Patriots' Tom Brady Says Packers' Aaron Rodgers Inspires Him to Be Better Player

Sunday night's matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots features two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and even though Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are each competing for the same ultimate prize, there is plenty of respect between the two.  

Brady called his counterpart "inspiring" during his weekly radio appearance on WEEI (h/t ESPN.com's Mike Reiss): "I think it's inspiring. Even for me—I watch his game, and it makes me want to get out there and practice and improve, because I think he's so phenomenal with how he manages himself in the pocket. His ability to throw the football is unlike anyone in probably the history of the league. It's pretty awesome to watch."        

But the high praise didn't stop there. The New England star added that the Green Bay passer "throws some of the best incompletions I've ever seen," which is quite the compliment.

There is no denying just how great the two signal-callers have been throughout their respective careers. Brady has racked up 13 Pro Bowls, three NFL MVPs, eight Super Bowl appearances, five championships, four Super Bowl MVPs and countless records. Meanwhile, Rodgers has six Pro Bowl selections, two NFL MVP awards, a Super Bowl ring and a Super Bowl MVP award.

A showdown between two accomplished players such as Brady and Rodgers sparks the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate, and even NBA legend Michael Jordan got in on it:

Brady himself, though, deflected. He told WEEI: 

"I think it's actually a hypothetical question that is just truly impossible to answer. It's great to debate it and those types of things. I don't think about, 'Oh, was this guy better than this guy or this guy?' I guess that's because maybe I'm an athlete and I realize it's a lot of teamwork, it's a lot of factors that go into helping your team win."

And despite the fact that the two future Hall of Famers have been in the league together since 2005, they have met on the field just once in their careers. Their lone meeting came on Nov. 30, 2014, a 26-21 Green Bay victory. Rodgers threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns in that game, with Brady adding 245 yards and two scores of his own.

The two teams also met in 2010, but Matt Flynn started in place of an injured Rodgers for Green Bay.

Their matchups have been infrequent due to the rotating schedule that comes from playing in opposite conferences. And despite nine Super Bowl appearances between the two, they have never met on the biggest stage in football. The closest they have come was in 2015, when the Patriots made it to Super Bowl XLIX (and won) while the Packers blew a 16-0 halftime lead to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.

In other words, Week 9's battle should be cherished, especially Brady (41 years old) and Rodgers (34) both on the backends of their respective careers.