Tom Brady is headed to his 10th Super Bowl on Sunday when his Buccaneers play a home game in Tampa against the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes. It is a battle between two quarterbacks with very different styles, as Brady is among the last of the prototypical pocket passers of yesteryear and Mahomes is the prototype for the next generation of superstar quarterbacks, with a rocket for an arm, precision accuracy, and mobility that allows him to extend plays.
Eli Manning is quite familiar with seeing Brady in the Super Bowl, as he and the Giants went a perfect 2-0 in big game showdowns with Brady and the Patriots in 2007 and 2011. The recently-retired Manning will enjoy watching Brady and Mahomes go at it from the comfort of his home. Before that, he spoke with Uproxx Sports this week on behalf of Frank’s RedHot about the two QBs that will face off in Tampa, his own Super Bowl memories, and possibly dumping 100 gallons of hot sauce on TikTok star David Dobrik this week.
Super Bowl week is something you’ve experienced on a couple of occasions. When you look back on your Super Bowl experience is there anything that particularly stands out when you reflect on your two Super Bowls?
Yeah, I mean, I think there’s so many positive memories. The fact that you were there twice and you win both of ’em, I don’t have a bad memory or a bad experience with one. I think the week’s different than a normal week, just because for the last 20 weeks, you’ve basically had the same routine every week, Monday through Sunday, gameday. Now all of a sudden, except for Tampa who’s playing a home game basically, your schedule can be a little different. For me, it was all of a sudden that week you’re in Arizona for practice, you’re taking buses to practice. It’s a lot more bonding with the team on those bus rides, at night your family is not there all week so you’re having dinner with your buddies, just casual, and so I think you have a lot of great moments right there, just hanging out with your teammates all getting ready to play the biggest game of your life. There’s obviously a seriousness to that and a focus to it, but it’s still kind of a boys will be boys and when there’s time to relax and laugh we had a great crew of guys who knew how to flip that switch and never got too goofy, but like to laugh and be around each other during those bus rides after the day was done.
So all those, and also the celebration after the game when you walk into your party with your friends and family, and high school buddies and college buddies greet you. You kinda figure out that when you win a championship it’s not just the New York Giants and the owners and the fans, but everybody you played high school and college football with that didn’t get to go on to the next level, they’re winning a championship with you. And I promise you they celebrate like they just won a Super Bowl as well. So there’s a lot of great memories.
This year you’re partnered with Frank’s RedHot for The Big Pour to support Tackle Kids Cancer. How did that partnership come about and why is it so important to work with this organization in Tackle Kids Cancer for you?
Yeah, you know, it’s been a great relationship with Frank’s RedHot. We have a new commercial that’s out right now where I’m handling retirement and doing different activities and pouring Frank’s all over everything and using it in every activity I do. I got introduced to them at the beginning of the pandemic when Peyton was playing in the golf Match and I was on Twitter to tweet some heat towards him and attacking Brady when he was playing in that. I think Frank’s and their brand and their sense of humor matches up with mine, kind of a dry sense of humor. They take their business very serious but don’t take themselves very seriously though. And so I think it’s been a great relationship and they approached this idea of pouring 100 gallons of Frank’s RedHot on someone and I’m just glad I don’t have to get it poured on me.
But David Dobrik was willing to take the pour and it’s because it’s for charity and Tackle Kids Cancer, which has been a charity very close to me these past five years and dealing with that and helping out research and patient care programs. It’s been a great fit and hopefully the Big Pour — we’re trying to hit that 100,000 tweets with the hashtag #FranksBigPour coming up — and it should be pretty exciting. I have no idea how it’s gonna look or work out or go down, but it should be interesting to say the least.
You mention the commercial where you put Frank’s on everything, which is their slogan. What’s the strangest food that you put hot sauce on that folks might not think?
Nah, I think that’s the great thing about Frank’s is I don’t think there’s anything too strange you can put it on. Obviously the wings are great and I put it on my eggs, but I don’t know if there’s anything totally outrageous. I think anything’s acceptable and wouldn’t be frowned upon putting Frank’s on.
I want to get your thoughts on the game on Sunday and particularly these two quarterbacks, because they’re very different in terms of playing style but they’re two of the best we have in the league right now. Obviously Tom’s been doing it for a long time and somebody you know well, and then Patrick is the new guy coming up. When you look at their games what are the things that stand out the most when you watch those two?
You know, I think they have a similar quality and it’s hard to put a finger on, but that “it” quality where at the critical moment of the game they seem to be able to raise their level of play that much more. And they get that much more focused or make that key throw, make that key play. So the moment is never too big for them and I think you just see it over and over again. Patrick through the playoffs last year, Tom Brady through his whole career and other championships. So it’s a matter of, this game, it could be a high scoring game throughout the entire game — you never know how it’s going to play out — but I can tell you in the fourth quarter both teams will be scoring, because those quarterbacks will know it’s crunch time and each drive in that fourth quarter is so important to get points to try and either take a lead or extend a lead.
So you just know there’s going to be a lot of fireworks going on in that fourth quarter of the game.
And they both have Super Bowl experience. How does that change your approach going from your first Super bowl into a second Super Bowl because you know that extra stuff like how the routine changes and a better understanding of the magnitude of everything?
Yeah, I think, well, I know one thing, that winning a championship does not make you content. You’re not like, “Oh, I’ve done it all.” It is a feeling and a high that you can’t replicate, and you want to have that feeling again. You want that feeling that you are the world champion. That you get to hoist up the Lombardi Trophy. That you get to celebrate, you get that ring. Those are just feelings that you can’t replicate in other ways, so it makes you want to do it and take advantage of that opportunity. So I don’t think either team will be distracted or think that it’s going to be automatic.
They both know the challenge ahead of them and the opponent they’re playing is worthy of being in this situation and being in this game, so I think they’ll both come out ready to play.