Lloyd Carr Quotes on Selection of U-M Football Captains
8/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
On his captains "I'm extremely happy and it's always been my belief that if you're going to be a great leader, you have to have been someone who was a great follower. All three of these guys paid their dues; they've all been through difficult times. Carl Diggs, of course, is coming off a serious injury. Grant Bowman, his sophomore and junior years, he played hurt throughout the year. I think this team selected three guys that have outstanding character and are selfless. All the things I think a Michigan football player should be, they represent. Terry Barr spoke to our team back in 1995, and he told them the greatest teams have the greatest leaders. There's no question in my mind that this team took that vote seriously and selected three guys that I think are going to be great leaders along with their senior teammates."
On the leadership of his senior class "Well, I think we have great chemistry. I think the test of leadership is in the season. Every team is going to face some adversity of different types. It's a long season. The measure of leadership is perseverance, commitment and discipline. Those are the things that determine great leadership, so we'll see how they measure up. Based on what they've done here, I don't have any doubts that we're going to have great leadership."
On leading by example "I look at these three guys and in their own ways, they're not guys that do a lot verbally. They're unassuming guys that have gained the respect of their teammates, more than anything else, through their actions, through the way they've handled things and their work ethic. You can't be a great leader if you're out there talking about one thing and doing something else. You have to be a pacesetter in the off-season, all those things. It's no different than any other aspect of life. You have to earn the respect. You don't do that overnight. You do that over a period of time. I think that's what they've done, and I think you have to perform, that's part of it. Part of leadership is performance."
On the importance and seriousness of leadership on a football team "I think all of them, every team has had instances where leadership has made a difference, and there are times when leadership wasn't what was required. I look back to Tom Brady in the locker room at the end of the Syracuse game. I remember Steve Hutchinson lost 10 or 15 pounds during his fifth year because of some of the leadership challenges that he had. He lost sleep. A great leader, a great captain is a guy that is concerned about the attitude and the chemistry. You have to be aware of a lot of things, because there are a lot of things that can ruin a team. Selfishness is one thing and this is a game that requires a discipline off the field and the captains have to have the pulse of their team. They have to be able to communicate publicly. And they certainly have to be able to communicate with me because they represent their teammates to me. There are things that players will say to a captain that they wouldn't necessarily bring to me. So they need to be able to communicate and tell me what the lay of the land is and what are the issues here. If you have great communication throughout the squad then you have a much better chance to be successful."
On the procedure for electing captains "I know since I've been here, and I assume probably since 1969, sometime in the second week of training camp, we've voted. After they vote, I normally choose two sophomores to go with Coach (Fred) Jackson into another room and they count the ballots and then they bring it to me. I announce the captains, and following that we have a team meeting where the captains lead a discussion on the goals for that season."
On the reason behind waiting until training camp to elect captains "I think there are a lot of things. What I like about doing it this way is it gives you the longest opportunity as a team to really gauge the qualities that you want in a leader. You have the summertime, you have spring practice, you have the winter program and then you have training camp. How does a guy conduct himself on and off the field from the beginning of the season, which really, the first phase is in January How a guy reports in the fall. Is he in great shape Some people I'm sure make up their minds before the meeting and before training camp about whom they're going to vote for. I think the advantage is, you really get to see a guy up until really the last week before the season starts and I think that gives you more time to make a good decision."
On what determines the number of captains from year to year "I always put a quote there on the ballot from Fielding Yost, it's going back 100 years to what he felt a captain must exemplify, some of the qualities. Below that quote is a list of all the seniors and you vote for one defensive player and one offensive player. If the vote between two guys is very close, then we end up with three. And that could conceivably be four. We've had three I don't know how many times, but a considerable number of times, and I always take into consideration who they are as well. But it's really, at that point, my call."
On how the team is doing so far in training camp "We had a major scrimmage on Saturday afternoon at the stadium. I was very pleased with our defense and I was very disappointed offensively, primarily because we had too many dropped balls and too many turnovers. If you can't take care of the football then you're going to have a hard time reaching your goal. I think we have a lot of good competition. Garrett Rivas has kicked the ball extremely well, but Adam Finley, when you watch him kick, it's not always pretty but Finley has a knack for getting the ball between the uprights. We have good competition there. Our punt returners, right now I'd say the top three would be Steve Breaston, Jason Avant and Markus Curry, although we're working with some other guys because that's a position where invariably do you have a guy missing some time. So one of the things we've tried to stress is working hard on punt returning because of the new rule which is going to put a real premium on the judgment a punt returner uses in terms of whether he fair catches it. But offensively, I think Tim Massaquoi has made a move at tight end and of course Tyler Ecker is competing hard there. I think the upside is he (Ecker) has a lot of good days ahead of him. He's behind because he missed spring practice, but for a guy coming back after two years he's worked extremely hard this summer. I think Ecker is going to be a very good tight end."
On his linebackers "Lawrence Reid has had an excellent fall and Scott McClintock has played the best football he's played since he's been here. He's in great shape. Carl Diggs has missed a couple of days but he's back to full speed. He's a little stiff in that leg, but I expect him back here today at full go. David Harris has continued to impress, and I think Harris is going to play an important role on this football team. Pierre Woods I think has improved and Roy Manning has improved. Shawn Crable has played very well, although he did bang up his shoulder yesterday so I don't know where he'll be for next few days, but we're pleased with where our linebackers are."
On Lawrence Reid "I think Lawrence, once he got back into the swing of things in the spring, I think his weight is back, he's a guy that can run, he's had enough experience that he knows what to do, and he's really playing with a lot of intensity. I think he's playing with the most confidence since he's been here. As a young player, there are a lot of times out there when you first have an opportunity to play where you're thinking too much. I think the best news is that he and Scott McClintock both are now reacting much quicker because they know what to do."
On Zach Kaufman's progress "He's been in and out. He's practiced a lot. He's missed some, he's had some swelling so he'll take a day off and come back. He's made good progress but we just have to see, because you really don't know about a knee. You just don't know from day to day."
On his freshman players "The thing that you try to determine is are they going to be able to play enough to make it worthy of a year of eligibility. Injuries are always a factor. LaMarr Woodley has shown that kind of athletic ability, he's improved dramatically I think in terms of using his hands. He's one of those guys that are hard to block because he's so athletic and so quick that he may get blocked initially but he always finds a way to get off the block and get to the football. I think he's going to be a great pass rusher. I think he's really done well. Leon Hall is a guy that missed the first week, he had some problems with his hand, he had some surgery so he missed the first week, but as a cornerback, of the young kids, he has shown that he's very smart, he picks things up very quickly and considering he missed a week, we'll have to see how he continues to develop, but he's done a very good job. Of course, Ryan Mundy and Prescott Burgess are in the mix there and we'll just have to see."
On Marlin Jackson's status "I'm not going to dwell today on that issue. Am I happy No. Marlin put himself in a position where something happened that is not something that he wanted to happen. Anytime you're dealing with alcohol and you're out at two o'clock in the morning, those are issues that don't go together very well. So am I happy No. But one issue that I was clear on, and I've never defended poor behavior and I never will and of course that behavior was not something Marlin feels good about, nor do I. The other major issue is this: that the accusation, the allegation was that Marlin used a bottle. Now Marlin took a lie detector test that was given by a former detective at the Ann Arbor police department, a very reputable man, and with regard to that issue, it is clear that he was telling the truth. That to me is a career-threatening or career-ending issue that we don't have to deal with."
On potentially facing Minnesota on a Friday night "We're not going to play on a Friday night. That's pretty simple. First of all, I think the American Football Coaches Association has been very strong in being opposed to playing college games on Friday nights because it interferes with high school football. More importantly, from our standpoint that would mean that we would have to leave here on Thursday, which would give us one less day of preparation and more importantly it would add to the class time that our players would miss. We are not going to play on Friday night, not if I have anything to do with it. Maybe I won't have anything to say about it, but that's my position."
On when that decision will be made "I think and I'm hoping that the commissioner will make a decision on September 1. I don't see how he could possibly wait until the 28th of September as I see has been mentioned in some press reports. I don't know where that issue is, but our position here is that the decision has to be made and it has to be made quickly."
On where that game could be played "Well, I think it's not my problem. If I was the Michigan coach, and I was making the decision, we'd play right here. But I don't think that's going to happen. I think Ford Field has been mentioned as a viable option, but we'll just have to see."
On Minnesota's facility situation "I think it goes back to the Big Ten Conference. If you're going to compete in this conference, when they schedule games, you have to have a facility where you can play. I think Minnesota has a great football tradition. I've talked to Glen Mason a number of times and I have tremendous respect for Minnesota. It has nothing to do with the University of Minnesota but I know that he certainly feels that they need their own facility and maybe this is an issue that will help them get one."
On who will be making that decision "I'm not going to get into what I would do because it's not going to be my decision, but I think that will be worked out by the commissioner and by the athletic directors and whoever is involved in making that decision."
On the importance of a timely decision "You just don't say we're going to have a game two weeks before the game. There are a lot of things that need to be done: the travel arrangements for your teams for one; not to mention the issue of, if you go to a neutral site there is going to be a cost involved. If there's a cost involved you need to make sure that you can sell tickets. That's another issue."
On why games aren't played on Friday nights "Again it goes back to an academic issue. We'll have a road game the previous week. In fairness to the players, the way the schedule is laid out, you play every Saturday. That's the way it ought to be, one o'clock would be the preference."
On the offensive struggles in training camp "I think training camp is long and it's monotonous. You're going twice a day and there's always I think periods in any training camp where you're not as sharp as you want to be. I'm confident that we're going to have a good offensive football team. If you're going to turn the football over, we did a study and 89 percent of the time the team that wins the turnover battle will win regardless of any other statistics. Now, if that's true then I think it's pretty important that you take care of the football. Now that's involved with how well you protect the passer. If the passer gets knocked down every time he throws the football or if a guy can't get open or if he's careless when he puts the ball away after he gets it or you have a running back miss a block on a linebacker and a linebacker comes through. So it's a team issue. It's not always just the guy that fumbles or throws an interception. So what we have to do is understand as a team that our best chance to win is to take care of the football. Now it's part of the game and it's a fundamental part of the game."
On the backup quarterback competition "Matt Gutierrez has moved ahead. Spencer (Brinton) has missed time; going back to last season and into spring practice he's had an aggravating problem that has held him out. So it has hindered his ability in this competition."
On the injury situation "Bill Sheridan took a horrible shot. We didn't get it on film because we were in a one-on-one drill where we have a running back and a blocker and a defender. Bill got a little too close to the drill and took an unbelievable shot to the knee and of course never missed a down. I told the team he's the toughest guy on this team, that's for sure. There's some damage in there; it was an ugly thing. We're in good shape from an injury standpoint. Willis Barringer is going to have some surgery today on a thumb injury; he should be back in a couple of days. Willis is really having a fine fall. For this stage of training camp we're pretty healthy."
On his running backs "David Underwood has really continued to play well. The guy that really has made a move is Pierre Rembert in that third spot. Jerome Jackson has done a good job in there, but we'll find out here. We have a passing situation, a scrimmage this afternoon, and then we'll have our final scrimmage on Friday. So we have a lot of things to look at here, but they're all working hard and competing hard."
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