Michigan/Coach Carr Credited with Sparking Brady's Competitive Fire - Story Still Relevant Today

(I know M-Dog just posted on Brady's accomplishments as I was preparing this post. If the Moms want to fold this into that thread, I understand.)

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/tom-bradys-evolution-from-david-to-goliath-was-buoyed-by-this-michigan-moment-150442783.html

 

This article does not break new ground. The story of Brady's contemplated transfer has been often-told. This post is not intended to rehash the tired debate about whether or not Coach Car was a great coach, as his College Football HOF credentials and undefeated National Championship may suggest. 

 

The reason I'm posting this article is because the Brady-contemplated-transfer story has relevance to several of today's issues throughout the sports world. At the top of this Board's list is Coach Harbaugh's possible NFL return and its effects on recruits and transfer portal entries. The article points out that some of Brady's primary recruiters, Coach Moeller and Coach Cartwright, had moved on, possibly incentivizing Brady to follow suit. Most athletes, it seems, arrive at a major crossroad in their own journey. For Brady, it was probably Henson's impending arrival. Brady had every reason to leave Michigan. He didn't. He stayed. He competed. Brady's competitive drive would become his defining characteristic. Brady achieved on a level once thought not possible.

 

Maybe I'm trying too hard to make something out of this well-told story again, but when I read this article, my mind drifts to Ben Simmons. What if Ben Simmons had 1/5th of Tom Brady's competitive drive? Ben Simmons has quit on his team. After the Sixers lost to the Hawks in the last year's Eastern Conference Semis Game 7, Simmons received light (and arguably fair) public criticism from Coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid. Simmons reacted in the most un-Brady way. He demanded a trade and refused to ever play for the 76ers again. The Sixers are a 1/2 game out of 1st place right now. Imagine if Ben Simmons spent every waking moment practicing jump shots and foul shots. Couldn't he (25) and Embiid (27) dream of winning 7 rings, just like Brady 

 

Tom Brady is many things. To me, more than anything, he's a lesson in the competitive spirit. And it's a story that should be told over and over and over again.