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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, seeking his fifth Lombardi Trophy, admits he and counterpart Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons communicate regularly with each other. The Patriots and Falcons will meet in Houston at NRG Stadium for Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5 -- just the second Super Bowl appearance in Atlanta's 51-year history but New England's league-record ninth appearance, including titles in the 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2015 editions.
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"We've kind of kept in touch over the years," Brady said Monday morning during his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI in Boston. "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 threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-17 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in New England's sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game.
Ryan threw for 392 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another as the Falcons dominated the Green Bay Packers 44-21 for the NFC title.
The 39-year-old Brady said he followed Ryan at Boston College, which plays its games 20 miles north of the Patriots' home stadium.
In addition, the Patriots and Falcons practiced against each other in 2010 training camp, which was the 31-year-old Ryan's third year in the NFL.
"I got to see him up close and talk to him quite a bit," Brady said of the practices at Falcons headquarters in Flowery Branch, Ga. "Matt is a classy guy and a great quarterback."
Brady said he began looking at the Falcons' current depth chart at about 1:30 in the morning after Sunday night's win.
"It will be a big test. They're playing great, and Matt has had an incredible year," Brady said on WEEI. "Their offense, what they did yesterday in the first quarter that I was paying attention, it looked like they were on fire. They're there for a reason. They've beaten all the best in that conference."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Brady for four games to start the 2016 season over the Deflategate scandal.
Brady was asked on the radio show what he might say to Goodell if the two meet following a Patriots Super Bowl win. Goodell traditionally presents the Lombardi Trophy to the winning team's owner.
"Hopefully we'll finish the deal. Hopefully we can finish it off and we'll see. Maybe I'll tell you after," Brady said. "But I don't want to get into winning something before we've won it, because it's going to be hard to win this thing."
