Brady to start in spring practice

Just two months after Michigan's Rose Bowl victory - in which senior quarterback Brian Griese was named MVP - Lloyd Carr is looking to the future.

And, for the time being, that future begins with 6-foot-3 junior quarterback Tom Brady as spring practice opens tomorrow for the defending national champion Wolverines.

"Tom Brady, who made significant progress in the fall, will go in as the No. 1 quarterback," Carr said.

Last season, with former starter Scott Dreisbach injured and watching from the sidelines, Brady took most of the snaps in the backup position, and that role has helped elevate him ahead of fifth-year senior Dreisbach and sophomore Jason Kapsner.

As Carr elaborated on Brady's progress, he reiterated that the blueprint for a quarterback's success is ball control and passing.

"If he throws the ball to the other team, the bench is waiting for him," Carr said, "Brian Griese, as a sophomore, didn't take care of the football. I wasn't confident he was going to change. But he did and we won a national championship."

But as excited as Carr is about Brady's advancement and his command of the offense, he remained cautious when discussing the permanence of his decision.

"He's got to solidify that position," Carr said. "They're always competing. The spring is an ongoing competitive situation."

With the first game more than five months away, Brady's job is far from set in stone as Carr has just reached the point where he can evaluate Kapsner on a level playing field with Brady and Dreisbach.

"Jason Kapsner has improved," Carr said. "But he needs to show he can lead a team. For a quarterback, that means getting your team into the end zone."

Kapsner, who redshirted two years ago when Griese and Dreisbach split time and rarely played last season, is finally at the point where he knows the offense and is able to "react," Carr said.

"He doesn't have to do as much thinking as a guy who just walks in," he said.

Unfortunately for him, that guy who is about to walk in - Brighton senior Drew Henson - is one of the nation's top quarterback recruits. Carr refused to stamp out the possibility that Henson could win the job, but remained cautious about naming anyone other than Brady.

"You have to be willing to change as the situation dictates," he said. "I'm not ruling out anything."

Michigan coaches are restricted to just 15 practices with their team over the next few weeks. One of those is the spring game, which will take place at Michigan Stadium on April 18 at 1 p.m.

"It's just one day," Carr said. "It's the most fun day for the players. But it's just one of 15 in terms of what we're trying to accomplish."

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