Most Underrated UM Player of All Time?

Submitted by OaklandInPlay on

Who is the most underrated Michigan player of all time in your opinion? 

For me, it's Steve Breaston.

 

 

Perkis-Size Me

May 6th, 2015 at 11:33 PM ^

Those people would be bitter Tennessee fans. Big players step up big in big time games. Woodson almost single-handedly won Michigan a national title, as a defensive player no less. Manning never won a game that was even as remotely significant as that. Couldn't even beat Florida.

FauxMichBro

May 6th, 2015 at 11:06 PM ^

brady won the superbowl his second year in the league after only throwing a few passes his first year, and never looked back. he didn't just miraculously improve over a year or so. the talent was here, it just wasn't utilized (i.e. was underrated).

I Like Burgers

May 6th, 2015 at 11:37 PM ^

You must be remembering things different than I do.  Michigan's problems those first two losses weren't the QB's fault.  It was all on the defense that lost a ton of talent from the 97 team.  The defense (and fumbling RBs) blew it against Notre Dame, and they just had no answers for McNabb.  The Brady/Henson platoon had nothing to do with the losses in those first two games.

And Brady threw for 31/56, 375 yds, but only one TD vs Ohio State.  Was that Henson's (who didn't play) fault too?

I swear...everyone remembers Brady's time at Michigan so different than it actually was.

WolverineHistorian

May 7th, 2015 at 12:53 AM ^

I'm going to hate myself for reliving this but it was a touchdown lead over Notre Dame that went to hell in the second half, all starting with a muffed punt turnover by James Whitley and then things snowballed. Kraig Baker missed four field goals (2 blocked, 2 wide right) and Jarious Jackson played solid the rest of the day. Against Syracuse, Donovan McNabb simply had the game of his life against our D and went all Vince Young on us.

1999 Tom Brady was a stud. The comeback king.

1998 Tom Brady made me want to pull my hair out several times but he did improve over the course of the season.

stephenrjking

May 7th, 2015 at 1:03 PM ^

Brady got the nod in the second half of the MSU game because the offense didn't look great with either guy at the helm, but Henson did nail a long td pass late in the second quarter. Based on Lloyd's criteria of playing whomever was the hotter hand, Henson was a defensible choice. 

I don't think Lloyd should have handled it that way, but I highly suspect he wanted to keep Henson as involved as possible to keep from losing him to baseball. And he did get a terrific year out of Henson in 2000, so it was partly successful. Unfortunately, in the '99 MSU game, Brady would have been better suited to win the game, and given the comeback that he almost led (in two years with Brady as a starter Michigan lost five games and Brady managed to rally the team late in each one of them) it's possible they would have won.

The Illinois game was extremely flukey. Michigan was playing a typical conservative Lloyd-ball game and it was working just fine, hence the 20-point lead. Anthony Thomas was playing well but got dinged (groin tweak, maybe? I don't recall) and Lloyd sent him to the locker room. There's no question in my mind that Thomas could have continued to play well, but Lloyd had a huge lead and didn't want to risk further injury, an understandable caution.

Then the wheels came off and Michigan's key RB had already hit the showers. Michigan wins if Thomas doesn't leave the game early, and the killer is that he really didn't have to.

Hail-Storm

May 7th, 2015 at 2:19 PM ^

I don't think that Brady re-entered until the 4th Quarter, when he threw for over 200 yards.  I remember trying to defend him to people in New England who didn't think he was that great in college.

That game and loss finally showed the separation between the two QBs that year.  Too bad that Michigan had no answer for Burress on defense and didn't put Brady in until too late.

Henson had probably had a better season in 2000 than Brady did, and was probably the better college QB, just not when he was a Sophmore/ Freshman and Brady was a Senior/ Junior.  

Danwillhor

May 7th, 2015 at 3:55 AM ^

I love me and Brady but people not only put NE Brady in a UM jersey but posthumously crap on Henson as if he were a scrub. They talk like Carr had no reason to play the guy. Brady was very good in his time at UM! He could be great at times but he's a rare player that is a better pro than CFB player. If he was so amazing at UM he'd have gone sooner than 199. Fellow UM fans talk about him like he won a NC & multiple Heismans here. He has SUPER BOWL rings & QB'd some very solid UM teams. I'd actually argue that Henson was the better STARTING college QB. Give him a defense that could stop the early spread in his Jr year & that team could beat anyone. Somehow Purdue was allowed to come back & A-Train's fumble was the first blink in a shootout that would be lost by it. That's about it. We were never outgunned. I can't say that about any Brady led team & I happily remember his time here. I really liked him while here.

Blue2000

May 7th, 2015 at 10:33 AM ^

And Brady threw for 31/56, 375 yds, but only one TD vs Ohio State.  Was that Henson's (who didn't play) fault too?

I swear...everyone remembers Brady's time at Michigan so different than it actually was.

 

You should make sure you're talking about the same year as everyone else before you get all uppity.  

B1G_Fan

May 7th, 2015 at 5:42 AM ^

Yea you have to say Brady. Woodson is one of the best defensive players of all time and has the hardware to prove it but Manning is one of the best QB's of this and many other generations.

 I remember thinking why in the hell is Carr splitting time between Brady and Henson after 2-3 games.  I remember the season going something Brady QB's the team to a lead (7-0, 10-0) and Henson comes in to lose the lead so Brady comes back out and wins the game in the 4th. Their stats that year wheren't even close, Henson should have never played but, it's possibly what pushed Brady to be so good. Nobody appreciated Brady when he was here (besides a few) and everyone wanted Henson but now everyone is a Brady fan.

Yostbound and Down

May 7th, 2015 at 12:40 AM ^

Your version is much better, because I'm an idiot who couldn't remember who played when...I was thinking Arrington played with Braylon and Avant with Manningham, it's obviously the other way around. Someone slap me.

Avant was one of my favorite players...great hands, good route runner, nice size on the ball. Braylon was obviously a massive talent but the offense wouldn't work if the secondaries only had to respect Navarre and then Henne (his senior year, as a freshman) throwing to him. He went on to probably have the better NFL career as well. 

Arrington was solid as well... good possession compelement to Mario.

Wolverine Devotee

May 6th, 2015 at 10:52 PM ^

Since you said all-time, Harry Newman.

He was a QB that played at Michigan from 1930-1932, went 24-1-2 with three Western Conference Championships and the 1932 National Championship.

Won the Douglas Fairbanks Trophy which was the Heisman before the Heisman.

If that wasn't enough, he played both ways as QBs did back in those days. He was what is called a defensive back in today's football. Here he is picking off a pass in 1932

But wait, there's more. He played all three ways. He also kicked field goals for Michigan's 1932 National Championship team. He kicked the game-winning and championship-winning FG in the 2nd quarter of the 1932 game with Minnesota to give Michigan the 3-0 win.

 

And yet, he is never mentioned on all-time team lists. He is the closest Michigan has to a Heisman trophy winning QB......for now....

 

BIGBLUEWORLD

May 7th, 2015 at 3:20 AM ^

Maybe the people who negged WD have a good reason.  After all, the pictures aren't in color.

Oh wait...

Then again, maybe they're just idiots.