Let the love fest begin. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers are friends. They are also rivals of sorts.
They’re rivals when it comes down to the greatest quarterback debate. Right now, it’s Tom Brady because: titles.
Those that make an argument for Rodgers will say that he’s the most talented quarterback ever. And he may well be, but that’s different than being the greatest.
Semantics, perhaps. Let’s just say Brady and Rodgers are two of the best to ever play the game. And perhaps if the Packers front office and coaching staff weren’t so inept, this would be a better conversation.
At any rate, Brady says he’s inspired by Rodgers.
“I think it’s inspiring,” Brady said Tuesday during his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI. “Even for me, I watch his game and it makes me want to get out there and practice and improve, because I think he’s so phenomenal with how he manages himself in the pocket. His ability to throw the football is unlike anyone in probably the history of the league. It’s pretty awesome to watch.”
As for the greatest debate, Brady pointed to the system.
“I think it’s actually a hypothetical question that is just truly impossible to answer. It’s great to debate it and those types of things. I don’t think about, ‘Oh, was this guy better than this guy or this guy?’ I guess that’s because maybe I’m an athlete and I realize it’s a lot of teamwork, it’s a lot of factors that go into helping your team win,” he said on WEEI.
“Good quarterbacks, I think, allow teams to build systems around them and bring out their skill set. I think it’s very flattering when a team chooses you and says, ‘Look, we want to move forward with you and we’re going to get receivers to complement your skills — tight ends and backs and [offensive] lines.’ If they’re not doing that, it probably means the team doesn’t have a lot of trust in you.”
This is an interesting perspective. Brady has always had a system and teammates perfectly suited to his talents.
Meanwhile, the Packers have been like, “well, go get ’em Aaron!”