The prospects for the 2005 Michigan offense are seemingly as high as they have
ever been. Despite the loss of former All-American receiver Braylon Edwards,
many feel that the talent the Wolverines have returning will prevent the unit
from missing a beat. That much was evident in the preseason polls, including
the AP rankings, which currently list the Maize and Blue fourth. As good is
it may feel to be thought of so highly, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr has stressed
to his players that they keep all of the positive press and lofty external expectations
in perspective.
"I tell them, don't worry about all the expectations except the ones in
this room," Carr said earlier today. "That's the way that anybody
has to approach a situation where they're going to be under such scrutiny. You
can't be worried about all those people that say 'you can't do this' or 'you
can't do that,' and 'somebody else should be playing.' The test is to be able
to concentrate at a high level, at a consistent level day-in and day-out so
that your performance can improve weekly. I think that we've talked about dealing
with pressure and that's all part of it. On a day-to-day basis, it's all about
being focused on what your goals are, what the goals of our team are, understanding
that this is a team game and it means to be successful everyone needs to play
the role that they're asked to play."
Some of the highest
expectations have been thrust upon second year quarterback Chad Henne. After
turning in an outstanding freshman campaign in which he threw for 2,743 yards
and tied the school record for touchdown passes in a season with 25, the key
for him is to not become content with his current standing. That is a message
Carr has sent to all of his players, but one that is particularly pertinent
to Henne and fellow sophomore phenom Mike Hart.
"What I try to tell them is that playing here is a double-edged sword,"
Carr said. "The great thing is the pressure, the stress, and the expectations.
If you don't want that, then you're in the wrong place. There are ways to handle
it. It's a lot more fun when they're saying good things and writing nice things.
Even then, you have to fight the complacency and this idea that you've arrived
and that this is going to be easy because that's what happens when you have
success."
Henne seems to have internalized his coach's words of wisdom. As good as he
was last year, the Pennsylvania native made it clear that he understands that
he can get better. "There are always things to improve on, both mentally
and physically," Henne said. "It's pretty easy to improve from year
to year because you can capitalize on all the mistakes you made in the past
that next year. You always want the pressure on your shoulders because that's
when you perform the best. You always want to play your best, and being in those
situations can only help you along the way."
Like Henne, Hart
indicated that he also thrives on the pressure that comes with being a Wolverine.
"High expectations are what you come to Michigan for," said Hart.
"You want to be the best. To do that you have to beat everybody and take
all the praise and criticism that comes with that. We are looking forward to
defending the Big Ten Championship."
After Hart's rousing success last year, defenses will probably key on him a
lot more in 2005. That said, the burden of handling all of the tailback duties
should be lessened this season thanks to the contributions of a couple of other
talented backs. As was mentioned by Carr last week in Chicago, sophomore Max Martin and true freshman Kevin Grady both turned in strong springs. That, however,
does not mean that he is heading into the season with set plans for each of
them to get a certain number of touches. How many carries they get will be determined
by how effective they are in practice and by what's best for the team.
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Lloyd Carr and
Kevin Grady |
"I remember several years ago, one of the greatest players in the country
came in here on a recruiting visit and he had a relative with him who wanted
to know what my plan was to get the ball to him," Carr recalled. "I
don't look at it that way. I certainly am not motivated by doing something to
keep somebody happy. I am motivated by helping each guy develop to his potential
and do the things that he's capable of doing to help our football team."
The wealth of talent in the backfield is almost certainly welcomed problem
after last year's early season rushing woes. A problem that is unwelcome, though,
is the present state of his center situation. "I think there is one thing
that would help me sleep better than anything else, and that's to know who our
starting center is going to be," Carr said. "I go back to 1997 when
I had the same problem. We moved a guy named Zach Adami in there to center and
he had a great year and was a great leader. I think that's the issue. Rueben Riley, I think will have a great year. I think he came out of nowhere in what
he did the last part of that season. He's a big, powerful, competitive guy.
The question is whether he can stay at guard, which is what I would prefer,
or if we're going to have to move him to center. That's going to be some time
here into training camp before we decide."
Riley's versatility will hopefully give the Wolverines the same sort of flexibility
David Baas did last year. Much like his predecessor, Riley is much more concerned
with helping the team than he is with where he lines up. "I just prefer
to be on the field," Riley said regarding what position he would like to
play. "If they want me to kick the ball, I'll learn how to do that. I want
to be playing. That's the bottom line. No matter where. Coach Carr told me to
be ready to play both left guard and center. I'll go into camp doing that and
I'll let the coaches decide coaches where to put me. It looks great. We definitely
miss #75 (Baas), but the line looks great. I'm real optimistic about this season."
Look for much more from media day in the hours and days to come.