Tom Brady's played under Bill Belichick for 16 years so when it comes to humble pie, there's a good chance he may have been over-served.
Before Super Bowl 50, Brady joined Westwood One's Jim Gray and was asked if he considers himself to be among the game's best quarterbacks of all-time. Not only does Brady -- he of the four Super Bowl championships and three Super Bowl MVPs -- not put himself in the class of those who came before him, he even referenced in his answer modern-day players he looks up to.
"That is a hell of a question and I wouldn’t put myself in there," Brady said. "I think there’s some incredible players that have played the position and a lot of guys do things differently to get the job done. You see different styles, different techniques.
"When you look at me being a fan of Joe Montana, nobody ever did it better than Joe Montana. In a way, he was like the Michael Jordan of football. The style and the grace and the beauty of what Joe’s style was, it never looked hard for Joe.
"Another one of my idols, Steve Young, who was one of the most gifted players to ever play. You look at Troy Aikman, the efficiency with the way he played. You look at Aaron Rodgers, and the way that he’s playing and you can’t imagine another quarterback could play as flawlessly as a guy like Aaron Rodgers. Then you watch Russell Wilson play and you never could imagine someone could get out situations and make plays out of nothing like Russell Wilson. Then you watch Cam Newton play. You’re blown away by the different styles of all these different players that make this game so spectacular."
Brady wasn't about to pat himself on the back for any of his accomplishments, and the proverbial "chip" with which he plays shined through in his comments. It's pretty clear that, in some ways, he still considers himself to be the not-so-talented college quarterback who had trouble winning the starting job at Michigan.
"I think of myself as kind of someone who has got to think my way through the game, has to understand coverages, anticipate things," Brady said. "I have to work my butt off all week and work really hard to get to the game feeling confident with what I am trying to accomplish and get down the field to score some points. I guess for me because I have to work so hard at it and try so hard at it, that’s part of enjoying it for me, but I look at other players and say, ‘Gosh, I wish I could make it look as easy as they make it look.' "