Lloyd Carr: Michigan Wolverines going through ‘really difficult time’
Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Lloyd Carr had a potential Hall of Fame career during his tenure running the Wolverines, which included a national championship in 1997 and five Big Ten conference championships, but after his retirement after the 2007 season, it has been a tough transition to get back on solid footing.
Carr spoke of the difficult transition Michigan finds itself in with Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press:
"“When I left, the change in terms of philosophy, it was dramatic and that is where we are,” Carr said Monday night, referring to Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense, a shift from the pro-style passed on from Bo Schembechler to Gary Moeller to Carr. “Brady shares the philosophy that Bo brought here. But in the meantime he still has to get all his guys in there. So it’s been a really difficult time. Now he did a great job a few years ago. If you get to the Sugar Bowl, you’re one of the best teams in the country.“There has never been a period where you go without having some downtime. But there never has been a time where Michigan football has (not) come back.”"
The Rodriguez era would like to be swept under a rug and never mentioned again, but Hoke brought optimism to Ann Arbor after an 11-2 first season that ended with the Sugar Bowl win as Carr referenced.
However, the last two years for him have resulted in a 15-11 record and a 9-7 conference record, including a 3-5 mark last year while going 0-2 in bowl games, including a drubbing at the hands of Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl this past season.
Will this be the year Michigan football comes back?
Spring practice begins with a big question at quarterback where Devin Gardner will compete with Shane Morris for the job as the game’s most important position.