MMMMM9 2E - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Fall 2004 SPORTS tI CARR Continued from Page 1E That goes for all the fans that have e-mailed me this year ranting about how Carr should be fired. It goes for the fan that sent me a let- ter about all the reasons Martin should fire Carr with the message "please forward to athletic direc- tor" attached to it. Yeah, I'll be sure and get that right to Martin's secretary, pronto! As much as the Michigan play- ers, particularly the seniors, deserve credit for turning their sea- son around, Carr is the captain of the ship. If he and his coaching staff did not have the mentality of being on for the last six games (Michigan is 6-0 since losing at Iowa), there's no way the team could have done the same. For the first time in four years, when Michigan players threw out the cliche "we're just taking it one game at a time," I actually believed them. As lame as it sounds, that renewed focus each week is what it takes to win a major conference. If you relax for one week of practice, you lose. Motivating players is one of Carr's main duties as head coach. He has defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann and offensive coordina- tor Terry Malone, as well as all the position coaches, to help him with Xs and Os. He's been criticized for not being a players' coach. "I definitely disagree," fifth-year center Dave Pearson said. "He's a great players' coach. He keeps us motivated, and he's a fun guy to be around. You want to play well for him. Because of all he puts into it, you want to win for him." Yeah, I know - no Michigan player in his right mind would crit- icize Carr with a recorder in his face. But they also wouldn't sign away three to five years of their lives to him if they didn't believe in him. "He's just a special guy," sopho- more Tim Massaquoi said. "I see him every day when I come to practice and he looks at me, and I'm glad I came here. "The first day I met him, I knew he was somebody I could trust." In two years covering this team, I've seen Michigan win 20 games. I've begun to trust, above all else, that Carr will never let this pro- gram take a nosedive like other major programs have taken the past decade. He'll never allow his teams to be off every other Saturday. I'm in! I'm on! is the right men- tality for every game, not just big games like Saturday's against the Buckeyes. Is that an unreasonable thing to expect? It shouldn't be at Michigan. Michigan junior linebacker Scott McClintock said I'm in! I'm on! meant "everybody on the team is doing everything they can to beat Ohio State - basically meaning you're on for the ride." As a graduating senior, I have no idea where I'm going after April. But when it comes to following Michigan football under Carr, I'm on for the ride, too. . Brady McCollough can be reached at bradymcc@ umich. edu. Edwards announces intentions to stay October 15, 2003 By Nawoed Sikora Daily Staff Writer After weeks of keeping quiet and dodging reporters, Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards decided it was time to speak out about his early-season disciplinary struggles with Lloyd Carr, his future with Michigan football, the Michigan offense and the way he wants Michigan fans to perceive him - and his message was loud and clear. "I'm a good guy, and I just want peo- ple to know that," Edwards said. "I respect Lloyd Carr to the fullest, and I would never do anything to disrespect this program. I'm not an arrogant or self- ish individual, and I don't want to be perceived that way." Edwards's biggest statement dealt with his future with Michigan. The jun- ior said he has no plans to leave the pro- gram after the end of this season. His decision to come back for his senior sea- son was based on several factors. "I want to win the national champi- onship, and that's not going to happen this year," he said. "If I have to stay six years to win the championship, I'll stay. Secondly, I love Michigan football, and I'm not ready to leave yet. I love the col- lege atmosphere. It's fun, and I have to get my degree in time" Carr's displeasure over Edwards became public earlier this season, when he stated that the two were "not on the same page." After the loss to Oregon, Carr said his major problem with Edwards was that he had trouble being on time. Then, Edwards sat almost the entire first half during the win over Indiana. Edwards said that during two-a-days in August, he was late for a meeting that hbegn at :30 in the morning. "Some things are opinions, like when people say that I don't deserve the No. 1 jersey, and I can't worry about that," he said. "But when speculations come out based on assumptions about what Coach Carr said, his words get misconstrued. Then they say things like, 'He's a disrup- tion to the team' or 'He's no good for the program,' and that bothers me. "I feel like people are attacking my integrity." Edwards says he fully understands that the public holds him to a higher standard, especially since he asked to be switched to No. 1, and he is will- ing to accept the increased responsi- bility that comes with it. He has not doubted his decision to switch for one second. "I knew it would be hard," Edwards said. "Coach Carr warned me about it, but I told him that I love pressure, so I was ready." Edwards has also been criticized for dropping the ball, a problem that has plagued him ever since he came to Michigan. Still, he says that although he has dropped passes this year, he does not feel like he has dropped too many. Carr says Edwards has played brilliant football the last two weeks, especially without the ball. When asked if the two were currently on the same page, Carr had just one word to say: "Absolutely." Carr said the reason he took his issues with Edwards public was because he thought it was the only way his 20-year- old receiver would get the message. He also said that Edwards might have been distracted going into season with the hype surrounding the No. 1 jersey. "I tried to give him the message pri- vately, and he wasn't getting it," Carr said. "But I was never critical of him. "Braylon is a highly motivated guy, and I think eoing into a season like this. -I I www.umich.edu/yost 764-4600 NOMEO F BE 2004 CCIA CHAMPIN MEINANWULVEREE BRENDAN ODONNELLL/Da~y i 11