Tom Brady’s public image took a hit in 2015 thanks to Deflategate, even though the NFL’s PSI data was far from conclusive. But one of Brady’s opponents in this season’s AFC Championship Game recently let the four-time Super Bowl champion know he still has “mad respect” for him.
The New England Patriots 2015 season came to an abrupt end a few weeks ago in their 20-18 loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game. And after the game, Brady went out of his way to compliment Broncos running back C.J. Anderson. Anderson then returned the favor with an Instagram post, which detailed their exchange and the respect he has for the former sixth-round draft pick.
But Anderson wasn’t done. He elaborated on his admiration for Brady with CSNNE’s Tom E. Curran during Monday’s Super Bowl Opening Night.
“Tom is a guy that I grew up watching, like Peyton (Manning) and DeMarcus (Ware),” he told Curran. “When I first met Peyton and DeMarcus it hit my heart from the words they said to me. When Tom found me after the game and said the words he said to me, that just is something I’ll never forget.
“It’s super humbling. You talk about a guy who’s won four Super Bowl and won two MVPs and he’s been in 10 AFC Championship games and he still plays with that chip on his shoulder. He just let me know, ‘Don’t ever let that chip die. Never let what happened to you in the past (fade), never forget that feeling of not being chosen, of not being the one. It’s just as tough for us as it is for Peyton Manning, who was a first overall pick trying to live up to everybody’s expectations.'”
And now Anderson has a chance to follow in Brady’s footsteps, going from overlooked to Super Bowl champion.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
