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Pro Blue: Michigan legend Chad Henne takes over for Kansas City

On Saturday, Michigan legend Chad Henne took over for the Chiefs in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

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Jan 1, 2007; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Chad Henne (7) in action against the Southern California Trojans during the 2007 Rose Bowl at the Rose Bowl. The Trojans defeated the Wolverines 32-18. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Network

On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars in a thrilling divisional round playoff matchup. Early in the first half, Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes went down with a knee and ankle injury — this made room for Michigan legend Chad Henne to take the field.

Chad Henne at Michigan

Chad Henne played all four years of his college football career as Michigan’s starting quarterback. Henne took over as a freshman in 2004 — a year that U-M won the Big Ten Championship — and never looked back.

Over his four years with the Wolverines, Henne-led Michigan teams finished with an overall record of 36-14 — going 9-3, 7-5, 11-2, and 9-4. When Henne left the program via the 2008 NFL Draft, he went out as the Wolverines’ leader in all-time passing yards (9,715) and all-time passing touchdowns (87). Both of these records still stand today.

In Chad Henne’s final game at Michigan he led the Wolverines to a victory over Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow in the Capitol One Bowl, and finished No. 18 in the polls.

Henne in the NFL

Since being drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2008, Chad Henne has seen action in 78 games for three NFL teams (Miami, Jacksonville, and Kansas City). Over his 13-year NFL career, Henne has thrown for 13,290 yards and 60 touchdowns. Now, Henne has a chance to further his legacy by defeating Jacksonville in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs this afternoon.

Henne has played in one career playoff game — a 2020-21 performance with Kansas City’s win over Cleveland. Henne is 6/8 for 66 yards, no touchdowns and one interception before today’s playoff matchup against the Jaguars.

UPDATE: Henne was replaced by Mahomes after halftime; however, did throw a touchdown pass during his time as the starter. Kansas City went on to win by a touchdown, so you can reasonably thank Henne for giving KC the boost it needed.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com or DM him on Twitter, @CJsWrld_.

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Ohio State player takes shot at Michigan football at NFL Combine

A former All-Big Ten Buckeye had some choice words about the Wolverines during the combine.

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Michigan football
Nov 27, 2021; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Cornelius Johnson (6) runs the ball in for a touchdown defended by Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Cameron Brown (26) at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

There has been plenty of talk about the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry this week throughout the NFL Combine. The top athletes from Ohio State and Michigan football are showing off and showing out, and with that, there have been quite a few questions about ‘The Game’ from reporters. During the combine, former Ohio State cornerback Cameron Brown had some words for the Wolverines.

What did Brown say about Michigan football?

First off, Buckeye corner Cameron Brown claimed that he has had “No issue” with the Wolverines that he has seen during the combine workouts. Still, he followed it up with a shot at Michigan football:

[Michigan football players] can’t talk to me much,” Brown said with the implication that the Wolverines aren’t on his level. “[Michigan] won two games in the last 15,” Brown said, “They got it. They can have that.” According to Cleveland.com, Brown said that watching Michigan celebrate both wins like it had won something bigger than one game – parading around the field, planting their flag at midfield in Columbus – struck him as funny.

It is notable to point out that Cameron Brown will leave Ohio State with a losing record against Michigan football as a starter, and his last game in ‘The Shoe’ was a 45-23 beat down at the hands of Harbaugh’s Wolverines.

Michigan, Ohio State players appear to be getting along fine

Throughout the week, former Buckeyes and Wolverines have had shockingly kind words of one another at the combine. Former Michigan football standout Mike Morris had nothing but good things to say about a few of the Buckeyes that he had met, and the same was true of Ohio State players with some Wolverines. Things aren’t getting too chummy, but there may be a little hope that Wolverines and Buckeyes can get along.

For now, the rivalry can be settled on the field, just as Michigan football has done in blowout fashion for the past two years.



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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WATCH: Ronnie Bell has insane one-handed catch at combine

Does this look familiar or what, Michigan fans?

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Ronnie Bell
© Junfu Han via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Does this look familiar, Michigan football fans? It should, because once again, former Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Ronnie Bell is turning heads on the biggest stage. During Bell’s combine performance on Saturday, he somehow snagged a ball out of the air with one hand after slipping up — it was arguably the most impressive moment of the day in front of the NFL’s top scouts.

Ronnie Bell snags ball one-handed

Here is the clip of Bell’s catch:

This is a familiar sight for Michigan fans

All Michigan football fans should not be surprised at Bell’s catch, after all, he did the exact same thing (in a game) against Western Michigan in 2021. Sadly, that catch was called back, so Bell followed it up with an incredible 76-yard touchdown grab soon after.

Now, Bell is in front of the nation’s top scouts trying to make an impression on his draft stock ahead of this year’s NFL Draft in April. He will need more than just one impressive catch at the combine; however, this is a good start — as many know, Bell is an incredible receiver with great hands, speed, and plenty of heart. No matter where he ends up, we’re confident that Bell will make an immediate splash in the National Football League this fall.



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other steaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Michigan football likely won’t have a first round draft pick in 2023

Of the nine Michigan Wolverines heading to this year’s NFL Draft, none are projected higher than mid-2nd round.

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Oct 2, 2021; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Chase Wolf (2) is sacked by Michigan Wolverines linebacker David Ojabo (55) and defensive end Mike Morris (90) during the fourth quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Well, it’s that time of year again — the NFL Draft is fast approaching and much of the talent that made the 2022 college football season fun is preparing to make the jump to the next level. Michigan football is no stranger to this time of year, U-M holds the longest NFL Draft streak in the nation, though the Wolverines usually expect to have at least one of its star players go in the first round.

This year may be an exception to that, which is especially odd considering the fact that Michigan football won a Big Ten Championship a season ago and finished with a 13-1 record; in fact, the season before, the Michigan Wolverines saw similar success, going 12-2 and winning the Big Ten title. It’s an odd phenomenon, but don’t expect a ‘Michigan Man’ to get his name called on day one of the NFL Draft.

Who is Michigan football putting in the draft?

Despite having zero projected first rounders in this year’s NFL Draft, the Wolverines are putting the most talent into the league of any team in the conference. Michigan leads the Big Ten with nine players heading to the NFL Combine before the draft, though there is a chance that not all nine are picked up immediately, and may have to wait until after the draft to sign with a team.

Here are the nine Michigan Wolverines looking to make an NFL roster:

  1. Ronnie Bell, WR
  2. Ryan Hayes, OL
  3. Jake Moody, K
  4. Olu Oluwatimi, OL
  5. Mazi Smith, DL
  6. Mike Morris, DE
  7. Brad Robbins, P
  8. Luke Schoonmaker, TE
  9. DJ Turner, DB

Of these Wolverines, only one is projected to be drafted within the first two rounds of the NFL Draft: Mazi Smith. In fairness, some of this has to do with positional value — Robbins and Moody would be far higher on some mock drafts if punters and kickers were as valuable as running backs and wide outs.

Only one Wolverine projected to go in second round

According to NFL.com’s most recent 3-round mock draft, Mazi Smith is the first Wolverine off the board, going No. 42 overall to the Cleveland Browns. There, he would join former Michigan legends Donovan Peoples-Jones and Chase Winovich.

After Smith, the next Michigan football alum off the board is Mike Morris, who is projected to go at No. 179 overall to the Indianapolis Colts — this would be a great fit for Smith, who is used to playing in Indy from his days as a Wolverine. The other seven Wolverines are all projected to go after the third round.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify, and all other steaming platforms.

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