Michigan tackle Jake Long passed on the NFL to return for his senior year and take care of some "unfinished business." Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

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A man who fit the stereotypical profile of a booster -- a fat cat with slicked-back hair, chomping a wet, unlit cigar and drinking an iced tea -- had sidled up to the scrum of reporters to listen to Carr's remarks and was offering some under-his-breath commentary. Upon hearing the "if you don't meet those [expectations], you're going to have to deal" portion of Carr's reply, the man muttered, "You have to hear from people like me."

Such is the state of affairs for Michigan, where the scrutiny comes even heavier from the inside (the fans) than it does from the press. It's a situation that the Wolverines created by going 11-0 to start the '06 season, then failing to beat Ohio State -- for the third straight year -- and getting pummeled by USC in the Rose Bowl. Carr said the residual feeling from those two losses is "miserable," because "that's the last memory that everyone has." The Wolverines, despite their depleted defense, certainly have the talent to repair that rep, but nonetheless, even optimism about their loaded offense remains cautious.

Thus, on Wednesday, when the only four-year starting quarterback in the interview room -- Henne, who should hold all of Michigan's career passing records by the end of this season -- held court with the press, there seemed to be as many questions on the general topic of "pressure" as there were about offensive firepower. Henne, who threw for 2,508 yards and 22 TDs as a junior, leads an attack that could easily average 40 points per game. Yet he's nagged by his 0-fer record in the most important two contests of every season -- despite the fact that he hasn't been the real source of Michigan's big-stage blunders. "There's a lot of pressure ... because we have so many weapons," said Henne referring to Hart, elite wideouts Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington, and emerging threat Greg Mathews. "Going into every season, there's always pressure, and everybody's waiting -- when are you going to beat Ohio State? When are you going to win a bowl game?"

If the Wolverines do pull off those long-awaited feats, fans will look back to Dec. 14, 2006, as the day that set it in motion; that's when Henne and Long announced they were returning to Ann Arbor for their senior seasons. Hart, who ran for 1,562 yards as a junior, soon made the same decision. On Wednesday, after arriving fashionably late to the interview session, Hart took a table next to Henne's and said that Long's decision was the key: "Once Jake said he was coming back, I knew I was going to come back," Hart said. Having the 6-foot-7, 313-pound bulldozer anchoring the Wolverines' zone-blocking scheme could pave the way for Hart to make a run at the NCAA rushing title, after finishing seventh in '06.

Hart said he's been running faster than ever this summer and Long concurred. The tailback has bulked up from his old game weight of 196 pounds to 202, due to heavy lower-body lifting he did while rehabbing from shoulder surgery. As, perhaps, the biggest national name -- and top Heisman candidate -- in the Big Ten, Hart could lead the charge in rehabbing the national reputation of the league, which was severely damaged by the Wolverines' flop against USC and Florida's drubbing of Ohio State. But he says he's only concerned with redeeming Michigan. "I don't care what [other teams] do," he said. "I'm out here for Michigan, and if we go out and win every game and our bowl game, and every other Big Ten team loses every game, it doesn't bother me."

While Hart was not assured a spot in the first round of this April's NFL Draft, Long would have been a top-10 pick had he turned pro. After being named the Big Ten's top offensive lineman -- ahead of No. 3 draft pick Joe Thomas, of Wisconsin -- Long sacrificed more than any other Wolverine to come back to Ann Arbor. Taking care of the "unfinished business" that he cited as his reason for returning was more important, in the short term, than receiving a multi-million dollar check. The BCS did not afford Michigan a rematch with its rival in the national title game, so the next-best thing comes on Nov. 17, 2007, the finale of a schedule that sets up favorably for a national title run, with Notre Dame, Penn State and the Buckeyes all coming to the Big House.

"I never really planned on leaving," Long said to a few reporters on Wednesday, while the tables around Henne, Hart and Carr were crowded with inquisitors asking about pressure and redemption and last chances and avoiding failure. "I haven't won a bowl game yet, haven't beaten Ohio State or finished a season strong yet. I really wanted to do that."

You and the entire Big Blue Nation, Jake. The season opener -- Sept. 1, vs. Appalachian State -- was still a month away when Michigan met the media on Wednesday. Fall camp had yet to even open for Long's senior year. But the heat was already building in full force around the Wolverines, and it showed no signs of fading.