The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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When game day rolled around, Brady had an idea, based on nostalgia for a scene he'd never witnessed. "Tom says, 'It would be just amazing to see what goes on down State Street before a football game. I have never seen that,'" Falk recounted. "We had to protect him from all the people who wanted to see him, say hello or shake his hand." The world then watched as Brady and Harbaugh tossed the football around on the Michigan Stadium turf before the game. "That was two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play at Michigan, throwing the foot- ball together," Falk said. It's significant, though, that Brady enjoyed just as much seeing the equipment man and the Mr. Spots wings server, who wound up washing dishes at Pizza House and sending Brady countless scouting reports in New England. Flannelly still does. "When Tommy was back here for the Colorado game, the two guys he hung out with were me and Big Jonny," Flannelly marveled. "An equipment guy and a guy who was washing dishes. Does that sound like the MVP of the NFL? "People I meet say it's crazy that I'm friends with Tom Brady. He remembers the guys who were with him when he was little. I'm basically best buddies with a super hero, but he doesn't act like a super hero." Brady remains good friends with several former teammates, and has hosted buddies like Pat Kratus, Jay Feely and Kraig Baker at the Super Bowl. None were stars. All are welcome. "Imagine that — the superstar quarterback hanging out with kickers and backup defensive linemen," Flannelly said. "It's the way Tom is." When new people come into the Patriots' locker room, Flannelly noted: "He'll come up to them and say, 'Hi, I'm Tom Brady.' They're like, we know who the hell you are. It's pretty funny that he does stuff like that. "I think he always will be the guy who is the seventh-string quarterback and thinks when he goes to practice, he's going to lose his job. That's why [Bill] Belichick is the perfect coach for him." Belichick, of course, is not noted for his sen- timentality when making personnel decisions. "He would trade Tom," Flannelly said. "He's tried to trade Tom. He's traded Randy Moss, tried to trade Gronk [tight end Rob Gronkowski], traded so many great players. He let Wes Welker go, let Willie McGinest go, traded Lawyer Milloy a week before the season. "Tom knows that. It helps make him who he is." Similarly, Brady's Michigan days tough- ened, matured and fueled him for all the battles to come. "He doesn't sit around and worry about what happened at Michigan," Flannelly of- fered. "He's moved on. He realizes he didn't have the easiest career, but it's helped him for where he is now. "I know there's a lot of noise about Tom not liking Michigan, but he carries a lot of things that made him what he is today. He's still the maniac worker who doesn't like giv- ing practice reps to anybody. He works like a mad dog." Tom Brady Has Solidified Himself As The NFL's Best Player Of All Time BY AUSTIN FOX When New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won his sixth Super Bowl title with a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams this past February, most agreed it confirmed his status as the best player the game had ever seen. Brady's six championships are the main accomplishment on his ré- sumé, but the various other records he owns (and in some cases, may soon own) are almost equally impressive. Here's a look at several of Brady's most incredible NFL achievements, along with the various regular-season and playoff records he possesses: Super Bowl Titles: (first in NFL history) Brady's six Super Bowl victories are the most the game has ever seen, with longtime NFL linebacker/defensive end Charles Haley (1986-99) the only other player who even has five. The most any other quarterbacks possess are Terry Bradshaw (1970-83) and Joe Montana (1979-94), who each own four. The only people, in any capacity, to have more Super Bowl rings than Brady are his head coach, Bill Belichick (who also won two as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator in 1987 and 1991), and Neah Dahlen, who claimed five with the San Francisco 49ers as a staffer in player personnel and two as the Denver Broncos' general manager. Super Bowl MVPs: 4 (first) Brady not only holds the record, but when he won the honor in the 2017 Super Bowl LI triumph over the Atlanta Falcons, he became the old- est player (40 years old) to ever earn the award. Only four other athletes have ever taken home the accolade at least two times (Joe Montana won three, while Terry Bradshaw, Eli Manning and Bart Starr each claimed two). Incredibly, Brady's quartet is more than 26 of the 32 NFL organiza- tions have even won Super Bowls. Pro Bowls: 14 (first) He is tied with tight end Tony Gonzalez, quarterback Peyton Manning, of- fensive guard Bruce Matthews and defensive tackle Merlin Olsen for the most ever. Brady has been elected every year since 2009, and after missing the 2008 season with injury, was last not chosen while appearing in every game in 2006 (he was named a first alternate that year but declined). Only three ac- tive players have at least 11 Pro Bowls on their résumé — New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (12), Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (11) and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11). Regular-Season Victories By A Quarterback: 207 (first) Not only does Brady own the most ever regular-season triumphs by a starting quarterback, but he possesses it by a fairly wide margin. The next closest field generals on the all-time list are Brett Favre (1991-2010) and Peyton Manning, whose 186 victories are 21 behind Brady. The next highest active quarterback is the Saints' Drew Brees, with just 155 triumphs. Brady's 237 all-time victories (including the playoffs), meanwhile, are the most of any NFL player ever, and are one more than former Patriot and current Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri. In addition, the Patriot signal-caller's career record of 237-70 (including the postseason) puts him 167 games over .500, the most of any NFL athlete ever. Regular-Season Touchdown Passes: 517 (third) Brady is actually only three behind Drew Brees for the No. 2 spot on the all-time tally and just 22 scoring tosses behind Peyton Manning (who has 539) for No. 1. Outside of Manning, Brees and Brady, only two other quar- terbacks in NFL history have thrown more than 374 touchdown passes — Dan Marino (420) and Brett Favre (508). While taking the playoffs into account, however, Brady's 590 TD throws are the most of all time. 6 32 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW