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Tony Dungy is one of the most respected figures in or around the NFL, but even he is not safe from Tom Brady's infamous petty streak.
Brady is too marketable and too media savvy to go on a verbal rant in front of cameras and microphones when he's upset or feels slighted, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' future Hall of Fame quarterback is known for petty protests like ignoring post-game handshakes or throwing subliminal shots on social media.
Dungy became the latest target of Tom Brady after the Hall of Fame former head coach (who won Super Bowls as a coach and a player) ranked Brady lower than expected during an interview on Shannon Sharpe's podcast.
Dungy was asked about the toughest quarterbacks he had to coach against during his career, and he ranked Brady sixth.
Despite Brady having more Super Bowl rings (six) than any other quarterback (or any player, period) in history, and despite Brady either owning or being close to a lot of NFL passing records, Dungy didn't rank him at the top of his list. The coach's rationale was that QBs who were more mobile than Brady were more difficult to coach against because of the extra element of their running ability.
"Those mobile quarterbacks -- that's who I put ahead of Tom," Dungy said. "Aaron Rodgers, John Elway, Steve Young, guys who could move. Not to say Tom wasn't great, but that extra dimension meant something to me, so that's why I would only put him at six. Just my opinion."
Dungy added, "I'm never putting Tom Brady ahead of Peyton Manning, so the best he could be is two, because Peyton was my guy."
Brady reminds everyone how difficult he is to coach against
Brady apparently caught wind of Dungy's comments, and he didn't let it slide.
Brady went on Twitter and posted an image of an Indianapolis Colts' banner that reads "2014 AFC Finalist." It's a reference to the 2014 AFC Championship Game in which Brady's New England Patriots smashed the Colts 45-7.
Dungy, however, wasn't coaching the Colts in 2014. Nor was Peyton Manning the Colts' quarterback. That was coach Chuck Pagano and QB Andrew Luck that Brady's Patriots blew out in the AFC title game. Dungy last coached the Colts in 2008, after leading them to a Super Bowl title in 2006.
Perhaps Brady forgot that Dungy wasn't with Indianapolis anymore in 2014, or maybe he knew that but still -- like many people -- will always associate Dungy with the Colts. (Dungy's first head coaching job was actually with the Buccaneers, who are now Brady's team.)
Brady did defeat the Colts in the playoffs when Dungy was coaching and when Manning was quarterback. Brady led the Patriots over the Colts in the 2003 AFC title game, and in the 2004 divisional round.
Dungy guided the Colts past Brady's Patriots in the 2006 AFC title game on their way to a Super Bowl championship.
