I met my cousin for drinks when I was at a conference in San Francisco a few years ago. I don’t see him too often as he lives part time in San Fran and part time in MN. He’s in the insurance industry and he’s actually worked with Brady’s Dad on some ventures. He knows the family well and has met Tom himself a few times.
From what he told me, Brady is a middle class kid who comes from a hard working family and who has never forgotten where he came from.
Sure he’s the GOAT and married to a supermodel but deep down he’s just a regular guy living every kid’s dream and enjoying every minute of it. No one ever gave him anything he didn’t have to work his ass off for and he’s still doing it to this day.
Manning had everyone kissing his ass from day one and his doofus brother actually had the balls to dictate who could or couldn’t draft him. All because their Dad was an overrated stiff who never had a winning season and only had two seasons where he threw more TD’s than Picks.
It really is mind boggling.
Frame it how ever you want, but the reality is both QBs worked their asses off to achieve their successes. Manning achieved his #1 draft status not because he was handed anything but because he was the best college QB coming into the pros in many years. Manning carried his Colts for a decade plus not because he had silver spoon privileges but because he had talent and drive.
When it comes to analyzing what type of person someone is, I believe you are how you were raised. Clearly Brady comes from a sugary-sweet family patterned after 1950's network TV (we should all be so lucky). Manning grew up in a football family that enjoyed the benefits of the NFL lifestyle but also experienced first hand the harsh realities of that occupation. I have no doubt Archie views NFL employment like many do...Players are slabs of meat who makes owners rich until they become expendable....so cash in all you can when you can. And if you ever have leverage over ownership, use it like the owners use you. The Mannings spawn learned these lessons well and leveraged every opportunity available. Why these guys get criticized for this is beyond me.
Brady has taken a different approach, though I wonder how different it would have been if he didn't achieve financial mega-security they moment he tied the knot. While Brady only asks for 60 cents on the dollar in QB wages, ownership has achieved a ten-fold increase in franchise value during his tenure.
Ranking the Krafts' good fortunes since buying this team:
#1 Building Gillette.....stadium ownership is the foundation that propels franchise valuation
#2 Hiring BB
#3 Drafting Brady
#4 Brady marrying Gisele, who indirectly subsidizes Patriots players salaries
What MVP would be indifferent about wages?
