Brady wasn't always an established star

INDIANAPOLIS

They fought against each other, but strangely enough, fought for one another, too.

They were Michigan Men, bound by their Wolverine pride. And regardless of their personal quarterback competition, they valued team wins over personal gain, Drew Henson said.

He's watched Tom Brady from afar over the years, and like the rest of the nation, has marveled at the New England quarterback's steady success. But little did he, or anyone else, know that Brady eventually would find himself on the cusp of greatness.

Not even Brady could have predicted the trajectory his career would take -- from the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft to a three-time Super Bowl champion.

"I certainly knew that he was a much better player than where he was drafted at," said Henson, who, as a freshman and sophomore, split time with Brady in college. "I practiced and played with this guy for two years. I saw how tough he was.

"I pull for him. I always have and always will," added the San Diego native, who made it to the Yankees in 2002-03 before deciding to retire from baseball and stick with football. "The [competition] we had at Michigan I think made us both better and tougher."

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With a win Sunday night against the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, Brady not only would claim his fourth title in 11 seasons but would pass boyhood idol Joe Montana for most playoff wins by a quarterback (17) in NFL history.

A Patriots win also would give Brady as many Super Bowl rings (four) as Montana and Terry Bradshaw. A third Super Bowl MVP award would give Brady as many as Montana, and ultimately would usher Brady into the debate of best quarterbacks ever.

But to Montana, there is no need for discussion.

"I think he's already there," the Hall of Fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs said on NFL Network last week. "When you look at the things that he's already accomplished and at the age that he is, obviously his numbers are going to continue to climb."

Candlestick kid

For Brady, 34, a native of San Mateo, Calif., the home of the Niners forever will be the foundation of his football love. After donning either a Montana or Steve Young jersey, he'd toss the football around for hours in the parking lot at Candlestick Park, mimicking the motions of his two idols. Behind the end zone, 10 rows from the top, is where he and his parents, who were season-ticket holders, spent many a Sunday afternoon.

When pressed about potentially joining his childhood hero in the record book, Brady said he hadn't given the topic much thought. But the talk already has begun, with or without him.

Former Giants quarterback Phil Simms described Montana as a "rhythm, finesse thrower" and referred to Brady as more of a "power thrower." But the quarterbacks have one important trait in common.

"Behind the scenes, they're both assassins," Simms said. "They demand respect, get respect, and they have a great way of bridging that gap: They [relate to] the player, but they're still the boss."

Saints quarterback Drew Brees said it's easy to see why Brady's name is constantly mentioned among the best. "It's hard to argue the wins," he said. "Look at how many games he's won, look how many championships he's won, look how well he's played in so many big games. It's hard to argue his history."

But for much of Brady's college career, he was forced to sit in someone else's shadow. First it was Scott Dreisbach, then Brian Griese, and by his fourth-year junior season, Brady was forced to split time with Henson, whom Michigan coach Lloyd Carr called "the most talented quarterback to come in here."

The need to prove himself was all-consuming for Brady, the fear of failure equally strong.

On draft day, he heard the names of other quarterbacks called ahead of his, guys such as Chad Pennington, Hofstra's Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger and Spergon Wynn. Brady had dropped all the way to the sixth round by the time the Patriots selected him, and he arrived in New England as the fourth-string quarterback. But because of injury, he had moved up to No. 2 on the depth chart behind Drew Bledsoe by season's end.

Pressed into service

Then in 2001, a crushing sideline blow from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis helped ring in the Brady era. Bledsoe, who suffered internal bleeding from that vicious hit, never started for the Patriots after that. And for the first time in a long time, Brady finally was the man.

"Brady is a cool hand," said former Giant Dhani Jones, a teammate at Michigan. "He was always relaxed and he was always waiting for his opportunity to play well. And when he did, he did."

Unlike Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Brady hasn't had to prove his status as an elite NFL quarterback for quite some time.

"It's not so much a story anymore because he is what he is -- and that's one of the best to ever play the game," said Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner, now an NFL Network analyst. "He's just the whole package. You just come to expect him to play the way he plays every single year. And so it's not a surprise that he's in the Super Bowl, it's not a surprise that he's had success and he's talked about for the MVP. It's status quo."

There were flashes of greatness years ago in Ann Arbor. Henson -- now a resident of Texas who started a financial management company for athletes and does college football commentating for ESPN -- eagerly recounted Michigan's come-from-behind win in Happy Valley in 1999, when Brady singlehandedly erased a 10-digit Penn State lead in the final minutes, scoring on a 5-yard run with 3:26 left and throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:46 to play for a 31-27 win. In the Orange Bowl later that season, Brady threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns against Alabama in the Wolverines' 35-34 overtime victory.

But the dynasty that Brady and coach Bill Belichick have created in New England is unmatched in recent years. They're the first coach-quarterback tandem to reach five Super Bowls, surpassing Tom Landry and Roger Staubach, Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw and Marv Levy and Jim Kelly.

"Life is about taking advantage of opportunities, and you never know when you're going to get them," said Brady, who is known for being meticulous and dogged in his preparation. "You have to be prepared to take advantage when you get them."

And because of that determination, he ultimately could cement his status as the best quarterback ever -- starting Sunday.

"As long as he plays, until he's done playing, each year they'll have a chance to get where they are now," Henson said. "I certainly don't think this is going to be his last shot at it."