The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133482
166 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW "Winovich had back-to-back 90.0-plus graded seasons at Michigan and tested out as an elite athlete at the com- bine. At that point, there are not too many question marks in our eyes. His on-field play compared to teammate Rashan Gary at this point isn't even close." — Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner, on why defensive end Chase Winovich was one of the biggest steals of the 2019 NFL Draft "TB12 [Tom Brady] has always been a little cagey about his inju - ries, but it became clear in the postseason that he had been playing hurt for part of the 2018 campaign. But while his numbers dropped off during the regular season, his play in the postseason was as stel - lar as ever and culminated in his sixth Super Bowl ring." — Aaron Tallent of Athlon Sports, explaining why New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's 2018 campaign was the sixth best of his 19-year NFL career "From having the game taken from you and not being able to come out here and play with your teammates, he definitely looks different and better than ever. Willie looks focused and ready to go this year, because he knew what it was like to sit on the sidelines. He's ready to get back out there." — Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on defensive tackle WILLIE HENRY June 6, after the lineman was limited to just three games last season with a herniated disk Quotable — New York Giants beat writer Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com, explaining why safety JABRILL PEPPERS was the club's most important offseason addition Safety Jabrill Peppers — included in the deal that sent star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland — was perhaps the impor- tant offseason acquisition for the New York Giants. PHOTO BY EVAN PINKUS/COURTESY NEW YORK GIANTS "Not only is Peppers the face of the Giants' three-player haul in return for [receiver Odell] Beckham, he also is the replacement for [free agent departure] Landon Collins. So he is tied to the two most controversial decisions of the offseason — the Giants parting with arguably their top player on each side of the ball. Peppers has made his presence known in practice. He quickly picked up the intricacies of the defense, is vocal before the snap and likes trash talking after the play ends. "The once-proud Giants defense has been in the bottom third of the NFL in yards allowed in four of the last five seasons and needed an overhaul. The versatile Peppers will play in the box to stop the run and blitz, drop into deep coverage and line up as a slot cornerback. In a secondary relying on five rookies and second-year players, Peppers is a veteran entering his third season." PHOTO COURTESY BALTIMORE RAVENS