Retired NFL quarterback tom brady He believes the NFL’s current rules are to blame for the league’s “massive mediocrity.”
Brady appears on Monday’s show this Stephen A. Smith exhibit. While discussing the New England Patriots’ recent woes, the 46-year-old turned to expressing his dissatisfaction with the way the game is being played around the league.
“I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in the NFL today,” Brady said. “I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past.”
“I don’t think the coaching is as good as it used to be. I don’t think the development of young players is as good as it used to be. I don’t think the schemes are as good as they used to be. I think the rules allow a lot of bad habits to get into the performance of the game right now. So I think, In my opinion, the product is not as good as it used to be.”
Over the years, the NFL has introduced a host of new rules in an effort to make the game safer. This results in referees penalizing rough passers and unnecessary roughness more frequently.
While the league’s intentions were fair, the enforcement of these rules caused dissatisfaction among players and fans, with many arguing that the rules took away the league’s identity.
retired players JJ Watt Regular calls for the league to target seemingly innocuous game-ending players, as well as current pros Jason and Travis Kelce They also used their platform to criticize the rules.
Brady then recalled the days when some of the greatest defenders in the league were feared but still allowed physical play.
“I see a lot of players like Ray Lewis and Rodney Harrison and Ronnie Lott And players who impact the game in some way,” he said. “Every shot they take is punished. You hear coaches complaining about their own players getting tackled…why don’t they talk to their players about how to protect themselves? How to get rid of the ball? What should I do if I cross the line? How to get down? How to lower pad height. “
“We used to work on the basics of these things. Now, they’ve been struggling to be regulated.”