I think there is a well deserved perception that his tenure here in 2012 was a disaster. That line stunk. Butkus' fault? Maybe. Pocic and Thornton were Seniors, Corey Lewis tore another ACL... and... not much else. Ultimately, that whole offense was a suck fest. Gonzalez and Beaty were unmitigated disasters as Co-OC. How much of that was on scheme and/or lack thereof, talent, or Butkus' coaching?
To counter, and why I'm excited about the Butkus hire...
1. People look at "Assistant" OL Coach as being a knock. But at the end of the day, he's on an NFL coaching staff. Even a franchise like the Jaguars aren't going to spend four seasons employing a charity case. They want the best of the best. And, in that role, he's worked with and under Doug Marrone for the last year. Doug Marrone is a premier OL coach who also served as Offensive Coordinator for the Jaguars. So you can bet Butkus was running that room a lot.
2. In 2014, Butkus was actually the interim OL coach for the Jaguars the entire season while George Yarno dealt with a cancer diagnosis. So for a full season, he ran an NFL offensive line and had his own assistant offensive line coach.
3. That name. The Whitman effect. Say what you will about its value, but I think we can all see what an alum, who is absolutely and totally invested in what he is selling can mean for recruiting. Luke Butkus can relate to these kids. He played OL at Illinois. He's coached under Lovie Smith. He's run an NFL offensive line.
Maybe I'm looking at him through orange tinted glasses, but if he had never been here in 2012, I would look at this as an exciting and inspired hire.
To counter, and why I'm excited about the Butkus hire...
1. People look at "Assistant" OL Coach as being a knock. But at the end of the day, he's on an NFL coaching staff. Even a franchise like the Jaguars aren't going to spend four seasons employing a charity case. They want the best of the best. And, in that role, he's worked with and under Doug Marrone for the last year. Doug Marrone is a premier OL coach who also served as Offensive Coordinator for the Jaguars. So you can bet Butkus was running that room a lot.
2. In 2014, Butkus was actually the interim OL coach for the Jaguars the entire season while George Yarno dealt with a cancer diagnosis. So for a full season, he ran an NFL offensive line and had his own assistant offensive line coach.
3. That name. The Whitman effect. Say what you will about its value, but I think we can all see what an alum, who is absolutely and totally invested in what he is selling can mean for recruiting. Luke Butkus can relate to these kids. He played OL at Illinois. He's coached under Lovie Smith. He's run an NFL offensive line.
Maybe I'm looking at him through orange tinted glasses, but if he had never been here in 2012, I would look at this as an exciting and inspired hire.
