Ann Arbor, Mich. ? Whether John Navarre is planting his feet in the turf to make a pass or walking across concrete to answer doubters, he appears poised.

Such levelheadedness is a virtue for Navarre, whose career at Michigan is riddled with contradictions.

The senior already holds many team passing records, and may own nearly every one after the season, but he could be the most-criticized player ever to play for the Wolverines.

“Everywhere you go in this town, you hear a lot about John Navarre and it’s never positive,” teammate Larry Stevens said. “But I’ll tell you what, his teammates and coaches have the greatest level of respect for him.”

Navarre will have a chance to quiet one of the criticisms — that he doesn’t win big games — today when No. 5 Michigan (2-0) plays No. 15 Notre Dame (1-0) at Michigan Stadium.

“I don’t know that I would call that unfair,” Navarre said.

He is 6-6 against ranked teams and is winless in three games against the Irish and Ohio State. He is 17-2 against unranked foes, with those losses coming at Ohio State and Michigan State in 2001.

“At Michigan, you’re measured by championships and the big games you play,” Navarre said. “I don’t want to say I’m not a Michigan quarterback because I haven’t won those games, but I’m also not out to prove anything to anybody with those certain games.”

While Navarre can improve his mobility, accuracy and ability to make plays, he can’t do anything about another factor that plagued the early part of his career.

Michigan's John Navarre passes against Houston. Navarre completed 13 passes last Saturday and passed Elvis Grbac for first all-time at Michigan with 527 career completions. The Wolverines will face Notre Dame today.

He wasn’t Drew Henson.

As a red-shirt freshman in 2001, Navarre started the first four games for an injured Henson.

Navarre dazzled with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in two routs, but he struggled in a loss at UCLA and for a half at Illinois before being replaced by Henson.

When Henson decided to skip his senior season to play baseball, a decision some fans still have not gotten over, Navarre could do little right in the eyes of some. He threw more TDs (19) than interceptions (13), but he did not play well in losses against Washington, Michigan State, Ohio State and Tennessee.

Navarre’s job was in jeopardy the next spring, and he responded.

“He didn’t measure up to other people’s expectations, and he succumbed a little bit to that pressure,” coach Lloyd Carr said. “Then when he was flat on his back, he got up off the ground and proved what kind of person and player he was.”

Navarre has also found out, in some circles, he can’t win. Even last year when he threw 21 TDs in a 10-win season, naysayers point out he had a total of one TD and two interceptions in Michigan’s three losses.

“John Navarre didn’t lose those games, or the games the year before. We lost those games as a team,” Stevens said.

As much as it may pain some of Navarre’s detractors, he may leave Ann Arbor as the most prolific passer in team history, which is quite a feat.

While Michigan has a reputation as a run-first, pass-later program, four of its last five quarterbacks — Tom Brady, Brian Griese, Todd Collins and Elvis Grbac — have gone on to start NFL games. The only one that hasn’t is Henson, who may become an NFL starter eif he gives up playing baseball.

Navarre ranks No. 1 in completions (527), attempts (973), average passing yards per game (197) and 200-yard passing games (19). He is second in yards passing (6,304) and passing TDs (51), just 156 yards and 20 TDs away from Grbac.