Goodbye Lloyd

Over the past few seasons I have not been a big fan of Lloyd Carr. But watching his press conference today did make me a little sad and reminded me of what I do like about him and what I like about Michigan football. I was reminded of my first time at the big house which was also Coach Carr's first game. It was against Virginia and they had an amazing fourth quarter comeback on a last second catch from Scott Driesbach to Mercury Hayes. It was the start of a special run at Michigan.

And while I want to win every game, there is something to be said for running a clean program with honor and integrity. Lloyd Carr did that. On top of that he did win 75 percent of his games and delivered us the only national championship in my lifetime. He was also one heck of a recruiter. He can certainly leave Michigan football feeling very proud of the things he accomplished. Unfortunately, I don't think was able to keep up with the new schemes in college football and his inability or unwillingness to adapt is what ultimately led to his downfall. I also don't think he ever truly got the most out of his players. Look at Tom Brady for example.

Now as for the new coach, I have seen 20 names listed as possibilities. Here are a few that are mentioned most often:
Les Miles - LSU
Brian Kelly - Cincinnati
Rich Rodriguez - W. Va.
Kirk Ferentz - Iowa
Paul Johnson - Navy
Jeff Tepford - Cal
Mike Belotti - Oregon
Chris Peterson - Boise St.

The most prominent is Les Miles from LSU. I'll be frank, I don't want him coaching Michigan. I have watched LSU this year and they have great talent but even though they are ranked #1 they have under achieved and play below their talent level. For those Michigan fans who are upset with Carr, that pattern should sound familiar.

My criteria for the next coach is someone with experience running a winning program and someone who is a good recruiter. They also need to be innovative offensively and able to get the most out of their talent. Most of the coaches listed above fit that criteria but not all (See Kirk Ferentz). My top two choices are either Brian Kelly or Paul Johnson. Both are having good seasons with minimally talented programs and both would excel with the kind of athletes that Michigan attracts. Chris Peterson intrigues me as well but he doesn't have a very long track record although 23-1 in his first two seasons is pretty impressive.

I suspect it will be a couple weeks before we find out who the next coach is. But in the meantime, I am going to remember the good job that Carr did and be thankful that he leaves the program in good shape for whoever the next coach is.