Former Boston College football head coach Jeff Hafley surprised many fans in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts when he abruptly left the Eagles for the Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator position. There is speculation that he jumped off a sinking ship in order to limit any damage to his coaching reputation, but Hafley explains that the opportunity was just too prestigious to refuse.

“It really has more to do with this place than anything else,” he told the media, per NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano, when asked why he would leave a Power Five HC job to become an NFL DC. “It's the Green Bay Packers. I mean it's the Mecca of the football world.”

Are Packers still an NFL ‘Mecca'?

There is no need to run to the calendar. It is in fact not the year 1968, 1997 or 2011. Despite the Packers winning five divisional titles in the last decade and reaching the NFC Championship four times in the same span, there are plenty of NFL fans who will push back against Hafley's “Mecca” comments. Going 13 years without a Super Bowl makes it a bit awkward to make such a proclamation.

Then again, the New York Knicks' Madison Square Garden boasts the same nickname even though the arena has not hung up an NBA championship banner since the Richard Nixon Administration, and the Dallas Cowboys haven't been to a conference title game in 28 years but are still crowned America's Team. Cachet goes a long way in determining the value and significance of a franchise.

And few can deny that Lambeau Field exudes a special aura that stands among many football stadiums. Jeff Hafley is also getting the chance to join one of the more promising teams in the league, led by quarterback Jordan Love. He is replacing Joe Barry, who was dismissed in January after a polarizing tenure as defensive coordinator.

Hafley could not implement serious change at Boston College, earning a disappointing 22-26 record in his four-year stint. But if he can transform the Packers' defensive identity and help them fully launch into championship contention, there will be little chatter about his shortcomings with the Eagles. Nor will people ever again question his reasons for leaving the program.