Tom Brady says NFL play has ‘a lot of mediocrity’

Tom Brady didn’t mince words when expressing his views on the current state of the NFL, addressing aspects from coaching and player development to the overall quality of the game.

“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 stated during an appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” Monday.

Elaborating on his perspective, the retired 46-year-old quarterback, who enjoyed a remarkable 23-year career with seven Super Bowl victories, critiqued various facets of the modern NFL.

“I think the coaching isn’t as good as it was,” Brady asserted. “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.”

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Brady attributed part of the league’s perceived decline to the unintended consequences of recent rule changes, emphasizing their impact on the game.

“The rules have allowed a lot of bad habits to get into the actual performance of the game,” Brady remarked, specifically pointing to changes intended to enhance player safety but, in his view, resulting in a “carefree” attitude on the field.

“Offensive players need to protect themselves. It’s not up to a defensive player to protect an offensive player. A defensive player needs to protect himself. … I think a lot of the way that the rules have come into play have allowed this—you can essentially play carefree, and then if anyone hits you hard, there’s a penalty.”