The article below originally appeared on ESPN Boston and is being reprinted with permission.

In a piece that aired on CBS on Thanksgiving Day, the bond between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his longtime throwing coach Tom Martinez is highlighted (view The Tom Behind Tom Brady at CBSSports.com).

Martinez is seeking a kidney transplant, which is a central theme in the piece.

“He’s a fighter, he’s going to keep battling. That’s part of his makeup,” Brady says.

Another aspect that shines through is that Brady relies on Martinez to keep his mechanics fine-tuned, as the two exchange text messages after every game.

“I’ve been so fortunate to be kind of his student that would take all this information and hopefully pass it on to the next generation of young quarterbacks that want to learn the proper ways to throw the football,” Brady says.

Martinez notes that Brady keeps in touch because of two main reasons: 1) He’s a perfectionist; 2) He’s thinking ahead to the playoffs, when you can’t miss as a quarterback.

Brady’s father says, “Without Tom Martinez, Tom Brady would not have been the quarterback of the New England Patriots.”