At least, according to an article in yesterday's Detroit Free Press (H/T Axe, Idiots & Gelb). It's the puff piece to end all puff pieces about Michigan's new Defensive Coordinator.
Greg previously held the position of head coach at Syracuse University where his four-year reign was among the worst performances in the history of college football. But we're not here to dwell on the negative, apparantly... The only mention of the position in this 4-pager is a glossing-over that provides Robinson with a chance to do his best Mark McGuire-in-front-of-Congress imitation:
Robinson's past four years as Syracuse's coach were not pretty, finishing with a 10-37 record, an experience he would rather not relive publicly.
Yet the experience made him a more well-rounded coach, having to deal with the issues beyond football, the fund-raising, the hand shaking, the player conduct and academic challenges.
"I had no problems with the position of head football coach, but (this is) the position I'm doing," Robinson said. "My job is to be focused on the defense and get a bunch of guys right. Are there less outside issues that I have to be involved with? Yeah. So it does make my job easier, and I'm able to focus more on the specifics of what I have to do."
Greg's arrival has plenty of Michigan alums excited, including Desmond Howard, who spoke with Greggers about his defensive style:
"He told me he's going to have his defense as an aggressive defense, a defense that's going to keep pressure on quarterbacks so they can never get comfortable. I kind of liken that to 11 piranhas. Remember that little fishbowl that your teacher used to have on her desk with the goldfish in it? Imagine 11 piranhas in that thing. It's like a frenzy. Hopefully that's the most noticeable change we'll see on defense, guys making it increasingly uncomfortable for quarterbacks."
Ah, the old piranha analogy. Question,. has there ever been a defensive coordinator that has said he preferred a laisse-faire defensive style that gave the quarterback space?
Clearly though, Greg's theme at Michigan is a nautical one. Gone are the Gregisms of old and in comes a new crop of sayings and topics, this time with an agenda. A salty, seafaring agenda:
"I draw from a lot of things," said Robinson, 57. "You pirate, you see something somebody's doing, and that's a good thought. You have to see if you can incorporate something in there."
It doesn't stop there though. In speaking about some of his players, Greg keeps the watery theme alive and...paddling:
“In his mind, [Troy Woolfolk] saw himself paddling uphill with two real good corners playing ahead of him...All of the sudden he had the opportunity to compete for a starting job and he took to it like a duck to water.”
Did Greg just say "paddling uphill?" God, I miss this guy. (Not really...but still).
Have fun with all that Michigan. It's no fightin' the fight, but perhaps "swimming the swim" will become your new defensive rallying cry.