Tom Brady made an intriguing point while speaking with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
Given that he didn’t start out as the GOAT — he worked his way up to the top of Michigan’s depth chart, was famously the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft and didn’t start in New England until Drew Bledsoe got hurt — he has some perspective on rookie QBs.
His take? There used to be college football programs that would teach what it’s like to be a pro before heading to the NFL to wait for their turn to be a starting QB.
“I think it’s just a tragedy that we’re forcing these rookies to play early, but the reality is the only reason why they are is that we’ve dumbed the game down, which has allowed them to play,” he remarked.
.@TomBrady on the tragedy that is being forced on rookie QBs in today’s NFL pic.twitter.com/IReSLdYL1R
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 19, 2024
Now, there’s another reason he didn’t say in that clip, which is the financial reality of the NFL. You want to get a young QB on a rookie contract up to speed as fast as possible so you can spend your salary-capped money elsewhere prudently.
But as for the dumbed down claim, which he claims comes from coaches realizing the players didn’t have the opportunity to drill deeper in college? I’m curious if others feel that way.
