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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDIA CONFERENCEAugust 7, 2006Lloyd CarrCOACH CARR: Good morning, everyone, welcome. Great to have you on time. We are starting practice tomorrow. You're players are in meetings as we speak. Some of them are finishing up the last week of summer school. And I with look forward to starting the 20206 season. This is really the final phase before the season starts. But based on winter conditioning, spring practice, summer conditioning, this team has displayed an outstanding work ethic. I think they are excited, and I'm certainly excited about the goals and challenges in front of us. Q. What's the difference going to be with Kevin Grady? COACH CARR: I think during spring practice, and that's an issue a lot of young players have to deal with, you really don't realize until you lose some weight what it does for you from the standpoint of quickness, from the standpoint of the ability to sustain over a long period of time, a consistent level of performance. What I think Kevin will be able to do this year is to -- I think he'll get to the hole quicker. I think he'll have a better burst. I think he'll be better when he gets into the secondary. You know, one of his strengths is the fact that he is an extremely powerful guy, and based on what I saw in the spring, the experience that he gained a year ago and the things that he's learned and now his conditioning, I think he's going to be a much, much improved football player. Q. Jake Long, what are you expecting from him this year? COACH CARR: I think when I look back at Jake's injury a year ago during training camp, we really thought they would not be able to come back before a Bowl game. I think if you talk to anyone in this program, what he displayed in terms of his rehabilitation, it takes a lot of time. He spent an exorbitant amount of time in that training room, getting treatment on a daily basis. He came back much sooner than we expected because he had a will and a desire and a determination to play. And that always speaks -- you find out about a guy's commitment when things are bad, when things aren't going well. And certainly dealing with a disappointment that he had to deal with, he was excited about the season. What he did was he showed the kind of commitment that allowed him to come back. He's an enormously talented guy. He has a great passion, love for the game and the competition. He has wonderful ability and he has a chance to be one of the great players we've had here. Q. Can you talk about Willis a little bit? COACH CARR: Well, Willis is a guy that's got a great energy and enthusiasm. A year ago, he played extremely well until he hurt his knee. And he never got back to where he was before that. But he's a guy that's on top of academics. He's done a great job here off the field and he's a guy that we are counting on to play an important role on this team. Q. You've spoken in the past about -- inaudible -- practice in his mind, to be able to finish games stronger? COACH CARR: Well, I think you know, part of I think any team, the development of any team is putting your team in situations where they can learn and certainly that's part of what we do on a daily basis. We did have an issue a year ago with the way we practiced because of the number of injuries that we had. We just warrant able to do some of the things that you need to do because of those situations. But yeah, I mean, we spent a lot of time, two-minute situations, throughout training camp, throughout spring practice working on situations. Because I think the way college football is today, you can count on a number of games in your season going down to the last two or three minutes, and then it's about being able to control the football offensively if you have the lead and score and put the game out of reach. Or if you're defensively on the field, it's about finding a way to keep them out of the end zone. Q. How important is it for him to start throwing this year because of the way he finished last year? COACH CARR: I think it's important for him to start strong any year, because if you can start strong, it creates momentum, it creates confidence, and certainly any championship team, if you look at the profile of championship teams, the Big 10 Championship, the National Championship, inevitably in the great percentage of times, those teams that are successful at those goals are teams that get off to a fast start. Q. For a young guy like Terrance Taylor -- COACH CARR: Well, I think Terrence in one year here has made tremendous strides in terms of his strength. He has wonderful athletic ability, and he's tough. He's a tough guy physically. He's going to have to learn as any young player does that when you move into a starting position, it's a lot different than being on a rotating basis. Because, you know, the daily grind, the number of plays that you play in a game, it wears on you and you have to do the things off the field in terms of your diet, in terms of your sleep, that will enable you to recover and come back the next day and the next week and do it for three months, and that will be the challenge that he has as a young player. Q. Will players continue to use what happened last year as motivation or do you want them to put it behind them? COACH CARR: Well, I think you spend a lot of time as a coach and as a player trying to figure out what you can do to improve. And that's where we are. What we want to try to do is starting tomorrow, we want to be a team that improves on a daily basis, and if we can do that, then we'll have a chance to reach our goals. Q. Can you talk about Lamar (ph)? COACH CARR: Well, I expect Lamar (ph) to reach the goals that he set for himself, and those are very high goals. But he's a very talented guy. He's another one of those guys, and I think looking back to the great players I've had, the one thing they have all had in common is a great passion for being the best. And Lamar (ph) has that, and so I'm excited about what he's potentially capable of doing this year. I know he's motivated. I know he wants to leave here with another championship, and with a great season. Q. Inaudible? COACH CARR: Well, I think that's really to be determined. Both Rueben and David are guys that have wonderful ability. I think Rueben can be as good as he wants to be and I think he has to overcome the inconsistency at times that he's had to deal with. And part of that is being moved from position to position but he's got enough experience now. He certainly has the physical talents. He's a smart guy. He is a guy that if he plays to his capabilities, he'll be an outstanding player because he's got everything it takes. And David had a very, very good year a year ago. He came back I think in our second or third game. He missed the first game with an injury. He missed most of training camp. But I thought he had a very about year and based on the foundation that he's developed as an athlete in terms of experience and confidence, I think he's ready to have a very good year again. Q. The quarterbacks, what difference do you think that will make, having veteran guys? COACH CARR: I think any time you have a veteran quarterback, you're going to have fewer mistakes than you have when you have inexperienced guys. An inexperienced guy, no matter how talented he is, is going to make some mistakes that comes from not being there before. With nine returning quarterbacks, I think defensively have a much greater challenge because all of toes guys have been in stadiums on the road. They have dealt with the crowd, the crowd noise. They have dealt with all the different defensive schemes that they are going to see. So they can go in there confident every time that they possess the football, that they can take it down and score. I think obviously there's a lot more pressure on a defense when an experienced quarterback is on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Q. After missing all of last year -- inaudible? COACH CARR: Well, I think we have very good competition there. That's the good news. I think the truth is that he's made significant progress with that injury. It was a nerve injury. And sometimes they don't come back. The strength doesn't return, which means that it's very difficult to play at a high level because you know that every time that you have contact when you have one of those injuries that it's going to be extremely painful. So it's just human nature that you're going to avoid some tackles, avoid some contact. You just can't play as well. And so I think based on what I've seen and what our trainer, Paul Schmidt tells me, is that Ryan is back and ready to go. And that certainly will be, you know, a great for our defense because he has displayed the ability to be a very good safety. Q. Does Chad Henne have to be more vocal? COACH CARR: I hear that all the time that he has to step up and be more vocal leadership has very little to do with being a vocal guy. Some guys have those qualities. But I think, you know, leadership comes down to your ability to motivate people, and that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be a loud, vocal guy. We've had a lot of great leaders around here that said very little. But I do think with his confidence that coming off -- and I think he finished the season, he had some outstanding games. I think that he will go into the season with all the confidence in the world, and he's going to have a much healthier offensive football team around him. I think he's going to have a much better team around him. And so all of those things factor into a quarterback. If you have a defense that gives up a lot of point, then you've got to score a lot of points. I think Henne is ready to step up and continue the process of being a great quarterback, which in my judgment he will be. Q. Inaudible? COACH CARR: Well, if you know Mike DeBord and Ron English, you'd be hard-pressed to find more guys that are more high energy, very intense, very passionate about the game, outstanding teachers. So I think our players have really related well to what they bring to our team. Q. What do you think about having the coaches challenge play review this year, have you thought about the types of situations where you might use that? COACH CARR: Well, I think, you know, any possession in a game, if you find -- in my opinion, it will be very difficult to try to save a review. If you think or if you feel like you know that you saw something was called, in my judgment, if it's going to give you the football, you're going to be able to maintain possession of the ball, or score, something of that nature, then you've got to use it. Because you may very well pass it up and look back and say, you know, if I had asked for a review there, it could have been the difference in the game. Whereas, if you save it, you may not get another chance to use it. I don't think it's -- my own view was that if you were successful in having a play overturned, a ruling overturned, you should have been able to keep a review. But because of the rules committee's -- well and I don't know that -- I don't think it was the rules committee as much as the oversight committee. They are trying to shorten the games, so they didn't want to give the coaches another review. I think going forward we'll continue to have to iron out some issues with replay. But it's here to stay, that's for sure. Q. What do you say to a guy -- inaudible -- who is right on the verge of starting for a long time, what does he have to do? COACH CARR: Well, I think he's got a lot to prove. He's had a lot of opportunities and he is a guy that has enough ability. It just comes down to performance. I think that's really what it's going to come down to. And there's one position in the offensive line that we've got some guys that I expect to compete very hard, and we also have some very, very talented young guys. I know in 1997 when we started the season, the big question mark was the offensive line, because we had Backus and Hutchinson were red-eye shirt freshmen and had never played a down. But yet those guys went on and had great seasons. So somebody will step up. I just don't know who. Q. Do you have a preference where you would like Rueben to start? COACH CARR: I don't have a preference, but I think Rueben has a preference and I think that he would prefer to play guard. The good news for us is that he's played both. I think he's more than willing to play tackle, which says a lot about him. I think he's willing to do what our team needs him to do. But, if he would rather play guard, then I'd rather have him play guard, because, you know, I think if he's happier playing a position, then you know, I would prefer to have him in a place where he'd rather be. Q. Herb Gramati (ph), have you seen a picture -- COACH CARR: I've known herb a long, long time, as you know he retired from Central Michigan. He's done down a few times to watch practice. And as we talked, his daughter, he has a daughter that lives here in town. So he indicated he's going to be spending some time here, and so as we talked, the idea that maybe we could have something for him to do. You know, he's also had a lot of experience as an athletic director. So I just looked at him as being a guy that it would be great to have him around for young coaches or players, and I think there's a lot of things that he could take a look at, maybe come up with an idea or two. And he's dealt a lot with the media, so maybe he can help me -- oh, yeah, who doesn't. (Laughter). Thank you. That was a cutting -- that was a cutting remark, my God. Q. Inaudible? COACH CARR: Well, you know, Mike is one of those guy the that he has a presence. I mean, he is one of those guys that has a lot to say and because he does and he does it with high energy, there's no question that he brings a spark to our team on both sides of the ball. I think our players really like him. I think they respect him. You know, I think he's a great football player. I mean, Mike Hart has got, in my opinion, everything you need to be successful on and off the field. I think he's a great football player. Q. You set really high expectations for Jake, what does he have to do to live up to that, a guy who has as much talent as he has, what is success? COACH CARR: Well, I think success, it all begins in my judgment, the great measure of performance begins with consistency. I mean, he's got to go in week-in and week-out and he's got to avoid bad games. He's got to play at a high level from start to finish. That's what a great player does. And I think he's capable of doing that. I think that's what he wants to do. And now, he has to go do it. Because all the talk and all the hype and all the things that are said prior to the season, really, they don't mean damn. It's what you do, and that's how you're measured. Q. Jason, do you expect to step up as a receiver? COACH CARR: Well, I think we have wonderful depth at that position. I think a very underrated player for us has been Carl Tabb. Breaston I think had as good a spring as any receiver I remember. And of course Mario Manningham is bigger and stronger, and Carl Tabb is back. Doug Dutch is a guy that has a lot of ability. He just hasn't brought it to the field yet, and we need him to do that. And of course Adrian Arrington is back. He's had a good spring. I don't know that he's 100% but he's close. Then we have a red shirt freshman, LaTerryal Savoy from down in Louisiana, who was a big guy, big target, good hands. He's going to play a role. And I think our freshman, Greg Matthews, is a guy with wonderful potential. You know, with receivers, because of how much they run, what you'd like to do is get them in the rotation, get them some playing time, so that they can gain confidence and that way as you progress through a season, you never know who is going to step up and really become a factor. Of course, Mario had that opportunity a year ago, and for a true freshman had a wonderful season. You need a lot of guys on our offense at the receiver position, and if we can stay healthy there and if Doug Dutch can step up there, because he's got a lot of ability. Q. What did Breaston do in the spring that impressed you and why is he -- inaudible? COACH CARR: I think first of all, when you follow a guy like Braylon Edwards (ph), I think the expectations are sometimes a part of the issue. But Breaston has proven he's a great football player. I mean, if you look at what he does, just on special teams and what he's done on special teams. But he think the other thing that you have to remember about Breaston, a year ago, he was never healthy. He had a hamstring coming out of training camp. He was never where he could have been had he been healthy. So I think he's in great condition. I think he's one of those guys who is a tremendously committed athlete, training, and he's done all that. And his performance in the spring was unbelievable. I mean, he did a lot of great things. So that's why I'm confident. I think that's why he's confident. Q. How hard is it for Leon Hall to have the season -- COACH CARR: Well, I think he had an excellent year, an excellent year. He had one game that he didn't play as well in. But if you look at consistency, I thought he had an outstanding Bowl game. I think if you look at his consistency a year ago, he was one of our better football players. I said this a year ago, I thought before he left here, he would be one of the better cornerbacks in the nation and there's no doubt in my mind that if he could stay healthy, that he will fulfill that prophecy. Q. Inaudible? COACH CARR: Well, we've talked about things that we need to do to be better; the difference between a championship team and an also-ran. So to that extent, you're always talking about things that you need to do better and so from that standpoint -- but dwelling on it, no. This is a new team, new leadership and new goals. So that's the deal. Q. Where do you expect to make the most improvements from last year to this year? COACH CARR: Coaching. Q. Who else do you figure to see back there? COACH CARR: Leon Hall has proven to be an excellent return guy. Carlos Brown will be a guy that will work in there this fall. He worked some in the spring. You know, there's always other guys that what you try to do during the course of a season is you normally have some injuries, some bumps and bruises. So there's three or four other guys that we'll look at and see how they develop. Q. Contender for that right tackle spot, as a true freshman -- COACH CARR: I think Justin Boren came in in the spring and did a wonderful job at left guard. I think he has considerable promise. And I think Schilling obviously wasn't in the spring, but just based on what I saw on high school film; his work ethic this summer, he came in and he really has a maturity about him. Now, the real question for him is in a short period of time, can he pick up enough knowledge and understanding to compete that soon, and we'll just have to see. Q. Inaudible? COACH CARR: Well, I think there's been discussions along that line. There may be a way. What I would like to do is let them compete for that job. Ross Ryan did a wonderful job a year ago as our kickoff guy, and he did an excellent job as our punter. He was extremely consistent. And the number of returns we had against us were probably the lowest since I've been at Michigan, and that's because he got the ball high. So we had I think great success for the most part in our punt team. But Mesko has a great leg. We have to see if he's developed the consistency that we need. But certainly it's going to be good competition, and I don't rule out the opportunity or the decision to kick them both. Q. Having a guy with that kind of experience -- COACH CARR: I think Garett had some down spots a year ago. And yet he's been in a lot of big games, he's made a lot of great kicks, and he's dedicated himself in the off-season. Certainly the experience that he's had should enable him to have a great year. Q. A lot has been made of the transformation, it wasn't just like not eating and sleeping, did you overhaul the conditioning program and the weight program, because it's not just dieting. COACH CARR: Well, I think we had a very focused effort on all of those issues. When you look at a program and you look back at a season, it's never just one thing that makes you successful or that makes you unsuccessful. But certainly our quickness, our mobility, as I looked at it, I thought that is an area that we could really improve. We had a concerted effort in terms of diet. It comes back to our training table. And of course, in the final analysis, it comes down to the discipline that each player can exert in terms of the goals from a weight standpoint that he's set. And then in terms of our conditioning program, we worked hard. We ran a lot, probably more than we have. So all of those things combined I think we go into this season a more fit team than we have been. Q. Some of the other changes -- Ohio State -- inaudible? COACH CARR: Well, I think first of all, from our standpoint, they want to play at 6:00 a.m., we'll be there. If they want to play at midnight, we'll be there. It doesn't matter what the conditions are. We'll be there and we'll compete. That's the way we look at it as a team. I think what you're referring to is what it does to the fans and the invasion of television in dictating all of these schedules. And I really don't care to get into that at this time. Q. General observation about the overall schedule? COACH CARR: Well, you know, some mountains are higher than others. Certainly, when you look at our schedule, it's a challenging schedule. We've always played a challenging schedule. This is no different. When you look at the teams that are ranked up there, you know, we have some challenges there. There are some great rivalries that go into this schedule every year. So we're excited about the challenge of the schedule. Q. Do you have a practice schedule for the next couple of weeks? COACH CARR: Well, when we start tomorrow, we'll have five days, really, of acclimatization. Saturday will be the first day of full pads. We'll practice once a day Tuesday through Saturday, and then take Sunday off. Next Monday we'll begin the 2-1-2's. We'll practice twice on Monday, once on Tuesday, twice on Wednesday, once on Thursday, etc., and that lasts really for two weeks. We'll taper off at the end of that second week a little bit and get into game week and get ready to go. Q. Are those open practices? COACH CARR: Absolutely. (Laughter) Herb probably would want to do that. The only reason I don't open it up -- I want to be clear on this. I've had a lot of people come to me in privacy and tell me never to open it up because they don't want to be bored to death standing they are watching practice every day and they are editors would make them come to practice. So I really tried to be as cordial as I can. Q. Inaudible -- add to the defense? COACH CARR: Last fall he was a major disappointment in training camp. I think he came in with the idea that this was -- he did not understand I think the kind of effort, the kind of intensity, the kind of attention that you have to pay on a daily basis to the game. So it kept him on the bench. Eventually he came to the realization that there was a standard that he was going to have to meet, and the good news is that he learned a valuable lesson. Late in the season, I thought he developed and made a lot of plays for us, and he worked extremely hard this winter and he had -- of all of our linebackers, he was the outstanding linebacker on this team this spring. He was outstanding. So I think now, he's confident and I think he understands what it takes. That's not unusual for a lot of players to go through. I think Crable is prepared to have an outstanding year. Q. I don't have the exact number but if I recall correctly -- inaudible -- do you think the slow start was just a tough opponent, bad luck or do you think it's something that's proper a problem with the program and what are you trying to do -- because Notre Dame -- inaudible -- what are you trying to do to get off to a quicker start? COACH CARR: We're going to try to win all those games. Q. All any other freshmen -- inaudible? COACH CARR: Well, we're not -- I don't have anything to say on that at this point because of confidential issues. At some point I will. Q. Do you expect you can still add anyone or are you where you expect to be roster-wise? COACH CARR: You mean from who is here now? Q. Is anybody still have issues -- COACH CARR: Yeah, we have one issue there that is in front of the clearing house. Thank you.
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