Tom Brady criticizes the NFL’s ‘mediocrity’ and ‘bad habits’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Former NFL star Tom Brady, who retired in February after winning his seventh Super Bowl, criticized the current state of the game and the lack of quality and “distinction” he witnessed in the “past.”
In an interview with Steven Smith, Brady said he believed there was a lot of “mediocrity” in today’s NFL and blamed it on poor coaching, player development, schemes and rules.
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Tom Brady says coaching and player development aren’t as good as they used to be.
Brady, who played 23 seasons with the Patriots and Buccaneers, said he doesn’t think the coaching and development of young players is as “good” as when he played.
Tom Brady doesn’t think coaching and developing young players is as “good” as it was when he played (Photo by Joe Cohen/Getty Images for Audi of America).
He said he didn’t think the schemes were as good as they were, and that the rules allowed a lot of “bad habits” to creep into the actual game.
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“I just think the product is, in my opinion, worse than what it was before,” Brady said, according to the New York Post.
“I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in today’s NFL” – @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/xyZ1q3ztUg
— Stephen A. Smith (@stephenasmith) November 21, 2023
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Defensive players are being penalized for physical activity, says Tom Brady
Brady also lamented how the rules have changed to favor offensive players and how defensive players are penalized for physical actions.
He said he used to avoid throwing the ball into certain areas because he didn’t want to risk losing a good player to a hard hit.
He said he used to avoid throwing the ball in certain spots because he didn’t want to risk losing a good player to a hard hit. (John Kopaloff/Getty Images)
“I look at a lot of players like Ray Lewis, Rodney Harrison and Ronnie Lott, and guys who impacted the game in certain ways, and every shot they made would have been a penalty,” Brady said.
He added that attackers must protect themselves rather than rely on defense. “The defender must defend himself. He shouldn’t ask the offensive player to protect him,” Brady said.
Tom Brady to become Fox Sports analyst next fall
Brady, who won six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers, announced his retirement in February 2021. He will join Fox Sports next fall as the network’s lead analyst for the NFL.
In the meantime, he will share his opinion on playing from a distance. He said he hopes to see more excellence and quality in the NFL in the future.
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