So it’s my turn to try doing one of these, and I picked what I thought would be a fairly easy school. Choosing the top three was a piece of cake- numbers four and five were trickier. See what you think.
Top NFL Players among Michigan Alums
1. Obviously, number one has to be New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. In his thirteen seasons, Brady has five Super Bowl appearances, three Super Bowl wins, and he’s one of only two players to win multiple Super Bowl and NFL MVP awards (Joe Montana is the other). Brady’s 2010 NFL MVP award was the first one ever decided unanimously. He and John Elway are the only players in league history to quarterback their teams to five Super Bowls. And so forth and so on.
2. Longevity is a big part of why I made Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers safety Charles Woodson my number two pick. Woodson is entering his 17th NFL season, has been to six Pro Bowls (in three different decades, an extreme rarity), and holds the NFL record (along with Darren Sharper and Rod Woodson, no relation) for defensive touchdowns with 13. He also won a Super Bowl with Green Bay in 2010. One interesting thing to note: according to Wikipedia, Woodson, the 1997 Heisman Trophy winner, has picked off four other Heisman winners in his career (Cam Newton, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Vinny Testeverde).
3. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007, and promptly racked up two sacks in his first three NFL games. A year later, in his first career start, Woodley racked up three tackles, a sack, a defended pass, an interception, and a fumble recovery, and was named GMC Defensive Player of the Week. He hasn’t really let up since. Through 2013, Woodley has a whopping 213 solo tackles, 57 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and five picks in 94 games. In Super Bowl XLIII, he had his fourth multi-sack playoff game in a row, an NFL record, the fourth one coming on Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner with seconds remaining in the game, which the Steelers won. Woodley will play this season for the Oakland Raiders.
4. Another longtime Steelers linebacker, Larry Foote, is next on the list. Foote was drafted by the Steelers in 2002 and played for them through the 08-09 season, returning in 2010 after a one-year hiatus with the Detriot Lions. He was released by the Steelers this past March and has since signed with Arizona. Through the 2013 season, Foote has 719 tackles, 23 sacks, three interceptions, and ten forced fumbles, and played in three Super Bowls with Pittsburgh, winning two of them (XL, XLIII).
5. Despite the small sample size, New York Giants safety Stevie Brown made it onto my list after blowing up the franchise record books in 2012, his only NFL season with regular playing time on defense. Brown was drafted by the Raiders in 2010, and ended up with the Giants in the spring of 2012, after brief stints with the Panthers and Colts. Early in the season, Brown got a chance at regular playing time when Kenny Phillips was injured, and he took full advantage. The highlights that season were many, but his fumble recovery and two interceptions against the hated Cowboys in Week 8 stands out. Brown finished the season with 307 return yards, good for fourth-most in NFL history and most ever in Giants history, and the most interceptions (8) in a single season for the Giants since 1968. Brown tore his ACL in a preseason game in August 2013 and missed the season, re-signing with the Giants in March 2014.
Honorable Mention #1: While not attracting much notice as a rookie, Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham caught 18 touchdowns from his second though his fourth NFL seasons, as well as this crucial catch in Super Bowl XLVI. He spent the 2012 and 2013 season with the San Francisco 49ers, re-signing with the Giants in March 2014.
Honorable Mention #2: Cornerback Leon Hall has been a consistent contributor on the Cincinnati Bengals defense since being drafted in 2007. Through 2013, he’s credited with 348 tackles, 23 interceptions, and 96 deflected passes as per Wikipedia.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @lastwordLindsay. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For more on sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Football fans…check out our two partnered NFL podcasts – Thursday Night Tailgate Radio and Overtime Ireland. Both shows bring you interesting commentary, critical analysis and fantastic guests including former and current NFL players, coaches and personalities.
