Why Wink Martinale is 'inspired' by Michigan assistant coaches, players: 'I've enjoyed every day'

Michigan Wolverines football defensive coordinator Wink Martindale took a 20-year hiatus from college football while coaching in the NFL, including seven seasons as a coordinator. He’s had a blast in Ann Arbor this offseason, though, leading into his first year with the Wolverines.

Martindale spent time with not only head coach Sherrone Moore but some of the defensive players during his trip to Ann Arbor before officially accepting the job, and the passion emanating from the athletes caught his eye.

“These guys want to win — that’s the first thing that attracted me to this job,” Martindale said on the Champions Circle Leaders Series with Jake Butt. “The thing that surprised me, because it’s been 20 years and I didn’t know what I was going back into, is these guys love football.

“And I said this the other day, I was talking about [junior cornerback] Will Johnson, who’s a very humble kid who has just so much going for him that he doesn’t even know it yet — and that’s a good thing, because of the way he works. As many things as we do football-wise within the program, I’ll see Will during a timeout there with 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 really don’t. No, no, no — especially not in the NFL. They might do it someplace else besides the facility. I’m just talking about at the facility, these guys are working. And Sherrone has spent time this spring here at the end trying to dial them back, because they just get after it. They love football.”

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Martindale worked with former Michigan coordinator Jesse Minter with the Baltimore Ravens, and the two have discussed the U-M program. Minter told him that “every day is Tuesday,” which is code that the Wolverines work hard and play a physical brand of football on a daily basis.

“It’s Monday through Sunday. It’s a beautiful thing, but you better have your mind right to come in to work as soon as you enter that building,” Martindale said. “If you’re a football purist, if you really love football, you would love Michigan football. I’ve enjoyed every day I’ve been there, because I don’t want to let them down because of their love for the game.”

Martindale wants to do right by his staff, too. Defensive line coach Lou Esposito, linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan are working with him on his side of the ball, and Martindale has been impressed with the trio and the entire group of coaches.

“It’s the same thing for the assistants,” the coach continued. “Lou Esposito, LaMar Morgan and BJ, Brian Jean-Mary — I say it right, he tells me I say it right all the time — the way they work at recruiting and also coach their kids is inspiring to me. And the older you get, it’s hard to be inspired. The way they work with these kids and the way they work at recruiting, it’s been a lot of fun.

“It’s been a lot of work. You can see the commitments that we’re getting 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.’ I could never say that because I don’t want to let them down. It’s been great, I’m also ready to go on vacation. And they are, too.”

Martindale was drawn to Moore right away, from the two hour-long phone conversations they had to the two-plus hour meeting in Ann Arbor. Moore led Michigan to four victories as acting head coach last season, so he has in-game experience, and Martindale feels it’s been a smooth transition now that he’s in control of the program on a day-to-day basis.

“His passion, not toward Michigan, his passion toward the kids, I was like, ‘This is my guy.’ He wants to do everything right by the players, and what’s the best way we can do it for the players,” Martindale explained.

“If you love the game of football, you love Michigan football, because it stands for what’s right.”

Wink Martindale: ‘The national championship is over with’

Michigan players have made a conscious effort to eliminate signs of complacency coming off last season’s national championship and 15-0 record. Martindale noted that the Wolverines have a big target on their back, but they’re working to achieve more success.

“Every year is different. We know that, instead of ‘Road To Atlanta,’ 11-on-11 live periods that [former Michigan head coach] Jim [Harbaugh] had and Sherrone has continued through spring ball, or the ‘Beat Ohio’ period that we’ve had in 9-on-7s and things like that, now people are doing that for Michigan,” Martindale pointed out. “And the thing with these kids that they’re gonna find out is that it’s gonna be hard, but I’m not panicked. It’s not like they’re just sitting on their laurels. They want to do it again by their leader, Sherrone.

“The national championship is over with. And there are gonna be different dips in every season that you have — anybody that’s done sport knows that — and I just know that with the character and the quality of leadership we have we’ll be able to face those things head-on.”