Utah Legend Alex Smith Rips Tom Brady's NFL 'Mediocrity' Claim

Tom Brady riled up fans with his recent comments on the current state of the NFL and Alex Smith fired right back.

On November 21st, Tom Brady appeared on The Stephen A. Smith Show where he dropped a bombshell of a statement that sent the NFL community into a frenzy. 

“I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in today’s NFL” - @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/xyZ1q3ztUg

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) November 21, 2023

While some fans agreed with Brady regarding the "product" on the field being "mediocre" in recent years, an equal amount of fans alongside pundits and former players spoke out against the statements. 

Former NFL QB and Utes great Alex Smith was one of those pundits who didn't agree with the Hall Of Fame QB's observations. 

Alex Smith responded back to Tom Brady's comments about the NFL having "a lot of mediocrity" in today's game 🗣️

"My biggest complaint with this ... He played in the most uncompetitive division in NFL history. You come out of training camp, the biggest cupcake division, you got a… pic.twitter.com/D3I0w2xRYE

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) November 26, 2023

Wow: Alex Smith completely disagrees with Tom Brady’ opinion that there is too much mediocrity in today’s #NFL

(via: @awfulannouncing) pic.twitter.com/DQfZau4lQE

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) November 26, 2023

Former Detroit Lions RB and NFL great Barry Sanders also responded to Brady's claim.

Barry Sanders on Tom Brady decrying the mediocrity of modern football: Maybe he's watching the teams he played for, not the team I played for. https://t.co/rA4tpw0MIj

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 26, 2023

Brady makes a valid claim in the context of the rule changes making the play softer hence leading to more mediocrity but, a lot of the rule changes are a direct result of his influence on the game. 

There was even a "Brady Rule" that was instated back in 2009 which outlawed defensive players from tackling QBs below the knees which was what ended Brady's 2008 campaign. This rule could very well be considered the start of the increasingly soft protection rules that have changed how defenses approach QBs. 

Former teammate and legend in his own right Randy Moss also was bothered by Tom Brady's comments.

Tom Brady's recent remarks about the modern NFL "bothered" Randy Moss for two reasons:https://t.co/vnbXPejDH2

— NESN (@NESN) November 26, 2023

Whichever side of the debate you fall on, it is a good debate to have that can be viewed through multiple lenses. In some sense, Alex Smith, Barry Sanders, and Randy Moss are completely correct yet through a different lens, Tom Brady seems completely correct. 

Nonetheless, hopefully, this debate will continue to grow and players will continue to provide input, no matter their side before the integrity of the game continues to degrade. Egregious fines and foul calls for just playing football strip the players and the fans of the heart and soul that made the game so popular and something should be done to retain that heart and soul as best as possible.