Jerry Rice double downs on Tom Brady's criticism of quarterbacks for injuries
Last month, Tom Brady shared with Stephen A. Smith about the mediocrity he sees in today’s NFL. He pointed out that coaching and player development isn’t as good as before. The seven-time Super Bowl champion also mentioned that current rules have allowed bad habits to thrive, especially among players on offense.
Brady has maintained that stance after the NFL suspended Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee for the remainder of the 2023 season. The seven-year veteran got that verdict after his hit on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. during their Week 15 contest.
After that decision, the three-time NFL Most Valuable Player commented on SportsCenter’s Instagram account that defenses shouldn’t be blamed for those hits. Instead, the quarterback must keep his receivers safe by making great throws. That thought has Jerry Rice’s stamp of approval.
Jerry Rice agrees with Tom Brady’s take regarding Kazee’s brutal hit on Pittman Jr.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame wideout shared during his recent appearance in All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner’s online show “The Warner House”:
“My thing is, as receivers, you got to be able to know if it's man to man, or if it's zone, A lot of receivers are just, they're just running and the quarterback can't hold the ball, and he got to get rid of it. So, if I ever had a question in my mind... I'm not just going to continue to run.”
“Because if I'm not sure if it's man to man or zone, you know, you gotta be able to read the defense, just like the quarterback. And I think a lot of these young players, they just run now. They're not reading the defense.”
In that light, the Super Bowl XXIII MVP takes Tom Brady’s side. On his part, the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback revealed that he chose where to throw the ball to keep his receivers away from hard hits.
Brady also mentioned in his Instagram comment that it’s not good that wide receivers are putting their bodies on the line because of the quarterback’s terrible decisions.
Tom Brady grew up idolizing Jerry Rice
Current football players should listen anytime Rice or Brady impart their wisdom on playing the game better. However, even a young Brady would treat Rice’s words as gospel because he grew up a San Francisco 49ers fan.
Brady was eight years old when Rice started his NFL career with the Niners. The San Mateo native has seen the 49ers win four Super Bowl titles in the 1980s, two of which included Rice. The former Mississippi Valley State standout won his third Super Bowl with Steve Young to culminate the 1994 NFL season.
Rice is regarded as the greatest of all time because he owns the records for major statistical categories at wide receiver. Tom Brady has done the same for quarterbacks, cementing his case in joining his childhood idol in Canton.