February 05, 2002
Success no surprise to Brady's former mates By Joe Smith, The One and Only
Michigan senior captain Shawn Thompson remembers looking into Tom Brady"s eyes in the huddle on several occasions in Brady"s fairy-tale senior season and feeling a certain sense of calmness. That same feeling came over Thompson and many other former Brady teammates on Sunday night, as they watched Brady become the youngest quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl and earn MVP honors. Thompson knew Brady was going to get the job done, just like he had so many times in the maize and blue. "He had such a big presence on the field and in the huddle that you just knew in his eyes that he was going to lead you to a win," Thompson said. Thompson caught Brady"s last pass as a Wolverine, a 25-yard touchdown reception in the 2000 Orange Bowl, capping off a Michigan comeback in the 35-34 thriller over Alabama. Just over two years later, Brady is the newly respected leader for the World Champions and don"t be surprised if it stays that way for a while. For a Californian, Brady isn"t flashy. But he"s smart, and as cool as a cucumber under pressure. That"s what shined through in the waning minutes of the Super Bowl. With no timeouts and just over a minute left, he led the Patriots down the field with precision passes and savvy time management. His 16-for-27, 145-yard performance wouldn"t necessarily be something to brag about, but he brought the Patriots to the promised land by doing what he"s always done best playing mistake-free football and making the big plays when he needed to. He didn"t get rattled by blitzes. He didn"t become intimidated by the supposed "Greatest Show on Turf" even after hearing everyone"s expectations of a Rams blowout. Even with a $110 million quarterback looking over his shoulder, he remained confident and composed. Brady acted like he"s been there before, probably because he feels like he has. "He had just a certain aura about him," said Michigan senior defensive end Eric Brackins. "He didn"t let anything get to him or rattle him. He wasn"t cocky, just confident in himself." Brackins remembers how Brady handled the quarterback controversy with golden-boy Drew Henson a few seasons ago. Brady had just received the reigns from a departed Brian Griese, and it could have been easy for Brady to play second-fiddle to the highly-touted Brighton native. Henson was the man with tons of talent, a cannon of an arm and a national reputation. He was also a college student with a million dollar baseball contract in the bank. But Brady started nearly every game and was the man everyone followed. "He"s not a big rah-rah guy at all," Thompson said. "But he"s got such a big presence in the huddle. Just his presence is going to make you listen to him and follow him and that"s the type of guy you want leading you. "Guys wanted to be just like Tommy." A similar situation arose in New England. Even when veteran Pro Bowler Drew Bledsoe was healthy enough to play, coach Bill Belichick stuck with the guy who got the Patriots there. He realized that just as money can"t buy you love, money can"t buy championships (unless you"re George Steinbrenner). Belichick found a rock his team could lean on and look up to. At the beginning of the year, Brady was fighting for the clipboard as the Patriots" fourth-string quarterback. By mid-season, the sixth-round pick that completed just one pass during his entire rookie season had earned the starting job. "Let me tell you, nobody worked harder on this football team than Tom Brady, nobody," said Belichick in a press conference yesterday. "He made himself into a player, believe me, by not just showing up for the offseason stuff. He showed up and he worked his butt off." Brady made himself a player, a Pro Bowler and a World Champion with his work ethic, poise in the pocket and the respect he commanded from his teammates. "It couldn"t have happened to a better guy," Thompson said. And nobody should be surprised when good things continue to come his way.

b>Associated Press - January 2000 The Detroit News
MIAMI -- Everything was turning out as if it were part of a Hollywood script. Michigan quarterback Tom Brady's final collegiate game was also shaping up as his finest. He had led the Wolverines back from a two-touchdown deficit to set up the game-winning field goal with two seconds left. As the holder, he would be on the field to watch the kick go through the uprights and see all his hard work pay off. But when the 36-yard kick was blocked, Brady didn't give up. The senior just rewrote the ending to the final act of his collegiate football career. Playing in his last game in a Michigan uniform, Brady refused to let the eighth-ranked Wolverines lose in Saturday's Orange Bowl, leading them to a 35-34 victory over No. 5 Alabama. Crimson Tide kicker Ryan Pflugner missed an extra-point attempt to end the game after the Tide answered the Wolverines' overtime score. In writing his happy ending, Brady also rewrote the record books. He completed a career-high 33 of 45 attempts for three touchdowns and 344 yards. "If you're quarterback, you want everything on your shoulders," Brady said. "You want to be the one to make the decisions." Brady made Michigan coach Lloyd Carr's decision easy. With the running game woefully ineffective against Alabama -- the Wolverines mustered just 37 yards on the ground -- Carr was forced to place his trust in Brady's arm. And the coach wasn't surprised with the way the senior responded. "Tom Brady has everything you want in a quarterback," Carr said. "The guys around him love him and believe in him and if you knew him, you'd believe in him too." With as much of a groove as Brady was in, Michigan's receiving corps couldn't help but get involved. Brady utilized eight different receivers on the day as he coolly picked apart the Alabama secondary. Brady's heroic performance nearly overshadowed that of wide receiver David Terrell, who hauled in 10 passes for 150 yards. All three of Brady's touchdown passes also went to the sophomore. Brady took a while to find his rhythm, though, as Michigan's offense was dormant for much of the first half. The Wolverines managed just 96 yards of total offense before halftime, most of it coming on a late touchdown drive that culminated in Terrell's first score of the game, a 27-yard strike. At one point, Carr even replaced Brady with sophomore backup quarterback Drew Henson for a series. But the senior caught fire in the third quarter, leading the Wolverines on a 21-point explosion as they fought back to tie the score at 28 going into the game's final fifteen minutes. And although both offenses stagnated in the fourth quarter and were unable to manage any points, both teams awoke for the overtime, scoring quick touchdowns before Pflugner's miss put an abrupt end to one of the wildest bowl games of the year. But as crazy as the ending was for players and fans alike, Tom Brady couldn't think of any way he'd rather go out. "Ten and two, Orange Bowl champions, beating the SEC champions" Brady said after the game. "It's a great way to end your career."


Brady rallies U-M in OT Wolverines twice rally from 14-point deficit for victory By Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News
MIAMI – Fifth year senior quarterback Tom Brady said goodbye in a flourishing aerial display, and a prime-time national television audience said hello to David Terrell in a thrilling overtime game that started on New Year's night and ended early this morning. Brady and Terrell connected on three touchdown passes to lead Michigan to a 35-34 victory over Alabama before 70,461 in the Orange Bowl at Pro Player Stadium on a balmy night. Michigan won on a 25-yard pass from Brady to Shawn Thompson in the first overtime. Alabama came back to score, but Ryan Pflugner missed wide right on the extra-point attempt to clinch the Michigan victory. It was the first overtime game in Michigan history and the third-straight bowl victory for Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr, who just completed his fifth season as head coach. "Everyone is going to blame me," said Pflugner, a senior. "I missed the last kick. It came down to an extra point I should have made. But it's a team game. Everyone probably could have done something to make it better." Said Michigan's Ian Gold: "This is the greatest ending to a game ever.” Carr was less exuberant. "It was a great football game," Carr said. "It was a shame somebody had to lose. As much I enjoy winning, I hate to see it end the way it did, with a missed extra point." Brady finished his Michigan career setting a school record for completions. He was 34-for-46 for 369 yards, breaking his record of 31 completions against Ohio State in 1998. Michigan twice had a chance to get the go-ahead score in regulation. Hayden Epstein's 36-yard game-winning field-goal attempt with two seconds left was blocked by Phillip Weeks to send the game into overtime. Junior tailback Anthony Thomas also had a chance to give Michigan the goahead score with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter but fumbled near the end zone. Terrell set a Michigan bowl record with touchdown receptions and gained 150 yards on 10 catches. "Everybody said we weren't good enough, but we showed them," Terrell said. Alabama tailback Shaun Alexander, snubbed by Heisman Trophy voters, put on a one-man rushing highlight show for the penalty-ridden Crimson Tide. Alexander set an Alabama bowl rushing touchdown record with three. The victory gives the eighth-ranked Wolverines (10-2) their third straight 10-victory season and almost certainly assures them of a top-five ranking. Alabama, ranked fifth coming into the game and the Southeastern Conference champion, finished with a 10-3 record. The comeback wasn't the first by the Wolverines, who rallied from fourth-quarter deficits to win three times during the regular season. "They've done that all year long," Carr said. "I'll be glad to get rid of them; I don't have much heart left." After a high-scoring third quarter, in which Alabama and Michigan combined for an Orange Bowl-record 35 points, the teams entered the final quarter tied at 28. The Wolverines blew a chance in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to take their first lead of the game when Thomas fumbled. Certainly, it wasn't the most well-played game -- perhaps a sign of the lengthy layoff between the final regular-season games and the bowl -- as the teams combined for Orange Bowl-record 28 penalties, including 18 by Alabama. The long layoff seemed to show its effects on the Wolverines in the first half, particularly on offense, as they trailed 14-0 late into the second quarter. Terrell's 27-yard touchdown reception from Brady with 58 seconds left in the first half gave the Wolverines a boost, however, as they headed into halftime trailing 14-7.

December 27, 1999
Brady glad maturity finally came to pass U-M quarterback had to worry about himself before he could lead
BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG
MIAMI -- South Florida is one of the loveliest places a senior citizen can visit. Count on Tom Brady to enjoy it. "I always tell him he acts like a 40-year-old man trapped in a 22-year-old man's body," Michigan linebacker James Hall said. "He's not a real flashy guy. A lot of quarterbacks are real flashy or arrogant. He's really down to earth. We hang out a lot." What's the wildest thing Brady has ever done? "I can't tell you that," Hall said. "I can't think of one." This is the playful ribbing from a teammate. It's also the highest compliment one can give the U-M quarterback. You can't say Brady has the best arm in college football, because he doesn't. You can't say he's an otherworldly athlete, because he isn't. But he has a 40-year-old mind in a 22-year-old's body. The 40-year-old mind knows it, too. Brady has seen all sorts of trouble, lived through quite a few triumphs. Like many 40-year-olds, Brady has watched a younger, faster man try to take his job. And with guts and resourcefulness, Brady held off Drew Henson. As he approaches his final game at Michigan, Brady has established himself as one of the calmest, surest quarterbacks in U-M history. When he was asked this week what he's most proud of, Brady didn't talk about his 19-5 record as starter, or the two wins over Penn State, or even being named captain. "The one thing that any quarterback has to do, and I think it kind of sums up my career, is put things in the past behind you, whether it be a bad play or a bad read," Brady said. "You have to come back the next play and not necessarily make up, but put it out of my mind and move ahead. If that's after an interception or an incompletion, you have to put that out of your head and try and make the first down." It's an almost impossible skill to teach, which is why it's so impressive that Brady practically taught himself. Not long ago he was a 19-year-old with a 19-year-old's head for the game. Maybe Hall can't think of the wildest thing Brady has ever done, but try this: Three years ago, as Michigan plodded through its fourth straight four-loss season, Brady had had enough. Scott Dreisbach and Brian Griese had split time at quarterback for what seemed like half a century, and U-M still struggled. Brady marched into coach Lloyd Carr's office and spoke the two words he most wanted to say: Play me. And Carr looked at his then-redshirt freshman quarterback and told him the truth. There was a reason Brady wasn't playing. Basically, he lacked all the qualities that would make him successful in his final two seasons. "He said, 'You know, Tommy, you've gotta worry about yourself,' " Brady recalled. " 'You've gotta go out and worry about the way you play. Not the way the guys ahead of you are playing, not the way your running back is playing, and not the way your receiver ran the route. Worry about yourself.' " Brady thought about transferring, but he soon realized Carr was right. "I was always saying: 'Coach! He got 10 reps and I got five! So he's getting more of a chance!' " Brady said. "It was just immaturity." The next season, Griese would lead Michigan to a perfect record and a share of the national title. The keys to the team were turned over to Brady, but the engine wouldn't start. The Wolverines fell to 0-2, fans called for Henson to play, and it seemed like nobody was on Brady's side. But it didn't matter, not anymore. Worry about yourself. Brady led U-M to 10 wins in the season's final 11 games. By the start of the next season, he was elected captain. And still he faced pressure at his own position. Henson, the precocious kid with eye-popping talent, was splitting first-half quarterbacking duties with Brady, with the coaches choosing a second-half starter at halftime. The opening was there for Brady to revert to his old, it's-not-fair self, but he never did. In the season's third game, Henson won the battle and played the whole second half at Syracuse, leading the Wolverines to a win. And after the Wolverines win, the captains stand up in the locker room and commend the team for a performance. Brady stood up and spoke like a captain, not somebody who had sat the second half. Carr said it was one of the toughest things he has ever seen a player do. Brady -- the new Brady -- was unfazed by Henson's play, unconcerned about its ramifications. And this week, as always, Brady was unimpressed by his own performance. "I'm sure I handled it the way all the guys on the team would have handled the same situation," he said. "It was a great win for us. That's the only emotion that should be going through your head. If you're distracted by those other thoughts, we probably wouldn't be playing in the Orange Bowl." Ah, yes. The Orange Bowl. Brady's last game, on New Year's night, national TV, one of the hottest, most storied teams in the country, Alabama, lining up on the other side. Michigan might not win. Brady might not play well. But don't expect nerves to be much of a factor with him. Top 10 opponent? National TV? Worry about yourself. "Tom is always -- no matter if things are going good or bad -- he's always the same," guard Steve Hutchinson said. "He makes sure everybody in the huddle is on the same page, and everybody respects him for that. Like when we were down at Penn State, when we had to score two touchdowns to win, his composure, he never lost it. It was: 'All right, guys. Here's what we have to do . . ." That Penn State game epitomized Brady. He threw three interceptions. He was inconsistent. He also fired a perfect game-winning touchdown pass to Marcus Knight. "Definitely, on the field I have never seen him rattled," center Steve Frazier said. "He's always got things under control. He just has a poise, I guess." What he doesn't have is speed. Against Penn State, U-M tried a trick play in which Henson threw a lateral to DiAllo Johnson, who threw it back to Henson. But in order to get Henson into the game, Brady had to come out limping, as though he was hurt. "Just run normal," fullback Aaron Shea advised Brady. "People will think you're hurt." Frazier said: "We give him a hard time. I always tell him I have a better 40 time instead of him. It's not saying much if it's true, but it's not quite true." We'll probably never know. If Frazier and Brady started running the 40 in the early afternoon, the race would be called on account of darkness. No matter. "If you're talking about dropping back and throwing, everyone can do that coming in, especially at Michigan," Brady said. "The things you need to work on are to make good decisions, to lead the team. "You have to get the sense of maturity. If every little bump in the road affects you, nobody can count on you out there. When you're playing the position of quarterback, you're the one calling the plays, everybody needs to be able to count on you. They have to trust you. The coaches have to trust you. You have to be able to lead the team." Three years ago, Brady couldn't lead the team. He even thought about leaving, trying to lead another team. But Brady stuck around. To watch him now, you would think he was a born leader. He's not. He's something rarer: a self-made leader. "It certainly took me a lot of time. My first couple of years, that wasn't me. I was up and down with each practice. You're inconsistent then. That takes time developing. Now I'm at a point where I'm very comfortable."