While many men his age are sipping a glass of prune juice and reading a newspaper this time of day, Monte Kiffin was out interviewing prospective football players in Mobile, Ala. this morning.
And that had him fired up.
The 72-year-old Kiffin told Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com that the prospect of working for the Cowboys had him excited to get back to work as a defensive coordinator, where he can implement his Tampa 2 defense.
“Just the fact it’s the Dallas Cowboys — you know, a unique situation,” Kiffin said. “I’m very fortunate. The coach [Jason Garrett] and the Joneses. The whole bit. Excited to be back here at the Senior Bowl, checking out the players and looking for good players. I’m real excited.”
Switching them from a 3-4 base to a 4-3 was no deterrent for Kiffin, citing the ability to adjust to what they had on hand.
“You just take the job because of the people you’re with and who you’re going to work for,” Kiffin said. “The head coach, Garrett, is an awesome guy and the whole bit.”
Kiffin will turn 73 next month, and clearly has the kind of passion you need to sustain a demanding job.
“You got to have great passion for coaching,” he said. “It starts with the energy and you expect the players to be the same way. I can’t wait to get to work every day. I just love it. [Former Tampa Bay coach Jon] Gruden used to say, ‘You like it or you love it.’ You got to love it.”
Of course, Jerry Jones giving him many, many reasons to love it probably helped.