V w
-W - --
w - _.w
v
i
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com I
6B Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
anew future
T he storybook ending wasn't supposed to come Ohio State game, he felt Long was going to leave for
12 chapters early - and the celebration wasn't the NFL. Bot some time between Michigan's loss to
supposed to be in the visitors' locker room. the Buckeyes and the Rose Bowl, Long had a change of
A trio of players that put its childhood heart.
dream of playing in the NFL on hold for a year Whether it was pressure from teammates, wantingto
wasn't supposed to be immediately punished for it. pursue a degree or not being ready to say goodbye to col-
And a talented group's already-tainted legacy wasn't lege life and his teammates, Long stayed.
supposed to take on more questions before it found In short, Long passed up guaranteed millions in the
answers. NFL to return to Michigan for his teammates and one
Three seniors - running back Mike Hart, quarterback last shot at glory. But don't tell Long the only reason he
Chad Henne and offensive lineman Jake Long - came stayed was because he buckled under the pressure from
back to Ann Arbor for one last season to win a National his teammates.
Championship and prove they could win the games that "They never had to persuade me," Long said. "We
count. kind of just stayed away from each other and let each
0-3 against Ohio State. other make their own decision. The biggest thing Mike
0-3 in bowl games. said was he was coming back if I came back."
Both of those stigmas attached to the team, especially Just how much money did Long pass up?
the senior class, were supposed to be shed this season. Most figure he'd have been selected in the top five
Instead, now there's a new one: since he was rated ahead of Penn State's Levi Brown in
0-1 vs. D-IAA teams. most projections. Brown signed a six-year, $62-million
Appalachian State changed everything last Saturday deal with the Arizona Cardinals as the fifth pick of the
by shocking Michigan in what may be college football's draft.
biggest upset ever. "There would have been no Levi Brown at five, I can
Now the group's goal has shifted, and unless the trio of tell you that," Hart said. "Levi better send Jake some of
returning Wolverines act quickly, the legacy it came back his signing bonus."
to improve could become more tarnished. By the Rose Bowl, all three had committed to return-
ing to Michigan for their senior seasons: With the excep-
Back for one last shot tion of Alan Branch, who left and was drafted as the first
pick in the second round of the draft, every key contribu-
It was just a day after one of the program's most tur- tor from the heralded class of 2008 was ready to come
bulent weeks concluded - one where the Wolverines lost back for one last shot at a National Championship.
not only a shot at a National Championship, but also a leg-
end in Bo Schembechler. Leading the way
But on the Sunday after Michigan's 42-39 loss to
Ohio State last season, things seemed to look up almost As different as the trio may be on the field - a small
instantly. running back with a huge heart, a giant lineman with
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr summoned Henne, then a quick feet and a pocket quarterback with a strong arm
junior, into his office. That's standard for the coach when - the three may be even more different in the way they
he's dealing' with a player who might leave early. He lead.
brings the player in question to his office to hear about Longis the silentleader,the standard lead-by-example
his plans for nextyear. man. He's just the 11th multi-year
If said player stays, great. If he leaves, it's time for Carr captain in Michigan history.
and his staff to hit the recruiting trail to find a replace- He shared the honors with
ment. LaMarr Woodley last season and
Henne was projected to be one of the top quarterbacks led Michigan back to the Rose Bowl
in his draft class, and many thought he would test NFL after a disappointing 2005 cam-
waters. But the Wolverines' only starting quarterback paign. His efforts as a leader extend
since 2004 drained the drama out of his decision by tell- past his offensive line. Whether
ing Carr right away he would return for his senior season it's the offense, defense or special
at Michigan. teams, Long's teammates take note
"I had no feelings of being anywhere else but Michi- at the example he sets.
gan," Henne said. "Jake has amazed me how good he
Despite his solid numbers when healthy, no one can run," punter Zoltan Mesko said.
thought Hart was a serious threat to make an early jump. "He beats some of our linebackers
Fans assumed he'd return, since many experts didn't in our runs. He's so above everyone
even have him as a day-one pick in the draft. else that it's a good example he sets
They were right. Hart returned. and he pushes others to get better. I
But as Hart revealed last month, his departure to the think that's the bestwayto lead - by
NFL was closer to happening than many believed at the example."
time. What the team may not get in
"If Jake would have left, I would have left," said Hart, terms of vocal leadership from Long
who before lastyear's Rose Bowl said he was 99.9-percent is more than made up by Hart. The
sure he was coming back. "He's thatgreat of a player, and Syracuse, N.Y., native's mouth has
he means that much to me. When he said he was coming been running since he stepped on
back, I was back, too." campus and won the starting run-
Hart's one-tenth of a percent was actually much larger ning back job within the first month
than anyone could have imagined - about 315 pounds of his freshman season.W
larger. Following spring practice, where
Hart's decision essentially rested on the broad shoul- Hart sat out after having shoul-
ders of Long, who some considered the top offensive line- der surgery, Carr joked that Hart's
man in last year's draft. shoulder may be injured, but his
Carr said last month that immediately following the mouth certainly wasn't. His team-
After three seasons of coming up short, Mike Hart, Chad
Henne and Jake Long were supposed to redeem the class of
'08. But three years of anticipation led up to one major
disappointment. Now Michigan's top leaders must look ahead.
By Scott BellI Daily Sports Editor
mates and coaches could hear him constantly talking, ers.
whether it was during practice or on the sidelines during But those potential suitors to play spoiler to Michigan
games. Hart even jokingly got in a confrontation with an won't even get their chance.
official during April's spring game. The dreamcrusher was Appalachian State, a tiny col-
Cornerback Morgan Trent, Hart's roommate, says lege in a mountain town.
Hart loves talking so much he even does it in his sleep. Last Saturday's 34-32 loss to the Mountaineers not
And the talk doesn't stop within the team - if you're only put Michigan on the front page of every newspaper
an opposing player, don't expect to be spared from the nationwide for all the wrong reasons, but all but ended
wrath of Hart. any of the returning senior's chances at making it to New
"He's definitely an emotional, enthusiastic guy," Orleans - the site of the BCS Title game.
Henne said. "He's always trash talking different teams. The team went from fifth in the nation to unranked
He's just there to boost our energy and get on his level to in days, and all three who "stayed to be champions" will
play at his level." almostcertainly have to lower their expectations to shoot
Both Hart and Longwere honored by their teammates for a different championship - the Big Ten variety.
at the beginning of this season when they were elected Henne, Lou Holtz's preseason pick as the Heisman-
captains, along with linebacker Shawn Crable. trophy winner, looked more like a freshman than a four-
Henne may not have the distinction of being captain year starter. He completed just 51 percent of his passes,
- Michigan has never had more than two captains on threw an ill-advised interception deep in Mountaineer
one side of the ball in the Carr era - but it doesn't mean territory in the game's waning minutes and fumbled a
he doesn't do his part, too. two-point conversion snap.
Even the boisterous Hart knows that when he and his Henne also had to endure some shots from blitzing
teammates are in the huddle, it's Henne time. Mountaineers, even a few from his blindside - which is
"I haven't seen him upset at all that he wasn't voted ultimately the All-American Long's responsibility.
captain," Hart said. "He knows what he has to do. He And while Hart heroically ran for nearly 200 yards and
knows it's his offense. I know it's his offense. Jake knows three touchdowns through the pain of abruised thigh, he
it's his offense. So, we're going to let Chad lead when it's watched half of the game helplessly from the sidelines.
his turn. When we're in that huddle, it's his offense, and Now, winless and facing three straight tough games
I'm not going to say anything." before the end of September, the team must regroup, and
Henne admits it took him a couple years to break fast.
completely out of his shell and take charge. He made a The three offensive leaders know they'll have to rally
conscious effort going into the season to extend his lead- the team both on and off the field to get back in the rank-
ership outside of the huddle and into practice every day. ings and reach at least some of the team's goals.
While Long may lead silently and Hart plays the role "It's only one of our goals," Long said of the National
of the vocal leader, Henne has embraced his role as "team Championship. "We still have a lot more goals that we
disciplinarian." If someone's not where he should be or is can accomplish."
out of line, Henne's there to let him know it's unaccept- And his teammates seem willing to follow his and the
able. other leaders' rallyingcall.
"It's kind of like being a prick at all times when we're "That's why we chose the captains that we did," tight
practicing," Henne said. "If you're not being a prick to end Mike Massey said. "Those guys are the guys we're
them, it's not like they won't respect going to follow and those are the guys that we need to
you, but it's a different look in their follow. That's how you regroup, you need leaders to step
eyes -that, 'OK, we're here to concen- up."
trate, we're here to focus and we're
here to play hard all the time.' Salvaging the legacy
"If you're laid-back and letting
it go sometimes and then be a prick Now the team faces a challenge many feel is more diffi-
other times, it's tough. So you have cult than its original one: regrouping from the program's
to always be on those guys to get the most embarrassing loss and salvaging the season.
best out of them." It may be difficult, but the trio of Hart, Henne and
Long have the ability to guide the offense to lots of points
Unexpected setback each Saturday.
With a defense that has allowed 32 or more points in
It was gone before it even started. each of its last three games, the Wolverines' only shot at
Michigan's dream of grabbing a winning consistently depends on how far Henne's arm
National Championship a decade and Hart's legs can take them.
after its last run at glory had all but Hart said before the season that 50 points a game isn't
vanished just three hours into its sea- out of reach, and realistically speaking, the team might
son. almost need that much on some Saturdays.
Leading up to the first game, the Judging by how willing the trio was to take on pres-
leaders of the team had talked about sure and responsibility heading into the season, the
the team's focus at reaching its goals. Wolverines' chances to achieve most of their goals aren't
Many experts thought it could be dead yet.
done, too. The plot may have twisted a bit, but the characters are
A senior-laden, weapon-filled still the same. There's still a shot at a tweaked storybook
offense with eight home games is ending.
expected to succeed at a high level. "It's hard to sit here and say that Chad might be the
Who could trip this team up? best quarterback in history, Jake might be the best line-
A late-season road game against man, I might be the best running back - and we haven't
Wisconsin seemed to be the top pick. even beat Ohio State yet or won a bowl game," Hart said.
Tough home tests against Oregon, "How can we say that we're the best class in the history,
Penn State and Ohio State were oth- and we haven't beat Ohio State? You can't."
Chad Henne, Mike Hart and Jake Long
Photos by Peter Schottenfels