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This could be it for Michigan legend Tom Brady in the NFL

After the Buccaneers’ 31-14 loss to the Cowboys in the Wildcard round, Tom Brady could be calling quits after over two decades in the NFL.

Published

2 months ago

January 17, 2023

CJ Mangum

Jan 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts before the wild card game against the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady — the greatest American football player of all-time — might be calling it quits after his 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. The Michigan football legend has played 23 seasons in the National Football League following his five years at the University of Michigan.

Tom Brady establishes himself as a legend in Ann Arbor

Before adding seven Super Bowl rings to his collection, Tom Brady added some college hardware to his trophy case. During Brady’s five years with Michigan football, he was a part of some incredible U-M seasons: the 1997 National Championship team, the 1998 Big Ten Championship team, and the 1999 Orange Bowl Championship team

Brady’s first bit of starting experience came in 1998; the season after the Wolverines finished a perfect 12-0 with a win over Washington State in the Rose Bowl, and ultimately an AP National Title. As a first year starter (and 4th year senior at Michigan) Tom Brady led the Wolverines to a 10-3 record and a win in the Citrus Bowl. Michigan football finished No. 12 in both polls, and its 7-1 record was good enough to add a Big Ten Championship to the mix as well.

The year after, Michigan football again finished with 10 wins, though fell short of a 3rd-straight conference title. Still, the Wolverines managed to end the year 10-2 overall after a thrilling 35-34 win over No. 5 Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

Brady ended his career 2-0 in bowl games with a 20-5 overall record as a starter, a 13-3 Big Ten record, a conference championship, and a New Year’s Six ring. Tom Brady-led teams finished no lower than No. 12 and no higher than No. 5 in the polls all said and done.

Brady becomes the “GOAT”

Throughout Brady’s time in the NFL, he went from 6th round NFL Draft pick to football legend. When the Patriots needed their backup to come in and save the season, Tom Brady was ready for his moment; the rest is history.

After 23 years in the NFL, Tom Brady has been to 10 Super Bowls (NFL record), won seven Super Bowls (NFL record), and five Super Bowl MVPs (NFL record). Additionally, Brady has 35 playoff wins, which is more than every NFL franchise’s total payoff win count aside from the Dallas Cowboys, who have 36 after last night’s win.

Tom Brady holds the following NFL records (and more):

QB wins (251)

Career com0lpetions (7,753)
Career passing touchdowns (649)
Career passing yards (89,214)

Longest touchdown pass (99 yards)

Tom Brady’s full list of career accomplishments in the NFL is far too long to list; however, it can be found on his Wikipedia page. At this stage in his career, Brady has established himself as the undisputed greatest player of all time; perhaps even the greatest American team sport athlete of all time.

Brady could be calling it quits

After winning six Super Bowls in New England, Tom Brady decided he wanted to win somewhere else, and made the move to one of the NFL’s most embarrassing franchises: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In year one in Tampa Bay, Brady snapped the Bucs’ longest-active playoff drought and defeated three NFL legends en route to his seventh Super Bowl win.

Brady’s 2020-21 Super Bowl run was one that will live in infamy — Brady retired Drew Brees in New Orleans, took down Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, and finally, bested Patrick Mahomes in the NFL’s first-ever home Super Bowl event. It was the season that established Brady as the undisputed GOAT, and one that will be remembered by football fans forever.

Over the past two years, Brady has added two more division titles to his collection, though he has fallen short of another Lombardi Trophy in both seasons. Now, after Brady and the Bucs lost to Dallas last night, it could be time to say farewell to Brady’s NFL career. Going on 46, we are not sure that Tom Brady has anything left in the tank.

After last night’s loss, Brady had this to say:

“I love this organization. It’s a great place to be. Thank you everybody for welcoming me. Just very grateful for the respect and I hope I gave it back to you guys.” Brady Said.

Additionally, Brady tipped his cap to the fans as if he was saying farewell as he left the field. If this is it for Brady, we tip our caps right back and thank Brady for nearly 2.5 decades of great football, and even more so, for changing this beautiful game forever.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and 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.

Published

3 weeks ago

March 5, 2023

CJ Mangum

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 Twitter, Facebook, and 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 Podcasts, Spotify, 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!

PRO BLUE

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

Does this look familiar or what, Michigan fans?

Published

3 weeks ago

March 5, 2023

CJ Mangum

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:

Nice little one-hander from @UMichFootball WR Ronnie Bell. 🖐️

📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/BC8ezTZzLS

— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2023

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.

PRO BLUE

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.

Published

1 month ago

February 16, 2023

CJ Mangum

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:

Ronnie Bell, WR
Ryan Hayes, OL

Jake Moody, K
Olu Oluwatimi, OL
Mazi Smith, DL

Mike Morris, DE
Brad Robbins, P
Luke Schoonmaker, TE

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.