Rivalries redefine sports and even elevate the game to a whole other level. Whether it’s the uphill battle between Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers, or the 200, and counting, showdowns between the Bears and the Packers. But some individual rivalries set aside the team dynamic, whether it’s the Magic vs Bird debate of the 80s, or the chronicles of countless battles between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

When it comes to winning it all, Tom Brady and Michael Jordan have to be the gold standard in sports, period. But reveling in their glory, we, as fans, often tend to forget the external factors that have to work out, especially to have a winning season.

The price of winning for Tom Brady

Throughout his illustrious NFL career, Tom Brady came up victorious time and again, clenching seven Super Bowl titles. While standing atop the NFL world, the former Patriots legend has often been pitted against Peyton Manning. The Brady-Manning rivalry took a life of its own to such an extent that there have been countless iterations of the epic battles.

While winning was expected, Brady was well aware of the many challenges that stood in his way and even shared them with Gary Myers, the author of ‘Brady vs Manning: The Untold Story of the Rivalry That Transformed the NFL’. 

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“It’s not like you are going to win six or seven Super Bowls, Why didn’t Michael Jordan win twelve championships? He won six. That’s still a ton. With how good the other players are, the level playing field, especially in the NFL in the salary-cap era, it’s hard to win,” expressed Tom Brady.

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Citing Michael Jordan was the perfect example, as he might be the only athlete that’s led his team to the promised land just as times as Brady has. Even though Brady at that time did not believe he could win six or seven titles, the NFL GOAT must have even surprised himself throughout the journey.

When Titans clash

Despite suffering two gut-wrenching Super Bowl defeats to Peyton Manning, Tom Brady still holds the former in high regard. While both of Manning’s Super Bowl exploits came at the expense of Brady, Tb12 did surpass the count winning a total of seven championships. The two rival quarterbacks played against each other every season of their careers, except in 2008, 2011, and 2015, due to injuries.

Irrespective of their countless head to heads, the two share a very intimate friendship. Speaking on their relationship, Tom Brady once said, “I really like Peyton, There are a lot of things in common that we’ve had over the years, so it’s nice to have someone who can relate to a lot of similar experiences we’ve had. Being that we were in it together for so long at the same time, it’s really a special relationship to me“.

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With both colossal titans having walked away from the game, the younger generation is left with a blueprint for success and continued excellence. And while many QBs have taken that formula and run with it, there will never be another rivalry as tense as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.