Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will forever be linked as two of the best quarterbacks of all time. And the two will write another chapter in their storied history this Sunday when the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos play in the AFC Championship Game.
But that all comes with a fair share of criticism, which ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg pointed out in his recent feature on Brady.
One person who has contributed to that is Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan, who once pointed out that Brady gets help from Bill Belichick for film study, and Manning doesn’t. But, as one of Brady’s former teammates said, that’s OK with the four-time Super Bowl champion.
“You know, Brady probably doesn’t watch as much film as Manning, and that’s OK,” the unnamed former teammate told ESPN. “You know why? Because he’s got coaches that are watching just as much film as (Manning) is. What Brady gets is that he’s the only guy who understands exactly what’s going on down on the field. So when Josh McDaniels calls a certain play, Brady is thinking: ‘I know exactly why he called that play. I know exactly what my read is on this.’ Brady’s genius is that he understands delegation. He trusts the people around him.”
And that trust has certainly been rewarded over the years.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
