Michigan Football's New Defensive Coordinator | Wink Martindale | The L.A.B.

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truck driver it's why I'm not ahe coach in the NFL but uh can't do anything about that I'm thinking more like a male model we can get you some nil deals coach absolutely the sunglass we can get you you look great in Maze and blue that that much I will say and I know I'm excited I know all of our fans are excited uh to see you on the sidelines and I kind of wanted to start with the the big story line was you know Michigan's had a ton of Success With Defensive Scheme This Baltimore Ravens scheme and it started with Mike McDonald and it was was then continued by Jesse M ultimately leading to a national title then Chiron Moore becomes head coach and it's like man the defense was good who's up next well we get the godfather of the Michigan of this Baltimore Raven scheme in you and I'd love to you know kind of give you the floor to talk about like what what was the moment when this scheme was born why was the scheme born and you know why is this the scheme that allows you to coordinate great defenses um it all started really with John Harbaugh which no one understands you know unless you're in that room I mean you know the Harbaugh family I have so much respect for and all they do is win whoever they're coaching wherever they're coaching and John when he hired me as the defensive coordinator he charged me with hey I want to be more flexible with what we do and you know what it was it was you know uh from names of the past of you know going back Dean peas Greg Madison uh Chuck Pagano Rex Ryan and it was just become T Tangled kit string of a defense where everybody they couldn't play as fast as what we wanted them to play and John said let's simplify this thing and yet also make it flexible enough that you can call whatever front you want and and easy ways to close the front we went from that to to pressures from pressures to coverage and just it it just it's a a bunch of Concepts that we can play to the Personnel that we have and I I think that um I think it helped that you know I was a educator when I first started this thing as a you know as a teacher and and the way we did it it was a it was about a six-month project of of um you know designing this defense and then everybody else's they put their own mix on it you know and I I think like even this year with the the staff that we have that Shon hired a great defensive staff uh I have one of my guys with me Kevin Wilkins who is an analyst um hopefully they pass that where the analyst can coach because he's a great coach um you know but you know we have Lamar Lou and BJ as the main guys who all have coordinating experience so of course you know I'm going to lean on them heavily you know going back from Pro to college and it'll be our mix this is going to be our defense this is Michigan's defense this is chiron's defense and if you take one of those elements out next year yeah it's still the same system but there still be another little personality thing to it and it comes down to you know who's calling the game as well which I'll be calling the games but yeah um it it's it it each the defense has so much flexibility and we haven't even talked about the players yet but it has so much flexibility it shows the personality of who's coaching the defense and we're all coaching it this is a this is a we thing this isn't an i thing we're all coaching it I and I'm uh looking forward to this month being over with all the official VIs and all right I'll tell you I'm looking forward to Vacation a couple weeks away uh but also I'll be continually thinking about you know different ways different looks different things that we can do and you know like there's a narrative out there right now one of the things is is you know and I'm I'm telling all the listeners I don't I don't listen to you know radio I don't listen or I don't read articles or anything else but there's a narrative now that that some people uh are afraid it's going back to you know the old school Don Brown system that's not the case whatsoever to to me that's profiling just because I'm old and Don Brown's old you can't you can't put us together um I like you know I'm proud of the coaches that have come out from underneath this defensive tree yeah you know that's worked with me and it's gone on you know there's you know D Len at UC U uh USC he was was with me yeah Anthony Weaver's the defensive coordinator at at Miami he was with me of course you know Mike went to Seattle Jesse's the Chargers uh you know we had Brian duers down in Miami you know we were all together there and and there's a there's a bunch of guys excuse me uh Drew Wilkins who's at New England now there's a bunch of guys that been through this tree and they understand the flexibility of the defense and the success you can have so it's it's a it's it's a fun defense to coach and I think you know listening to the kids it's a fun defense to play in heard you got the big time golf golf itch right now I got a little Golf bit of a golf itch myself will you be playing some golf this summer I don't care how hot it is I'm going to Sarasota I'm gonna enjoy my we just Laura Laura and I bought a place down in Sarasota a year ago uh you know it's our forever home if you will you know because I'm not real Keen the older I get cold hurts so I I want to stay warm when I do when I do retire and I just want to go enjoy that house now you talked about the golf hch I know this sounds crazy but in our place at our place in Sarasota we got a golf simulator so even if it is really hot that place is air conditioned I can still get my swings in yeah but I'll be on the golf course I want to ask you I W let me ask you this just just because I want to get to know who the next defensive coordinator is let let's say you know you're playing a par five and you have a nice clean drive and you have two options you can either lay up and then hit another Chip Shot or maybe if you hit a clean shot and you're aggressive you can make it to the green what are you doing in that scenario are you gonna be play it aggressive or maybe lay up I I'd like where you're going with this but I can't hit it as far as I used to I'm not as Loose as I used to be okay I have no I have no problem with getting going getting on in three and and having a birdie putt got it so what what you're saying is know your personnel exactly know your personnel exact well then then let's let's talk First Impression of Michigan's Defense about Personnel because you know looking into your past I mean you've coached them alltime greats Ray Lewis I mean some of those guys on the Baltimore Ravens defense and and for the Michigan fans obviously you know No One Compares to Ray Lewis No One Compares To Ed Reed No One Compares to some of these guys but you you've now went through a spring ball with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant drik Moore Josiah Stewart uh Jon Barham Ernest hman like th those guys in your defensive front will Johnson right what what was your impression of that that that defense walking on campus I mean you're coming from the NFL to college but I get the sense these guys aren't just college kids they're they're Pros that are still under the college umbrella yeah and I I think you're going to see more and more of that you know with NI and everything else which is probably another show that we'll talk about um but these guys they want to win that's that's the first thing that attracted me to this job the thing that uh surprised me because I didn't really know what I was you know it's been 20 years I didn't know what I was going back into with the players themselves these guys love football and I said this the other day I was talking about will Johnson who's a very humble kid he is who has just so much going for him that he doesn't even know it yet and and that's a good thing because the way he works and as many things as we do football-wise you know within the program I'll see Will on a during a time out there with 12 10 or 12 teammates that they're just out there working on their own and I don't care what anybody says I don't think you see that anywhere I I really don't even in the NFL when you're getting paid to do it you don't see no especi especially not in the NFL but you know they might do it someplace else besides facility I'm just talking about at the facility these guys are working and and and you know Chiron has spent time this spring here at the end of trying to dial them back because they're they're they just get after it they love football and I I said this on the uh the GM Shuffle with Mike Lombardi if you're a football purist if you're a football purist if you really love football you would love Michigan football just by being around the players and and and how they approach the game and you know there's there's issues everybody has issues you know what I mean but uh it's uh it's uh it's been very I I've enjoyed every day I've been there because of their I don't want to let them down because of their love for the game and it's the same thing with the the assistants that you know Lou Esposito Lamar Morgan and BJ Brian Jean Marie I say it right he tells me I say it right all the time um the way they work at recruiting and also their kids is inspiring to me and you know the older you get Jake you know this the older you get it's hard to be inspired and the way they work with these kids and the way they work at recruiting it's been it's been a lot of fun it's been a lot of work because we you know we went into this thing saying we're behind but uh yet you know you can see the commitments that we're getting and and and the work that they put in they work so hard like I told my wife I want to use my card of no I'm not doing that that I I just I can never say that because I don't want to let them down yeah you know and uh it's it's it's been it's been great but like I said I'm also ready to go on vacation and they are and they are too yeah you earn vacation but I wolverine is not just sponsoring this episode they have a special offer for you guys our First Impressions of Michigan listeners you can head over to wolverine.com and use code blue collar for 20% off your full price purchase from rugged work boots to Casual everyday Styles they have hardworking gear to get the job done head over to wolverine.com and use the code blue collar for 20% off your order you think in the NFL where you're getting paid millions of dollars we just saw Trevor Lawrence sign a deal $55 million a year you'd think hey man if you're making that much money you're G to stay an hour you're G to come out an hour early and stay an hour late it's not the case you'd think you'd you know be the first in the building last to leave but a lot of people can't wait to go to Vacation the first chance they get it uh and then you you come here on campus in an arbor and coming off a national title I think that's important to to mention here coming off a national title and it's really encouraging for fans the hunger in that building I mean you get a sense and and this is a good question for you coach Chiron Moore is now the leader of this team this is his first time as a head coach coaching one of the biggest brands in college football uh coming off a national championship you get a sense of hunger around this program and around Chiron Moore uh what was your first impression of Ann Arbor in Michigan when you got on campus well I've been up here plenty of times you know coming to the workouts and all that stuff for the the the draft eligible players yeah and you know I've followed Michigan uh especially when Jesse was the coordinator um but um Jesse said this to me and I understand and this is not a slap this is not anything negative but I understand his point Jesse said hey what you got to understand it's every day's Tuesday so and you know Tuesday is a work day right like is Tu is added practice work yes yes and it's and I mean it's it's Monday through Sunday and it's it's a beautiful thing but you better have your mind right to come in and work as soon as you enter that building yeah and as far as Chiron goes is he a firsttime head coach no he's not really right right I mean at Penn State game looked like he's a pretty good head coach and 30 straight runs is a head coaching decision that's a decision and it's a defensive coordinator on his side's dream yeah but um uh you know how how that all came about was through Adam chefer and um and you know I talked to some other people uh Stephen Eisenberg I've known for 12 years now and when I was down in Sarasota in my mind Jake and you know from being in the Pro game I was going to take this year off and then just go back MH and I received a phone call from Adam shefer said hey would you be interested and I'm like sure I'd be interested you know I want to talk to him and I talk to the guy and his passion not towards Michigan his passion towards the kids I'm like this is my guy he wants to do everything right by the players and and you know what's the best way we can do it for the players and you know he had questions for me and I had questions for him and we talked I want to say twice for about an hour each time when I was down in Sarasota and he said why don't you come up here and we talked for another two hours Ward came over and I didn't even I mean I didn't realize I mean and and Chiron told me later when I came up there I already had the job I didn't even realize it and you know we got to be around some of the players and you know we watched the Ohio State game and and uh it was just like like I said before I wish I'd come up with something even more clever but the football pure if you love the game of football you love Michigan football yeah because it stands for what's right yeah yeah I I I don't want to sound preachy but I just think it's cool for the the Michigan Community that's on this call to just say when you say every day is Tuesday like just to kind of clear this up what Tuesday means in the football circle is you have pra you're off Monday or maybe you're off Sunday one one or the other Thursday is like a really fast you might wear pads you might wear shells Wednesday and Tuesday and particularly Tuesday because you're coming off the off day you're in full pads you might have some live tackling drills it's your longest practice it's your longest day and you're say you say every day is Tuesday you say these guys love to practice in fact they're staying late in Mo has to walk him back a little bit and I just think we're lucky in the Michigan because what that leads to is a beautiful product on the field and you get to see a team that there there is Jim Harbaugh would say there's nothing like being on a ball team and it's so simple you just might miss it but you can see the chemistry and unity of a great ball team and that leads towards victories and I think that's beautiful you want a Super Bowl in Baltimore so you know what Elite chemistry is like right can you give us a sense of what the chemistry in the locker room in meetings team meetings defensive meetings what's the feeling you get in these meetings well I think that it's it it's twofold with that like I won a national championship with Jack at Western Kentucky uh won the Super Bowl with John 2 or 2012 um that is where you uh you know it's like the the Super Bowl I'm not going to lie to you it was a euphoria that I've never I've never went through before it it was you know I know I'm supposed to say you know when I got married or when my daughter was born or when my son it's nothing like it when when you're a true competitor and you you you love to compete and it's just like um it's just like LA or just like last night the the the Celtics what what did they say after the game they were talking about the leadership of the team and the team chemistry they always talk about that after you win something you know what I mean yeah and it's like it's the same thing with the national championship last year like Blake corm come out to a camp and talked to kids yesterday was one of the best talks I've I've heard from a player because he spoke from the heart yeah and that's what you have here in Michigan is the guys who speak from the heart and yet every Year's different you know we know know that you know like instead of you know road to Atlanta 11 on1 you know live periods that that Jim had and and Shon has continued you know through Spring ball or or you know the beat Ohio period you know that we've had in nine on sevens and things like that now people are doing that for Michigan you know and the thing about with these kids that they're going to find out is you know that it's going to be hard but they're work it's it's not like I'm not I'm not panicked it's not like they're just sitting on their Laurels they want to do it again yeah by their leader shiron you you know what I mean yeah it's that the national championship's over with yeah and there's going to be different dips in every season that you have even you know anybody that's done sport knows that yeah and uh I just know that with the character and quality of leadership we have will be able to face those things head on the thing with that too Jake is you know last night they were talking about the great leadership the great team CH chemistry go back 365 days when they they didn't win it they were talking about them like they were dogs they need to trade this guy trade that guy you know they got to change you know what I mean yep and you know and that's that's that's our industry that we're in I understand all that yeah but yet you could see the passion that that team played with and I'm not a basketball fan I do I'll watch the NBA when it's the finals like it was um but you could see who the best team was by far won won the trophy no no doubt and when you get guys and teams playing that way as soon as you get players that are happier for other teammates success that's when you have something special yeah on any team that you've had yeah that's when you have something special when your teammate's happier for you because you did something and the same thing with coaches you know there there's there's no me me me I I I with the coaching staff we're happy when our players make plays yeah and I'm old enough now I can say our kids it's like it really is truly that's why I've done it as long as I've had excuse me that's why I've done it as long as I have is because I have pure enjoyment of watching kids succeed after they put in the work that they put in yeah you know and and that I think The Game it's even another parallel watching the the finals um you know the the Celtics versus the Mavs where the Mavs you hear uh Kyrie Irving and Luca donic the Celtics of course you hear Jaylen Brown Jason Tatum but you hear great team great coach and it's like a team versus isolation basketball and that's a you know a good good moment to reflect on and and Coach we we got a couple viewer questions I want to get to we got some great comments in the the chat but I did want to ask you something because I have to ask you this and this has to be asked you mentioned you know one of the first things you did was learning about Ohio State and watching that game and I just love you know for you I know you've been around the program and you've been to Pro days but I think for Michigan the Michigan Community these past three years how much it has meant to them because there was Decades of pain and misery losing to the Buckey and you know they can they they say the word scum and they you know it was it had become a laughable instance for the Buckey and and even those outside of the program and I think what these past three years has has done as much as anything is put the respect back on the Block M that you're wearing on your chest and that I I'm wearing right here this maze in blue what's your impression of that rivalry and what have you learned now coach the Michigan team and being on campus well one of the advantages is I'm old enough I remember the 10year war you know what I mean and and uh you know my my high school coach who's still coaching high school in Ohio was a Ohio State graduate and you know I've been to a Michigan Ohio State game myself that's when I was coaching at Notre Dame and this this rivalry is it's it's respectful I think between the players as you can you know I I see during it is oh it it really it Michigan State I wouldn't say it's as resp Ohio State make no mistake about it you want to win and you're leaving everything on the field but it is pretty respectful yeah I I I really think that they they do you know respect each other but they want to kick each other's ass and I think that um you know when I look back when I'm done this is going to be a bucketless game I you know and you know I coached to Baltimore for 10 years I think the only rivalry left in the NFL is Pittsburg in Baltimore and I'd tell Mike Tomlin who is a dear friend of mine I'd much rather play two times in Pittsburgh at night in that rivalry game you know just because of the setting yeah and it's the same thing with Ohio Ohio State Michigan there's no better I mean like I I know Charles you know Charles Woodson I know him he and I were together in Oakland and when I saw him with the the stunner shades on after the interception celebrating with the kids I can't tell you the joy that that gave me yeah because a I knew how important it was to him but yet the whole Community the Michigan community and uh I've you know I like I grew up in Ohio no one from I mean I got more texts from people like I can't believe you're going to go coach at Michigan which I love because I just stir the pot up you know and uh it's it's it's it's going to be a bucket list thing that I'm going to be glad that I did when I'm when when we're all done you you know that I got I got the opportunity to coach this game again it's something that's bigger than yourself you know what I mean it really is that that's the embodiment of culture you know it Baltimore versus the ra uh the Ravens versus the Steelers it's the same thing uh and it's the same respect you know what I mean like I won't even go down that road but it's just you know like the the team that wears green that compared to like the Steelers playing Pittsburgh with vontes berfin yeah that's right I called the name out yeah yeah you know what I mean it's not the same yeah and it's it's what it's what the game's about is why you and I like it love it so much Jake you know what I mean yeah it's what it's supposed to be about and I cannot wait to go to Columbus cannot wait to go there yeah there's a lot of things I get excited about but there's only actually there's not there's not many there's one or two that I get so emotionally invested in that I have to remind myself to breathe and and that rivalry games are that and and that you're working and that I'm working yeah and I gotta and I gotta remember to breathe you know I can't wait to see you know you coach against the Ohio State bucke guys I mean they got a talented roster um they certainly feel like it's their year this year uh and I've heard that before I've heard that before and I I cannot wait to see that match up in I mean we're getting ready for Fresno yep I know we have you know to me that that's the thing too and and talking to everybody that's on online here is this is the closest to an NFL schedule that you can have in college football what we have this year oh yeah it's different yeah I mean everybody's got to know that yep yep as I say Stevie wner can see that and uh it's it's going to be a great challenge for these guys but yet and you talk about the Michigan way and and and preparing these kids for the next step in life how better can you prepare them for you know at the next level in football than this schedule you know what I mean it's like I said it's the closest thing you can have to an NFL schedule yeah well you know this I mean I was always told in in the pre-draft process first game we watch is Michigan State Michigan and now you got Texas Michigan Oregon Michigan Ohio State Michigan I mean top 10 top 15 matchups you get the chance you get the opportunity it's not a guarantee you get the opportunity to prove how good you say you are and what you ask for in this game and and don't think I haven't used that in recruiting of course you know what I mean because like being in the league for 20 years I know a lot of people who would I mean they're going to throw on all these games because they know what we've done with our system in the NFL and what you know Mike and and and Jesse have done leading up to it with these players they're going to throw Michigan's going to be fun to evaluate defensively is what I'm speaking you know with all the guys that we have yeah they're going to be fun to evaluate because they know they know the system they know what I look for they know you know the guys that that uh you know how I use guys differently and everything else and it's easy to evaluate so they're always going to go to the to those type games first you know and that's what I tell the players and you know in recruiting a lot of a lot of talk about who's got an easy schedule and uh what about strategy with scheduling and the truth is the best thing about football because of the you talk about the Celtics winning the NBA Finals that's a long schedule MLB is a long season the truth is about football is you can't lie to the game you either win or you lose and the opportunities are so finite that you have to be at your best you train all year to be at your best for 12 guaranteed games you might get if you're lucky and you play good enough you get a conference Championship and now we got quarterfinals semi-finals national championship and and you have to be at your best for those games no doubt the world will see how good you are make no mistake about it make no mistake about it it's a beautiful thing