It's the end of the world as we know it...

...and I feel fine.Yesterday's press conference was truly the end of era at Michigan. In a lot of ways, Lloyd's tenure mirrored the times. The peaks (National Championship) were higher, the lows (5 loss season, App State, OSU futility) were more extreme, and the changes came faster than expected.So now Michigan sits without a coach. A cast of highly talented seniors on their way out the door. Jim Tressel's name is still on the deed to Michigan Stadium. At least one high profile recruit has reopened the dance. There are holes on the roster.And yet...and yet I'm still very optimistic about the future of this program.There are things that I look forward to seeing in the coming months:A quarterback competition, for starters. Ryan Mallett is undoubtedly the front runner, but a new coach is a lot more likely to give Steven Threet and perhaps even John Wienke a chance to win the job. True competition only serves to make all players involved better. Yes, there is the danger of hurt feelings or blown confidence, but a true meritocracy at the most important position on the field can only benefit the team.A running back rotation. Over the past few years, Michigan has struggled when Hart was injured. His dominance stunted the growth of the other backs on roster by limiting carries. It also tended to lead to predictable playcalling, because when he left the game for a breather, it was a pretty safe bet that the ball was getting thrown. I don't know if it's better to have one "A" player or a whole group of "B" players, but I like the depth and the fact that Grady, Minor, Brown, and McGuffie all have distinct running styles. Provided that an offensive coordinator can be more creative than "Fullback shuffle" or "Short side off-tackle," there is the potential for a lot of good things out of the backfield.Strength and Conditioning. This shouldn't be a major negative at a school with the resources of Michigan. And yet year after year, we see more players getting fat, getting winded, and getting pushed around. There are few topics that have received the coverage in the blogosphere and message board universe as the S&C program, so I won't belabor it too much. However, I would be remiss if I didn't include this quote from Ryan Mundy, who transferred to West Virginia this past year:As far as the strength and conditioning program is concerned, Mundy says West Virginia's program is much more intense than Michigan's. Other players that have transferred to West Virginia have said similar things in the past, explaining that at some other places the players coming into the program are physically bigger and more explosive. West Virginia develops it. "Down here we do a lot of Olympic lifts â€" squats, power clings, hang clings and things like that â€" and I hadn't done that type of stuff since high school," Mundy said. "I had to get my body back used to doing those types of movements. As far as the practice down here we run after practice and we never ran after practice at Michigan." (HT: MGoBlog)It's frustrating to know that the S&C regimen at Michigan wasn't quite as intense as Mundy's high school program. It's interesting to speculate what a better program could mean for the talent on this roster.Tackling. Year in and year out, Michigan is the worst tackling team of upper-tier schools. I wish there were a way to quantify that, but I know what I see. Judging from the frequency of similar complaints, I don't think I'm alone. Watching a school like LSU (just to pick one totally at random, of course), I get jealous. I see their defenders wrap people up instead of trying to knock them over. Use their bodies instead of just their arms. Drive the opponents to the ground instead of pushing or throwing them. This has been an issue for more than one defensive coordinator here, and I have to imagine it will be a major focus of an incoming staff.In recent years, Michigan has won games by having more talent. Braylon Edwards is going to catch 9 out of 10 balls that are chucked up over Jaren Hayes' head, no matter how wounded the duck is.When Michigan loses games, it is generally because other teams take advantage of predictability and sloppy fundamentals. Predictability should be gone with the advent of new systems and schemes. Sloppy fundamentals should follow in short order.I will forever have positive memories of Coach Carr. As a freshman on campus in 1997, I saw Michigan climb to the top of the world, and it was Carr would lead them. He has been an ambassador above reproach. There have been enough good seasons and great memories that history will judge Carr favorably, as it should.However, as with all coaches, there is a time to step away. For Joe Paterno, it was 10 years ago. And yet he continues to prowl the sideline as Penn State sinks ever deeper into mediocrity. The same could be said for Bobby Bowden, changing the timeline to about 5 years ago.I am glad that Lloyd Carr had the vision to realize his time was up. With his retirement, the world of Michigan football will never be the same.But it's the start of a new era, and I couldn't be more excited to see where we go from here. more...