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 Michigan has holes to fill this spring
Posted: Sunday March 21, 1999 10:06 AM
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- The Michigan Wolverines began four weeks of spring football workouts Saturday with coach Lloyd Carr more concerned about seeing improvement than depth-chart movement. "I want the players to compete with themselves, not worry about who's ahead or behind them on the depth chart," Carr said with the first of the season's 15 practices. "I want each of them to be better football players than they were at the end of last season. And if that happens, we'll be a better football team." Whether they'll be better than last season's squad that finished with a 10-3 record and a share of the Big Ten title remains to be seen. But Carr believes this: next season's schedule -- starting with Michigan's Sept. 4 opener against visiting Notre Dame -- is the toughest his team has faced since he took over the helm in 1995. "It's tougher than 1997 because the Big Ten is so balanced," Carr said, alluding to the campaign two seasons ago that ended with the Wolverines undefeated and national champions. Regardless, Carr says he's reluctant to do any depth-chart shuffling just yet, given that it's just the second phase of the Wolverines' preparation for the season still more than five months away. Winter conditioning has given way to spring practices until April 17, then summer conditioning and training camp, he said. "Until you line up on the field, you don't know how prepared a guy is," he said. Carr's depth-chart considerations likely will include sorting out who'll guide the Wolverine attack at quarterback. Will it be last season's starter Tom Brady? Perhaps sophomore Drew Henson or junior Jason Kapsner? For now, Carr isn't addressing that, other than saying he likes the depth that makes it one of the team's strongest positions, regardless of who starts. Carr believes his more-pressing concern is about the defensive secondary, given graduations of last season's mainstays like cornerback Andre Weathers and safety Marcus Ray. William Peterson, another cornerback, has been suspended because of off-field problems. The Wolverines also don't have defensive backfield coach Vance Bedford, now with the Chicago Bears after sculpting Michigan into the nation's top-rated pass defense in 1997, the national championship season. Without Weathers, Ray and Peterson, the secondary could feature redshirt freshmen Cato June and Julius Curry, sophomore Todd Howard and incoming freshmen Carr believes should vie for playing time. Nine players who will be held out of spring drills because of injuries include starting offensive linemen Jeff Backus and Steve Frazier, linebacker Anthony Jordan, wide receiver Kevin Bryant and fullback Aaron Shea. Others sitting out to nurse injuries are wide receiver DiAllo Johnson, defensive end Dave Petruziello and linebacker P.J. Cwayna. Running back Justin Fargas will miss the season, having recently undergone a second operation to repair a broken leg he suffered late last season. Michigan's lack of depth has Carr considering canceling the traditional spring game held the final day of practice.
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