Some speeches are obviously contrived and exist solely for media consumption. The apology speech after Vick’s conviction, for example, had so much PR spin on it that you got dizzy jsut thinking about it.

This speech is so obviously from the heart that it almost brings tears. Coach Howland clearly means what he says, and is sincere. His ego is so under control that he allows himself to be compared to Coach, knowing that he cannot stand that sort of comparison. Only someone whose head is screwed on properly can do that.

I love the fact that he regards himself as the caretaker of Coach’s program. That’s really a beautiful expression.

You know, I think I’m going to start taking credit for hiring Coach Howland. It is a fact that I did nothing to prevent him from being hired, and that’s not too far removed from making the actual hiring decision.