The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2022 THE WOLVERINE 23 "He didn't want to do it halfway. It's all in or all out. I don't think he could do it any other way." Jay Flannelly, the self-described "dish washer" at Ann Arbor's Pizza House when Brady was in school, became a friend and a forever loyal- ist. He spent 22 years emailing Brady scouting reports on each NFL oppo- nent before the next game. Flannelly noted despite Brady's unbelievable level of proficiency at nearly age 45, it wasn't unbelievable he'd walk away. "Just from paying attention, I think there were a lot of signs that things were progressing that way," Flan- nelly said. "People are not focusing on [the ESPN-Plus series] 'Man In The Arena.' Because if you've been watch- ing that, it's been basically a thank you to all the different teammates and players he played with, and coaches. "It was kind of his goodbye, thank- ing all the players he played with. Settling some scores, and letting Wes Welker off the hook for 2011. There were a lot of things that people missed. "Listen, he's almost 45 years old and playing at an elite, high level. He had a pretty good run." Brady's not merely mouthing the obligatory "more time with my fam- ily" line either, Flannelly insisted. "It gets to the point, when you're 44 years old, you've got a beautiful wife, three beautiful kids … that midweek against the Arizona Cardinals isn't that fun anymore, compared to going to your kid's dance recital or soccer game. Tommy loves his family, more than he loves football, and that's OK." Flannelly absolutely concurred with the notion that Brady wouldn't ever do anything halfway. "Tommy's not going to do that," he insisted. "First of all, Tommy, physi- cally, cannot do that. He has to work like a madman to go out and produce. He can't just show up and ace the class. Mentally, he can. But physically, at 44, he's got to go out there and work harder than everybody else, just to compete. "And, what are you doing? Is eight [championships] really that important? He beat Michael Jordan. That was an- other goal — he got to seven. He beat the Patriots. He did it. He won the Su- per Bowl without Bill Belichick and Mr. [Robert] Kraft. What else can he do?" ALWAYS A FIGHTER Brady's effort in the Buccaneers' 30- 27 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams typified his career — other than the final outcome. It brought flashbacks of the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, when Brady led New England back from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl LI versus Atlanta to an astounding 34- 28 win. The Patriots — and subsequently the Buccaneers — were seemingly never out of a game with Brady at the helm. "Aaron Rodgers loses that game by five touchdowns, and quits and goes home," Flannelly opined. "Tommy didn't. And that's the hallmark of what made Tommy great. He never really got his ass kicked, even when things were bad. "In crisis, I always thought he was best. I think a lot of that was developed when he was at Michigan. He knew how to handle adversity. How many of these guys knew what it's like to be booed by 110,000 people? He does." Tom Brady Marked Michigan Football Pride For A New Generation During Tom Brady's NFL career (2000-2022), Michigan football captured four Big Ten championships, with a 16-year dry spell snapped last fall. Those numbers — set against the Wolverines' historical standing in the conference — seem almost as shocking as Brady's own rise to iconic status. Those who knew Brady when he was at Michigan, even a little bit, found it easy to root for his NFL success. As hard as it became for Brady in Ann Arbor, his demeanor did not change. He presented himself as relentlessly pleasant to deal with, friendly to the media, unwilling to take out his frustrations on others. That attitude scored big-time points with many, before Brady was big- time. When Brady made the NFL, one Michigan-based onlooker faced a choice. Continue rooting for the home-state Detroit Lions, whose champi- onship futility now stretches back a full 65 years, to 1957, nine years before the Super Bowl even existed. Or, he could adopt a new NFL team, the one for which Brady proudly donned the uniform — albeit with limited expectations, other than from Brady and those close to him. This observer chose the latter, before Brady ever took a snap from center in New England. The observer's son, now 29, barely recalls Brady playing at Michigan. But he recalls with ultimate delight the ride so many took with the greatest quarterback of all time — 10 Super Bowls, seven Super Bowl victories and enough highlight moments to fill a foot-thick scrapbook. The generation born in the early-to-mid 1990s doesn't remember 1997, and never experienced the 10-Year War, Bo and Woody, and so many Michigan fan-making moments. But they know Tom Brady, who will stand forever as the best quarterback ever to command the huddle. — John Borton From 1996-99 at Michigan, Brady completed 395 of 638 passes (61.9 percent) for 4,773 yards and 30 touchdowns. During that time, the Wolverines went 40-9, including a 20-5 record the final two years with Brady playing a key role. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN