Not that many years ago, cell phones were rare and then Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr had little use for them.

Former Michigan offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson reminded him recently of his early disdain for cell phones, and Carr shared the story today while on the air at the annual WTKA-AM (1050) Mott Takeover fundraiser, part of the three-day Griese/Hutchinson/Woodson Champions for Children's Hearts Weekend.

Seems there was a team meeting. And a cell phone rang.

“There are only two kinds of people that have cell phones,” Carr recalled saying. “And that’s doctors and drug dealers. And I know none of you are doctors.”

Carr’s story got big laughs out of everyone on hand, including former Michigan kicker Jay Feely, who was on the phone in Florida. The story led to a broader discussion of the effect technology and social media has on college coaches.

“I do empathize with the players and the coaches because, you know, I thought there was scrutiny when I coached,” Carr said. “But the players and the people in the eye today -- and I don’t care whether you’re talking about business, politics or sports -- it’s a different world. I think it’s like anything else, you don’t know how you would have responded, but I would have adjusted certainly. How well? That’s a good question.”

Feely, a 10-year NFL veteran and current member of the Arizona Cardinals, said Twitter and other social media outlets can be dangerous if players who aren’t cautious. Feely -- a serial tweeter with 31,174 followers and 7,413 Tweets to date -- enjoys using the platform to speak his mind, but said he is always conscious of what he puts out there for the world to read.

Feely said his time at Michigan prepared him for such things. A self-described conservative, Feely recalled often defending his views while a student-athlete.

“I embraced that, I had very conservative views and on a more liberal campus, I was often in a position to defend my beliefs, so I had to know why I believed what I believed,” Feely said. “That’s what I loved about going to school at Michigan.”

Feely said, used properly, Twitter reaches a large audience and can make a difference.

“With a little effort you can have a large impact,” Feely said.

Carr said the issue with not just social media, but all media -- including expanded coverage of spring games and practices -- presents extra challenges for coaches on the field. More information on teams gets out sooner, and information on what a team is doing can be powerful, especially in early-season games.

“There’s no doubt it’s a much tougher job than it was for me, and that was only four years ago,” Carr said.

Feely on the NFL lockout

Jay Feely opined on air that “it’s incumbent on all of us to get a deal done,” in reference to players and owners in the current NFL lockout.

While Feely spoke on-air of the effects of residual businesses such as restaurants and stadium workers, in a phone interview he spoke about the group he thinks is being most adversely effected by the lockout: undrafted free agents.

“The way (undrafted free agents) make the team is by outworking and outperforming those late sixth- or seventh-rounders or veterans, and that happens in May, June, July,” Feely said.

“Not only that, but this is the time when those guys learn what they need to do for a team,” Feely said. “When you do get out there, you’re going to be down on the depth chart and only going to get a few reps and (you) better know what you’re doing.”

Feely wasn’t drafted out of Michigan in the 1999 NFL Draft, and he didn’t make a team until just before the 2001 season. If a lockout had been going on in that year, Feely believes his life would be much different today.

“I don’t think I would have made a team. I had April, May, June preparing,” Feely said. “If I didn’t have that, I think I never would have made an NFL roster.”

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.