New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel have very little in common. One is a Heisman Trophy winner and the other was relatively unknown in college. One makes things happen with his legs, while the other is one of the greatest pocket passers of all-time. And then, there’s the whole concept of being humble.
Brady has had his moments of pointing at opposing sidelines and getting into a defender’s face, but for the most part he is well-liked and respected around the NFL. Manziel plays with more flash, to put it lightly. During an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Wednesday, Brady was basically asked if Manziel needs to tone down the extracurriculars.
“I get pretty emotional,” he said, via NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread. “I have a lot of respect for the teammates, for my teammates, for my organization, and certainly for other guys in the NFL. There’s not a guy playing in the NFL who hasn’t earned the right to be here, and who isn’t supremely talented. He’s probably been the best athlete in his high school class, in his elementary school class.
“So when you look across the ball you have respect for those guys, and you treat them with respect because football’s a physical game. And as RKK (Patriots owner Robert Kraft) would say, if you’re a turd, it’s going to come back to you.”
Brady was speaking in general terms. He wasn’t necessarily calling Manziel a “turd,” but the response came after a question about Manziel.
Earlier this week, Brian Urlacher was open with his criticism of Manziel’s antics against Rice. Johnny Football is only 20 years old, so he has plenty of time to learn. That being said, he won’t earn much respect at the NFL level if he keeps signing air autographs. Brady’s comment is a definite reminder of that.
