Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday night. And if there was one opposing head coach who could make an unbiased assumption of Manning’s career, it was New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Belichick is familiar with the former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback after their teams battled a number of times through the years. Belichick, who visited Canton, Ohio, on Saturday night, spoke to the Boston Globe about Manning and had high praise for him.He is definitely the best quarterback I’ve coached against,” Belichick told the newspaper. “There have been quarterbacks who called their own plays, but it was nowhere near the same as what he did. He basically called every play by adjusting and/or changing the play once he saw what the defense was doing. He excelled at using the cadence and recognizing blitzes, and more than any one single offensive player, he forced us to change and adapt defensive game plans.”
Even though he viewed Manning as the greatest quarterback he coached against, Belichick and the Patriots had a ton of success in head-to-head matchups. Tom Brady and Belichick had a 10-5 regular-season record against Manning. However, in the postseason, Manning-led teams were 3-2 against the legendary Patriots duo.
During his Hall of Fame speech, Manning decided to take playful jabs at Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and Brady, who were easily two of his greatest opponents.
