Michigan Ready to Roll
Wolverines Gather the Troops Knowing Big 10 Target Is on Their Back
There were smiles and playfulness. Laughter and jokes.
But no arrogance. No chest thumping.
No mention of their No. 5 national ranking and definitely no talk about making the Sugar Bowl their last game of the season.
Still ... almost to a man ... you could tell the players and coaches gathered for Media Day outside Schembechler Hall on the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus knew this team has everything it takes to not only win the Big 10 football title, but challenge for the national championship, too.
"It's what you come to Michigan for," said UM Captain Jake Long.
"We come here to compete for championships."
Head Coach Lloyd Carr jokingly bristled when asked if his team was fully aware it had been picked to win the Big 10 title.
"Who picked us?" snapped Carr, with a wry smile on his face, as the roomful of reporters broke into light laughter.
The Wolverines were picked to finish first in the conference by a panel of Big 10 media.
"Certainly, we feel we have a great nucleus of leaders coming back," he said. "We have the makings of an excellent offensive line, but we have to get off to a great start."
That "great nucleus of leaders" Carr is referring to is a senior-laden group led on offense by massive 6-7, 313-pound All-America tackle Long, 6-6, 296-pound guard Adam Kraus, quarterback Chad Henne, All American running back Mike Hart and tight end Mike Massey.
The 5-9, 196-pound Hart is without question the soul of the offense.
The 2006 Doak Walker finalist for best running back in the country and two-time All Big 10 performer is fully recovered from shoulder surgery and ready to roll.
"I feel great," said Hart, who rushed for 1,562 yards and 14 TDs last season, finishing fifth in the Heisman trophy balloting.
Likewise, junior wide receiver Mario Manningham -- Henne's primary deep threat -- is fully recovered from a leg injury and ready to resume his assault on opposing secondaries that saw him finish 2006 with 1,136 receiving yards and 15 TDs in 10 games.
Defense will be the big key to how far this team goes. Only four starters return from the 2006 unit that was one of the stingiest in the country.
Seniors Shawn Crable at outside linebacker, safety Jamar Adams ... both All Big 10 second team performers ... cornerback Morgan Trent and 305-pound junior defensive tackle Terrance Taylor are the only defensive starters back.
But a strong supporting cast that got plenty of playing time last year at almost every position could be a big reason the Wolverines are still ranked 5th nationally behind Southern Cal, LSU, defending national champion Florida and Texas in USA Today's Division I Coaches Poll.
Carr says despite the accolades, his team still has to go out and prove itself.
"We have to create momentum," he said. "We want to get off to that good start and get some of our younger players game experience. We've got to see what some of our freshmen can do."
One of those freshmen, highly touted 6-6 quarterback Ryan Mallett of Texarkana, Texas, has already been penciled in as Henne's backup.
"He's going to be difficult to beat out (as Henne's backup)," said Carr. "He had a great spring."
Mallett enrolled at UM early and showed during spring drills that he is every bit as advertised coming out of high school, where he completed 526 of 938 passes for 8,331 yards and 76 touchdowns with 24 interceptions during his career.
Carr had a twinkle in his eye when he said there was "still competition" at several positions that could only make this team better as it prepares for its Sept. 1 opener against Appalachian State, the two-time defending 1-AA champions.
"We want to get off to a great start, but we also want to stress finishing the season strong," he said.
If the Wolverines finish as strong as Carr hopes they do, who knows, that last game could very well be at the Sugar Bowl ... in the national championship game playing for all the marbles.
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