Braylon's Story
So who is going to be the first to line up at your local book store to buy Braylon's autobiography?
I'll wait for my public library to carry it.
I don't think I can wait to go to my local library. Which I love going to. So I will go to my nearest bookstore to look for it.
I will read it. If nothing else, I would love to hear the chapter on the repeated throat punches he gave Msu in the Big House during the comeback OT game. One of the best games I was ever at. The stadium must have been 75% empty when we won.
Yes! "One of the best"...you must have been to some amazing games, because that is definitely an uncontested #1 for me! So glad I've never been a "leave early" person and we stuck around for that!
yes. I have been blessed to see quite a few unbelievable wins in the Big House. Yeah, I never leave early. The guy in front of me just kept saying "Braylon is a stud" repeatedly. Was that you? LOL
I stayed for the whole thing! That game was amazing.
I wasn't at the game, but my brother and I, along with a couple BIL's and cousins, were corner bar in the Thumb area watching. Stopped by after pheasant hunting to get a cheeseburger and beer. Still the best time I've ever had in a bar! The entire place (about 30 strong) took sides and the noise was awesome!
75% empty? Not even close. I was there too and after MSU's last pass was incomplete, I was frantically hugging and high fiving everyone around me. Sure a few folks left in 4th quarter, but there was definitely still 100,000 in there by the end of the game.
I also remember thinking (at the time) that this would probably be the closest the big house would ever come to having a night game so I had to soak every minute in.
August 1st, 2019 at 12:02 AM ^
I'm another who NEVER leaves The Big House early. Yes, I stayed in my seats for the Northwestern "Fan Badge" game in sleet and freezing rain about a dozen years ago. And I reentered The Big House when we finally finished the Utah game after an extremely lengthy 4th quarter thunderstorm delay.
And while I agree with you that the statement "75% left early" is totally wrong, I also have to be honest and tell you that there's no way 100,000 were still there at the end.
We have had the same seats at the top of the Section 36 entrance tunnel since 1980 and I distinctly remember seeing a huge number of people head for the exits when we trailed by 17 midway through the 4th quarter.
If I had to guess the attendance in the final few minutes of regulation and overtime, I would put the figure at around 75-80 thousand, well short of 100,000.
August 1st, 2019 at 12:15 AM ^
My buddy and I were offered north end zone tickets early that day and kept holding out for better seats. We eventually bought the same north end zone seats at an inflated price right before kickoff and were feeling pretty salty when the game started. Then those became ground zero and we felt like geniuses! It seemed like the stadium was still pretty full at the end, but maybe that’s because we were in the middle of all the action. It was pretty cold by the end of the game, which probably did lead to some early exits. Also, Braylon’s 2nd half and OT heroics owe an assist to his 1st half drops...
I stupidly wore a t-shirt to the game and was SO cold by the end of it. My friends and I went to Ashley’s after the game and, while waiting for the food, I ran to Steve and Barry’s to grab a Michigan sweatshirt to warm up. Still my favorite sweatshirt, despite it falling apart by now, and I think of Braylonfest every time I put it on.
That 2014 Utah game was weird. After the storm there was maybe 5,000 (?) people in the stands.
The stadium was more than 25% full at the end of the game (call it 60%+), and it was rocking to the end. After Sparty was up by 17 in the 4th quarter, some people left, but when we scored with, what, 8:00 to go and covered the onside kick, the crowd got locked in. It was a thrilling game, but the crowd was more intense at the end of UTL I.
Also, I wish Braylon well on the release of his book, but I’ll probably find another way to spend my time...
75% empty is insanely exaggerated. Just because 3 of the 4 people sitting in front of your left doesn't mean the rest of the stadium was like that.
August 1st, 2019 at 10:17 AM ^
75% empty is certainly incorrect. Maybe you meant to say 75% full. That I could believe.
The best part about the game besides winning is the line I had was 7.5. I never bet on Michigan, but my buddy wanted to bet a case of beer. The only way to cover was exactly the way it happened. Probably the best case of beer I've ever won.
August 1st, 2019 at 12:03 PM ^
I gave my Sparty co-worker 7 points on a $5 bet for that game. When I collected the following Monday it was wadded up and hurled at my chest in disgust.
One of the more satisfying moments in my life...
August 1st, 2019 at 10:22 AM ^
Do you think the prelude to the chapter on the repeated throat punches he gave Msu in the Big House during the comeback OT game will be a chapter on how a couple of his drops earlier in the game necessitated the big comeback in the first place?
Thanks for the heads up Craptain. Keep these posts coming!
I'm actually more interested in his pro stories.
August 1st, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
That would be a short book ... lol just kidding
One of his best catches was against Iowa in 2004; a fingertip grab on a deep pass from Henne down the sideline. Snatched it away at the last moment.
Play starts at 6:10 (Thanks, WH!)
Fun player to watch in college, rough pro career and a guy that seems like kind of an idiot. I'll probably pass on giving him money.
Braylon was so much fun to watch in his days at MI! Was truly hoping for his pro career to pan out, but just never found the right situation, and he made some poor comments/decisions that seem to have derailed his post ball career. It’s too bad...because, the dude had some major talent!
August 1st, 2019 at 12:10 AM ^
Comments, decisions, and a lot of dropped passes. If it wasn’t a sports center highlight, there was a good chance the ball was hitting the turf.
When does it drop?
I see what you did there
August 1st, 2019 at 11:54 AM ^
Right around the fourth quarter on third down.
Braylon is by all accounts a douchebag. Praise him as you wish.
Moat talented Michigan player of last two decades.
August 1st, 2019 at 12:23 AM ^
So close, but the GOAT was around for the 2000 Orange Bowl. Best in last 19 years, debatable.
He may be the most talented based solely off of his NFL accomplishments. But I try to separate Brady’s accomplishments in the NFL from what he did here.
If Brady flamed out in the league, or if he was just a guy holding a clipboard his whole career (which is what most folks thought he’d top out at), then how would he have been remembered at Michigan? Probably nowhere near as fondly as he is now.
I’d say there were guys here who were more talented than him based off of what they accomplished during their time at Michigan compared to what Brady accomplished. Doesn’t change his GOAT status in the league, but I wouldn’t rank him among the greatest or most talented Michigan players of all time. At least not while he was here.
August 1st, 2019 at 11:47 AM ^
@Perk
I wouldn't disagree with this point of view although Carr had more to do with his legacy that people want to acknowledge. Carr basically got Brady drafted in the 6th round. If he had not had the pressure of losing Henson to baseball then Brady would have started the entire year and Brady probably has more tape on him and scouts don't see him as a rotating backup.
I would think Brady gets drafted mid rounds (3-4) and goes to another franchise. Does he ever play for the Patriots? I don't know but something tells me Brady becomes a NFL starter but after awhile and doesn't win quite as much. Think somebody like a Rich Gannon career. I don't know but Carr impacted the history of football.
Not as much as Belichick who gave an unknown a shot at the title. :) My point is Carr has his fingerprints all over the career of Brady.
I would disagree, but we all have opinions. Maybe most enigmatic. Hell, pure talent would be Denard, or Devin. He might not have been the most talented player on his teams. He played with Jake Long.
Chad Henne is going into his 12th NFL season. !!!!!!
August 1st, 2019 at 10:26 AM ^
I assume your reference to Devin was for Gardner? I'd put Bush right up there too. (phrasing?)
August 1st, 2019 at 12:44 PM ^
From the standpoint of their UM careers, that distinction belongs to Mike Hart. Braylon might crack the top five.
Will read the chapter on msu game.
only.
And maybe the Ohio State game from 03? The two touchdowns and his 80 yard TD that was called back for holding, which would have made it 35-7 in the 3rd quarter. There was great shot of the OSU fan section looking suicidal before the flag came out.
UGH!!!! I miss beating those assholes. Excuse me while I go sob in the corner.
Man I miss those days. #2 OSU who with a victory would have made the Sugar Bowl which was the BCS Title Game, comes into the Big House and gets pounded. Whether it be Braylon making Gamble look silly, or Perry and the OL ripping the soul out of the Buckeyes; that was, the last time when we were undisputedly the best team in the B1G. 15 years ago.
It changes on the last Saturday of November of 2019
August 1st, 2019 at 12:33 AM ^
It does.
Amen.....
August 1st, 2019 at 12:36 AM ^
Braylon was a magnificent player but a total d bag.
Always was and still am a Braylon fan good for him!
Not sure which former UM player I care for less... Bray or Ray.
i know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but... damn that is one ugly cover.
August 1st, 2019 at 10:02 AM ^
He should contact Michael Rosenberg... team up and do a combo package with his book to sell more.
August 1st, 2019 at 11:40 AM ^
Serious question. So what makes his story a must read? That he was a great UM football player? Seems like an ego and cash grab book. Any inside info?
I'm assuming the obstacle he overcame is Lloyd telling him he should transfer since they weren't on the same page. And of course using the number one jersey as motivation to....get his head out of his ass? I don't know. That's just a guess. Even when he got on the same page as Lloyd, he was still an ego maniac. A little ironic that his personality was always so different from his dad Stan, who played under Bo.
Braylon has the numbers to back him up but I still insist Anthony Carter and Desmond Howard were better receivers. You NEVER would have seen those guys drop the kind of passes Braylon did.
August 1st, 2019 at 12:10 PM ^
Click on the link the OP shared. Man I get that Braylon isn't exactly adored by us, or OSU fans, and MSU must cringe at his name being brought up, but still, Twitter is brutal.
August 1st, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^
Hard pass on the Braylon autobiography. He gave us some great memories, but he'll always be one of the prime examples of how stagnant and entitled the football program had become near the end of Lloyd Carr's tenure. He gets more reverence than he deserves simply because he was a big part of one of the last great teams before Michigan went into it's decline. If Michigan had been more prominent during the Rodriguez and Hoke eras, we'd throw more accolades at Junior Hemingway, Roy Roundtree, and Jeremy Gallon, but their accomplishments will always get lost amid the overall suck of the football program during their tenures.
I wonder if there's a chapter devoted to his drunk tweeting during the Notre Dame game last year and who was egging him on?