Why Tom Brady thinks the NFL is 'getting softer'?
Tom Brady doesn't shy away from voicing his displeasure with league rules. The internet was set ablaze when the 21-year veteran did not think too kindly about the new jersey rule that allowed defensive players to use single-digit numbers.
Brady also voiced his opinion about the number of penalties called on defensive players for late hits on quarterbacks that are now making their way to offensive linemen.
1st play is 100% unnecessary roughness in 2021 twitter.com/nflthrowback/s…
In a recent interview with Jim Gray on the Let’s Go! podcast, Brady said:
"I think they’re calling more penalties on defensive players for hitting, you know, for violent contact. And I think when you’re out of the pocket, you know, we got called on a play yesterday where Ryan Jensen‘s going basically to protect our runner and they throw an unnecessary roughness on an offensive lineman that I don’t think would have been called, you know, five years ago."
Is Tom Brady right in saying the league is "soft"?
Brady's statement is undoubtedly true. Offensive linemen are now starting to feel the effects of unnecessary roughness calls usually given out to defensive players only. Big men on defensive and offensive lines are meant to push other big bodies around to protect or get to the quarterback.
If a player happens to be run over by two big-bodied men, isn't that just a part of the game?
Going helmet to helmet and headhunting are things that are no longer and should never be allowed again in the league, but to fall onto a quarterback from being pushed by another lineman and flagged for that is overkill.
Most defensive players are pushing 250 pounds and running at high speed might not allow such a significant force to stop their momentum.
The same case is now being made for offensive linemen. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, offensive linemen may throw the players going against them to the ground or push their matchup into another player, causing said player to fall under the weight of these massive men.
This is not unnecessary roughness, but in the grand scheme of things, these calls are meant to protect all of the players. Unfortunately, there are far too many injuries that are happening league-wide.
Then again, injuries are just a part of the game and some of them cannot be avoided even if the NFL wants them to be. That's the cost of playing a purely physical and violent sport.
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The above play is one to take a deeper look at when it comes to unnecessary hits. The Cleveland Browns defender went directly for a helmet-to-helmet hit. This is what should be immediately flagged. Not a defensive or offensive lineman being pushed into the quarterback.
Protecting a quarterback's legs is essential, but sometimes crashing bodies cannot be helped. Brady is right in saying that the league has become softer, but that is primarily to protect quarterbacks such as himself.