“title inflation” going around college football (running game coordinators, etc.). My understanding is that the defensive coaches have always put together the gameplan as a group, and that likely won’t change. But yeah, this allows them to pay him more than a mere “linebackers coach”.

There’s no question Willie Martinez was integrally involved in Brian VanGorder’s game-planning before becoming defensive coordinator, so I doubt whether this represents a substantive change.

That said, I don’t like the idea of “co-coordinators”—-when everyone’s in charge, no one’s in charge—-and I don’t know that John Jancek has really earned the promotion. While I fault Coach Martinez for failing to adjust adequately after the loss of Jeff Owens, he is running the same basic scheme that worked well under Coach VanGorder and has worked well more often than not under Coach Martinez.

At linebacker, though, a number of commentators have remarked on the drop-off at the position from the Coach VanGorder era to the Coach Jancek era.

At the end of the day, it comes down to one question: “At what point are the benefits of staff continuity lost to the risks of staff stagnation?”

Pilot and co-Pilot. The Pilot is really in charge.

Never a good idea.

Signed,
Les Miles