Tom Brady missed the 2023 season in only the second massive absence since he joined the league in 2000. With the quarterback’s number retired by the New England Patriots, it is clear that Brady no longer will be slinging the football.
Ahead of his return to the league via a 10-year commitment with FOX to commentate on games, the former quarterback has decided to rag on the state of the game.
He went on to claim that quarterbacks are not quite “field generals” like the players of yore. He recalled that he had the “tools” given to him. These tools allowed him to audible into any formation and make any adjustments to optimize the offense.
In the clip, Brady claimed that the sideline has a little bit too much control over the quarterback. Coincidentally or not, the interview showed a picture of Russell Wilson and Sean Payton. Payton notoriously wanted Wilson to play the game according to his calls. Most theorize that Wilson’s game wasn’t built that way, leading to the split between the two.
Brady went on to note that the coaches were not teaching the quarterbacks to handle the game on their own. Instead, the quarterbacks have only been coached to carry out their decisions.
Today’s NFL QBs set to morph into Tom Brady’s desired style of play
Of course, some of this can be explained away by the state of today’s players.
Put simply, today’s generation of top quarterbacks are still much younger than Brady and Peyton Manning were 15 years ago. Even 15 years ago, both quarterbacks had been in the league for a decade.
Meanwhile, today’s leaders like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow are still hardly more than five years into their careers. The field general aspect often comes later in a quarterback’s development. By the end of their careers, it is highly likely that at least some of today’s quarterbacks will play closer to how Manning, Brady, and other quarterbacks of the past played the game.
That is because as the body ages, it slows down. As it slows down, experience takes over. Once that happens, players begin to play with anticipation.
Of course, it does appear that there are fewer pocket quarterbacks than in Brady’s era. However,
Mahomes, Jackson, and others will eventually need to play from the pocket or leave the league as they age.
Today’s NFL looks different, but in ten years, it might look a bit more familiar to Tom Brady.
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