Drew had a stronger arm but Brady did the little things better like spreading the ball to the open man quicker release and had a moxie and confidence that didn’t show up on a combine test. As well as safe to say more of a vision and feel for playing QB.
But I still will always love Drew hurt to see him and Milloy with Buff.
Right away it became apparent to me that Brady had an uncanny ability to look a defender off. Drew never was as good at it, notwithstanding his cannon for an arm.
Even though it was obvious Brady’s arm strength wasn’t near Bledsoe’s, what was apparent was his beautiful stroke. The tight spirals. The perfect placement. The ability to shift around the pocket to give himself an extra moment or two. Just beautiful. And his arm strength progressively improved over the course of his career.
It’s a real telling fact Brady was taken so late in the 2000 draft. He showed so much in college. Michigans fans, the most deluded in North America, were convinced Drew Henson was the second coming of the messiah or something.
Brady kept his mouth shut, played through the noise, and climbed the top of the QB depth chart.
I really think it occurred in East Lansing in October 1999. The Michigan coach had this ****amamie system of Brady playing the first and fourth quarters while Wonderboy would play the others. Something like that.
Well, Nick Saban’s Michigan State built a commanding lead. A lot if NFL talent on the Spartan defense (they would finish the season ranked #4) but Henson was so ineffective that Coach Lloyd Carr said F this and brought in Brady early, sometime in the third quarter.
That son of a 49ers fan led a furious rally that fell just short. Took me nine months for my finger nails to grow back.
I watched him. His composure was terrific. As we all now know. But back in the fall of 1999, no one knew.
But his teammates rallied around the oft overlooked QB and he remained the starter from then on. He performed admirably.
And he single handedily won the bowl game against a very talented Alabama team. Michigan was the underdog. Bama had more talent.
But Michigan had Brady.
So with this track record why was he passed over so many times? Multiple reasons. Poor physique, lack of speed, and lack of elite arm strength. And group think took over.
But what he became in the pros was there for all to see in college. But one just had to see.