Not everyone is in agreement with Tom Brady’s scalding take on the lack of “excellence” in today’s NFL.
Just ask former NFL quarterback Alex Smith, who torched the seven-time Super Bowl champion on this week’s edition of ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown,” with fellow panelists Rex Ryan, Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi serving as the collateral damage in Smith’s argument.
“First off, he hasn’t been retired that long. He was just playing, he just won a Super Bowl in the current game. Is he discounting that one?” Smith said of Brady, who won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in February 2021.
“My biggest complaint with this, and no offense to you guys, well, all three of you guys, he played in the most uncompetitive division, I think, in NFL history.”
Smith, 39, was referencing the AFC East, which Brady competed in as a Patriot from 2000 through 2019, and helped lead the team to 17 division titles.
Brady also won six Super Bowls in New England, where he was previously teammates with Moss and Bruschi, and faced Ryan’s former Jets team twice a season.
“I mean, you come out of training camp, the biggest cupcake division, you got a ticket to the playoffs right away. Like talk about mediocre,” Smith said.
Moss, a former wide receiver, and Bruschi, a one-time linebacker, could be seen smiling as Smith spoke while Ryan playfully shook his head.
Smith, who played for the 49ers, Chiefs and Washington during his 16-year career, added, “I know he’s [Brady] referencing the rule changes over the middle to the receiver, but in my opinion, I think the game’s gotten better.”
“There’s more parity across the league. Quarterback play is at an all-time high… You’ve got the best athletes playing the position. We didn’t have this 30-40 years ago,” he said.
Smith’s comments follow Brady’s recent appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” where the three-time league MVP opined about the current state of the game.
“I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in today’s NFL,” Brady said. “I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past.”
Brady, who retired from the NFL in February after 23 prolific seasons, pointed to coaching and player development in his elaboration.
“I think the coaching isn’t as good as it was,” he said. “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.”
Brady will be speaking further on the game next season, when he slides into his new role as Fox Sports’ lead NFL analyst.
