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DENVER - The greatest quarterback rivalry in NFL history began quietly with plenty of empty seats on a cloudy, cool and windy afternoon at Foxboro Stadium on Sept. 30, 2001.Baby-faced backup Tom Brady, a sixth-round draft pick from Michigan the year before, made his first career NFL start in place of Drew Bledsoe, who had suffered a sheared blood vessel in his chest one week earlier.On the other side was QB blue blood Peyton Manning, the top overall pick in the 1998 draft out of Tennessee, and the heavily favoured Indianapolis Colts.As expected, it was a mismatch, but not the way anyone anticipated.Patriots 44, Colts 13.Brady 1, Manning 0.Never did I think it would be the runaway victory that it was, Brady said that afternoon.And no one realized at the time that this was the beginning of a beautiful rivalry — except maybe Brady himself.I always see so much more in me than a lot of other people do, Brady said at the time. Thats prepared me because, whatever expectations people put on me, I have higher expectations for myself.The Associated Press story from that first meeting between Manning and Brady didnt even mention Brady until the 11th paragraph, 319 words in.Everybody but Brady himself considered him a temporary fill-in until Bledsoe got healthy. But Brady never gave up the gig, parlaying that first career win into a Super Bowl season, his first of three titles in four years.Mannings Colts finished 6-10, the only losing season he endured as a starter since his rookie year. He bounced back to win three AFC championships and a Super Bowl title, twice beating Brady for the right to play in the big game, once for Indy and once for Denver.Brady and Manning meet again Sunday when the Broncos (6-1) visit New England (6-2) in a matchup of two AFC powerhouses jockeying for playoff position.This is the 16th time they have squared off, a full seasons worth of matchups between the two quarterback giants whose careers are so intertwined on their respective routes to Canton that a conversation about one almost has to include the other — like Bird vs. Magic or Ali vs. Frazier.I dont know that therell ever be another rivalry — or has been a rivalry — like it in football, said John Elway, who got to face fellow Hall of Famer Dan Marino just twice in his playing career.Manning vs. Brady XVI hasnt lost any lustre, either: This game marks the first in NFL history in which two starting QBs with at least 150 career regular-season wins will face off.Brady and Manning remain at the top of their respective games at an age — 38 for Manning, 37 for Brady — when time had already delivered knockout blows to so many of their fellow quarterbacking royalty.Both threw for 14 touchdowns while revving through October at 4-0. And Manning topped Brett Favres record for most career touchdown passes (513 to 508).Theyre both the best in the game right now and Im obviously very fortunate to get to play with both, said Broncos slot receiver Wes Welker, who played six seasons in New England.Brady has won 10 of the 15 meetings. But theyre 2-2 in the playoffs, including Denvers 26-16 win in the conference championship last season.Always a good matchup with these two guys, said cornerback Aqib Talib, another Bronco who has been on both sides. You definitely get your moneys worth.Although the two are never on the field together, save for the pregame warmups and post-game handshakes, each is acutely aware of the others presence.Hes a great player, and I think that you just know youre going to get one of the best offences in the league, Brady said. What that means for me is our offence has to be at our best. You cant think youre going to go out and score 10 points and win the game.Said Manning: You know youd better not be going three-and-out, turning the ball over, trying to figure out what theyre doing on defence. Because you know Brady & Co. are capable of putting up a lot of points and youre going to find yourselves behind, especially up there.This game marks the 10th time Manning will face Brady on the road.I always look forward to this matchup and every one of them is a classic, said NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci. I hope football fans enjoy this because who knows how many more times these great quarterbacks will face off against each other?___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Wholesale Nike Shoes Uk . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle. Cheap Nike Shoes Wholesale . The unrestricted free agent agreed to terms with the club on Thursday on a one-year, two-way deal worth $700,000. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesuk.com/. They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66. Nike Clearance Shoes Uk . Tyrell appeared in seven games with the Lightning this year, he had no points in those appearances. The 24-year-old has seven goals and 17 assists in 132 career NHL games, all coming with the Lightning. He was selected in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2007 draft. Wholesale Nike Shoes For Sale . Despite Arsenals financial firepower, the 31-year-old midfielder was the only arrival in the January transfer window. Signed until the end of the season as injury cover, Kallstrom might not be fit until mid-March after arriving Friday at Arsenal having injured his back earlier in the week while training with Spartak Moscow.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Detroit Pistons will begin life without Josh Smith on Friday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to The Palace of Auburn Hills. In a rather stunning move, the Pistons released Smith on Monday despite two- plus years and close to $30 million remaining on his contract, which he signed prior to last season. Detroits trio of big men - Smith, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond - have not worked as a unit. Its now expected head coach Stan Van Gundy will keep Monroe and Drummond together with Kyle Singler replacing Smith in the starting lineup. Probably a few more post-ups for Andre and Greg and more plays for Jodie (Meeks) and (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope), Van Gundy told the Detroit Free Press. Thats where Id say the majority of that is going to come from. Were gonna ride (Monroe) in the post. Weve done that when hes been in there, but hell get more minutes now. Detroit has dropped four in a row after a two-game winning streak. The Pistons have lost 12 straight at The Palace with their last home victory coming on Nov. 7 against Milwaukee. The Pistons havent played since a 110-105 road loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Brooklyn had a 15-point fourth-quarter lead cut down to one after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope buried a 3-point shot with 9.8 secondds left.dddddddddddd The Nets held on the rest of the way. Caldwell-Pope finished with 20 points and Drummond had 18 along with 20 rebounds -- 13 on the offensive end. However, the Pistons couldnt complete the rally and fell for the 17th time in 19 games. Monroe delivered 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and pulled down eight boards in the loss. The Pistons hit the road for three straight following Fridays contest. The Pacers have won two in a row, including a 12-point victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Tuesday night. George Hill was in the Indiana lineup for the first time all season and helped the Pacers to a 96-84 win. Hill, who missed Indianas first 28 games due to a right knee contusion sustained in the preseason, scored a team-high 15 points off the bench in 21 minutes of action. He looked great out there, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said of Hill. He just played a great game on both ends. Roy Hibbert supplied 14 points, while Solomon Hill and David West each posted 13 points in the win. C.J. Miles and Watson went for 11 and 10 points, respectively. These two Central Division rivals havent met yet this season, but Indiana has won two in a row and eight of the last nine against Detroit. The Pacers have won four straight at The Palace. ' ' '