Tampa Bay Buccaneers retired legend Tom Brady caught the attention of a former teammate with comments regarding Patrick Mahomes this week.
During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Brady detailed how the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback has more fun playing than Brady took part in throughout his career.
WEEI personality Christian Fauria, once a teammate of Brady in New England, dismissed those comments and offered his response.
“I think Brady is a liar,” an amused Fauria said. “When I heard it, I was like, ‘Who’s he kidding? He can’t change. He can’t downshift. This is not who he is. He’s not wired like Mahomes.'”
Brady remains notorious for being one of the most intense competitors in the history of the NFL and across professional sports. As Fauria explained, that intensity on the field made for his joy on the field.
“I’ve seen him have a great time; I’ve heard him laugh and joke around,” he said. “But when it came to the game, you could see it during certain passes, or where he won a game or got a first down. He’s extremely happy, he’s celebrating like a little kid, but the reality is he is just wired so differently than Mahomes. Everything about him is different.”
While both represent two of the best quarterbacks to grace an NFL field, both have polarized styles of play. Mahomes demonstrates the more loose mindset with more apparent “fun” in his game.
Mahomes’ creative and spontaneous abilities also separate him from Brady. Meanwhile, Brady’s style conveyed more structure, systematically breaking down a defense and always looking for the right play.
Regardless, it is apparent that both styles produced remarkable careers. Brady remains the standard that all quarterbacks are chasing.
Mahomes seems the most likely to post a legacy in the same stratosphere as Brady, a quiet storyline that will continue to develop if Mahomes continues on his same trajectory.