What’s Brady Thinking on Eve of Pats’ Game? “I Want to Crush Them,” Says Reggie Wayne 

(EDITOR’S NOTE: To access the Reggie Wayne interview, click on the following attachment: Ep 75: Former Colts WR Reggie Wayne Joins The Show | Spreaker   )

Some people wonder what Tom Brady is thinking prior to Sunday’s return to Foxboro, but Hall-of-Fame finalist Reggie Wayne isn’t one of them.

Because Reggie Wayne knows what Tom Brady is thinking.

“I want to crush them,” he said on the latest “Eye Test for Two” podcast. “I just want to hang up 100 points on them. No doubt in my mind … at all.

“He wants to go, and he wants to perform his best. He wants this game to be the best game of his 50-year career, or however long he’s been playing. He doesn’t want to leave any stones unturned, no T’s (uncrossed.). He wants to go in, and he wants to … crush … this … team … without a doubt in my mind. “

Wayne should know. He was a star receiver for the Indianapolis Colts in 2013 when then-Denver quarterback Peyton Manning returned to play his ex-teammates in October. Like Brady’s situation today, much was made of Manning’s first return to Indianapolis, and why not? He was to the Colts what Brady was to New England.

Everything.

But then he was gone, released after sitting out the entire 2011 season following neck surgery. The Colts were a league-worst 2-14 that year, only the third time during Manning’s tenure there they didn’t win at least 10 games, and chose No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck over their Hall-of-Fame quarterback.

“Thank you for letting me be your quarterback,” Manning told fans in an emotional farewell.

His number 18 jersey was then retired, and Manning went looking for his next football team. He found it in Denver, signing a five-year, $96-million deal with the Broncos before leading them t a 13-3 finish, their first winning season in six years. One year later, he returned to Indianapolis to face his former team, just as Brady does this Sunday.

And that’s where Wayne comes in.

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He was there for the Manning reunion. He stood and watched as fans welcomed back Manning with a prolonged standing ovation and an emotional pre-game ceremony. He knew the impact it would have on a teary Manning. And he knew what Manning’s response would be.

“(We said), ‘You know Peyton wants to kill us. I know this guy. He wants to put up 100 points on us,’ “ Wayne said. “And we were like: OK, like Robert Mathis and (others) … they wanted to sack Peyton because they knew if they didn’t sack him he was going to do the best he could to score every single drive.”

He didn’t. But he was close. Indianapolis outlasted the Colts, 39-33, though Wayne wasn’t around for the finish. He tore his ACL and meniscus, ending his season after seven games.

“So I’m watching from the locker room,” he said, “and it’s almost like I was at a sports bar. I was screaming and cheering. You want to win that game. That’s one of the games that you know it’s going to be electrifying, everybody’s going to be into it, everybody’s watching. You want to perform your best because you know he’s going to come in and perform his best.”

Again, Manning was close. He completed 29 of 49 passes for 386 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. But he was sacked a season-high four times, and the Broncos suffered their first loss of the season en route to a 13-3 finish and Super Bowl appearance.

Wayne doesn’t envision Brady suffering similar misfortune when he meets his former teammates Sunday. In fact, he was emphatic when asked to predict a winner.

“I think Tampa Bay wins,” he said, “and I think Tom Brady puts up at least 325 yards on them. I think they win easy. Because it’s one of these things where all the players in Tampa Bay … they know they’re going into a buzz saw. They know where they’re going. They know about all the hoopla. It’s been going on all week. They’re probably talking about it all throughout the media. So they’re going to rally for Tom Brady.

“They want Tom Brady to go in there and play well. And that’s just the way it goes: ‘We’re going to rally around our guy.’ A lot of them probably feel like he was mistreated on his exit. So (it’s) ‘we’re going to do this for you, bro. We got you.’

“I guarantee you they’re going to go in there and play almost as if all of them used to play for New England. You know what I’m saying? So I really believe that Tom Brady goes in and plays well. I think the game is not going to be close, (and) I expect to see a big smile on Tom Brady’s face, especially after last week’s loss.” 

• This interview was made possible by DraftKings.