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Patriots' Robert Kraft: Two Mannings equal one Brady

 (AP Photo/David Goldman)
(AP Photo/David Goldman)

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has become a little more outspoken in the media over the past year, since his team and beloved quarterback Tom Brady, were accused in the never-ending deflategate scheme.

There's been times when he's been forceful, such as at the Super Bowl last year in Arizona, when he declared his team's innocence, and at the start of training camp this past season, when he laid into his once-close friend, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

At other turns, he's been more playful, such as his October swipe the Indianapolis Colts, the team that touched off deflategate.

On Wednesday night during a one-on-one interview on Boston television station WCVB, he took the latter path.

Asked about the oft-discussed "rivalry" between Brady and the Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning, Kraft said, "I happened to see Archie [Manning] there (at Super Bowl 50). He has two sons who have won two Super Bowls. But with all due respect, we have one son who has won four.”

Kraft has often referred to Brady as his fifth son, and the two have become quite close over the quarterbacks' 16-year career.

Another highlight from Kraft's interview: he believes that if the AFC championship game had been played in New England, not in Denver, the result would have been different.

"I think, if I have any regret, it's that the conference championship wasn't played here in our hometown," Kraft said. "We've won seven division titles in a row, so I am pretty proud that, in my opinion, we have the greatest coach [Bill Belichick] and greatest quarterback of all time."

Though his relationship with Goodell is unlikely to return to what it once was - Kraft skipped Goodell's robotic "state of the league" press conference last Friday and attended a Hall of Fame luncheon instead - Kraft did stick with NFL company line when he was asked about how the league is handling the health and safety of the players.

“I’m very pleased with what we’re doing in the area of equipment, what we’re doing with medical attention, protocols we have. It’s never been safer," he said.