Carr's comeback
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By Bob Wojnowski
Columnist
The Detroit News
November 15, 2006
He's not the same guy you've seen before. He made changes; won't say he's vindicated
ANN ARBOR -- Lloyd Carr could have just ridden it out, dismissed one bad season as an aberration, scoffed at the criticism and gone back to what he knows. In some ways, that's what he did, although he really didn't. In many ways, that's where the tale of this Michigan football season begins.
To understand how Michigan arrived here, 11-0 and ranked second, awaiting Saturday's showdown at top-ranked Ohio State, it's important to understand where it was, and how its coach handled it.
A year ago, the Wolverines were 7-5 and stood accused of numerous charges -- too stodgy, too stubborn, too stale. The rancor swirled and the words stung, and for Carr, it didn't matter if they were directed at him or his program. As far as he's concerned, it's all the same.
Carr was honest with himself, and deserves loads of credit. He made changes to his coaching staff, installing new coordinators, Mike DeBord on offense and Ron English on defense. He made changes with his players, demanding better conditioning. Goodness, he even changed the way the storied Block M actually blocked, instituting a new zone-blocking scheme.
It was a winter of discontent and reconnect for Carr, 61, and sometime after last season ended and spring football began, he saw a movie, and it struck him. It was "Cinderella Man," the story of James J. Braddock, a Depression-era broken-down boxer who made a stirring comeback to provide for his family and reclaim his pride. Carr showed the film to his team and now ends meetings by showing clips from it.
That's what Carr did in the wake of a muddled season. Here's what he didn't do: He didn't rail against those who doubted his ability to adjust.
Here's what he won't do: He won't declare himself vindicated.
If I were him, I would. The man always rebounds, no matter how many people suggest he won't. Some criticism was fair -- Michigan had become complacent -- but the harshest complaints about Carr generally are irrational and short-sighted, as if U-M stands alone among national powers, immune to slippage.
At the end of a superb regular season, there's still one giant game to play and there's still the nagging issue of that 1-4 record against Jim Tressel, although Carr is 6-5 overall against the Buckeyes. The pressure always stirs, fair or not. That makes it impossible for Carr to bask in anything, even the most anticipated clash in the rivalry's 103-game history.
"I wish I could stand back and say, 'My God, look at what you're part of,' " Carr said. "But there's a game coming. Every minute I spend thinking about something that isn't related to the game is not good."
It's not the same team
Motivation can spring from strange places, sometimes from being told you can do something, sometimes from being told you can't. If anyone still needs a reminder of where the Wolverines were, they can check out Carr's favorite movie. In one scene, Braddock is pounding away, and the opponent's corner man implores his guy to fight back, to beat Braddock as easily as he did before.
The boxer's out-of-breath response: "He ain't the same guy."
Carr smiled as he described the scene.
"So the deal is, this ain't the same team," he said. "These ain't the same guys. I don't think there's any question this team has been motivated in a special way. Every time we start a season, I tell my team, this is where we are, this is who we are. We're 7-5. If you don't like who you are, then do something about it. Every week, you've got to prove you ain't the same guy."
It's easy to say you'll be someone different. It's tougher to do something about it.
Carr declines to address his decision to replace coordinators Jim Herrmann and Terry Malone, but he knew he needed fresh ideas. Now, Michigan shows fresh energy, especially on defense.
"He's a lot more determined, and it was noticeable from the first day of camp," cornerback Leon Hall said.
"You can just feel how bad he wants to erase last year. Coach Carr will still joke around some, but if you aren't doing what you're supposed to be doing, that's a real big problem."
Carr proved he can re-energize late in his career, and again showed why, with a 113-34 record in 12 seasons as coach, he can stay as long as he wishes, which might not be a whole lot longer.
It's almost impossible to get Carr to talk about himself, so predicting when he plans to retire is an educated guess. He has been at Michigan for 27 years and I doubt he'll allow himself to get worn down before he has a chance to enjoy free time. That means he could be approaching his final season, or two, or three.
It's not important now, as the biggest game looms. It's only relevant as an example of how much motivation has churned inside Schembechler Hall this season.
"The way I look at it is, what I see out there on the field is me," Carr said.
"So the first guy I look at is me. Anytime you're coming off a season like we had, you either respond or you keep following that path. This season has been a lot of fun, but let's be clear on one thing -- winning colors everything."
'Win for Coach'
Carr still falls well short of giddy, but he's apt to display more of his light side these days. Players chuckle at his jokes, like the time he snuck into a team meeting wearing a Halloween mask. They also enjoy some of the quirkier mind games. For instance, when called to his office for any reason, a player must thumb through a dictionary outside the door and find a new word. The meeting commences after the player has given the word and definition to Carr.
On a small scale, it's a way to evolve. Admittedly, the larger-scale growth is more impressive.
You could look at Michigan's talent and recognize it was set up for a quick recovery, if properly tied together. Carr said he had no doubts in spring practice Michigan could be very good, especially when he saw the new blocking scheme, and then saw defensive terrors LaMarr Woodley and Alan Branch.
If you press him, Carr will admit he had similar feelings in 1997, when Michigan rebounded from back-to-back four-loss seasons to go 12-0 and win a national title. Then, like last year, Carr made changes. In '97, he first named DeBord his offensive coordinator.
Many questioned whether Carr could pull it off again, and some questions were warranted. But those who suggested he should leave were just foolish.
"This whole year, we wanted to win for Coach, for all the flak he's gotten," offensive tackle Jake Long said.
"Everybody was doubting him and saying he's not a good coach, and that really fired the whole team up. We wanted to get his respect back and get the respect for the team back."
Maybe that's why "Cinderella Man" resonates with this team. As stories go, it's a great one, although a worn one. That Carr used the film to inspire his team isn't a surprise. He's known to motivate in unique ways.
That he and his players identify with such a downtrodden character is the mild surprise. And that should answer any questions about how badly 7-5 feels in Ann Arbor.
"People believed we were still that beaten-down old Michigan team from last year," Woodley said. "No one believed (Carr) still had it. No one believed we still had it."
The odd thing is, players admit enduring the pain was worth it to get here. The best kinds of seasons, similar to the best kinds of movies, are the ones with deeper meaning and truer emotion.
It's not necessarily the preferred path for success, but when it works, it's fascinating to watch. For this season at least, Carr and the Wolverines have restored what was missing and reclaimed what was lost. In fact, they've regained almost everything they sought, almost but not quite. |
