Camp Confidential with Carlos Brown
8/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Each week a different Wolverine football player will tell his story about fall camp as Michigan prepares for its 129th football season and its season opener against Utah on August 30.
Junior tailback Carlos Brown sat down this week to discuss injury recovery, the new offense, intensity of camp and what to look for this season.
I missed the spring with a finger injury, but the Michigan medical staff did a great job of helping me rehab and get ready for camp. I've been able to practice, and it hasn't held me back at all and I feel good about my progress. Every day we do a little something different. We have a deep playbook and there is a lot of stuff in there I didn't know, but our offense is coming along and I'm progressing well despite missing the spring. I took mental reps when I was injured, and now I'm applying what I learned to the field.
Space is a big thing in the spread offense, allowing our ball carriers to make a lot of plays. I like it a whole lot. I feel that once I get into space, I can make things happen. We're running a fast offense that's very up-tempo and my job is simple -- to get into space and make plays. I feel like we have a lot of people in the offense that can do that.
On offense, a lot of the freshmen like Sam McGuffie, Martavious Odoms and Terrance Robinson are looking good. As a unit we're coming along. Our defense is looking good too as a unit and there are a lot of standouts on that side of the ball.
We get better every day and things are shaping up as we get ready for the 30th. We are really looking forward to August 30th and that motivates us during a long camp. You look next to you and you see that your friends are going through the same things you're going through, you look down the line and the faces are looking the same way you're looking. You have to pull together because everybody is trying to reach. We band together, reach out to each other for help and try to get through to the next day.
Everything is a new experience, which is a good thing. Coach Rodriguez is a funny guy and he does some funny things, and the coaching staff and our players are all getting used to each other. Practices are intense, so when you're at the hotel, you're resting. You get some shuteye or kick up your feet and just relax. I read a little bit, which helps me pass the time as well.
I'm looking forward to everything in the next few weeks. We'll have a Gong Show next week, which will be interesting because I've never been a part of something like that before. We have a charity bowling event scheduled which will be fun, but mostly we're looking forward to getting this season kicked off.
I think we're going to have a good year.
