Offensive tackle Taylor Lewan decided to wait on the NFL, instead opting for a fifth year at
Michigan.
photo by lon horwedel
contract with the Miami Dolphins.
Jon Jansen stuck around a final
year as well. Steve Hutchinson did
the same. And nobody ever underscored it all better than Bo Schembechler.
"You can go into professional
football, you can go anywhere you
want to play after you leave here,"
Schembechler barked, in his most
famous locker room speech ever.
"You will never play for a team
again. You'll play for a contract.
You'll play for this. You'll play for
that. You'll play for everything
except the team, and think what a
great thing it is to be a part of something that is, The Team."
Some think that's silly, naïve,
irrational, or all three combined.
Long didn't. Jansen and Hutchinson
didn't. Now Lewan doesn't, and
that's a game-changer for what will
be a very young Michigan offensive
line.
It just became older, tougher and
far more ready to compete than it
would have been had Lewan bolted
for NFL bucks. Plus, he made it very
clear he's not coming back to finish
second.
"Our goal is the Big Ten championship," Lewan insisted. "Coming
back, pushing, and doing all the
things we have to do, we can win a
Big Ten championship." ❑
Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him
at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB_Wolverine.
