September 20th, 2023 at 10:58 PM ^
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September 20th, 2023 at 11:42 PM ^
Brady was never a backup to Drew Henson. Henson barely played in '98. Brady was the undisputed starter in '98 and '99. In '99, Lloyd started bringing Henson in for a few drives every game, but Brady was always the starter. When Henson was ineffective while splitting snaps with Brady against Michigan State in game 6, Lloyd pulled Henson midway through the 3rd quarter and rode with Brady, who nearly engineered an epic comeback. After that, Lloyd stuck with Brady and Henson barely saw the field the rest of the season.
Patrick Bet-David needs to stop getting his information from Sparties.
September 21st, 2023 at 6:45 AM ^
Eh that's not how I remember it. It was weird how much Henson was playing, and I thought it showed a lack of faith in Brady. I also thought it lost us that MSU game.
September 21st, 2023 at 8:25 AM ^
Yes, “a few drives a game” is not accurate. Brady goes into detail in the longer video linked below.
It definitely hurt us in East Lansing where Brady simply ran out of time. You could argue it cost us the Illinois game as well, given the lost momentum in the 2nd quarter. (Henson did have one TD drive but it was all running plays if I’m remembering correctly.)
At the time, it was a bummer to perhaps cost us an undefeated season. But I could understand it given the need to fend off the Yankees. It felt like we mortgaged the season to keep Henson from bolting. Then he did before his senior year anyway, and it no longer felt remotely worth it.
September 21st, 2023 at 8:48 AM ^
Henson was a talent. I don’t think anybody was mortgaging a season, I just think they thought he was better. Most people did. Brady had not blown anybody away in his action thus far. “Tom Brady-Tom Brady” wasn’t even really evident until the Bama game and even then most people just thought David Terrell was awesome.
September 21st, 2023 at 9:09 AM ^
Whaaaaat? That seems like revisionist history. Most people thought that Brady was better than Henson. Not only did Brady ALMOST lead the comeback against MSU, he did lead the comeback against #6 Penn State in Happy Valley. It was pretty evident during the whole 1999 season Brady was the better QB.
September 21st, 2023 at 10:08 AM ^
It has been quite a long time. I may be remembering wrong but I don't think that is what I thought as it was happening. It is clear now looking back on it though.
September 21st, 2023 at 10:09 AM ^
I disagree. I can't comment on what "most people" thought, but... the sentiment was that Brady was less dynamic, less talented, and had a ceiling. Every time Brady had a bad drive there were groans for Henson to come in an save us.
Eventually it became clear that Henson wasn't the guy... until Brady left and he would step in and lead us to glory ---- only to have George Steinbrenner come in and pay him a boatload to go suck at baseball.
But I don't think it was a most people thing. i think people thought that henson would lead us to greater heights
September 21st, 2023 at 10:15 AM ^
I think it was pretty split. I certainly wouldn't say everyone thought Brady was better, but there were a lot of people who were in a high after 97, and felt like Brady wasn't the guy after 98 - at least not when the #1 QB in his class was behind him.
September 21st, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
This is an issue I am very passionate about. I'm glad to see everyone here acknowledge that Brady started every game while Drew Henson and Brady were on the team together. The notion that Brady ever backed up Henson is probably my number 1 Michigan football misinformation pet peeve. I hate it.
1999 was my freshman year. I'm not from the state and didn't follow much college football before getting to Michigan, but I was very excited to throw myself into the sport.
I was a Tom Brady guy all the way in 1999. I didn't know anything about Drew Henson, and all I could ever see was that when Brady was in the game, we moved the ball, and when Henson was in, we didn't.
I think it was fairly split on whether people wanted Brady or Henson to be the main guy, up until the MSU game. Then I think pretty much everyone was Team Brady, and I think that might be the last game they split time.
I still love Henson, though, and he balled out better in 2000 than Brady did in 1999.
The funny thing is, if I followed the team then the way I do now, I would probably have been pro-Henson in 1999. Heading into 2022, I definitely wanted to see JJ win the job.
September 21st, 2023 at 1:48 PM ^
A couple of parts of your take that are important: A LOT of people thought Henson had the higher ceiling, which grew out of their high school play and rankings; that was pretty natural to assume. There was some mental furniture to clear, for coaches AND fans, to wrap brains around the idea Brady might be better.
And Henson still COULD HAVE BEEN great, showed flashes, right? Steinbrenner stole him.
A lot of this stuff feels more forgivable if you consider the genesis of Lloyd's thinking. If Henson was on the bench behind JJ today--same conditions applying--Harbaugh and any coach would feel pressure to get Henson on the field. Brady was not the GOAT from '96-'99. One hell of a lot of stars had to line up for a sixth-round draft pick to grow into the QB he became. Hell, with the pressure to succeed immediately we see today. . .
September 21st, 2023 at 2:08 PM ^
Brady was clearly better. Lloyd was trying to keep his top recruit happy and was banking on the future.
September 21st, 2023 at 2:14 PM ^
Brady was better than Henson.
...but college Tom Brady, while a good college QB, was NOT NFL Tom Brady.
September 21st, 2023 at 10:12 AM ^
While Brady was certainly better in East Lansing, if we had someone who could cover Plax even a little bit, that would have been a bigger deal.
September 21st, 2023 at 1:48 PM ^
My memory for old games isn't as good as a lot of the people here. But that was a nightmare.
September 21st, 2023 at 9:15 AM ^
Same here. I remember 99 as Brady got the 1st quarter, Henson got the 2nd quarter, and whoever was having the better day would get the 2nd half. I guess you could call that Brady starting, but each halftime they would decide who would play out.
September 21st, 2023 at 9:49 AM ^
this is my memory as well; and it was almost always Brady getting the 2nd half because while Drew Henson was a great athletic talent Tom Brady was a better team leader. And his senior year he was consistently showing grace under pressure and leading comebacks. My memory from the first super bowl he won with the Patriots was seeing him come in for a last minute drive to win the game and thinking "oh.....he's done this plenty; how cool would it be for him to do it again to win a Super Bowl"?
September 21st, 2023 at 10:02 AM ^
Yup, '99 was a deeply frustrating year because when we ran an offense similar to what Brady would eventually run with the Patriots, we were almost literally unstoppable. But DeBord managed to average like 3.2 ypc with A-Train behind 5 NFL offensive linemen and a solid TE/FB in Aaron Shea. And that's all we did until we were losing. Then we'd unleash an all shotgun quick passing game with Brady/Terrell/Walker (and Shea/A-Train who were good receivers) and come storming back. Sometimes Brady fell short because of time, but we were always right back in the game. The Orange Bowl being the most obvious example of this phenomenon.
That happened the whole year, even after Brady was the permanent QB. Very annoying. With a halfway decent OC, we win our second national title in three years.
September 21st, 2023 at 12:05 PM ^
I guess you could call that Brady starting
Well he started the game, so, yeah, I'd call that Brady starting. It'd be pretty weird to call it Drew Henson starting.
Brady almost always ended up as "the hot hand" to play the majority of the 2nd half and by the end of the season was the unquestioned starter with Henson as a clear backup.
September 21st, 2023 at 2:12 PM ^
Brady had 295 passing attempts for the season.
Henson had 89 passing attempts for the season.
They did NOT split time.
September 21st, 2023 at 2:41 PM ^
Well now you're splitting hairs.
September 21st, 2023 at 9:04 PM ^
We beat MSU with Brady the whole game.
September 21st, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
I was always rooting for Brady to be under center back then. Just seemed like the offense moved the ball better.
September 21st, 2023 at 3:31 PM ^
Brady was never a backup to Drew Henson.
Patrick Bet-David needs to stop getting his information from Sparties.
I thought I watched the part about Michigan in the video and didn't hear this. Where does Patrick Bet-David say Henson started?
September 21st, 2023 at 8:04 PM ^
Brady was the undisputed starter in '98 and '99
Not true. Carr wanted Henson to separate so bad and was given every chance to win, especially '99. I mean, Carr promised Henson that he wouldn't recruit another QB in the following class, so yeah, Carr wanted Henson to be the guy. However, in the end, he couldn't possibly justify playing Henson, when Brady was playing SIGNIFICANTLY better (especially after the MSU game}. This was no news to anyone.
As an aside, Henson was an arrogant idiot who skipped out on big bar tabs after he signed with the Yankees. Definitely a douchebag, who fucked himself AND Michigan with that poor decision.
September 21st, 2023 at 8:53 PM ^
Yeah but, Brady started every game. Do you dispute that? No? So he was the starter, undisputed. Undisputed starter.
September 21st, 2023 at 7:33 AM ^
Damn, I was hoping to hear about the supermodels he was screwing in H.S., and I all got was the GOAT being interviewed by some Eastern-European gangster.
September 21st, 2023 at 10:39 AM ^
Patrick Bet-David is a highly successful American businessman who emigrated here from Iran. Dumbshit.
September 21st, 2023 at 8:10 PM ^
If you don't know, it's best to keep your mouth shut.
September 20th, 2023 at 11:00 PM ^
To post a link, click the icon at the top of the Comment box that looks like a link in a chain. (Or like a paperclip.)
September 21st, 2023 at 12:31 AM ^
Here is the link for the full interview because the link above cuts off right before he discussed his senior year at Michigan.
September 21st, 2023 at 2:16 AM ^
Very interesting, over an hour of delectable morsels.
Closer to the beginning, perhaps between 15 and 30 minute mark, he mentioned Illinois (October 23, 1999 seems like the game) and a botched snap while in field goal range (they needed a TD if near the end of the game but Brady was just setting the scene). I was at the game and looked at the box score just now also, and don't quite see that it happened like that, but it may have.
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the poignant nature of certain events in the overall timeline that shaped Tom "emotionally" and to a point where he never wanted things to happen like that again, humbling persistence and willingness to change...he probably obsessed over a few items, but woke up deciding not to be a victim, that he had the ability to make a choice that day (this was his advice at the very end, we all have a choice).
I'm just surprised he doesn't seem like a guy who ever missed a wink in his life. Sleep goes a long way to success...obviously food which he mentioned. I believe I heard he would take a nap here or there throughout his career. In other interviews he has mentioned "composure". Very important, visualizing success.
I'm the type to obsess and stay awake all night in a fearful, perfectionist-wishing state, so I admire what he accomplished.
September 21st, 2023 at 3:17 AM ^
This is quite good. Thanks for posting it.
September 21st, 2023 at 3:19 AM ^
Tom Brady discussing his days at Michigan is not OT.
September 21st, 2023 at 4:20 AM ^
I keep hearing about Tom Brady. Tom Brady never won the Heisman. Tom Brady never won a national championship. Tom Brady never won a Pulitzer Prize. Tom Brady never beat Alabama. I could go on and on...
September 21st, 2023 at 6:31 AM ^
I hope you just forgot the "/s" at the end of this post or were not alive for the 2000 Orange Bowl as a Tom Brady-led Michigan did beat Alabama... not to mention he was on the roster of the 1997 NC team.
September 21st, 2023 at 6:32 AM ^
Brady DID beat Alabama!
And Grizzly Adams did have a beard
September 21st, 2023 at 8:17 AM ^
Tom Brady can't turn doorknobs because of all the Super Bowl rings on his fingers.
September 21st, 2023 at 6:08 AM ^
Brady for president 2036!
He will be a good one.
September 21st, 2023 at 6:46 AM ^
No offense, but that last thing we need in politics are more sports dudes
September 21st, 2023 at 9:26 AM ^
Better than failed game show hosts.
September 21st, 2023 at 9:53 AM ^
I’d settle for less crooked people. Whether they be lifetime politicians or businessmen.
just some semblance of honesty and decency and an effort to help the American people in real ways
September 21st, 2023 at 10:40 AM ^
Or how about somebody who is not a fossil and can finish a sentence.
September 21st, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
Why 2036?
Unless something changes we will have three other presidential elections before that and he's already passed the minimum age requirement.
September 21st, 2023 at 6:53 AM ^
As a note, there is no universe in which Tom Brady is "OT" on a Michigan-centric blog.
We may need a clarification on the general parameters one day.
September 21st, 2023 at 7:25 AM ^
If only some helpful, underappreciated, kind soul would put together some sort of guide to this.
Oh wait, THANKS LSA!!
https://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/end-ot-season-your-guide-transition
September 21st, 2023 at 8:28 AM ^
Also OT season is over!
September 21st, 2023 at 2:51 PM ^
I was thinking of going "OTish" or "Kinda-OT", but since it's not directly related to ongoing events i just went with OT.
September 21st, 2023 at 9:55 AM ^
I was at Notre Dame in 1998 for Brady's first start. We lost the game, but the consensus was that it wasn't Brady's fault. (We settled for a bunch of FGs instead of touchdowns in the first half and then the defense started giving up big plays to the mobile QB).
September 21st, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^
No disrespect to Drew Henson, but reality is that the '99 team would have been better and possibly won a natty if it was just Brady. This is what alternative universes are for.
Btw, we have another possible dilemma coming in the next few years. Davis comes in next year and possibly Underwood the next.