Dan Skipper Slams 'Absolute Bulls**t' Tom Brady Practice Squad Take

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady set off a firestorm during an appearance on the "Champion Mindset" podcast hosted by former UFC fighter Daniel Cormier.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner expressed, along with others on social media, there were numerous practice squad players who were ill-equipped to handle or avoided all together the pressure of being called up to the main roster, after getting comfortable in their roles.

“There’s 53 guys on the active roster and there’s now 15 guys on the practice squad. So there’s 68 players. But those practice squad players are important because if anybody on the active roster gets hurt, they can get elevated to the squad," said Brady. "These scout team receivers would come in and practice with the scout team and they do really well."

Naturally, Brady wanted players who were excelling to be called up to the 53-man active roster.

"I’d be watching. I’m like, ‘Man, we got to get that guy. Let’s get him up on offense. He’s making a lot of plays.’ Then all of a sudden, we’re like, ‘Hey man, you’re doing really well. You got to come over here and deal with the pressure of succeeding now that you have expectation.’ And these guys are like, they weren’t prepared for it."

When it was time to perform with significantly more pressure on them, the current NFL analyst felt many were comfortable just telling their friends and family they are playing in the league, not really even wanting to be called up to perform weekly in the National Football League.

This is an absolute bullshit take on all accounts. https://t.co/OTB9Hd1aio
— Dan Skipper (@DanSkipper70) May 31, 2026

"So whatever we saw in practice against where there was not a lot of pressure, now when they’re put in a situation where there’s an expectation for performance, they’ve never had to personally deal with that and then they fail," Brady explained. “They’re very happy living this life where they could tell their family and friends, which I have no problem with that. But the reality is a lot of guys don’t want the pressure of dealing with top.”

New Detroit Lions offensive assistant Dan Skipper, who spent the majority of his career battling to remain in the league and who spent plenty of time on the practice, vehemently disagreed with Brady's assertion that practice squad. players avoided wanting to have elevated expectations placed on them.

Skipper shared on social media, "This is an absolute bull***t take on all accounts."

He later added, responding to supporters, "No doubt! A lot that people don’t realize about the psquad role. Sure am (arguing with Brady). As someone who experienced both sides there is a lot more that goes into it."

The Lions have often treated their practice squad differently and placed a significant amount of expectation on all members of the roster. Both Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have indicated players on the practice squad in Detroit know they are one-play away from being inserted into the lineup.

With Detroit having to deal with so many injuries the last few years, the team has relied on players from the practice squad to step in, especially on the defensive side of the football.

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