Georgia Bulldogs: Warren Belin's Departure Is Inconvenient, But Not Shocking

You certainly can't blame Warren Belin for making the decision to accept a job at the NFL level. There aren't many position coaches, with his kind of talent, who aren't looking to challenge themselves there—at some point.

While some might feel Belin's decision was shocking, he did give a small hint towards his ultimate goal a few months back when he was interviewed by Fletcher Page of DawgPost Magazine.

The article Page wrote, titled "Intense, Indeed", was meant to be a feature on defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, but the quote that caught my attention—especially after hearing the Belin announcement—was the following, "...From a system standpoint, I'm learning an NFL system and the way coach Grantham goes about the game plan, installing the game plan, calling the game on game day. That experience I'm gaining from being a part of this defensive staff is going to carry me a long time as a coach".

So, the fact that he decided to take an NFL job, in his home state of North Carolina, with his old friend, Sean McDermott, is not so much a shocking surprise as it is an unfortunate inconvenience. Belin's impact at Georgia was immediate, particularly in the area of special teams where the team improved from a dismal 85th and 117th in the nation, respectively, in punt and kick return coverage to 17th and 15th in 2010.

Belin's philosophy was simple, use the best players available and ditch the directional kicks. Hopefully, Georgia can continue that approach in 2011 as it worked more often than not. 

As for the linebackers, Belin's influence cannot be downplayed, but the 3-4 scheme was new to him and coach Grantham played as much a role in the overall development of the inside linebackers as Belin. Belin was a student of the 4-3,  a defense he spent 8-years coaching at Vanderbilt and, coincidentally, will return to as an assistant for Carolina.

So, what's next for Mark Richt and Greg McGarity? Well, they will be searching for two new assistants over the next two weeks, but you can be certain that Grantham will want a guy with some experience in his scheme—less of a learning curve to be worried about in that aspect—and it wouldn't surprise to see that guy come from the next level (just a personal opinion as no candidates have surfaced of yet).

Related articles

• NFL Panthers to hire UGA linebackers coach Belin (charlotte.news14.com)
• Trenches Talk: Gruden (not that one) joins Bengals staff (sportingnews.com)
• As the coaches turn... (blutarsky.wordpress.com)

With Josh McDaniels Out, Who Might Be The Next Head Coach In Denver?

For many, the timing of Josh McDaniels firing was curious. After all, it was just a week ago that he was getting a 'vote of confidence' from Broncos owner, Pat Bowlen—well,  he seemed secure through the end of the season at least.

So when the Broncos did an about-face and fired Josh McDaniels today, it came as a surprise to a great many. But, given the trail of idiocy and incompetence that McDaniels has left in his wake, you'd wonder not why they fired him at this point, but why they didn't fire him a lot sooner.

The ink on McDaniels contract had barely dried before he was alienating both his starting quarterback (Jay Cutler) and his star wide receiver (Brandon Marshall).  It was clear he arrived with a plan in hand and that plan didn't include his leading receiver or his Pro Bowl quarterback.

By the time the smoke cleared, neither Marshall, nor Cutler would be a part of the team and Kyle Orton was hailed as the future of Bronco's football—at least until McDaniels could find someone better to take over the job.

The moves seemed comical at the time and it was tough not to laugh and wonder if Pat Bowlen (the Broncos' owner) didn't need to be relieved of his duties as well because, obviously, he had signed off on a guy who wasn't ready to run a mile, much less a team.

While the team got off to a hot start in 2009, posting a 6-0 record, the wheels began to come off shortly after and things have continued to go badly ever since.

The NFL draft saw McDaniels gambling the future of the franchise on Tim Tebow. A player whom many felt was a project, at best and who, to this point, hasn't made a real impact.

Then there was the video-taping incident. After that matter, it seemed the writing was on the wall for McDaniels and his future prospects in Denver—he had none.

So, with McDaniels out, what direction do the Broncos go in now?

Eric Studesville will take over the job in the interim, but you have to figure that Bowlen will be looking to fill out the job with an experienced winner this time. Both Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher's name are already being mentioned, but neither seem to be in a hurry to leave their cushy booth jobs. Which means that Bowlen will likely have to filter his way through the NFL's qualified ranks of assistant coaches.

Ron Rivera, the Chargers current and Chicago's former, defensive coordinator is a possibility. He's a smart guy with intimate knowledge of both the 3-4 and the 4-3 defensive scheme so his acumen would come in handy when considering the best personnel for running a defense. Even more, he's been around some great minds—both in Chicago and Philadelphia (he coached under the great Buddy Ryan)—and should be considered as a possibility. 

Perry Fewell is another name that could gain some play. He's the Giants current defensive coordinator and is well-respected amongst players and coaches in the league for his ability to build solid defenses.

Sean McDermott is another long-shot. He's currently serving as the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles and, while he's done a fine job, he may lack the overall experience that Denver needs at this point—despite having coached under both Brad Childress and Steve Spagnuolo. He may need another season or two before he is proven.

Either way, the Bronco's are back to square one. 

Related articles

• Josh McDaniels fired as head coach of Denver Broncos (sports.espn.go.com)
• Broncos fire Josh McDaniels (profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)