The NFL’s greatest ever quarterback Tom Brady took a shot at the league recently, saying the standard of play has dropped in recent years.
Brady, who won seven Super Bowls across his 23-year career, was scathing in his assessment of the league when speaking on the Stephen A. Smith Show.
“I think there's a lot of mediocrity in today's NFL. I don't see the excellence that I saw in the past,” Brady said.
“I think the coaching isn't as good as it was. I don't think the development of young players is as good as it was. I don't think the schemes are as good as they were.
“The rules have allowed a lot of bad habits to get into the actual performance of the game. So, I just think the product, in my opinion, is less than what it's been.”
Naturally, these comments were not well received, with former star quarterback Alex Smith throwing the mediocrity tag back at Brady, saying he played in the weakest division in the NFL during his dominant era with the Patriots.
Brady won a ridiculous 17 NFC East titles across his career, though the Buffalo Bills (pre Josh Allen), the New York Jets (always) and the Miami Dolphins were generally not the stiffest competition in that time, allowing the Patriots to waltz into the playoffs.
Smith, didn’t hold back on NFL Countdown despite sitting alongside former Patriots players Randy Moss and Teddy Bruschi.
“My biggest complaint to this and no offense to the three of you guys,” Smith said on NFL Countdown.
“He played in the most uncompetitive division in NFL history. I mean, you come out of training camp in the biggest cupcake division, you got a ticket to the playoffs right away. Like, talk about mediocre.
“I completely disagree with this. I know he’s talking about the rule over the middle over the field to the receiver. But in my opinion, the game has gotten better.
“There’s more parity across the league. Quarterback play is at an all-time high in the league. You’ve got the best athletes playing the position. We didn’t have this 30-40 years ago. And then, also he’s referencing offensive numbers are down. To me, I think we’re in a golden age of D-linemen.”
Brady retired in 2022 and Smith wonders whether this mediocre NFL includes the last Super Bowl he won with Tampa Bay.
“Listen, I love Tom. The GOAT. But first off, he hasn’t been retired that long. He was just playing. He just won a Super Bowl in the current game. Are we discounting that one?” Smith said.
The NFL has been ravaged by quarterback injuries across the 2023-2024 season, likely contributing to any supposed mediocrity.
Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Daniel Jones, Deshaun Watson and Anthony Richardson have all suffered season ending injuries.