Few are as qualified to speak on the state of quarterback play than Tom Brady.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback and Las Vegas Raiders part-owner holds every accolade that the NFL has to offer. With 23 seasons of experience, Brady has seen virtually everything there is to see when it comes to football.
When Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair put a late hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in their Week 13 matchup, it was unsurprising that Brady would have his opinion on the matter.
What was surprising, however, was the stance Brady decided to take.
“It’s gone to a point where everyone will label a certain player as a dirty player, I don’t like that one bit,” Brady said in an interview with Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd. “Maybe they fine or penalize a quarterback for sliding late. And say look, if we don’t want these hits to take place, we’ve got to penalize the offense and the defense rather than just penalize a defensive player for every single play that happens when there’s a hit on a quarterback.”
.@TomBrady discusses late hit on Trevor Lawrence:
“If we don’t want these hits to take place, we’ve got to penalize both the offense and the defense.” pic.twitter.com/fnmCJ7oZwj
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 3, 2024
While Brady’s position does not necessarily side with the defense on this issue, it is notable that the greatest quarterback of all time is willing to be more lenient to them over the quarterback.
Detractors might point out that penalizing the offense could lead to quarterbacks taking more punishment, Brady also stated that such a result is a byproduct of the aggressive nature of play.
“The only aspect that I think is very challenging, and certainly for Trevor Lawrence, nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, but it is also the reality of a very physical sport that we play,” Brady said. “Defensive players have to be aggressive, that’s their nature. I always tried to be aggressive on offense, we try to block aggressively, and at the same time, the defense tries to tackle aggressively.”
Despite Brady’s argument, a ruling has already been decided on the infraction. As a result of his late hit, Al-Shaair will be suspended from the Texans’ next three games.
If Brady had a say in the matter, however, it is fair to wonder if Al-Shaair would have been suspended at all.
