Tom Brady bemoans NFL play, says 'there's a lot of mediocrity' - ESPN

Less than a year removed from his legendary playing career, Tom Brady evidently is not impressed with the current level of play in the NFL.

«I think there's a lot of mediocrity in today's NFL. I don't see the excellence that I saw in the past,» Brady said during an appearance Monday on «The Stephen A. Smith Show.»

Brady, who retired earlier this year after a record-setting 23-year career, cited numerous reasons for his evaluation of the game, including coaching and player development.

«I think the coaching isn't as good as it was,» Brady said. «I don't think the development of young players is as good as it was. I don't think the schemes are as good as they were.

»The rules have allowed a lot of bad habits to get into the actual performance of the game. So I just think the product in my opinion is less than what it's been."

Scoring in the NFL has declined for the fourth consecutive season in 2023; teams are combining to score just 43.3 points per game this season, down from 43.8 last season and 45.9 in 2021. The league is on pace for its lowest-scoring season on average since 2009, when teams combined for 42.9 points per game.

One likely cause of the scoring decline is a high number of injuries to quarterbacks. Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson and Anthony Richardson headline the growing list of franchise quarterbacks who have suffered season-ending injuries while other stars at the position — including Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray — have missed significant time.

Brady acknowledged the physicality of the sport but also bemoaned recent rule changes designed to protect players from injury.

«I look at a lot of players like Ray Lewis and Rodney Harrison and Ronnie Lott and guys that impacted the game in a certain