Press Conference Comments from Head Coach Lloyd Carr
11/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Press Conference Comments from
U-M Head Football Coach Lloyd Carr
Previewing Ohio State (Nov. 22); Reviewing Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Opening remarks ... "I thought last Saturday was the best performance I can recall that we've had coming off a bye week. I thought we played with very good intensity, I thought our execution was good. I was disappointed in the fact that we had two touchdowns called back because of penalties. Certainly when we allowed the kickoff to go back into our own territory in the first quarter that eventually led to a field goal is something that we need to get corrected. But we're excited about hosting a great Ohio State team and the renewal of the greatest rivalry in college football."
On the importance of this rivalry ... "Anytime you have a game that means as much as this game means to so many people, a game that down through history has included so many great players, so many great coaches, so many great games and so many memorable games and had so much impact on the tradition of college football. All the times that the game came down to the Rose Bowl and in some cases the national championship. Anytime you have the opportunity to participate in that kind of rivalry it's very special. I think all of us understand that. I think it's something that means a great deal to every guy that participates in it."
On the implications of the game ..."In my experience it seems like almost every year, somebody has the championship on the line. In many cases both teams do. And certainly when both teams have a lot at stake it adds to it, but I think regardless, it's one of those games that has great meaning regardless of what's at stake."
On concentrating on the present ... "The thing I try to tell our players is, there's going to be tremendous discussion about all the games that had so much meaning, but the truth is, the only Ohio State-Michigan game that's important is the next one. I've had some great memories, I've had some moments when things didn't go our way, and of course those are the most difficult. It's just exciting to be a part of another one and it's something we all look forward to."
On Michigan fans ... "At Michigan, I think Ann Arbor has always had a tradition of being a very hospitable place. That's not a tradition that every community has been able to develop. I certainly hope that we will continue to be a place that takes great pride in the way that we host people that are visiting. I think it's an important issue. I think more than any other time in the history of intercollegiate athletics it is important that we set a standard for the way that we would like to be treated when we go other places, and I'm sure that we'll do that this weekend."
On Ohio State ... "I think the game will be a great matchup. When I look at the Ohio State defense, I'd see a veteran, experienced group. Very talented, very well-coached. When I look at all the statistics, of course the statistic that stands out the most is 50 yards a game allowed rushing. I think that has to be one of the best in modern football history at the college level. That's something that is obviously a great defensive football team. What adds to the problem, and what really is one of the key factors in this great Ohio State team, is the fact that they have two of the, maybe the two best kickers in college football. When I look at the Purdue game it's easy to play your defense, or much easier, when you have great field position. In the Purdue game, Purdue forced Ohio State to punt 10 times. Seven of those times, the ball was down inside the 20-yard line, and five of those seven times it was down inside the 10. So you put a great offense inside the 10-yard line against a great defense, you're going to have a very difficult time. And Ohio State offensively is very opportunistic and it's improving. They had a lot of injuries down through the course of the season on the offensive line, I think they're playing very well right now."
On tailback Chris Perry ... "Chris Perry is a great football player because he's not a one-dimensional guy, he's not a guy who's only going to play when he gets the football. He's a devastating pass protector, he's an outstanding pass receiver, and he's a guy that has great vision, he has great feet, and he's strong and he's powerful and he's passionate. He loves the game, and that's what makes him so much fun to coach."
On the game plan ... "I think we're probably going to have to throw every down. You'll probably see us with no backs in the backfield and just throwing. That's the problem, and that's what it comes down to. That's the fun of the game, trying to find out a way to win and a way to offensively have some success."
On Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel ... "When I look at quarterbacks, the thing I look for is intelligence and toughness first. From a throwing standpoint, you like a guy with a strong arm, a guy that's accurate. I think Krenzel is a great decision-maker. He doesn't make many mistakes. He plays within himself, he plays within the offense, and so he doesn't make any mistakes. Anytime you have a guy back there that understands the essence of the game is winning, it's not about statistics, it's not about how many passes you complete or how many touchdown passes you throw, it's about winning. I think that's what I like about him."
On defensive lineman Grant Bowman ... "In high school he played linebacker. He did not have the speed to be a linebacker at Michigan. But I liked his toughness, I liked his tremendous competitor, and as I met him and I got to talk with him, it was very obvious to me that Bowman is a kid of great character, very intelligent, and I just felt like he would have a great place in our program. I can't tell you that I would have guessed that he would have become the outstanding football player, because when you look at Bowman physically, he's not the most impressive guy from a stature standpoint at that position. But he's got a heart. He's got a heart as big as this room and he's had a great career at Michigan. He has played through injuries that would have ended my career; if I'd had those injuries I would have quit. So Bowman's the real deal."
On offensive tackle Tony Pape ... "Tony had an opportunity, like a lot of good football players, to play as a young player. He's a three-year starter, and as a sophomore it was obvious when he came here that he was one of those guys that was going to have a great career. He got an opportunity to start as a sophomore; I think he's gotten better and better. He's very smart, very tough, and what you see is a big, happy-go-lucky type of guy, easy-going, but I can assure you that the game is important to Tony. He takes great pride in his performance, likes to win, he's a team-oriented guy, and he's had a great career here. And he's not through playing."
On Ohio State defensive end Will Smith ... "Well, they move Smith around. I think one of the problems they give you is they give you a lot of fronts and a lot of stunts, a lot of pressure, and anybody that's going to block Will Smith or Darrion Scott or any of them is going to have their hands full. But certainly Smith is truly a great football player. He's not just one of those guys that can rush the passer. He's great against the run, he's a great athlete. They drop him out into coverage a lot. I think they do a great job using his talents, but certainly he's a great football player and he's going to present a tough match on any Saturday."
On the impact of the last two years on this game ... "I don't think anything that happened last year has anything to do with this game. I think they're a great football team. They are Ohio State. And Michigan-Ohio State is the greatest rivalry in college football. So I don't think you need anything more than that."
On Ohio State's strengths ... "When you have a great kicking game and you have a great defense, you're going to be in every game. When you add the fact that they have an outstanding offensive line, a veteran group, those guys have been starting forever. It would be nice to see some of them leave. And they have a quarterback that knows what he's doing, when they empty the backfield, they've got people that can threaten you deep, the receivers are talented. So in this game, I don't care what game it is, basketball, football, when you can play great defense, you're going to be in every game. That's why they're good. They don't make mistakes offensively, they don't turn the football over."
On exposing Ohio State's weaknesses ... "I don't think there's anybody out there that doesn't have a weakness. Me included. So the deal is, we've all got weaknesses, and that's what you're trying to look to exploit. That's one of the real challenges and one of the fun aspects of coaching."
On Ohio State's defense ... "They have great talent, they're veteran, they're experienced. Their linebackers are outstanding. The secondary is, I think, faster than they were a year ago. There's not much space. When you catch the football you'd better get ready to get hit, because they're going to be around the football because they're very athletic. When you add the pressure that they can put on with four men, three men, because of all the fronts they give you, it poses a problem."
On the best and worst things about Ohio State week ... "The worst thing you should be able to guess. Honestly, there aren't any bad parts of it, from the minute that the game ended Saturday night, until that ball is kicked off, the anticipation and all the things that you go through, the media part of it, for the players, they read everything that's written, they see it all, they see all the interviews, that's what's exciting. Certainly knowing that Saturday afternoon they're going to get to play and coach in this game and there's nothing quite like it, so there's nothing that I don't enjoy about it."
On his team's confidence ... "I like guys that have confidence, but by the same token the important thing is to be remembered for what you did. I told them yesterday, if you think you're the best, you'd better play like the best."
On Michigan's offense this season ... "Offensively, we've played very well throughout the course of the season. Certainly the first three quarters of the Minnesota game would be an exception, but I think we've played well throughout the season, from the beginning. We've not always been as successful as we've wanted to, but I think we've played well."
On the team's motivation for the game ... "We've got a hundred football players on our team, we've got a lot of different people in our building, a lot of coaches, a lot of doctors, people that are involved. Everybody is motivated in a different way. The key to winning, the key to finding a way to get it done, is preparing for what you're going to see on Saturday. All those external things and all of those things that are written about, they make great stories, but what you're trying to do is get focused in on those things on Saturday afternoon that will help you win. To the degree, in my judgment, that anything else enters your thinking, you are hurting your chances to be successful."
On the injuries to his team ... "Pierre (Woods) came out one play, but he's fine, he went back in. Jacob Stewart is very questionable. We'll have to see tomorrow, but my feeling is he won't be back. I'm sure he'll be back for anything following this game. But Marlin (Jackson), our plan and our hope was that he could get 15 or 20 snaps in there on Saturday, which he did. I think he's ready to play a much more expanded role. He's healthy and he's excited to go."
On Michigan's defense ... "I think our defense as a whole has played very well throughout the course of the season, again with the exception of a period in there in the Minnesota game where we did not tackle very well and we didn't support the run. I think our secondary, considering the fact that Marlin Jackson has missed four games or whatever he missed, if you had told me going into the season that he could miss four critical games in the middle of the season that we would continue to play as well as we have, particularly against some very good teams, I would not have expected that. But I do think our secondary has played very well. What I look at on the secondary is how many big plays they give up. With the exception of the communication problem we had against Michigan State, I think we've done a good job. But certainly with this game, the speed and athleticism will be our greatest challenge."
On his feelings about the game ... "I'm not very good at describing my emotions. That's a little bit deep-seated for me. But I can tell you that it's exciting, I can tell you that there's nothing quite like the colors, the noise, the bands, the crowds. Looking into the eyes of your players, knowing all the preparation, all the goals and all of the hard work and effort that they have put into the season and now they get an opportunity to play in the greatest game. There's nothing the coaches, the guys across the field that you're coaching against, knowing that they want to win every bit as bad as you do, and that the team across the field they want to win as bad as you do. There's nothing quite like it."
On quarterback John Navarre ... "I think John Navarre has had an outstanding season, I think he's had an outstanding career. I think anytime you get to be starting quarterback at Michigan as a sophomore, you're going to have some ups and downs. I think he's grown, I think he's matured, I think he's an outstanding leader, and I think he's everything that you could want. As an individual, he's special. There's no tougher man anywhere than John Navarre."
On whether this game will "define" Navarre's career ... "I don't think there's any game that defines any football player as a person. Your character defines you as a person. As a football team, you're going to leave a legacy, but in terms of how it defines you, I read that all the time, I think it's funny. What defines you is your character. I think both teams have people of outstanding character. Somebody's going to win and somebody's going to lose. Somebody's going to leave a legacy that they're excited about and somebody is going to have to deal with the other side of that coin, but that's what sport is all about."
On linebacker LaMarr Woodley ... "LaMarr has made an outstanding contribution and I would say I'm very surprised at the significance of his contribution because at that position it's very rare for an 18-year-old kid to walk in and have the impact he's had. With that said, he's still got a long way to go, he's got a lot of things he can improve on, but he's done a great job on special teams. He's made some big plays and his future is very bright."
On talking about the rivalry with his team ... "What I try to do is, the season really begins in February. That's when it begins. Those are the times, spring practice and in the summertime, when you have some opportunities to visit with your team and certainly in training camp, to me that's when you deal with all the issues that you're going to be confronted with in the course of the season. By the time you get to this game, there isn't a lot of time to stand around and talk about what it means. It's too late then."
On linebacker Lawrence Reid ... "Lawrence Reid is a tremendous young man, a guy that's made a great contribution, had a great season. When he went out with a blood clot a year ago, we really missed him because he was just beginning to play like we had hoped he would. He's an outstanding athlete, very smart, and he's a very unassuming. If you saw Lawrence Reid up on campus, you would never guess that he was an outstanding football player. He's an outstanding student and a guy that's going to be very successful in life. I did read an interview where he indicated that when he was out he realized how much he missed it and the injury helped him realize that you don't have, you need to be appreciative of any opportunities that you have because it doesn't last long. Lawrence comes from a wonderful family. I knew after I visited his house, this kid was never going to be a problem. I knew he was very serious about academics, and I knew I would never have an issue there because his mother would deal with that. I wouldn't have to."
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