Former University of Michigan tight end Mark Campbell talked with AnnArbor.com about his new job as a Big Ten Network analyst, his 10-year NFL career and the upcoming college football season.

Q. Tell us a little about your new career with the Big Ten Network?

A. I was talking with (former Michigan) coach (Lloyd) Carr about possibly doing something in the media and he had talked about how much respect he had for the Big Ten Network. Obviously it would be nice to come back home. I wouldn’t have to fly too much further than the Midwest, so it turned out to be a good fit. I’m going to call some games early in the year and see if I’m good at this thing. Q. You dabbled in television and radio during your playing days. How did you get started?

A. Everywhere I’ve been I’ve done radio or TV. In Cleveland, I did a radio show on ESPN 850. In Buffalo, I did the team’s all-access show and in New Orleans I did the "Sports Soup with Mark Campbell," and I also made the documentary “Through A Saint’s Eyes,” (see the video below) which was a documentary film about how the effect of Hurricane Katrina transformed the New Orleans Saints to a championship-caliber football team.

Q. Does this mean your playing days are over?

A. It does mean I’m retired. I had a couple offers out there to still play. It just felt right for me to be done. I feel like if you don’t have everything into it, then you’re doing it for the wrong reason, and that’s a recipe, really, for injury, and I wouldn’t want to be marred by injury for the rest of my life, be affected by something that I didn’t feel like was right in my heart anyway. Q. Reflect a little bit on the career you’ve had, winning a national championship in college, going undrafted and then playing for a decade in the NFL?

A. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years. Every season is grueling, and any guy that’s ever played a season knows that it’s tough and it’s a grind and it’s a battle. So I’m very proud of that. I treated every year like it could be my last, and I think because I was undrafted I had the philosophy that every year is a one-year interview. And I think that’s how you have to treat your career in football, because in this sport every day is an interview, and if you don’t come prepared you’re going to be embarrassed. So I pride myself in the fact that I played 10 years. Q. As a Michigan man, what did you make of last year’s 3-9 season?

A. Honestly, it was a difficult pill to swallow for all of us. We’re not used to that. Fortunately for me, I played for some bad teams and you realize that the margin between winning and losing is very small, so I know and I’m very hopeful that the team can do the small things to turn some of those losses into victories. I don’t think anybody thought this was going to be a situation where you could just step in and compete like we normally compete, just due to the change of philosophy, especially offensively. You have a certain type of personnel and you throw a different style of offense in and you can’t expect a square peg to fit in a circle hole. Q, As an analyst, what are your expectations for this year?

A. I think that Michigan can be competitive. I think a big concern, obviously, is going to be the quarterback play. It’s such an integral part of the offense. From a fan’s perspective, you want to see someone come in and take that role by the reigns, someone like Tate Forcier. You want to assume that he’s going to be the guy that’s going to change the direction of the program. Q. Is Rich Rodriguez the right man for the job?

A. I think you have to give him some time. It’s not necessarily fair to him, like I said earlier, with the personnel he’s got was totally different from the personnel he needs to win. So it’s important for him to get some guys in his system. Another year always helps every team with a new system. Usually, the first year is somewhat of a struggle, and the biggest jump you have in a player’s performance is from your first year to your second year. Q. What does Rodriguez have to do this year to convince the skeptics he’s the right fit for the program?

A. It’s a bottom-line business, especially at a place like Michigan. You know how you change the way people look you is you win. And the way we pride ourselves on, for a century, is to win the right way. So that’s how you can prove anybody that’s a skeptic of you wrong is you win and you win with dignity and class. I’ve never met a Michigan team that wasn’t tough. That’s obviously important to any Michigan man is to be tough. So you add those three or four things together, and that’s how you can win and have people look at you differently.