“There’s Nobody Like Peyton Manning”: Tom Brady is Still in Awe of His Old Foe

Despite being rivals for most of their careers, the foes-turned-friends Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have a great level of respect for each other. And this was visible earlier today at Tom Brady’s induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame. While they were both being interviewed by the host at the ceremony, Brady expressed the high regard he has for Manning and the way he approached the game.

While at his induction, Brady spoke about the impact that Manning had on his career. One of the only reasons Brady got as good as he did was because of competition like Manning. By the very nature of his game, the Sheriff challenged Brady. With the two QBs leading the helm of two brilliant teams, they motivated each other to be better. Brady even said,

“I looked at him as the gold standard for QB play and I still do. I see all these young players who are developing in the NFL and are young quarterbacks. and there’s nobody like Peyton Manning out there right now.” 

In Brady’s eyes, the talent of a QB isn’t just in the way they throw. The talent to play at QB comes from the kind of mindset and game-awareness a player possesses. And to Brady, no one was as well-aware on the field as Manning.

With the way Manning played, he brought out the best in the 11 offensive players on the team. His skill was not just with the throw but also with the way he would help other players blossom. Seeing this in the process was a huge learning for Brady.

California Cool was introduced to a masterclass on the field by the Sheriff from the Colts and he learned a lot from Manning’s game. Moreover, the beauty of this rivalry exists in the kind of respect the two have for each other.

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady: Two Sides of the QB coin

When Manning was an active QB in the league, he glided through games with what looked like low effort. However, the only games the Sheriff would have to showcase his grit were the ones against Tom Brady. During the induction, Manning mentioned that the week before he played Brady was always a hectic one.

He wouldn’t be able to relax because of one central thought in his mind: Tom Brady is on the other side. While the two QBs would always claim it was never Brady vs Manning and rather the QBs versus the defenses, Brady’s presence on the other side was menacing.

Moreover, the pressure of playing at Foxboro was another big problem. Coming into Patriots territory, Manning was always welcomed in the typical New England fashion. He was always under pressure, without any crowd support, and squaring off against a brilliant defense.

All in all, Manning made it clear that while playing against his foe, there was no off day. And it all went to showcase the kind of respect he has for Brady.