—player development, international signings, resource allocation, and then also pioneers in shifting, pitch design, and sequencing. The three years in a row they made the postseason, they averaged well over 90 wins.
They fell off largely because of payroll limitations. MLBTR made an interesting point about the Archer trade...
Certainly not as bad a FO as the results would suggest.