Tom Brady and Peyton Manning’s rivalry defined the last generation of football, with both of them locking horns against each other many times. Brady surpassed his counterpart when the 5-time MVP retired, winning 3 more Super Bowls and breaking every QB record there was to break. Ray Lewis, who is one of the greatest defenders to play the game, marshaled the Ravens against the two giants of the game and recently delivered us some untold stories on what it was like playing against the two GOATS.
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Lewis, during an episode of Untold Stories, asserted that the two QBs had contrasting playing styles. Therefore, like in a game of chess, he and the Ravens had to devise a strategy by studying their every move. The Hall of Fame Linebacker stated that Tom’s playing style focused on slowly breaking down the opposition and playing situational football, converting a lot of third and fourth downs. He wouldn’t go at his opponent from the beginning. He would just slowly cut them.
In contrast, Manning displayed the opposite mentality. He would go for the jugular from the start, making big and expansive plays from the get-go. Everything was thrown into the opponent’s way with a relentless pace, and if they couldn’t adapt fast, the star QB would exploit that weakness.
“Tom and Peyton, they were totally two different animals. Tom was slower, the game was chess. What you think he’s not going to take,” said Lewis of Brady. “You have to study Tom more from situational football. 3rd&3, 3rd&7, 4th&2 because then you understand how he’s going to play the game. Tom was not the one that always go at you. He’s not going to throw at your throat a lot. He’s just slowly cuts you. Peyton was the opposite.”
Being a great student of the game, Brady also knew what it felt like playing against Ray Lewis. He knew where to throw the ball, which would be better for players going against the mighty hard-hitting linebacker.
“Lot of Pain That Comes With That”: Ray Lewis Responds to Tom Brady’s Assessment
During a recent interview, Tom Brady asserted that quarterbacks shouldn’t throw the ball at places where the receiver might have to suffer and take more hits than they are accustomed to. Speaking from experience, the 7-time Super Bowl champ stated that he didn’t throw the ball in the middle while playing against the likes of Ray Lewis because he knew a hit from the beast was around the corner and he wanted to spare his receivers of the pain. It would basically sideline them for a few weeks for such a mistake.
Lewis, while assessing the gameplay of both Tom and Peyton, agreed with the 3-time MVP’s statement. He said if someone had put his wideout in that position; they were bound to experience the pain that comes from it. Ray cherished the opportunity of seeing the receiver come in to catch the ball in the open field because it allowed him to come blasting at full speed to knock him out. That is the chess match that defined Brady’s gameplay. He said,
“If you put his receiver in that position, there’s a lot of pain that comes with it. I know channel 6 receiver come up, outside receive Z six yards come under, I’m full speed, I’m blasting already because I want him to feel that it is not comfortable being in here. Listen to what Brady is talking about. That’s the chess match.”
That was the time when defenders like Lewis, Reed, and Suggs weren’t afraid to deliver vicious hits and knock out the opponents. So, like Brady said, it was up to the offensive players to protect themselves. The landscape, however, has now changed and, like many sports, the NFL has suffered from a loss of physicality in the name of protecting its players. Hits like those are now basically non-existent.
Offensive players can get away with so much, while defenders have been penalized for merely doing their jobs. But at the same time, it’s somewhat understandable from the business perspective since no team owner would want to see their players get hurt; players they invest massively in.
