Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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He got his start with the Vikings as offensive quality control coach from 2015-16 and the following season transitioned to offensive line under the late Tony Sparano.
Janocko admitted that he never anticipated working with that position group but is glad he did.
"Tony Sparano put his arm around me one day and said, 'Hey, I want you to come work with me.' He said, 'I think it'll be great for your development for a couple years.' And it was. It was an amazing experience, and I was really grateful for that," Janocko said.
He explained that working with the offensive line helped him to understand the game of football on a different level.
"The details of the offensive line – what they're doing, the little techniques that they're doing with their footwork, with their hand placement and all that type of stuff. That's something that you don't realize until you're really involved in that position," he said. "You can make calls and direct a protection one way, or adjust the Mike (middle linebacker), but then when you understand what is really happening through all that … you understand the game even more."
Beyond an in-depth development of the Xs and Os, Janocko learned from Sparano how to "care about people" in addition to statistics.
"Everybody [says], 'It's a business, it's a business, it's a business.' It is, but we're still people," Janocko said. "You're still with somebody for a lot of hours a day, several months out of the year, playing a physical sport that demands a lot emotionally, mentally. So, just caring about people, caring about your players."