No, Tom Brady, the NFL is not weaker than the AFC East

Finally, someone has the courage to stand up to Tom Brady. Yes, he has six championship rings and is the only player in NFL history with 600 career touchdown passes. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t make mistakes.After all, his 2007 new england patriots It was indeed pulled to 2015-16 golden state warriors And won the championship after setting a regular season victory record. Alex Smith didn’t have as high an NFL career as Brady, but he played 16 seasons in the league and his opinion should be heard.

last week about The Stephen A. Smith Show

Brady talks NFL products not too good Just like when he was young. His biggest hitch is the league-mandated physical strength.Alex Smith responds to Brady’s fiery remarks ESPN’s NFL Sunday Countdown.

“He hasn’t retired that long,” Smith said Sunday. “He’s just playing. It’s like he just won a Super Bowl in this game. Is he going to discount that?”

“Then my biggest complaint about him, and no offense to (Randy Moss, Teddy Bruschi and Rex Ryan), is that he’s playing in the least competitive division in NFL history, I think. “

Of all the people complaining about rule changes in this millennium, how dare Brady be the player to do so. This is sour grapes mentality coupled with a lack of self-awareness.

The first thing that changed was the emphasis on defensive back contact after five yards. This was done because during the Patriots’ first two Super Bowl championship seasons, their secondary was constantly attacking pass catchers down the field. The way they play is like it’s 1973, not 2003.

Brady was fortunate to be healthy for most of his career, but he did miss almost an entire season — 2008. He suffered a torn ACL when he was struck below the knee. Before the NFL faced the threat of lawsuits for years of failing to properly treat head injuries, one of the first changes to quarterback contact was making low hits illegal. Tom, that’s between you and Bernard Pollard.

Going back to Smith’s comments, mediocre is a good way to describe the AFC East from 2003-19.this buffalo bills The first time they entered the playoffs in the 21st century was in 2017, with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses.if miami dolphins Achieving 12 wins this season would be the first since 1990. new york jets Ridiculed, this was Brady’s most consistent game in the AFC East throughout his career. The Jets actually beat him once in the playoffs. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2010.

The Patriots have won against inferior divisions nearly every season with Brady at quarterback. With two tough games scheduled for them every year by the NFL, one against Peyton Manning, the Patriots will have the same interdivision matchup as the rest of the AFC East.

Brady is 46 years old. He’s in the “get off my lawn” age range. The most common criticism of sports from former athletes is that the game has become sluggish. They do this more often than Brady hit his checking mark in 2001.

Smith was a good reminder of a legend who was largely the beneficiary of mediocre football throughout his storied career.