UGA game was great play calling for a lot of that game.
(I don't get many opportunities to post during the day anymore so, forgive the long post)
Yep...and I'd throw in SC to boot. However, by season's end, all of the good will the team earned over the first half of the season was all but wiped out by the end of the year. There's no question that they were building steam by mid-season but, that was all forgotten by the end of the year and an especially ugly game against Vandy. My biggest question is which games are more representative of the staff?
I've been most critical of Jancek as DC. His time as Co-DC at UGA was...abysmal. However, who was more at fault, Willie Martiniez (FWIW, I like Martinez as a DB coach) or Jancek? Either way, they're both on staff here and...I don't know, maybe UGA had the wrong combination but, it doesn't make me feel great. Until he proves me otherwise, I remain skeptical of him as an SEC DC. Here's hoping he's more UGA and SC game than Vandy and UK...
Bajakian--I'm still on the fence. The deficiencies at QB hindered the offense last year and anytime you're implementing a new offense and new QB, new RB's, new WR's...expect growing pains. I liked how he utilized Pig and I get the feeling that another year of coaching will yield better results but when he lined up in the backfield, you knew what was coming. I don't have a beef with the play calling--Auburn and Oregon does the same thing. What they do better than anyone is execute those play(s) to perfection. That translates to coaching--but also to their level of talent.
My main criticism of the coordinators is this: where do they stack up against the rest of the SEC's? Jancek had talent at UGA but he (and Martinez) fell flat on his face. Bajakian has been with Butch throughout his tenure as a HC and had success...in lesser conferences. I feel better about Bajakian. Optimistic...not yet, but I felt like the offense started to get somewhat of a rhythm as the season went along, until the Vandy game, at least. Jancek's tenure at UGA is my main contention with him. Say what you will to defend it, but what other criteria should we use to judge him as a coordinator, recruiting?
This year on Defense:
The influx of talent across the board is most definitely going to help. Our LB corps is going to be one of the best we've had in years and our DB's will be improved. As usual, however, the D will only go as far as the pass rush will take them--and we haven't had one in far too long. I'll be watching Vereen very closely this year. I haven't been this excited about a DE since Jacques Smith's Freshman year...let's hope the switch comes on with Vereen (on the field).
This year on Offense:
We go as far as the OL can take us. Replacing ALL FIVE OL is never an ideal scenario for any team and if Mahoney gets them playing well by the UGA or UF game, he'll have earned a raise, IMO. Obviously, QB is crucial but, IMO, if the OL can't keep pass rushers out of their faces and away from their blind sides, we might as well start a WR or RB there b/c they'll be running for their lives.
The fact remains that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about Jancek and Bajakian's viability as SEC coordinators; specifically as to whether their collective background's can be used as empirical evidence to predict their performance, going forward. However, their ability to recruit, change the culture of the team/fan base, and promote an environment of upward mobility cannot be understated and, in that regard, they are easily in the upper-percentile of SEC coordinators.