NFL Legend Peyton Manning Jokes About Being Terrified Of Patriots Fans

The tension has considerably diminished over the years, but the Patriots and the Colts once made for one of the NFL's fiercest rivalries.

At the forefront of the feud was a pair of star quarterbacks. Year in and year out in the 2000s, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning tried their damndest to lead New England and Indianapolis, respectively, to AFC supremacy. That era featured three memorable Patriots-Colts playoff matchups, including a conference title game.

As such, Manning effectively became public enemy No. 1 among the Foxboro Faithful in his Indy heyday. On a recent episode of Brady's "Let's Go!" podcast, the Hall of Fame signal-caller recalled the vitriol he received from Patriots fans.

"I was in Boston one time and I was like, 'Tom, I don't want to leave my hotel,'" Manning said, as transcribed by Sports Illustrated. "'They're gonna shoot me. They're gonna beat me up. Can you come and pick me up and take me out to dinner? Nobody's gonna hurt me if I'm with you.' It was just kind of different. I'd see him (Brady) at the Kentucky Derby every single year so (the friendship) just kind of grew throughout the years and then obviously, big games, playoff games, that just kind of added to it."

As fate would have it, Manning ended up influencing Brady's highly anticipated return to New England for a well-deserved Patriots reunion ceremony. The seven-time Super Bowl champion revealed he drew inspiration from his former counterpart when he decided to take his trademark jog down the Gillette Stadium sideline.