Tom Brady Comments on Friendship with Matt Ryan Ahead of Super Bowl 51

Tom Brady and Matt Ryan will be bitter rivals when their teams go head-to-head in Super Bowl LI, but the two MVP candidates apparently share a friendship off the field. 

"We've kind of kept in touch over the years," Brady said Monday on WEEI radio (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com). "I'm always sending him texts over the course of the season and vice versa. I have a lot of respect for Matt. I like him a lot as a person, as a player, as a leader."

Brady's New England Patriots and Ryan's Atlanta Falcons are set for their first Super Bowl matchup after earning blowout wins in their respective conference championship games. Brady threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Ryan accounted for five touchdowns in Atlanta's 44-21 win over the Green Bay Packers.

"It will be a big test. They're playing great, and Matt has had an incredible year. Their offense, what they did yesterday in the first quarter that I was paying attention, it looked like they were on fire," Brady said. "They're there for a reason. They've beaten all the best in that conference."

Brady and Ryan spent most of the 2016 season battling atop the MVP race. Ryan is widely expected to bring home the award after setting career highs with 4,944 passing yards and 38 touchdowns during the regular season. The Falcons led the NFL in scoring at 33.8 points per game, while New England was third at 27.6.  

The Patriots offense instantly improved following Brady's four-game Deflategate suspension, and the 39-year-old set a single-season record in touchdown-to-interception ratio (28-to-2). The suspension is perhaps the only thing that set Ryan and Brady apart.

While Ryan is 0-2 in his career head-to-head against the Patriots, Brady said he came away impressed when the Patriots and Falcons practiced together in Atlanta during the 2010 preseason. 

"I got to see him up close and talk to him quite a bit," he said. "Matt is a classy guy and a great quarterback."

Ryan, eight years Brady's junior at 31, also played college football at Boston College—right in the heart of Patriots country. He would go on to be the Falcons' top selection in the 2008 NFL draft. Brady said Ryan's collegiate proximity played a part in his paying attention to the Falcons star's career trajectory.

Given the rate at which Ryan and the Falcons are putting up points, Brady should look to funnel all his knowledge to a Patriots defense that will have its hands full on Super Bowl Sunday.