For an extended Q&A with Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, click here.

Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson has seen it all.

In 34 years of coaching, Robinson has experienced the height of glory with two Super Bowl championships and four Rose Bowl wins as a coordinator. He's coached from coast to coast and in between, leaving a trail marked by a love for football that has brought together countless teams.

But he has also struggled tremendously, leading Syracuse to its first and second ever 10-loss seasons in his first head-coaching job. He was fired after four years of intense scrutiny, even though he felt the Orange was close to a turn around.

Robinson found another job a few months later as the head of Michigan's defense. And Robinson now has the tall task of revamping a unit that gave up the most points per game in program history last season.

With Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez's strong offensive focus, the defense's fortunes are in the hands of Greg Robinson.

The Height: Winning two Super Bowls

When Greg Robinson was the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator, one event that stole the show each season.

Even when Denver won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998.

"Every year, we had a party at his house where he'd bring in a pianist and we'd have a sing-a-long party and it was always a great time," former Broncos and current Indianapolis Colts defensive line coach John Teerlink said. "One of the highlights of the year."

They'd sing "all the popular stuff" in duos and trios, and play "name that tune."

While Robinson had an innate talent to bring together a young staff, his coaching accomplishments in Denver were overshadowed by the offensive accomplishments of John Elway, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

"(We had) just fantastic numbers and fantastic stats that always got lost behind the John Elway, Terrelle Davis numbers, you know," Teerlink said. "The fact that we had all those sacks, all those turnovers, and played so well on third downs always has kind of been forgotten, and I don't think Greg ever got the credit for that that he deserved."

Robinson coached in Denver from 1995 to 2000, leading three top-10 overall defenses. Against the run, the Broncos were especially potent, ranking No. 1 and No. 3 in their Super Bowl years.

Over those same seasons, they forced 61 turnovers and sacked the quarterback 90 times.

"When you win, there's only so much credit, and it always went to the offense," Teerlink said. "Greg did a hell of a job."

When Robinson arrived in Denver, the team had just dabbled in free agency and had many new coaches. What he excelled at was working with new faces.

Robinson's creativity stretched to everything he did, especially his motivational techniques.

"He'll bring out boxing highlights, hockey tapes, gun fights, movie clips, things where people are challenged and have to rise to the occasion," Teerlink said. "I don't want to take away any of his secrets, but he'll put stuff on Friday nights that'll fire the guys up."

He fit in perfectly there, an ability that he's brought with him along the many stops in his coaching career, and it translated onto the field and into the team's chemistry.

"To delegate, to manage and to organize to where all the parts are working together — that's very hard to do, especially when you're diverse and from different teams and different places," Teerlink said. "Everybody kind of wants to do their thing and it was his job to tie it all together and package it and he did."

The Bottom: Going 10-37

Almost 10 years later, Robinson had his Syracuse coaching staff watch the 1972 John Wayne film, "The Cowboys," which the coaches referenced back to throughout the year. The movie is associated with words and phrases such as "survival story," "hardship" and "fighting for what you believe in."

All of those terms seemed appropriate during Robinson's time with the Orange, as he went from a nationally celebrated coordinator to a floundering head coach.

It's truly startling how light-and-day different those closely associated with the program describe Robinson's career at Syracuse.

There is the obvious reaction.