Marty Smith raves about UM culture and players [Audio]
Marty Smith from (sorry) ESPN was on Dusty and Danny this morning and spent 15 minutes raving about the culture of the UM football program, the character of JJ and Blake and Jim and Sherrone, and once again, the special cohesion and unity these players have. Fabulous way to start the morning.
Took me a while to get the audio up for you but here you go https://soundcloud.com/goblue2024/martysmith-michigan
January 5th, 2024 at 9:06 AM ^
Marty Smith is a national treasure who is the last good thing ESPN has. He's a good ole southern boy that's hard to dislike IMO.
I listened to this on the way to work this AM and I 100% agree that this is a must listen. Be careful if you can't handle a shot of maize and blue adrenalin straight into the veins this early in the day.
January 5th, 2024 at 11:23 AM ^
Marty Smith was good way back when he was covering NASCAR for ESPN. The fact that he’s still there, and still good, is surprising only because ESPN seems to run off everyone who’s not a loudmouth shill.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:09 AM ^
my favorite Marty Smith moment:
"Leave the sides"
January 5th, 2024 at 9:19 AM ^
I’ve never disliked Marty, I actually like his like side pieces he does for ESPN college football. Doesn’t seem to bias to any conference or agenda. Glad he like many see the character of the program for its success.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:22 AM ^
This was a really good listen
January 5th, 2024 at 9:23 AM ^
This is great to hear, however; listening to this I can't help be believe JH is going to walk away from Michigan a National Champion.... That sucks for us, I wish he was coaching in A2 until he retires from coaching, I just think the harassment is going to drive him away.
The NCAA is going to do everything they can to get a pound of flesh and JH is just going to say fuck it.... Take an NFL job and leave the NCAA's vitriol behind.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:26 AM ^
it does suck, but if that's the sacrifice it takes to get UM a natty, unshared, undisputed, for the first time in 50 years, I'll begrudgingly accept it
January 5th, 2024 at 10:07 AM ^
50?? More like 75.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:34 AM ^
I think Michigan winning it all makes it more likely he goes to the NFL. That'll check a big box for him and now he'll really only have one coaching milestone left to hit which is going for a Super Bowl. If Harbaugh wins it all and exits, I'll be really bummed but it would be alright. What more could we have hoped for?
January 5th, 2024 at 4:19 PM ^
Continued football success? More B10 and National Titles? Bo 2.0 with a coaching tree to go with it for UM in 2034~
January 5th, 2024 at 9:39 AM ^
Dealing with grown men has its advantages though.
- No more recruiting, so you actually have an offseason.
- NFL players motivate themselves. College coaches have to motivate these kids every week.
- NIL and the transfer portal has turned every year into a contract year for every player.
I want him to stay, but he could do something I don't know has ever been done, and that's win both an NCAA and NFL title.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:48 AM ^
Pete Carroll won both even though the NCAA one was eventually vacated.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:52 AM ^
Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer have also won both an NCAA title and a Super Bowl.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:59 AM ^
Dealing with young men though has its positives too. Have you seen the warmth and comradery around this team? It is hard to find something close to that in an NFL locker room.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:14 AM ^
Completely agree. And, Harbaugh doesn’t “get” a roster from a GM at Michigan - he determines who gets an offer - so, he is essentially the GM for Michigan football.
And, culture - as you note - exceptionally solid and rewarding.
The “big” issue is, IMO - developing young men into responsible adults - and preparing them for their “40 year plan” and life. Jim and the staff begin working with 17 / 18 year olds - and, look how they turn out.. Blake, JJ, Hutch, etc.. He’s turning them into responsible men who are positioned to make a difference in life. That must be very rewarding to him.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
Someone else noted Pete Carrol. I'll toss in Jimmy Johnson.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:31 AM ^
Barry Switzer, too.
January 5th, 2024 at 11:05 AM ^
Don't forget Jimmie Johnson!
AND BARRY SWITZER!
January 5th, 2024 at 12:30 PM ^
What about Pete Carroll?
January 5th, 2024 at 1:12 PM ^
How about Urban Meye oh wait. Wait no. Sorry, ignore me.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:52 AM ^
Yeah, coaching in college continues to get worse compared to the NFL. NL and transfer portal have just added that much more to their plates. While Jim is running around all offseason, NFL coaches are sitting on a beach somewhere
January 5th, 2024 at 9:39 AM ^
Dealing with grown men has its advantages though.
- No more recruiting (outside of the first week or two of FA season), so you actually have an offseason.
- NFL players motivate themselves. College coaches have to motivate these kids every week.
- NIL and the transfer portal has turned every year into a contract year for every player.
I want him to stay, but he could do something I don't know has ever been done, and that's win both an NCAA and NFL title.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:46 AM ^
NCAA and NFL? Both Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer have NCs and Super Bowl rings.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:34 AM ^
both notorious hard-core cheaters, too. switzer's teams were gun-toting, crack-selling gangsters and switzer himself shows up in your law books for SEC insider trading. snake.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:51 AM ^
Switzer had an interesting life:
"Switzer was born on October 5, 1937, in Crossett, Arkansas, to parents Frank Mays Switzer and Mary Louise Switzer. Barry and his younger brother, Donnie, were at home in rural Ashley County, Arkansas with their mother and father when, in early February 1954, it was raided by the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission and the Arkansas State Police.
The commission and the State Police found untaxed contraband liquor in the home. Frank made bond but was later tried and convicted of illegal trafficking in alcohol for purposes of re-sale ("bootlegging"). He was sentenced to a term of five years in prison, but that conviction was reversed upon appeal. Frank did serve five months of that term, and as a result, missed seeing Barry play his senior season of high school football.
Barry and his brother Donnie were at home with their mother when on August 26, 1959, she took her life by her own hand with a .38 caliber pistol on the back porch. On November 16, 1972, after Barry and his brother had each commenced their professional careers, their father was murdered by a jealous lover."
January 5th, 2024 at 8:38 PM ^
No dispute there. Switzer was about as dirty as it gets. I couldn't stand the guy either. But the fact remains that both he and Jimmy Johnson both have NCs and SB rings as coached.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:45 AM ^
If Harbaugh leaves with a solid succession plan in place, it might be a blessing in disguise.
Obviously we all want Harbaugh coaching forever, but if he can leave the keys to Moore with a staff mostly in tact, that's exponentially better than going to a full hiring process and starting from scratch like RichRod and Hoke. The passing of the torch might be our best path to long-term sustained success, with Harbaugh being 60 and Sherrone being 37.
The worst scenario is Harbaugh staying for an undetermined amount of time while Moore gets a HC job elsewhere. Then Harbaugh leaves (for the NFL, retirement, whatever), staff dissolves, and we're left with an outside hire, new staff, transfers galore, and no carryover from the previous regime.
January 5th, 2024 at 1:54 PM ^
I like Moore just fine, but I'm not sure him getting a HC job elsewhere would be that bad.
It's a tall order to have on-the-job training as Michigan's HC, ask Juwan Howard.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:31 AM ^
on Blake Corum: "I've never met a better one than that kid. That kid's different, man."
"The program has taken on Blake Corum's personality of every single rep, every single day, every single practice. You better match me, man!"
January 5th, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
I attribute some of this to his previous predecessor, Hutch. I think he was fundamental in evolving Blake into Blake the Great with his tenacity and team leadership.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:35 AM ^
Blake has always been this way. Love Hutch but this is all Blake, Remember the stories of how he would show up before the weight room was open in high school?
January 5th, 2024 at 9:36 AM ^
I hope the culture here can sustain. It's hard to know exactly what is going on, but the leadership of the roster post-COVID seems to so so so much better than where we were pre-COVID. Things did not seem like they were in a great spot roughly 2017-2019 based on the little rumblings you hear. Compare that to the leaderships of guys like Mikey, JJ, and Blake. I hope some younger guys are ready to take on that leadership mantle because there will be a leadership vacuum otherwise
January 5th, 2024 at 9:37 AM ^
Great listen.
Marty is a true fan of college football and campus culture. He does a lot of very entertaining stories about teams and schools.
January 5th, 2024 at 9:52 AM ^
JJ, Blake, and so many others use some of their NIL to provide school supplies to children, Thanksgiving dinners to families (the weekend before the OSU game), helping children at Mott’s, drawing people to Christmas Toy Drives, etc.
I don’t think anyone on Team 144 is driving around A2 in an “exotic”. And, I like that.
Blue collar - young men who care about each other - the community - and think team first.
Go Blue - and everyone on the roster / team,,,
January 5th, 2024 at 9:59 AM ^
Awesome listen. Thanks so much for posting.
What he is talking about is the Michigan Difference on this team. This is the most important piece that needs to remain. I’m optimistic that Blake et al have injected it into the bloodstream of all the players. But it needs to be nurtured and stoked constantly to remain long long term. No one saw this coming when Harbaugh came but it’s his biggest legacy. Which I think bill Poggi gets a lot of credit for. He showed Jim how to turn the constant jackhammer aggressive show me attitude into a constant collaborative aggression.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:07 AM ^
Great listen.
If Harbs wins Monday and then takes an NFL job I will be at peace with it all.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:09 AM ^
I usually listen to this show in the mornings, in snippets. Can only take so much of Danny Kannell - the guy is a walking douche. He was very outspoken about how tainted Michigan is because sign stealing cheaters, and he never has a good thing to say about Michigan. If he can't tear Michigan down, then he will say nothing or change the subject.
So it's good to hear that Marty Smith was raving Blue this morning. I didn't listen, had yesterday's podcast on instead because I had the game recap pod on yesterday afternoon. So backed up!! So thanks for the link, I'll play it on my way home this afternoon, when the Klatt preview ends. And after I find that Cowherd segment... So much user curated content this week!
January 5th, 2024 at 1:20 PM ^
Agree. He's been a penis all year about Michigan. Dusty was for awhile but let it go eventually. Now, Rick the Dick Neuheisel? Maybe Marty needs to go on his show.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:10 AM ^
Love Marty
January 5th, 2024 at 10:18 AM ^
Programs usually reflect the personality of thier head coach and staff. There are not many out there that can match the Harbaugh family's mental toughness and physical nature. A lot of coaches are in the game for self gratification and ego. Never viewed Jack, John or Jim that way. They've always appeared to be in it for the life lessons you take from the game and the impact you can have on peoples lives. If you're playing this game for a fat payday, you're not going to appeal to them. They played it for different reasons.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:33 AM ^
Thanks for posting. I tune out ESPN. The truth will set you free. This team is special. Trente for President 2024. I'm going to be the best +1 cancer free TE this world has ever seen. Good things happen around positive attitude.
Go Blue!
January 5th, 2024 at 10:38 AM ^
When did Marty Smith go from “NASCAR guy” to “College Football Guy”?
Prior to all of this I really haven’t watched ESPN aside from live sporting events for the past 6 or 7 years (not out of boycott but more life and kids stuff). I always remembered him live from Daytona not live from the CFP.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:44 AM ^
Got a little long winded at the end there. But thanks for sharing, great insight.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:49 AM ^
I love Marty's work. He seems genuinely likable and relatable. I remember when he came to CFB from Nascar, and it was obvious that it was new to him. You couldn't help but root for him to a firm hold of his path, and he has done an excellent job.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:51 AM ^
Unrelated, but I rewatched the game on the ESPN2 broadcast which had Pat McAfee running the show and doing play by play and chitchatting with a bunch of dudes. I'm no McAfee fan, at all, but I actually found it entertaining.
January 5th, 2024 at 10:56 AM ^
Thanks for sharing this, I really enjoyed it.
January 5th, 2024 at 11:06 AM ^
Directly into my veins.
Like some others have said here, if Harbaugh wins the NC and chooses to leave to pursue his Super Bowl, it'll suck but I'll be ok. This year's team is literally everything I want out of Michigan football. Nothing that happens after will steal the profound satisfaction this team has left me with. I only hope they bring it all the way home and win in Houston.
January 5th, 2024 at 12:20 PM ^
This is great, and your post of the audio deserves way more than the one positive up vote I can give it.
January 5th, 2024 at 12:41 PM ^
thanks, i had to replay it from sxm, record it on my phone as a video, transfer it to google drive, transfer it to my computer, export the audio only, upload it back to soundcloud, which required a new account. but it was fun.
and i'm just waiting for sirius to copyright-nuke it
January 5th, 2024 at 1:46 PM ^
Once you get past the whole, I crawled out of a time capsule in southern Mississippi twang, he’s a good dude. I will dock him 99 points for referencing THAMEL!