Former Georgia running back Sony Michel joined arguably the most dominant team in NFL history when he was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 2018 draft.
And though Michel became a part of Tom Brady’s established greatness in Foxborough, the rookie still managed to take the Pats to the next level, playing a massive role in helping New England win yet another Super Bowl.
Coming into the season, the 31st overall draft pick faced a large amount of adversity, from being called a bust early on by a local talkshow, to battling through an injury to start his pro football career.
Yet Michel tuned out the doubters, and when he was finally able to hit stride…it was game over.
Michel proved he was not a bust and he showed Patriots fans that he was well-worth the first round pick New England used on him. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native got going and he never looked back. Michel finished the regular season with 931 yards and six touchdowns, however, it was in the playoff run where the entire country took notice.
In his three playoff games, Michel took 71 carries for 336 yards and six touchdowns, including 18 carries for 94 yards Sunday.
His sixth touchdown of the postseason? No big deal, just the game winning score in the Super Bowl.
“Everybody has their own opinions,” Michel told MassLive regarding the early criticism. “The only thing that matters is this team. Guys that believed in me, guys that kept my head straight and just taught me so much through this process.”
The Patriots are a team compiled of veterans, including the greatest quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady, who has 18 years on Michel. Brady (Brady) had only good things to say about Michel (23), taking pride in the rookie’s success.
“What an incredible rookie season he’s had. Just so proud of him. He’s done an incredible job.,” Tom Brady said. “Ran hard, got some tough yards. There wasn’t a lot of space at times but fought his way through.”
Another leader of the team, center David Andrews, played with Michel at Georgia. Now a captain in New England, you can find Andrews always being one of the first to congratulate Michel in the end zone following a touchdown.
“I’m so proud of him. He faced a lot of adversity at the beginning with an injury and he battled through that. People saying he’s a bust and all this and all that, and I knew when he got in the shot, he’d cut it loose. To me, it felt like we were letting him down. That’s our fault that they were calling him a bust, because we weren’t giving him holes to run in.”
Michel showed his humbleness following Sunday’s win, downplaying his role in Atlanta, and praising his teammates for helping him win his first ever Super Bowl.
“It’s amazing,” Michel said. “It’s been a journey and I learned a lot this year and I can’t be more excited to win it with a team like this. …It’s a lot of emotions. Words can’t really explain, but it feels good. It feels good to win the Super Bowl and this is what we play the game for.”
