(CSTV U-WIRE) ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan coach Lloyd Carr isn’t going anywhere. But if you flip on ESPN, pick up a national newspaper or ask around campus, you might not know that.
Since Saturday’s loss to Appalachian State, the only coach to win a National Championship in the last 60 years at Michigan has been under intense scrutiny from both fans and the media about his future.
Earlier this week, a quartet of seniors defended Carr at the team’s weekly press conference on Monday.
“That’s just insane,” offensive lineman and captain Jake Long said in response to a question speculating that Carr may be fired. “Coach Carr is not going anywhere. He is a great coach. It seems like every year the media is saying that. I’m not listening to that. That is just insane. We don’t listen to that.”
Long’s partner on the left side of the line, guard Adam Kraus, agreed with the assessment that the national media doesn’t understand the situation.
“I just block them out because they’re coming from the wrong people - people who obviously don’t know what Michigan is,” Kraus said. “Coach Carr is going to be my coach for as long as he wants to be. That’s my coach.”
Despite players coming to Carr’s aid, headlines around the nation have still had an anti-Carr sentiment as the week has progressed.
“Loss defines Carr’s legacy as much as ‘97 title does”
“Lloyd Carr Rolls Snake Eyes”
“Already feeling the heat, Carr will never live down loss to Appalachian State”
Those are just some of the stories and columns calling Carr out for subpar coaching. The players Carr deals with every day disagree with the criticism, though, and have been very vocal in his defense since Saturday.
“He is a great coach, no doubt about it,” defensive lineman Will Johnson said. “He has a great history here. He’s doing the same thing he has done the past years he’s been here. I’m not worried about it at all.”
The Detroit News reported Tuesday that Michigan athletic director Bill Martin is standing firmly behind Carr as the football team’s head coach. That comes as no surprise considering Carr has sent Michigan to a BCS bowl game in three of the past four seasons — something few coaches can claim over that timespan.
No matter how much support Carr gets from the administration, the questions won’t die. Carr and the players will have to answer the same questions week after week throughout the season.
And with a speedy Oregon squad coming into the Big House on Saturday, Michigan’s focus needs to be squarely on stopping another potent offense.
Will the Carr talk be a distraction? Count linebacker Chris Graham doesn’t think so.
“Coach is here to stay,” Graham said. “We’re not worried about that. He’s here to motivate us, and that is what we need. We need a coach to be here and motivate us. We’re not looking for anymore distractions.”