The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/230001
where are they now? the upset heard round the world, at home versus Appalachian State. Then came a rout by Oregon at The Big House. For seniors such as Adams, Henne, Hart, etc., it all seemed like a bad dream. "The first couple of games were shocking, to say the least," Adams recalled. "We lost to Appalachian State, and I went home. My mom was in town, and I went to sleep right after the game. "I woke up, and I was thinking to myself, oh man, that was a dream. This is still Friday. I have to get ready to go to the team meeting. She had ESPN on, and the next thing I heard was 'The big upset in Ann Arbor …' "I thought, wow, that wasn't a dream." It was an opportunity, and a chance to embrace the toughness those players could call upon for the next several decades of their lives. Michigan's seniors, Adams recalled, had to take a long look at themselves and pull things together. They did, reeling off eight straight wins, but couldn't finish the job with an injured Henne. Armed with a healed-up QB in the Capital One Bowl, against No. 9 Florida, Urban Meyer, and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, the Wolverines showed what they could do. Given no chance by any media outlet against the Gators, Michigan out-gunned Florida 41‑35. "We knew that was Coach Carr's last game," Adams said. "There was no way possible to let him leave on a losing game. "We went down there, in their back yard, and beat an SEC opponent. That locker room afterward was absolutely amazing. Carrying Coach Carr off that field was absolutely amazing. To think that was my last experience in a Michigan uniform really brings joy to my heart." The NFL involves business, not joy, and Adams' experience fell along those lines after he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He bounced between the Seahawks' practice squad and regular roster for a couple of years, moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010. His NFL highlight involved starting a game against Dallas, before back issues — over which he could still undergo surgery — from his Seattle days resurfaced to take him out of the pro game. He still carries good memories of a brief professional football stint. "I had some good games in the NFL," Adams said. "I had some amazing experiences. To run on an NFL field with a jersey on and a helmet, to play against Brian Urlacher, and Jason Witten and Tony Romo, to play with Michael Vick and Matt Hasselbeck, Lawyer Milloy, Walter Jones … I wouldn't trade that in for anything in the world." When the time came to trade in his helmet for a business suit, University of Michigan connections gave him a boost. He'd graduated from