Tom Brady has met the resistance of NFL defenders after the Buccaneers quarterback spoke out after the hit that ended the season for Tampa Bay receiver Chris Godwin.
Godwin suffered a season-ending torn ACL after New Orleans Saints safety P.J. Williams hit him low, immediately after making a catch in the eventual 9-0 shutout loss. It prompted Brady to share how he believes those sorts of hits should be eliminated from the game.
“Chris got hit in the knees yesterday, which is a play I think they ought to take out of the game of football from a receiver standpoint,” Brady said on his weekly “Let’s Go” podcast.
“You can’t hit anyone in the knees anymore except for receivers, which doesn’t make any sense to me,” Brady added. “You can’t hit a defensive lineman in the knees, you can’t hit a punter in the knees, you can’t hit a quarterback in the knees, you can’t hit a (defensive back) in the knees except for allowing hits on defenseless receivers. It needs to be addressed and really thought-out.”
Dallas Cowboys rookie defensive standout Micah Parsons was one of those who took an issue with Brady’s comments.
“Lol so let’s stop playing tackle football?,” Parsons quote-tweeted, along with a laughing emoji, in response to a story including Brady’s comments.
The league has strongly cracked down on defensive players, as you’ve probably noticed, for hits to the head, hits on the quarterback and hits that, though sometimes deemed unnecessary, aren’t all that outlandish. It’s already made playing penalty-free defense in the NFL a difficult job, though, of course, it has helped in regards to the safety standpoint.
We’ll have to see how Brady’s comments go over this offseason, but Parsons certainly is one who objects.
