Mailbag Question: Carr needs to support Coach Rod?

Rich Leach really pushed the issue of Lloyd Carr not stepping up and supporting Coach Rod. What do you guys think about this? I see it as a none issue if we went 9-3 this year instead of 3-9.

Do you think there is bitterness between Carr and Coach Rod especially with how some of his former players were handled.

Tom

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Thanks for the question.

Coach Carr told all his former players to give the new regime a chance before making any decision.

To us, that sounds like good advice and support for the Michigan program.

If Lloyd Carr were the athletic director, then we would expect him to make a comment.

In his position, he is in a no win position: If he comments, it would be perceived as sticking his nose where it does not belong, not letting Coach Rod move the program in a new direction. If he does not comment, it's seen as being non-supportive.

In addition, we do not know what Coach Rod and Lloyd Carr have talked about regarding this situation. They both might want Carr to stay out of the media and move on with his life right now to show that it is Coach Rod's team.

We remember stories from fans and media in the past that used to think that Bo was giving his point of view too often in the media with past teams.

We also think it is funny that a former player, and fans, want Lloyd Carr to be more open with the media he was always known as one of the coaches that shied away from talking to the media. If Carr comes out publicly now, people will wonder if it's a 100% genuine sentiment or if he was forced into it. Those questioning Carr's silence must not have been around when he or Bo: silence was always there MO when dealing with the media.

We're in total agreement that if Michigan had been 9-3 this would have been non-issue and people would be in anticipation of a decent bowl game. With nothing to do but wait for next season: "Idle tongues speak soundbites for the Devil."

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Mailbag Question: Is it time to move on?

Is it time to move on and get behind this program instead of keep bringing up Les Miles, West Virginia, and all the other stuff over the past year?

Where do you see this program going? Do you see it going in the right direction?

Hank

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Thanks for the question. Until Coach Rod starts winning, a certain segment of Michigan fans which undoubtedly bring up Coach Miles and express their wishes that he were here at Michigan. The choice of coach is an argument that will be rehashed for some time until Coach Rod starts winning.

In addition, the fans that support Coach Rod need to stop bringing up Coach Miles as well. It seems they are the ones that keep rehashing these issues especially after LSU loses a game. Would rather be 7-5 in the SEC with a fourth string quarterback and playing three top 10 teams this year, coming off a National Championship and going to a bowl game (ANY bowl game) then being 3-9, not going to a bowl game and looking at the worst year in Michigan Football history.

I can only speak for US, but we support Coach Rod 100% and want him and Michigan to be very successful. We would have been ecstatic had Michigan gone 12-0 and was playing for BCS National Championship.

Bottom line though is that Michigan had a 3-9 season that opened up Coach Rod and staff for some criticism and additional heat. Wins will make everyone forget who did not get the job.

Is the program heading in the right direction? For now, we are taking a wait-and-see attitude. Again, with every blue fiber of our being WE hope that Coach Rod and staff turn this around and start to win big. However, if we have learned nothing else, it is that nothing is guaranteed in the game of football.

It is up to Michigan, Coach Rod, and staff, to put a top-level football team together and quiet the critics. We hope at this time next year, we can sing the praises of Coach Rod and his staff for resurrecting the winning tradition and for having an outstanding season.

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Mailbag Question: Cupboard bare?

So do you think that the cupboards were bare like Rich Leach says they were?

Also what do you think of his comments about Coach Rod's family being at practice so the cussing must not be that bad. Wasn't you guys at the coaches clinic and I believe you thought it was a little "rough" especially for Coach Rod to basically introduce himself for the first time with all these new coaches.

Greg

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Thanks for the question.

The cupboard became bare AFTER Coach Rod was hired, when Ryan Mallett, Adrian Arringtion, Mario Manningham, Justin Boren and other offensive linemen left. We believe at least twelve players that had remaining eligibility did not make it past spring ball.

With Slocum ineligible, and Arrington and Mario gone, it was the change of philosophy and schemes that led to many of the talent problems.

As for the language, it was very different from past years: most high school coaches seemed to laugh and shrug it off. but some were grumbling about it, and a few even walked out of scrimmage, obviously unprepared for their first exposure to Coach Rod and staff, and their "colorful" verbal cues.

The cussing was some of worse WE have ever heard -- at any practice -- at any level. It did not bother US personally, but we could understand how it might bother others.

Keep this in mind, when some of the media members and former players talk about the language, it was another dialect: THEY were not at those practices. The only former player that WE saw at those spring practices was Desmond Howard, and he was only there for a short stint.

During the practices at the coach's clinic, we did not see ANY family or kids -- NONE! We believe things were toned down after those spring practices.

As far as WE could tell, the media never watched a FULL practice, so they are commenting on periods where the coaches were working with the players in drills. Most of the cussing in question filled the air when the scrimmages were taking place, or the ones vs. ones, etc.

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