Tom Brady sounds off on modern NFL player development - "We dumbed the game down"
Tom Brady played for more than two decades in the NFL. As his career progressed, he saw increasingly younger and less experienced quarterbacks get starting spots right in their rookie season. Brady thinks that is not a good sign for the league.
Speaking to Stephen A. Smith during Fanatics Fest (which aired on The Stephen A. Smith Show on Monday), he said:
[40:25] "What could be a little bit dangerous is now there are players transferring from schools when they're not playing, and they're going to different programs and techniques. They're never advancing in an individual system. There used to be college programs. Now there are college teams. You're no longer learning a program, (but) a playbook."
Brady equated this notion to his own experience at Michigan:
"I had to learn from being seventh on the depth chart to moving up to third to ultimately being a starter. I had to learn all those things in college. That was development. Then I went to New England, and I was developed by (Bill) Belichick and the offensive staff. I didn't start my first year.
"I think it's just a tragedy that we're forcing these rookies to play early, but the only reason is we dumbed the game down."
Tom Brady believes he is busier in retirement than he was while playing
Talking about players and plays on Fox will not be the only thing Tom Brady does nowadays. He owns TB12, a health and wellness brand that sells supplements. Brady has his eponymous apparel brand. He looked to buy into the Las Vegas Raiders, and he even has his own dominant electric boat racing team.
That makes him a very busy man, probably even busier than he was as a player. And that is not to mention his parental duties. In that same interview, Brady said:
[06:14] “I got a lot of things that keep me busy. ... So I think between everything it’s a little busier and all the parents out there know what it’s a challenge to be a good parent.”
Brady will begin his tenure at Fox on September 8, when he calls the Dallas Cowboys-Cleveland Browns game in the late afternoon.