The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
MARCH 2021 THE WOLVERINE 5 FROM OUR READERS On Tom Brady winning his seventh Super Bowl and fifth Super Bowl MVP award … • I'm struggling to find superlatives anymore. He beat three Super Bowl MVPs in consecutive playoff games — Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. The only records he breaks anymore are his own. BlueMonster • Wasn't it amazing to see how well good, old Rob Gronkowski played after coming out of retirement to play with Brady? Brady was responsible for putting Tampa's Ru- bik's Cube/rearranged jigsaw puzzle together in a manner that embraced his level of confidence and allowed them to compete for and win the Super Bowl from what had been a losing culture. That is as or more amazing than his skill set at age 43. orsons • I am so proud that Tom Brady is a U-M alumnus. There isn't a better representative in sports for a school. My biggest takeaway is this: Culture can be changed in one year. Tampa was a train wreck finishing last, last and second to last in their division the last three years. Now they are Super Bowl champs. Mindset and culture is contagious. Leaders can perpetu- ate great change in a short period of time and momentum builds quickly with success. This example should hit home with our program and our players to provide a blueprint that if they believe, they can and will achieve. cwp • That is 100 percent true. But here is the caveat — you have to have someone who can lead you there. I thought what Joel Glazer, the Buccaneers owner, said after the game was spot on — if you want to know the road ahead, ask a person that has been there. It's a great lesson. It's actually what Michigan's secret sauce was for 40 years of football. Listen to the guys who have done it before. Somehow, someway, we need to get it back. andrewhfine • Culture requires a leader on the field. Think about what every single player said after the Super Bowl — Tom Brady was leading the charge. He was confident, delivered and just made everyone better, including the defense. If you have a general on the field, everything else just works. Very few in the NFL can do that — Brady is the best to ever have done it. I would put Ray Lewis up there as a non-QB who could do that. Maybe Peyton Manning once he went to Denver. It's rare to ever see this kind of leadership in college though. I think that is why teams are so incredibly high on Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, because he displayed those skills as a 19-year-old. The crazy part is the Bucs will only get better next year! Imagine that, I would not be surprised to see Tom Brady get to eight rings. tarun262 A few members of The Fort, TheWolverine.com's pre- mium message board, got together in late January with the goal of raising $2,500 for an NFL jersey drive for Larry Prout Jr., the U-M superfan who was born with all of his organs outside of his body and has had more than 100 surgeries since. Thirty-two new jerseys of nearly every active NFL Wolverine, and even some legends like Charles Woodson and Jim Harbaugh, were purchased with additional funds given to the family. "Today is the best!" Larry wrote on Facebook after re- ceiving the delivery Feb. 7. "I just got surprised by Jon Stevens, Chris Balas, John Friedberg, and other members of The Fort and the Michigan Memorabilia group! … I promise to keep working hard and doing my physical therapy exercises so I can wear these jerseys with honor and courage. Thank you! I am so very grateful!" • I love when The Fort comes together for these types of things. Go Blue! joeboggs1 • Great job everyone. The Fort is one hell of a community. We can always count on each other. Awesome job. drumichdo • I just want to say you guys are awesome. What a response. timthumb • Thanks for organizing this. Larry Prout Jr. is an incredible person, and we'll keep him and his family in our prayers! Amaizingblue • Larry is a warrior and he should have warrior gear. jrandyyoung • Who is cutting onions in here? Man, that's touching. Props to everyone. HUGE M FAN 60 Day Free Trial, Use Code BLUE60 Join The Conversation! Use Code BLUE60 60-Day Free Trial TheWolverine.com message board helped raise more than $2,500 to buy NFL jerseys of former Michigan stars for superfan Larry Prout Jr. PHOTO COURTESY LARRY PROUT JR.