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The standard is high. The weight of expectations is enormous. So be it, says Wink Martindale, Michigan football’s 61-year-old defensive whiz.
“I think that you’re not worth a grain of salt if you don’t feel pressure as a coach every year, no matter where you’re at,” he said earlier this week.
But, here at the Ann Arbor headquarters of the reigning national champions, along State Street, it all seems greater, more intense, different, maybe even entirely unique.
Martindale, after all, is taking over a unit ranked first last season in virtually every major category — from average points and yards allowed per game to turnover margin. The Wolverines, under the command of Martindale protégé Jesse Minter, were a particularly stingy bunch, holding eight of their 15 opponents to a touchdown or less. Their exploits included a stop of Alabama on a dramatic game-winning goal-line stand at the Rose Bowl and the suppression of Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr. in their convincing College Football Playoff championship conquest of Washington.
Blue Team head coach Wink Martindale watches a play during the second half of the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024.
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In the turbulent aftermath of that seminal moment, head coach Jim Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers and the entire defensive staff migrated to the NFL. That pushed Harbaugh’s replacement, Sherrone Moore, to bring in a wave of new hires led by Martindale. Even though Martindale had spent the past 20 seasons in the pros burnishing his reputation as a brash, in-your-face assistant, he was a logical choice to succeed Minter. He was the self-described “OG,” or originator, of the Baltimore Ravens…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wink-martindale-likes-bring-pressure-101015870.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2024-08-01 10:10:15
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