The NFL and its rule changes over the years have made strong defensive hits basically non-existent. And Tom Brady is not a fan of the “disservice to the sport”
The Buccaneers quarterback’s legacy in the NFL is very well established at this point, but the fact that Brady is gearing up for another NFL season at this age is simply remarkable.
His longevity, though, is what has helped his case for the best QB title the most, as he just won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 43 years old. Brady’s 21 NFL seasons — soon-to-be 22 — have also helped him climb atop almost every major passing category.
.@TomBrady turns 44 today.
— More SBs than every franchise
— Beat 19 teams in playoffs
— 34 playoff wins
— No. 1 all-time TDs
— No. 2 all-time yards
— As many NFC titles as Rodgers, Brees, Ryan
— 3,039 yards in SBsFather Time is begging for mercy 🐐 @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/QSqwoQlmJd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 3, 2021
Brady has long benefited from rules involving increased quarterback protection. But apparently, he’d be happier if these rules weren’t in place.
Tom Brady believes NFL defenses don’t have it fair.
Tom Brady may seem like an unlikely source to advocate for fewer penalties on the other side of the ball. But he believes the quality of play has been lowered because the fundamentals are not being emphasized.
“If you’re a quarterback, you’ve got to protect yourself and your players,” Brady said during a players chat on the Bucs website. “It shouldn’t be the responsibility of your opponent to protect you. It creates really bad habits. You feel like I can basically do anything. I can run and not slide. I can throw my receiver into coverage and not have any repercussions for it.
“What they’re going to do is, they’re going to blame the defensive player for making a good, solid hit and now the defensive player is going to say, ‘I can’t do that,’ and I think it’s an offensive mistake. So in the end, it’s really a disservice to the sport. Because the sport isn’t being played at a high level that I believe it once was. It actually deteriorates, because you’re not teaching the players the reasons for the fundamentals of what the sport should be.”
.@TomBrady nailed this right on the head – must listen.
“A quarterback should only throw the ball to certain places, because your receiver is in danger of getting hit,”
“It shouldn’t be the responsibility of your opponent to protect you,”pic.twitter.com/H8ffrplh0J
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 3, 2021
Brady said he believes it’s the quarterback’s responsibility to throw receivers out of harm’s way, but that is no longer the case because the rules restrict defensive players.
“A quarterback should only throw the ball to certain places, because your receiver is in danger of getting hit,” Brady said. “For example, when I used to play against Ray Lewis, I wouldn’t throw the ball to the middle of the field because he would . . . hit them and knock them out of the game. And now, every hard hit is a penalty on the defense. So I feel like they penalize defensive players for offensive mistakes.”
More rule change ideas from @TomBrady, someone put him in charge of the rules committee pic.twitter.com/IPLJ2W3fhh
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 3, 2021
“… It’s really a disservice to the sport, because the sport isn’t being played at a high level that I believe that it once was.”
