Michigan Football: U-M Preps For Air Force In Rome, Harbaugh Sings, More

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From the Detroit News in Rome ... Jim Harbaugh was inspired after his team’s visit to the opera at St. Paul’s Within the Walls in Rome Thursday night, where they heard a selection of arias.

“I want to start my mornings up every day like that,” Harbaugh said, launching into song. “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Fiiiiigaroo!

“I am starting my mornings that way. I started my morning that way this morning. I’m going to start my mornings that way every morning.”

Harbaugh recorded much of the opera on his cellphone.

“And listened to it again this morning,” Harbaugh said. “The Ave Maria was a showstopper. Everything about it, watching people do something at the highest level, they do something of excellence. I could watch that for hours.”

Many of the players said Friday they enjoyed the opera.

“It just felt like, I don’t know the right word, but we felt cultured,” Harbaugh said. “I felt it. I feel cultured. I feel we were in culture.”

On the field, the Wolverines didn't do anything too strenuous.

“We just brought the tempo down to about 85 percent because of the walking around and the traveling,” Harbaugh said from the field at the Giulio Onesti Training Center. “Some guys just got off planes a couple of hours ago. That was a consideration.”

He was pleased with the facility.

“This couldn’t be better,” Harbaugh said. “This is as good as you could have field-wise. They did a tremendous job lining the field. This looks like it would look in the United States in any college or pro football set up.”

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel arrived Tuesday and will return to Michigan to on Friday. He has been astounded by the trip to Italy.

“If people ask me, I would tell them this is one of the best things I’ve ever done as an athletic administrator because of the impact that this has on this number of kids and students,” Manuel said at practice. “So the experience is well worth all the planning and expense of doing this, because it’s our way of giving back to them for a lifetime ... It’s just been amazing. The impact of this will last a lifetime.”

In other news, D.C. Don Brown and his defense started preparation for Air Force's triple option," Chengelis reported.

“You saw it today,” Brown said. “You’ve got to work on it. It’s different.

“We’ve got all the initial pieces in, so when we come back to preseason camp after we made our initial installs for the first game, then we’ll spend some time on in and then we’ll have to put it to bed to get ready for Florida (in the season opener)."

Also, Jim Harbaugh was pleased to see Jabrill Peppers, who was drafted by the Browns, and Taco Charlton, selected by the Cowboys, go in the first round of the NFL Draft last night.

“Now they know what the path is,” Harbaugh said. “All the hard work is just getting started. Now they have a clear vision of where they’re going and what they’re going to be doing next. Very happy for both of them. Both very deserving to be drafted in the first round.”

From the Toledo Blade: Michigan had a nine-day layoff between practices. Most of that time was filled with final exams and touring Rome. Players did take advantage of their hotel’s workout facility to stay in shape. The lack of humidity and temperatures in the 60s on Thursday helped.

“It feels like football,” said sophomore Devin Bush, Jr. “It was fun to practice in Rome in a different setting. It was exciting. We wanted to keep everything polished. It seemed like we cruised right into it, like we never left off. There weren’t many mental errors.”

During field goals and punts, the Wolverines had a special guest long snapper: Harbaugh.

“I thought he did a very good job,” Harbaugh joked. “At first, I was just trying not to screw it up. Then I was like, ‘OK, I got this.’ And then I was really trying to snap them off. I was getting in the groove. I didn’t want to stop.”

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