Tom Brady has spoken at length in the past about the level of respect he has for Peyton Manning, and the seven-time Super Bowl champion reiterated that with a classy message about his former rival on Monday.
Brady’s weekly newsletter to fans on Monday was titled “Every champion needs a rival.” The New England Patriots legend says he was fortunate enough to be able to take part in two great rivalries as a player. One was Michigan vs. Ohio State, and the other was his long-running rivalry with Peyton Manning.
During his career, Brady often downplayed his rivalry with Manning by saying he had to face defenses, not Manning. There was clearly more to it than that. Brady wrote in his newsletter that he knew he had to be “laser focused” anytime his teams faced Manning’s because “one interception could cost me a game.”
Brady also said he convinced himself that Manning thought of himself as the superior player because Manning was a No. 1 overall draft pick from an SEC school.
“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 wrote.
“The downside of this approach might be some hurt feelings for a while, but the upside is greatness and reaching your competitive potential.”
Brady then expressed his gratitude for Manning and what the Hall of Fame quarterback meant to Brady’s career.
“Peyton Manning was a gift to my NFL career. I maybe didn’t fully know it at the time, but I needed someone to look up to, who inspired me to be better, and who gave me a target to aim for. Now when I see him, the only thing I can say is thank you,” Brady wrote. “Thank you for challenging me to be the best I could be, to dig deep in March and April and May when nobody was watching, and to have expectations for myself that were above and beyond what others thought was possible.”
Because Brady and Manning had so many head-to-head battles in huge games, many fans wrongly assumed that they disliked one another. That was never the case, and the friendly jabs they have exchanged over the years are proof of that.
Brady has said that his superpower as a quarterback was in his level of preparation, not his physical ability. He clearly feels Manning’s greatness served as an important motivator for him.
