A few years ago, it was a different era of football in the NFL altogether. When you thought about QB rivalries, you thought about Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. The duo clashed with each other 17 times during their career, with Brady leading the scoreboard by 11-6. While they may have been fierce rivals in the field, they shared a strong friendship and a sense of mutual respect for each other off the field. 

But did you know both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were coached by the same person? The 67-year-old former NFL coach, who now works as an offensive analyst at North Carolina, was also considered being an offensive guru during his NFL stint. And now, he opens up about how, during his Indianapolis Colts days with Peyton Manning, he would wake Christensen even at 2 am to discuss gameplans. 

Peyton Manning did not give his coach any rest

Clyde Christensen is a well-known name amongst coaches in the league. The 67-year-old has an impressive track record in the NFL, having stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Colts, and the Miami Dolphins. He spent well over a decade with the Colts, first as an assistant HC/ WR coach, then moving on to become an offensive coordinator and QB coach during the rest of his Colts tenure. And Christensen got the opportunity to work with one of the greatest QBs in the league, Peyton Manning in the franchise. He was also a part of the team that won the Super Bowl XLI back in 2006. Now, Christensen opened up about how his experience was with Manning at the franchise. 

In a tweet shared by ML Football, we see Christensen talk about how Peyton Manning had his focus on strategizing, irrespective of the time. He recalled incidents where he would fly back after the Colts’ away games at like 2 AM. And even then, he would find his sleep being interrupted by the stewardess saying, “Peyton Manning wants to see you.” Despite it being the wee hours, Manning wanted to sit down and discuss strategies with his coach and also analyze the away games they played.

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Apart from this, Clyde Christensen also had the opportunity to be Tom Brady’s QB coach during his Bucs tenure. And Brady had high praise for the former 67 YO offensive guru.

Brady holds Christensen in high praise

The 7X Super Bowl champion joined the Bucs back in 2020. And that is when he got the opportunity to be coached by Christensen. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times back in 2021, Brady spoke highly about his QB coach. He talked about how Christensen is a great coach and knows how to “connect with people.” He talked about how, despite being rivals for years, they developed a great bond with each other. Brady talked about how Christensen liked them “being competitive at practice.” But at the same time, he also has a great balance between being a competitive coach and an “incredible father, husband and friend.”

Christensen was also beside Brady when he led the Bucs to a Super Bowl win in the 2020 season. While all three of them may have left the league, they have certainly left behind countless fond memories for fans to look back on and smile at.

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