Dantonio and Ferentz on losing, winning and winners

INDIANAPOLIS — I don't like press conferences.

They typically aren't natural, and often aren't overly revealing.

But sometimes you just have to wait. And listen.

I heard things from both Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and Iowa's Kirk Ferentz that I liked very much Friday at the press conferences here for Saturday's Big Ten football championship.

Almost at the end of his half-hour with the media, Dantonio was asked how he keeps his team on an even keel given the thrilling finishes it's had in games against Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio State. You never know what kind of question will get a good response out of a coach. It's a routine question far more often than something precise or cute.

Dantonio's response:

'It's a game. I mean, really, it's a game. I've always sort of approached it like that. I think you drive yourself crazy if you think you're going to win every game or it's all about winning. I think you have to be able to accept losing as well as you accept winning. I believe you have to be able to do that.

'You have to take it in, collect yourself, get better from it, experience it, be able to move forward. You have to keep it a game because as soon as it's not a game anymore, then the pressure really mounts on you. ...

'I just think that these are young people and they're looking for opportunities to grow. So you get that by winning and losing. You don't just get it by winning. As I said earlier, I think society generally characterizing everyone who wins as the best. There are a lot of guys who aren't winning that are truly doing remarkable things as well.'

I was surprised and pleased as I listened to that. Fifty percent of all teams lose. There has to be some good that comes from that, right? For someone who's been a big winner to insist there that's the case was, I thought, uplifting.

The Ferentz snippet I'm using here

isn't quite as philosophical, but I like it very much, too.

During a reply to a question about being on the 'hot seat' at the start of the season, he said this:

'I've never been on a football team that was 12-0. Yeah, baseball, yeah, but never football.'

He quickly moved on. But I wanted to know about that stellar baseball team. So about 10 minutes later, I asked for details.

'Yeah, don't hold me to that because I don't want to be one of those guys,' he said.

'I played on a pretty good Legion team. My last year in Legion ball, we had a pretty good team. I think we did OK. I can't remember the record specifically. In baseball you play a lot of games. It doesn't count.

'It was just a great team, a team I thoroughly enjoyed playing on. I had an iota of ability in that sport. It was just a lot of fun. A really cohesive group.

'Maybe the reason I think it's one of the best teams I've ever been around quite frankly, and this team that we're with right now is the same thing. Every time I'm in a room with those guys, it just makes you feel better about life.

'Yeah, it takes me back to whatever I was, 17 or 18 back then.'

I don't think it's a quote that will get a lot of play, but it may have been Ferentz's best comment of the season. 'Every time I'm in a room with those guys, it just makes you feel better about life.'

Look, a 12-0 record is pretty sweet. But if someone ever tells you being in a room with you makes that person feel better about life, you win.