Tom Brady Emerges as a Starter at the University of Michigan

Tom Brady, the future NFL superstar, began his college career as a backup quarterback at the University of Michigan. Despite starting off as a backup, Tom didn't give up and continued to work hard. He was quoted as saying, "I'll settle for that if that's the case. I'm going to work my butt off and whatever will be. You never want to settle for a second. You don't win second place, you lose first place. Whatever role I play, whether it's starting quarterback or demo quarterback, I'm going to work my butt off to help this team win the Rose Bowl."

Tom Brady Emerges as a Starter at the University of Michigan

Emergence as a Starter

In the 1997 season, Tom made significant progress, as noted by former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who said, "Tom Brady has made tremendous strides. A year ago, I think he entertained thoughts of leaving because he was very disappointed that he was not named the starter. He came into his sophomore year with great expectations. But he stayed, and he's made a lot of progress." Despite undergoing an appendectomy in 1997, Tom continued to persevere and finally earned the starting job in the 1998 season. He was quoted as saying, "You don't get a starting job at Michigan by default. You go out and earn it."

Throughout the 1998 season, Tom proved to be a solid and stable quarterback, confident and capable. Despite Michigan's 1-2 record entering the Big Ten season, Tom was not the reason. He emerged as a leader and made steady progress, smoothing the rough edges of his game. He was noted by Nicholas Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press, who wrote, "By no means is Brady a star. Likewise, he is still establishing himself as a leader, still smoothing the rough edges of his game. But he is doing what was expected of him – making steady progress – and he hasn't become a focal point for criticism."

Conclusion

Tom's emergence as a starter at Michigan was the beginning of his journey to becoming one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.