For the first 18 years of my life, Michigan football players were mythical beasts, allocated by the distant and frightening Lloyd Carr to wreck havoc on the opposing legions of the Big 10. These were not people – they were warriors, defending the honor of the University I had arbitrarily chosen to love as a child and to silence our critics.

Suddenly, I found myself sitting with these mythical beasts in a poorly lit lecture hall. Only now, they were certainly not mythical. They were very large men, my age, wearing Michigan track suits and showing the same amount of interest as I (very little) in Geology 117.

In the formative years of fan-hood, my affection for a player was directly tied to their on the field performance. This had even continued into my freshman year at the University. When you have spent three years cursing the heavens for creating John Navarre, it takes an adjustment period to see them in a new light.

With Jake Long, Mike Hart, and Chad Henne arriving this world view was unceremoniously shattered. Now the starting QB was younger, the (soon to be) starting RB was much shorter, and the star offensive lineman was probably nicer to his mother. The myth was gone.

During their first campaign, I fell in love with their team. It was clear that for however long they wanted to stay, this would be their University. These would be the men to bring the aging master his final run to glory and restore Michigan to the top of the football world. A storybook ending for Lloyd, the beginning of a renaissance for the program.

As it were, I soon began learning life lessons. Over the course of four seasons, I found out that Chad Henne doesn’t always throw a perfect spiral or get rid of the ball just in time. Occasionally, he even leaves the cap off the toothpaste and forgets to throw his dirty socks in the hamper. Mike Hart eats the last handful of Doritos but returns the bag to the pantry, always giving you just a little taste but a nagging feeling that it could have been more. Jake does his chores, never complains, and never makes a mistake – leaving you without the opportunity to bitch at him. In short, the honeymoon ended quickly.

2006 made us believe. We had no choice in the matter. It was with high hopes we began 2007 by crashing face first into the cement wall of reality, and it was all over.

It’s a well known saying that “there are no atheists in a foxhole”. When you’ve spent your entire childhood idolizing a team and praying for their success, the time you spend at the school is your foxhole. There is a finite time for them to accomplish the ultimate goal and bring home a National Title. Every game takes on a disgusting and enthralling odor of hope, intensity, dread, and expectation.

When your squadron falls behind, we see the true colors of the soldiers in the stands around us. Some will wail to the heavens, curse the coach, question every call, and rail against the injustice of the God that placed them in this situation. Others will look at the sideline, look at the dejected, dying men in the bleachers next to them, and turn their lives over to faith. They will chose, against all rational reason, to believe that Jake Long will continue being Jake Long (well – that’s completely rational actually), that Mike Hart’s legs will churn through all opponents and injury, and that Chad Henne will return to the perfect form we always will remember. They will believe that even if the game has passed him by, Lloyd is too good to count out for one half of one game – he’ll always have a little something left.

Those that give up faith and turn their anger toward that which they have no control will, if they survive, become broken shells of humans. Those with faith, even when they are rewarded with ultimate disappointment, can rest easy with the knowledge they did believe.

As these men enter into their NFL careers, the previous regime of Michigan is finally laid to rest for good.

The Wolverine Liberation Army fully supports the new leaders. We believe it will bring prosperity to our home.

But we must remember those that laid the groundwork. Mike Hart, Chad Henne, and Jake Long will not be remembered as the conquering heroes who rode into Columbus and bested the Buckeyes. They did not win National Titles. If you chose to hold this against them instead of forgiving them for all they have done for you, then you are the one who has lost.