Monday, November 19, 2007

Thoughts on Lloyd Carr retiring

Detroit Free Press sports columnist Mitch Albom writes about Lloyd Carr’s legacy as head coach at Michigan...... “In the end, it really wasn't that hard. Not to go. Not for Lloyd Carr. He has never been defined by his job and he never will be. When enough is enough, few people will know it better than this introspective, 62-year-old football version of a Jimmy Stewart character. Stewart was always about the good beneath whatever role he played, and Carr was, too. Michigan will lose a whistle today when his retirement, after 28 years at Michigan and 13 seasons as head coach, is made official this morning.” .....
  • Mitch Albom


  • Detroit Free Press sports columnist Drew Sharp writes that the time was right for Carr to retire.... “It was time. He knew it. He knew it last year. The game changed and he was too tired to keep pace. It simply isn't enough anymore winning three of every four games while maintaining a program that's remained above NCAA investigative reproach.” ......
  • Drew Sharp


  • Ann Arbor News reporter John Heuser writes how Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin has laid out the selection process.....
  • John Heuser


  • Detroit Free Press sports reporter Mark Snyder writes about how Carr informed his team that he was stepping down...... “Carr's announcement was direct, saying he was “not going to be here any longer but he enjoyed the moment he could spend with us,” senior linebacker Chris Graham said walking out of the U-M football building, Schembechler Hall, after the 4 p.m. team meeting.” .....
  • Mark Snyder


  • The Detroit Free Press looks at possible replacements for Carr at Michigan......
  • Detroit Free Press


  • Columbus Dispatch sports columnist Bob Hunter writes about Carr’s retirement.... “When Michigan coach Lloyd Carr retires today, most Ohio State fans will be sorry to see him go. Carr had become the man who couldn't beat the Buckeyes, which in an odd way made him Ohio State's best friend.” ....
  • Bob Hunter - Columbus Dispatch


  • Buckeye lunkhead Chris Spielman gives his thoughts about Michigan's next coach....
  • Chris Spielman
  • Sunday, November 18, 2007

    It's Official - Lloyd Carr steps down as head football coach at Michigan


  • Mark Snyder - Detroit Free Press
  • Ohio State kicks Michigan's ass again....Lllllloyd Carr to be gone!


    Thoughts on the Ohio State-Michigan game.....

    First off, there is no doubt that Lloyd Carr is finished as head coach at Michigan....Carr seems like a good person who was at one time a good football coach....but time has caught up with him....losing to Appalachian State and to Ohio State six out of the last seven years does not cut it anymore.....honestly, Ohio State was beatable....if Michigan had a better offensive gameplan, they could have won this game.....but in the end, Ohio State's coaching staff did a better job in preparing for this game than Michigan's....

    Right now, Ohio State’s football program is a notch better than Michigan’s.....Jim Tressel is the best college coach in the business - end of story....

    The gameplan that Carr and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord was from that of the stone age.....Michigan tried nothing new or creative....they saw that Illinois torched the Buckeyes with the long ball over the middle....instead, DeBord insisted on running Mike Hart and throwing horizontal passes in the flat for 3 or 4 yards....

    I attended the game and was talking to someone who has close ties within the football program....this person said the two Michigan players who are screw-ups and are more interested in themselves than the team are wide receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington.....this person told me that both Manningham and Arrington are always partying and smoking weed....both have a boatload of talent who need to get their head on straight - right now.....

    I think Ohio State is not going to the Rose Bowl.....with the losses by Oregon and Oklahoma, the process has been put in motion so that Ohio State will end up playing LSU for the national title....it will be a match-up of Tressel and Miles....the media will love this match-up being that Miles may be the frontrunner for the Michigan job.....

    I have been going to Michigan football games for 15 years and that was without a doubt the worst playcalling that I have seen by a Michigan team.....

    Tressel and his staff at Ohio State prepare more for the Michigan than the Michigan staff does for Ohio State....Michigan needs a coach who will put in the extra time and effort in preparing for the Ohio State game....

    The Block M once stood for pride and struck fear in opponents....right now it stands for moribund.....

    It was a little disturbing reading Detroit Free Press sports columnist Mitch Albom’s comments, ". . . it's because he wants other things in life, he has put the game into perspective, and a defeat to Tressel will be viewed the same way. Know this: Lloyd Carr is too good and too smart a human being to believe beating a rival coach is what defines him." .....I’m sorry, but when someone takes the head coaching position of a big time program whether it be football or basketball, the fact is that their record against their arch-rival is what defines them to some point....as I said earlier, Carr seems like a good person, but as the saying goes, nice people finish last....Michigan needs a coach who is a good person, like Carr, but someone who will not stand for losing to Ohio State on an annual basis....

    In reading Detroit Free Press sports columnist Michael Rosenberg’s column, it sounds like "politics" is going to have a major role in who will be Michigan’s next head football coach.....and it seems like Carr will be one of the major players....

    Detroit Free Press sports columnist writes about that Les Miles is not guaranteed to be the next Michigan coach..... "At this point, I think Carr realizes his successor is not going to come from within the program. But that doesn't mean it has to be Les Miles. This is where Carr still holds some cards. I think he will time his announcement based on what he thinks is best for the future of the program. Part of that is recruiting. Part of that is the hiring process." ....

  • Michael Rosenberg


  • Detroit Free Press sports columnist Mitch Albom writes how seniors Jake Long, Chad Henne, and Mike Hart finished 0-4 against their rival..... "So much for the mantra that if Chad Henne and Mike Hart played, the Wolverines would end their jinx. So much for the shadow of Lloyd Carr retiring inspiring his kids to victory. Henne and Hart played. Carr may indeed retire. And the team still went poof, as dead as a match in a thunderstorm." ......
  • Mitch Albom


  • Detroit Free Press sports reporter Kyle O’Neill writes about the ESPN College Gameday experience....
  • Kyle O’Neill


  • Ann Arbor News sports reporter Nathan Fenno writes that Michigan will probably be headed to the Champs Sports Bowl..... ""There are at least four teams ahead of them: Ohio State, Illinois, Penn State and Wisconsin," Frana said. "Their bowl opportunities are going to be tough." ....
  • Nathan Fenno


  • Grand Rapids Press reports Howie Beardsley pulls no punch about Michigan's offense..... "Ninety-one yards. A paltry 22.75 yards spread over four quarters. A measly 1.5-yard average over 61 plays. Michigan's MVP during its fourth consecutive loss to the bitter enemy from the south could only be punter Zoltan Mesko, whose 45.9-yard average with his 12 punts kept the score from being even more one-sided." ....
  • Howie Beardsley


  • ESPN.com sports writer Heather Dinich writes about Michigan's annual loss..... "While Ohio State most likely earned itself a trip to the Rose Bowl, the oppressive mood at Michigan overwhelmed the outnumbered visiting fans, who yelled "Keep coach Carr!" from the stands. The Buckeyes have now beaten Carr six out of the seven times under coach Jim Tressel." ....
  • Heather Dinich