The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2020 BY AUSTIN FOX T ampa Bay Buccaneers quarter- back Tom Brady set several re- cords Oct. 4 when he put together a five-touchdown, 369-yard perfor- mance that resulted in a 38-31 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The win was the 252nd of his ca- reer (including the postseason), extending his league record, and now giving him an all-time mark of 252-77 — a .766 winning percentage, another all-time NFL record among players with at least 50 career starts. Brady possesses a firm hold on both aforementioned categories, with Peyton Manning's 200 career wins checking in second and Roger Stau- bach coming in next in the winning percentage category, at .731 (95-35 record). "He's the GOAT [greatest of all time]," said Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis, who admitted after the game that Brady's performance inspired Tampa Bay's defense. "That's as simple as I can put it. He's a great player, and it's even better to play off of him. "Having him go down and score touchdowns gives us a lot more en- ergy on our sidelines, and just gives the whole sideline more confidence in the comeback we had." At 43 years old, Brady became the oldest player to have three or more touchdown passes in consecutive games (eight scoring throws between weeks three and four), breaking his own record that he set in 2018 when he was 41. He also became the old- est NFL signal-caller ever to throw five touchdowns in a single outing, surpassing Warren Moon's mark of 40 years and 342 days. The five touchdowns Brady re- corded Oct. 4 went to five different targets, marking the first time he'd ever accomplished that feat in his ca- reer. The 11 scoring tosses he racked up through the Buccaneers' first four games were also the most for any quarterback in their history through such a span. "How can you not believe in him?" Tampa Bay wideout Scotty Miller asked afterward. "He's the greatest to ever do it. We just needed to go out there and follow his lead. We know he's going to get the job done, so we just have to do what we do to help him out a little bit." FINAL STATISTICS FOR WOLVERINES ON MLB ROSTERS • James Bourque (Played at U-M from 2012-14), RHP, Washington Na- tionals: Finished with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in just four innings out of the 26-34 Nationals' bullpen. • Jake Cronenworth (2013-15), INF, San Diego Padres: Registered a .285 batting average, four home runs, 20 RBI and a .354 on-base percentage in 54 games for the 37-23 Padres … Compiled a .389 batting average, one homer, three RBI and a .542 on-base percentage in six playoff games. • Rich Hill (2000-02), LHP, Minne- sota Twins: Compiled a 3.03 ERA, a 2-2 record and a 1.16 WHIP in 38⅔ innings and eight starts for the 36-24 Twins … Did not appear in Minnesota's lone postseason series, a two-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros. • Clayton Richard (2005), LHP, Chicago White Sox: Signed to a minor-league deal Aug. 3, but was never promoted to the 35-25 White Sox's big-league roster. FORMER WOLVERINES WHO WERE STILL IN THE NBA PLAYOFFS SINCE OUR LAST UPDATE (SEPT. 21) • Duncan Robinson (2014-18), F, Mi- ami Heat: Started all 21 postseason contests for the 44-29 Heat, averaging 11.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game … Shot 39.7 percent from three-point range … Helped lead Miami to the NBA Finals, where it fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. MICHIGAN IN THE PROS Tom Brady Makes History — Yet Again At age 43, Brady is still accomplishing career firsts — in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 38-31 win over the Los Angeles Chargers Oct. 4, he threw five touchdown passes to five different players for the first time ever and became the oldest quarterback in NFL history to throw for that many scores in a game. PHOTO COURTESY TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS