Tom Brady is absolutely livid about some roughing the passer calls, and get this, he is advocating for defensive players to get more leeway on hitting quarterbacks. It’s wild, right? Coming from the guy who took so many of those hits, he knows the irony, but that isn’t stopping him. His frustration just exploded after a controversial roughing the passer penalty on Sunday’s Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions game directly led to the Lions kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Brady’s Bold Take on QB Hits
Brady, speaking on #AskTom, laid out his philosophy: quarterbacks need to take more accountability for certain hits, because it just comes with the territory of playing the position. He thinks officials are calling it way too close sometimes. According to Brady, defenders need a “level of aggressiveness” to do their job, whether that is rushing the passer or closing on a receiver. QBs “have every right to get rid of the ball whenever they want,” he said, but the faster they do, “the less likely they are to get hit.” If they want to hold the ball? “Part of the understanding is that you’re gonna get hit,” Brady stated. It is a tough stance from a guy who spent decades in the pocket.
Game-Defining Flags That Blew Up
Brady was on the FOX call for the Packers-Lions game and he was not shy about his displeasure with some of the penalties. When Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes hit Packers running back Marshawn Lloyd and got flagged for unnecessary roughness, Brady blurted out, “Oh, come on, man.” He called it “a bang-bang play” and something that is “allowed 99 out of 100” times.
But the one that really got under his skin was the roughing the passer call on Packers defensive tackle Karl Brooks for his hit on Jared Goff during the Lions’ final drive. Brooks seemed to hit Goff just a split second after the throw. Brady’s reaction was instant: “No, my goodness, what is that? There’s no way.” He thought Brooks made “a great play,” rolling off Goff’s body, saying it was “definitely not roughing the passer.” He added, “You’re just ripping through the line of scrimmage to try to get the quarterback on the ground.” Brady even said he loves Goff standing tough in the pocket, but “you just can’t tack it on 15 yards.” FOX Sports NFL rules analyst Dean Blandino backed Brady up, confirming Brooks’ hit “wasn’t late.” That flag pushed Detroit deep into Green Bay territory, letting them kick the game-winning field goal as the clock hit zero. Brady called that penalty “a little bit controversial” on #AskTom.
Calling It From The Booth
Brady gets that some folks on social media think he is being hypocritical, but he is owning it. He admitted it is way easier for him to call out the officiating now that he is retired. “Look, I understand. I’m self-aware,” he said. “I’m sitting up in that booth. It’s much easier for me to say it now that I’m sitting up in the booth, but that’s what my job is. I’m a broadcaster now.” His job is to call it like he sees it, and he is seeing some calls that are flat-out costing teams games. It just shows you how much those calls truly impact the outcome, doesn’t it?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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