Quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning provided fans with what is, to date, the greatest player-versus-player NFL rivalry of the 2000s. As Gary Myers noted in his "Brady vs. Manning" book, the two have remained close friends even after Manning's retirement and spend time together during football offseasons.
That doesn't mean they are suddenly uncompetitive when on golf courses or, in some cases, comparing legacies. Manning earned his first Super Bowl championship with the Indianapolis Colts but then joined the Denver Broncos in 2012 and won his second and final ring at Super Bowl 50.
Per a JoeBucsFan.com piece, Buccaneers quarterback coach Clyde Christensen recently gave Zach Gelb of CBS Sports some insight into why Brady decided to leave the New England Patriots for Tampa Bay nearly one year ago.
"He said one of the things that looked really fun and challenging to him was what Peyton [Manning] did at Denver," Christensen explained. "Like kind of the same scenario [in Tampa]. … There was something about that challenge that hit [Brady] right. ‘Hey, I’m going to go see if I can do this again somewhere else.’ I do think that the challenge of that was a huge thing for him. … He’s mentioned several times that he was impressed [with Manning’s accomplishments in Denver] and that looked fun and challenging to him."
Brady surpassed Manning in this aspect of their careers by winning the Super Bowl the first season after changing clubs and also by earning Most Valuable Player honors for the title game. It was another round for Brady in the friendly battle between the living legends this time around, but we're confident they'll be able to joke about it on the links.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!