Reviewing Tom Brady’s Final College Game

Nicholas McGee
Jul 24, 2017 · 3 min read

It is arguably now the biggest mystery in NFL history, just how did Tom Brady slip to the sixth round of the 2000 Draft?

The skinny Bay Area kid from the University of Michigan experienced a now famous fall to pick #199, where the New England Patriots took a shot on Brady with what proved to be a franchise-altering decision.

Five Super Bowl titles and four Super Bowl MVPs later and Brady’s legend and legacy is unquestioned. It is now widely accepted, though you will still get some votes for Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers, that Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time.

A few weeks ago, the excellent website DraftBreakdown gave its users the opportunity to transport themselves back to Brady’s college years for a reminder of what he was like as a player with Michigan by uploading a six-minute cut-up of tape from his final NCAA game — a 35–34 win over Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

Obviously back 17 years ago, nobody could have envisioned what Brady would become. It is foolhardy to project such greatness for any collegiate prospect no matter what their draft grade is, but there were some telling signs he had what it takes that were missed by the rest of the league.

The clear knock on Brady from the Orange Bowl was his elongated throwing motion, which meant that throws to the sideline — such as this one — often took too long to get there.

But that one fault was completely overshadowed in a game in which Brady shredded the Crimson Tide for 369 yards and four touchdowns, showing decisiveness as a thrower and enjoying great success in the short to intermediate game.

You see that decisiveness on Brady’s first touchdown of the game. He takes advantage of the huge amount of time he has in the pocket to scan the field, sees the wideout coming free on the post route and confidently leads the receiver to the ball, making sure the defender has no chance.

Brady shows off his proficiency in the intermediate area on his next touchdown throw.

Undaunted by the disintegrating pocket around him, Brady recognises the need to get the ball out quickly and does so on time to a receiver who is working his way back to the ball, the wideout doing the rest in taking it in from distance for the score.

An ability to hang in and deliver the ball from crowded pockets was prevalent throughout Brady’s game against Alabama, as was his capability as a play-action passer.

Brady is not and has never been known for his mobility but on this series he made throws with pressure in his face from the pocket and on play action.

Brady did occasionally hold on to the ball too long and took one sack as a result but this game was a litmus test for him as a prospect, and he passed it with flying colours.

Twice he led Michigan back from 14 points down to force overtime and needed just one play in OT to find his tight end for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown — Alabama missed what would have been an equalising extra point after answering the Wolverines’ score — and once again did so on play action with defenders in his face.

Having witnessed Brady’s remarkable pro career, it should be no surprise that his time in the collegiate ranks ended in this manner.

Yet Brady’s orchestration of a come-from-behind win over a national power in a marquee bowl game was somehow not enough to vault him into the conversation as one of the top quarterbacks in a weak class in which Chad Pennington was the first signal-caller selected.

In defeating Alabama Brady displayed decisiveness, accuracy, timing, poise in the pocket and an ability to deliver on the move, all while demonstrating a clear appetite for the big occasion to beat the No. 5 team in the country at the time.

Furthermore, though he relied heavily on short and intermediate passes, there were clear indications Brady had the big-time throw in his locker, with this perfectly thrown deep ball down the left sideline one that should have been caught.

Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20. But, looking back on Brady’s final collegiate game, it is obvious that his abilities and potential were there for all to see.

That it took the sixth round for a team to recognise his evident gift and select Brady will remain one of the greatest puzzles in the game long after he has called it a career.

Nicholas McGee

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