Editor’s note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below.
Right or wrong, when it comes to the NFL, it’s so often all about the quarterbacks. That’s especially true of the Super Bowl, perhaps never more so than this year with Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers preparing to “host” Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs.
Even these former Super Bowl MVPs are excited.
Mahomes, whose only playoff loss came at Brady’s hands, expressed his admiration for TB12 before the game.
“I mean the way he’s able to dissect defenses before the snap is something that I truly admire, that I’m trying to get to that level,” Mahomes said. “The way he’s able to move within the pocket and to be able to reset his feet and to be completely calm and still make the throw right on the money, no matter who’s around him, is something that I’ll have continue to work on and as I continue in my career.
“I’m going to try to do whatever I can to watch tape on him because he’s doing it the right way, and you can tell by the Super Bowl championships he has and rings on his fingers.”
Brady reciprocated Monday, when he and Mahomes jointly appeared on NFL Network.
“He just has a great awareness of the pocket. Incredible vision of the field, he knows exactly when to get rid of the ball. He’s got great poise in the pocket,” Brady said.
“He’s got that nice, sweet little whippy arm that I used to have when I was a little bit younger. He’s got the athletic ability to extend plays. He’s got all the physical and he’s got all the mental tools. He’s gonna be in this game quite a few more times in my opinion.”
Helps set the table for what should be one of the greatest quarterback matchups ever on Super Sunday. Where does it rank, at least in terms of pre-game QB hype (as opposed to on-field performance)? Here’s my top 10: