DawgsOnline
Since 1995 - Insightful commentary on the Georgia Bulldogs

Post Headscratcher

Tuesday March 3, 2009

We might’ve expected John Jancek to get a little raise beyond what was announced last weekend after South Florida offered him the defensive coordinator position.

But was it really necessary to name him defensive co-coordinator?

If there’s one coach towards the Willie Martinez end of the fan appreciation scale, it’s Jancek. Part of that naturally has to do with the “he’s not VanGorder” factor. But also linebackers have only occasionally been a bright spot since he took over. The debate over talent / injuries / coaching can rage elsewhere, but the perception of a dropoff is there.

The obvious question is, “what does Rodney Garner think?”. He’s been on staff for over a decade and produced truckloads of NFL talent. He’s interviewed for the Auburn head coaching job, got offered the defensive coordinator position at LSU, and passed up a high-paying gig at Tennessee. It’s true that he holds the title of “Assistant Head Coach.” But for someone who’s heart is on the defensive side of the ball, he’s been passed over here, at least in title, in favor of a questionable position coach who interviewed with a flash-in-the-pan Big East school.

If the promotion is just to give wiggle room for a raise, does a flirtation with USF really merit anything above the increase already announced? We already know that a) Martinez will still make the defensive calls, b) Jancek will still report to Martinez, and c) Jancek doesn’t “anticipate a whole lot of change at this point” in terms of duties. The coordinator title seems about as ceremonial as Neil Callaway’s offensive coordinator role, but it still sends a signal. If it’s intended in any way to deflect fan criticism of Martinez, it’s not likely to work that way.

Your mission: find a Georgia fan over the next day who understands/wholeheartedly supports this move. Mark Richt will supposedly have a press conference on Wednesday, and surely he’ll go into more depth about these events then. As for now, it’s a complete headscratcher.

Comments are closed.