TOM Brady has made his stance on balancing protecting the quarterback and allowing defenders to play crystal clear.
The NFL has come under increasing pressure to protect quarterbacks from unnecessary hits in recent years.
However, some believe the league has gone too far – including two legends of the game.
Appearing on his Let’s Go! podcast alongside Jim Gray, Brady discussed the topic with NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Lawrence Taylor.
The former New York Giants defender admitted that with rules regarding hitting quarterbacks the way they are today, “I don’t think I could finish a game nowadays.”
And Brady too believes it’s been taken too far.
“I really don’t like the way that it’s gone,” he admitted, telling Taylor: “Everytime you would’ve hit the quarterback there would’ve been a flag. And the reality is, defenses should be aggressive.”
Citing a specific example during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 13 Monday Night Football loss to the Green Bay Packers, Brady explained: “There was a hit on (Chiefs quarterback) Patrick Mahomes last night where he was running out of bounds where he wasn’t even out of bounds.
“The quarterbacks need to learn how to throw the ball away. They need to learn how to read defenses so that they can get the ball out of their hands.
“I always felt that my best protection was getting rid of the ball.”..
The play in question saw Mahomes hit by Packers safety Jonathan Owens as he ran toward the sideline to protect himself and stop the clock.
However, Owens managed to hit Mahomes as he approached the sideline, resulting in a fifteen-yard penalty and a fresh set of downs for Kansas City with under a minute remaining.
But upon closer inspection, it seemed clear that Mahomes had still been inbounds during the hit, prompting a frustrated response across social media and from the broadcasting crew.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay was quick to point out “This is absolutely not a foul.
“If he’s trying to gain yardage he’s got to get himself out of bounds.
“He didn’t, he’s inbounds, this is not a personal foul, should not have been called.”
Despite the free yardage, the drive wound up fruitless, ending in a last-gasp hail mary attempt being batted away in the end zone.
