We are expected to see three rookie quarterbacks start for their respective NFL teams immediately, and that is an idea that future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer Tom Brady is not a fan of.
Brady took it a little bit further than just not being a fan of playing rookie quarterbacks. He had sharp, stern words about how big of a failure it is for the likes of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix to be Day 1 starters at the NFL level. Putting it as harshly as possible, Brady thinks today's NFL is a less intelligent game than it was in his time because of this desire to rush young quarterbacks onto the field.
Here is what Brady had to say on the Stephen A. Smith Show:
"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."
- Tom Brady via Stephen A. Smith Show
Clarifying what he meant about the game being dumbed down in today's NFL, Brady went on to discuss how NFL coaches are now just meeting quarterbacks where they are at instead of giving them time to fully grasp what they need to grasp before seeing the field.
Brady talked about how he did not start his rookie season, and how that allowed him to get the full picture of what was expected and what was going to be asked of him before taking over as the starting quarterback in 2024.
"We used to spend hours and hours in the offseason, in training camp, trying to be a little bit better the next year... But I think what happens is it discourages the coaches from going to deep levels because they realize the players don't have the opportunity to go to a deep level, so they're just going to teach them where they're at."
- Tom Brady via Stephen A. Smith Show
It is hard to argue with perhaps the best quarterback to ever play the game of football. His former team, the New England Patriots, are following his advice as well as they are expected to let No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye sit behind veteran Jacoby Brissett instead of rushing him onto the field.
Will we see struggles from Williams, Daniels, and Nix as a result of this "dumbing down," or will they prove Brady wrong in 2024?
