As a Fan, Tom Brady Sees NFL Mediocrity

Retired star blames coaching, for one thing
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 21, 2023 5:05 PM CST
As a Fan, Tom Brady Sees NFL Mediocrity
Tom Brady acknowledges fans after a ceremony in his honor at halftime of a between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots in September in Foxborough, Mass.   (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Tom Brady says the quality of play in the NFL isn't what it was in his day—which came to an end in January. "I think there's a lot of mediocrity in today's NFL," the five-time Super Bowl MVP said in an interview Monday. "I don't see the excellence that I saw in the past." Brady made the comments on the Stephen A. Smith Show, USA Today reports. And he saw a lot of excellence in his 23 years as quarterback of the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during which he won seven Super Bowls. Several factors are responsible for the decline, Brady said.

"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," he said. "I don't think the schemes are as good as they were." If scoring is a measure, the data backs Brady up. NFL teams have been scoring fewer points each season for four years. They're now averaging 43.3 points combined per game. In 2021, teams were putting up 45.9 points, per ESPN. Starting next season, Brady will be able to offer such assessments in real time; he signed a 10-year contract to be Fox Sports' top color analyst, per USA Today. (More Tom Brady stories.)

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