Tom Brady has admittingly struggled to transition from player to spectator.
His love for football is as strong as ever – But he finds it frustrating to watch games and not have any influence over them.
He’s also becoming quite annoyed at the direction the sport seems to be headed.
Speaking on his “Let’s Go!” podcast, Brady expressed great frustration at how “soft” the game is becoming.
“Football is a physical sport … There’s a physical element to all of this,” Brady said. “You throw a 15-yard flag for something that, you know, 20 years ago maybe wouldn’t have had a flag. That affects the game in a big way.”
Brady was also critical of the officiating in last Sunday night’s Giants-Bills game where Buffalo seemed to get away with a sure-penalty on the final play of the game.
Taron Johnson mauled Giants tight end Darren Waller, preventing him from catching the would-be game-winning touchdown.
According to Brady (and most others), a flag for defensive holding should have been thrown, which would have granted the Giants one final attempt to reach the end zone.
However, this was not the case, and the Giants fell just one yard short of a major upset, ultimately losing 14-9 to the Bills.
Regarding the crucial play, Brady stated: “It’s definitely a penalty. There was obviously a holding … They just didn’t call it.”
THE BILLS WIN #NYGvsBUF pic.twitter.com/uLwamFkT4N
— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2023
While Brady expressed his desire for a penalty flag in this specific situation, he continued to express his broader concern about the increasing number of flags being thrown in games.
He contended that football is inherently physical and that the excessive flags are affecting the flow (and outcomes) of games.
Tom Brady criticizes NFL officiating on the "Lets Go!" podcast, calling for a reduction in penalties and expressing concern that the game is becoming too much like flag football. The seven-time Super Bowl champ's opinion sparks a conversation about the future of the sport.…
— TheJamesPatrick (@TheJamesPatrick) October 17, 2023
According to NFLpenalties.com, there have been a total of 1,402 flags thrown through the first six weeks of the season, including declined penalties and offsetting penalties.
At this rate, the NFL is projected to have 4,206 flags thrown by the end of the season, significantly surpassing the numbers from 2022 (3,726 flags) and 2021 (3,909 flags).
Brady took it a step further by saying if this trend continues, the NFL mind as well turn into flag football. (pun intended???)
“There’s so many people that want it less and less physical … It’s more like flag football, which is going to be in the Olympics in 2028. Maybe football goes to flag football over a period of time.”
Brady is 1,000% right about the NFL becoming too soft.
What’s ironic however is that Brady was also the first person to tear a refs head off if a flag wasn’t thrown for a defender merely breathing on him, let alone touching him.
BRUUUHHHH THE AUDACITY
— Do you think I'm spooky? (@BeckwiseGamgee) October 17, 2023
Love him or hate him, I think we all miss Tom…
I wish Tom Brady was playing football today. Even if it was a flag football charity game I’d tune in
— TB EGO ✖️ (@TomBradyEgo) October 15, 2023
What are your thoughts on Brady’s comments?
Is the NFL becoming too soft???