There's what you say in the public realm and what you believe. Tom Brady made that abundantly clear in regard to his relationship with Peyton Manning.
Ahead of the duo's umpteenth battle on Nov. 7, 2014, Brady was complimentary to his counterpart, using the "Patriot way" as the blueprint for his monotonous comments.
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"[Manning has] been one of the greatest players to ever play," Brady told CBS Sports. "I've been fortunate to share a field with one of the best players that has ever played the game. And every time we play a Peyton Manning-led team, it comes down to the wire. Everything is usually at stake."
Behind closed doors, however, the four-time Super Bowl champion was more frank than usual, per CBS Sports. In an email with his childhood friend, Kevin Brady, he wrote: "Thanks popa, I've got another 7 or 8 years. He has 2. That's the final chapter. Game on."
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In fairness to Brady, his declarations are not without foundation.
Only way to solve things nowadays — Tom Brady needs to release a Roger Goodell diss track https://t.co/pYWuqfmd9A
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 29, 2015
Manning started the 2014 season with a passer rating north of 110.0 in six of seven games. Entering Week 16, that rating dropped significantly, seeing the 38-year-old under 90.0 in five of his subsequent eight appearances. Couple that with an embarrassing AFC divisional round loss to the Colts—one in which Manning completed 56.5 percent of his throws and had a passer rating of 75.5—and there are grounds for concern moving forward.
Four neck surgeries don't help his case, either.
Despite all that, it's still easier to see one of the more dominant quarterbacks in NFL history extend his playing career to the age of 41 than it is to see another play into his mid-40s.
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