“Coach’s Corner” is three haphazard observations made by football beat reporter Matt Weiner from SJSU head coach Brent Brennan’s weekly press conference. One will find themselves immersed in a splattering of football-related thoughts. Some intelligent, some well…we’ll let you figure that one out yourself.
Showing up when needed most
Senior defensive lineman Noah Wright’s injury hung like a dark cloud over the 33-16 win over Wyoming.
It took place deep into the third quarter when Wright tried to deliver a hit in a big scrum. The game broke for 20-plus minutes as Wright was helped onto a stretcher in an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital. A frightening situation from start to finish.
But sometimes the darkest patches can make room for unheralded lights to shine through.
Brennan revealed that SJSU interim president Steve Perez and his wife Tanya accompanied Wright on his way to the hospital.
“I’ve been around college athletics since 1998 and I’ve never heard of a president doing that,” said Brennan. Later adding that, “They were on the phone with his family,” as well.
I want to rewind Brennan’s quote.
“I’ve been around college athletics since 1998 and I’ve never heard of a president doing that.”
The key word is “heard.”
Not seen, but “heard.”
A Division I football head coach’s life is a grind. It’s the epitome of an eat, sleep and breathe occupation. Part of that job includes serious injuries strikingly, unfortunately, similar to the one Wright endured.
To never hear about that brought up in any conversation over two decades is very telling of just how rare it was.
Hopefully, a university president (in this case an interim) accompanying an injured athlete to a hospital while communicating with his family will become a new precedent. An act like this shouldn’t be a once-in-a-blue-moon type of event.
To compare or not to compare
One goal of this column is to bridge the fan’s perspective to the coach’s perspective.
As the man in between both worlds, I’m seeing just how different those two are. For example, one thing fans do (myself included) is compare a variety of aspects. Be it games, players or any situation imaginable.
However for Brennan, this is something he avoids at all costs. That manifested itself twice during his press conference.
The first time came when I asked him if there is anything different he’s seen from Chevan Cordeiro during his time at Hawaii vs. now. Just because his stats really don’t reveal any glaring differences.
“I don’t know that I’m really trying to compare 2021 Chevan to 2022 Chevan. I’m just worried about where he’s at this week.”
The second stemmed from when I asked if the team was doing anything to focus on finishing games. In my question, I included the great closing performances against Western Michigan and Wyoming, and UNLV coming back from a 17-0 deficit to beat New Mexico.
“Games play out how they play out. I couldn’t have predicted I’d be in that situation with Wyoming, the same way I couldn’t have predicted Auburn. Every game’s ebbs and flows changes that way.”
It’s a weird dynamic. Coaches and players watch a ton of film of previous games and future opponents. Yet, they don’t like comparing one game to the next.
If I were to create a house of horrors for Brennan, I’d dress the walls and ceilings with Venn diagrams and double bubble maps. Seems like that would be an excellent way to torment him. It is spooky season after all.
SJSU Football Reunion
Brace yourself. We got a new sports fun fact on our hands.
SJSU head coach Brent Brennan was in UNLV head coach Marcus Arroyo’s wedding.
Add this to your mental sports museum right next to Clayton Kershaw went to high school with Matt Stafford.
The two were on SJSU’s coaching staff together from 2005-08 and Arroyo played quarterback for the Spartans from 1998-2002.
Brennan said that the two are close. “We talk about everything in between. Our wives talk. When he became a head coach, his wife and my wife talked about the head coach’s wife thing,” Brennan said.
When Brennan spoke of him, his words were flush with respect, friendship and care.
Felt very genuine, too.
I do have a bone to pick. Just a mini one. Like the ones you’d find in a salmon. Not something large enough for Clifford the Big Red Dog to clench.
“I think that’s a cool thing about football, coaches help other coaches. It’s not like other kinds of business where we have some proprietary concept that we can’t share with anybody and we are not willing to talk about.”
Hmmmmmm.
If coaches couldn’t be friends with other coaches, their social circles would contain their wives, family and maybe their plumber or accountant. Not saying they can’t or shouldn’t be friends.
But, and this is the fan in me speaking, I’m skeptical about coaches’ sharing schemes and techniques with one another.
Useful ideas or information seem like it would be kept as close to the chest as possible. One notch below a mafioso-level of secrecy.
Last note on Arroyo and Brennan:
May the best man, no matter the size of his arms, win.
Congratulations on making it to the end of Coach’s Corner. If you found yourself not hating this with the fire of a thousand suns, allow me to introduce you to his brother/sister/cousin Water Cooler Talk.