Tom Brady Blasts NFL’s New Rules for Creating ‘A Lot of Mediocrity’ in the League

Retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady believes the NFL’s current rules are to blame for what he calls “a lot of mediocrity” plaguing the league.

Brady appeared on Monday’s episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show. During a discussion about the New England Patriots’ recent struggles, the 46-year-old pivoted to express his frustrations with the way the game is being played league-wide.

“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.”

“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. I think 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.”

Over the years, the NFL has introduced a host of new rules in an effort to make the game safer. That’s led to referees calling penalties for roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness more frequently.

While the league’s intent is fair, the enforcement of these rules has cause frustration among players and fans alike, with many arguing they strip the league of its identity.

Retired player J.J. Watt regularly calls out the league for fining players for seemingly-harmless plays, and current pros Jason and Travis Kelce have also used their platform to criticize the rules.

“I don’t believe that the fines are being used the way that they were intended to be used.”@JJWatt gives his thoughts on the fines around the NFL this season. pic.twitter.com/ZqABbopsjE

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 12, 2023

Brady then recalled the days when some of the league’s greatest defenders were feared and still allowed to play physically.

“I look at a lot of players like Ray Lewis and Rodney Harrison and Ronnie Lott and guys that impacted the game in a certain way,” he said, “and every hit they would’ve made would’ve been a penalty. You hear coaches complaining about their own player being tackled… Why don’t they talk to their player about how to protect themselves? How to get rid of the ball? How to run out of bounds? How to get down? How to lower your pad level.”

“We used to work on the fundamentals of those things all the time. Now, they’re trying to be regulated all the time.”