M Season Hinges on Oregon Game?
The officials might not be the only
ones not paying attention to Carr
“…what grows at some point must cease growing. And, following a period of maturity, must decay…decay is an inevitable part of life, and the attempt to deny [it’s existence] is evidence of either an immature or a disturbed understanding.
“Things grow over time…there is a time to accumulate and there is a time to disperse, and the final disassembly is decay, which takes place so that new life may take place.”
-David Mamet: “Decay: Some Thoughts for Actors”
That Mamet quote is perhaps a bit heavy-handed for a post about college football but it fits in along the lines of what Jim Carty wrote this morning for the Ann Arbor News. He opines that the Michigan Football team’s debacle signals the end of Lloyd Carr’s tenure as the head football coach at the University of Michigan.
Sometimes the Game tell you When to Go - September 2nd
No matter what happens from this point on, 2007 will be the year that Michigan showed up for the season opener underprepared and overconfident and was embarrassed by a team that made up for questionable size and talent with a state-of-the-art offense, better conditioning and a hunger to do what no one thought possible.
For those who want to consider other reasons for the poor performance on Saturday there are at least two other explanations: Carr suggested that many of the offseason run-ins with the law probably showed that his team has discipline issues; and Johnny at Ronald Belamy’s Underachieving All Stars wrote a piece - as if it was written by Mike Hart - that might help explain why Michigan has gone 0-3 since the passing of program patriarch Bo Schembechler.
See they like to tell you what happened to Bo toughens the soul. That it’s gonna be like the end of fucking Braveheart when they threw William Wallace’s sword into the field and suddenly everyone learns how to do some real legendary shit…But no one ever considers that maybe it ruins the man for good. Like no real revival, you just wake up every morning after that with a hole in your heart. I think when Bo died a little piece of Coach died too.
There wasn’t much question that this season is likely to be Lloyd Carr’s last as head coach. Carty touched on it in the article I linked above and the recent change to Carr’s contract regarding deferred compensation can be intrepreted to suggest Carr plans on making this his final season as head coach.
Losing to 2-time 1-AA champ Appalachian State could signal that Carr perhaps stuck it out one season too long. That’s why the game against Oregon is so important: if the team wins they have a chance to regroup and save their season; if they lose the scrutiny and ridicule that has surrounded the program for the past three days will only intensify.
Carr has been a great motivator when he’s been able to circle the wagons and use the “us against the world” motivational tactic that is so common in sports. But in this situation the feeling is probably much more palpable than usual given the amount of attention Appalachian State’s victory has generated. If Michigan comes out and plays in a manner that shows the world that last Saturday’s game was a fluke they can build off that momentum.
But if the team suffers from a hangover because Carr cannot motivate them, and if the defense has a terrible showing for the fourth game in a row, then Michigan’s downfall - something that has hit every other major college football program over the past 10 years - will become the narrative for this team in what is likely Carr’s final season at the helm.
appalachian state Lloyd Carr Michigan Football oregon ducksNo Comments
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