Quote:
Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery
Even with a "What have you done recently" mentality, firing Carr would still be a poor choice. In the last 3 seasons, he has a 27-10 (.729) record, with two Rose Bowl appearances, including 11-2 last season. Two trips to the BCS, aka (usually) the Top 10 at regular season's end, is no laughing matter.
And patience is a virtue too seldom practiced, but rewarded in college football. Let's look at a coach with a similar problem a couple years ago. Mack Brown struggled to beat Oklahoma and win the Big 12. He lost 4 (maybe more) straight games to the Sooners, and couldn't even capture the Big 12 South. But then in 2005, he led Texas over the Sooners, and then over USC (and everyone else) and to a National Championship. And Mack Brown's career coaching record isn't even as good as Carr's (.650 winning %).
Ironically, Brown started his coaching career at...Appalachian State
Now Brown is only one of three coaches with 10 or more wins each of the past three seasons, Pete Carrol and Frank Beamer the others. And Beamer makes another suitable example. When he took over Virginia Tech it wasn't a national powerhouse, in fact, it was much closer to the other end of the spectrum. From 1987-1993 he only had two winning seasons. After his 2-8-1 mark in 1993, many wanted him fired, but VT was patient. In 1994, the Hokies went 9-3, beginning their streak of bowl appearances (the nations longest, currently at 14 consecutive years), winning seasons, and rise to the ranks of national powerhouse teams. As mentioned, they are now one of only three teams with three consecutive double-digit win seasons.
The bottom line is, Carr is one of the most successful coaches in the nation, and more than likely, the best coach possible for Michigan at this time. Appalachian State won that game more than Michigan lost it, especially in the second half, when they blocked the two field goals. Appalachian state has some talent, although the have nowhere near the depth of Michigan, and utilized that talent to the maximum. If anyone is to blame, it's Appalachian State, not Lloyd Carr.
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Trips to the BCS are nothing for an UM, OSU, Texas, Oklahoma, Miami, U$C, etc fan. The only bowl worth talking about for them is the National Championship. Anything else is a letdown, period. All these teams, their schools, and their fans
expect to be in the NC game every single year.
Two Rose Bowl appearances, and two losses. 18-7 the last two seasons with losses to three of their arch-rivals--OSU, ND, USC, and more losses to multiple other teams they should have beaten.
I'd really say 2005 was a poor example for Mack Brown, though I appreciate your point that patience is a virtue. Vince Young was as special a college player as you'll ever see. I thought it was clear that Mack Brown was
not coaching in 2005. He was simply putting the ball in Vince Young's hands and letting him make plays. He was a figurehead, for all practical purposes. I think it's the consensus of most college football fans that Brown is at best a very average gameday coach, who manages to recruit exceptional talent year in year out. Furthermore, Oklahoma was a very bad team by OU standards in 2005. They got beat by a couple teams they should have steamrollered.
Beamer is a good example. But teams who are not traditional powerhouses don't have the expectation that they should be competing for a NC every year. This allows their coaches much more leeway should their teams perform poorly at first. Beamer eventually turned VT into a perennial top 10 team, and now their fans expect every year to be in the hunt for a NC.
If Lloyd Carr was a good coach, I think he'd have beat someone of note in the last 3 years (I don't count ND at #2 last year, because they always were, always are, and always will be massively overrated). He has just as much talent as any other top 10 team, but hasn't done as much with it.
Firing him probably wouldn't be smart. But there is no way it's outside the realm of possibilities. If there were someone even perceived to be as an equal to him, letalone better, I'd fire him if I were UM.