"Todd could talk about that Michigan game for a week."

Truer words, Bill could not have spoken.

I spent the bulk of last night and this morning thinking about what the Capital One Bowl really meant for Michigan and its fans. It was just such an incredible thing to see happen given the Carr retirement, the crop of seniors we had, the recent abominable bowl game and OSU record and, of course, The Horror (aka the Appalachian St. debacle). I've really been having trouble trying to find the words to sum up the moment, especially with regards to Lloyd Carr.

Fortunately, I don't have to, because The Diag's Chris Burke has absolutely nailed it. Here's a large chunk of it, but the whole thing is a mandatory read:

Michigan has officially entered what is arguably the biggest era change in the program's history. Gone are four years of Chad Henne, Mike Hart and the rest of the seniors. Gone, too, are four decades of Michigan Football - grind it out, three yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust smash mouth play. Everything, as we know it, is about to change.

So it became both fitting and important to see the Capital One Bowl end the way it did. With Adrian Arrington, one last time, flying past the supposedly "too fast for you" Florida defense. With Michigan's own 'D' harrassing and pressuring the Heisman winner on his last four throws, so he looked like he'd never completed a pass in his life. With Henne, Hart, Jake Long and the offense in the coveted victory formation.

And, finally, with Carr grinning on the sidelines as he was doused with water, his players jumping in celebration around him before carrying him victoriously off the field on their shoulders.

Then here we were, as fans and viewers, conflicted.

You can swear to yourself that Michigan will be better off without Carr as head coach. You can promise yourself that Michigan football is about to reach its full potential with a new way of thinking.

You may be right.

But as Carr sailed into the sunset, he left one last reminder that the old way wasn't as bad as we came to believe.

I have always been a supporter of Lloyd Carr as the head coach of Michigan, even when, in the wake of The Horror and Oregon it became painfully clear that he had to retire. Carr's run will be remembered by many for the pitfalls of recent years. You can't erase that and it does, unfortunately, diminish his overall legacy. But it's easy to forget just how much he's meant to the program since he took over for Gary Moeller more than a decade ago. This guy was not a bum.

For too many fans, the grass is always greener with the next hire or the next killer recruit and that just isn't reality. The job Rich Rodriguez has in store for him in filling Carr's shoes is mountainous. While I don't think this will be the case, Rodriguez could very well fail miserably as the head coach of Michigan. And if he does, so could his successor or the guy after that. Winning at Michigan is not automatic and it's far too easy to take what Carr has done in his time here for granted. He was a great football coach and a better person. Sure, you can always cherry pick a few embarrassing moments he's had being a jerk to the media and paint him as a grumpy creep, but what's more important? The man he sometimes was in front of the camera or the man he was when most of us weren't looking? And I've read and seen enough from players, their parents, fans with first-hand experiences with him, etc. to know that Carr has been a credit to the university and to college football.

While it is time for him to go, no Michigan fan should be happy that this era of Michigan football is over. Yes, we should look forward to what the future holds. Hopefully it'll be a shot in the arm to a program that, while far from needing a resurrection, does need a new direction on the field. But don't let that diminish what Carr has meant to this program over the past decade.

I heard on TV yesterday that Carr's been offered a new job in the AD's office (associate AD or something). I truly hope he takes it.