Tom Brady took an interesting approach to the 'old man' of the game, Peyton Manning.
Like some fawning rookie just starting to play in the NFL, Tom took the high road to deliver a low blow. When asked what he thought about Peyton Manning, Brady responded with a straight face, "I've always looked up to him."
Whether Tom was speaking of Peyton standing on a pedestal, the idea of Tom peering up at his idol strikes us as odd at best. "I've learned a lot from him," Brady added with his tongue firmly in the pit of his cheek (we would guess).
Since Peyton professes to be 6'5" tall, that would give him a height advantage of an inch, which Tom makes up for with hair replacement follicles.
Perhaps the idea of Manning being a mentor and worthy of admiration comes from the age difference. It's more than nine months; in fact, Peyton developmentally was over a year ahead of Tom all along the way of growing up.
Brady may be alluding to the multiple teams (Colts and Broncos) that Peyton has now joined, a sure sign of aging in the NFL.
If ever the acerbic-witted Brady wanted to send a tweak to the nose of his arch-rival and occasional nemesis, there is nothing more flattering than referring to him as an old man.
Jabs are the best talent of a passive-aggressive tone. Tom knows that he has often had the better game between the two. Of course, physical resilience hardly would be at the root of the crack from whippersnapper Brady.
Could it be the rivalry and competition of these two even comes down to paying compliments? If so, Brady has now one-upped Manning by passing a compliment with the left hand.
