The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2022 Brady did endure well-docu- mented tough times at Michigan. He told Lloyd Carr he planned to transfer, before rescinding the deci- sion and informing Carr he'd be the coach's best quarterback. That wasn't any simple task, given the arrival of five-star prep and local hero Drew Henson, just when Brady was finally set to start as a redshirt junior. Karsch remembers well those days. "Midway through his college ca- reer, I remember talking to Michi- gan's coaches off the air and them telling me, 'The Brady kid is the best kid we've got,' and thinking to myself, no way, because you've got Drew Henson," Karsch recalled. "But I guess they know more than I do. "So I started saying Brady should be the starting quarterback on the air, and it was pretty controversial at the time. You had a local star who was a great college quarterback in his own right. You just had a better one." One of Brady's closest friends let Karsch know, years later, that Brady used to listen to the talk show to fuel him on. "He used to want to hear that stuff, what people were saying about him or not saying about him," Karsch noted. "He told me that years later, which surprised me. "But then I remembered later, some Michigan fans were complaining that he wasn't very emotional, that he just didn't look like a fiery leader. They played Penn State right after I got those calls, and Michigan scored a touchdown early in the game. "Brady ran out to the 25-yard line, pumping his fist. I remember at the time thinking, 'Wow, take that, caller.' Finding out what I did years later, I wondered if it was literally a direct response to somebody calling a talk show and criticizing Tom Brady." Of course, the most famous Brady tale of turning a slight into super- charged motivation involved Michi- gan's fan day in 1998. That's when Michigan's athletic reps sat Henson down for an autograph line in one end zone, and the line stretched past the 50-yard stripe. Meanwhile, Brady sat at the entrance to the U-M tunnel, his line featuring three or four attend- ees, his gaze burning at the Henson line. Brady ultimately won out, deliver- ing one of the top finishes in Michi- gan football history. He closed out his Michigan career racking up consecu- tive victories over No. 6 Penn State in State College (31-27), Ohio State at home (24-27) and No. 5 Alabama in a titanic overtime Orange Bowl fight (35-34). That's where Brady gave a signal of what was to come, despite NFL gen- eral managers missing it. "When his career was over, one of his coaches told me his second half against Alabama in the Orange Bowl was as close to a perfect half of foot- ball as they'd ever seen," Karsch said. "That every read he made was perfect. That everywhere he went with the ball was perfect. "If you go back and watch it, it was a thing to behold. That was one of the indicators — the ability to quickly pro- cess information and go to the right place with the football is why I think he is the greatest of all time. And it was on display in that second half against Alabama." Brady went on to heights that won't likely ever get touched. Of the active quarterbacks in the NFL, five are tied with the most Super Bowl 1 NFL player has won a Super Bowl in three different decades — Brady. 1st In NFL history is where Brady ranks in regular-season wins (243), Pro Bowl appearances (15), Super Bowl MVP awards (five), starts (316), completions (7,263), pass attempts (11,317), passing yards (84,520), passing touchdowns (624), three-touchdown games (101) and four-touchdown outings (39). In the postseason, he holds the all-time records with 19 appearances, 47 games started, 35 wins (the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots have the most play- off wins by any franchise with 37), 1,165 completions, 13,049 passing yards, 86 passing touchdowns, 14 game-winning drives and nine fourth-quarter comebacks. 2 Quarterbacks — Brady and Peyton Manning — have started and won a Super Bowl for multiple teams, with Brady winning six with the New England Patriots and one as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady is also one of four signal-callers to defeat all 32 NFL teams. 3 Players have registered receiving yards after turning 40 years old — Jerry Rice (2,169), Brady (six) and Brett Favre (minus-2). Brady also has the most passing yards (22,938) and second-most rushing yards (184) after turning 40. 5 Years until Brady will surely be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. It's actually been argued that he has put together three HOF careers, one in his 20s (over 21,000 yards, 147 touchdowns, three Super Bowls), one in his 30s (over 40,000 yards, 309 touch- Tom Brady's Career By The Numbers downs, two MVPs, one Super Bowl) and one in his 40s (over 23,000 yards, 168 touchdowns, three Super Bowls). 10 Playoff wins over NFC teams — six in the Su- per Bowl and four as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer — which is tied with Aaron Rodgers and Joe Montana for second all time. Brett Favre has the most with 12, but Brady played in the AFC for 20 of his 22 seasons. 13 Teams have played in fewer playoff games than Brady has won. 18.2 Percent of all Super Bowls have included Brady as a starting quarterback (10 of 55). John Elway has the second-most Super Bowl starts at quarterback with five; Brady has started five Super Bowls since he turned 37 years old. The former Michigan quar- terback has won 12.7 percent of all Super Bowls (seven of 55), and his seven victories in the big game are the most of any player. 20 Seasons as an NFL starting quarterback. The only campaigns he didn't start were 2000, his rookie season, and 2008, the season in which he tore his ACL in the opener. In those 20 years, Brady had more Super Bowl wins (seven) than seasons that ended before the confer- ence title game (six). His teams made the playoffs 19 times and won 18 division titles. He averaged 12.1 wins per season during those 20 years.