The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787035
8 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 T he New England Patriots were done, dead and buried. The Atlanta Falcons piled boulders atop the grave site, just to ensure against any unimaginable resurrection. When Tom Brady fired into double coverage late in the second quarter of Super Bowl LI, and At‑ lanta's Robert Alford turned the pass around 82 yards the other direction, it wasn't over. But it was 21‑0 Falcons, leaving even the most ardent Brady booster queasy as a flu‑wracked Tilt‑A‑Whirl rider. Just days earlier, Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh had declared the Michigan alum the greatest foot‑ ball player of all time. Not the great‑ est quarterback, not the greatest of‑ fensive performer — the best player, period, in the history of football on the planet. Harbaugh hailed Brady on Feb. 1, National Signing Day. He'd wel‑ comed in a class of 29 new Wolver‑ ines, which would become 30 with the signing of punter Brad Robbins five days later. Harbaugh didn't have to pump up his own class — everybody else did so for him. Rivals.com labeled this crew the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation, and nearly everyone fell in line with a top‑five designation. "There's good, there's better, there's best," Harbaugh said. "We're looking for the best. We go out and look at the whole country and mine for gold. We're looking for gold nuggets." A few days later, Brady wasn't look‑ ing like the best. Sure, he'd rallied his team to a field goal before the half. He wasn't going down without a fight. But he was going down. No way around it. When the Falcons piled on yet another touchdown nearing the midway point of the third quar‑ ter, making it 28‑3, all but Atlanta diehards moved on to the nacho dip, returning to the TV only for commercials. That is, if the television remained on. The biggest Super Bowl lead ever overcome stood at 10 points. Twenty‑five? Dream on … Harbaugh's new crew will likely hear from Brady at some point along the way. He showed up at The Big House last fall to deliver a stirring pre‑game speech. Three years earlier, Brady stood before the Wolverines in Schembechler Hall's full team meeting room, making his points with all eyes locked on him. "This place is special to me, it's special to the guys I played with, it's special to the guys that played be‑ fore me, because we love Michigan," Brady declared. He also delivered a dose of gut‑ level honesty. "I didn't have an easy experi‑ ence," Brady assured. "I didn't come in as a top‑rated recruit. I didn't come in with the opportunity to play right away. I had to earn it." He thought he'd earned it prior to his fourth year as a Wolverine. That didn't matter. It was out of his con‑ trol, and he faced a decision — quit or keep fighting. This new crew will endure the same crucible moments, without question. Pack it in or strap it up a little tighter? Point fingers and sulk, or summon up what's left in every sinew, tap into Harbaugh's vaunted steel in the spine, and keep going. Incoming quarterback Dylan Mc‑ Caffrey will feel it at some point — the withering competition, the hard‑edged coaching. Nobody will care that many labeled Donovan Peoples‑Jones the top prep wide receiver in the nation when he runs a wrong route in practice. The five stars of People‑Jones, defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon and line‑ backer Jordan Anthony combined count for 15 handfuls of nothing when the pads go on. They'll be tested, just like Brady was tested. That's not a bad situa‑ tion, he shared with many years of perspective. "All the lessons I learned here on State Street and in The Big House, that's still what I bring to practice today," Brady said. "And after 14 years, I love the game more than I've ever loved it. "But where did I learn the love for the game? Where did I learn to prac‑ tice? Where did I learn to compete? It was sitting in the same chairs you guys are sitting in today." Brady eventually moved out of those chairs to become the best quarterback football has ever known. He's also the QB who gener‑ ated the greatest comeback the Su‑ per Bowl has ever witnessed. Like he said, it started on State Street. "Nobody's ever done it like Tom Brady has," Harbaugh said. "He is the best of all time." Harbaugh has 30 newcomers ready for the same proving grounds, unlimited inspiration only a phone call away. ❏ Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB _ Wolverine. WOLVERINE WATCH JOHN BORTON Class Needn't Look Far For Inspiration U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh (right) believes former Wolverine and current New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (left) is the greatest football player of all time. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL