The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN IN THE PROS the same system his entire career, has had one coach in Bill Belichick. We should be so proud of what Tom has accomplished — I'm just not one of these guys ready to say, 'Okay, he makes Joe [Montana] look like a busboy.' "Where is he ranked? I will say there's never been a more competi- tive quarterback. You can't make a blanket statement and say he's the most competitive of all time, but Tom Brady would chew your leg off to get a win." Many who have played with him, like Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, don't hesitate to call him the best ever. Brady, though, con- sistently deflects the praise to team- mates in sharing the wealth of his good fortune. "Joe [Montana] and Steve [Young] were my idols growing up," he said of the San Francisco legends near his San Mateo, Calif., home. "I was lucky to be around the 49ers at that time. That's really when I began loving football. You know, it's hard to win one [Super Bowl]. I'm a lucky guy, played on some great teams, great defenses, great coaches. There are a lot of great players in the NFL. To experience this once is incredible. I can't even imagine four times." He doesn't have to now, because it's reality, and he just happens to be arguably the greatest NFL quarter- back of all time. His four touchdown passes against the Seahawks gave him 13 in the Super Bowl, moving him past Montana. He already held the record for most career passes, most career completions and most career passing yards, and with his recent numbers — well, good luck to those chasing him, especially since he's said he wants to play into his 40s, and it looks like he might. "At 37, I don't see any skills Tom has that are diminishing," Dierdorf said. "You don't often say that of someone at 37 that he's in his prime, not in the National Football League or any sport. The vast majority are out of the league by then. "What Tom has accomplished, we need to sit back and appreciate it. If you're a football fan and like the NFL, we really are seeing the Golden Age of quarterbacks." And the best of the best just hap- pens to be a former Wolverine. Former U-M defensive tackle Alan Branch, meanwhile, also earned a ring, notching three solo tackles in the win. The defensive tackle ended up missing the first eight games this season after being cut by the Bills, but he became a key part of a New England defense that got better as the year progressed. "It's definitely a situation that turned in my favor," Branch told The Albuquerque Journal. "I'd definitely rather not have sat on my couch for half a season, but to have an oppor- tunity to play with these guys on this team and playing for this coaching staff and being able to play in the Su- per Bowl, it doesn't get much better than that." It was Branch's second Super Bowl experience, though he didn't play for the Cardinals in their 27-23 Super