The NFL has had quite a few rivalries over the years. When it comes to quarterback specific rivalries, there may be none better than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
During their primes, Brady was the leader of the New England Patriots. Manning, on the other hand, was the face of the franchise for the Indianapolis Colts.
Both teams were yearly contenders in the AFC. They were also two of the best signal callers to ever play in the NFL. Year after year, they faced off against each other, with Brady usually coming out on top.
Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts greets Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots after the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts greets Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots after the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Now that both players are clearly retired, fans have caught themselves missing seeing the two quarterbacks face off. However, Brady has now opened up more about his rivalry with Manning.
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During a major revelation on his website, TomBrady.com, the legendary quarterback revealed how he used Manning as his motivation by turning him into his enemy.
“When I look back on my relationship with Peyton Manning, my respect, admiration, and appreciation for him as a competitor has grown with each passing year,” Brady wrote.
“It was always there, don’t misunderstand, but while we were competing against each other I couldn’t let that get in the way of the fact that he was my enemy, that he didn’t respect me, that he thought he was better than me because he was a #1 pick from an SEC school—or at least that’s what I made myself believe. Convincing myself that those things were true created a sense of urgency within me to prove him wrong, and it provided the extra bit of energy and motivation necessary to lock in and focus and execute just that much more so that I could beat him more often than he beat me.”
Brady also revealed his thoughts about rivalries in sports. He believes that they are at their best when the players do not view each other as friends, which has become a common occurrence in modern sports.
“I also believe—and this is kind of an old school point of view considering where we are with social media these days—that you have to allow your rivals to become your enemies,” Brady wrote. “True enemies, in your mind and on the field. You can, and should, respect them, but you can’t look at them like ‘friendly competition.'”
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Throughout their respective NFL careers, both quarterbacks dominated opponents.
In his 335 career games played, Brady completed 64.3 percent of his pass attempts for 89,214 yards, 649 touchdowns, and 212 interceptions. He also won seven Super Bowls.
Manning played in 266 career games. He completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 71,940 yards, 539 touchdowns, and 251 interceptions. His career finished with just two Super Bowl wins.
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